The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen says organizers canceled his New York appearance Friday after he signed an open letter condemning Israel’s indiscriminate violence against Palestinians in Gaza and calling for a ceasefire. Some 900 people were expected to attend Friday’s event at the 92NY for Nguyen’s memoir about growing up as a refugee of the U.S. War on Vietnam. The cancellation came two days after Nguyen wrote on social media, “The Israeli government and its supporters have sought to shut down any protest of Israel, including nonviolent ones like [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions], which helps lead to the current situation where some can only see violence as a solution.” 92NY is the former 92nd Street Y.
This comes after scores of Palestinian American activists say their scheduled appearances in TV and radio interviews have been canceled this month, while hotels and other venues have canceled events featuring Palestinians or speakers who have criticized Israel’s human rights record.
