The Hilton Houston Post Oak was scheduled to host the Seize the Moment US Campaign for Palestinian Rights National Conference later this month. That event has now been cancelled.

The national conference was to be held from October 27 to October 29. The hotel cites safety concerns for its staff and hotel guests. The conference was meant to “mobilize for liberation”, according to its website. That has a threatening tone to it, given what is going on in Israel right now at the hands of Hamas.

“Hundreds of organizers, activists, students and artists will build across movements in our collective fight for justice. Imagine a liberated future with us, beginning with the demand to end U.S. military funding to Israel once and for all,” the website said.

Tickets and hotel reservation information was available on the website. The Hilton Houston Post Oak is in the Galleria area, which is a very busy, often congested area of the city frequented by locals and tourists alike. Tickets were selling for $225 and the keynote speaker was to be Rep. Rashida Tlaib.

The Hilton released a statement.

“Hilton Houston Post Oak by the Galleria serves as a place of public accommodation and does not endorse the positions of third-party groups or organizations. The safety and security of our Team Members and guests is our top priority. Given escalating security concerns in the current environment, the hotel has determined that it cannot serve as the venue for this event because of the potential risks to our Team Members and guests. Our priority is and will remain the safety and security of everyone we welcome at our hotel.”

Other speakers, besides Tlaib, are listed on the website. Among them are journalist and academic Marc Lamont Hill, and senior staff attorney Daila Shamas. The conference was to be moderated by Rasha Mubarak. Linda Sarsour is also featured as a speaker. She is a co-chair of the 2017 Women’s March, the 2017 Day Without a Woman, and the 2019 Women’s March. She is so controversial that the Women’s March severed ties with her. Joe Biden criticized her after she participated in a Democratic National Convention council meeting during the 2020 presidential election. She endorsed Biden in 2020. Her anti-Semitic remarks are well-known on social media.

It is being billed as “the largest movement-wide Palestine conference in the U.S.” on the website. Tlaib is billed as the star of the event. She was also scheduled to participate in a panel discussion “to break down strategies and ideas in this political landscape. We’ll dive deep into how we can advocate and push Congress to meet our demands.” Their demands. Ok.

Among all the workshops and panel discussions planned for the conference is a list of COVID-19 precautions the attendees are expected to adhere to. Free KN95 masks will be available, as masks are mandatory. The attendees must also agree to wear masks as they travel to the conference. The list is long and very specific. Authoritarian rule is alive and well with the conference.

Governor Abbott praised the Hilton for canceling the event.

Hilton Hotels in Houston was correct to pull the plug on the U.S. Campaign for Palestine Rights event hosted by Hamas supporters. 

Texas has no room for hate & antisemitism like that supported by Hamas. 

No location in Texas should host or sponsor USCPR. https://t.co/XyM16oJ9IV

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) October 17, 2023

There is no room for these Hamas supporters in Texas, he said. “Texas has no room for hate & antisemitism like that supported by Hamas. No location in Texas should host or sponsor USCPR.” They can “Seize the Moment” elsewhere.