Latest news with #AmericanCivilLibertiesUnionofFlorida
Axios
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
O Cinema dodged eviction, but resolution renews censorship fears
Miami Beach commissioners on Wednesday are expected to discuss a measure aimed at influencing programming at indie theater O Cinema. The big picture: The discussion comes a little more than one month after the theater survived eviction over its decision to screen "No Other Land." The Oscar-winning film documents the Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank for military training grounds, before the current conflict in Gaza. The resolution, proposed by Mayor Steven Meiner, calls for the theater to program films that "highlight a fair and balanced viewpoint" of the Israel-Hamas war and to ensure the "viewpoint of Jewish people and the state of Israel is fully and accurately presented." Why it matters: Critics argue the move undermines the theater's freedom of expression and causes a chilling effect on it and other art spaces. Between the lines: The commission has previously been accused of silencing pro-Palestinian voices, including barring protesters from obstructing streets or sidewalks in response to demonstrations in the city. Catch up quick: Last month, Meiner's attempt to evict the cinema — which operates in a city-owned facility — and pull about $40,000 in city grants sparked international outrage. Supporters of O Cinema packed a commission meeting, calling the proposals an attempt to control the theater and a violation of free speech. Commissioners who disagreed with Meiner shared his concerns about the dangers of antisemitism but said the government should not direct content decisions. What they're saying:"The community has made it overwhelmingly clear that they do not want government influence in the types of films O Cinema shows," said Kareem Tabsch, the cinema's co-founder, in a statement to Axios. The proposal "poses real concerns of government overreach into the independence of cultural organizations like O Cinema," he said. Daniel Tilley, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, said even after Meiner backed off the eviction threat, the "bell cannot be unrung." Though the current resolution seeks to "encourage, not dictate" programming decisions, "the chill to O Cinema and other cultural institutions who dare to display or express disfavored viewpoints remains." The other side: Meiner did not respond to Axios' request for comment Tuesday, but he previously called the film a "one-sided propaganda attack" on the Jewish people.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State can enforce DEI general education course ban while litigation plays out
The Westcott building and fountain at Florida State University on Dec. 31, 2024. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix) The state of Florida may enforce a law eliminating general education courses that teach 'identity politics' at Florida's institutions of higher education pending resolution of a lawsuit filed by professors, a federal judge has ruled. In January, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida filed suit on the professors' behalf alleging that SB 266, a 2023 law limiting general education course classifications and funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, harmed the professors' academic ambitions. General education courses are required for students to graduate. Days after a preliminary injunction hearing in Tallahassee in front of U.S. District Chief Judge Mark Walker, he ruled Wednesday that the professors had not established theywould suffer any harm. 'Viewpoint-discriminatory' higher education law heard for preliminary injunction 'This ruling is disappointing, but also offers a clearer path forward to prove this law is unconstitutional,' said Bacardi Jackson, executive director of the ACLU of Florida in a news release. 'The law is a blatant effort to control the content of higher education, muzzle Florida's scholars, and erase perspectives the state finds politically inconvenient. We remain committed to fighting alongside faculty, students, and the broader academic community until this undemocratic law is struck down.' Among the plaintiffs is University of Florida political science professor Sharon Austin, who complains she was denied funding to present at a 2024 conference hosted by Diversity Abroad, which the school had paid for her to present at in 2023. The school specifically cited SB 266 in refusing to pay for her to appear subsequently, the suit alleges. 'As for Plaintiff Austin, her declaration demonstrates that she has already suffered a denial of state funding to attend conferences in 2024. However, to obtain prospective relief, she must demonstrate an unambiguous intention to seek funding to attend conferences at a reasonably foreseeable time in the future. That she has not done,' Walker wrote. Professors who have had their courses removed from general education requirements, or fear it may happen, say their injury is chilled speech and potential repercussions in post-tenure review. 'To the extent these Plaintiffs claim their classroom speech associated with courses for which they have no stated plans to teach at a reasonably foreseeable time in the future will be chilled, such a hypothetical future chill is both too remote and speculative to amount to a cognizable injury in fact,' Walker wrote. The plaintiffs allege viewpoint discrimination under the First Amendment; that the law is over-broad; and that it violates Florida's Campus Free Expression Act. State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said in January that the law has helped address a Gallup poll that found 'political agendas' as Americans' Number One reason they have lost confidence in higher education. Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said the law helps students who can be 'overwhelmed by the number of courses that are out there,' and that students can take whatever classes they wish, 'but the easier we can make it for them when it comes to general education and making sure that they're getting what they need there I think is very important.' Walker did not rule on merits of the underlying case and the ACLU said it will continue its challenge. 'Plaintiffs' evidence does not demonstrate that any Plaintiff faces an imminent injury — namely, chilled speech — that is traceable to any Defendant's enforcement of the general education requirements,' Walker wrote. 'For what it's worth, Plaintiffs' existential concerns about the survival of their academic departments and the future viability of their areas of expertise in the state of Florida are certainly understandable. However, these concerns, as described at length in Plaintiffs' declarations, do not give rise to a concrete, imminent, and non-speculative injury in fact sufficient to permit Plaintiffs to seek a preliminary injunction against Defendants' enforcement of the general education requirements.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Arab News
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Florida mayor drops threat to evict cinema for screening ‘No Other Land'
WASHINGTON: Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner said on Wednesday he dropped his threat to evict an art house cinema from city property for screening Oscar-winning 'No Other Land,' a film about the Israeli displacement of a Palestinian community in the Israeli-occupied West move came after multiple rights advocates and artists in recent days criticized Meiner's threat and said it would violate free said earlier he sought to evict and halt future grant payments to the non-profit O Cinema in South commissioners were scheduled to vote on Wednesday on a resolution introduced by Meiner and made public last the session, a majority of the seven-member commission said they opposed the resolution, as did dozens of people who said he would introduce another resolution aimed at encouraging O Cinema to show movies highlighting 'a fair and balanced viewpoint of the current war' and it would be deferred to a later called the movie 'one-sided propaganda' and antisemitic. The film's co-directors, Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, dismissed antisemitism American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and other rights advocates condemned Meiner's earlier threat as being against free winning the Oscar for documentary feature film, 'No Other Land' has not been picked up by mainstream US film shows Israeli soldiers tearing down homes and evicting residents to create a military training ground and the encroachment of Jewish settlers on the Palestinian directors accused Washington of blocking a solution to the decades old Israeli-Palestinian conflict whose latest bloodshed involves the ongoing devastating Israeli military assault on Gaza following a deadly October 2023 Hamas attack.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Florida mayor drops threat to evict cinema for screening 'No Other Land'
By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner said on Wednesday he dropped his threat to evict an art house cinema from city property for screening Oscar-winning "No Other Land," a film about the Israeli displacement of a Palestinian community in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The move came after multiple rights advocates and artists in recent days criticized Meiner's threat and said it would violate free speech. Meiner said earlier he sought to evict and halt future grant payments to the non-profit O Cinema in South Beach. City commissioners were scheduled to vote on Wednesday on a resolution introduced by Meiner and made public last week. In the session, a majority of the seven-member commission said they opposed the resolution, as did dozens of people who gathered. Meiner said he would introduce another resolution aimed at encouraging O Cinema to show movies highlighting "a fair and balanced viewpoint of the current war" and it would be deferred to a later meeting. Meiner called the movie "one-sided propaganda" and antisemitic. The film's co-directors, Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, dismissed antisemitism allegations. The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and other rights advocates condemned Meiner's earlier threat as being against free speech. Despite winning the Oscar for documentary feature film, "No Other Land" has not been picked up by mainstream U.S. distributors. The film shows Israeli soldiers tearing down homes and evicting residents to create a military training ground and the encroachment of Jewish settlers on the Palestinian community. The directors accused Washington of blocking a solution to the decades old Israeli-Palestinian conflict whose latest bloodshed involves the ongoing devastating Israeli military assault on Gaza following a deadly October 2023 Hamas attack.
Reuters
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Florida mayor drops threat to evict cinema for screening 'No Other Land'
WASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) - Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner said on Wednesday he dropped his threat to evict an art house cinema from city property for screening Oscar-winning " No Other Land," a film about the Israeli displacement of a Palestinian community in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The move came after multiple rights advocates and artists in recent days criticized Meiner's threat and said it would violate free speech. Meiner said earlier he sought to evict and halt future grant payments to the non-profit O Cinema in South Beach. City commissioners were scheduled to vote on Wednesday on a resolution, opens new tab introduced by Meiner and made public last week. In the session, a majority of the seven-member commission said they opposed the resolution, as did dozens of people who gathered. Meiner said he would introduce another resolution aimed at encouraging O Cinema to show movies highlighting "a fair and balanced viewpoint of the current war" and it would be deferred to a later meeting. Meiner called the movie "one-sided propaganda" and antisemitic. The film's co-directors, Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, dismissed antisemitism allegations. The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and other rights advocates condemned Meiner's earlier threat as being against free speech. Despite winning the Oscar for documentary feature film, "No Other Land" has not been picked up by mainstream U.S. distributors. The film shows Israeli soldiers tearing down homes and evicting residents to create a military training ground and the encroachment of Jewish settlers on the Palestinian community. The directors accused Washington of blocking a solution to the decades old Israeli-Palestinian conflict whose latest bloodshed involves the ongoing devastating Israeli military assault on Gaza following a deadly October 2023 Hamas attack.
