University of Southern Maine Cancels Palestine Conference Over Sanctions Concerns

By Staff, Agencies

The University of Southern Maine has withdrawn permission to use a campus venue for a conference focused on Palestine just days before it was set to begin, sparking a dispute over US sanctions law and First Amendment protections.

The event, titled “Consequence of Palestine,” had drawn more than 300 registrants and was organized by the Maine Coalition for Palestine, Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights, and the university’s Department of Criminology and Sociology.

It was expected to include virtual remarks by Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, who has been under US sanctions since last year.

University officials said the cancellation was based on federal sanctions regulations. Samantha Warren, chief external and governmental affairs officer for the University of Maine System, told The Guardian in an email.

“Hosting a conference that is being actively promoted as including a speaker sanctioned by the US government would put our public university in violation of federal law.”

She added that organizers should have sought authorization from the Treasury Department before proceeding.

US sanctions rules prohibit entities from providing “any goods or services” to individuals designated under sanctions regimes.

Violations can result in severe penalties, including substantial fines and potential prison sentences. However, legal scholars argue that the definition of what constitutes a “service” in such cases remains legally ambiguous.