USC cancels ALL speakers at commencement ceremony – including Crazy Rich Asians filmmaker John M. Chu – amid controversy over decision to ban valedictorian because of her anti-Semitic social media posts

The University of Southern California has canceled all speakers scheduled to speak at its commencement ceremony amid controversy.

On April 15, the prestigious private university announced its decision to ban the valedictorian from speaking at this year’s graduation ceremony on May 10.

Asna Tabassum, 21, was suspended for being outspoken in her pro-Palestinian support, leading to her being branded anti-Semitic.

The decision was met with anger on campus, with her fellow students accusing the university of censorship and 130 faculty members signing a letter demanding to hear her speak at the graduation.

In another shocking announcement, USC has announced that all speakers scheduled to speak at the commencement ceremony have been canceled.

Keynote speakers included Crazy Rich Asians filmmaker Jon M. Chu, who was expected at the main stage ceremony, and tennis star Billie Jean King.

USC released a statement saying that leadership had decided that “it is best to dismiss outside speakers and honorees from attending this year’s ceremony.”

The university said it was “redesigning” the ceremony to ensure the focus remains on the graduates – and said the decision was made after considering the “highly publicized circumstances” that have arisen following the ban Tabassum.

Tabassum’s ban came amid security concerns after her pro-Palestinian views led to accusations of anti-Semitism.

Fellow students protested the decision and during a march on Thursday, students held signs with photos of Tabassum, 21, and read “let Asna speak.”

Tabassum, who studies biomedical engineering with a minor in resistance against genocide, is said to have addressed 65,000 people during the ceremony. USC officials chose her from nearly 100 students with a GPA of 3.98 or higher.

The valedictorian has since come out that she is not anti-Semitic, and that she refuses to back down: “I stand by exactly what I stand for.”

Thursday’s march through campus followed a series of calls for her speech to resume.

The letter signed by faculty said canceling her speech “stifles open communication,” while dozens of student groups signed a separate letter saying they were “outraged and embarrassed” by the decision.

The scandal began after pro-Israel groups denounced Tabassum’s selection for farewell speech and accused her of anti-Semitism after it emerged that the 21-year-old had posted posts questioning the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

A link in her Instagram bio led to a third-party page that read: “Zionism is a racist settler-colonialist ideology.”

The college then removed Tabassum, a Muslim, from the graduation ceremony lineup, saying that “tradition must give way to safety.”

After being excluded from the lecture, Tabassum told ABC7 that she stands by her positions, saying, “I stand by exactly what I stand for.

“I don’t think it’s ironic that I’m a minor in something called opposing genocide, and then I speak out about it and then it’s retracted because I’m being punished for something that people have a problem with.”

Following the outrage, the university hinted this week that it would cancel single-person valedictory speeches in the future.

Tabassum also said she did not believe university officials’ safety claim after they did not provide her with details.

She told the outlet, “That was a primal emotion, pride and humility and humbleness. It quickly turned to shock and surprise.”

Pressing further on officials at the school, she said: “[It was] almost a one-way conversation – and the next day they came to me.

‘They called me and said: ‘It’s a shame, but you don’t get to speak’. It was a roller coaster, and I would say that’s the best way to describe it.

“When people use this particular issue as a way to discuss issues of freedom of speech, safety, the First Amendment, racism, hate and ideological debate.

‘That is exactly what a university should do, that is exactly how we learn as students.

“It’s not about the speech, it’s about the representation, it’s about the principle.”

Tabassum has shared pro-Palestinian views and likes via her Instagram account, which she has since made private and deleted her posts.

The student’s Instagram bio links to a landing page that says “Learn more about what’s happening in Palestine and how you can help.”

Tabassum herself suggested that she was silenced and that her university had “abandoned her.”

She wrote in a statement: “Anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices have subjected me to a campaign of racist hatred because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all.

“This campaign to avoid addressing my colleagues at the outset has clearly achieved its goal.

‘USC administrators have informed me that the university will no longer allow me to speak at commencement due to alleged security reasons.

“I am both shocked by this decision and deeply disappointed that the university is succumbing to a hate campaign designed to silence my voice,” she continued.

“I am not surprised by those who try to promote hatred. I’m surprised that my own university – where I lived at home for four years – has abandoned me.’