USM Cancels Palestine Conference Over Planned Speaker's Sanctions

University cites federal law in decision to terminate space agreement with organizers.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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The University of Southern Maine has canceled a planned academic conference on Palestine after learning that one of the scheduled speakers, Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, is on a U.S. government sanctions list. USM said hosting the event with Albanese's participation would violate federal law.

Why it matters

The cancellation highlights the tensions and sensitivities around discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, especially on university campuses. It also raises questions about the impact of U.S. sanctions on academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas.

The details

The conference, titled 'The Consequence of Palestine,' was to be co-hosted by the Maine Coalition for Palestine, Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights, and USM's Department of Criminology and Sociology. Organizers say they offered to remove Albanese from the program, but were told the university could not host the event due to the risk and need to ensure compliance with federal law.

  • The conference was scheduled for this weekend (February 28-29, 2026).
  • Albanese was sanctioned by the U.S. government in July 2025.

The players

Francesca Albanese

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, who was scheduled to speak at the conference remotely.

University of Southern Maine (USM)

The public university in Maine that canceled the conference space agreement with organizers.

Maine Coalition for Palestine

One of the co-hosts of the planned conference on Palestine.

Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights

Another co-host of the planned conference on Palestine.

Republican Lawmakers

A group of 14 Republican state senators who sent a letter to the University of Maine System chancellor regarding the conference.

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What they’re saying

“To have this individual speak virtually would have required conference organizers to obtain permission from the Treasury Department, which they did not. Hosting a conference that is being actively promoted as including a speaker sanctioned by the U.S. government would put our public university in violation of federal law.”

— Samantha Warren, Spokesperson, University of Maine System (pressherald.com)

“If these matters are not addressed transparently and promptly, they are likely to generate significant concern and may place future support for system-wide funding requests at risk.”

— Republican Lawmakers (pressherald.com)

What’s next

Organizers say they are actively looking for another venue to host the conference, which had more than 300 registered participants.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the ongoing tensions and sensitivities around discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, especially on university campuses, and the potential impact of U.S. sanctions on academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas.