Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) said on Aug. 16 that far-left political streamer Hasan Piker speaking at a University of Washington event could potentially “foment harassment, discrimination or potentially violence against a class of students.”
The congressman was responding to Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who has accused Israel of “genocide” and appeared to encourage UW student groups to invite Piker after the university canceled his planned January 2027 lecture. A fellow member of the House Judiciary Committee, Goldman said he supports the First Amendment but argued that the university has obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“A university has obligations under Title VI to ensure that its own sanctioned events do not create a hostile environment for any student, including Jewish students,” Goldman said.
Jayapal responded that UW has hosted speakers whose views she disagreed with, to which Goldman replied, “Did any of those previous speakers foment harassment, discrimination or potentially violence against a class of students?”
“UW students have plenty of access to Piker’s racist and anti-American views,” he added.
Goldman also cited Title VI protections against discrimination based on race, color and national origin, which federal guidance says includes discrimination against Jewish students based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics. The law requires federally funded educational institutions to respond when harassment is sufficiently serious to limit a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from an educational program.
Piker, who has also accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza and described the Israel Defense Forces as a “Nazi army,” has also referred to Orthodox Jews as “inbred.”
The University of Washington said it canceled Piker’s lecture after determining that the planning process did not meet the standards required for university-hosted events. The university said it remains committed to the free exchange of ideas and plans to tighten procedures for future events.
Piker has said the university canceled the event because of his views on Israel, while UW has denied that characterization.
Goldman said that attempts to distinguish criticism of Israel from hostility toward Jews have become increasingly difficult amid rising violence against American Jews.
“While many people may want to create a fictional divide between ‘Israel’ and ‘Jews,’ the dramatic and continued escalation of violence against American Jews, purportedly in the name of opposition to Israel, renders that academic distinction irrelevant and completely untethered to reality,” he said.
