A South Florida venue pulled out of hosting a progressive Democratic rally headlined by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., just one day before the event was scheduled to take place.
The “Chomp the Oligarchy” rally was set for Friday night at The Venue in Fort Lauderdale, timed four days ahead of Florida’s primary election to boost three progressive Democratic candidates.
The event was organized to support House candidates Elijah Manley and Oliver Larkin, along with state Rep. Angie Nixon, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
State Rep. Michael Gottlieb, a Democrat, posted on Thursday morning labeling the event “anti-Jew” and accusing the candidates of being part of an “Anti-Israel and Anti-Zionism coalition.”
Gottlieb further stated that Tlaib “has by far the deepest record of antisemitic allegations and is being brought here to help these candidates raise funds for their campaigns.”
Following Gottlieb’s post, The Venue released a statement Thursday night citing “increased security concerns” as its reason for canceling, without naming Tlaib directly.
The venue said it pulled out after becoming aware of the “full scope” of the event and reviewing promotional materials, adding that “the decision was then made that the event would not proceed at our property.”
“The Venue Fort Lauderdale is Jewish-owned and operated and our values and commitment to the Jewish community are deeply important to us,” the statement read.
Prior to canceling, The Venue reportedly reached out to Gottlieb asking him to remove his post, which he refused to do, according to the New York Times.
Cameron Driggers, a lead organizer for the rally, told the Times that the venue said it would only host the event if Tlaib was uninvited, a condition the organizers rejected outright.
The rally ultimately proceeded at an alternate outdoor location, drawing roughly 300 supporters, where candidate Oliver Larkin addressed the controversy head-on before the crowd.
“What we’ve seen in the last 36 hours is a mobilization campaign to try to intimidate and harass us with a campaign of Islamophobia,” Larkin said, adding that it was “a campaign that seeks to excuse AIPAC’s corrupting influence over our elections.”
The event’s organizers declared on Instagram that they “will not be silenced by racist right-wing agitators and conservative Democrats” and vowed to “keep fighting to deliver for working-class Floridians.”
Tlaib appeared at the rally as planned, introducing Nixon before she delivered her remarks to the assembled crowd.
Manley, endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, is challenging veteran Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., while Larkin, a self-identified DSA member, faces incumbent Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.
Nixon is running against Alexander Vindman, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel widely known for his testimony during President Donald Trump’s first impeachment inquiry.
Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital that “it’s no coincidence” Tlaib appeared at an event supporting candidates seeking to unseat Jewish Democratic incumbents.
Tlaib, the first Palestinian American woman elected to Congress, has denied accusations of antisemitism throughout her tenure on Capitol Hill.
Congress censured Tlaib in 2023 for her use of the slogan “from the river to the sea,” which she describes as “an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence” from Palestinians, though many Jewish Americans view it as a veiled call for genocide against Israelis.
