ViacomCBS cancels event with Linda Sarsour as part of Women’s History Month

“The fact remains that the folks at ViacomCBS thought that a woman who lauded an anti-Semite like Louis Farrakhan is a symbol of ‘inclusion,’” said Dexter Van Zile, a researcher at CAMERA.

By Jackson Richman, JNS

ViacomCBS canceled an event this week featuring former Women’s March leader Linda Sarsour, who is known for her support of the anti-Israel BDS movement and has been accused of spreading anti-Semitism.

The Women’s History Month event on Wednesday was specifically going to be hosted by the multinational media conglomerate’s Office of Global Inclusion, a source familiar with the situation told JNS, which first reported on the scheduled event.

ViacomCBS spokesperson Justin Dini told JNS, “This event was cancelled well in advance of Wednesday.”

Dini did not respond to a request for comment as to exactly when and why the event was cancelled.

Viacom’s Women’s Employee Affinity Group posted on Facebook on March 5, “Join us 3/11 at 4:30 pm EST for a conversation with author and co-organizer of the Women’s March, Linda Sarsour! Check your inbox for RSVP details.”

“Maybe [Sarsour] was too busy being a surrogate for the [Vermont Sen. Bernie] Sanders [Democratic presidential] campaign to show up, but the fact remains that the folks at ViacomCBS thought that a woman who lauded an anti-Semite like Louis Farrakhan is a symbol of ‘inclusion,’ ” Dexter Van Zile, a researcher at the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA), told JNS.

Nonetheless, “they canceled, and they deserve some credit for that,” he said.