Char-Meck Library defends event featuring author who called Hamas attack retaliation

CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library is standing by its decision to feature Etaf Rum in its Verse & Vino event last week.

The move has drawn sharp criticism from Charlotte’s Jewish community and Mecklenburg County Commissioner Leigh Altman.

Palestinian-American and New York Times Best-Selling author Etaf Rum posted an Instagram on Oct. 11 expressing support for Palestine. It’s a line in the nine-slide post saying Hamas “decided to retaliate and resist” that has the Charlotte area’s Jewish community outraged that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library would feature her in the event.

“You can say that you hurt for what’s going on in Gaza and that’s OK,” Roni Penchas said. “But to say that Hamas is not a terror organization or that what they did is retaliation and resistance, that’s not OK.”

ALSO READ: Israel agrees to ‘humanitarian pauses’ in war with Hamas, White House says

Penchas was part of a group that addressed the Mecklenburg County Commissioners Tuesday night because the library’s CEO was giving a presentation. The group’s concerns were backed by Commissioner Leigh Altman, who questioned why Rum was allowed to speak at the event. She says the library’s actions are “morally repugnant and have generated feelings of anger and betrayal.”

“No one is this room would tolerate hate speech or the normalizing of violence against any other group,” she said. “I ask why the stark double standard when the victims were Jewish families running for their lives?”

The CEO of the library told Altman prior to the event that the library often has programs and speakers with opinions the library doesn’t share and that’s the case with Rum.

Penchas says the CEO should apologize.

“Free speech is OK,” she said. “Not for terror. That’s not free speech.”

In a statement, the library defended the inclusion of Rum because the library is “committed to protecting the First Amendment’s guarantee of free and open access to information and ideas.”

ALSO READ: Woman returns to Charlotte after escaping war-torn Israel

An email to Rum was not returned.

Statement from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library:

Last week, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation hosted its 10th annual Verse & Vino, the Foundation’s signature fundraiser celebrating reading, writing and the joy of libraries.

New York Times best-selling author Etaf Rum was one of five authors invited to speak at the event. Rum is a Palestinian-American author who recently made statements on social media regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict.

We recognize that this conflict is a complex global issue that has created troubling and emotional times for many people around the world.

As a public library, we are committed to protecting the First Amendment’s guarantee of free and open access to information and ideas – a principle vital to our democracy and to each individual’s search for knowledge. At its core, Verse & Vino is an opportunity to celebrate what Charlotte Mecklenburg Library stands for. As a result, the Library and Library Foundation decided to keep Ms. Rum as a part of the evening’s event.

Much thought went into this decision. The Library Foundation took the concerns of the Jewish community very seriously and sought counsel from Jewish leaders in the Charlotte community, our Jewish board members and the Library’s legal counsel.

The Library Foundation spoke with Ms. Rum’s publisher, editor, and publicist to impress that her comments remain focused on the intent of the program: to celebrate reading and writing, to share how libraries have impacted her, and to provide a unique perspective on her literary work “Evil Eye.” The program occurred without issue.

While the views expressed by the authors and guest presenters at Verse & Vino do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, the Library Foundation, or its sponsors, we respect the right to everyone’s freedom of expression.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Intellectual Freedom Statement

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is committed to protecting the First Amendment’s guarantee of free and open access to information and ideas–a principle vital to our democracy and to each individual’s search for knowledge. We seek to provide our diverse community with a comprehensive collection of materials and programs providing a wide range of knowledge and perspectives.

(WATCH BELOW: Dozens gather in Uptown park in support of Israel)