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(CHICAGO, IL, 2\/5\/25)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation\u2019s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today expressed its support for Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, who was forcibly removed from a Meeting of the Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation for standing in defense of free speech and against\u00a0the censorship of the\u00a0US-Israel War Machine<\/strong>\u00a0art exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center<\/span><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SEE MORE: Alderman told to leave City Council meeting after he appeared to call colleague a white supremacist<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The removal of Ald. Sigcho-Lopez, a vocal advocate for human rights, highlights the growing effort to silence criticism of state violence and suppress Palestinian narratives. The exhibit, which portrays the U.S. and Israel\u2019s role in the ongoing genocide in Gaza, has come under attack by 27 alderpeople demanding its removal. The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) has already censored the artwork by stripping its title and death count\u2014an alarming step toward erasing dissent and artistic expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen elected officials who stand for justice are silenced and removed from their own City Council, we must ask: whose voices are being protected, and whose are being erased?<\/em>\u201d said\u00a0Hafsa Haider, Communications Coordinator for CAIR-Chicago<\/strong>. \u201cThis is not just about one artwork. It is about preserving the right to protest, to dissent, and to challenge systems of power through art<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n CAIR-Chicago strongly condemns the coordinated campaign to misrepresent political criticism as hate speech. Protest art has long served as a vehicle for exposing injustice, from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter. Attempts to conflate criticism of Israel\u2019s policies with antisemitism are not only disingenuous but also harmful to efforts combatting real antisemitism and white supremacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Censorship of this exhibit sets a dangerous precedent for Chicago\u2019s artists, activists, and marginalized communities. CAIR-Chicago urges city leaders to stand firm in defense of free speech and restore the exhibit in full.\u00a0<\/p>\n \ufeffCAIR-Chicago\u2019s mission is to\u00a0defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance.<\/strong><\/p>\n CONTACT<\/strong>: Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago, 202-870-0166,\u00a0arehab@cair.com<\/a>;\u00a0Monia Alhelou, Operations Coordinator of CAIR-Chicago, 312-212-1520,\u00a0malhelou@cair.com<\/a>;\u00a0Hafsa Haider, Communications Coordinator of CAIR-Chicago, 561-317-7509,\u00a0hhaider@cair.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n