Hotel abruptly cancels pro-Israel event over 'credible threats' — but police chief quickly sets the record straight

A Nashville hotel is being accused of religious discrimination after abruptly canceling a pro-Israel event.

The Israel Summit — a "gathering of pro-Israel supporters who unconditionally support Israel’s right to be sovereign in the entirety of the land of Israel, including Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the Gaza Strip," according to the event website — was scheduled to take place at the Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel next week, May 20–22.

'In the end, the Sonesta Hotel made a corporate decision to cancel.'

But last Friday, a representative for the hotel abruptly canceled the event.

The representative told HaYovel, a Christian organization that is coordinating the event, in an email dated May 10:

We have received credible threats regarding the safety of your group, our guests and employees, our hotel and sister property, and to businesses in our neighborhood. Those threats were confirmed by law enforcement officials in the last 24 hours. Consequently, we are invoking our rights under the force majeure clause of the contract and unfortunately are canceling the event that was scheduled for May 20-22, including canceling any guestroom reservations associated with the event. We are sincerely sorry.

On Monday, the First Liberty Institute sent Sonesta a letter accusing the hotel of "unlawful religious discrimination in a place of public accommodation."

By canceling the contract, Hiram Sasser, executive general counsel at First Liberty, said Sonesta violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Tennessee Human Rights Act.

The problem, according to Sasser, is the alleged threats "were anti-semitic and anti-Israel in nature and in line with the hateful rhetoric currently seen on some of America’s college campuses" and not sufficient legal justification to cancel the contract under its force majeure clause.

"It is un-American — and illegal — to cancel a gathering due to religious beliefs and quite frankly it is morally wrong," Sasser said in a statement. "The Sonesta and others cannot surrender to terror in violation of federal and Tennessee law. If this hotel chain surrenders to pro-Hamas, terrorist beliefs, where does it stop? The hotel must make the choice of standing with American ideals or pro-Hamas terrorists. We hope the hotel will quickly reverse its decision."

Moreover, Nashville Police Chief John Drake confirmed the hotel did not receive threats per se. Rather, the hotel was inundated with "external messages" demanding they cancel the pro-Israel event.

"The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department did not advocate, in any shape or form, for the cancellation of the conference at the Sonesta Hotel. Any inference to the contrary is false," Drake said in an email seen by Blaze News.

"Equally false is the assertion in an online article that this police department voiced concerns about persons being in physical danger. In fact, members of the police department did, indeed, meet with hotel management at its request to talk about the conference," Drake explained. "We let it be known that we were absolutely prepared to help the hotel create a safety and security plan, as we would with any of our city’s hotels, and offer additional support if needed."

"At the same time, I am aware that the Sonesta was receiving a number of external messages urging that it not host the event. In the end, the Sonesta Hotel made a corporate decision to cancel. This police department was in no way a party to that decision," he clarified.

Palestine Hurra Collective Nashville — an activist group "dedicated to the total liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea" — is the group behind those messages, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.

Last week, Palestine Hurra instructed its supporters to bombard the general manager of the Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel with messages demanding they cancel the pro-Israel event, even drafting a script for supporters to recite via phone or email.

The post claimed that event organizers and attendees were gathering to "celebrate the death of civilians and recruit new Zionists."

"Call relentlessly until this event is shut down!" the post demanded.

It appears the pressure campaign worked — at least for now. But organizers have no plans to cancel the event.

"We will move forward with this event at a different venue and show these thugs that they will not be rewarded for their unconstitutional, hateful actions," HaYovel said. "Now, more than ever, it is important that America stands unconditionally with Israel and that we publicly show that we cannot be intimidated by pro-Hamas thugs."

Dave Ramsey, whose business is located in the Nashville area, has reportedly offered to host the summit.

Blaze News reached out to a representative for Sonesta, but multiple messages were not returned.

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