MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – AUGUST 2: Influencer and left-wing political commentator Hasan Piker speaks during a campaign rally for Wisconsin Gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong on August 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Hong, a democratic socialist in the state legislature, has seen an uptick in recent poll numbers. (Photo by Joshua Lott/Getty Images)
Joshua Lott/Getty ImagesThe University Democrats at the University of Texas say Hasan Piker’s Sept. 30 event will proceed, but the final venue is still undecided due to crowd size and security concerns.More than 2,400 people have RSVPed for the event, far exceeding the capacity of available on-campus venues, leading organizers to consider off-campus options.The event has drawn both support and opposition, with some groups planning to protest and university officials emphasizing the need for enhanced security measures.
Will an event with leftist political commentator Hasan Piker go on? The University of Texas’ University Democrats chapter says yes, despite the struggle to find a venue for the appearance, which has stirred opposition and support.
The Sept. 30 event was originally scheduled for the William C. Powers Jr. Student Activity Center, which has a roughly 460-person capacity in its auditorium — but more than 2,400 have RSVPed online and joined a waitlist, calling into question the event’s ability to be hosted at the location.
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Last week, student leaders from University Democrats accused UT of forcing the event off campus. UT has not canceled the event or ordered it moved off campus. But the event’s venue remains uncertain as the group searches for a location that can accommodate the expected crowd and security requirements.
On Sept. 3, a special events coordinator with the UT Police Department told University Democrats President Adit Raha that, given the “comments and recent media attention,” a more secure location was recommended, Raha said. UT did not explicitly tell the group it could not hold the event there.
Raha has repeatedly pointed to what he describes as a university policy requiring school officials to help find a suitable campus venue for events. The university catalog’s “Chapter 13. Speech, Expression, and Assembly,” which Raha referenced, says: “Should the size of any assembly exceed the maximum number of participants that is safe for a given location, including a reserved space, assembly participants will be directed by campus authorities to relocate to a space that is better suited to the size of the assembly to the extent relocation is practicable.”
Asked why he believes the policy requires the university to directly assist the group in moving the event, Raha said he interpreted the policy that participants will be “directed by campus authorities” to mean “they are supposed to allow us to use a bigger space, not they will ask us to move to a bigger space, because the university certainly has a preference to make sure any event that happens on campus doesn’t become dangerous.”
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Raha said university police told the group that officials would prefer that it move to a larger location.
“Spaces that should have been available for our use to help us accommodate the massive interest have not been made available to us for questionable reasons,” Raha said.
The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Raha said the group was denied use of Gregory Gym — which, according to the university’s website, can hold between 2,000 and 2,400 people for lecture-style events — because the university requires the entire day for setup. Raha said the dean of students also told him Hogg Memorial Auditorium — which holds roughly 1,000 people, still fewer than the total number of RSVPs and those listed on the waitlist for the event — was unavailable because another group or entity had reserved it.
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When Raha asked which group had reserved Hogg so he could reach out directly, he said an official responded: “The Hogg event on Sept. 30 will not be moving or canceling.”
Officials also told Raha they would not be “adding any new events to the fall” at Bass Concert Hall, which seats approximately 3,000 people. More recently, the Union Building became unavailable even though it had been available when he first requested it, he said. According to the university website, the Shirley Bird Perry Ballroom, which is the largest event space in the Union other than Hogg Auditorium, can only hold roughly 1,000 people in a lecture-style setup.
Raha said The Long Center for the Performing Arts became an off-campus option and the group had secured a contract to use the space. Initially, University Democrats issued 460 tickets for the event — just over the capacity for the original on-campus event space — but the Long Center contract led the group to issue roughly 1,700 tickets total.
Raha signed the group’s portion of the contract, he said, but was later told by a Long Center representative that “following discussions with the CEO and board, that this is not an event we feel comfortable hosting.” Raha said he asked the center to put this in writing but has not received a response.
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The Long Center said in a statement to the American-Statesman Thursday evening that it had been contacted by the group, but the request to rent space was still in the “discovery phase” and a contract had not been executed.
“As we worked through the details of the potential event,we determined that, given the unusual scope of the event’s needs, we were unable to accommodate the request,” the statement said in part.
The Long Center board of directors “had not been made aware of the request” and had not met since Aug. 24, the center said in the statement. The center did not clarify when the event request was made or what the “unusual scope of the event’s needs” entailed.
The center’s board includes Austin-area business, legal and other industry experts, including those in the arts, as well as UT Assistant Vice Provost for Career Success Daniel Liu.
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Raha said at this point, the group will either have to return to the original location on campus and scale back the event to accommodate the 460-seat venue — in which case University Democrats would have to return the additional tickets the group issued when it believed the event would move to the Long Center — or find a new off-campus location.
Raha said the group has not decided where the event will be held, but it will take place as scheduled Sept. 30.
The final location will depend largely on available security, Raha said. The group wants safety infrastructure that includes metal detectors, wands, bag checks and secure entrances and exits, he said.
Piker’s appearance stirs support and controversy
Conservatives and a Democratic congressman have pressured UT to shut down the talk, citing comments that Piker has made about 9/11, Israel and Jewish people, which have been criticized. One such remark includes Piker saying he would “vote for Hamas over Israel every time,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
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Texas Hillel, a Jewish organization at UT, condemned the planned appearance, saying in a statement that while it supports free speech, “Mr. Piker’s views, however, go against our values as Americans and Jews.”
Piker has attracted millions of social media followers since 2018 for his criticism of Democratic and Republican policies. He has also become a target for conservatives, with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and other Texas Republicans calling for Democrats to disavow Piker during repeated remarks at the 2026 Republican National Convention in Dallas.
Raha said his organization invited Piker to campus because of the commentator’s ability to excite young Democrats.
The group received approval for the event Aug. 31, weeks after following up with the university about its request and asking why the event had not yet been approved while Turning Point USA, a conservative student group, had an event approved with Ben Shapiro on Oct. 7.
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Shapiro has faced controversy over his remarks on race and ethnicity.
A coalition of Republican student groups has challenged Piker and University Democrats to a public debate. The groups also invited their members to protest the event.
“They have the right to make their voices heard, and we will make ours heard loudly and proudly, as well,” said Benjamin Shrader, chairman of the Austin Young Republicans.
Raha said he and University Democrats are not interested in holding a full debate.
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“If they want to ask [Piker] a question, there will be a Q&A portion to the event, and they can ask him a question there,” Raha said. “But we have no intention of doing a full debate.”
Raha said the Republican groups could contact Piker’s team if they wanted to debate him.
“Obviously, they have every right to protest the event; that’s the First Amendment. So if they want to do that, that’s their prerogative,” Raha said. “We want to make sure the people who are actually wanting to see him and hear from him can. We also want to make sure that everyone at the event is safe, both people attending the event and people protesting it.”
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