The mayor of Miami Beach has scuttled his proposal to shut down an indie cinema for showing the Oscar-winning Israeli-Palestinian documentary No Other Land. Mayor Steven Meiner withdrew his plan during a lively meeting of the Miami Beach City Commission today.

The decision came after five of Mayor Steven Meiner’s colleagues said they would oppose the eviction proposal, which also called for pulling city grant funding to the theater.

"Restricting access to films based on undue political influence undermines the very essence of free speech," the organizations say