House Passes Antisemitism Awareness Act

[Stevicus]

House passes GOP antisemitism bill amid college unrest

The House passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act on Wednesday amid unrest on college campuses.

abcnews.go.com

The House passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act on Wednesday amid unrest on college campuses.

The bill, which was introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, passed 320-91.

The measure was led by Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and had 15 Democratic co-sponsors. Many Republicans and Democrats who voted against the bill said it infringes on free speech.

It requires the Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism when enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws. The working definition says antisemitism is in-part "a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews." The definition includes denying Jewish people their right to self-determination by claiming that the State of Israel is a racist state and drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.

70 Democrats and 21 Republicans voted against the bill.

Several Democrats took issue with the alliance's definition of antisemitism and some of the contemporary examples on antisemitism listed by the group. Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, who is Jewish, said he took issue with the bill because it would put the "thumb on the scale" in favor of one definition of antisemitism and could "chill" constitutionally-protected free speech. Nadler voted against the bill.

The definition of antisemitism has been fraught, especially amid the ongoing protests at colleges and universities across the country in connection with the war in Gaza. Student protesters critical of the Israeli government's military actions in Gaza have continued to face accusations of antisemitism, as politicians from across the ideological spectrum react to the widening demonstrations on college campuses.

Some Jewish students have long warned against conflating antisemitism with views critical of Israel's government and blanket portrayals of all protesters as antisemitic.

The college protests have been largely peaceful, officials say, though hundreds of students and faculty have been arrested at campuses across the country, primarily for trespassing. School administrators across the country have also said that some instances of violence have largely been connected to unaffiliated non-students.

I don't think simply criticizing the Israeli government or its actions should be considered antisemitic, and I don't know very many who actually see it that way. As long as it's just criticism of the government and isn't extended to every man, woman, and child within a given jurisdiction or of a certain faith or ethnicity.

We have no hate speech laws in the U.S., as I believe the general standard has been for the courts to follow the "clear and present danger" rule. But with these protests and the violence associated with them, it seems the government is in the mood for cracking down.

"Columbia is out of control," Johnson claimed.

During this visit, he joined some of his New York Republican colleagues in calling for Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to resign and suggested the National Guard be called to tamp down the demonstrations.

 

[Revoltingest]

House passes GOP antisemitism bill amid college unrest

The House passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act on Wednesday amid unrest on college campuses.

abcnews.go.com

70 Democrats and 21 Republicans voted against the bill.







I don't think simply criticizing the Israeli government or its actions should be considered antisemitic, and I don't know very many who actually see it that way. As long as it's just criticism of the government and isn't extended to every man, woman, and child within a given jurisdiction or of a certain faith or ethnicity.

We have no hate speech laws in the U.S., as I believe the general standard has been for the courts to follow the "clear and present danger" rule. But with these protests and the violence associated with them, it seems the government is in the mood for cracking down.

I'm surprised that so many....even including a few
Republicans, voted against the bill. So despite the
pro-Israel contingent attacking free speech, this is
somewhat encouraging. It seems that not all in
government entirely oppose the 1st Amendment.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

While I'm not a big Jerry Nadler fan ...

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), a Jewish lawmaker who has co-sponsored other bills aimed at combating antisemitism and described himself Wednesday as a “deeply committed Zionist,” urged colleagues to reject Lawler’s bill, which he characterized as “misguided” because it “threatens to chill constitutionally protected speech.”​

“If this legislation were to become law,” he said, universities wanting to avoid federal investigation “could end up suppressing protected speech criticizing Israel or supporting Palestinians,” and students and faculty might be driven to self-censor. [source]​

More to the point ...

“How dare the party of Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene come down here and lecture Democrats about antisemitism,” Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.) said on the House floor Tuesday. “Remember, the leader of the Republican Party, Donald Trump, dines with Holocaust deniers, and said there were ‘fine people on both sides’ at a rally where white supremacists chanted ‘Jews will not replace us.’” [ibid]​

I'm a Jew. I feel threatened whenever anarchism reigns. But any Jew who doesn't feel threatened by bills such as this may well find himself or herself complicit in something much worse.

 

[Revoltingest]

It's interesting that USA leaders have no desire
to prevent islamophobia. As Biden feigns concern
for Palestinians, he continues delivering bombs to
Israel for dropping on Palestinians.
Criticizing The Jewish State's crimes against humanity
is unacceptable. It must be made illegal.
But bigotry against Muslims is perfectly fine.
Criminy, murdering Muslims is just business as usual.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

FYI: Roll Call 172 | Bill Number: H. R. 6090

 

[Pogo]

House passes GOP antisemitism bill amid college unrest

The House passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act on Wednesday amid unrest on college campuses.

abcnews.go.com

70 Democrats and 21 Republicans voted against the bill.







I don't think simply criticizing the Israeli government or its actions should be considered antisemitic, and I don't know very many who actually see it that way. As long as it's just criticism of the government and isn't extended to every man, woman, and child within a given jurisdiction or of a certain faith or ethnicity.

We have no hate speech laws in the U.S., as I believe the general standard has been for the courts to follow the "clear and present danger" rule. But with these protests and the violence associated with them, it seems the government is in the mood for cracking down.

Not good news, anti semitism is wrong and I would agree that Hamas is anti-semitic, but the protest is not anti-semitic, the protest is over the behaviour of the Netanyahu who is a war mongering authoritarian and his government with respect to the lives of the civilians in Palestine. You will notice that many prominent Jews are not on board with Israel's behaviour.

Add to that, how many failures does it take to learn the lesson that bombing the civilian population does not get rid of the terrorists however you define them. Did it get rid of the Viet Cong?, the Taliban? The drug runners in S America and more?

Further evidence that the Congress critters are not the sharpest tools.

 

[Stevicus]

This article has an interview in which Rep. Nadler explains his reasoning for his opposition to the bill:

‘The Republicans Are Being Total Hypocrites’

“It’s very easy to support something that claims to be against antisemitism, and it’s hard to start explaining to your constituents the nuances of why you didn’t,” Nadler said.

He added that the GOP has tried to weaponize antisemitism against Democrats amid the controversy over pro-Palestinian campus protests, even as former President Donald Trump has had dinner with a Holocaust denier. “The Republicans are being total hypocrites,” he said.

Nadler also discussed why Democrats are planning to save Speaker Mike Johnson from a far-right effort to oust him from power, the potential for disruption at the Democratic presidential convention in Chicago, and the one vote Nadler most regrets in the course of his long career.

 

[Pogo]

This article has an interview in which Rep. Nadler explains his reasoning for his opposition to the bill:

‘The Republicans Are Being Total Hypocrites’

Surprise, more disinformation for low info vacuums.