A Sneak Attack on Free Speech.
A crafty attempt to make criticism of Israel "hate speech" subject to anti-discrimination laws is moving through Congress in the guise of the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act.
It started when the ADL and other extremist Jewish groups filed Title VI complaints on behalf of Jewish students who said they faced "anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination" because of their support for Israel.
The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act will codify the State Department’s new and greatly expanded definition of anti-Semitism and, per se, classify a long list of criticisms of Israel as violations of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, all in the name of fighting anti-Semitic harassment. https://www.state.gov/s/rga/resources/267538.htm
The expanded definition under the Civil Rights Act would allow anyone who believes there has been an act of "harassment" to file a complaint under Title VI. The person or organization filing the complaint need not be a victim of the alleged discrimination but may complain on behalf of another person or group. So, as an example, if you say "Israel is acting like the Nazis when it shoots Palestinian school children" you are guilty of a violation of Title VI and anyone can file a complain against you.
The new definition also includes as “anti-Semitic” the claim that Israel as a state, invented or exaggerated the Holocaust.
The sponsors of the bill are Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). A version has already passed in the Senate by unanimous consent.
The only thing to do now is to write to your Congress person, politely asking them to oppose this dangerous legislation.
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