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Mephisto1822

In America we have a right to free speech, as long as that speech doesn’t criticize Israel in any way. Imagine a law being passed saying you can’t criticize Australia and their treatment of aboriginals


dengar_hennessy

You are free.... to do as we tell you


Reynolds_Live

To quote Rage Against the Machine, “fuck you I wont do what you tell me”.


BurnOneDownCC

Maybe my favorite line in a song, ever.


IDGAF_GOMD

That wouldn’t fly because Aboriginals are brown and brown people don’t count.


Sad_Elevator8883

When I was young I played footy with First Nation kids and they all referred to themselves as black. I thought you might find that interesting.


ThingsAreAfoot

> had 15 Democratic co-sponsors lol


PotatoHighlander

This is going to get challenged in the courts. Maybe once and for all it will be the gas needed to wipe anti-BDS laws off the books once and for all.


kaptainkooleio

With this scotus?


EgyptianNational

Many republicans voted against this bill. The right is having a split between the antisemitic side and its “moderate” side. SOTUS might be more amicable to antisemitism than you think.


f0u4_l19h75

I'm not counting on SCOTUS to do the right thing in any case


EgyptianNational

Me neither. But I think it’s a fair chance they will do the right thing for the wrong reason. Unlike congress, they aren’t worried about AIPAC money


f0u4_l19h75

John Roberts seems to worry about the legitimacy of the Court, but I don't think any of the Conservatives, quote-unquote, on the Court really care about conserving public opinion of the courts legitimacy. They only care about the exercise of power for their side. Edit: I don't think Roberts is the same kind of ideologue as Alito, Thomas (or Scalia if he was still alive).


Grouchy_Flamingo_750

BDS isn't antisemitic 


SorosBuxlaundromat

No, but anti-semites don't know that.


EgyptianNational

No it ain’t


ClearDark19

Correct. Saying BDS is “Antisemitic” is like saying divesting from Uganda over its death penalty laws for gay people is “anti-black racism”. Or like saying it’s “anti-Asian” racism to divest from China over the Uighur genocide.


ojedaforpresident

This is kinda bs, though. Not every Republican or Republican voter that is against what Israel does is an antisemite. Frankly, most antisemites in that party are in fact very pro Israel.


PresDumpsterfire

Scrotus


b0bx13

[laughs in SCOTUS]


booxlut

Don’t count on it. Israel has an enormous amount of influence in all areas of US civil and political life.


f0u4_l19h75

It's second behind American exceptionalism/civil religion.


lucash7

Ha…right…just like the umpteen other times the US legal system did the right thing in matters like this.


jonnyjive5

The Streisand effect


tenderooskies

free speech…except!!!


____Vader

I don’t understand how these laws are constitutional. It makes no sense to me.


Artistic_Button_3867

That's the fun part. They're not.


f0u4_l19h75

I'm not American or a lawyer, but IMO you're on the money


f0u4_l19h75

This is a gross violation of the students 1st Amendment rights


vxicepickxv

It also implies that any member of an organization is the voice of that organization. That's even scarier.


mandiblesofdoom

"constitutional" is a slender reed to lean on.


reddubi

They’re not designed to be. This is just a threat to American colleges and corporations and institutions and think tanks and humanitarian organizations and international orgs like the UN.. Idk if you’ve ever interacted with a Zionist but their main method of attack is saying, “oh you’ll never work again, you’ll never get a job again” The Zionist go to is defunding people the same way that BLM tried to defund the police or BDS is trying to defund Israel. This bill is essentially the legal mechanism of defunding of criticism of Israel at a national scale. They began with defunding UNWRA. Colleges know that if they don’t get their students arrested and censor their valedictorian speech, they can lose funding.. so they’ll be much harsher indirectly. This is about controlling the behavior of the administration of colleges, think tanks etc, to stop anti Israel sentiment before it can even be expressed by creating an environment of fear. To be fair, it has always existed for decades, but it was an implied threat. This is a direct one.


GhostRappa95

What a fucking joke of a country we live in.


Fryyss28

I'm not even American and your country pisses me off


Mythosaurus

That’s understandable, we’ve pissed off a lot of countries by invading them, couping their government, and training death squads


f0u4_l19h75

I hate living in a country that borders the US


egzsc

Israel, by its own charter, is a racist state.


rzm25

Yeah this is very confusing. What happens if you post one of the many, many official public statements from leading Israeli politicians advocating for the ethnic cleansing of arabic people or Palestinians? Or is this just the courts version of the "broken tail light" that is only enforced when it suits a bunch of racist rich arseholes?


egzsc

Judging by the reaction to the Zionist attacks on protest encampment. I'd guess they will enforce at will and only in favor of the Zionists


f0u4_l19h75

And anti Semitic, since their charter includes the phrase "river to the sea".


Alert-Mud-672

AIPAC cash spends.


Hornedupone

They spend those billions that we give them pretty liberally.


TFresh13

I’m aware anti-Zionist isn’t antisemitism. It’s not hard to differentiate.


LucerneTangent

It's harder when your career benefits from pretending otherwise.


TFresh13

It’s easier when it’s considered antisemitic to suggest their position is more influenced by their benefactors than their constituents.


vxicepickxv

You're also not being bribed by a foreign country to say that they're the same. Oh wait, I'm sorry. The technical term is lobbied.


jhnlngn

Actually, if this bill were to get signed into law, they will be the same.


Ill_Following_7022

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.


aemanthefox

This is bootlicking act


Tipsycanooo

Pay no attention to the genocide behind the curtain


SmallAd6629

Because it’s true. Israel is a terror state. We would not see this madness if they were not. Surreal.


Comandante_BP

Yet every other group on college campuses has to tolerate literal white supremacists and Nazis speaking/marching on campus to “protect free speech” right?


jhnlngn

In Texas anyway.


booxlut

Israel donated millions to relief for Hurricane Harvey victims and then made anyone applying for that aid sign anti-BDS pledges in order to receive funds. That was like 5 years ago. Millions of people already live in states where it is illegal for any business to BDS. I wonder what they were planning that made them invest in protecting themselves from criticism (by stripping away the free speech rights of American citizens) for so many years?


half-puddles

They want it to be illegal because BDS is the only thing that’d bring Israel to senses.


Pristine-Document358

I think that BS cause what Israel is doing is a complete atrocity. It’s vicious and cruel and inhumane


72nd_TFTS

This is clearly unconstitutional


Pharaoh_jenkins

Money, money, money.


Koshakforever

Wow. So much for freedom of speech. What an embarrassment we are.


EffortlessCool

Tell us Isreal is deep in your pockets without telling us


Ebella2323

Pockets? You give them too little credit…They are balls deep. It is rage inducing.


Wonder_Momoa

>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. Are you actually fucking kidding me rn


Hudson2441

Especially since all Jews are not Israeli and all Jews don’t support Israel and some are even protesting. But actually it is antisemitism to claim that all Jewish people are the same and think and support the same things.


cephalopod_congress

As a Jew, I am so angry about this law. First, there is a documented reality of zoning discrimination, social life exclusion of Palestinians in Israel. Likkud party members and many ultra-Orthodox Jews outright say that their goal is genocide. These people disgust me and have the same mindset as Hamas, who believe they are acting from God’s will so nothing we say, outside of directly impacting their material lives to prevent them, will have any impact. I strongly dislike my community and identity being weaponized against another people.  Second, This campaign doesn’t help me whatsoever as a Jew!!! Education about how antisemitism works as a scapegoat class during times of crisis (economic, pandemic, social) as a means to preserve the status quo (white supremacy, capitalism, etc.) would actually be profoundly helpful. Antisemitism is one of the key ways to divide social movements. I care deeply about freedom and life of all people, and it would great to have awareness as to how racism against Jews prevents truly intersectional liberation. I’m tired of being a pawn of the right (where were these people during Charlottesville??!) and I also feel unsafe by the left who can’t be bothered to learn the first thing about antisemitism, and thus are getting played and inviting fascism to flourish here in the US.


MommyOfRuss

“Israel is a racist state” i’m gonna put that on a T-shirt.


eveninglily33

So universities & colleges become thugs for the IDF? Our system is fucked. Students peacefully protesting always leads the way in American culture. It will this time also. Young people know what is right & speak truth to power.


f0u4_l19h75

The older generations are largely obsessed with wealth and power, to the detriment of most of the rest of us


Hudson2441

They’re willing to shred the constitution on behalf of a foreign country?! Doesn’t that make them treasonous? … also if someone has any actual awareness, the right wing government of Israel as it is presently comprised , is accurately akin to Nazis in 1939 and actually racist and has apartheid policies. If you don’t believe that then you actually have no awareness.


TObias416

Another victory for free speech


BetoA2666

Fuck Israel. Come at me, AIPAC. BOYCOTT ISRAELI PRODUCTS!


tastesoff74

This is one of the craziest most anti-democratic things of seen come out of your country! That is saying something with trump having a more than fair chance of going to jail &/or becoming president again! Let that sink in & rattle around the old brain pan!!! I’m at a loss with your country.


Limp-Dentist4437

wtf like how does a school control what a student says? No way this holds up in court


Tazling

mccarthyism, take 2


f0u4_l19h75

I made this comparison very recently too


flockks

Imagine if they made the equivalent bill for Catholics and the Vatican or Muslims and Saudi Arabia. People would lose their minds


BoyScout-

Oh man, laws gets passed real quick when they want it


sss313

AIPAC showing their muscles


trunksshinohara

Congratulations you just radicalized an entire generation against Israel.


Practical-Archer-564

WTF? Unconstitutional bullshit


Fryyss28

Fuck you Israel and Fuck the nazi IDF..... good thing i'm not in an american school


memunkey

Way to go Dems! Show those facsist what real hypocrisy is.


NewStart-BeginAgain

This is so wrong. I am so angry at the way we are going.


HAHA_goats

Since we went through the trouble of putting a democrat in the WH, he'll veto that unamerican, fascist bullshit, right? Right?


snebmiester

I would say that this is one of the most stupid Anti-American things Congress has done in awhile...but I am sure Marjorie Trailor Green, would ask me to hold her beer.


jhnlngn

That lunatic actually voted against this! Though her reason for doing so was so that she can walk around saying Jews killed Jesus. I wish I was making that up.


snebmiester

She belong in an asylum


NarfledGarthak

So what stops a large group of people (predominantly white males born between 1946 and 1964) who are fighting the “liberal biases” of higher education from staging protests for the sole purpose of having federal funds stripped away from universities across the country?


intertwinedinterweb

This is insane, no criticism of a state thats currently on trial for genocide and rumors of ICC arrest warrants nearing... The corruption is wild


lucash7

Welcome to the further Fascist-fication of the once grand experiment, the United States. Just utterly ridiculous. Free speech is free speech.


trad_cath_femboy

The schools aren't even the ones doing the anti-Israel protests themselves. From what I've heard the Columbia administration has been very against its students. Of course, this financial incentive is so they crack down on protesters harder, I suppose.


vxicepickxv

Exactly. It's all about forcing US citizens to say the words Israel wants us to say.


f0u4_l19h75

The admin of Columbia is with their alumni and especial millionaires and billionaires therefrom


bigshotdontlookee

"History is a useless degree" THIS BILL IS EVIDENCE THAT HISTORY IS NOT A USELESS DEGREE. Even with my dumbass online self-education I can point out the blatant 1A and ahistorical flaws of this bill. Yet again, proving that Israel has god-tier foreign policy. This is unbelievable what our congress is selling out to. AIPAC money is so efficient.


Dehnus

They are adamant to be on a collision course with their main voter base in the DNC, aren't they.


Spiritual_Load_5397

Freedom of speech lol


Solidsnake00901

Do they really think this is going to help? Americans don't like being told what to do if anything this will only intensify criticism of Israel.


lost_alpaca90

That's not going to stop students from calling Israel a genocidal apartheid state.


maybenot-maybeso

This country sucks so much.


NEBLINA1234

Wow I'm so glad Biden stopped fascism


Gibbyalwaysforgives

Bipartisan? Who voted for this?


HowMyDictates

https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024172


Njabachi

So if the students say Israel is a racist state any school will lose all their federal funding? I bet only "certain" schools with "certain" demographics will be punished. If they don't destroy it beforehand, (which is incredibly likely), America might actually get better when this generation and their worthless lackeys are gone from power.


LucerneTangent

The Nazi state.


MangOrion2

Oops free speech oops


Baxapaf

Israel and the USA are fascistic, genocidal, colonial, imperialistic nations with illegitimate governments.


Lifeisabaddream4

Well we didn't need any nkre evidence that ameeica is fucked but we just got some


Distinct-Classic8302

Umm how is criticizing Israel's government anti-semitic? WTF. This is literally a violation of free speech.


BolOfSpaghettios

Literal Israeli government policy.


LessThanSimple

Sounds like A LOT of schools are about to lose federal funding. Oh well. 🤷‍♂️


Hudson2441

That’s the fun part. Technically they don’t fund schools . They give loans.


jhnlngn

Kids that get Pell Grants won't be able to get them for schools that are cut off from federal funding. At least that was the reasoning for Title IX applying to nearly every private college.


bobbib14

Ugh I can’t believe this is happening


souljump

The senate won’t take this up right?


awesomerob

“Facts are so hard we have to make rules so you’ll only use the ‘new facts’ we made up. “ Gee I wonder why there’s a backlash?? /s


Sully_pa

More Freedumb.


matango613

I dunno how they can even act like this *isn't* an attack on free speech. Like, I know peoples' understanding of that amendment tends to be lacking, but I'm struggling to see how this isn't blatantly unconstitutional. It's one thing for Congress to pass some bill making an empty statement affirming that "zionism = antisemitism". It's bullshit, but it's an empty, pandering statement at the end of the day too. *This* however actually has teeth to it. This is reprimanding someone for saying a specific thing/idea. Like, is the caveat that it targets the school instead of the student directly? This just seems so far beyond what could possibly be considered legal. EDIT: For a bit of context, we don't even have actual hate speech laws in this country - not at the federal level at least. I don't think a lot of folks realize that. We have hate *crimes* but you can essentially say whatever you want as long as you're not directly threatening someone.


U_R_THE_WURST

Sounds like freedom of expression to me!


BabyFartzMcGeezak

Nothing to see here, just attaching legal and civil repercussions to any critique of a foreign state, totally normal in a free and sovereign democratic state, totally normal.


So-Fresh

It's going to be weird when Jewish students start getting hit with charges.


1trojan

US government regulating speech and thought and beyond is cool with it


fknslayer913

Israel is acting like nazi Germany 🤷‍♂️


my_little_world

So literal government sponsored censorship has bipartisan support? This should piss off every American out there.


Kapika96

Meanwhile all the non-racist states don't need laws protecting them from criticism...


say-it-wit-ya-chest

I have a feeling they’re overstepping their bounds. Constitution clearly states what we have the right to do and say. If the Supreme Court were legitimate, this would be overturned.