US House passes bill that expands definition of anti-Semitism to comparing Israel with Nazis
US House passes bill that expands definition of anti-Semitism to comparing Israel with Nazis
Rights groups warn that the definition could further chill freedom of speech as protests continue on college campuses.
The United States House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a bill that would expand the federal definition of anti-Semitism, despite opposition from civil liberties groups.
The bill passed the House on Wednesday by a margin of 320 to 91, and it is largely seen as a reaction to the ongoing antiwar protests unfolding on US university campuses. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.
If the bill were to become law, it would codify a definition of anti-Semitism created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism is “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities”.
According to the IHRA, that definition also encompasses the “targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity”.
The group also includes certain examples in its definition to illustrate anti-Semitism. Saying, for instance, that “the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” would be deemed anti-Semitic under its terms. The definition also bars any comparison between “contemporary Israeli policy” and “that of the Nazis”.
Rights groups, however, have raised concerns the definition nevertheless conflates criticism of the state of Israel and Zionism with anti-Semitism.
In a letter sent to lawmakers on Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) urged House members to vote against the legislation, saying federal law already prohibits anti-Semitic discrimination and harassment.
“Instead, it would likely chill free speech of students on college campuses by incorrectly equating criticism of the Israeli government with anti-Semitism.”
Adding IHRA’s definition to the law would allow the federal Department of Education to restrict funding and other resources to campuses perceived as tolerating anti-Semitism.
The campus crackdown is definitely going too far. Vietnam War protestors were treated the same way. It escalated, and the cops opened fire at Kent State.
Bruh literal facism
Zionists are also thieves because they are buying stolen Gaza land.
I have sat at passover with Zionists and they are the dumbest shittiest people just like the crazy evangelicals. Just shit people.
Good luck on getting them to admit any type of fault.
Legitimate criticism of the Israeli government and IDF is being actively outlawed in the western world as governments support the brutal mass killing in Gaza.
Condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine or China's actions in Xinjiang rings completely hollow. Western governments really are the people in glass houses throwing stones.
Are all Israelis Jewish? The US is such a fucking joke at this point. And it's tedious to block community after community on lemmy to avoid the noise of vapidness. Good luck with your fucked up politics.
PS: I'd recommend excluding US specific news from "world news". Not sure if this stuff is moderated, or if those who do, give af about it.
The highest order of interference in the US comes from AIPAC, it must go
That's called a Nazi apologist law. That's making a subset of Nazis accepted and censoring those against them at the same time.
I thought I won't see such decay in my lifetime, but then life is never boring.
As a Jew I have never felt less respected by Congress than them appropriating the concept of antisemitism to further their own oppressive political ends. Fuck it's so gross.
This would make more sense if Israel weren't actively being nazis right now! Like, if they weren't being nazis, it'd be really annoying to get called a nazi when you aren't being a nazi, but these guys... i mean, they're kinda just being nazis, there's not really two ways about it. Admittedly the palestinians are hitting back harder than the jews were able to at the time, but trying to wipe people out is kinda enough to get called a nazi, and rightly so, even if they are defending themselves however poorly
I guess I'm technically an antisemite then because Israel is behaving like fucking Nazis. They're doing a genocide and they're invading and settling. Netanyahu deserves to go to the same hell that Hitler deserved, and unfortunately also just like Hitler, I seriously doubt that America will be the ones sending him there. I hope he blows his brains out in disgrace as the walls close in on him before he can be Gaddafi'd in the street. Fuck that piece of shit to death with a bayonet. Just one itty bitty war crime in response to his katamari of war crimes, and it can serve as a deterrent against future war crimes. It's like bombing for peace, rectal remix.
And yes, I also condemn Hamas. The victims are the civilians who didn't ask for any of this bullshit.
What an odd thing to say...
Modern Israel is not Judaism! It's not the same theocracy described in the old testament. It's not even religiously pure, there's a sizeable Christian and Muslim population. It's perfectly valid to respect Jews and and their beliefs, and to criticize Netanyahu's government for attempting to crush Palestine and kill its civilians indiscriminately in raids. Jewish folks in the US and abroad are joining in the protests to stop the war - this isn't about being antisemitic, this is telling a very atrocious government to stop behaving as a similarly atrocious government did 80 years ago
why would trump do this
Tens of thousands of civilian casualties is the price we are willing to pay for a strategic military asset the the middle east.
After all, tens of thousands of civilian casualties is the price we are willing to pay for the 2nd amendment.
We'd be hypocrites otherwise.
-- US Congress, probably.
I claim the Hilltop Youth in Israel are not a million miles from the Hitler Youth. Am I now an antisemite?
lol fuck off morons.
I'm a little confused why this is in the news. First off, it's just a House Resolution. It's has no legally binding repercussions. It's basically the House of Representatives as a group making a statement: "We don't like anti-Semitism". The definition of anti-Semitism they decided to point to is the thing that's really in contention. But again, this affects nobody but the US House of Representatives.
Secondly, the vote on this took place in December. So it seems kind of late to be raging over it.
Full text of the resolution: https://www.congress.gov/118/bills/hres894/BILLS-118hres894ih.pdf
Summary of action: https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/894/all-infoIf you're in the US and it really bugs you, I'd suggest looking up how your district representative voted and let them know how you feel about it.
