.
Some of my colleagues are introducing legislation to create federally sanctioned "antisemitism monitors" at colleges.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 27, 2024
I’ll vote No.
Policing speech, religion, and assembly is not the role of the federal government. In fact it’s expressly prohibited by the U.S. Constitution. pic.twitter.com/cv4BFzyigg
There’s a bipartisan effort in Congress to equate criticism of the secular state of Israel to violence toward Jewish people in America.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 27, 2024
The latter is illegal and the former is protected speech, but if a false equivalency is established, it will be forbidden to criticize Israel.
The data collected by the “monitor” could be used to sue the school for “anti-Jewish discrimination” or punish them for “civil rights violations.”
From Axios:
A pro-Israel House Democrat and Republican plan to introduce legislation creating federally sanctioned “antisemitism monitors” for select college campuses.
Why it matters: It’s the first bill introduced in Congress as a direct response to the pro-Palestinian protests that have rocked Columbia University and other colleges in recent days.
Driving the news: Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) are introducing the College Oversight and Legal Updates Mandating Bias Investigations and Accountability Act – or COLUMBIA Act.
- The bill would allow the Department of Education to send a “third-party antisemitism monitor” to any college that receives federal funding — and to revoke that funding for colleges that don’t comply.
- The monitor, paid for by the school, would be charged with releasing a public, quarterly report evaluating “the progress that a college or university has made toward combating antisemitism.”
- The bill was first reported by Jewish Insider.
What they’re saying: “My office and I have spoken with countless Jewish students from campuses across America who feel deeply unsafe, purely as a result of their religious and ethnic identity,” Torres said in a statement.
- “Jewish students have told my office that they feel completely abandoned by their university administrators and they view Congress as the only avenue for accountability and safety.”
Zoom out: The bill’s introduction comes as college campuses have become ground zero for a national fight over antisemitism and the Israel-Hamas war.
- At least 10 House members, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), have gone to Columbia this week to denounce campus antisemitism and criticize the college’s administration
- Several high-profile House progressives have also gone to colleges in recent days to show their solidarity with demonstrators.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) was Ritchie Torres’ top donor last year.
Jews can’t defend themselves against the truth so they have to impose onerous censorship on every platform. I get banned a lot by Google. I can’t even upload videos in BitChute which I find strange. Linkedin banned me some years ago. I coined the phrase, ‘facebook jail’ because of the many times I got banned there. RBC has closed my bank accounts. All because I practice free speech freely and the entity does not like what I say about it.
Advocating or inciting or engaging in violence is wrong but mere peaceful protests against any government should be legitimate, subjected to protection under First Amendment guarantee of free speech. It seems that the secular state of Israel is the only exception to this rule for many politicians.