The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the Antisemitism Awareness Act on May 1st.
It comes as campus protests are taking place across the country. While the protests have the support of some Jewish college students, many others have said they feel intimidated and unsafe. Protests have caused classes to go virtual and graduations have been cancelled.
The Antisemitism Awareness Act directs the Department of Education to use the definition promulgated by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance when enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws.
H.R. 6090 is a bill to provide for the consideration of a definition of antisemitism set forth by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance for the enforcement of Federal antidiscrimination laws concerning education programs or activities, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews,” the definition says.
Critics of the new legislation, including Rep. Jerry Nadler, of New York, say the bill sweeps too broadly and would chill constitutionally protected free speech, including legitimate criticism of Israel.
“The House’s approval of this misguided and harmful bill is a direct attack on the First Amendment,” said Christopher Anders, director of ACLU’s Democracy and Technology Policy Division. “Addressing rising antisemitism is critically important, but sacrificing American’s free speech rights is not the way to solve that problem.
Others say speech has limits and some of the rhetoric crosses the line into harassment. There are laws on the books to protect everyone from discrimination.
Do new legal definitions and laws need to be created strictly for anti-semitism?
New laws need to be created regarding if and when the right to protest becomes more important than citizens rights to continue to participate in their daily lives. Blocking highways, airports, and campus buildings are just a few recent examples of protestors infringing on the rights of citizens, without proper permits and inciting violence and intimidation.