{"id":2235597,"date":"2024-05-02T13:28:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-02T17:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-antisemitism-bill-merely-gives-feds-more-power-to-trample-free-speech\/"},"modified":"2024-05-02T13:29:40","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T17:29:40","slug":"republicans-antisemitism-bill-merely-gives-feds-more-power-to-trample-free-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-antisemitism-bill-merely-gives-feds-more-power-to-trample-free-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"Republicans&#8217; Bill Increases Federal Power, Suppresses Free Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frepublicans-antisemitism-bill-merely-gives-feds-more-power-to-trample-free-speech%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2235597&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The \u2062Republican-led push\u2062 to adopt \u2062the IHRA&#8217;s definition of antisemitism for federal\u200b laws has sparked criticism. While addressing concerns about campus unrest, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-bill-to-punish-doctors-who-spread-so-called-covid-misinfo-nears-adoption\/\" title=\"California Bill to Punish Doctors Who Spread So-Called COVID \"Misinfo\" Nears Adoption\">bill faces opposition<\/a> for potentially \u2062infringing\u200c on\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/states-push-to-rein-in-big-tech-as-federal-gears-grind-slow\/\" title=\"States Push to Rein in Big Tech as Federal Gears Grind Slow\">free speech rights<\/a>. Critics\u200c argue that penalizing speech \u2064perception could violate the First Amendment, emphasizing that\u200c campus disruptions should\u200d be handled by universities and law enforcement, not through legislative measures.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<figure>                         <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Republicans in Congress are pushing legislation that would formally adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance\u2019s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism as a basis for prosecuting federal antidiscrimination statutes \u2014 a move that critics such as Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman say \u201cprovides no actual relief for terrorized Jewish students and infringes on the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Islamists and radical leftists have been rioting on college campuses in support of the terrorist organization Hamas and its sympathizers just months after Hamas brutally slaughtered innocent Jews and others in October. <\/p>\n<p>New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, alongside other colleagues, originally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/118th-congress\/house-bill\/6090\/text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">introduced<\/a> the Antisemitism Awareness Act weeks after the barbaric attack. The House passed the legislation Wednesday. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.govinfo.gov\/content\/pkg\/BILLS-118hr6090ih\/pdf\/BILLS-118hr6090ih.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">legislation<\/a> would formally adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and direct the Department of Education to \u201ctake [it] into consideration\u201d when \u201creviewing, investigating, or deciding whether there\u00a0has been a violation of title VI of the Civil Rights Act.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The IHRA <a href=\"https:\/\/holocaustremembrance.com\/resources\/working-definition-antisemitism\">defines<\/a> antisemitism as \u201ca certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and\/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.\u201d This definition was already formally adopted by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/defining-antisemitism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">State Department<\/a> in 2016 and includes several examples of \u201cmanifestations\u201d that \u201cmight include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCalling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion\u201d or \u201cMaking mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective\u201d are two of multiple examples listed by the State Department.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHowever, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic,\u201d the State Department noted. <\/p>\n<p>The bill, as The Washington Post explained, would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2024\/05\/01\/antisemitism-awarness-act-campus-protests\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">enable<\/a> the Education Department to \u201ccut off funding to academic institutions<strong> <\/strong>found to tolerate such behaviors.\u201d But you don\u2019t have to defend antisemitism to recognize the First Amendment dangers inherent in empowering federal agencies to crack down on campus speech. Republicans may be supporting the bill now, but it\u2019s generally conservative speech that gets throttled at universities. <\/p>\n<p>Besides, the current chaos on campuses \u2014 vandalizing property, for example \u2014 is already illegal. Illegal activity and actions that prevent students from attending class deserve punishment from universities and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/president-trump-pledges-orderly-transition-of-power\/\" title=\"President Trump pledges orderly transition of power\">local law enforcement<\/a>, not Congress. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy using the definition of antisemitism from a foreign non-governmental organization, the bill attempts to criminalize what someone\u2019s \u2018perception\u2019 of another person might be, which is a clear violation of the First Amendment,\u201d Hageman said. \u201cThe bill also incorporates some of that organization\u2019s examples of expressions of objectionable antisemitic opinions, which again, while I find them offensive, would obviously be considered Constitutionally protected speech.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the end, the bill effectively invalidates itself because it says it can\u2019t be construed to infringe upon anyone\u2019s rights, but the whole thing is a First Amendment violation on its face,\u201d Hageman added.<\/p>\n<p>The FIRE Organization, a nonprofit group focusing on First Amendment rights, explains the legislation \u201cwould adopt an unconstitutionally vague and overbroad definition of anti-Semitism, which colleges would be required to use on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor example, the proposed bill would pressure colleges to censor speech critical of Israel unless the speaker engages in criticism of Israel \u2018similar to that leveled against any other country.\u2019 That\u2019s impossibly subjective and will only make students and faculty think twice before engaging in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-u-s-senate-acquits-trump-seven-republicans-vote-guilty\/\" title=\"BREAKING: U.S. Senate Acquits Trump; Seven Republicans Vote Guilty\">constitutionally protected speech<\/a>,\u201d FIRE continued in a statement posted on X. <\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>3\/ For example, the proposed bill would pressure colleges to censor speech critical of Israel unless the speaker engages in criticism of Israel \u201csimilar to that leveled against any other country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s impossibly subjective and will only make students and faculty think twice\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 FIRE (@TheFIREorg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheFIREorg\/status\/1785673749737410864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 1, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>FIRE <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefire.org\/news\/problematic-campus-anti-semitism-bill-clears-senate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">points<\/a> to the 1973 Supreme Court decision in <em>Broadrick v. Oklahoma<\/em> that says any statute or regulation is void when citizens \u201cmust necessarily guess at its meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GOP lawmakers propose adopting IHRA&#8217;s antisemitism definition for federal anti-discrimination laws, criticized by Rep. Hageman for lacking real protection for Jewish students and violating free speech rights<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2235598,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Criticism_7700922758-e1714664776727.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2235597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Criticism_7700922758-e1714664776727.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2235597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2235597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2235597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2235598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2235597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2235597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2235597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}