Combat Antisemitism, Not Free Speech

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Congress is pushing a bill that threatens free expression and academic freedom under the guise of combating antisemitism: We must urge our leaders to defend free speech now.

This bill would turn civil rights protections into a tool for censorship. Antisemitic discrimination is already prohibited under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and this bill does nothing to bolster those protections. Instead, it directs the Department of Education to adopt an overly broad definition of antisemitism that includes political speech critical of the Israeli government. If passed, it could be used to silence students, faculty, and activists who speak out against Israeli government policies.

The courts have already warned that this approach violates the First Amendment, and now we need Congress to vote no.

The recipients:

U.S. House and U.S. Senate

The message:

Congress is pushing a bill that threatens free expression and academic freedom under the guise of combating antisemitism: We must urge our leaders to defend free speech now.

The courts have already warned that this approach violates the First Amendment, and now we need Congress to vote no.

The recipients:

U.S. House and U.S. Senate

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Your Message

Subject Vote No on the "Antisemitism Awareness Act"

As your constituent, I’m writing to urge you to oppose the Antisemitism Awareness Act (S. 4127/HR 1007) or any bill that threatens free expression and academic freedom, including under the guise of combating antisemitism.

Message Body

This legislation would direct the Department of Education to adopt a vague and overbroad definition of antisemitism – one that includes criticism of the Israeli government – when enforcing federal civil rights law on college campuses. It would put pressure on schools to silence constitutionally protected political speech because the government disapproves of the message, violating the core promise of the First Amendment.

Federal law already prohibits antisemitic discrimination and harassment under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. S. 4127 is not only unnecessary: it’s dangerous. This bill creates a new tool for censorship and misleadingly brands it as a civil rights law – but we already have civil rights protections against antisemitism that do not violate the First Amendment. We’ve already seen the Trump administration detain students and professors for their speech about Palestine, and this bill would give the administration and other censors even more excuses to violate the First Amendment.

Courts have already warned that this definition likely violates the First Amendment. In Students for Justice in Palestine v. Abbott, a federal court found that applying this standard to silence speech constitutes viewpoint discrimination – a clear constitutional violation.

I ask that you defend free speech and academic freedom by voting No on the Antisemitism Awareness Act. We must combat antisemitism without violating the First Amendment.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

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Combat Antisemitism, Not Free Speech

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