this post was submitted on 02 May 2024
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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.”

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[–] [email protected] 116 points 6 months ago (1 children)

If the Israelis don't want to be compared to Nazis maybe they ought to stop acting like Nazis

[–] whotookkarl 32 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

It would also help if more than a handful of people in the House knew semitic is a pretty archaic term and would include Palestinians in Gaza as well as Israelis and people from several other countries as well.

Protected classes are race, religion, national origin, age, pregnancy status, gender, citizenship, disability or veteran, family status or genetic information. Nobody gets protections for genocide.

Edit: genetic not generic

[–] [email protected] 111 points 6 months ago (2 children)

So it's ok to call students that are protesting against a genocide Nazis but not the people actually committing the genocide. Got it.

[–] Jimmyeatsausage 19 points 6 months ago (2 children)

It's OK to call anyone not aligned with the Republican Party a Nazi, because it's important that words have no real meaning. Once words have no meaning, the ideas behind them fade as well. This is double plus ungood.

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[–] [email protected] 109 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I mean, what do you call a person that performs ethnic genocide?

[–] [email protected] 65 points 6 months ago (2 children)

American?

😂😂😂😂😂

[–] MrVilliam 23 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Hey!

Aw who am I kidding, I know my country's bloodstained history despite my public education. I wish I could say it was in our past and that we're better now, but we're literally funding this exact genocide. 🫠

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[–] [email protected] 94 points 6 months ago (3 children)

So about that freedom of speech…

[–] [email protected] 56 points 6 months ago

That's double-plus ungood wrongthink, citizen. Report for re-education.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 months ago

What about it? You are still free to say exactly what the government wants you to say

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 months ago

I get the feeling a lot of our more vocal free speech absolutists are going to be conspicuously quiet on this one.

[–] Nobody 83 points 6 months ago (1 children)

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.

[–] Dkarma 12 points 6 months ago

The state guard fired on students at Kent State not the cops.

The difference today is kids got guns and will fire back.

[–] [email protected] 69 points 6 months ago

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”.

Lmao this is a guilty conscience talking.

[–] [email protected] 67 points 6 months ago (1 children)

What the fuck?

Fuck zionists and their disproportionate amount of control over the world.

[–] Dkarma 14 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Good thing their silly religious stories will never come true.

Imagine being disappointed for eternity.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

Zionism is a racist colonial ideology, merely using religion as a tool. Theodor Herzl, founder of zionism, said so himself

“We should there form a portion of a rampart of Europe against Asia, an outpost of civilization as opposed to barbarism. We should as a neutral State remain in contact with all Europe, which would have to guarantee our existence.” Source [II]

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[–] [email protected] 58 points 6 months ago

Bruh literal facism

[–] [email protected] 55 points 6 months ago

Ah, free speech in the land of the free

[–] [email protected] 52 points 6 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 28 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Always the same map

A bit surprising that "israel" didn't vote against it, but that would be a bit too on the nose I guess.

[–] Zehzin 15 points 6 months ago

Whiteness index map

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[–] Zehzin 17 points 6 months ago

Always the same map

[–] [email protected] 50 points 6 months ago (1 children)

But Nazism is completely legal in the US?

[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 months ago

Looking very much so.

[–] Randelung 49 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Thereby rendering the definition of antisemitism meaningless.

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[–] [email protected] 43 points 6 months ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 6 months ago (11 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 6 months ago (1 children)

at least you have freedom dont ya, us?

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[–] [email protected] 32 points 6 months ago (1 children)

That's what happens when corrupt politicians are paid by AIPAC

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 months ago (6 children)

Got your cart before the horse: the US controls Israel, the control Israeli lobbyists have over it is secondary to that.

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[–] okamiueru 27 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (4 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 6 months ago

The politics of the global hegemon affects the entire world, as much as we hate it. Specially when it's regarding a country they're currently committing genocide in.

[–] makyo 11 points 6 months ago

3/4 are Jewish which is an overwhelming majority but I also think there are great reasons to separate the classifications of Israeli and Jew. Mainly because the state is not led by the religion but instead by elected leaders.

Though that separation of church and state does seem to be diminishing as Bibi and his far right ultraorthodox cronies do seem to be slowly turning it into more of an authoritarian state.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

Wonder what other things they'll make illegal to compare to Nazis. Cause once you're banning disparaging speech, why stop there?

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[–] NoLifeGaming 18 points 6 months ago

The highest order of interference in the US comes from AIPAC, it must go

[–] Sanctus 11 points 6 months ago (1 children)

These people must know all this does is destroy the legitimacy of your authority. Israel is committing genocide. Its happening. Changing legal definitions will not change how many bodies are piled in Gaza. The mounds of dead children cannot be legislated into something moral.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 months ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 months ago (2 children)

At some point US troops will invade to bring democracy to such an autoritarian country

[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 21 points 6 months ago

This gives the USA too much credit. It doesn't invade other countries to save them from tyranny. It invades them because it wants to control them for strategic or economic purposes.

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[–] unreasonabro 10 points 6 months ago (1 children)

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

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[–] kerrigan778 10 points 6 months ago

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.

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