US House Approves Antisemitism Bill
The Facts
Amid increased concerns over nationwide pro-Palestine campus protests, the US House on Wednesday passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act by a vote of 320 to 91.
The bill mandates the Department of Education to apply the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition of antisemitism when enforcing anti-discrimination laws.
The Spin
Narrative A
There's an urgent need to fight antisemitism on US college campuses. Violently antisemitic rhetoric has no place among students and young adults and by adopting the IHRA's definition of antisemitism this law goes a long way toward protecting the safety of Jewish students in America.
Narrative B
This is a bill that goes too far in defining hate speech and frames the issue in bad faith with vital missing context. It's important to fight antisemitism, but not at the expense of constitutional freedom of speech or in violation of one's religious beliefs.
