Draconian new laws would make it illegal to challenge Israel in New York State

Albany, New York – In a state where voicing your political opinion could
result in your arrest, a draconian new set of laws proposed by Senate
Republicans could make things even worse.

Just last week, Republicans quietly introduced a series of laws aimed at
cracking down on so-called “antisemitism” in the Empire State, following a
wave of backlash from the widely unpopular Israeli war on Gaza. The
legislation would make it a misdemeanor to tear down pro-Israel posters and
flyers, as well as prohibit the removal of pro-Jewish materials from public
property.

Republican Minority leader, Senator Robert Ortt, said the laws were
proposed to safeguard “religious groups” in the state, and emphasized the
presence Jews have in New York.

“New York is home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, and
it is incumbent upon us to take action to ensure nobody is ever made to
feel unsafe because of their religion,” said Ortt.

Some of the protected Jewish material would include the now-infamous
“Kidnapped” posters, which feature the names and faces of Israeli Jews
alleged to have been kidnapped by Hamas Freedom fighters on October 7th.

The proposed laws would also serve to redefine antisemitism under the
state’s current Human Rights Law, making it easier to prosecute instances
of incitement of violence or vandalism as an antisemitic hate crime. The
laws would appear to affect college students the most, a demographic most
engaged with anti-Zionist activism in the wake of October 7th.

Specifically, the laws would,

- Block tuition assistance for those found expressing “anti-Jewish
harassment.”

- Mandate antisemitism awareness and prevention training in City and State
colleges, under threat of losing state funding.

- Add so-called “Nazi symbols” to a list of images that would constitute a
crime of harassing conduct.

In New York, hate crime laws are already exceptionally harsh. As it stands,
displaying certain symbols in public could earn you a felony aggravated
harassment charge, punishable by up to five years in prison. In 2022, a
pro-White activist was arrested, harassed, and red-flagged under New York’s
unconstitutional firearm confiscation laws for a swastika sticker found in
public places at Albany University. The law allows for police to
arbitrarily deem individuals mentally unfit for possessing firearms,
without consulting a doctor or health professional beforehand.

The NY GOP was said to have formed a “working group” to address
antisemitism in March of 2023, months before October 7th. During a press
conference in Albany, Ortt called on Democrats across the aisle to support
the measures, including Jewish US Senator and Democratic Majority Leader
Chuck Schumer, a staunch defender of Israel.

Schumer, like Ortt, believes a wave of so-called “antisemitism” in the
United States is inexorably linked to Israel’s ongoing genocide of Gaza,
which has so far resulted in the deaths of at least 32,000 Palestinians
since hostilities began. While the new GOP laws have yet to be approved,
the chances of them being rejected appear slim, as high-powered Democrats
like Schumer have previously called for tougher hate crime laws to keep
Jews comfortable.

“Jewish Americans feel alone to face all of this — abandoned by too many of
our friends and allies in our greatest time of need, as antisemitic hate
crimes skyrocket across the country,” bemoaned Schumer late last year.

Powerful Jewish organizations and their leaders have been hard at work
since October 7th to stamp out a rising tide of “antisemitism” amid
Israel’s ongoing genocide of Gaza. Many, including Anti-Defamation League
CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, have raised concerns over Generation Z, blaming
social media apps like TikTok for the spread of anti-Zionism.

While a bipartisan measure is currently underway to force the sale of
TikTok to a group of Western investors where it can be more furiously
censored, other measures, such as the recognition of the International
Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism,
has also been floated.

The IHRA definition has been described as incompatible with the First
Amendment, as it lists even mild critiques of Israel as an explicit
antisemitic act. Some Jews have even gone on to suggest that “antisemitism”
be criminalized across the world to protect them from accountability.

The proposed laws in New York closely mirror several other
Republican-hatched hate crime initiatives in the United States, with none
more outrageous than Florida’s current House Bill 269. Signed by Governor
Ron DeSantis during a highly publicized trip to Israel in 2023, the law
gave local law enforcement the ability to issue hate crime “kickers” and
jail time to those accused of even minor infractions, like littering. The
bill has been widely panned as a clear violation of the First Amendment but
has so far gone unchallenged.

In Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed an executive order to
“punish” so-called antisemitic rhetoric on college campuses. Like the
proposed laws in New York, the order would demand that “all higher
education institutions in Texas review their free speech policies” and
“establish appropriate punishments for antisemitic rhetoric.”

In comments surrounding his executive order, Abbott specifically named the
concept of free speech as “an enemy,” and postulated that his goal was to
“punish” people for their rhetoric.

The move would pale in comparison to that of “anti-woke” Republican North
Dakota Governor, Kristi Noem, who, in March, signed the “strongest hate
crime bill in America” to “protect god’s chosen people.” The bill would
officially recognize the IHRA working definition of antisemitism and
specifically grant Jews “special privileges” in North Dakota.

Efforts to punish those for their First Amendment right to criticize Jews
have already begun to manifest in unexpected places. In Calvert, Maryland,
three middle schoolers were criminally charged over alleged comments made
to a fellow Jewish student. To date, no other race or religious group is
afforded the same level of systemic protection.

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