Rep. Thomas Massie Warns Congress is Trying to Pass Hate Speech Laws to Outlaw Criticism of Israel
Chris Menahan
Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) called out his colleagues in Congress on Saturday for trying to pass hate speech laws to outlaw criticism of Israel.
“Some of my colleagues are introducing legislation to create federally sanctioned ‘antisemitism monitors’ at colleges,” Massie said. “I’ll vote No.”
“Policing speech, religion, and assembly is not the role of the federal government. In fact it’s expressly prohibited by the U.S. Constitution,” he added.
Some of my colleagues are introducing legislation to create federally sanctioned “antisemitism monitors” at colleges.
I’ll vote No.
Policing speech, religion, and assembly is not the role of the federal government. In fact it’s expressly prohibited by the U.S. Constitution. pic.twitter.com/cv4BFzyigg
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 27, 2024
“There’s a bipartisan effort in Congress to equate criticism of the secular state of Israel to violence toward Jewish people in America,” Massie said in a follow-up tweet. “The latter is illegal and the former is protected speech, but if a false equivalency is established, it will be forbidden to criticize Israel.”
There’s a bipartisan effort in Congress to equate criticism of the secular state of Israel to violence toward Jewish people in America.
The latter is illegal and the former is protected speech, but if a false equivalency is established, it will be forbidden to criticize Israel.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 27, 2024
Axios reported on Friday that a bipartisan pair of AIPAC-funded congressmen, Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Mike Lawler (R-NY), plan to “introduce legislation creating federally sanctioned ‘antisemitism monitors’ for select college campuses.”
Under the bill, select colleges would have to pay for what amounts to an Israeli spy to “monitor” their campus for so-called “anti-Semitism” and would lose federal funding if they refused at any point to not go along with the scheme.
“The monitor would be appointed by the Secretary of Education, the terms and conditions of the monitorship would be set by the Secretary, and the expenses of the monitorship would be paid by the particular college or university that has been selected for monitorship,” Torres’ office said in a press release. “Failure to comply with the monitorship would result in the loss of federal funds.”
The data collected by the “monitor” could be used to sue the school for “anti-Jewish discrimination” or punish them for “civil rights violations.”
As I reported on Friday, the Anti-Defamation League and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations pushed Congress earlier this month to pass the controversial FISA law to spy on Americans to “protect Israel.”
The Jewish advocacy groups told Congress the spying law was needed first and foremost for “(1) the safety and security of Israel; and (2) the need to protect Jews in the U.S. — indeed, all Americans — from terrorist threats.”
