"The authoritarian abductions, detention and attempted deportations of Mahmoud Khalil, Rumeysa Ozturk and Mohsen Mahdawi have become the symbols of the Trump administration's attack on students and universities, yet they are only the most visible. Since taking office, Trump revoked the visas of more than 6,000 immigrant students and threatened the funding of at least 60 universities. His primary justification for this assault is that he claims to be combatting widespread antisemitism."
"Fortunately, students, their legal advocates and universities across the country are fighting back because they recognize that Trump's attacks are not about protecting Jewish students, but are actually a right-wing weaponization of antisemitism that seeks to curtail academic freedom and silence speech around Palestine. Yet here in California, some lawmakers are seeking to enshrine Trump's weaponization of antisemitism into law through AB 715, a bill that would encroach on K-12 educators' ability to teach about Palestine and limit their academic freedom."
"The bill's proponents claim this bill is necessary to combat antisemitism; however, the fundamental problem is that it would require that schools adopt a distorted definition of antisemitism, one where virtually any criticism or opposition to Israeli policy or actions are branded as antisemitic. Specifically, AB 715 has as its basis the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which has been widely rejected globally over its use to stifle speech and critical education about Palestine or Israel."
Authoritarian measures have targeted immigrant students and universities through abductions, visa revocations and funding threats, with more than 6,000 visas revoked and funding of at least 60 universities threatened. The stated rationale centers on combating antisemitism, while critics identify a decades-long effort to equate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Students, legal advocates and universities are resisting these measures as a right-wing weaponization of antisemitism aimed at curtailing academic freedom and silencing speech about Palestine. In California, AB 715 would enshrine a contested IHRA definition into law, potentially branding routine criticism of Israeli policy as antisemitic.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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