Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz on Wednesday slammed the House anti-Semitism bill as a “ridiculous hate speech bill” before it was finally passed.
The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act is aimed at cracking down on anti-Semitism on college campuses and would expand the legal definition of anti-Semitism used to enforce anti-discrimination laws. The bill comes as anti-Israel protests intensify on college campuses across the country.
It passed in the House by an overwhelming vote of 320-91, but critics like Gates opposed the bill’s passage and tweeted on social media that some excerpts from the Bible fit the bill’s definition of anti-Semitism. It wasn’t until I spoke out in the media.
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Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Wednesday slammed the House anti-Semitism bill as a “ridiculous hate speech bill” before it was finally passed. (Aaron Schwartz/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“Tonight, I am voting against this ridiculous hate speech bill called the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act,” Gaetz wrote to X.
“Anti-Semitism is wrong, but this bill was written with disregard for the Constitution, common sense, and even a common understanding of the meaning of the word.”Based on the provisions of this bill, the gospel itself is the definition of anti-Semitism. This will apply!”
The bipartisan Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, if passed by the Senate and signed by President Biden, would require the Department of Education to legally adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). definition of antisemitism When enforcing anti-discrimination rules.
Gates gave an example in which one of the IHRA’s definitions of anti-Semitism includes “the claim that Jews murdered Jesus,” and argued that the Bible falls under that definition.
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Protesters at New York University spat on a sign that read “Jews” and then decorated it with the words “white.” The final sign read “Pure Evil” and “Jewish Supremacy.” The bill comes as anti-Israel protests intensify on college campuses across the country. (Obtained from FOX News)
“The Bible is clear. There are no myths or controversies about this. Therefore, I do not support this bill,” he wrote.
The IHRA defines anti-Semitism on its website as: “A particular perception of Jews that is sometimes expressed as hatred towards Jews. Rhetorical and physical expressions of anti-Semitism are: to Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, to Jewish communal organizations,” and to religious institutions. ”
Later Wednesday, Gaetz doubled down on his opposition to the bill.
“I want to abolish the Department of Education. I don’t want the Department of Education to be empowered to be the ‘anti-Semitism police.’ Turning the DOE into the anti-Semitism police would actually be a very unfortunate victory for anti-Semitism.” ” Gates wrote.
Critics of the bill attacked it as government overreach and said it would negatively impact free speech on campus.
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D.N.Y.), a Jewish progressive and the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, also opposed the bill.
“This definition, adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Association (IHRA), includes contemporary examples, quotations and citations of anti-Semitism. The problem is that these examples do not have any context, particularly towards the state of Israel. “In terms of criticism, it could involve protected speech,” Nadler said during the bill’s consideration.
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Rep. Jerry Nadler (D.N.Y.), a Jewish progressive and the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, also opposed the bill. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
“To be clear, I strongly disagree with the sentiments against Israel expressed in these instances, and too often criticism of Israel actually takes the form of vicious anti-Semitism. ”
The bill was supported by more than a dozen Democrats, including Jewish representatives Josh Gottheimer (D.J.), Jared Moskowitz (D.), and Ritchie Torres (D.Y.). I had supporters.
Seventy Democratic members voted against the bill, and 133 voted against it. On the Republican side, only 21 people voted against the bill, and 187 Republicans voted for it.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R.N.Y.), who sponsored the bill, told FOX News Digital, “I don’t want people to justify the murder of Jews, to use bloody defamation, to show solidarity with Jews against that act.” “When it engages in harassment or bullying of Jewish individuals in a way that creates liability.” That of the Israeli government is anti-Semitic and it is unfortunate that it needs to be made clear, but that is why this bill is needed. ”
FOX News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
