After our vigorous call-in campaign March 4th, the Illinois Higher Education Committee postponed action on the anti-boycott bill. Last Friday, the bill was reassigned to the Judiciary Committee and the bill may be up for discussion as early as TODAY Wednesday, March 19 at 3 p.m. WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW.
Read MoreThe Center for Constitutional Rights sent a letter to Barnard College President Debora Spar on March 13, 2014 urging her to reconsider her decision to remove a Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (C-SJP) banner advertising Israeli Apartheid Week events. The letter advises President Spar that free speech principles require that messages not be treated differently based on the controversy they provoke.
Read MoreMarch 4, 2014, Chicago – A bill that would prohibit public universities and colleges from using any state funds on groups that have made statements in support of, or that participate in boycotts of Israeli academic institutions has been introduced in the Illinois State Senate and will be considered in the Senate’s Higher Education Committee.
Read MoreState governments in New York, Maryland, and Illinois have introduced legislation that would deny or reduce state funding to universities that contribute funding to academic entities that advocate for or engage in a boycott of Israeli academic institutions, and we expect more state legislation to emerge.
Read MoreThe Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the Maryland and D.C. chapters of the National Lawyers Guild, and the Defending Dissent Foundation sent Maryland Senators and Delegates a letter on March 3, 2014 urging them to oppose pending legislation that would reduce state funding to colleges and universities that fund membership and activities in organizations supporting boycotts of certain countries, including Israel.
Read MoreA number of rights groups, including chapters of the National Lawyers Guild, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Jewish Voice for Peace and the Council on American-Islamic Relations - California, sent a letter to University of California Board of Regents and California State University Trustees informing them of various concerted efforts by the AMCHA Initiative to stifle any and all discussion of Palestinian rights on California campuses.
The letter describes several instances in which AMCHA has urged university officials to cancel events, punish professors, academics and students for their speech activities. It also alerts university officials to the recent dismissal of several discrimination complaints filed by AMCHA and other groups, and the Department of Education's decisions, which emphasize that incidents complained of constituted protected speech activities, and that just because some may have been offended by such speech does not mean it amounts to discrimination or harassment under the Civil Rights Act.
Both UC President Janet Napolitano and CSU Chancellor Timothy White responded to the letter.
"Rather than barring controversial speech, the CSU strives to be a marketplace of ideas where difficult and sometimes polarizing speech can be exposed to critical examination and open debate by those with opposing opinions. While we recognize this process sometimes can be uncomfortable or even offensive, we also trust that those on all sides of this current debate understand that the consequences of inhibiting or silencing the free exchange of ideas on matters of public concern are far more severe."
"The University is indeed deeply committed to allowing, and encouraging, the robust exchange of viewpoints and ideas that are so fundamental to our mission, and our approach to this area of discourse on our campus is no exception. The First Amendment protects the rights of all community members to express their views, even if those views are highly offensive to others. In particular, this protection encompasses the full spectrum of views on issues relating to Israel and Palestine."
See full letter to UC and CSU officials here.
See full response from CSU Chancellor White here.
See full response from UC President Napolitano here.
The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the National Lawyers Guild – New York City Chapter (NLG-NYC) sent New York Assembly Members a letter on February 20, 2014 urging them to oppose pending legislation that would reduce state funding to colleges and universities that fund membership and activities in organizations supporting boycotts of a list of countries, including Israel. The bill, A.8392A – which was amended after an outpouring of opposition – was drafted in response to the American Studies Association’s recent resolution to boycott Israeli academic institutions. The CCR and NLG-NYC letter urges lawmakers to recognize that the bill still violates the First Amendment and threatens academic freedom. The letter stresses that “modifying the amount of State-imposed coercion does not cure the constitutional defect.”
The American Studies Association endorsed a resolution in December 2013 to boycott Israeli academic institutions in protest of the central role that they play in Israel’s denial of Palestinian human rights, in an effort to contribute to the larger movement for social justice in Israel/Palestine. The ASA resolution calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions is available here, and an explanation of the resolution is available here.
See our letter to Assembly Members.
See CCR’s January 30, 2014 letter to Assembly Members.
See CCR’s statement on the bill’s passage in the New York state senate.
For more information on the legality of academic boycott, please see Palestinian Solidarity Legal Support’s frequently asked questions
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