‘Insane’: Conservatives Hammer Republican-Led Anti-Semitism Bill
Several prominent Republican politicians and conservative commentators condemned House Republicans and Democrats for passing a “hate speech” bill on Wednesday, which would define examples of anti-Semitism to include criticisms of Israel and “claims of Jews killing Jesus.”
“Antisemitism is wrong, but this legislation is written without regard for the Constitution, common sense, or even the common understanding of the meaning of words,” wrote Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), one of just 21 Republicans to vote against the bill. “The Gospel itself would meet the definition of antisemitism under the terms of this bill!”
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who also voted against the bill, tweeted that while “the rise of antisemitism in America and especially on college campuses is abhorrent and disgusting,” the bill “tramples on the First Amendment and won’t make a positive impact on this issue.”
“I abhor antisemitism, but this bill is flagrantly unconstitutional and an appalling attack on the First Amendment,” reacted Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. “This bill is an affront to the Constitution and must not pass.”
Daily Wire host Matt Walsh called the bill “one of the most insane pieces of legislation I’ve ever seen,” while Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro argued, “The solution is NOT to pass a bad bill adding yet more free speech violations to the giant free speech violation that is Title VI.”
“This is an insanely anti-First Amendment piece of legislation. Anti-Semitism is repugnant, but this bill is a classic product of moral panic,” tweeted Compact Magazine editor Sohrab Ahmari, while Newsweek opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon wrote, “It’s nice to see bipartisan support for Jews, but this congressional bill to expand the definition of antisemitism is bad for the U.S. and bad for Jews.”
Ungar-Sargon observed, “This country was literally founded on the idea that there should be no government reprisals for speech, including hate speech.”
Breitbart political editor Emma-Jo Morris – who broke the Hunter Biden laptop story for the New York Post in 2020 – called the bill “extremely useless” and added that it appeared “totally unconstitutional.”
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) also came out in opposition to the bill.
The bill, which sponsor Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) claimed would “begin the process of cracking down on the antisemitism we’ve seen run rampant on college campuses across America,” would officially define anti-Semitism to include accusations that Jewish citizens are “more loyal to Israel,” claims “that the existence of the State of Israel is a racist endeavor,” “claims of Jews killing Jesus,” and “comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”
While 70 House Democrats and 21 Republicans opposed the bill, it passed the House by 320-91.
