Even as some protests begin to end, we need to remember their right to protest and state their claims. We may not like what they are saying or agree with their allegations, but we must support and protect their right to protest, not pass legislation that would silence them. 

4 May 2024, Steven Zimmerman – The United States House passed legislation this past Wednesday that would establish a broader definition of antisemitism for the Department of Education to enforce anti-discrimination laws, the latest response from lawmakers to a nationwide student protest movement over the Israel-Hamas war.

The proposal, which passed 320-91 with some bipartisan support, would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal anti-discrimination law that bars discrimination based on shared ancestry, ethnic characteristics or national origin. It now goes to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain.

Action on the bill was just the latest reverberation in Congress from the protest movement that has swept university campuses. Republicans in Congress have denounced the protests and demanded action to stop them, thrusting university officials into the center of the charged political debate over Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza. More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war was launched in October after Hamas staged a deadly terrorist attack against Israeli civilians.

When any government decides to enact legislation such as H.R. 6090 as an answer to the problem of student protests. 

The First Amendment provides that Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise. It protects freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the Government to redress grievances.

As I read press releases from Pro-Palestinian groups and universities and watch videos on the wire services, I am angered by the actions and protests that can place Jewish lives at risk. I hate that some of these students are on financial aid that is essentially paid using my tax dollars. As I see it, these protests are a waste of time, money, and energy. What can I do?

What I can do, and what I’ve been doing, is accept them as fact. In the United States, we have the right to protest; we have the right to raise our voices when we disagree with something. This bill, H.R. 6090, only serves to remove freedom of speech from a specific subset of the U.S. population: college students. That, my friends, is not the American way.

The Civil Rights Movement in the United States utilized campus protests. These protests inspired others to join the moment and make lasting changes within the United States. 

The people protesting the actions of Israel have an equal voice and desire to make lasting change. No, I’m not comparing the Pro-Palestinian groups to the Civil Rights Movement, but there is a comparison to be made—the rule of 3.5%.

It takes around 3.5% of the population to actively participate in the protests to ensure severe political change.

As of 2022, there are 333 million people in the United States. 3.5% of that would be 1,165,5000. There are almost 18 million students in colleges and universities within America, and that’s the number we need to apply the 3.5% rule to.

630,000 College and University students are all it will take to make some change within the United States that could end with the President recognizing a Palestinian State, ending military support to Israel, and more. H.B. 6090 is crafted to silence these students, the 3.5% that would fight for a change they deem necessary.

Even as some protests begin to end, we need to remember their right to protest and state their claims. We may not like what they are saying or agree with their allegations, but we must support and protect their right to protest, not pass legislation that would silence them. 

We need to ensure a bill like H.B. 6090 is not signed into law.