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If you’re not paying attention to efforts to get social media (FB, Twitter) to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism — as a means to deplatform/quash criticism of Israel — you should be.

Latest: prnewswire.com/news-releases/…
Fun to look at signers cited in the press release — who’s who of orgs backed by Adam Milstein & fellow travelers.
The letter to FB_ stopantisemitism.org/open-letter-to…
Some folks insist that effort around IHRA is NOT about clamping down on criticism of Israel.

Here are some fun links to explore how the IHRA is actually being used - decide for yourself:
UK council refused to host Palestinian event over antisemitism fears

theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/a…
Berlin Jewish Museum director resigns over tweet endorsing antisemitic BDS

jpost.com/Diaspora/Germa…
France's criminalisation of Israel boycotts sparks free-speech debate

france24.com/en/20160120-fr…
Table tracking cases targeting US campuses over alleged antisemitism, all based on IHRA definition, and all cases focused on criticism/activism on Israel

fmep.org/wp/wp-content/…
Fieldston School fires teacher who posted anti-Zionist tweets

jpost.com/Diaspora/Antis…
And on that last one, here’s Congressional letter explicitly invoking the IHRA definition to attack the teacher

gottheimer.house.gov/uploadedfiles/…
Fun article (by head of a group that signed the letter to FB) explicitly tying adoption of IHRA to quashing political free speech: "To properly combat the scourge that is BDS, it is important that states adopt the...(IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism.”

newsweek.com/bds-about-bigo…
Also worth noting: Kenneth Stern - the lead drafter of the text that became the IHRA definition - is on the record copiously with his concerns with what the definition means for free speech. Don’t like hearing it from me? Maybe listen to him.
in 2016, Stern in the New York Times, arguing that turning IHRA definition into policy or law would be dangerous, counterproductive to fight against antisemitism, and unconstitutional

nytimes.com/2016/12/12/opi…
in 2017, in an an 18-page letter to the House Judiciary Committee, arguing that if this definition is enshrined in law, “outside groups will try and suppress – rather than answer – political speech they don’t like”

docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU…
In 2018, Stern warned that legislating the IHRA definition could “exacerbate student conflict, damage academic freedom, chill speech and harm the academy more broadly…[and] put students with a variety of critical views about Israel in jeopardy.”

insidehighered.com/views/2018/06/…
And 2020 -- The scholar who wrote the definition of anti-Semitism says it’s been subverted

timesofisrael.com/the-scholar-wh…
And more!

Israeli Apartheid Week: How campus activism is being shut down by false charges of 'anti-Semitism'

middleeasteye.net/opinion/israel…
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Lara Friedman🔥
@LaraFriedmanDC
As @Facebook & @sherylsandberg are pressured to adopt IHRA definition, reminder: in May Congress adopted “Never Again Education Act” which…included a different — and entirely non-controversial definition of antisemitism.

1/
@Facebook @sherylsandberg Why isn’t there a campaign to get Facebook and others to adopt THAT definition?

Because it doesn’t re-frame antisemitism in order to delegitimize/deplatform criticism of Israel.

2/
@Facebook @sherylsandberg That legislation: HR 943, which became Public Law 116-141.

Text of the law: congress.gov/bill/116th-con…

3/
Read 6 tweets
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Lara Friedman🔥
@LaraFriedmanDC
The full report conflating criticism/activism on Israel with white supremacist/Nazi antisemitism is here. Read the whole thing. It is important.

static1.squarespace.com/static/5cc20f5…
Boiled down to its core argument — on top of which is piled tons of extraneous data, to try to cover up its weakness — is idea that white supremacist antisemites (who btw also hate Arabs/Muslims) may opportunistically add criticism of Israel into their anti-Jewish repertoire.
This reminds me of years ago when I was attacked for factually reporting on Israeli settlement policy — was told that such reports just give fuel to antisemites. As if the report was the problem, not the policies/actions that were taking place.
Read 8 tweets
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Lara Friedman🔥
@LaraFriedmanDC
It is striking how little attention this is getting. And by “striking” I mean: appalling, baffling, inexcusable. duluthnewstribune.com/news/fires/466…
Striking too that nobody seems interested in the alleged arsonist & his motivations. As of this writing, his FB page is still up. This is his profile pic:
Read 5 tweets

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