DID YOU KNOW our so-called “progressive” California legislature recently passed and the Governor signed into law AB 715, which essentially outlaws teaching about genocide in our schools, silencing speech critical of Israel and Zionism, labeling it “Anti-Semitism”?

Under this law, educators could be disciplined “if they expose their students to ideas, information, and instructional materials that may be considered critical of the State of Israel and the philosophy of Zionism.” A recent lawsuit was filed against the governor and the attorney general to overturn that law.

Were I the Attorney General, the People would refuse to defend the legislature and governor in that suit, asking the court to strike that law as patently unconstitutional.

Not only the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution but also the California Constitution, Article I, Section 2, guarantees that every person may freely speak, write, and publish their sentiments on all subjects while being responsible for any abuse of this right. It also states that laws cannot restrain or abridge the liberty of speech or press.

For over two decades, Israel advocates have worked to embed a new definition of “antisemitism” in institutions from national governments to campuses. While the definition of antisemitism has always meant bigotry against Jewish people (and rightly considered abhorrent), there has been a campaign to replace that definition with an Israel-centric definition. Then that definition can be used to block speech and activism in support of Palestinian human rights as “hate” speech.  And AB715 does that and threatens educators’ rights to truthfully discuss Israel and Zionism, a clear violation of rights of free speech and thought.

These issues are becoming more and more crucial. The President recently issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7) which targets for investigation and labeling as “domestic terrorists” not only organizations or groups but also individuals and “entities” who have committed no crime, but who express sentiments that are “indicia” of violence:

Anti-Americanism,
Anti-Capitalism,
Anti-Christianity,

Extremism on migration, race, gender, and those who hold “traditional American views on family, religion or morality”. In other words, if one holds beliefs different from President’s conception of the mainstream, they can be investigated, disrupted and labeled as possible “terrorists”. 

This is dangerous and such threats must be relinquished. No district attorney should prosecute old ladies for using political speech, even if it’s “symbolic speech” such as “bloody handprints”, for “felony vandalism”, while those elected officials pressing the charges are using their positions of power and influence and riches to arm a genocidal, apartheid, settler-colonial foreign state with the hard-earned taxes of California taxpayers.

The Attorney General could intervene to stop such waste of the tax-payer’s money and violation of the free speech rights of Californians. The Attorney General even holds power to impeach elected officials misusing their power against the People.