Announcing Protected Free Speech Slate-of-80 for 2025 NJ Assembly Elections
Editor’s Update – 5 respondents have already expressed interest in joining the slate. This effort is entirely do-able!
In 2025 the full NJ Assembly, all 80 seats (but no NJ Senators) will be up for elections in NJ. Currently a committee in NJ Senate is considering to make it illegal for NJ citizens and residents to question the decisions of elected Democrats and Republicans to arm, finance, support and play a direct role in the US-Israel genocide against the Palestinian people of Gaza. They are doing so by attempting to pass legislation that equates criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism – fraudulent conflation which Israel and many powerful pro-Israel organizations in the USA and NJ are demanding. The Senate version of the bills are NJS 1292 and 2937.
Quoting a current Rutgers AAUP – AFT statement:
The Rutgers faculty unions strongly oppose New Jersey Senate Bills 1292 and 2937. These bills would embed in state law the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) “Working Definition of Antisemitism” document, which falsely conflates criticism of or opposition to Israel and Zionism with anti-Jewish racism. If adopted, the distorted IHRA definition, in the words of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), “would likely silence a range of protected speech including criticism of the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians” and would also disallow the “sharing (of) differing beliefs about the right to a Jewish state.” This would violate both the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Article 1, Section 6, of the New Jersey State Constitution.
There is a strong highly organized effort right now of NJ’s humane citizens and residents that are united to end the genocide lobbying and telling the politicians why these attacks on our freedom are wrong. There is also a highly FUNDED effort organized by pro-Israel lobby groups working together with the IDF to try to push toward the criminalization of opposition to slaughtering people. It seems that the Democrats are in the pocket of that sector or else these bills would not be even introduced – let alone gaining momentum as they now are doing.
So what do we do about it? Everything that is being done to appeal to the NJ legislature that it is wrong to mandate support for Israel and genocide needs to continue. But what should we do politically? What communicates the clearest message?
We will run a full Protected Free Speech Slate-of-80 for 2025 NJ Assembly Election. We must start recruiting now. We must make a sincere plan to make sure we make it happen. We cannot fathom supporting NJ’s Democratic Party as it prepares for an all out war against NJ’s pro-Palestinian forces – this war will lead to state police and military violence against NJ residents and citizens – these laws the NJ Democrats are pushing are an open declaration of war against its own people – in defense of genocide and war crimes against Palestine. In effect, the Democrats are paving the way to bring the US-Israel genocide in Gaza to the streets of NJ.
So let’s make it clear: there will be many political consequences. Let’s start now in making a list of at least 80 NJ supporters of humanity, supporters of protection of free speech, including criticism of Israel and opposition to wanton slaughter and let’s make the plan to get them 100 signatures each to get on the ballots.
Democratic Party elected officials and their candidates (like their Republican counterparts) reap millions in donations from AIPAC and other pro-Israel lobby groups that push the agenda of arming Israel, financing Israel’s infrastructure, and conducting counter-insurgent operations against those who exercise protected free speech to oppose the slaughter being led by the Democratic Party (with Republicans in a support role).
In NJ this same party – its NJ leadership – is trying to make it illegal to oppose THEIR POLICY of voting to send OUR TAX DOLLARS to buy weapons to provide Israel to slaughter a largely unarmed people – 100’s slaughtered daily!
There is no ethical or moral way to support the Democratic Party coordinating a genocide or the Republican Party complicit in that very same genocide. This is especially true now that they are attempting to pass laws to escalate a vicious fascist crackdown against the nascent uprising – widely supported by diverse organizations uniting the movement organizations across NJ against US – Israeli genocide.
Let’s start this effort now – let’s start to identify those who might want to field a candidacy for the NJ Assembly position in 2025. It is not a commitment now – we aim to recruit more than are needed to think about it and then to whittle down who will participate in the Protected Free Speech Slate. Commitment to a political party would not be necessary but the slate will be independent from the Democratic Party. So Green Party, Socialist Party and other independents will be welcome to join the slate.
If you MIGHT be interested- -please complete the form below.
YES I MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN RUNNING FOR NJ ASSEMBLY IN 2025 TO PROTECT FREE SPEECH IN NJ FROM THE LEGISLATION SPONSORED BY NJ DEMOCRATS!
IT WOULD CERTAINLY DEPEND UPON AVAILABILITY, CAPACITY AND WHETHER THERE WAS ADEQUATE SUPPORT BUT I RECOGNIZE THAT THERE CAN BE NO SUPPORT FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ASSEMBLY SLATE AFTER THEY DECLARE WAR ON PRO-PALESTINE AND PRO-HUMANITARIANS IN NJ!
Defend our right to protest a genocide:
1. Email the committee members that will vote on the IHRA bills. Find a template in the one-click link in bio and customize it to say why the bills matter to you. If you already sent an email, ask three friends to send emails.
2. Call the committee members and ask them to oppose the bill.
Call Senator Beach (856-429-1572) and urge him to oppose bills S1292 and S2937. Tell him that the IHRA definition wrongly equates antisemitism with anti-Zionism and would curtail freedom of speech.
3. If you want to testify but are unable to join the hearing, create a video of yourself reading your testimony. Post on Twitter and tag NJ legislature leadership.
@NJSenDems
@SenPresScutari
@SenMTeresaRuiz
@njassemblydems
@SpeakerCoughlin
@lougreenwald
Email the written testimony to OLSaideSSG@njleg.org.
More actions in NJ:
Wednesday, June 19:
– Newark 12pm- Protest Cory Booker @paxchristinj
Thursday, June 20:
– Virtual 9am- NJ Legislature committee hearing on antisemitism bills
– New Brunswick 12pm- Board of Governors meeting (divestment) @sjprutgersnb
– Jersey City 5:30pm- We Are the Red Line rally @ceasefirenownj
Saturday, June 22:
– Collingswood 12pm- Weekly vigil @sjforgaza
Monday, June 24:
– Montclair/Zoom 7pm- Apartheid in Palestine discussion @jvpnorthnj
If Not Now resources:
https://linktr.ee/NoIHRAforNJ
