Ras Baraka Must Find His Words Now Against the Dem Party Legislative Actions to Criminalize Protected Free Speech of Palestine Supporters
Ras Baraka is trying to convince us that he is the best to lead NJ as the next governor.
Ras Baraka, as we are sure you are aware:
A committee in NJ Senate has voted to move forward two bills 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. The legislation they have advanced (but yet to be passed in both legislative bodies and signed) equates criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism – a 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. John McKeon Essex County Democrat and the bill’s two sponsors, Democrat James Beach and Republican Robert Singer, as well as state Sen. Vincent Polistina, R-Egg Harbor, voted for it and NJ Senator Shirley Turner D-15 was the only committee vote to protect our free speech.
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 very important questions you, Ras Baraka, must answer. Ras – these questions are for you:
If the tyrannical laws that the NJ Democrats are pushing to criminalize opposition to US support for genocide were passed by both NJ legislative houses and you were governor – would you veto it? Would you use your leadership urging NJ’s legislature to oppose it?
If you attained the governorship and theses laws were already passed what action would you take immediately to overturn them? How would you prevent our repression in the interim until they are overturned? Will you instead stand ready to deploy national guard and police forces to enforce the tyranny against students, Arabs, Muslims and humanitarian NJ citizens and residents of every race, religion, ethnicity and national origin who dare criticize mass slaughter of the US – Israel genocide?
Indeed the biggest question Ras Baraka – is what are you doing RIGHT NOW – to say to the NJ legislature – the NJ Senate that is working to create a pro-Israel tyranny in NJ – what will you do right now to make sure these laws are not passed? As far as we can tell you are silent which means you will not be there if elected either for those who oppose genocide and whose protected free speech rights are being violated.
You come from revolutionary roots – can you get in touch with those roots now to defend protected free speech – the right to support liberation struggles and oppose imperialism, war and colonialism? Can you find your words RIGHT NOW to oppose these attacks on protected speech that your family has leveraged for revolutionary purpose? You yourself have been a street protester – are you going to just make believe you are not aware of what is going on with these repressive laws?
Well the question is on the floor now – you can ignore it – but rest assured we will remind everyone that we did reach out to you at this time and what role you played.
Help defend protected free speech and it will be a credit to your future campaign. Roll with the fascists – and we will remember that you are a fellow traveler to fascism.
