My name is Ben, and I’m a member of Jewish Voice for Peace at Brown University.
Yesterday, Trump announced plans to sign an executive order that would withhold federal funding from colleges and universities that he says “fail to combat antisemitism.”
But let’s be perfectly clear on this: this executive order has NOTHING to do with keeping Jewish students safe. We need to recognize the order for what it is: a hypocritical attempt to demand unconditional support for Israel, and to silence students organizing for Palestinian rights.
Sign our petition – let the world know Trump’s executive order does nothing to protect Jews.
Trump’s executive order is scary – it is itself antisemitic, against free speech, and dangerous for Palestinians and all people who support Palestinian rights. But there’s a good reason why he’s signing it now: WE’RE WINNING.
After months of campaigning, our coalition at Brown University just had a HUGE Divest campaign victory. Last week, Brown’s Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies officially recommended that Brown University divest from companies “facilitating human rights abuses in Palestine.” This is the FIRST time that an official university body in the United States has recommended divestment from Israeli apartheid.
Sign now to protect student activists and keep this hypocritical order from becoming law.
White supremacy and antisemitism are real and growing threats, but this executive order would do nothing to protect Jewish students. Instead, it would use a dangerously broad definition of antisemitism to silence student activism, defund faculty research, and limit opportunities to learn about Palestine. It’s an attack on free speech and academic freedom.
The contents of this executive order are nothing new. It’s just a repackaged version of a piece of unpopular legislature – the so called “Anti-Semitism Awareness Act” – that anti-Palestinian activists have been trying to force through the House and Senate for years. Trump and his associates are scared of our movement, and this executive order is a last-ditch attempt to sign anti-Palestinian free speech suppression into law. It’s time we put a stop to this executive order, once and for all.
In solidarity,
Ben B.
JVP Brown University