If you think the Democrats are going to save us, think again. California’s state assembly, overwhelmingly Democratic, just passed a new fascistic censorship and government control bill, AB715, with 100% unanimous support.
The bill claims to protect public school students from antisemitism and islamophobia. In reality, it simply suppresses free speech of students and staff. It’s definition of antisemitism is so broad that it will likely lead to an official policy equating anti-Zionism, and criticism of Israel, with antisemitism.
It prohibits schools from using any instructional material the state finds discriminatory, which will likely lead to bans and erasures of maps and distortions of curriculum on Palestine, Kurdistan, and Arab and Muslim history, in general.
The law would create the state’s first “Antisemitism Czar,” a new bureaucratic arbiter of what is acceptable speech and curriculum versus what is to be considered “antisemitic.”
Teachers, staff, and board members would be subject to rapid and severe consequences should the state find them in violation of this new law. Not only is this a severe restriction on academic freedom and the ability of teachers to teach the historical facts to their students, but it’s a violation of teachers’ rights to due process and to protection from vindictive and arbitrary discipline. No where does it state that a teacher must be found guilty of discriminating against a student, or a class of students. All they have to do to be in violation of the law is to say something the new state Antisemitism Czar finds offensive, like “Palestinians have the right to self-determination,” or “Israel is committing genocide.” Or even something as innocent as "Save the Children in Palestine."
https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab715
