Rep. Gaetz Blasts ‘Ridiculous’ Antisemitism Bill Ahead Of House Vote

As pro-Hamas protesters spread their antisemitic sentiments far and wide across the United States, some lawmakers in both parties believe the best response is a new law limiting the liberties enshrined in the First Amendment.

For many right-wing legislators, however, the bill being promoted in the House of Representatives this week is an affront to the rights of all Americans.

According to The Hill:

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) labeled the House antisemitism legislation as a “ridiculous hate speech bill” ahead of the vote Wednesday.

The House approved a bill that aims to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses amid ongoing pro-Palestinian protests taking place at U.S. universities across the country. Gaetz voiced his opposition to the bill ahead of the vote, saying some excerpts of the Bible would meet this bill’s definition of antisemitism.

Gaetz was among the House Republicans who sounded off on the legislation via social media:

This evening, I will vote AGAINST the ridiculous hate speech bill called the “Antisemitism Awareness Act.”

Antisemitism is wrong, but this legislation is written without regard for the Constitution, common sense, or even the common understanding of the meaning of words. The… pic.twitter.com/HYg2LJDLAI

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) May 1, 2024

Antisemitism is wrong, but I will not be voting for the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 (H.R. 6090) today that could convict Christians of antisemitism for believing the Gospel that says Jesus was handed over to Herod to be crucified by the Jews.

Read the bill text and… pic.twitter.com/Y0eeOiVfnw

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) May 1, 2024

Both Gaetz and Greene were among the lawmakers who cast a “no” vote on the bill.

Here is a list of the 21 Republicans who voted against the Antisemitism Awareness Act

Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz are on it pic.twitter.com/bdLvzq4Jw1

— 🥖🎪 (@503i7) May 2, 2024

Here’s some more of the bipartisan backlash expressed over the contents of the legislation, per the Daily Mail:

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., introduced the legislation along with a number of other Jewish members: Reps. Max Miller, R-Ohio, Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.

But the bill has brought together a political horseshoe of right-wing and leftist free speech advocates.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who also voted to advance the bill out of committee, questioned why it incorporated ‘international law into a statute.’

‘We are certainly conceptually in favor of trying to push back on all of the ridiculousness in the world, but legislating is serious business,’ he told DailyMail.com. ‘I just think whenever you start getting into legislating ‘hate’ my antennas go up.’

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., voted to advance the bill out of the Rules Committee but expressed skepticism of it.

‘The bill has a problem beyond violating the 1st [Amendment],’ he wrote on X along with a screen grab of all the examples of antisemitism that would be included under the IHRA definition.

‘Should people in America be prosecuted for saying these things in all contexts? I think not. This is a poorly conceived unconstitutional bill and I will vote no.’

And here’s some of the back-and-forth that preceded the vote to advance the bill out of the lower chamber: