A bill making its way through California’s legislature would stifle free speech on public university and college campuses, specifically around protests against Israel’s war in Gaza and its occupation of Palestine, according to civil rights advocates.
As state lawmakers head back to Sacramento for the final stretch of the year’s legislative session, which often ends in a flurry of last-minute votes in mid-September, the American Civil Liberties Union in California is ringing the alarm bell on Senate Bill 1287, saying that it will “set a dangerous precedent of chilling speech on campuses across the state.”
It seems like a better solution is to target the instigators of violence rather than the speech itself. Everyone has the right to protest, whether you agree with their protest or not. The problem arises when counter protestors contest with violence. So, address the violence.
Violence has never been the issue. pro Palestine demonstrations have been one of the most peaceful (if not the most peaceful) civil rights movements ever.
The goal of this law is to suppress protests, not combat violence.