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Gov. Mike Braun signed an executive order Friday directing the state’s higher education commission to review Indiana colleges’ and universities’ policies regarding antisemitism and to review their responses to acts of antisemitism.
“With this executive order, we are making it clear that Indiana will not tolerate antisemitic discrimination at our state institutions or anywhere else—Jewish Hoosiers should know the state of Indiana condemns antisemitism and stands with them,” Braun said in a written statement.
The order calls on the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to conduct a review of school policies regarding antisemitism and their responses to any incidents following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. The review should be completed by the end of September, with a written report provided to the governor and the legislative council by Nov. 30.
The executive order advises the commission to use the definition of antisemitism adopted in 2016 by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
The governor’s office did not respond to IBJ’s questions regarding examples of actions that would be included under that definition.
Braun’s directive comes days after the U.S. Department of Education sent a warning to dozens of higher education institutions, including Indiana University, saying they may face unspecified sanctions for failing to protect Jewish students under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
Pro-Palestine demonstrators and police clashed on IU’s Bloomington campus, resulting in dozens of arrests in spring 2024. Protesters occupied Dunn Meadow, a designated demonstration area since the 1960s, for several months while calling on the university to dissolve existing partnerships with Israel.
During this time, students, faculty and members of the public questioned the university’s response to the protests—which included a late-night change to campus free expression policies and interventions by riot police. In August 2024, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a federal lawsuit challenging the university’s expressive activity policy as violating the First Amendment.
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I am a Jewish Hoosier. While I support any policy that prevents and/or punishes acts of violence or vandalism against Jews, or any other peoples, I also support protesters’ right to free speech. Speaking out against the state of Israel’s actions in Palestine or supporting the Palestinian people is NOT anti-Semitism. There are already laws on the books against physical acts of violence against anyone, for any reason. However, these student protesters have a right to free speech, guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Nothing Gov. Braun can sign will change that. We don’t need more laws. We need enforcement of existing laws. That includes protecting Jews, African-Americans, LGBTQ’s etc. against acts of violence. Yet we also need to enforce the U.S. Constitution and other laws to protect protesters right to speak their minds in peaceful protest.
BRAVO!
And on Wednesday, WRTV published a Braun press release and claimed it was “By WRTV Staff.” HELLO, journalism school graduates? Anyone out there? “ALLEGED acts of antisemitism (sic).” Just because Cheeto President’s Boy Braun is parroting his Feckless Leader doesn’t mean YOU have to!
Trump and his toadie Braun would have us believe that it’s now “antisemitic” to oppose genocide. More specifically, when Israel is committing it. Ironic, ain’t it? Try to sort out the actual meaning and use of that buzzword, and to whom and what it applies, and how it’s helping its original targets, or not.
Why do you excuse the October 7th terrorist
attack by Hamas .
Israel is engaged in a war with a terrorist group that is hell bent on its
destruction.
It is an urban war. Urban warfare creates civilian casualties.
If speaking up against the actions (or inaction) of your government is now illegal or taboo, why are all the Jan 6 rioters free?
The same conservatives who complained about snowflake lefties on campus not being able to handle free speech are now censoring on behalf of genocidal apartheid Jewish-supremacist Israel. Such hypocrisy. If you don’t support freedom of speech you hate, you don’t support freedom of speech.
There is no genocide in Gaza except when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7,2023. There is antisemitism hiding behind free speech. More than half of college protests have been violent.
You are absolutely correct.
The left is hiding their anti semitism behind their free speech rights!!!
The left sees this as a race war of white oppressors against people of color. That’s the only reason why they are suppprting the Palestinians.
And to the Nazis Jews are white but their “race” is Jewish. As you mentioned the left thinks Jews are white oppressers . The first amendment can use a bit of refinement, for that matter, so can in the second amendment.