Censorship of Pro-Palestinian Activism on College Campuses

About a year ago, UT Austin’s student government passed a bill that adopted a definition of antisemitism written by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). The definition, though very broad, has certain portions that conflate criticisms against the state of Israel with antisemitism, making it easy to censor pro-Palestinian organizers. In order to proactively address this censorship, Nura Bawab, a Steering Committee Member of the Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC), and Mitchell Velona, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) co-wrote a resolution to remove the IHRA definition on UT Austin’s campus. PSC is a student organization that works toward Palestinian liberation by organizing protests, educating people, and providing a safe space for Palestinian students and culture, among other things. JVP is an organization that works against “anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim, and anti-Arab bigotry and oppression” by working toward harmony among Middle Eastern countries and against the actions of the U.S. and Israeli governments.