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CA Senate Passes AB 2844, Call on Governor Brown to Veto

News

The Coalition to Stop AB 2844

Civil Liberty & Community Groups Urge California Assembly to Reject Bill Intended to Suppress Human Rights Boycotts

The Coalition to Stop AB 2844, comprised of more than 100 national, state and local organizations, including civil liberties, human rights, faith-based and community groups, condemns today's passage by the California Senate of a bill (AB 2844) that threatens the right of Californians to engage in human rights-related boycotts, and urges state Assembly members to reject it when it comes before them for a vote.

While AB 2844 is intended by its authors to suppress boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigns for Palestinian rights specifically, it will infringe on the constitutional rights of all Californians to engage in economic acts of conscience in support of human rights and social justice causes, as has been warned by civil liberties groups like the ACLU, National Lawyers Guild, and the Center for Constitutional Rights. (For further reference, see this recent Los Angeles Times editorial, Boycotts of Israel are a protected form of free speech.)

In an attempt to avoid constitutional challenges, the authors of AB 2844 have portrayed it as an anti-discrimination measure, requiring certain state contractors to certify, under penalty of perjury, that any policy against a “sovereign nation or peoples” is not a pretext for “discrimination." However, as noted by the ACLU California in a letter to Assembly Member Richard Bloom, who introduced AB 2844, it "evidently seeks to burden and deter constitutionally-protected speech by targeting those who criticize or protest actions by the Israeli government.” In fact, only Israel is singled out for special mention in the bill text.

“California legislators and Governor Brown should not be joining the list of elected officials willing to trade away the First Amendment rights of Americans to protect Israel’s discriminatory policies and human rights abuses from public scrutiny,” said Estee Chandler, founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace.

"Amidst an escalating climate of Islamophobia, xenophobia and racism more broadly it's sad that state politicians have chosen to sanction institutions advocating for freedom and self-determination for Palestinians,” said Omar Zahzah of Students for Justice in Palestine, UCLA. “Yet again we see that what passes legal muster is often completely at odds with staking out an ethical position, and for this reason all of us rallying around this cause must not be chilled by these developments moving forward."

“The passing of this bill in the California state Senate is disturbing to say the least and misguided at best,” said Taher Herzallah of American Muslims for Palestine. “This is another attempt to legislate the protection of the state of Israel and its illegal actions by denying Americans their First Amendment right to criticize it. “

After being stalled for months and heavily amended following opposition from constituents and civil liberties groups, AB 2844 came out of committee on August 11 and went to the Senate, which passed it earlier today. AB 2844 now goes to the Assembly, which has until August 31 to vote on it. The Coalition to Stop AB 2844 urges Assembly members to vote no on AB 2844 and Governor Brown to veto it should they pass it.

The Coalition to Stop AB 2844 was formed to support the Constitutional rights of Californians to engage in boycotts and other economic acts of conscience in support of Palestinian human rights and other social justice struggles. It includes Jewish Voice for Peace, American Muslims for Palestine, Palestine Legal, Friends of Sabeel North America, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, and CODEPINK: Women for Peace.

Urge Gov. Brown to Veto AB 2844

Please FAX Governor Brown 916- 558-3160 & urge him to VETO AB 2844. 
Also ask him NOT to sign on to the Governors against BDS Letter.

Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone: (916) 445-2841
Fax: (916) 558-3160