Finally, a glimmer of light in the overwhelming darkness. Justice is beginning to take its course, and the vile antisemites are facing the consequences of their hatred. No longer can such bigotry go unchecked—accountability is here. Let this be a turning point, a moment that reaffirms our commitment to standing against hate and ensuring that those who spread venomous ideologies are held responsible. The fight is far from over, but today, there is hope.
There is some very important information in this post but a couple points require comment.
1. Trump's executive order allowing the vetting and deportation of foreign students who support terrorist groups and activities is a good start on addressing this issue, but does not go nearly far enough. The truth is that academic institutions with their desire for foreign tuition dollars and in support of "diversity" (in this case affluent students possessing anti-Western, antisemitic ideology) are not just a threat to their own campuses but to the larger communities in which they are based. Any university that has a foreign student deported for their antisemitic or pro-terrorism activities needs to be held accountable for their actions, or they will just admit the next protester as soon as the semester ends. Since these institutions are effectively acting as sponsors for international students visas, admission of any student who so misbehaves that the student must be deported demonstrates that the institution is not capable of exercising the PRIVILEGE of sponsoring foreign students responsibly. Part of the deportation of the antisemitic/pro-terrorist foreign student should include a hefty fine for the institution (adjusted to fit the affluence of the institution)....and the loss of the right to admit ANY foreign student for a period of 5 years. Such a penalty would force universities to exercise appropriate caution before admitting and enabling foreign students.
2. Greg Lukianoff and FIRE's criticism of the definition of antisemitism is misplaced. Stating that the definition is vague and would create problems similar to those observed with the overzealous use of the definition of sexual harassment in Title IX endorsement misses a key point. The problem with Title IX is that it uses a demonstrably FALSE definition of sexual harassment to criminalize protected speech and behavior and denies due process to the accused. Simply following the constitution on issues related to sexual harassment that apply to the rest of society resolves that problem. The IHRA definition of antisemitism's greatest strength in avoiding its being too vague and being applied to otherwise protected speech lies in its requirement that criticism directed solely at Israel or Zionists but not similar conduct by non-Jewish states be seen as antisemitism. That is hardly vague and forces intellectual consistency on the part of those who seek to criticize Israel or Zionism. The fact that almost no supporters of the Palestinians can meet that standards is not a problem of the IHRA definition...it arises from their inherent antisemitism. FIRE does not do the cause of free speech or itself any favors when it fails to distinguish blatantly antisemitic speech from protected criticism of any particular member state. One has to wonder why FIRE chooses to focus so much of its limited resources defending the "free speech" rights of antisemites while other cases of free speech violations that have nothing to do with such hateful ideology remain unsupported. Apparently some perspectives are more deserving of "free" speech protections than others.
Fortunately, President Trump is one to learn from mistakes and we can expect more Executive Orders to address these issues soon enough. Just my thoughts.
"Any university that has a foreign student deported for their antisemitic or pro-terrorism activities needs to be held accountable for their actions, or they will just admit the next protester as soon as the semester ends. Since these institutions are effectively acting as sponsors for international students visas, admission of any student who so misbehaves that the student must be deported demonstrates that the institution is not capable of exercising the PRIVILEGE of sponsoring foreign students responsibly. Part of the deportation of the antisemitic/pro-terrorist foreign student should include a hefty fine for the institution (adjusted to fit the affluence of the institution)....and the loss of the right to admit ANY foreign student for a period of 5 years. Such a penalty would force universities to exercise appropriate caution before admitting and enabling foreign students."
GREAT IDEA!
Modern academia and its offshoots in the NGO world etc are fully protected from the consequences of their evil actions because profs, admins etc HAVE NO SKIN IN THE GAME.
Change their incentives, change their actions.
The Ivy League etc has become an anti-Western anti-cvilization Fifth Column and needs to be treated as such.
Here's an idea for a fine...$1,000,000 or 1% of the institutions endowment and assessed value (value of buildings, etc.) per instance. That will get their attention.
Good article, but it misses a key point: *all* people in the US have a First Amendment right to free speech, including foreigners on visas. This means that the US may not punish (by fine or jail time) or censor *anyone* for expressing their opinions. What the US can and should do, and is now doing, is be selective about the foreigners to whom it grants the privilege of visiting our country. It’s not a violation of the First Amendment to exclude foreigners based on their views, particularly when the views include support for a US-designated terrorist organization such as Hamas. Foreigners have no *right* to be in the US, so sending them home isn’t a violation of their rights under the First Amendment.
In short, while foreigners have the right to express their views in the US, they *don’t* have the right to be in the US in the first place.
Anna Krylov, this writing is so willfully myopic. It breaks my heart to see Jewish colleagues selectively cheering this administration's actions because of tough talk against antisemitism. (To be clear, antisemitism on campus is real.) This is not a defense of antisemitism, however. It's a weaponization of it.
A bullying executive order which can be easily misused and abused against international students is cause for celebration? An actual Nazi salute in front of a political rally by an unelected billionaire is a cause for joking? And by joking, you cite a notorious racist account for humor?
Let's just brush that off, or, as Musk did, make more Nazi jokes about it.
We are witnessing the end of the rule of law. A rising oligarchy that makes the US resemble Putin's Russia every day. An administration that attacks its own citizens (trans people). Several Christian nationalists in the cabinet and administration. A white supremacist as deputy chief of staff. This is the country you're cheering on? You think this makes the U.S. safe for Jews? Your reasoning is devoid of any moral compass. It cares only about one group, the rest can go screw themselves. Not your problem. And still, you ignore the rising signs of antisemitism amongst the squad you're cheering on.
If you really think that Elon's awkward arm-raising while saying "My heart goes out to you" was "an actual Nazi salute" and try to back it up by playing 6 Degrees of Nazi, you might need to step away from the screens and take some R&R off from the culture war.
But to take this claim seriously: the most successful inventor of our time is really a secret believer in the Nazi ideology of 1930s Germany and decided to reveal this either accidentally or slyly in the middle of a televised speech? And the evidence is that his politics seems to have become more conservative and he's an ally of the President? And I suppose his visit to Auschwitz was just duplicitious PR?
Wow. Brave comment coming from someone who speaks anonymously. First, he didn't invent shit. Check your facts. Second, listen to his speech before the AfD and tell me how comfortable you are. If you're cool with that, then, hey, maybe you can be friendly with Nazis.
I knew it was a mistake to engage you, but really I was (sorta) trying to help: believing that Elon made "an actual Nazi salute" is infra dig for any actual adult and makes its claimant seem too stupid and deranged to take seriously. Hate and critique him all you like, but the idea that he chose to reveal his devotion to Nazism in the middle of that speech is just silly.
Also, these constant claims of Nazi! are cheap and dilute the meaning and power of the real Nazis and their deeds.
Elon is not a Nazi, Trump is not a Nazi, the AfD are not Nazis, and there are no Nazis or Nazi parties with any power anywhere in the West.
Making these hysterical claims only cheapens and obscures the real Nazis and helps people who want to obscure the singularity of the Holocaust and the singular evil of its planners and perpetrators.
"Everyone I hate is a Nazi!" only degrades discourse, truth and the hysterical people who seem addicted to making this charge.
Thank you so much for "trying to help." Let's pick apart your logic for a second:
He's a "brilliant" inventor, therefore, couldn't be bad. (Checks list of brilliant Nazi scientists.)
Second, I'm not saying he's an actual Nazi. I'm saying he consciously made a Nazi salute, which is far more than a dog whistle. It's alt-right trolling designed to see what he can get away with. He follows that up with bad Nazi humor in a tweet. You're willing to look at all of this as benign. Also, you want to give a pass to the AfD? Let me know how that turns out. You are so literal as to be nonsensical. And so selective as to be intentionally naive. A political party doesn't have to have the word Nazi in it for it to be racist, demagogic and dangerous. But if the AfD are the people you want to get into bed with, that's your choice. Just have the guts to put a name on your comments.
Finally, a glimmer of light in the overwhelming darkness. Justice is beginning to take its course, and the vile antisemites are facing the consequences of their hatred. No longer can such bigotry go unchecked—accountability is here. Let this be a turning point, a moment that reaffirms our commitment to standing against hate and ensuring that those who spread venomous ideologies are held responsible. The fight is far from over, but today, there is hope.
There is some very important information in this post but a couple points require comment.
1. Trump's executive order allowing the vetting and deportation of foreign students who support terrorist groups and activities is a good start on addressing this issue, but does not go nearly far enough. The truth is that academic institutions with their desire for foreign tuition dollars and in support of "diversity" (in this case affluent students possessing anti-Western, antisemitic ideology) are not just a threat to their own campuses but to the larger communities in which they are based. Any university that has a foreign student deported for their antisemitic or pro-terrorism activities needs to be held accountable for their actions, or they will just admit the next protester as soon as the semester ends. Since these institutions are effectively acting as sponsors for international students visas, admission of any student who so misbehaves that the student must be deported demonstrates that the institution is not capable of exercising the PRIVILEGE of sponsoring foreign students responsibly. Part of the deportation of the antisemitic/pro-terrorist foreign student should include a hefty fine for the institution (adjusted to fit the affluence of the institution)....and the loss of the right to admit ANY foreign student for a period of 5 years. Such a penalty would force universities to exercise appropriate caution before admitting and enabling foreign students.
2. Greg Lukianoff and FIRE's criticism of the definition of antisemitism is misplaced. Stating that the definition is vague and would create problems similar to those observed with the overzealous use of the definition of sexual harassment in Title IX endorsement misses a key point. The problem with Title IX is that it uses a demonstrably FALSE definition of sexual harassment to criminalize protected speech and behavior and denies due process to the accused. Simply following the constitution on issues related to sexual harassment that apply to the rest of society resolves that problem. The IHRA definition of antisemitism's greatest strength in avoiding its being too vague and being applied to otherwise protected speech lies in its requirement that criticism directed solely at Israel or Zionists but not similar conduct by non-Jewish states be seen as antisemitism. That is hardly vague and forces intellectual consistency on the part of those who seek to criticize Israel or Zionism. The fact that almost no supporters of the Palestinians can meet that standards is not a problem of the IHRA definition...it arises from their inherent antisemitism. FIRE does not do the cause of free speech or itself any favors when it fails to distinguish blatantly antisemitic speech from protected criticism of any particular member state. One has to wonder why FIRE chooses to focus so much of its limited resources defending the "free speech" rights of antisemites while other cases of free speech violations that have nothing to do with such hateful ideology remain unsupported. Apparently some perspectives are more deserving of "free" speech protections than others.
Fortunately, President Trump is one to learn from mistakes and we can expect more Executive Orders to address these issues soon enough. Just my thoughts.
"Any university that has a foreign student deported for their antisemitic or pro-terrorism activities needs to be held accountable for their actions, or they will just admit the next protester as soon as the semester ends. Since these institutions are effectively acting as sponsors for international students visas, admission of any student who so misbehaves that the student must be deported demonstrates that the institution is not capable of exercising the PRIVILEGE of sponsoring foreign students responsibly. Part of the deportation of the antisemitic/pro-terrorist foreign student should include a hefty fine for the institution (adjusted to fit the affluence of the institution)....and the loss of the right to admit ANY foreign student for a period of 5 years. Such a penalty would force universities to exercise appropriate caution before admitting and enabling foreign students."
GREAT IDEA!
Modern academia and its offshoots in the NGO world etc are fully protected from the consequences of their evil actions because profs, admins etc HAVE NO SKIN IN THE GAME.
Change their incentives, change their actions.
The Ivy League etc has become an anti-Western anti-cvilization Fifth Column and needs to be treated as such.
Here's an idea for a fine...$1,000,000 or 1% of the institutions endowment and assessed value (value of buildings, etc.) per instance. That will get their attention.
Good article, but it misses a key point: *all* people in the US have a First Amendment right to free speech, including foreigners on visas. This means that the US may not punish (by fine or jail time) or censor *anyone* for expressing their opinions. What the US can and should do, and is now doing, is be selective about the foreigners to whom it grants the privilege of visiting our country. It’s not a violation of the First Amendment to exclude foreigners based on their views, particularly when the views include support for a US-designated terrorist organization such as Hamas. Foreigners have no *right* to be in the US, so sending them home isn’t a violation of their rights under the First Amendment.
In short, while foreigners have the right to express their views in the US, they *don’t* have the right to be in the US in the first place.
Ethan, thank you for this thoughtful comment. We plan to revisit this important issue in our next post.
Anna Krylov, this writing is so willfully myopic. It breaks my heart to see Jewish colleagues selectively cheering this administration's actions because of tough talk against antisemitism. (To be clear, antisemitism on campus is real.) This is not a defense of antisemitism, however. It's a weaponization of it.
A bullying executive order which can be easily misused and abused against international students is cause for celebration? An actual Nazi salute in front of a political rally by an unelected billionaire is a cause for joking? And by joking, you cite a notorious racist account for humor?
Let's just brush that off, or, as Musk did, make more Nazi jokes about it.
We are witnessing the end of the rule of law. A rising oligarchy that makes the US resemble Putin's Russia every day. An administration that attacks its own citizens (trans people). Several Christian nationalists in the cabinet and administration. A white supremacist as deputy chief of staff. This is the country you're cheering on? You think this makes the U.S. safe for Jews? Your reasoning is devoid of any moral compass. It cares only about one group, the rest can go screw themselves. Not your problem. And still, you ignore the rising signs of antisemitism amongst the squad you're cheering on.
Dear Gabe,
Thank you for speaking your mind. I respectfully disagree with your assessment of the facts.
Anna.
Right. It wasn't a Nazi salute. Just an exuberant moment.
Let's ignore it.
https://x.com/TaghridAlMawed/status/1882102077905887422
If you really think that Elon's awkward arm-raising while saying "My heart goes out to you" was "an actual Nazi salute" and try to back it up by playing 6 Degrees of Nazi, you might need to step away from the screens and take some R&R off from the culture war.
But to take this claim seriously: the most successful inventor of our time is really a secret believer in the Nazi ideology of 1930s Germany and decided to reveal this either accidentally or slyly in the middle of a televised speech? And the evidence is that his politics seems to have become more conservative and he's an ally of the President? And I suppose his visit to Auschwitz was just duplicitious PR?
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-68055368
Believing in the "Nazi salute" nonsense is seriously stupid and beneath the dignity of anyone older than age 12.
You're just embarrassing yourself and letting yourself be manipulated by inane media-generated nonsense.
Wow. Brave comment coming from someone who speaks anonymously. First, he didn't invent shit. Check your facts. Second, listen to his speech before the AfD and tell me how comfortable you are. If you're cool with that, then, hey, maybe you can be friendly with Nazis.
I pity your selective reading of the facts.
I knew it was a mistake to engage you, but really I was (sorta) trying to help: believing that Elon made "an actual Nazi salute" is infra dig for any actual adult and makes its claimant seem too stupid and deranged to take seriously. Hate and critique him all you like, but the idea that he chose to reveal his devotion to Nazism in the middle of that speech is just silly.
Also, these constant claims of Nazi! are cheap and dilute the meaning and power of the real Nazis and their deeds.
Elon is not a Nazi, Trump is not a Nazi, the AfD are not Nazis, and there are no Nazis or Nazi parties with any power anywhere in the West.
Making these hysterical claims only cheapens and obscures the real Nazis and helps people who want to obscure the singularity of the Holocaust and the singular evil of its planners and perpetrators.
"Everyone I hate is a Nazi!" only degrades discourse, truth and the hysterical people who seem addicted to making this charge.
Dear Clever Pseudonym,
Thank you so much for "trying to help." Let's pick apart your logic for a second:
He's a "brilliant" inventor, therefore, couldn't be bad. (Checks list of brilliant Nazi scientists.)
Second, I'm not saying he's an actual Nazi. I'm saying he consciously made a Nazi salute, which is far more than a dog whistle. It's alt-right trolling designed to see what he can get away with. He follows that up with bad Nazi humor in a tweet. You're willing to look at all of this as benign. Also, you want to give a pass to the AfD? Let me know how that turns out. You are so literal as to be nonsensical. And so selective as to be intentionally naive. A political party doesn't have to have the word Nazi in it for it to be racist, demagogic and dangerous. But if the AfD are the people you want to get into bed with, that's your choice. Just have the guts to put a name on your comments.