A.G. Gancarski
Cultural organizations that take state money won’t be able to advance messages considered to be antisemitic.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed on Thursday an anti-boycott, divest, sanction (BDS) measure (SB 1678) that backers say would defend Israel in schools and nongovernmental agencies.
The measure stipulates that anti-Israeli actions undertaken by “an educational institution, a nonprofit organization, an agency, a local governmental entity or unit thereof, or a foreign government” constitute an “academic boycott.”
The bill also mandates cessation of state contracts and grants with those entities if they don’t change their ways.
These entities would have 90 days to correct their noncompliance and be removed from what would be called the Scrutinized Companies or Other Entities that Boycott Israel List. Otherwise, the state would divest itself of contracts with them.
Public funds, such as those managed by the State Board of Administration or the State University System, cannot be invested in these companies. Additionally, the measure requires that arts and culture grants not go to support antisemitic work.
The bill also targets agreements, like foreign exchange programs, with foreign universities deemed to be supporting antisemitism.
The bill passed by a 34-2 vote in the Senate, and by a similarly lopsided 114-3 vote in the House.
4 comments
Doug Hay
June 27, 2025 at 1:04 pm
Interesting: It is now anti-semitic to be against indiscriminate bombing that kills civilians, unless of course you are the Israeli or US governments.
MH/Duuuval
June 27, 2025 at 3:41 pm
It’s okay for Israel to have an arsenal of A bombs but no one else in the Middle East.
This whole thing with Iran has deflected the killing grounds in Gaza as Israel runs the Gazans like cattle. Ethnic cleansing is the term of art here.
Shirley Gottfried
June 29, 2025 at 3:39 pm
To the folks that condemn Israel I asked have you ever been to Israel?
Also what would have the United States government done if the Mexican cartel came across the border and killed2000 young American kids at a music festival, what if one of those kids were your child or grandchild and then took them into Mexico and held them for ransom .what you want your government to do. Please if you can I would love to see another side to this story.
Shirley Gottfried
June 29, 2025 at 3:39 pm
To the folks that condemn Israel I asked have you ever been to Israel?
Also what would have the United States government done if the Mexican cartel came across the border and killed2000 young American kids at a music festival, what if one of those kids were your child or grandchild and then took them into Mexico and held them for ransom .what you want your government to do. Please if you can I would love to see another side to this story.
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