Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) released the following statement after voting in favor of the Antisemitism Awareness Act:

“The recent rise in antisemitism on college campuses and our country is abhorrent and the worst I have seen in my lifetime. This bill clearly defines antisemitism as, ‘a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.’ No one should object to this definition.

“This moment calls for all of us to condemn and act to end antisemitism and hate. I am particularly appalled by the conflation of the actions of the Israeli government and the Jewish people. I have stated my own concerns about how Israel has carried out its offensive in Gaza and fully support people exercising their First Amendment rights to criticize Israel’s actions. This bill will not limit that right.

“While I voted for this legislation, I wish the process to get here was more collaborative. At a time when we should be unified against antisemitism, some are leveraging the moment to further a partisan agenda and polarize our country. There is much more that needs to be done to combat antisemitism, like increasing funding for the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, so that the Department can expeditiously investigate and address allegations of antisemitism on college campuses. Our work to stop antisemitism cannot end with our vote today. We must follow up with the resources needed to enforce our antidiscrimination and anti-harassment laws.”

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