Georgia lawmakers passed a bill Thursday that would define antisemitism in state law, with Republicans uniting in support of Israel’s war on Hamas and some Democrats splitting over fears of suppressing support for Palestinians.
“Today we can fight a pervasive and escalating threat in our state and fight it together,” said Senate President Pro Tem John Kennedy, a Macon Republican who guided the bill to Senate passage, 44-6. The measure had stalled in a Senate committee in 2023.
The House later agreed to changes, voting 129-5 for passage. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp said he would sign the bill, saying it “builds on our commitment to protect Georgians from criminal acts, including those based on hate.”
ANTISEMITISM IS GETTING WORSE AS MORE ‘SHOCKING’ AND ‘SCARY’ INCIDENTS ARE EXPOSED, DC RESIDENTS SAY
Sponsors say adopting the definition put forward by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance would help prosecutors and other officials identify hate crimes and illegal discrimination targeting Jewish people. Georgia has a hate crimes law that allows higher criminal penalties for crimes motivated by certain types of bias.
The definition, which is only referred to in the bill, describes antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
Some lawmakers opposed the bill, saying they thought it would be used to censor free speech rights.
“The First Amendment guarantees our rights as citizens to criticize any government, foreign and domestic,” said Sen. Nikki Merritt, a Lawrenceville Democrat. “Does our Constitution not mean anything?”
But supporters say the definition will only come into play after someone has committed a crime.
“This legislation is not about stifling free speech,” Kennedy said. “Nor is it about the government stopping…
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