To the editor:
Re: 2/24: Anti-Semitism bill would chill legitimate criticism
I think you have either misread this bill or not read it at all. The bill states:
“(B) In reviewing, investigating, or deciding whether there has been a violation of a college or university policy prohibiting discriminatory practices on the basis of religion, South Carolina public colleges and universities shall take into consideration the definition of anti‑Semitism for purposes of determining whether the alleged practice was motivated by anti‑Semitic intent.
“(C) Nothing in this section may be construed to diminish or infringe upon any right protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States or Section 2, Article I of the South Carolina Constitution, 1895.”
The bill specifically refers to speech motivated by anti-Semitism and specifically exempts speech protected by the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution and corresponding protection in the S.C. Constitution.
— Irving Rosenfeld, James Island, S.C.
Editor’s Note: Author Kristen French responds: “I disagree with his interpretation, because of the definitions of anti-Semitism.”
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