A piece of legislation has recently been put forth by sixteen French senators from The Republicans, with the goal of criminalizing criticism of Zionism. This proposed law seeks to tighten the protective net around the support of Israel, effectively muffling voices of opposition, criticism, or dissent, and raising widespread alarms about the apparent threat to free speech and democratic discourse.
“With 16 senators we demand the criminalization of anti-Zionism. The explosion of anti-Semitism is fueled by hatred of Israel, the false nose of hatred of Jews Anti-Zionism could expose its perpetrators to up to 5 years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros,” Senator Stéphane Le Rudulier posted on X.
These senators are essentially proposing to expand the boundaries of anti-Semitism laws to include criticism of Zionism. By blurring this line, the lawmakers could be, by proxy, attempting to silence those who disagree with the Zionist state politics by equating opposition with “hate speech.”
