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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo stirred the immediate ire of human rights campaigners around the world on Sunday by signing an executive order calling for the creation of a "blacklist" that would track groups and individuals who support Palestinian rights through the international Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement known as BDS.
As the New York Timesreports:
Mr. Cuomo made his announcement in a speech at the Harvard Club in Manhattan to an audience including local Jewish leaders and lawmakers, describing the B.D.S. movement as an "economic attack" on Israel.
"We cannot allow that to happen," the governor said, adding that, "If you boycott against Israel, New York will boycott you."
Several states have moved to support Israel and prevent their governments and agencies from doing business with companies or individuals that endorse the boycotts. Similar bills have been introduced in both houses of the New York Legislature, and a Republican-sponsored bill passed the state Senate, which that party leads, in January.
But on Sunday, Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, flexed his executive power -- a more familiar demonstration in the governor's second term -- joking that passing legislation can "often be a tedious affair," and saying instead he wanted "immediate action" on B.D.S., while challenging other governors in other states to do the same.
A global movement committed to fighting nonviolently to end the illegal occupation of Palestinian land and the subjugation of the Palestinian people in the Occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, BDS has been under increasing attack by those threatened by the support for human rights it has galvanized worldwide and for shining a critical light on the abusive policies of the Israeli government when it comes to the treatment of Palestinians.
In a series of tweets, prominent Palestinian rights activist and journalist Ali Abunimah was among the first to express his contempt for the move by Cuomo:
\u201cNew York governor signs unconstitutional censorship decree against BDS. https://t.co/aAXBDlDvR5\u201d— Ali Abunimah (@Ali Abunimah) 1465136817
\u201cNew York imposing McCarthyite blacklist based on political views of citizens by decree of @NYGovCuomo https://t.co/aAXBDlDvR5\u201d— Ali Abunimah (@Ali Abunimah) 1465137011
\u201cWhat Israel and its thuggish lobby can't achieve by persuasion they obtain via repression and coercion. https://t.co/aAXBDlDvR5\u201d— Ali Abunimah (@Ali Abunimah) 1465137117
\u201cNY state blacklist of BDS activists was dropped from legislation. @NYGovCuomo imposing it by decree. McCartyhism. https://t.co/NZitoLDgI3\u201d— Ali Abunimah (@Ali Abunimah) 1465140156
Among progressives, Abunimah was far from alone in his critique:
\u201cBy decree, @NYGovCuomo creates a literal blacklist for people engaged in basic free speech & legal political protest https://t.co/soDUDW3hlT\u201d— Trevor Timm (@Trevor Timm) 1465147854
\u201cPandering to Israel and the 'Palestine exception' to the First Amendment shamefully extend to state and local govts. https://t.co/mEAz57CfRp\u201d— Jamil Dakwar (@Jamil Dakwar) 1465141550
\u201c"Palestinians must renounce violence"\n/Palestinian activists promote peaceful BDS \n"This is violence"\u201d— Adam H. Johnson (@Adam H. Johnson) 1465138635
\u201cThe governor isn't merely "boycotting" the #BDS movement, he is criminalizing and blacklisting NY's First Amendment. https://t.co/dFNkc43OkW\u201d— #Abortion Is a Human Right (@#Abortion Is a Human Right) 1465146760
\u201cwhat the hell does this even mean, he sounds like Charles Bronson https://t.co/9ECbl9PiSD\u201d— Adam H. Johnson (@Adam H. Johnson) 1465138635
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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo stirred the immediate ire of human rights campaigners around the world on Sunday by signing an executive order calling for the creation of a "blacklist" that would track groups and individuals who support Palestinian rights through the international Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement known as BDS.
As the New York Timesreports:
Mr. Cuomo made his announcement in a speech at the Harvard Club in Manhattan to an audience including local Jewish leaders and lawmakers, describing the B.D.S. movement as an "economic attack" on Israel.
"We cannot allow that to happen," the governor said, adding that, "If you boycott against Israel, New York will boycott you."
Several states have moved to support Israel and prevent their governments and agencies from doing business with companies or individuals that endorse the boycotts. Similar bills have been introduced in both houses of the New York Legislature, and a Republican-sponsored bill passed the state Senate, which that party leads, in January.
But on Sunday, Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, flexed his executive power -- a more familiar demonstration in the governor's second term -- joking that passing legislation can "often be a tedious affair," and saying instead he wanted "immediate action" on B.D.S., while challenging other governors in other states to do the same.
A global movement committed to fighting nonviolently to end the illegal occupation of Palestinian land and the subjugation of the Palestinian people in the Occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, BDS has been under increasing attack by those threatened by the support for human rights it has galvanized worldwide and for shining a critical light on the abusive policies of the Israeli government when it comes to the treatment of Palestinians.
In a series of tweets, prominent Palestinian rights activist and journalist Ali Abunimah was among the first to express his contempt for the move by Cuomo:
\u201cNew York governor signs unconstitutional censorship decree against BDS. https://t.co/aAXBDlDvR5\u201d— Ali Abunimah (@Ali Abunimah) 1465136817
\u201cNew York imposing McCarthyite blacklist based on political views of citizens by decree of @NYGovCuomo https://t.co/aAXBDlDvR5\u201d— Ali Abunimah (@Ali Abunimah) 1465137011
\u201cWhat Israel and its thuggish lobby can't achieve by persuasion they obtain via repression and coercion. https://t.co/aAXBDlDvR5\u201d— Ali Abunimah (@Ali Abunimah) 1465137117
\u201cNY state blacklist of BDS activists was dropped from legislation. @NYGovCuomo imposing it by decree. McCartyhism. https://t.co/NZitoLDgI3\u201d— Ali Abunimah (@Ali Abunimah) 1465140156
Among progressives, Abunimah was far from alone in his critique:
\u201cBy decree, @NYGovCuomo creates a literal blacklist for people engaged in basic free speech & legal political protest https://t.co/soDUDW3hlT\u201d— Trevor Timm (@Trevor Timm) 1465147854
\u201cPandering to Israel and the 'Palestine exception' to the First Amendment shamefully extend to state and local govts. https://t.co/mEAz57CfRp\u201d— Jamil Dakwar (@Jamil Dakwar) 1465141550
\u201c"Palestinians must renounce violence"\n/Palestinian activists promote peaceful BDS \n"This is violence"\u201d— Adam H. Johnson (@Adam H. Johnson) 1465138635
\u201cThe governor isn't merely "boycotting" the #BDS movement, he is criminalizing and blacklisting NY's First Amendment. https://t.co/dFNkc43OkW\u201d— #Abortion Is a Human Right (@#Abortion Is a Human Right) 1465146760
\u201cwhat the hell does this even mean, he sounds like Charles Bronson https://t.co/9ECbl9PiSD\u201d— Adam H. Johnson (@Adam H. Johnson) 1465138635
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo stirred the immediate ire of human rights campaigners around the world on Sunday by signing an executive order calling for the creation of a "blacklist" that would track groups and individuals who support Palestinian rights through the international Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement known as BDS.
As the New York Timesreports:
Mr. Cuomo made his announcement in a speech at the Harvard Club in Manhattan to an audience including local Jewish leaders and lawmakers, describing the B.D.S. movement as an "economic attack" on Israel.
"We cannot allow that to happen," the governor said, adding that, "If you boycott against Israel, New York will boycott you."
Several states have moved to support Israel and prevent their governments and agencies from doing business with companies or individuals that endorse the boycotts. Similar bills have been introduced in both houses of the New York Legislature, and a Republican-sponsored bill passed the state Senate, which that party leads, in January.
But on Sunday, Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, flexed his executive power -- a more familiar demonstration in the governor's second term -- joking that passing legislation can "often be a tedious affair," and saying instead he wanted "immediate action" on B.D.S., while challenging other governors in other states to do the same.
A global movement committed to fighting nonviolently to end the illegal occupation of Palestinian land and the subjugation of the Palestinian people in the Occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, BDS has been under increasing attack by those threatened by the support for human rights it has galvanized worldwide and for shining a critical light on the abusive policies of the Israeli government when it comes to the treatment of Palestinians.
In a series of tweets, prominent Palestinian rights activist and journalist Ali Abunimah was among the first to express his contempt for the move by Cuomo:
\u201cNew York governor signs unconstitutional censorship decree against BDS. https://t.co/aAXBDlDvR5\u201d— Ali Abunimah (@Ali Abunimah) 1465136817
\u201cNew York imposing McCarthyite blacklist based on political views of citizens by decree of @NYGovCuomo https://t.co/aAXBDlDvR5\u201d— Ali Abunimah (@Ali Abunimah) 1465137011
\u201cWhat Israel and its thuggish lobby can't achieve by persuasion they obtain via repression and coercion. https://t.co/aAXBDlDvR5\u201d— Ali Abunimah (@Ali Abunimah) 1465137117
\u201cNY state blacklist of BDS activists was dropped from legislation. @NYGovCuomo imposing it by decree. McCartyhism. https://t.co/NZitoLDgI3\u201d— Ali Abunimah (@Ali Abunimah) 1465140156
Among progressives, Abunimah was far from alone in his critique:
\u201cBy decree, @NYGovCuomo creates a literal blacklist for people engaged in basic free speech & legal political protest https://t.co/soDUDW3hlT\u201d— Trevor Timm (@Trevor Timm) 1465147854
\u201cPandering to Israel and the 'Palestine exception' to the First Amendment shamefully extend to state and local govts. https://t.co/mEAz57CfRp\u201d— Jamil Dakwar (@Jamil Dakwar) 1465141550
\u201c"Palestinians must renounce violence"\n/Palestinian activists promote peaceful BDS \n"This is violence"\u201d— Adam H. Johnson (@Adam H. Johnson) 1465138635
\u201cThe governor isn't merely "boycotting" the #BDS movement, he is criminalizing and blacklisting NY's First Amendment. https://t.co/dFNkc43OkW\u201d— #Abortion Is a Human Right (@#Abortion Is a Human Right) 1465146760
\u201cwhat the hell does this even mean, he sounds like Charles Bronson https://t.co/9ECbl9PiSD\u201d— Adam H. Johnson (@Adam H. Johnson) 1465138635