1. United States
2. Colo.
3. Letter

I’m writing to urge you to oppose the anticipated “Stop HATE Act,” a bill expected to be reintroduced in the current Congress. Despite its name, this legislation does not genuinely address hate. Instead, it threatens constitutionally protected speech—particularly criticism of Israeli government policies and advocacy for Palestinian human rights—by exploiting fear and weaponizing the language of tolerance. The bill reportedly seeks to fund a Department of Homeland Security study on antisemitism and Islamophobia. However, the framing is deeply flawed. It leans heavily on the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a group with a documented history of labeling political speech about Palestine and Israel as “hate,” and one that has actively campaigned to suppress Palestinian advocacy across campuses and civil society. Rep. Don Bacon’s press release about the legislation misrepresents its purpose, falsely claiming it is about promoting “civil discourse” and countering hate. In reality, the bill uses vague and politically motivated language to conflate criticism of Israel—a state actor—with bigotry against Jewish people. That’s not only dishonest; it’s dangerous. The Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has already raised the alarm: the bill is designed to chill speech, enable government overreach, and empower organizations like the ADL to set the terms of acceptable discourse. That should concern every American, regardless of political affiliation. The ADL has repeatedly shown itself to be unfit to act as an authority on civil rights: • It has supported Israeli military operations that have killed tens of thousands of civilians, including children, in Gaza. • It labeled mainstream human rights organizations and Jewish groups critical of Israeli apartheid as antisemitic. • It has backed efforts to blacklist students and academics for pro-Palestinian views. • It undermines solidarity movements among Black, Indigenous, and Arab communities under the pretense of fighting hate. Even many Jewish voices—such as Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow—have condemned the ADL’s complicity in whitewashing Israeli crimes and conflating Zionism with Judaism. This bill is not about combating hate—it is about controlling narratives. It is about using federal resources to surveil, intimidate, and marginalize communities and individuals who speak out against injustice in Palestine. I urge you not to co-sponsor or support this legislation in any form. Instead, commit to protecting civil liberties, defending free speech, and resisting attempts to conflate criticism of state violence with hate speech. Our democracy cannot survive if we allow dissent to be rebranded as bigotry. Stand on the side of rights—not repression.