Former Senator Michael Baumgartner, Republican from Spokane announced in late December, 2016 that he is “troubled” by growing support for the BDS movement on campuses and promised to introduce legislation that would “block universities from engaging in divestment or boycotts targeted at the state of Israel.” The bill was not introduced in the 2017 legislative session.
The bill would withhold state funds to institutions if they participate in “boycott activities.”
Baumgartner pointed to the passage of a divestment vote by students at Evergreen State College in Olympia in 2010, remarking that universities should be focused on education, not becoming “distracted by political correctness run amok with absurd and amateurish causes.”
Baumgartner claimed that public universities are being “used in misguided diplomatic attacks on Israel,” and cited his “experience on the ground in the Middle East” for his expertise on the claim that Palestine solidarity activism seeks to “wipe” Jewish people “off the map.”
The state senator’s experience in the region seems to refer to his previous role as an administrator, and later civilian contractor, with US occupation forces in Iraq. He also worked for the crown prince of Dubai and lobbied for Saudi businesses and US firms doing business in Saudi Arabia.
“Student activists learn through their activism – they have a constitutional right to engage in human rights boycotts,” Palestine Legal’s Rahul Saksena said.
With the senator introducing a bill to effectively prohibit students from engaging in their constitutional rights, “he’s taking away from one of the most important learning opportunities that prepare students to be fully engaged members of society,” Saksena added
Based on text by Nora Barrows-Friedman. Used with permission.
"State Senator Baumgartner recently referred to student activism as a distraction from the university learning process. I'm not so sure. Students organizing for justice in Palestine have likely learned through their activism that boycotts to bring about political, economic, and social change -- like boycotts for Palestinian rights -- are protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The students likely know that state lawmakers are not authorized to violate the U.S. Constitution. Instead of condemning students organizing for justice, lawmakers like Baumgartner should take a minute to listen to them." - Rahul Saksena - staff attorney, Palestine Legal and cooperating council, Center for Constitutional Rights
"In this increasingly repressive political climate, this bill would set a dangerous precedent, as it constitutes a first step towards undermining and even preventing student activism,” said local Nada Elia, a local Palestinian-American professor and member of Northwest Regional BDS Coalition. “Concerned students would be discouraged from asking their universities to divest from sweatshop labor, prison labor, or fossil fuel, to name but a few, and universities would be prevented from making their own decisions.”
“Sen. Baumgartner’s bill would have prevented the decisions by the UW Board of Regents to divest from genocide in Darfur and from apartheid in South Africa,” said Samar Azzaidani of Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights at the University of Washington (SUPER-UW).
Press stories about the announcement:
Feb 9, 2017 - The Electronic Intifada - Activists fight new anti-BDS legislation across US
Jan 10, 2017 - UW The DAILY - Senator moves to ban campus BDS movements
Jan 2, 2017 - MyNorthwest.com - Senator: Colleges are being used as ‘politically-correct batons’
Dec-30-2016 KIRO Radio: Senator Baumgartner wants to 'shut down conversations' on campuses
The bill would withhold state funds to institutions if they participate in “boycott activities.”
Baumgartner pointed to the passage of a divestment vote by students at Evergreen State College in Olympia in 2010, remarking that universities should be focused on education, not becoming “distracted by political correctness run amok with absurd and amateurish causes.”
Baumgartner claimed that public universities are being “used in misguided diplomatic attacks on Israel,” and cited his “experience on the ground in the Middle East” for his expertise on the claim that Palestine solidarity activism seeks to “wipe” Jewish people “off the map.”
The state senator’s experience in the region seems to refer to his previous role as an administrator, and later civilian contractor, with US occupation forces in Iraq. He also worked for the crown prince of Dubai and lobbied for Saudi businesses and US firms doing business in Saudi Arabia.
“Student activists learn through their activism – they have a constitutional right to engage in human rights boycotts,” Palestine Legal’s Rahul Saksena said.
With the senator introducing a bill to effectively prohibit students from engaging in their constitutional rights, “he’s taking away from one of the most important learning opportunities that prepare students to be fully engaged members of society,” Saksena added
Based on text by Nora Barrows-Friedman. Used with permission.
"State Senator Baumgartner recently referred to student activism as a distraction from the university learning process. I'm not so sure. Students organizing for justice in Palestine have likely learned through their activism that boycotts to bring about political, economic, and social change -- like boycotts for Palestinian rights -- are protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The students likely know that state lawmakers are not authorized to violate the U.S. Constitution. Instead of condemning students organizing for justice, lawmakers like Baumgartner should take a minute to listen to them." - Rahul Saksena - staff attorney, Palestine Legal and cooperating council, Center for Constitutional Rights
"In this increasingly repressive political climate, this bill would set a dangerous precedent, as it constitutes a first step towards undermining and even preventing student activism,” said local Nada Elia, a local Palestinian-American professor and member of Northwest Regional BDS Coalition. “Concerned students would be discouraged from asking their universities to divest from sweatshop labor, prison labor, or fossil fuel, to name but a few, and universities would be prevented from making their own decisions.”
“Sen. Baumgartner’s bill would have prevented the decisions by the UW Board of Regents to divest from genocide in Darfur and from apartheid in South Africa,” said Samar Azzaidani of Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights at the University of Washington (SUPER-UW).
Press stories about the announcement:
Feb 9, 2017 - The Electronic Intifada - Activists fight new anti-BDS legislation across US
Jan 10, 2017 - UW The DAILY - Senator moves to ban campus BDS movements
Jan 2, 2017 - MyNorthwest.com - Senator: Colleges are being used as ‘politically-correct batons’
Dec-30-2016 KIRO Radio: Senator Baumgartner wants to 'shut down conversations' on campuses