On January 18th 2017, a misleading letter against BDS was submitted to Governor Jay Inslee for his signature. The letter can be found here .
Governor Jay Inslee gave in to pressure and signed the GOVERNORS AGAINST BDS letter circulated by the American Jewish Committee. Governor Inslee took this step without inviting any public dialogue on the matter.
We succeeded in stopping all anti-BDS legislation in the WA State Legislature in 2017, but Governor Inslee’s signature on this anti-BDS statement will encourage legislators to re-introduce and fast-track anti-BDS legislation in their 2019 session, as they now have reason to hope that Governor Inslee will sign the anti-BDS legislation into law. We must continue to make our voices heard loud and clear in support of our right to boycott.
Here is a copy of our letter to Governor Inslee prior to his signing:
Dear Governor Inslee:
As Washington residents and Washington organizations, we are very concerned to learn that you are being asked to sign a Governors Against BDS statement that asks you to stand against First Amendment rights and social justice boycotts.
Whatever your views on Israel, Palestine, or the BDS movement, we urge you not to support any anti-boycott statement that threatens our right to take collective action against injustice.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that boycotts are a form of expression protected by the First Amendment. From the boycott of British tea in 1773 to the boycott of segregated buses in 1956 and beyond, boycott campaigns have a long and proud history in social justice and civil rights movements in the U.S.
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement is a grassroots campaign to pressure Israel to abide by international law, end military occupation, ensure equal rights for Palestinians inside Israel, and accept the internationally recognized Right of Return for Palestinian refugees. While the BDS call is modeled after the South African boycott and thus calls for broad boycotts against Israeli institutions, nothing in it calls for discrimination against individuals solely because of their national origin, religion, or ethnicity.
The anti-BDS statement is one of several attacks being mounted in the Washington State Legislature during this session. Even though many legal experts agree that anti-boycott bills are unconstitutional, continued attacks on BDS are being mounted at the state and federal level across the United States. These attacks target the free speech rights of U.S. citizens in an attempt to curb criticism of Israeli policies.
Please refuse to sign, endorse or support the anti-BDS statement or any legislation against boycott, free speech, or BDS. Please stand firm in support of our constitutional rights and freedoms.
Respectfully,
Washington Freedom to Boycott
Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites
Council on American-Islamic Relations of Washington State (CAIR)
Episcopal Bishop’s Committee for Justice and Peace in the Holy Land (Diocese of Olympia)
Evergreen Students for Justice in Palestine
Freedom Socialist Party
International Trauma Treatment Program
Jewish Voice for Peace – Seattle
Jewish Voice for Peace - Tacoma
Kairos Puget Sound Coalition
Northwest Detention Center Resistance
Northwest Regional BDS Coalition
Occupation Free Seattle
Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace
Pacific Rim Solidarity Network (PARISOL)
Palestine Solidarity Committee - Seattle
Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane
Peace Justice and Healing - Tacoma
Race & Climate Justice – Seattle
Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice
Radical Women
Rising Tide - Seattle
Seattle Committee In Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (Seattle CISPES)
Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign (SeaMAC)
Stop Veolia – Seattle
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Antioch University – Seattle
Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights - University of Washington (SUPER-UW)
United for Peace of Pierce County
Vancouver for Peace
Veterans for Peace - Greater Seattle Chapter 92
Veterans for Peace – Rachel Corrie Chapter 109
Voices for Palestine
Washington Fair Trade Coalition
Whatcom Human Rights Task Force
Whatcom Peace and Justice Center
Governor Jay Inslee gave in to pressure and signed the GOVERNORS AGAINST BDS letter circulated by the American Jewish Committee. Governor Inslee took this step without inviting any public dialogue on the matter.
We succeeded in stopping all anti-BDS legislation in the WA State Legislature in 2017, but Governor Inslee’s signature on this anti-BDS statement will encourage legislators to re-introduce and fast-track anti-BDS legislation in their 2019 session, as they now have reason to hope that Governor Inslee will sign the anti-BDS legislation into law. We must continue to make our voices heard loud and clear in support of our right to boycott.
Here is a copy of our letter to Governor Inslee prior to his signing:
Dear Governor Inslee:
As Washington residents and Washington organizations, we are very concerned to learn that you are being asked to sign a Governors Against BDS statement that asks you to stand against First Amendment rights and social justice boycotts.
Whatever your views on Israel, Palestine, or the BDS movement, we urge you not to support any anti-boycott statement that threatens our right to take collective action against injustice.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that boycotts are a form of expression protected by the First Amendment. From the boycott of British tea in 1773 to the boycott of segregated buses in 1956 and beyond, boycott campaigns have a long and proud history in social justice and civil rights movements in the U.S.
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement is a grassroots campaign to pressure Israel to abide by international law, end military occupation, ensure equal rights for Palestinians inside Israel, and accept the internationally recognized Right of Return for Palestinian refugees. While the BDS call is modeled after the South African boycott and thus calls for broad boycotts against Israeli institutions, nothing in it calls for discrimination against individuals solely because of their national origin, religion, or ethnicity.
The anti-BDS statement is one of several attacks being mounted in the Washington State Legislature during this session. Even though many legal experts agree that anti-boycott bills are unconstitutional, continued attacks on BDS are being mounted at the state and federal level across the United States. These attacks target the free speech rights of U.S. citizens in an attempt to curb criticism of Israeli policies.
Please refuse to sign, endorse or support the anti-BDS statement or any legislation against boycott, free speech, or BDS. Please stand firm in support of our constitutional rights and freedoms.
Respectfully,
Washington Freedom to Boycott
Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites
Council on American-Islamic Relations of Washington State (CAIR)
Episcopal Bishop’s Committee for Justice and Peace in the Holy Land (Diocese of Olympia)
Evergreen Students for Justice in Palestine
Freedom Socialist Party
International Trauma Treatment Program
Jewish Voice for Peace – Seattle
Jewish Voice for Peace - Tacoma
Kairos Puget Sound Coalition
Northwest Detention Center Resistance
Northwest Regional BDS Coalition
Occupation Free Seattle
Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace
Pacific Rim Solidarity Network (PARISOL)
Palestine Solidarity Committee - Seattle
Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane
Peace Justice and Healing - Tacoma
Race & Climate Justice – Seattle
Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice
Radical Women
Rising Tide - Seattle
Seattle Committee In Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (Seattle CISPES)
Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign (SeaMAC)
Stop Veolia – Seattle
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Antioch University – Seattle
Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights - University of Washington (SUPER-UW)
United for Peace of Pierce County
Vancouver for Peace
Veterans for Peace - Greater Seattle Chapter 92
Veterans for Peace – Rachel Corrie Chapter 109
Voices for Palestine
Washington Fair Trade Coalition
Whatcom Human Rights Task Force
Whatcom Peace and Justice Center