Executive Order Controversy Shows Why It’s Impossible to Trust Trump on Anti-Semitism

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USCPR executive director Yousef Munayyer spoke with the Washington Post about President Trump’s plans to sign an executive order which would target free speech on U.S. college campuses, and is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to repress, intimidate, and silence advocates for freedom, justice, and equality for the Palestinian people.

Yousef Munayyer, the executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, pointed out to me that the person in charge of enforcing civil rights on campus for the Department of Education — the one whose responsibility it will be to implement this order — is Ken Marcus. He is a controversial figure.

Marcus “has dedicated his career to weaponizing allegations of anti-Semitism from the outside, through complaints against universities to the Department of Education. Now he’s on the inside playing the role of enforcer,” Munayyer told me.

“There’s no doubt that anti-Semitism is on the rise. It’s terrifying,” Munayyer adds, but “I don’t think this addresses anti-Semitism helpfully in any way. It’s not about that. It’s about providing cover for Trump’s own anti-Semitism and the anti-Semitism from his supporters, and it’s also an effort to shut down Palestinian rights activism on campuses.”