(New York) – Many people in the United States are experiencing the suppression of their free expression rights amid Israel’s intensive military operations in Gaza, including their right to protest war, support Palestinians or Israel, or oppose increasing acts of antisemitism and Islamophobia. Reports of such incidents in the US are on the rise. Media and human rights advocates have reported curtailment of the right to freedom of expression across the US, including on college and university campuses.
The following statement can be attributed to Tanya Greene, US program director at Human Rights Watch.
“The unprecedented carnage in Israel and Palestine is having repercussions in the United States, testing pillars of democracy including the fundamental human rights to free speech and assembly. Government officials, law enforcement, college and university administrators, and employers, among others, need to step up to uphold them. US officials should protect free speech and peaceful protest, regardless of viewpoint, consistent with international human rights standards.”
