The Fight Against BDS Just Took A Frightening Turn In New York

BY ADRIENNE MAHSA VARKIANI JUN 6, 2016 1:50 PM

Through an executive order, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is going after a peaceful boycott movement fighting Israeli occupation — and many critics are worried his effort will seriously threaten free speech.

Cuomo declared that the order sends a strong message against the “hateful, intolerant campaign” of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement — a non-violent grassroots movement that first began in 2005 and places economic and political pressure on Israel to acknowledge Palestinian rights and end its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories. But many are concerned that the executive order goes a step too far.

The executive order requires the New York State Office of General Services to create a blacklist of institutions and companies involved in the BDS movement “using credible information available to the public” and make that list available to everyone online. All state agencies will be required to divest from such companies, which will have to submit “written evidence” to be appeal to be removed from the list.

Regardless of one’s position on BDS, the order could be concerning because it ultimately requires the blacklisted institutions to prove their own innocence or else face repercussions, and it punishes companies on the basis of their political beliefs.

Read more
http://thinkprogress.org/world/2016/06/06/3784963/new-york-cuomo-bds/