Dear Editor:

One might get the impression from the fascist quarters that our universities are hotbeds of antisemitism. Certainly there are people who truly exhibit racial hatred, but is that what’s driving the protests against genocide?

In an Orwellian twisting of words, fascists are attempting to change the meaning of anti-sematism from a general bigotry against people of the Jewish race and culture to a broader criticism of Zionism or actions taken by the Israeli government.

This shift in definition is an attempt to deplatform people and organizations who express honest humanitarian concerns over the plight of the Palestinian people. In particular, the Heritage Foundation has embarked on a crusade to eliminate dissent of the Israeli’s genocidal campaign in Gaza by mischaracterizing true humanitarian concern as anti-semetic.

By misappropriating the meaning of anti-semisitm, real racial hatred is masked or watered down. It becomes a distraction from resolving racial relations and seeking a pathway to a peaceful resolution of conflict. Instead it is an incendiary device hurled into our political discourse.

In its “Project Esther” The Heritage Foundation is targeting college campuses where students and faculty are protesting the indiscriminate murders and inhumane conditions imposed upon the people of Palestine. Their aims go beyond the simple labeling of these protesters as not just anti-semetic, but also pro-terrorist, or being part of the so-called “Hamas support network.” These are not mere name-calling labels we so frequently hear from the fascist party, but can have legal and even criminal consequences under the Trump administration.

Project Esther strikes at the heart of what it means to be an American. Our freedom of speech, freedom of peaceful assembly, and right to petition our government are threatened by the misuse of words and twisting their meanings. These first amendment rights, more than any other part of our constitution, define America’s soul.

George Orwell said, “During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” So I ask you, my fellow Americans, are we going to let the spirit of our American revolution die with these fascist and their lies? I say viva la revolución.

Fred W. Nehring

Boothbay