New legal analysis of White House strategy reveals cultural, racial and religious bias against 97.6% of Americans
Atlanta, GA, August 4, 2023… ADL (the Anti-Semitism Defense League) today released the findings of an investigative report on the first-ever National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism. The results suggest prejudice from the Federal government that disadvantages the vast majority of Americans.
An Addendum has placed anti-Semitism at the forefront of the strategy. A White House Fact Sheet explains: “Domestic terrorism strikes at the very foundations of democracy and is a direct threat to the civil rights and civil liberties guaranteed to all Americans.” White Semites who identify as Jews compromise 2.4% of the U.S. population, according to the Pew Research Center.
Jewish leaders welcome Biden’s strategy understanding it to be an asset to the populations they serve. “As the U.S. Jewish community is experiencing antisemitism at levels not seen in generations, we deeply appreciate that the White House has stepped up and delivered this significant, comprehensive strategy,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, Anti-Defamation League CEO. “It’s particularly notable that this approach recognizes that antisemitism is not about politics – it’s about principles.”
IHRA’s (the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) alternative definition of anti-Semitism is adopted into the strategy, and has been criticized for its discriminatorily restrictive context that only recognizes white Semites who identify as Jewish. Critics argue that the segregated redefinition conflates politics with propaganda, potentially limiting open dialogue and compromising the basic rights of black Semites and other Americans.
A review of the legal disclaimer indicates the Addendum’s contents rely upon persuasive politics for dissemination and implementation, which undermines U.S. democratic processes and institutions:
“The U.S National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism does not supersede, modify, or direct an interpretation of any existing federal, state, or local statute, regulation, or policy. It does not constitute binding guidance for the public, states, localities, or Federal agencies and therefore does not require compliance with the principles described herein. The strategy does not purport to alter or preempt existing statutes, regulations, policies, or the requirements of the Federal, state, or local agencies that enforce them.”
“Americans must collectively affirm that democracy is ‘the only game in town,’ and that we are now a multiracial democracy,” according to MIT Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, Melissa Nobles. Legislation, policy and other measures put in place under false pretenses are a threat to democracy, and will disadvantage 97.6% of U.S. citizens. “Anti-democratic laws passed by an elected government undermine democracy yet at the same time can be considered the will of the people, even if they infringe their rights,” says Dr. Arshad M. Khan, former Professor, Dept. of Biological Sciences & Border Biomedical Research Center, The University of Texas.
Biden’s Key Actions by Pillar explains the Addendum features in excess of 100 actions that over two dozen government agencies will take, as well as over 100 calls to action for Congress, State and local governments, companies, technology platforms, students, teachers and academics, civil society and faith leaders, and others– founded upon discriminatory anti-democratic propaganda. “We must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured,” says Biden.
ADL recommends the White House adopt a policy of equality to:
- Preserve the integrity of U.S. democratic systems and institutions by ensuring that all voices are represented and heard.
- Prevent race and cultural identity from being the primary basis for which Americans are eligible for tax-payer funded resources that counter domestic terrorism.
“We must work to root out the hatreds that can too often drive violence,” says Biden. “And we must recommit to defend and protect those basic freedoms, which belong to all Americans in equal measure, and which are not only the foundation of our democracy— they are our enduring advantage in the world.” Preservation of democracy requires transparency and equality.