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HOUSTON - On Wednesday, Texas Governor Abbott issued an Executive Order addressing anti-semitism at Texas colleges and universities.
According to the governor, the order aims to prevent the acts on campuses and make sure Jewish students and Texans have safe learning environments.
In a press release, he stated:
"Antisemitism is never acceptable in Texas, and we will do everything we can to fight it," said Governor Abbott. "The State of Texas stands with Israel and the Jewish community, and we must escalate our efforts to protect against antisemitism at Texas colleges and universities and across our state. Across the country, acts of antisemitism have grown in number, size, and danger to the Jewish community since Hamas' deadly attack on October 7th. Texas took immediate action to protect Jewish schools, synagogues, and other key locations. Many Texas colleges and universities also acted quickly to condemn antisemitism, but some radical organizations on our campuses engaged in acts that have no place in Texas. Now, we must work to ensure that our college campuses are safe spaces for members of the Jewish community."
In this order, Governor Abbott requires the Texas institutions to look over their free speech policies so there will be appropriate punishments for antisemitic rhetoric, enforce the policies addressing the sharp rise of antisemitic acts, and include the definition of antisemitism in free speech policies.