Draft law to limit academic speech labelled ‘McCarthyite’

Israel’s education minister and the country’s national union of students are backing a draft law to limit academic speech in the country, which the heads of leading universities have attacked as “McCarthyite” and fundamentally undemocratic, write Emma Graham-Harrison and Matan Cohen for The Guardian.

The legislation, currently being debated in the Knesset, would give a government-appointed committee the power to order the firing of academic staff that it decides have expressed “support for terror”. If the universities refuse, their funding would be cut.

Critics say the legislation is fundamentally undemocratic and would undermine Israeli academia, because it restricts free speech and allows politicians to weaponise accusations that should be handled by the legal system. The president of the prestigious Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, known for links to the country’s hi-tech and defence industries, said the law was “McCarthyite”.
Full report on The Guardian site