New York, NY – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has issued the first executive order in the country forcing state entities to drop investments linked to boycotts of Israel.
Cuomo signed the order Sunday before marching in Manhattan’s Celebrate Israel parade.
The Democratic governor expects state agencies to divest all public funds from any ties to the movement known as Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions.
BDS was founded in 2005 to protest Israel’s actions toward Palestinians by boycotting Israeli products and companies.
State officials must compile a list of businesses and groups engaged in activities targeting Israel, directly or through a parent or subsidiary.”
Baher Azmy, the legal director of the nonprofit Center for Constitutional Rights, says Cuomo’s action violates the First Amendment protection of free speech and is a form of “21st century McCarthyism.”
Criminalizing speech and thought is a great way to show you’re on the wrong side of history. pic.twitter.com/aY3Vq96NWi
— Imraan Siddiqi (@imraansiddiqi) June 5, 2016
