Arkansas judge's dismissal of anti-BDS lawsuit applauded
The lawsuit aimed to block the anti-BDS legislation based on the First Amendment, arguing that the bill violated free speech.
By URI BOLLAGUpdated: JANUARY 29, 2019 15:08Activists from the BDS movement against Israel [File](photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
The Lawfare Project, a legal think tank and litigation fund committed to protecting the civil and human rights of Jewish communities around the world, applauded a court ruling in the State of Arkansas last week that dismissed a lawsuit aimed at challenging the state's anti-BDS legislation.“The U.S. has put in place protections to safeguard against racism and bigotry in commerce," the organization wrote, adding that "discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion or national origin is absolutely illegal."The think tank said that refusing services based on one of these factors is illegal and that the BDS movement's goals constitute unlawful discrimination."We applaud the institutions and officials who stand against hate by advocating and passing anti-BDS legislation,” the Lawfare Project wrote.Last Wednesday, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against Arkansas’ anti-BDS laws, filed by the Arkansas Times.The lawsuit aimed to block the anti-BDS legislation based on the First Amendment, arguing that the bill violated free speech.US District Judge Brian Miller, who ruled on and dismissed the case, said that the newspaper was free to promote and support BDS, yet “this does not mean, however, that its decision to refuse to deal, or to refrain from purchasing certain goods, is protected by the First Amendment.”