Letter on Governor Greg Abbott’s Executive Order GA-44

On March 27th, 2024, Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order to “address acts of
antisemitism in institutions of higher learning.” More tangibly, the governor's order directs all public
institutions of higher education in Texas to review and update their policies on free speech with
regards to antisemitism, and to “discipline” pro-Palestine student organizations– those specifically
named are the Palestine Solidarity Committee and Students for Justice in Palestine.

Students at Texas A&M University-San Antonio are unequivocally opposed to antisemitism, which is
increasing at alarming rates. The rise of antisemitism in Texas can be traced to the many white
nationalist groups that have made Texas their “homebase” and any meaningful attempts to combat
this dangerous form of hate must focus on such groups. Governor Abbott’s order deflects attention
and resources from the root cause of this pernicious problem. As such, we are concerned that
Abbott’s executive order could actually sabotage attempts to combat antisemitism while also
undermining academic freedom and free speech.

Furthermore, this executive order dangerously conflates support for Palestinian rights and legitimate
criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Anti-semitism is hatred for and discrimination against people
who are Jewish. Israel is a state actor, not a religion, and criticism of state actors – any state actors –
is essential to a healthy democracy. Governor Abbott’s order thus constitutes a profound threat to
free speech and academic freedom. Additionally, the order falsely claims that the phrase “from the
river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” is fundamentally antisemitic.

We were distressed to witness the failure of Texas colleges and universities to take swift and effective
action to protect their missions and defend their values from Abbott’s attacks on departments of
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Indeed, several institutions opted instead to shut down these
departments and, in some cases, even fire employees who were previously associated with them. We
have again seen this failure play out on campuses around the nation in the past week in Columbia,
USC, and in our states largest public college the University of Texas. We need to strongly defend
academic freedom on our campus, stand up for pro-Palestine student organizations across the state,
and protect every student's constitutional right to freedom of speech – all of which are threatened by
this new attack. We are asking for our University President & University leadership to take a stand
against this executive order by reaffirming support for academic freedom, defending the legitimacy of
student organizations in support of Palestine, and, if needed, preparing a litigation team to defend the
rights of their students.

Support for Palestine must not be treated as an exception to the Texas A&M University- San Antonio
mission to facilitate free and rigorous debate over important issues and ideas; instead, it is a proving
ground for our shared values.

We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Jags4Palestine, American Association of University

Professors at Texas A&M-SA. MOVE Texas A&M-SA and
Campus Coalition against Educide
Students Stand
For Palestine
Emerald Alaniz
Seneca Zamora
Jimmy Infante
Selene Torres-Chavez
Veronica Pusatell
Bryan Garza
Rheanna Lopez
Samara Lopez
Baha Alzabi
Micheal Torres
Rafika Islam
Minahil Farhah
Lauren Littlefield
Johans Castro
Erik Arias
Kerstyn Gentry
Bryan Lopez
Jason Gonzalez
Dylan Villalon
Ronnie Morales
Alyssa Mansavalz
Zeba Jurji
Drea Martinez
Kevin Boston
Jaii Campbell
Crystina Brown
Jaii Campbell
Celina Cantu
Nathan Cantu
Breana Gonzlaez
Montana Gomez
Serrite Dumas
Nineth Quintina
Sabrinna Monk