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Past Campaigns

Past NTC Campaigns

Past Campaigns

More than 600 Activists Demanded a Diplomatic Boycott of The Olympics

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More than 600 NTC advocates signed a petition to Secretary of State Tony Blinken demanding a diplomatic boycott of the 2o22 Olympics in Bejing, China. The International Olympic Committee claims to have a “Human Rights Strategy,” but has been silent on China’s violently oppressive regime and its ongoing genocide against its own people. Absent IOC action, the United States needs to take the lead. Bipartisan support for a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Games already exists — even Nancy Pelosi has declared her support for this approach. Addressing a potential boycott when testifying to the House Foreign Affairs Committee last month, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there will be “more on that in weeks to come.” Thanks to your efforts, a diplomatic boycott was enacted, showing Bejining we will not tolerate oppression.

Past Campaigns

Over 3,600 told Major League Baseball to stop the woke hypocrisy involved in moving the Atlanta All Star Game

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Major League Baseball (MLB) withdrew the 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta to protest a new election law passed by the Georgia legislature in a clear example of hypocritical corporate virtue-signaling. Like the NBA (which reconsidered a past All-Star game in North Carolina), MLB hypocritically protested a US state for democratically-passed legislation while coddling the Chinese government as it commits genocide against Muslim minorities. Indeed, MLB is a partner with the government-owned Beijing Real-Estate Group Limited in developing dozens of new baseball facilities in China. MLB is formally engaged with this dictatorial government that allows NO democratic elections, brutally represses democracy in Hong Kong, and commits ethnic cleansing against Muslims. Yet MLB is silent on China. If MLB is going to affirm its values in Georgia, the league must apply those values consistently. Why give a pass to the Chinese government for its despicable human rights violations?  Are respect and inclusion reserved for Americans only? Or is selective outrage just another marketing gimmick to sell tickets? MLB’s double standard leaves Georgians feeling singled out, victims in China feeling hopelessly ignored, and fans wondering where the league really stands. Over 3,600 NTC activists sent messages, but sadly, the MLB didn’t budge.

Past Campaigns

Tell the ACLU: Stand by Your Mission — or Be Honest and Change It

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On Thursday, July 15, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki made an alarming announcement that the Biden Administration was “flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation” about the COVID pandemic. Exactly what the President of the United States and his team deem “disinformation” was not stated. One day later, Psaki doubled down, stating people “shouldn’t be banned from one platform and not others for providing disinformation.” If you’re deemed in violation of one social media company’s terms of service, you’re apparently in violation of them all. While the federal government admitted to colluding with Big Tech to censor Americans, our country’s preeminent free speech advocacy organization the ACLU was nowhere to be found. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has a storied history of being an objective defender of American civil liberties — however controversial the individual or vile the speech, the ACLU built a reputation around a mission that the Constitution protects everyone. Sadly, in recent years, the ACLU has made a drastic departure from its stated mission. Once a bastion of free speech, the ACLU has started letting social justice trends direct its actions. As the New York Times recently exposed, the ACLU can’t decide if it wants to stick to its founding principles or becoming just another soldier in the progressive cause. Join us in holding on the ACLU accountable: state your mission and make it clear! The ACLU is over a century old as had defended the First Amendment rights of everyone from the Nation of Islam to the KKK. Many at the ACLU still believing in defending the rights of all, and they still do occasionally take cases that are highly controversial or benefit groups that are right-of-center. However, the ACLU has generally not engaged in the recent string of free speech cases on college campuses, while it has eagerly jumped on the ‘defund the police’ bandwagon. The organization rallied and fundraised off hatred for President Trump and embraced the extremes of identity politics. Leadership also recently rolled out guidelines that, according to NYT, “suggested lawyers should balance taking a free speech case representing right-wing groups whose ‘values are contrary to our values’ against the potential such a case might give ‘offense to marginalized groups.’” In the words of ACLU founder Ira Glasser, “There are a lot of organizations fighting eloquently for racial justice and immigrant rights. But there’s only one ACLU that is a content-neutral defender of free speech. I fear we’re in danger of losing that.” The ACLU has risen to its current prominence partially because of its principled non-partisan stances, and while its actions were often controversial, it arguably did a lot of good by being a consistent example of principle over partisanship. Organizations are of course free to change their mission, and if the ALCU wants to only champion progressive causes, that is its right. But if it chooses the latter, it must be honest about it and not deceive donors or the public. Use the form on this page to tell the ACLU to make their choice clear: Do they stand for civil liberties for all? Or just for those they agree with?

Past Campaigns

Tell Facebook and Twitter: Make a Clear List of What Speech Is Off Limits

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It’s no secret that Facebook and Twitter have done a poor job of fairly and transparently enforcing their content policies. Their CEOs have even acknowledged this from time-to-time and promised to do better, but the problems persist. Facebook and Twitter have lengthy “Community Standards” and a “hateful conduct policy” respectively, but they are highly ambiguous and inconsistently enforced. Prof. Robert P. George proposed a solution that would be simple and fair: “publish a list of beliefs that may not be questioned on the platform.” Use the form on this page to sign the petition demanding that Facebook and Twitter produce clear lists of expressions and ideas they deem off-limits for discussion on social media. Doing so would provide a clear starting point for both the companies and the users to understand what the rules actually are: Users can criticize every government agency except the CDC? Certain racist expressions are banned but calling for a second Hitler is okay? If nothing else, users of the social media platforms would finally know what they were dealing with. Furthermore, both platforms must stop giving blanket reasons for suspensions and bans. “You violated our community standards” isn’t good enough. Which stated belief was transgressed? As a nation, we believe citizens have a right to know exactly what they are accused of. Social media platforms should adopt the same standard. No more arbitrary bans and suspensions for vague reasons. No more excuses. Tell Facebook and Twitter to Make a Clear List and Honor It!

Past Campaigns

Tell Brandeis University to End Its Absurd Oppressive Language List

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Want to have a wild picnic with your tribe? According to Brandeis University, three of the words in that sentence constitute “oppressive language” that should not be used. We could have used a trigger warning, but that isn’t allowed either according to Brandies because “The word ‘trigger’ has connections to guns for many people.” These are just a few examples from an absurd catalog of off-limits language labeled the “Oppressive Language List” on Brandeis’ website telling students what words and phrases to avoid lest they “perpetuate oppression.” Join NTC in calling on Brandeis to take down this bizarre list that does a severe disserve to the students coming to them for education! The list has five sections: violent language (“trigger warning,” “take a stab at,” “picnic”), identity-based language (“congressman,” “walk-in,” “crazy”), language that doesn’t say what we mean (“victim,” “abusive relationship”), culturally appropriative language (“tribe,” “spirit animal”), and person-first alternatives (“addict,” “homeless person”). The absurdity is self-evident. Can students not say “picnic table”? If “trigger warning” is out because of violent imagery, can a chemistry student not say that a certain process “triggers a reaction?” If Brandeis is concerned about gendered words or words with loose ties to slavery, why is it handing out Bachelors’ and Masters’ degrees? A footer on the Oppressive Language List website ominously declares, “This list will grow and change all the time,” and encourages students to “share additional suggestions” that can be added to the compilation of prohibited words. In other words: the rules will keep changing, the list of restricted words will only get larger, and the madness will never end. In a section describing its English major, Brandeis’ website says, “The study of English is an astonishingly rich and varied field. English spans history, from the Middle Ages to the present day. It spans geography, taking on different shapes in English-speaking cultures around the world.” This is exactly right. English has adopted words and phrases from many backgrounds, and many words have multiple meanings. Brandeis claims to teach English majors to “write skillfully and stylishly.” Students simply cannot do that if they must omit every word for which someone could potentially be offended. Brandeis students pay a cool $73,100 a year for their education. They deserve better than runaway political correctness that teaches them to be poor communicators who see oppression around every corner. Use the form on this page to send a message to Program Director Sarah Berg telling her to end this oppressively silly list! Update (06/29/21): Brandeis has removed the word “picnic” from their list.

Past Campaigns

Victory! USD Law Stopped Attacking Prof. Tom Smith for Criticizing the Chinese Government

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After nearly 700 of you sent emails, the University of San Diego (USD) Law School has formally dropped a disciplinary investigation of a professor after falsely accusing him of spreading anti-Asian sentiment on campus. On March 10, Professor Tom Smith published a post on his personal blog about China’s handling of COVID-19 that includes the sentence: “If you believe that the coronavirus did not escape from the lab in Wuhan, you have to at least consider that you are an idiot who is swallowing whole a lot of Chinese cock swaddle.” Smith was clearly referring to the Chinese Government, not people of Chinese descent. His statement may be crude and controversial, but not racist. Yet USD responded by sending out a statement decrying the blog post’s “bias” and “disparaging language,” lumping it in with “harassment… epithets, derogatory comments, or slurs based on race or national origin.” It then launched an investigation into his actions. Nearly two months later, USD Law dropped the investigation, and Provost Gail F. Baker released the following statement: As a threshold matter, we sought to determine whether the blog post at issue was protected by our policy on academic freedom. After a thorough legal review, it was determined that the expression was protected by that policy. This conclusion in no way amounts to an endorsement by the university of the opinions shared in the blog post. Academic freedom lies at the core of the mission of the University of San Diego. At the same time, we are committed to providing an educational environment that honors the dignity of every individual. Those two commitments can and must co-exist.  The New Tolerance Campaign is glad to see that USD Law ultimately came to the right decision and proud of the activists who helped make it happen. However, USD’s decision to attack Prof. Smith and label his comments racist was unacceptable in the first place, especially for an institution training future lawyers and judges. The NTC team will keep a close eye on USD moving forward to ensure they uphold their stated principles of academic freedom.

Past Campaigns

NTC Advocates Held Twitter Accountable For Verifying A Hitler-Praising Journalist

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Update: When Twitter failed to follow its own account suspension policies, NTC grassroots advocates took action. They sent countless emails to CEO Jack Dorsey demanding that Twitter follow their own rules and stop giving Adeel Raja a prominent place on their platform to promote hate and violence.  Yet again, Twitter failed to follow its own policies on account suspension, this time giving a pass to a reporter who has repeatedly praised Hitler and called for others to continue his murder of the Jews. On May 16 as the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinians continued, CNN freelance contributor Adeel Raja used his verified “Blue Check” account to tweet, “The world today needs a Hitler.” This vile tweet prompted other Twitter users to discover that Raja has been using the platform to spew pro-Hitler bile for years. “Hail Hitler!” Raja declared in July of 2014. “The only reason I am supporting Germany in the finals — Hitler was a German and he did good with those Jews!” he wrote that same year. CNN has since publicly cut ties with Raja, but Twitter continues to allow him to push his anti-Jewish hate with the added benefit of his verified status. Raja deleted the tweets, but then doubled down a day later, tweeting on May 17: “Glad a single tweet contributed to the #Palestine cause and brought it to limelight with me loosing [sic] my job and the West’s claim of Freedom of expression and human rights!” In the past, Twitter has removed verified (“Blue Check”) status, suspended, and even de-platformed accounts entirely that the social media site has deemed to promote hate. Their own rules and policies state that Twitter prohibits “content that wishes, hopes, promotes, incites, or expresses a desire for death, serious bodily harm, or serious disease against an entire protected category and/or individuals who may be members of that category.” For Twitter users, the selective enforcement of the platform’s “hateful conduct” policy has created mass confusion about what is and is not considered acceptable speech—but if wishing for another Hitler in this world does not meet that criteria, what does!? It’s been 76 years since the end of World War II, but for those still living who survived the Holocaust, as well as the families of those who did not, the pain of Adolf Hitler’s evil is still very real. Providing a stage for Adeel Raja to hope for a second Hitler—and the authoritative limelight that comes with a verified account—is beyond the pale.

Past Campaigns

Tell Lawmakers to Rescind CAIR Support after NPR Reveals Culture of Harassment and Misogyny

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NPR has just published an extensive investigation into the Council on American Islamic Relations that reveals CAIR’s national leadership has routinely ignored and covered up widespread misogyny and sexual harassment in its offices around the country. For CAIR’s 25th anniversary celebration last year, over 100 lawmakers (both Republicans and Democrats) sent formal letters of praise, which CAIR leaders published in the event’s program. Now the devastating NPR report makes clear that the toxic culture among CAIR’s leadership includes misogyny and corruption. Lawmakers, especially those who proudly tweet #MeToo and “Believe Women,” have a responsibility to demand accountability and transparency from CAIR’s national leaders. Sign the Petition to demand these lawmakers stop supporting CAIR! The biggest bombshell in the NPR report is a prominent CAIR leader who has been accused of spousal abuse, bigamy, and harassment of subordinate employees – yet continued to be praised by CAIR national leaders even when he resigned in January. NPR’s reporting also reveals a climate of bullying and intimidation inside the organization, with many former staffers afraid to speak on the record: “The former employees described a range of complaints, from a gender pay gap and women being shut out of closed-door meetings at the national office to women feeling tokenized and the career development of men being prioritized over women.” One former staffer Jinan Shbat has created the CAIR Victims Forum. She told NPR: “The amount of women who have been reaching out to us who are like, ‘I used to work for CAIR. Thank you so much for finally doing this and speaking out,’ ” Shbat said in an interview. “So many women have basically told us that they experienced a lot of the same sexism and misogyny.” California religious scholar Aslam Abdullah tells NPR that “numerous women have come to him with what he regards as credible allegations of harassment, sexual misconduct or unfair treatment against senior men within CAIR or CAIR affiliates.” Even CAIR’s former board chair Parvez Ahmed has “been critical of CAIR leadership over issues like inclusion and gender equity” and insists: “The leadership of CAIR owes the community an explanation as to who knew what and when and how those complaints were handled.” Lawmakers may not have had any idea what was going on when they sent their letters of support, but now they do. Sign our petition on this page to demand they retract their support and call for transparency and accountability from CAIR.

Past Campaigns

Over 1,000 NTC Advocates Emailed NBA Commissioner Asking Him to Take the NBA All-Star Game Out of China

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n 2017 the NBA removed its All-Star Game from North Carolina in the name of inclusiveness and diversity. But, as a league, the NBA has remained silent on the Chinese Communist Party’s human rights abuses, including placing Uyghur Muslims in internment camps, mass surveillance, repression of religion, and more. Over 1,000 NTC advocates emailed the NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, asking him to be consistent in his approach to “respect” and “inclusion.” NTC still wants to know… Are respect and inclusion reserved for Americans only? Or will the NBA sacrifice its values if the price is right?

Past Campaigns

NTC Advocates Sent Nearly 10,000 Emails to Jersey City Board of Education Calling for Antisemite To Resign

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Jersey City Jewish students should not have to be concerned that the officials running their schools view them as “brutes” or deserving of violent attacks, but that’s just what former Jersey City Board of Education member Joan Terrell-Paige did. Terrell-Paige made brazenly anti-Semitic comments in response to the December 10th, 2019  shooting at a kosher market in Greenville, NJ. Two shooters killed a police officer and three others in the attack which authorities said was “fueled by both anti-Semitism and anti-law enforcement beliefs.”   NTC advocates sent nearly 10,000 emails to the Jersey City Board of Education, and after our campaign started, Jersey City mayor Fulop called out Terrell-Paige’s antisemitism. NTC is proud to see our efforts having an impact, and we will continue confronting bigotry and tolerance hypocrisy.

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