Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
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AJC Releases Groundbreaking Playbook to Combat Evolving Antisemitism
NEW YORK, May 31 [Category: Religion] -- The American Jewish Committee posted the following news release:
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AJC Releases Groundbreaking Playbook to Combat Evolving Antisemitism
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Informed by the lived experiences of 60+ experts, AJC's Combating Antisemitism Playbook includes tailored recommendations for leaders in 13 sectors across society
In response to surging antisemitism in the United States that is increasingly violent, American Jewish Committee (AJC) today released its Combating Antisemitism Playbook, a new framework to enable leaders across society to understand, respond to, and
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, May 31 [Category: Religion] -- The American Jewish Committee posted the following news release:
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AJC Releases Groundbreaking Playbook to Combat Evolving Antisemitism
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Informed by the lived experiences of 60+ experts, AJC's Combating Antisemitism Playbook includes tailored recommendations for leaders in 13 sectors across society
In response to surging antisemitism in the United States that is increasingly violent, American Jewish Committee (AJC) today released its Combating Antisemitism Playbook, a new framework to enable leaders across society to understand, respond to, andprevent antisemitism.
Recognizing that the context surrounding antisemitism has changed dramatically and that strategies employed in the past are no longer sufficient, AJC undertook a complete overhaul of its Call to Action Against Antisemitism in America, which helped inform the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. Rather than revising existing guidance, AJC started from the ground up: listening to practitioners, learning from experience, and asking what every sector of society needs to know and do right now.
To build the new Combating Antisemitism Playbook, AJC convened a series of practitioner workshops bringing together more than 60 leaders from across society, including former federal officials, local and state elected leaders, law enforcement professionals, educators, scholars, technology experts, community leaders, and civil society partners. Their collective insight shaped the new AJC Playbook into a practical, coordinated approach grounded in real-world experience, resulting in the most robust, whole-of-society approach to combat contemporary antisemitism in the U.S. to date.
"The Jewish community and our allies have been asking for a proactive, visionary effort to not only scale the fight against antisemitism, but to also address it in all its contemporary forms. AJC's Combating Antisemitism Playbook delivers exactly that," said AJC CEO Ted Deutch. "From academia to social media and AI companies, AJC's Playbook gives leaders across society clear, practical ways to understand, respond to, and prevent antisemitism-and in doing so, help shape and support a thriving Jewish community."
Unveiled at the opening session of AJC Global Forum 2026, AJC's Playbook is not a one-size-fits-all guide. Rather, in recognizing that every sector of American society has a role to play, it provides individualized roadmaps to help each of these sectors reach the same destination - a country and world that embraces and supports safe and thriving Jewish communities and upholds democratic values.
The new Playbook includes 13 tailored sets of recommendations for:
* Executive Branch
* Congress
* Local/State Government
* Law Enforcement
* Digital Platforms and Technology Companies
* Media
* Private Sector
* Allies and Interfaith and Intergroup Partners
* Education Sector
* Jewish Communities and Jewish Organizations
* Cultural, Entertainment, and Public Figures
* Research Institutions, Think Tanks, and Scholars
* National Governments and Diplomatic Officials
"Antisemitism is insidious in the way it constantly evolves, yet always finds ways to cast Jews as responsible for society's ills. Confronting it is not solely a Jewish concern, nor can it rest on government or law enforcement alone. It demands a collective response from all of us," said AJC Director of Antisemitism Policy Holly Huffnagle. "A decade ago, AJC developed a comprehensive strategy to confront antisemitism in Europe. In recent years, we have adapted this "whole-of-society" approach to the United States. AJC's Playbook is more than a set of recommendations; it is the culmination of years of collaboration across sectors that offers an essential framework to fundamentally transform how democratic societies respond to this crisis."
According to AJC's State of Antisemitism in America Report, 70% of U.S. adults say antisemitism is a problem in the U.S. today and nine in 10 believe that it is a problem that affects society as a whole and that everyone is responsible for combating it. AJC's Playbook reflects that shared responsibility and is designed to not only address antisemitism today, but to help shape a new future in which communities work together to rebuild trust, strengthen civic bonds, and ensure that America remains a place where people of all backgrounds can live safely and participate fully.
During AJC Global Forum 2026, the conference's 2,000 participants from more than 70 countries will have the opportunity to dive deeper into the Combating Antisemitism Playbook in various breakout sessions. Before bringing this resource back to their home communities, they will travel to Capitol Hill to meet with policy makers and share key insights and recommendations on how lawmakers and leaders across the country can combat this hate, together.
American Jewish Committee (AJC) is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, creating trusted partnerships with leaders around the world to ensure Jews and Israel are safe and thriving. Through 40 offices and dozens of partnerships with Jewish communities worldwide, AJC engages leaders in more than 110 countries, empowering those in government, education, partner communities, and the private sector to counter antisemitism and act as allies. For more, please visit www.ajc.org.
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Original text here: https://www.ajc.org/news/ajc-releases-groundbreaking-playbook-to-combat-evolving-antisemitism
WE ACT Statement on New York State Governor Kathy Hochul's Climate Law Rollbacks
NEW YORK, May 29 -- We Act for Environmental Justice issued the following statement:
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WE ACT Statement on New York State Governor Kathy Hochul's Climate Law Rollbacks
In response to the changes to New York State's Climate Law, originally known as the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), passed as part of the FY27 State Budget, WE ACT for Environmental Justice's Energy Justice Senior Policy Manager Eric Walker said the following:
"WE ACT is deeply disappointed. New Yorkers everywhere are struggling with a staggering energy affordability crisis that is only growing.
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, May 29 -- We Act for Environmental Justice issued the following statement:
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WE ACT Statement on New York State Governor Kathy Hochul's Climate Law Rollbacks
In response to the changes to New York State's Climate Law, originally known as the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), passed as part of the FY27 State Budget, WE ACT for Environmental Justice's Energy Justice Senior Policy Manager Eric Walker said the following:
"WE ACT is deeply disappointed. New Yorkers everywhere are struggling with a staggering energy affordability crisis that is only growing.The families we serve in Harlem - and the millions of others in every community across New York - needed real leadership on energy costs to bring down bills. What they needed was the kind of leadership that boldly invests in clean energy because it's cheaper and faster to build than the fossil fuel alternative. What they got instead is a budget that delays progress and accountability, obscures emissions of dangerous pollution, and carves out new space for the fossil fuel industry at the expense of ratepayers' wallets, health, and - for thousands of New Yorkers between now and 2040 - their lives.
"In no uncertain terms, the Governor has taken us in the wrong direction. Governor Hochul's insatiable march to hollow out the CLCPA has taken New York from leading the nation forward to backsliding on affordable clean energy. We refuse to accept the narrative that drove these CLCPA changes because it was simply false. As Governor Hochul and the State Legislature agree to a budget that includes sweeping changes to the CLCPA, we stand firm in our position that only two simple tweaks to the law - an updated emission reduction target and revised timing for emissions reduction regulations - would have given state agencies the flexibility to ambitiously and sensibly implement it. Propping up the CLCPA as the boogeyman in our energy bills' closet was not a good-faith policy argument. It was a pretext and it led directly to policy decisions that will make the underlying affordability problem worse.
"On the utility affordability proposals in this budget - reforming utility executive compensation, directing excess profits back to ratepayers, and establishing energy affordability monitoring - we see real potential. These tools belong in a serious affordability agenda, and we are committed to working with the Public Service Commission to make them as strong and as meaningful as possible for everyday New Yorkers.
"As we look ahead, WE ACT will keep fighting - in the courts, before state agencies, and alongside the communities that have carried the cost of inaction the longest. The lawsuit we brought with other petitioners to hold this state to its own climate commitments was not based on ideology. It was an act of accountability for violating the law - and a judge agreed with us. We call on the Legislature to pick up where this budget left off: advance the complementary policies that advance energy security and affordability, hold state agencies to timely and enforceable implementation, and make clear to the Governor that this law belongs to New Yorkers, not to the next budget negotiation."
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WE ACT for Environmental Justice is a Northern Manhattan-based, membership-driven organization whose mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low-income residents are meaningfully included in the development of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. WE ACT has offices in New York and Washington, D.C. Visit us at weact.org and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram.
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Original text here: https://weact.org/updates/we-act-statement-on-new-york-state-governor-kathy-hochuls-climate-law-rollbacks/
[Category: Sociological]
National Center on Sexual Exploitation: 'Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act' Needed to Hold Sex Buyers Accountable
WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The National Center on Sexual Exploitation issued the following news:
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"Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act" Needed to Hold Sex Buyers Accountable
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) said that the bipartisan Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act, introduced by U.S. Reps. Ann Wagner (R-MO), Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Madeleine Dean (D-PA), will confront the demand for commercial sex, the primary driver of sex trafficking.
"Consumer-level demand creates the market forces that sustain pimps, traffickers, and the entire system of prostitution. Sex buyers
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The National Center on Sexual Exploitation issued the following news:
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"Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act" Needed to Hold Sex Buyers Accountable
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) said that the bipartisan Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act, introduced by U.S. Reps. Ann Wagner (R-MO), Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Madeleine Dean (D-PA), will confront the demand for commercial sex, the primary driver of sex trafficking.
"Consumer-level demand creates the market forces that sustain pimps, traffickers, and the entire system of prostitution. Sex buyersoxygenate this ecosystem of exploitation by turning human beings into commodities for purchase. A range of multilateral legal obligations and political commitments geared towards discouraging the demand that fosters sex trafficking are in existence and mandate action from the United States. The Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act is a vital step forward to hold sex buyers accountable, disrupt the profit propulsion of sex trafficking, and reject the normalization of commercial sexual exploitation," said Dr. Marcel van der Watt, President & CEO, National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
"If the U.S. is serious about confronting sex trafficking in our country and ensuring other countries follow suit, we need to confront sex buyers," he added.
The Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act would strengthen the criteria that determine nations' inclusion on the Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report), changing the current requirement of making serious and sustained efforts to "reduce" demand for commercial sex, commonly known as prostitution, to whether or not a foreign nation has made serious and sustained efforts to: 1) Prohibit the purchase of commercial sex acts or implement a policy against the purchase of commercial sex acts. 2) Educate buyers of commercial sex on how traffickers exploit prostituted persons for human trafficking. 3) Reduce demand for participation in international sex tourism by nationals of that country.
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About National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
Founded in 1962, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national non-profit organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography.
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Original text here: https://endsexualexploitation.org/articles/sex-trafficking-demand-reduction-act-needed-to-hold-sex-buyers-accountable/
[Category: Sociological]
Montefiore Einstein Earns $8 Million in Federal and City Grants to Strengthen Relationships Between Father-Figures and Their Youth
BRONX, New York, May 29 -- Montefiore Einstein issued the following news release:
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Montefiore Einstein Earns $8 Million in Federal and City Grants to Strengthen Relationships Between Father-Figures and Their Youth
Expanded Program Adds One-on-One Coaching, Support Groups and Community Service
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The impact of a positive father figure is associated with greater emotional security, self-esteem, and even stronger math and verbal skills, but there is no roadmap for being a dad or role model. For five years, Montefiore's HERO Dads has supported fathers in a welcoming environment that has helped
... Show Full Article
BRONX, New York, May 29 -- Montefiore Einstein issued the following news release:
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Montefiore Einstein Earns $8 Million in Federal and City Grants to Strengthen Relationships Between Father-Figures and Their Youth
Expanded Program Adds One-on-One Coaching, Support Groups and Community Service
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The impact of a positive father figure is associated with greater emotional security, self-esteem, and even stronger math and verbal skills, but there is no roadmap for being a dad or role model. For five years, Montefiore's HERO Dads has supported fathers in a welcoming environment that has helpedmen be more confident parents, providing the tools they need to positively influence their child's well-being. Now the program is being bolstered by a $6 million United States Department of Health and Human Services grant and a $2 million New York City Department of Youth Community Development grant.
The new funding will enable the University Behavioral Associates team at Montefiore Einstein to hold one-on-one coaching sessions with dads and other father-figures, providing opportunities for private meetings with trained mental health professionals where they can discuss their needs and navigate barriers to connecting with their families. A new trauma-informed support group is also being introduced as part of the 4-week program.
For couples, the program also offers a 12-week cohort designed to strengthen co-parent relationships. Employment and financial coursework are led by Fedcap equipping fathers with the practical tools needed to achieve family and financial stability including job development and placement.
"More than 1,000 participants have benefited from our comprehensive programing, which includes skill development in areas like communication and conflict resolution to help members achieve family and financial success," said Traci Maynigo, Psy.D., program director, HERO Dads. "And while being a parent can feel incredibly rewarding, it can also be challenging for parents to learn new skills and break patterns of abuse, neglect or trauma."
HERO: Healthy, Empowered, Resilient and Open
Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults have experienced at least one Adverse Childhood Experience, translating to tens of millions of parents. More than 15 million Americans raising children face clinically significant trauma. Creating an environment where men feel they can trust their peers and staff, are safe from judgment and have choice in the program helps foster engagement and growth.
"Even after completing our program, fathers remain more involved in their children's lives by offering emotional support, planning activities, and supervising and monitoring them," said Moshe Moeller, Ph.D., associate program director, HERO Dads. "With our new program offerings focused on emotional safety, trust building, peer connection and financial stability, we can help father-figures feel resilient and more connected to their children.
HERO Dads Saved My Life
"HERO Dads pretty much saved my life. It is a place where I can be vulnerable and learn how to show love and discipline in new ways that help my son as he grows," said Bronx father, Leon Rosa. "I am a young dad and the opportunity to learn from other dads like me reshaped my thinking in ways I couldn't have imagined."
For more information visit https://montefioreeinstein.org/patient-care/hero-dads or text HERO to 646-823-6204.
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Original text here: https://montefioreeinstein.org/news/2026/05/28/montefiore-einstein-earns-8-million-federal-and-city-grants-strengthen-relationships-between-father
[Category: Health Care]
Consumer Action for a Strong Economy Commentary Warns of Massive Shift in U.S. Tort Law and Global Investment Boundaries
ARLINGTON, Virginia, May 29 -- Consumer Action for a Strong Economy issued the following excerpts of a commentary on May 28, 2026, by Chairman Gerard Scimeca to RealClear Energy:
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CASE Op-ED in RealClear Energy: If This Lawsuit Succeeds, Global Business Changes Overnight
How far should U.S. law reach beyond U.S. borders? In June, a federal courtroom in St. Louis will confront that question in a case with implications that extend far beyond one Missouri company or one Peruvian town.
The case is Reid v. Doe Run Resources Corporation, brought by roughly 2,800 Peruvian plaintiffs alleging
... Show Full Article
ARLINGTON, Virginia, May 29 -- Consumer Action for a Strong Economy issued the following excerpts of a commentary on May 28, 2026, by Chairman Gerard Scimeca to RealClear Energy:
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CASE Op-ED in RealClear Energy: If This Lawsuit Succeeds, Global Business Changes Overnight
How far should U.S. law reach beyond U.S. borders? In June, a federal courtroom in St. Louis will confront that question in a case with implications that extend far beyond one Missouri company or one Peruvian town.
The case is Reid v. Doe Run Resources Corporation, brought by roughly 2,800 Peruvian plaintiffs alleginginjuries from emissions tied to the La Oroya metallurgical complex in Peru. The plaintiffs seek to hold liable Doe Run Resources Corporation, a Missouri-based parent company, even though the facility at heart of the lawsuit was owned and operated by subsidiary Doe Run Peru, all operations were in Peru, and the facility was operating for 75 years before Doe Run Peru purchased it in 1997.
At stake is not merely a dispute over pollution claims from a century-old industrial facility. The case could reshape the boundaries of U.S. tort law, weaken confidence in international trade agreements and paralyze U.S. investment in developing nations.
First, the facts. La Oroya was not a pristine operation spoiled by careless new owners. It had operated continuously since 1922 and, when Doe Run's Peruvian subsidiary acquired the facility in 1997, it inherited an aging industrial site that had spent decades operating with virtually no environmental controls.
According to testimony already in the record, the new owners invested approximately $300 million attempting to modernize and improve conditions at what one expert described under oath as an "awful, rundown, polluting facility." And, notably, the parent company back in Missouri simply wasn't the decision maker. Even the plaintiffs' own environmental expert--after reportedly spending 1,000 hours reviewing the evidence--could not identify a single operational decision made by the Missouri parent company. That matters because the plaintiffs' jurisdictional theory depends precisely on the idea that the U.S. parent directed operations abroad.
If courts begin allowing American parent corporations to be hauled into domestic court for overseas operations absent evidence of direct control, every multinational enterprise--from manufacturing and energy to pharmaceuticals and technology--will face pressure to defend foreign disputes under an unpredictable patchwork of state tort law.
Read more here: (https://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2026/05/27/if_this_lawsuit_succeeds_global_business_changes_overnight_1185241.html)
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Original text here: https://www.caseforconsumers.org/case-op-ed-in-realclear-energy-if-this-lawsuit-succeeds-global-business-changes-overnight/
[Category: Consumer Services]
California State Assembly Passes Key Bill to Prohibit Surveillance Pricing
YONKERS, New York, May 29 -- Consumer Reports posted the following news release:
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California state Assembly passes key bill to prohibit surveillance pricing
Consumer Reports calls on Senate to advance bill that introduces new protections for Californians over how retailers can use their personal data to set individualized prices
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Sacramento, CA - California's state Assembly advanced groundbreaking legislation today that would prohibit surveillance pricing. The bill now goes to the state Senate.
Surveillance pricing, also known as personalized pricing, is when companies use consumers'
... Show Full Article
YONKERS, New York, May 29 -- Consumer Reports posted the following news release:
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California state Assembly passes key bill to prohibit surveillance pricing
Consumer Reports calls on Senate to advance bill that introduces new protections for Californians over how retailers can use their personal data to set individualized prices
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Sacramento, CA - California's state Assembly advanced groundbreaking legislation today that would prohibit surveillance pricing. The bill now goes to the state Senate.
Surveillance pricing, also known as personalized pricing, is when companies use consumers'personal data, such as their browsing history, real-time location, inferred family size, or income to set individualized prices or discounts for consumers. The bill also protects transparently offered discounts, including group discounts, discounts offered through loyalty and rewards programs, and discounts any consumer could potentially obtain.
"As momentum for surveillance pricing legislation builds nationwide, California is helping lead the charge with the advancement of AB 2564 in the state Assembly," said Grace Gedye, senior policy analyst at Consumer Reports. "Retailers have collected vast amounts of data about individual shoppers -- how often we search for or hover over particular items, whether we live near competitor stores, inferences about our likes and dislikes, our dietary needs, our income, our family size, and more. Surveillance pricing allows companies to squeeze the maximum amount that each of us is willing to pay. AB 2564 would ban this new and tricky pricing tactic and ensure fairer prices for California consumers. We thank Assemblymember Christopher Ward for his leadership on this legislation."
Maryland recently signed into law a bill aimed at banning surveillance pricing but CR found that the measure fell short. Connecticut and Colorado also passed bills out of their state legislatures that would limit personalized pricing. Other states are considering surveillance pricing bans including Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and others.
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Original text here: https://advocacy.consumerreports.org/press_release/california-state-assembly-passes-key-bill-to-prohibit-surveillance-pricing/
[Category: Business]
CAIR Calls for Dropping of Charges Against U.S. Capitol Demonstrators Against Israeli Torture of Palestinian Detainees
WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on May 28, 2026:
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CAIR Calls for Dropping of Charges Against U.S. Capitol Demonstrators Against Israeli Torture of Palestinian Detainees
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called for the dropping of charges against demonstrators at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., peacefully protesting Israel's torture and abuse of Palestinian detainees.
The protest was organized by a grassroots Palestinian-led human
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on May 28, 2026:
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CAIR Calls for Dropping of Charges Against U.S. Capitol Demonstrators Against Israeli Torture of Palestinian Detainees
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called for the dropping of charges against demonstrators at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., peacefully protesting Israel's torture and abuse of Palestinian detainees.
The protest was organized by a grassroots Palestinian-led humanrights group on Eid in response to the Israeli bombing of Palestinians on the Eid holiday and the inability of thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons without due process, unable to celebrate the holiday with their families. The charges reportedly include "Crowding, Obstructing, or Incommoding, Resisting Arrest, and U.S. Capitol - Sleep/Lie Down, Paved/Improved Areas (anytime)."
In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
"We call on law enforcement authorities to immediately release the protesters who were detained after holding an anti-torture demonstration and then unnecessarily held overnight on the false charge of resisting arrest. According to eyewitness reporters and video footage of the events, the protestors were completely peaceful and complied with law enforcement during their arrests.
"We applaud the Americans who kneeled on the U.S. Capitol to reflect on the detention without trial and abuse of Palestinians in Israeli prisons, and the torture and sexual abuse Israel inflicted upon human rights activists kidnapped from the Gaza aid flotilla. These protesters are heroes, not criminals. They should go free and all charges against them should be dropped."
He added that earlier today, CAIR welcomed reports that the United Nations has added Israel to its list of parties committing sexual violence in conflict zones, citing allegations involving Israeli forces and prison authorities against Palestinians.
Mitchell noted that Washington, D.C., based CAIR recently called on Congress and the Trump administration to take immediate action after a New York Times report detailed horrifying allegations of widespread sexual abuse, rape, torture, and humiliation of Palestinians held in Israeli detention facilities.
CAIR also recently called on Congress and the Trump administration to act following allegations that activists on a humanitarian aid flotilla to Gaza kidnapped in international waters by Israel were subjected to sexual assault, violence and rape while in detention.
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CAIR's mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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Original text here: https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-calls-for-dropping-of-charges-against-u-s-capitol-demonstrators-against-israeli-torture-of-palestinian-detainees/
[Category: Sociological]
