I’m writing to urge you to oppose H.R. 867, the “IGO Anti-Boycott Act.” This bill would expand the Anti-Boycott Act of 2018 to cover boycotts encouraged by international organizations such as the UN. In practice, it weaponizes export-control enforcement against Americans for nonviolent political advocacy—core First Amendment activity.
Political boycotts are protected speech. In NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware (1982), the Supreme Court held that nonviolent boycotts to bring about social and political change are “political speech, occupying the highest rung” of First Amendment values. H.R. 867 would drag that advocacy into an enforcement regime designed for foreign government boycotts, not domestic dissent. By penalizing those who align with UN human-rights standards, the bill imposes unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination. Courts have already struck down similar laws for punishing political expression.
Penalties are extreme: under existing statutes, violations can mean fines up to $1 million per count and 20 years in prison. Threatening people with felonies for honoring a boycott creates precisely the chilling effect the First Amendment forbids.
The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel is plausibly committing genocide in Gaza and ordered all states to prevent it. Under the Genocide Convention, prevention is a binding duty. Nonviolent tools like boycotts, divestment, and sanctions are among the most immediate ways to fulfill that duty. By criminalizing boycotts encouraged by the UN or ICJ, H.R. 867 would place the U.S. in violation of international law, punishing Americans for attempting to prevent complicity in genocide.
This bill doesn’t just affect corporations—it targets ordinary people. If I refuse to buy products from an Israeli company because the UN or ICJ calls for accountability, I could be treated as a violator. Signing a petition, posting about a boycott, or joining a campaign tied to international calls could expose me—or my community groups—to investigation and penalties. By threatening million-dollar fines or prison time for peaceful advocacy, H.R. 867 strips away one of the only tools constituents like me have to act against injustice.
Rep. Lawler has admitted H.R. 867 “targets BDS efforts at IGOs, such as the UN,” aiming to “impose costs” on such advocacy. Legislating penalties to silence this specific movement—criticism of Israel—reveals the bill’s unconstitutional, discriminatory intent.
From the Montgomery bus boycott, to the United Farm Workers grape boycott, to the anti-apartheid movement, boycotts have always been a cornerstone of democratic action. H.R. 867 threatens to criminalize one of the few tools ordinary people have to resist injustice and prevent atrocities.
Whatever one’s views on Israel/Palestine, Congress must not erode Americans’ right to dissent or undermine our obligations under international law. Please defend the First Amendment, honor the duty to prevent genocide, and vote NO on HR867.
First sent on September 15 by BlueCollarJew
