We, the undersigned organizations, urge the Illinois General Assembly to support the Illinois Human Rights Advocacy Protection Act to protect our fundamental right to peaceful protest and free expression by repealing laws that restrict human rights advocacy. 

The Illinois Human Rights Advocacy Protection Act would bring Illinois law back in line with our state’s proud tradition of defending civil liberties. This act aims to repeal a 2015 law that restricts human rights advocacy, ensuring that all Illinoisans can freely express their views and engage in peaceful protest without fear of marginalization or criminalization.

The current law has had far-reaching negative consequences beyond its intended scope, setting a dangerous precedent that threatens everyone’s constitutional rights. By repealing this law, we can protect the fundamental American values of free speech and peaceful assembly that make our democracy work. The current environment fostered in-part by the 2015 law has created a social dynamic wherein those speaking out in favor of basic human rights face systemic retaliation, including suspension or expulsion from their universities, funding cuts for organizations, and arrest or other sanctions for peaceful protesters. Repealing Illinois’s restrictive law is a matter of urgent need to change this dynamic to protect both Palestinian lives and American civil liberties.

We ask for this support now as the current humanitarian crisis demands that civil society organizations be able to advocate effectively for human rights without fear of retaliation. A report released by Brown University 1 estimates the direct and indirect Palestinian death toll due to direct Israeli attack and death by starvation and disease due to the Israeli blockade at 119,271 confirmed deaths as of September 30, 2024. That represents approximately 5% of the population of Gaza killed as of four months ago, a death toll without modern comparison and a scale of death and destruction that demands a global humanitarian response. Instead, those speaking out face systemic intimidation and punishment including loss of employment, academic sanctions, and arrest. All major polls show that the American people do not wish to support the mass killing of Palestinian civilians so the state of Illinois should cease using its official power to enforce a position of de facto support for Israeli policy without regard for the nature or scale of human rights violations. 

At a moment when the norms that undergird our civil society are under attack, with our immigrant communities terrorized, our unions undermined, and our free press threatened, it is more important than ever that we set an example as a state of what it means to protect the freedom of expression even when we disagree with the viewpoints expressed. 

We ask for you to stand with us against our illiberal opponents who would undermine our most fundamental rights as Americans just to stop advocates from advancing the cause of Palestinian rights and safety for our families.

Sincerely,

The Illinois Coalition for Human Rights