House condemned pro-Palestinian slogan in resolution, did not ban it | Fact check

Isabel C. Morales, USA TODAY
·2 min read

The claim: US banned the phrase 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'

[En Espa?ol: Cámara de Representantes condenó lema propalestino en resolución, no lo prohibió]

An April 20 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a compilation video of people dancing, some while wearing hijabs and carrying Palestinian flags. Pro-Palestinian music plays over the compilation.

“The U.S. government just banned this song and the phrase, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’” text in the post reads in Spanish.

The post was shared more than 60 times. The claim and video were also shared on Instagram.

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Our rating: False

The House of Representatives passed a resolution in April condemning the Pro-Palestinian chant, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." But the resolution did not prohibit or ban the use of the phrase.

In the majority of cases, prohibiting a phrase will be unconstitutional

The House, with bipartisan support, passed a resolution on April 16 condemning the popular pro-Palestinian chant, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," as "an antisemitic call to arms with the goal of the eradication of the State of Israel."

The slogan refers to the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, which includes the state of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, as reported by The Washington Post.

But the resolution did not call for the phrase to be banned, as the post claims. There is nothing in the text of the resolution that mentions banning or criminalizing the use or singing of the phrase. There is likewise no credible news reporting about the phrase being banned.

Such a move would likely violate the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech, according to Caroline Mala Corbin, a law professor and First Amendment scholar at the University of Miami School of Law.

“Government attempts to outlaw private speech merely because the government does not like the speech is presumptively unconstitutional,” Mala Corbin told USA TODAY. “Condemning a slogan is not at all the same thing as banning it. ... The government is certainly free to express its opinion and condemn a slogan."

Fact check: Image of woman applying makeup in riot shield not tied to Palestinian protests

USA TODAY reached out to the who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, US did not ban pro-Palestinian chant | Fact check

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