Speaker Moore files Shalom Act amid anti-Israel protests

On Wednesday Speaker of the North Carolina House Tim Moore filed the Shalom Act, “an act Standing up to Hate And Leading with Our Moral principles.” The leading House Republican announced the legislation while college campuses, including in North Carolina, experience a wave of anti-Israel protests and spiking incidents of discrimination against Jewish students and faculty.

The Shalom Act, HB 942, amends chapter 12 of the North Carolina General Statues, defining antisemitism as consistent with the working definition adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in 2016. The definition includes contemporary examples of antisemitism set forth “as a tool and a guide for training, education, recognizing and combatting antisemitic hate crimes or discrimination and for tracking and reporting antisemitic incidents in this State.” 

The provisions of the bill are not to be construed to “diminish or infringe” on any First Amendment rights protected under the US Constitution or the NC Constitution, according to the draft text. 

Section 2 of the bill appropriates $10,000 from the general fund to the Department of Administration for the 2024-25 fiscal year  “to fund the implementation of, and education about, the provisions of this act,” which would become effective July 1, 2024. 

The legislation was filed on the same day that pro-Palestinian protestors at UNC-Chapel Hill took down the American flag and hoisted in its place the Palestinian flag at the heart of campus. Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts responded by personally leading a team of law enforcement officers to the quad to put the American flag back up, reported the Carolina Journal.

At 3:25 pm, counter-protestors were seen holding up the American Flag to keep it from touching the ground, as reported by the Daily Tar Heel, the UNC student newspaper.  Events continued to escalate from there.

UNC Police officials were seen taking riot shields, helmets and gas masks into Gerrard Hall and Memorial Hall.

— The Daily Tar Heel (@dailytarheel) April 30, 2024

Former Congressman Mark Walker also weighed in on X.

The Palestinian flag flying high over UNC Chapel Hill made me think of my friend and WWII Marine Corps veteran Gordon Flanagan who, at the same age of these idiots, fought in Iwo Jima to fly another flag. This one. pic.twitter.com/NCgCPLEQKy

— Mark Walker (@RepMarkWalker) April 30, 2024

Another UNC-Chapel Hill student posted on X about his experience that day.

but it upset me that my country's flag was disrespected in order to advocate for another.

Shortly after, Chancellor Roberts came with police officers to hang the flag once again. They were met with profanity, middle fingers, thrown bottles, rocks, and water.

— Guillermo Estrada (@estradguillermo) April 30, 2024

My fraternity brother and others ran over to hold it up, in order for it not to touch the ground. People began throwing water bottles at us, rocks, sticks, calling us profane names. We stood for an hour defending the flag so many fight to protect.

— Guillermo Estrada (@estradguillermo) April 30, 2024

cause for the sake of another country.

My LDOC will be memorable in knowing that my fraternity brothers and others fought to keep the flag up. But it was also be memorable in knowing that so many yearn to disrespect it.

— Guillermo Estrada (@estradguillermo) April 30, 2024

Attorney General Josh Stein’s office did not respond to the Carolina Journal’s request for comment.