Ohioans Say No to Their Tax Dollars Funding Genocide

Ohio enforces one of the nation's most restrictive anti-BDS frameworks. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 9.76, state entities (including public universities) are prohibited from divesting from Israel or adopting policies that support such divestment. It defines "boycott" broadly as refusals or actions intended to limit commercial relations with a person or entity in a discriminatory way. In practice, this means no Ohio public university or state-funded entity can adopt a policy of divesting from Israel or Israel-linked companies, even "indirectly." This statute has been instrumental in curbing divestment initiatives across the state.

In June 2024, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost threatened Cuyahoga County with legal action in response to a BDS resolution, leading to its withdrawal. It's important to note that the resolution did not call for any sort of explicit boycott or divestment — rather, it would've simply allowed the County to opt out of Israeli bonds and was labeled by Yost as an "indirect" boycott. However, in February 2025, Cuyahoga County and Summit County announced divestment measures. Cuyahoga did so with a blanket bond freeze through September (or until it reaches its stated goal of saving $100 million); this allowed $3 million in bonds to mature in March, amounting to a small de facto divestment victory.

Despite legal hurdles, grassroots support for Palestinian liberation has maintained its strength in Ohio, including in Cincinnati. From packed city council chambers to campus protests and street shutdowns, residents continue to challenge the state's complicity in Israeli apartheid. It is estimated that Cincinnati alone funded the genocide with over $24 million in 2024, all while funding from the State of Ohio remains at last year's level of about $262.5 million. This emphasizes the importance of sustained, organized resistance at the local level.

While the state continues to shield Israel from accountability, the people of Ohio are making it clear: we do not consent to our tax dollars funding genocide. The fight against Israeli apartheid is inseparable from the fight against U.S. imperialism and capitalist violence everywhere. Whether through direct action, BDS campaigns, or collective education, we must all engage in the struggle to keep building pressure from below. The laws may be written against us, but history is not. From Cincinnati to Gaza, liberation will be won by the organized and uncompromising struggle of the international proletariat.