The Heritage Foundation created "Project Esther" to shut down groups like CODEPINK and others who stand against genocide — and the Trump Administration is following it like a playbook. Those who dare to challenge U.S. involvement in Israel’s genocide campaign in Gaza are faced with repression while the president of The Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts, gets rewarded with book deals by Broadside Books, a subsidiary of HarperCollins, one of the biggest and most respected publishing companies.
Broadside Books published Roberts’ book Dawn's Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America shortly after Donald Trump was elected president — it even includes a foreword by J.D. Vance. If we are going to keep organizing to stop wars, we need to protect our civil society organizations and hold people who are trying to shut down dissent accountable. Add your name to the petition telling HarperCollins: Uplift Peace, Not Genocide!
We, the undersigned individuals, call on HarperCollins and its subsidiary, Broadside Books, to cut ties with Kevin Roberts and his book Dawn's Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America. We demand this publication commit to refusing to accept book deals with individuals who attempt to repress individuals and organizations who stand against genocide.
Roberts is president of The Heritage Foundation — the conservative think tank which created "Project Esther" to shut down individuals and groups who stand against genocide. Project Esther seeks to systemically target and defund these groups, deterring them from advocating for Palestine by labeling them as "terrorist sympathizers" and "anti-semites." At its core, Project Esther is about undermining First Amendment rights. It attempts to shift the focus away from Israel's war crimes in Gaza by criminalizing those who oppose it. And the Trump Administration is following it like a playbook. When HarperCollins allows its subsidiaries to publish authors like Roberts, it sends a message that the publication is okay with this repression.
Your subsidiary, Broadside Books, published Roberts’ book shortly after Donald Trump was elected president — it even includes a foreword by J.D. Vance. Roberts’ ideology is already represented by the most powerful government in the world, so why does this publication insist on platforming his genocidal ideas?
HarperCollins is one of the biggest and most respected publishing houses, but rewarding genocide supporters with book deals is not a good look. Change course now! Cut ties with Kevin Roberts and vow to end book deals with individuals who want to undermine civil society organizations who are against genocide! Uplift peace, not genocide!