By Guy Page
An anti-Israel group will rally the day after Town Meeting to celebrate what it hopes will be Town Meeting referendum victories.
The referendum asks voters to approve several initiatives, including withdrawal of Vermont Air National Guard F-35’s from the strike force now aimed at further military action against Iran.
The Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation (VCPL) announced it will hold a post-election press conference March 4 at the steps of the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier to highlight the results of its “Apartheid-Free Community” campaigns across the state.
Organizers say up to 20 Vermont towns will consider a pledge to oppose political, military, and economic ties they believe support Israel. According to the pro-VCPL Rake, these towns (and cities) include Winooski, Vergennes, Montpelier, Thetford, Newfane, and Brattleboro. Burlington and Ferrisburgh leaders both refused to place the question on the agenda, but organizers say they will try to bring it up during public discussion.
In its media release, VCPL said speakers will include local organizers discussing what the group described as “historic accomplishments” and outlining next steps toward making Vermont “Apartheid-Free.”
Apartheid, meaning “apartness” in Afrikaans, the European language of South Africa, was a system of institutionalized racial segregation in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s, designed to maintain white minority rule over the nonwhite majority. It enforced strict racial classifications and segregation in all aspects of life, including where people could live, work, and go to school. The term has been appropriated by Hamas and other pro-Palestinian organizations, including VCPL, as an accusation against the Jewish state of Israel, both before and after the October 7, 2023 invasion by Hamas that killed about 1,200 Israelis, most of them civilians.
Hamas is viewed as one of several ‘proxy’ organizations in Iran’s regional initiative to destabilize and isolate Israel.
The coalition listed several policy goals, including defending free speech related to Palestinian advocacy and supporting individuals including activists Mohsen Mahdawi and Rumeysa Ozturk, both of whom were detained by ICE then released by a judge.
The group also criticized a trip to Israel taken by five Vermont legislators and voiced opposition to legislation it says would promote pro-Israel perspectives in schools. It further called for ending Vermont financial ties connected to Israel and opposing deportations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
It also resists any deployment of the Vermont Air National Guard connected to potential U.S. military action involving Iran.
VCPL said it plans to continue organizing in local communities and at the Statehouse based on the Town Meeting results.
Town Meeting Day, held annually on the first Tuesday in March, allows Vermont voters to decide local issues and non-binding resolutions.