The Mayor and Council on Dec. 18 unanimously passed a resolution, “Rejecting Anti-Palestinian, Anti-Israeli, Anti-Arab, Antisemitism, Anti-Jewish, and Anti-Muslim Hate in the City of Rockville.”
Find video of the discussion and vote with the Dec. 18 Mayor and Council meeting listing at www.rockvillemd.gov/AgendaCenter. The resolution reads:
WHEREAS the Mayor and Council of Rockville, through Resolutions 10-21 (To Endorse and Commit to the Establishment of Government Policies and Practices that Promote Racial and Ethnic Equity and Social Justice), 12-21 (Hate Has No Place Here: Condemning and Denouncing All Hate and Hate-Motivated Violent Actions in the City of Rockville), and 16-23 (Antisemitism Resolution TOCC), strongly affirm an ongoing commitment to combating hate, prejudice, and discrimination in the City of Rockville; and
WHEREAS the Mayor and Council are aware of numerous incidents of anti-Palestinian, anti-Israeli, anti-Arab, Antisemitism, anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate in our neighborhoods, places of worship, and schools; and
WHEREAS the Mayor and Council understand that lasting peace comes from dialogue, understanding, and respect for the human rights of all people, and that global conflicts can have far-reaching impacts on the Rockville community; and
WHEREAS the Mayor and Council must stand in solidarity against all forms of anti-Palestinian, anti-Israeli, anti-Arab, Antisemitism, anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim violence in Rockville, and must advocate for peaceful and just resolutions to conflicts; and
WHEREAS the Mayor and Council believe in the importance of cultivating a community in which all residents can live, work, learn, play, and worship free from fear; and
WHEREAS the Mayor and Council commit to countering hate and extremism through engagement with all communities, governmental transparency, community conversations, public information sharing regarding efforts to fight extremism, and the investigation and prosecution of those who commit criminal acts by working through the legal system, consistent with civil liberties protections; and
WHEREAS all ideologies based on hate, violence, and intolerance are rejected and condemned, and the Mayor and Council emphatically denounce hate and extremism;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Rockville Mayor and Council condemn all acts of anti-Palestinian, anti-Israeli, anti-Arab, Antisemitism, anti-Jewish, and anti-Muslim hate in Rockville, Maryland.
Mayor and Council Reaffirm Support for Resolution by County Municipalities
The Mayor and Council also reaffirmed the city’s commitment to a resolution against antisemitism signed earlier this year by then-Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton and endorsed by 14 Montgomery County municipalities. Find it at www.rockvillemd.gov/ResolutionAgainstAntisemitism.