Council Denounces Storming of U.S. Capitol; Vows to Combat Hate

Montgomery County Council unanimously adopted a resolution Feb. 23 that reaffirms the county’s commitment to combat hate and extremism, especially in light of the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

“A domestic terrorism incident at the United States Capitol caused incredible pain, fear and stress for many Montgomery County residents who were working to support the functions of Congress that day,” the resolution states.

The resolution denounced “the January 6, 2021 domestic terrorism incident” as well as other antigovernment extremism, white supremacy, racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny, Islamophobia, anti-LGBTQ+ hate, ableism “and all hateful speech and bias-motivated violent actions in our community.”

The ADL (Anti-Defamation League) thanked the council for unanimously passing the resolution. Meredith Weisel, senior associate regional director, noted, “The first step is for us to acknowledge the nature and magnitude of the problem. The second step is for us to use our voices to send a clear and unequivocal message that hate and extremism simply have no home here in Montgomery County.”

Weisel added, “We are extremely grateful that all nine Councilmembers signed on as cosponsors to put it simply – Montgomery County is no place for hate.”

Huge thanks to @EvanMGlass & the entire @MoCoCouncilMD for their support in passing this resolution today. #noplaceforhate https://t.co/kTz41ARdFG

— Meredith Weisel (she/her)✡️ (@mermirmanweisel) February 23, 2021

About Suzanne Pollak

Suzanne is a freelance reporter with Montgomery Community Media. She has over 35 years professional experience writing for newspapers, magazines, non-profit newsletters and the web.

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