First in nation to pledge to cut ties with Israeli apartheid
Media Contact: Paul Fleckenstein, Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation
apartheidfree@vermontcpl.org, 802.373.0329
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4 March 2025
VERMONT – On Town Meeting Day, Voters across Vermont turned out in support of Apartheid-Free Communities pledge with 72% voting to pass it in Winooski and 57% voting to pass it in Brattleboro. The pledge was also passed in Newfane, Plainfield, and Thetford. These historic votes make Vermont the first state in the country to have municipalities vote advising their leadership to cut ties with Israeli apartheid.
“We are on a tidal wave of change. Being able to grow enough support to put it on the ballot in 9 municipalities is a win by itself. Never in the history of this country has the question of Palestine been put to a vote. Democracy works – this should be a wake up call to politicians who blocked the question from going to voters, as they did in Burlington. People have the right to speak and to vote.”
– Wafic Faour, Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation
“This result is a huge win for the struggle for freedom, justice, and equality in Palestine and in Brattleboro. I’m gratified that the majority of Brattleboro voters saw through the scare tactics of Israel’s defenders and their efforts to muddy the waters with claims of antisemitism. In the end, the clarity of our stand against racism and bigotry shone through.”
– Fhar Miess, Brattleboro
“I am proud to live in a city that overwhelmingly supported the AFC pledge, reinforcing our commitment to the dignity and value of every human being. It’s also a recognition that we can’t simultaneously hold this value for our local communities while our tax dollars are funding the genocide and ethnic cleansing of people abroad.”
– Riley Livermore, Winooski
“We feel like Thetford being the first municipality to sign onto the Apartheid Free Communities pledge is a reflection of the movement in Vermont and around the world.”
-Henry Nichols, Thetford
The pledge also brought critical community dialogue to voters in Montpelier, Vergennes, Weybridge, and Ferrisburg. 43% of voters supported the pledge in Montpelier and there was substantial support in the other towns where it did not pass. Across Vermont, significant numbers of voters understood the importance of this issue and turned out to support the pledge.
Learn more about the initiative for apartheid-free communities against Israeli apartheid and genocide at linktr.ee/afcvermont.
This initiative is part of an international campaign developed by the American Friends Service Committee (the national service arm of American Quakers), and supported by hundreds of organizations all over the world. So far, forty organizations in Vermont have adopted the pledge–including AFSCME 1674 Howard Center Union, Education Justice Coalition of Vermont, FreeHer VT, Migrant Justice, The Peace and Justice Center, Outright Vermont, and Jewish Voice for Peace.