An elected official organized a demonstration outside the legislature, agitating the protesters into a frenzy. The official then urged the crowd to enter the chamber and act illegally. When the unruly group did so, they disrupted the body to such an extent that it could not do its work and was forced to adjourn. The elected official cheered on, and engaged in, this lawlessness. Lawmakers left the session under police escort due to safety concerns.
Sound familiar? Probably. But the above isn’t a description of January 6, 2021, when former President Donald Trump addressed and agitated a crowd that went on to storm the U.S. Capitol based on the delusion that the 2020 elections were “stolen.” This description is of events local to Worcester, Mass. Instead of the ex-president, this mob was led by officials on the other side of the spectrum, city council members Thu Nguyen and Etel Haxhiaj. Like Trump, the city councilors agitated their crowd based on lies and delusions.
On Oct. 22, after a demonstration inside City Hall that was promoted by these progressive Trumps, protesters made their way into – perhaps “stormed” is the appropriate word – the council chambers to speak in support of a resolution urging a unilateral ceasefire by Israel in its war on Hamas. However, the resolution was not on the council agenda, and Massachusetts public meeting law limits discussion, including public comments, to agenda items only.
The resolution
Organizers from the “Worcester Multi-faith Coalition for a Ceasefire Resolution” had attempted to put a ceasefire resolution on the agenda, but were rebuffed. Prior to the resolution’s submission, the council and much of the community had urged a closer following of a council rule banning items that do not relate to the city from the council agenda. Specifically, the rule disallows “…matters not within the general supervision and/or relating to city government…” After receiving the petition, the city clerk determined that wars in the Middle East are not under the general business of the city.
The resolution would have put the city on record as agreeing that Israel was practicing “apartheid” and “indiscriminate bombing.” It also accepts at face value casualty numbers put forward by Hamas for the war it started and makes no distinction between civilians and terrorists. The document also calls for a one-sided “ceasefire,” demanding an arms embargo on Israel and saying nothing about Iranian arms shipments to Hamas. Equating Israeli hostages, including the baby Kfir Bibas who turned a year old in Hamas captivity, with convicted terrorists and those awaiting trial, the resolution demands the freeing of hostages “and detainees on all sides.”
Beginning of the chaos
At the start of the meeting, a hijab-wearing woman who identified herself only as Orla lied, saying that she wanted to speak on 9N, an item regarding qualifications for employment by the city. After Mayor Joseph Petty ruled her out of order for speaking on the ceasefire resolution instead of 9N, the crowd of about 200 people began chanting, jeering, and yelling.
Nguyen then made a motion to suspend the rules and allow the protesters to speak. The motion was defeated 6-5, as the mob chanted “shame” and “let her speak.”
Given that the item the protesters wanted to speak about was not on the agenda, it is unclear whether a vote to allow discussion would even be legal under the state’s strict open meeting law. A reason the law forces attendees of public meetings only to speak on matters that are on the agenda is to avoid unfairness. In this instance, most people who oppose a unilateral ceasefire as rockets still rain down on Israel didn’t bother to go to the meeting to make their voice heard because they had no reason to think that they would be able to address the issue.
In attempting to force their way and violate rules that aim at fairness, the protesters and their allies on the council were no more pro-democracy than the Proud Boys or former President Trump was on Jan. 6.
Several chaotic minutes of chanting and yelling followed Petty’s ruling that “Orla” was out of order. The council voted 7-4 to adjourn the meeting temporarily.
City business disrupted by mob
Adjournment due to chaos is highly unusual. Worcester city council meetings are normally staid events, with public speakers respectfully, if sometimes heatedly, addressing the council. This time, however, protesters wearing keffiyehs held up signs saying “genocide” and Palestinian flags, yelled and chanted, and at least one went so far as to use a bullhorn.
Because of the storming of the hall, the actual business of running a city was pushed to the side by people talking about a fictitious “genocide.” Waiting to speak, for example, was a young man who was never able to address the council. He wanted to speak on an agenda item he requested, asking the city to put speed bumps in an area where cars travel too fast and endanger children.
Like Trump, Nguyen and Haxhiaj and their allied mob tried to bully, intimidate, and, if they had their way, destroy the legal institutions that didn’t allow them to get what they wanted. “Destroy” is the correct word here. Institutions are destroyed by precedent.
While the rest of the council left the chamber during the adjournment, apparently in hopes that the lawless protesters would tire, Nguyen and Haxhiaj made sure they didn’t. They stayed in the chamber, further whipping up the crowd into a frenzy. Nguyen, wearing a red and white keffiyeh, pumped their fist in the air, leading chants, while Haxhiaj clapped along to a mob that was so loud it could be heard outside of City Hall.
The rest of the council returned about 20 minutes later, but the mob, egged on by the council members who stayed, was even more agitated. Petty tried to reason with the crowd, but to no avail. “Nobody likes what’s going on in the Middle East and the loss of life,” Petty said, before he was cut off by hecklers
“Can I finish?” he asked.
Protesters could have had the resolution on the next meeting’s agenda
City Clerk Nikolin Vangjeli said that he gave the protesters the opportunity to present a new ceasefire resolution for the next meeting of the council.
Vangjeli had been in a difficult situation regarding the ceasefire resolution. He previously allowed a citizen petition that would require elected officials to show proof of citizenship onto the Oct. 15 agenda. While that resolution was unanimously defeated, Vangjeli was widely criticized for allowing it on the agenda. He did so because he viewed it as a request for a change to the city charter and therefore admissible.
After the controversy around the Oct. 15 resolution, the council directed Vangjeli to be stricter in adhering to the rule that limits items only to matters over which the council has authority. When he rejected the ceasefire resolution, he suggested to the organizers that they rewrite the resolution to request a suspension of the rules for the next meeting.
“The clerk gave an option to the organizers on how to put this on the calendar for the next meeting,” the mayor pleaded as the crowd Haxhiaj and Nguyen continued yelling and chanting.
Haxhiaj, Nguyen, and the rest of the multi-faith coalition were not mollified.
Whole meeting derailed
“It’s become obvious that we’re not going to be able to do any work this evening,” District 3 council member George Russell said and motioned for adjournment. When Russell made a statement opposing the resolution, Petty, trying to maintain a fair and neutral approach, ruled him out of order.
Nguyen then asked to be recognized to speak. Petty responded that they could speak on the proposed adjournment but that Nguyen must respect open meeting law and refrain from speaking on an item that was not on the agenda.
Nguyen goes full Trump, threatens “repercussions”
Nguyen immediately broke the rule and, like Trump on Jan. 6, justified doing so with accusations of a conspiracy. Instead of denying election results, however, Nguyen said, “We cannot continue business as usual during a genocide…a genocide for everyone in Gaza. I do not believe that this ruling was correct in silencing our folks here, and so as we talk about our adjournment, we have to talk about the silencing of our constituents who are all demanding a ceasefire.” Petty spoke to rule the comment out of order, but Nguyen cut him off, saying, “I trust that you will not silence me as well.”
In true Trumpian fashion, Nguyen threatened vague “repercussions” for “silencing our folks” and referred to “shady selective bias” of “this government and administration.” Nguyen went on to accuse, apparently, Petty or the city of “white supremacy and imperialism.” Petty eventually did rule Nguyen out of order when they began to read a statement by a “constituent” on Gaza.
The council voted 7-4 to adjourn. Even after the meeting ended, the protesters continued chanting. At least one city councilor received threatening messages stating, “Every city Councilor has names and addresses. AND WE KNOW THEM.” (see photo)
Most council members vacated under police escort. They, at least, had learned from Jan. 6. Demagogues and populists, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum, when they spread lies and whip up a hysterical mob, threaten not only democracy, but people’s safety.
