In light of anti-Semitic allegations directed at Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, this December 6, 2023 Meeting Only Leads to More Questions
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During the Boston City Council’s weekly meeting held on December 6, 2023, Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson invited two Boston Public Schools students to be recognized but did not tell her Council colleagues what for – a fairly standard practice for the Council.
Unbeknownst to Anderson’s Council colleagues, the students were there to be recognized for organizing a pro-Palestine walkout and for pursuing a pro-Palestine education campaign directed at their Boston Public School peers.
The ceremony witnessed several controversial moments, including when one of the students utilized the phrase “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free,” which the Anti-Defamation League has deemed anti-Semitic.
When asked about the incident, Council President Ed Flynn said he found the message to be “blatantly antisemitic” and offered his condemnation. As the Boston Herald reports, Flynn offered the following:
"When Councilor Fernandes Anderson and her office approached my office about doing a presentation, we were told it was to recognize two students, and there was no mention of what the students are recognized for specifically...I was surprised and dismayed when the two students began their speeches, which included language that deeply hurt the Jewish Community"
Following the meeting, as Anderson tried to rally other councilors to the stage for a group photo, several can be seen leaving the chambers through a side door.
Just weeks before, Anderson came under scrutiny after she opposed a resolution condemning the October 7, 2023, HAMAS attack on Israel as a “massive military operation” before proposing her own, separate resolution calling for a ceasefire.
Anderson has also recently been scrutinized after BAN published this now-viral video of Anderson failing to say her “Oath of Office.”
Those interested in watching the full segment from the December 6, 2023, meeting can do so by clicking here.
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