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Burlington Residents Demand Vote on Apartheid-Free Community Pledge
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Advocates urge City Council to include advisory referendum on 2026 ballot.
BURLINGTON – A group of Burlington residents is urging the City Council to place the apartheid-Free Community (AFC) pledge on the town meeting day 2026 ballot. This comes after Democrats on the City Council allegedly blocked the advisory question from going to voters for two consecutive years, despite what they say were “thousands of Burlington residents signing petitions to put the pledge on the ballot.”
in April 2025, the Council unanimously approved a resolution for protecting free speech on Palestine. Advocates argue that it is indeed time to “rectify the fact that our free speech rights have been repeatedly denied” and that “there should be a democratic vote on adopting the pledge.”
The Apartheid-Free Community pledge
The proposed pledge reads:
THE APARTHEID-FREE COMMUNITY PLEDGE:
WE AFFIRM our commitment to freedom, justice, and equality for the Palestinian people and all people; and
WE OPPOSE all forms of racism, bigotry, discrimination, and oppression; and
WE DECLARE ourselves an Apartheid-free community and to that end,
WE PLEDGE to join others in working to end all support to Israel’s Apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation.
There should be a democratic vote on adopting the pledge.
Supporters of the pledge state they “SUPPORT the Apartheid-Free Community (AFC) pledge, and DEMAND that the Burlington City Council place the AFC advisory referendum question on the town meeting day 2026 ballot.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the apartheid-Free Community Pledge?
The Apartheid-Free Community Pledge is a declaration to oppose all forms of racism, bigotry, discrimination, and oppression, and to work towards ending support for what it describes as Israel’s apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation.
Why are residents calling for a vote on the pledge?
Supporters of the pledge believe that a democratic vote is necessary to ensure that the community’s stance on the issues is accurately represented and that their free speech rights are respected.
What happens if the pledge is adopted?
The pledge is an advisory referendum, meaning that it is non-binding. However, it would signal the community’s values and could influence future policy decisions related to investments and partnerships.
sources
- Britannica – Apartheid
- UN Chronicle – Apartheid: The word and its origins
- Oxford Bibliographies – Settler Colonialism
- UN – Decolonization – Settler Colonialism
- ICRC – military Occupation
- council on Foreign Relations – Israel
- B’Tselem – Settlements
- amnesty International – Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories
- Reuters – How do international laws view Israeli settlements?
- PAO – Israeli Settlements
- UNISPAL – Resolutions on Israeli settlements
- UN Press – Security Council calls for end to Israeli settlements
- ICC – Situation in Palestine
- Human Rights Watch – International criminal Court
