Ceasefire Resolution Aftermath
After a marathon meeting yesterday afternoon, the problematic resolution offered by Councilmember Floyd was not considered by St. Pete City Council. Instead, the Council passed a resolution proposed by Council Chair Figgs-Sanders. Unlike the original, the new resolution truly was a neutral call for peace and diplomacy – and did not call for a ceasefire.
This is a result to be proud of. We worked with several members of City Council during this process, and we’re grateful to every Councilmember who listened to our community and voted in favor of the revised resolution.
We are grateful for every community member who expressed concern to City Council in writing or in person. You reminded all of us once again of one of the most important lessons of the Holocaust: action creates result. That is what Upstanders do.
Victories like this are only possible if we all show up – and keep showing up. This won’t be the last time our voices and our presence are needed, and we can’t emphasize the power of our collective impact enough.
That said, it was an emotionally tough and exhausting meeting. Those of you who were in the room or watching the live stream saw many supporters of Councilmember Floyd’s resolution level unfounded charges of genocide and war crimes at Israel, advocate for an end to the Jewish State, verbally attack Jews in general, justify Hamas’s actions, and label those opposing the resolution as racists. Based on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition, many of these baseless accusations are antisemitic, and others were worryingly extreme. If you’d like to watch the meeting, please click here.
To highlight the antisemitic double standards in the original resolution, Mike’s remarks to Council directly quoted Council’s resolution in support of Ukraine, which passed unanimously in 2022. That resolution recognized that “the people of Ukraine are now engaged in an armed conflict to defend their independence and democratic way of life.” The same is true for Israel – but no Councilmember has ever sought a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Our Council represents St. Petersburg and our values to the rest of the country. We are proud that a strong majority of Councilmembers firmly placed themselves on the right side of history here.
Mike would like to offer a special thank you to the officers of the St. Petersburg Police Department who escorted him back to the Museum after he was accosted by supporters of the original resolution, and to those officers who protect our Museum every day.
We appreciate your support and, as always, we’ll keep you posted on further developments.
If you would like to learn more about our work please visit our website.
