Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Antisemitism And Meeting Conduct topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents and town officials decry antisemitic displays at recent Coventry meetings; calls for apology
Summary
Dozens of residents decried antisemitic speech and gestures that occurred at recent Town Council and Annual Town meetings, urged leaders to condemn the behavior publicly, and debated who failed to intervene; councilors and community leaders expressed conflicting accounts in public comments and reports.
Dozens of Coventry residents and civic leaders used the public-comment period at the May 4 Town Council meeting to condemn antisemitic speech and gestures that occurred at the council’s April meetings and to urge Council Chairwoman Lisa Thomas and other leaders to respond.
Barbara Riordan, who spoke first during Audience of Citizens, said she supported the budget and bond question but added that “hate is not welcome in Coventry,” describing the previous meeting as having comments and gestures of antisemitism. Other residents recounted similar concerns: Rick Martin said there had been “vulgarity, bigotry, and antisemitism” and warned that a failure to acknowledge it echoes historical episodes where people “claimed to see nothing during World War II.”
Several speakers specifically called on community leaders to apologize or act. Howard Haberern asked RTC Chair John French to apologize to Chairwoman Thomas for not intervening. Megan Boshuyzen identified herself as Jewish and said antisemitic language “is what happens when language goes unchecked,” urging councilors who told a newspaper they had seen nothing to publicly denounce the actions.
John French, who leads the Coventry RTC, said he did not condone the disruptive actions and that the individual should have been removed; he also told the council he believed Chairwoman Thomas should apologize to the RTC community and step down as Council Chair. Councilor Julie Blanchard publicly denounced racism and antisemitism and said a quote attributed to her in the Hartford Courant was a response to a different question, not about the April 20 meeting. Councilor Mark Wheaton said he was “horrified and disgusted” by the actions and that he personally had not seen such displays prior to April 20.
Human Rights Commission Chair Lisa Conant and other residents submitted written statements and urged the council and community to reject hate. Caroline Dowd and Miranda Muro linked the incidents to misinformation and divisiveness, and urged the community not to remain silent.
The council did not take formal disciplinary action during the meeting. Chairwoman Thomas paused the public-comment period earlier in the evening to accommodate a scheduled presentation and noted concerns about safety and prior disruptions; residents were reminded they may also contact the council via email. No motion to censure or other formal remedy was recorded in the meeting minutes that night.
The immediate public outcome was a heightened request from residents and civic groups for clear, public condemnation and for elected leaders to explain how they will prevent similar disruptions at future meetings.
