Champlain Valley DSA Expresses Dissatisfaction with Senator Bernie Sanders's Refusal to Support a Ceasefire in Palestine
BURLINGTON, VT - This past weekend, a coalition of over 1,000 Vermonters, including Palestinian and Jewish organizations, elected officials, labor organizers, and residents from across the state, rallied at Battery Park and marched the streets of Burlington to make our message clear: End Israel's Genocide On Palestine.
The coalition of organizations included the Champlain Valley Democratic Socialists of America (CVDSA), UVM Young Democratic Socialists of America (UVM YDSA), Vermonters for Justice in Palestine (VJP), UVM Students for Justice in Palestine (UVM SJP), Jewish Voice for Peace-VT/NH, Howard Center Union, AFSCME 1674, Tempest Collective, Migrant Justice, FreeHer Vermont, the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), the Will Miller Social Justice Lecture Series, People’s Kitchen, the Education Justice Coalition, Ben & Jerry’s Scoopers United, Rural Vermont, Co-operation Vermont, Code Pink, the Vermont Peace and AntiWar Coalition, Safe Landing BTV, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Green Mountain Veterans for Peace, St. Michael’s College Diversity Coalition, Burlington Tenants United, the Vermont Workers Center, and the UVM Union of Students.
This protest comes at a time of a skyrocketing Palestinian death toll and growing popular US support for a ceasefire. 66% of Americans and 80% of registered Democrats support an immediate ceasefire. Since October 7th, over 10,000 Palestinians have been killed – 4,100 of which have been children – in nonstop airstrikes.
We have urged Senators Sanders and Welch, as well as Representative Becca Balint, to support the Ceasefire Now Resolution introduced by Representative Cori Bush and Representative Rashida Tlaib. As President Biden asks Congress for $14.3 billion in military aid to Israel, our coalition joins activists around the world in stating that a ceasefire is the only way to stop mass civilian deaths, bring hostages home, and provide desperately needed humanitarian aid.
It is becoming apparent to more and more people that the establishment is willing to turn a blind eye toward the genocide against Palestinians, but we will not abandon our comrades. From the streets to the halls of power, we must stand up against the war machine and say: No Money For Massacres. While we are dissatisfied with Senator Sanders' refusal to call for a ceasefire, we are grateful for our members in office who are standing up for what's right. In an email to one of her constituents and several other elected officials, State Senator Tanya Vyhovsky provided a clear example of what it means to be on the right side of history:
Thank you for reaching out and advocating for an end to the Gaza genocide. I am completely supportive of an end to the Israeli apartheid state and for the Palestinian people to finally have full rights and citizenship in Palestine. I know that there is not much that I can do as a state senator from Vermont but I will continue to advocate for an end to this humanitarian crisis in Gaza. I know this has been a difficult and divisive issue in the United States due to the widespread propaganda that we have been surrounded by for decades. Thank you for your bravery and for reaching out.
We commend Senator Vyhovsky for advocating the socialist position of an end to the Israeli apartheid state. The least our elected representatives on the federal level can do is demand an immediate ceasefire.
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About CVDSA: Champlain Valley Democratic Socialists of America (CVDSA) is the local chapter of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)—the largest socialist organization in the United States with over 85,000 members. CVDSA is run by its members and activists who are working together to build a democratic socialist organization in Addison, Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle counties of Vermont.
