Burlington City Council Betrays Democracy (again)—Apartheid-Free Community Movement Gains Ground
February 15, 2026
We first want to express deep gratitude to everyone who has made this campaign–whether you were collecting signatures and talking to neighbors, meeting with your city councilor, attending Neighborhood Planning Assemblies and city council meetings, posting on Front Porch Forum, or publicly adding your name to the open letter demanding democracy.
As Trump’s fascist regime accelerates its destruction of our rights, it is essential that our elected representatives fulfill their duty to protect every inch of our democratic institutions. Yet, for the third consecutive year, Burlington’s Democratic city councilors have done the opposite. On Monday, January 26, all seven voted again to keep the Apartheid-Free Community (AFC) Pledge off the upcoming Town Meeting Day ballot, despite:
Two years of petitions signed by thousands of Burlingtonians,
A resolution urging the council to place the question on the ballot, which passed in all four Neighborhood Planning Assemblies where it was introduced.
Instead, Democratic councilors passed a counter-resolution introduced by Councilor Schacter (affiliated with the pro-apartheid Shalom Alliance). Their alternative vaguely references “longstanding conflicts in the Middle East” without naming Israeli apartheid and genocide as issues that concern Burlingtonians. It urges narrowly confined “compassionate community dialogue” to normalize and whitewash Israeli crimes and shield U.S. support for Israel. The counter-resolution is also a desperate attempt by Democratic councilors to save face by deflecting from their growing isolation from the majority of constituents who stand against Israeli apartheid and for direct democracy.
Democratic city councilors continue to stonewall the AFC pledge because they know that Burlingtonians will pass it if they can vote for it, as voters did in Winooski, Brattleboro, Thetford, Newfane, and Plainfield. This is quite troubling given the way that advisory questions are meant to act as a check-and-balance that allows residents to have their voice heard when their city councilors are acting out of sync with the will of the people. The Burlington Progressive Party has adopted the AFC pledge and its councilors have stood with us. As we look towards Town Meeting Day and beyond, we must unseat city councilors who have repeatedly shown us they are not committed to democracy and justice.
Popular support continues to build in Burlington and across Vermont for people-powered initiatives to end the U.S.-backed Israeli erasure of Palestinians. Together, we have changed the narrative on Palestine. Nearly 60 Vermont organizations, businesses, and faith groups have now adopted the AFC pledge, dozens of whom gathered for a historic AFC Fair in Burlington's City Hall on September 21, 2025. Boycott campaigns like ‘No Appetite for Apartheid’ are underway throughout the state. More towns around Vermont will vote to adopt the AFC pledge this Town Meeting Day.
As we write this, we know Trump just sent Israel another $6.67 billion in U.S. weapons.1 Israel is still bombing Gaza, killing at least 574 Palestinians in the past 119 days of this so-called “ceasefire.”2 We must continue to organize to meet the urgency of the interconnected crises in the United States and in Palestine. As we chart the future of our movement, we look forward to continuing our work together with all of you.
In solidarity,
Burlington Apartheid-Free Community Committee
Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation
1 https://apnews.com/article/israel-arms-sale-trump-iran-tensions-e73d1fe40974abca838a1a08590934d3