Greens Deputy Mayor stood down
On Thursday night, at an extraordinary and unsafe meeting of Waverley Council, Greens Deputy Mayor Ludovico Fabiano was stood down, and he and his colleague Councillor Dominic Wy Kanak were removed from their representative roles and committees.
They were removed by councillors representing the Liberal and Labor parties because of their position to condemn the violence being perpetrated against Palestinian civilians as well as condemn the violence and terror perpetrated by Hamas against Israeli civilians. This view is shared by a huge number of Australians who want to see a ceasefire and a just peace in Gaza. Their views are shared by a number of members of the NSW and federal Parliament as well as the United Nations and Amnesty International.
This is an ugly and dangerous precedent for local government. In a healthy democracy we should hear from and debate people with differing views, not silence them. Councillors should be held accountable for their decisions by the communities they represent at the ballot box rather than stood down by their political opponents. This precedent undermines councillors’ ability to openly represent the concerns of their constituents. It's so important to have a diverse range of voices represented on local councils so that every person living in that community is properly represented.
You can contact councillors Fabiano and Wy Kanak to thank them for their principled stance at [email protected] and [email protected]