Select Board’s vote for IHRA language a violation of Acton’s town process
It is no accident that the ACLU of Massachusetts has sent the Acton Select Board a letter warning against this proclamation.
The town of Acton is not a representative democracy; it is a deliberative direct democracy. The Acton Select Board are not elected as representatives of voters and are not authorized to make broad policy decisions without evidence of the support of the majority of voters.
The Select Board’s recent proclamation adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism is overreach on the part of the Select Board and a violation of town process. In attempting to defend the Select Board, Town Manager Kerry Lafleur has argued that the proclamation is a non-binding statement of values and does not establish enforceable policy — as setting policy is reserved for Town Meetings. Ms. Lafleur’s argument is invalidated by the content of the proclamation, which clearly articulates a policy promoting a particular definition of antisemitism.
It is no accident that the ACLU of Massachusetts has sent the Acton Select Board a letter warning against this proclamation. The IHRA definition directly conflicts with Americans’ constitutional rights and creates a confusing set of rules about what can be said about a foreign state. The leader of the foreign state in question is currently a fugitive from justice and wanted for war crimes that include using starvation as a tool of war. With this ill-advised abuse of power, the Acton Select Board has turned their war on hate into a war on American citizens and American values.
Jennifer Bell
Edgewood Road
