Evanston’s City Council, perhaps for the first time ever, invoked its 45-minute limit on public comment Thursday night after a number of speakers delivered antisemitic remarks.
One, who gave his name as Sammy Raymo and wore a hat with a logo of the racist GoyimTV website operated by the neo-Nazi Goyim Defense League, said hate speech is as protected as any speech under the constitution and claimed the media and government are controlled by Jews.
Another speaker, on Zoom, claimed to have seen rabbis coming out of sewers in the area of Beth Emet synagogue “with blood on their faces.”
Mayor Daniel Biss turned off the mikes of some of the speakers and reminded them of City Council Rules, Section 6.8, that bars speakers from using “abusive language.”
The handful of antisemitic speakers were interspersed among a much larger crowd of residents who wanted to talk about the potential lease of a new civic center or the fate of a decaying low-income housing development on Wesley Avenue.
A group of supporters of the antisemitic speakers were following along with the session, posting comments on a 4chan message board.
Although one of the antisemitic speakers claimed to live in the 8th Ward, Evanston Now was unable to establish that any of them actually live in Evanston.
The City Council Rules, Section 6.2, says “The business of the City Council shall commence no later than 45 minutes after the beginning of Public Comment.”
But typically Mayor Daniel Biss, and his predecessors, have let the comment period run longer.
Thursday night Ald. Devon Reid (8th) urged the mayor to cut off the comment period at about the 45 minute mark.
“I firmly believe in the right of freedom of speech,” Reid said, but added that the Council appeared to be faced with “a coordinated effort to make totally disgusting comments.”
Reid said he’s been working with the Anti-Defamation League and that it’s become clear that we’re living “in frightening times.”
Seeing no opposition from other council members, Biss concluded the comment period at that point, inviting anyone who hadn’t been heard to email the city clerk with their remarks to be shared with the council.
Update 1:30 p.m.: David Goldenberg, Anti-Defamation League’s Midwest Regional Director, tells Evanston Now “many of the antisemitic fliers we’ve seen in the Chicago area have come from the Goyim Defense League, or their fliers were copied by others.”
They usually distribute flyers at night. “They can hide in the darkness,” he says.
“For someone to take the next step” by going public at city hall, Goldenberg says, “is certainly a more brazen calculation of spreading hate.”
The U.S. has seen a large escalation of antisemitic incidents since the Oct. 7 terrorist raid by Hamas, and the Israel military reprisal in Gaza.
He says that hate groups sometimes use the rhetoric of the far right, while other times try to sound like the antisemitic radical left.
Because of the rise of antisemitism in and around Chicago and Evanston, Goldenberg says it’s vital for everyone to “speak out and show strength” to counteract the poison.
This is absolutely disgusting! They should have never been allowed to speak at all. And Section 6.8 needs to be revised to include hate speech or some use of stronger wording.
How about requiring speakers during the public comment time to show a driver’s license or similar ID to prove that they are using their real name and do live in Evanston?
If I’m the city council I would ask the police to have a major presence at the next meeting and from here on out.
Also, D65 should prep their security and talk to the police about having more of a presence at/around schools.
If these guys can walk into a council meeting without being scared they will for sure have the balls to show up at or around schools to do who knows what.
You have to take this seriously. You cannot F around with this guys, they are dumb enough to hurt people.
There already is a major police presence at these meetings, ever since the ill-fated Ceasefire Resolution back in November brought many protestors (on both sides) to the meetings. The best response is to turn off the microphones and peacefully escort them out. Make sure they get in their cars and leave the premises.
Those select members of the Equity and Empowerment Commission who proposed the one-sided antisemitic ceasefire resolution back in November should shoulder some of the blame for this. They sent out a loud and clear signal that antisemitism is ok in Evanston. Shameful.
Moving forward, perhaps City Council will vet public speakers more thoroughly with measures taken such as mandatory identification such as driver’s license/state ID, valid email & phone number? However, conflating Cease Fire supporters with neo-nazis/anti-semitism is a far too over-simplified generalization. I believe It is possible to support a cease fire AND be unequivocally opposed to anti-semitism, just as it’s possible to support free speech AND strongly oppose the racists who showed up at the meeting being allowed to rant.
Free speech (even when gross) and hate fantasy are not the same. In our common, public spaces we have to allow Illinois Nazis (“God, I hate Illinois Nazis!” – Jake Blues) some space … because we can’t be hypocritical, and nothing says we can’t counter protest/drown out. But “Rabbis from sewers” should be an immediate escort out.
Disagree that it’s unfair to conflate. The one-sided Ceasefire Coalition opened the door with its chosen language and rhetoric. At a previous city council meeting an Evanston resident called Zionists psychopathic and sociopaths & claimed that Hamas’ 10-7 action was required by international law. Let me repeat: an Evanston resident. What did the Ceasefire crowd do in response? Cheer. Same cheers for eliminationist chants and slogans and same lack of response to the Hamas flag that was flying at our very own Fountain Square during an October “Free Palestine” rally. The door has been opened. We warned of this — this is not surprising. Shocking & horrifying? Yes. Surprising? No, not at all for those paying attention. Antisemitism is antisemitism whether it’s coming from the right or the left.