Ousted Tennessee lawmakers say move is 'attempt to crucify democracy'

[marmar]

Ousted Tennessee lawmakers say move is ‘attempt to crucify democracy’
Black legislators were expelled for protesting the Republican-controlled house’s inaction after Nashville mass shooting

Maya Yang
Sun 9 Apr 2023 15.21 EDT


(Guardian UK) Two Tennessee state lawmakers who were expelled from the legislature after partaking in a gun control protest outside the chamber to which they were elected have called the move an unprecedented act of political retaliation as well as an “attempt to crucify democracy”.

During an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press on Easter Sunday, Justin Jones said his and Justin Pearson’s removals from the Tennessee house of representatives would “not go on unchallenged”.

“The Tennessee house Republicans’ attempt to crucify democracy has instead resurrected a movement led by young people to restore our democracy,” said Jones, who – like Pearson – is a Democrat.

Pearson echoed Jones’s sentiments, which seemed to evoke the imagery of Easter, when Christians mark the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion.

“The reality is an institution filled with people who are more concerned about supporting [gun access advocates] than it is protecting the [free expression] right to children and teenagers to be able to come to the capitol and advocate for gun violence prevention laws,” Pearson said to Chuck Todd, the host of Meet the Press. .............(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/09/tennessee-legislature-expulsion-nashville-shooting

[calimary]

1. That's certainly one way to put it.

Crucifixion didn’t silence Our Lord Jesus either. Nor did it stop His Message OR make it go away.