By Adam Pagnucco.
County Council Members Gabe Albornoz and Natali Fani-González have issued a statement denouncing the remarks by CASA, a county-based immigrant rights group, about the Israel-Hamas war. Their strong statement is remarkable not only because they are the council’s sole Latino members, but also because they have been previously endorsed by CASA’s political affiliate (Casa in Action) and because Fani-González once worked for CASA.
Their statement is reprinted below.
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Statement from Councilmembers Albornoz and Fani-González on CASA’s Comments on the Israel-Hamas War
ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov. 7, 2023—Montgomery County Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz and Natali Fani González released the following statement regarding immigrant rights group CASA’s recent comments on the Israel-Hamas war.
“The recent statement by the immigrant rights group CASA regarding the Israeli and Palestinian conflict has made an already emotional and horrific situation in our community worse. CASA is an organization that we deeply respect and have both supported and worked with for decades to advance social justice and build bridges in our community. That’s why we denounce the statement and are so hurt by their recent divisive and ill-informed comments and actions. We also appreciate and support the statement of our colleague Council Vice President Andrew Friedson in response to CASA’s statements.
“CASA has since deleted their posts and acknowledged the damage and pain they have caused. We also trust that CASA will take further action and work with leaders in both the Israeli and Palestinian communities to use their platform to unite and not further divide our community.
“The Israel-Hamas war is impacting and devastating tens of thousands of our residents in Montgomery County. It’s critical that we foster an environment of mutual respect and understanding. As policy makers, we will work toward building that understanding and encourage all organizations and individuals to do the same.”
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