TRENTON – The Senate today voted to condemn the violence, bigotry, and hatred displayed by white supremacists, neo-Nazis and the Klu Klux Klan in Charlottesville, Virginia in August and to reaffirm New Jersey’s commitment to respecting and protecting ethnic, racial, and religious diversity. Sponsored by Senate President Steve Sweeney, the Senate resolution, SR-137, was endorsed by the entire New Jersey Senate.
“New Jersey is one of the most ethnically, racially, and religiously diverse states in the nation, with foreign-born individuals comprising one in five residents,” said Senator Sweeney. “This rich diversity has helped to make New Jersey a stronger, more vital and robust State, one in which bigotry and hatred are never acceptable and have no place. We condemn the violence, bigotry, and hatred displayed by the white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, and we reaffirm our commitment to respecting and protecting ethnic, racial, and religious diversity.”
“The residents of New Jersey have a long tradition of respecting and honoring the freedom to pursue a religious belief and to be diverse in our faiths, New Jersey’s commitment to freedom and liberty for all persons dates to before the Civil War. We join together to condemn the hatred and bigotry displayed and the damage and violence in Charlottesville,” Senator Sweeney said.