In an extraordinary move, the Republican-led Tennessee House of Representatives expelled two Democratic representatives for breaking decorum during a gun control demonstration at the statehouse last week.
The House voted on Thursday to expel two young Black legislators Justin Jones and Justin Pearson one week after they interrupted debate by leading protesters in a call for stricter gun laws in the wake of a shooting that left six dead at a Christian school. A third Democratic member who had stood with them during the protest, Gloria Johnson, a white woman, came up one vote short.
The House voted 72-25 along party lines to remove Jones and 69-26 to remove Pearson. But Johnson was spared when the vote to expel her came up 65-30. The Republicans controlled the chamber 75-23 and needed 66 votes for expulsion.
The crowd in the gallery erupted in boos and chants following the two expulsions and loud cheers when the vote count turned up just short against Johnson.
According to a report by Reuters, Johnson was probably spared because she did not use a megaphone to lead chants during last Thursday's protest.
"You cannot ignore the racial dynamic of what happened today. Two young Black lawmakers get expelled and the one white woman does not. That's a statement in and of itself," said Pearson in the report.
US President Joe Biden has also criticised the move calling it ‘undemocratic and without precedent’ in a tweet.
Last week, the three Democratic lawmakers had led protesters on the House floor to demand stricter gun laws. The report says that hundreds of protesters had gathered outside the statehouse demanding stricter gun laws.
The Republicans accused the three of engaging in ‘disorderly behaviour’ and said they "did knowingly and intentionally to bring disorder and dishonour to the House of Representatives through their individual and collective actions."
Only two Tennessee state representatives have been expelled by their colleagues since the Civil War era: one in 1980 for soliciting a bribe in exchange for blocking legislation and another in 2016 after being accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women.