To avoid pro-Palestinian protestors, Gov. Newsom canceled the capitol's annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony this week, opting instead to make the usually public event a virtual one that was pre-recorded and released to the public afterward.
The California Highway Patrol reportedly barricaded most of the capitol building's west side lawn, where the tree is located, and several "KEEP OUT, NO TRESPASSING" signs were posted.
Jonathan Keller, president of the California Family Council (CFC), calls this a poor decision.
"It's deeply discouraging to think that in a state like California, that we've seen our governor, Gavin Newsom, say should be a model for the nation -- we are apparently so concerned about protests, and we are so timid in the response of opposition that we're going to cancel a tradition like this," Keller laments.
A spokesperson for Newsom said nationwide protests led him to make his decision, but the Sacramento Regional Coalition for Palestinian Rights thinks there may be more to it. They accuse the governor of hiding because he "doesn't want to face their anger at his shameful stance in regard to the genocide in Gaza."
Noting the subsequent exclusion of the word "Christmas" from the event, Keller agrees that this cancelation comes with some concerning implications.
"What other types of public celebration of Christmas does the governor think we should cancel?" he poses. "He's not declaring a broader state of emergency. He's not calling out Hamas or other terrorist groups for the threats, but he's willing to back down in the face of public pressure, and I think that's the absolute wrong direction we should go."
Pointing out that Newsom was silent when terrorist sympathizers stormed his party's convention, California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher says the governor continues to bend to intimidation.
Keller submits that is the wrong response.
"It's vitally important that people of faith and that Christians stand up and declare that God's truth is real, and we should not be kowtowing in the face of terrorist pressure," he contends.
