Cincinnati’s Democratic mayor joined a group of mayors from around the world dedicated to fighting the spread of “nationalist populism” around the world.
Mayor Aftab Pureval’s office confirmed he joined the Pact of Free Cities, formed in 2019 by the mayors of European capitals Bratislava, Budapest, Prague and Warsaw. The organization describes itself as “a global network of mayors determined to stand up for progressive values and fight against nationalistic populism.”
The mayors of Cincinnati and Cleveland are members, as are the mayors of Paris, London, Berlin and others, according to the pact site.
Mayor joined ‘because of the actions of the Trump administration’
In a statement to The Enquirer, Pureval said he joined in May to learn how to fight against “democratic backsliding” and how to serve residents “while navigating challenges from other levels of government.”
It’s not the first time cities have had do this under Trump’s leadership, he said.
“During the first Trump administration, when he backed out of the Paris Climate Accords, it was U.S. mayors working domestically and internationally to maintain our commitments to combating climate change,” Pureval said in the statement.
Cincinnati one of 10 American cities to join this year
Cincinnati was one of 10 American cities to join the pact this year, including Boston, Chicago, Cleveland and Seattle, according to a press release from U.S.-based nonprofit Alliance for Local Leaders International. Prior to this year, Los Angeles was the only American city part of the pact.
The American cities joined the pact virtually or in person at its annual conference in Bratislava, National Public Radio reported. The mayor did not make the trip to Bratislava, a spokesman for the mayor told The Enquirer.
At the meeting, Budapest mayor Gergely Karácsony discussed lessons learned from the defeat of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a veteran nationalist leader and Trump ally, according to NPR.
Karácsony said the turning point for Orbán came when he tried to ban an annual LGBTQ Pride parade and tens of thousands of people defied the ban and marched anyway, NPR reported.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson sent a statement to NPR deriding the mayors who joined the pact.
“If Democrat mayors spent half as much time prioritizing the safety and security of their own citizens instead of participating in TDS [Trump Derangement Syndrome] publicity stunts, their residents would be much better served,” Jackson said in the statement.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati mayor joins global pact to fight ‘nationalist populism’
Reporting by Scott Wartman, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
