November 8, 2023 – Madison, WI – This week Assembly Joint Resolution 85 and Senate Joint Resolution 81 were passed in both chambers of the Wisconsin State Legislature. The resolution’s authors, Representative Rick Gundrum (R-Slinger) and State Senator Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) released the following statements after passage.
Representative Gundrum:
“It was time for Wisconsin to remember the millions of people who lost their lives to communist regimes.
“Communism has no compatibility with American principles of freedom of speech, free market capitalism, and democracy. We must ensure that the crimes committed by communist governments and the people who were victims of communist genocide are never forgotten.
“It is deeply disappointing that four Democrats in the Assembly voted against the resolution. Their decision is a slap in the face to the millions of people who have suffered and died at the hands of communist regimes around the world. They are either ignorant of the history and dangers of communism or are simply willing to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others.”
Senator Knodl:
“We must never allow communism to raise its ugly head again. Communism is a totalitarian
ideology that has brought nothing but suffering and death to the people it has subjugated. This commemoration remembers the more than 100 million people who have been killed by communist regimes around the world. We also remember the millions more who have been persecuted, imprisoned, and enslaved. It is important to remember the victims of communism and to fight for freedom and democracy everywhere.
“In light of the ongoing human rights abuses being committed by communist regimes in China, Cuba, and North Korea, the decision by four Assembly members to vote against this resolution is particularly egregious and a betrayal of the American values of freedom and democracy.”
