WORCESTER, Mass. - Worcester officials are speaking out against multiple instances of hate speech at recent city council meetings.

During the public participation portion of Tuesday night’s city council meeting, two people speaking remotely via Zoom used racist and bigoted language, comments which have since been censored in archived footage of the meeting.

City Councilor Khrystian King, who became the first Black man to serve as the council's vice chairman at Tuesday’s meeting, has emphasized the verbal attacks won’t deter councilors’ work. He said the city council is constantly assessing ways to improve and realize increased civic participation and engagement.

“We know that as civil servants and public servants who provide services that with that comes from scrutiny and some criticism, and that's understood,” King said. “It's not accepted, but it's understood. But when in this particular instance, we had folks who were going after groups and segments of people based on their race and based on their status as members of the LGBT community and those who are transgendered specifically, that we will not stand for.”

The first caller used a racial slur during their remarks, while the second speaker in question targeted the LGBTQ+ community.

In a statement, City Manager Eric Batista said the statements from these two callers were not protected speech, or a criticism of governmental action, but were personally abusive epithets. The full statement can be read below:

“The City of Worcester recognizes the rights of all individuals to participate in the political and civic process as outlined in our statement of inclusivity. The City does not have a written policy addressing conduct during public participation at city council meetings beyond the requirement that comments pertain to items on the agenda and the time limitation set forth in the Rules of the Worcester City Council.

"The City fully recognizes that during the public participation portion of city council meetings the public has an absolute right to criticize government officials and governmental actions. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision in Barron v. Kolenda, 491 Mass. 408 (2023) made that clear.

"However, the statements uttered by two callers to Tuesday’s council meeting were not protected speech. They were not a criticism of governmental action and actors. The two callers, respectively, spewed racist and homophobic comments that were personally abusive epithets, not aimed at anyone in particular, and not shielded by the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights’ robust protection of public criticism of government action and government officials.”

Khrystian King also released a statement on the issue Wednesday afternoon, which can be read here

These incidents come several weeks after another participant at a city council meeting cursed out a member of the city council.