(Washington) A black elected official from Tennessee, expelled for having demonstrated in the local parliament in favor of better supervision of firearms, will temporarily regain his seat after a vote on Monday.
Last Thursday, Justin Jones, an elected Democrat, was expelled from the assembly, like another of his colleagues, also African-American, for having joined hundreds of demonstrators in the parliament building a week earlier.
They were calling for stricter gun regulations after a shooting at a Christian school in Nashville.
A Nashville council vote Monday night temporarily reappointed Justin Jones to his position, before a special election is held.
The exclusion of these two elected officials had plunged the country into a fierce political battle, between debate on weapons and accusations of racism.
Especially since a third elected Democrat, Gloria Johnson, white and threatened with exclusion for the same reasons, had managed to keep her seat – fueling accusations of racism.
President Joe Biden had stepped up to the plate, inviting the three elected officials to the White House.