Portsmouth Council Bans Music in Meetings

The City Council voted unanimously to ban the playing of music and videos during the public comment portion of its meetings after a local man played what a councilor described as ‘the white Christian nationalist anthem.’

City Councilor Josh Denton made the successful motion to amend the City Council’s rules about public comment — where residents are allowed to come up to a podium and speak for typically three minutes on a topic of their choosing — at this week’s council meeting.

He called the playing of songs, videos or other recordings during public comment both a distraction and a disservice to the public at large.