Karl Oliver, a Mississippi lawmaker who serves in the state legislature, responded to the removal of several Confederate-era memorials and statues in New Orleans with a rather volatile Facebook post on Saturday. The state representative railed against the procedures in Louisiana and promised his constituents he would “do all in my power to prevent this from happening in our State.” However, what caught readers’ eyes in particular was a not-so-veiled threat Oliver made against the New Orleans leadership, whom he apparently thinks should be “lynched.”
Since late April, four monuments to certain dignitaries of the Civil War-era Confederacy — including statues memorializing President Jefferson Davis and Gen. Robert E. Lee — have been removed from public spaces all over the city. In some instances, these removals have led to intense, violent demonstrations between protesters, counter-protesters and the authorities. Enter Oliver, who decided to up the ante by encouraging more violence:
The destruction of these monuments, erected in the loving memory of our family and fellow Southern Americans, is both heinous and horrific. If the, and I use this term extremely loosely, “leadership” of Louisiana wishes to, in a Nazi-ish fashion, burn books or destroy historical monuments of OUR HISTORY, they should be LYNCHED! Let it be known, I will do all in my power to prevent this from happening in our State.
According to The Clarion-Ledger, Mississippi’s Republican Gov. Phil Bryant labeled Oliver’s statement “unacceptable,” adding it “has no place in civil discourse.” State House Speaker Philip Gunn, another Republican, issued as statement as well:
I condemn the comments recently posted on Facebook by Rep. Karl Oliver. They do not reflect the views of the Republican Party, the leadership of the House of Representatives or the House as a whole. Using the word lynched is inappropriate and offenseive. We call on Rep. Oliver to apologize.
Despite these condemnations from within his own party, however, Oliver has yet to issue a retraction or remove the offending post, which remains online as of this writing. Just in case the Mississippi politician decides to take it down in the near future, here is a screenshot to live forever on the Internet:
(Via The Clarion-Ledger)