Mississippi Republican Says Leaders Who Allowed Removal of Confederate Monuments ‘Should Be Lynched’

• Rep. Karl Oliver Calls Removal of Statues ‘Nazi-ish’

• Oliver represents same community where 14-year old Emmett Till was lynched in 1955

A Mississippi Republican state representative is lashing out at Louisiana political leaders who allowed Confederate monuments to be removed, comparing the act to those of the Nazis, and calling for them to be lynched.

“The destruction of these monuments, erected in the loving memory of our family and fellow Southern Americans, is both heinous and horrific,” Rep. Karl Oliver wrote on Facebook Saturday night.

“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!” Rep. Oliver urged.  

“Let it be known, I will do all in my power to prevent this from happening in our State,” he promised.

The Jackson Free Press notes “other members of the Mississippi Legislature: House Appropriations Chairman John Reed, a Republican from Gautier, and Rep. Doug Mcleod, a Republican from Lucedale,” also “liked” the post.

“Oliver represents the community of Money, where 14-year-old Emmett Till was lynched 62 years ago,” Mississippi Today reported.

House Speaker Philip Gunn condemned Oliver’s post in an emailed statement Monday morning.

The comments “do not reflect the views of the Republican Party, the leadership of the House of Representatives or the House as a whole,” Gunn said.

“Using the word ‘lynched’ is inappropriate and offensive,” Gunn continued. “We call on Rep. Oliver to apologize.”

New Orleans, Louisiana Mayor Mitch Landrieu has had several Confederate War monuments removed in recent weeks, including one of Gen. Robert E. Lee. 

Oliver, first elected in 2015, has voted to allow the death penalty to be carried out by firing squad, voted to allow certain persons to carry firearms in churches, and voted to allow special rights for people with religious or moral convictions to discriminate against LGBT people, same-sex couples, and even anyone who does not believe sex must only take place between a legally-married husband and wife. 

Mississippi Democratic State Rep. Jeramey Anderson posted his disapproval to Twitter:

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