A Democratic representative from North Carolina has sparked a fierce backlash after appearing to endorse the assassination of President Donald Trump.
This controversy erupted on the same day a Minnesota politician and her husband were tragically murdered.
Rep. Julie von Haefen took to social media on Saturday, sharing an image from the anti-Trump "No Kings" protest in Raleigh, North Carolina. The photo depicted a protester holding a flagpole banner with a gruesome image of a bloody guillotine.
The banner ominously declared, "In these difficult times, some cuts may be necessary," and was accompanied by two prop decapitated heads, one resembling President Trump. The other head bore a Nazi swastika, a symbol often used by Democrats to disparage Trump and his conservative allies, as reported by Western Journal.
The imagery was a blatant call for violence against the President, a chilling reminder of the two assassination attempts he faced last year. Von Haefen's actions were particularly egregious given the tragic events in Minnesota, where former Democratic State House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed by a suspected assassin, Vance Luther Boelter. Additionally, Democratic Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were injured in separate attacks at their homes.
Facing widespread condemnation and demands for her resignation, von Haefen admitted on Sunday that her post was "inappropriate." However, she stopped short of apologizing for inciting violence against the President, instead offering a generic denunciation of "political violence in all forms."
Republican Destin Hall, the speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, criticized von Haefen's actions, stating, "Her disgraceful behavior fails to meet the standards expected from House members and sets a dangerous precedent in an already volatile political climate." Hall's comments underscore the gravity of von Haefen's actions and the potential consequences of such rhetoric.
Even in the absence of this weekend's tragic events, von Haefen's call for the President's assassination is indefensible. Her removal from the North Carolina House of Representatives is warranted to prevent further incitement of violence against political opponents.
Allowing such rhetoric to persist only serves to encourage more assassination attempts, a risk that cannot be ignored.
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