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A Republican lawmaker in North Carolina called Black Lives Matter protesters "ignorant thugs" and "vermin" on Tuesday as he launched an attack on officials "bowing down" to activists.
Posting on social media yesterday, State Rep. Larry Pittman said he would tell police officers to take back the Seattle Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) area and shoot anyone who resisted if he was in charge of the city.
The North Carolina Republican also described protesters in the area as "domestic terrorists" forming a "lawless, godless mob" who wanted to destroy the U.S.
"I am thoroughly disgusted by the gutless wonders in public office who are bowing down to Black Lives Matter," Rep. Pittman said on Facebook. "The mayor of Seattle has betrayed the citizens there by allowing the anti-American actions of those ignorant thugs to go unchallenged."
After claiming that public officials and police chiefs had "abandoned" officers in their command, the lawmaker added: "Now all the leftists out there will attack me for calling for officials to let law enforcement get tough with these criminals. I don't care. Law and order must be restored.
"Innocent citizens have a right to expect elected officials and law enforcement officers to protect them and their property. They also have a right to defend themselves with deadly force if they are able. This is war. Our people have a right to expect our leaders to be on our side, not surrender to the lawless, godless mob."
Pittman went on to call demonstrators "vermin" who didn't care about George Floyd—the 46-year-old black man who was killed in Minneapolis Police custody at the end of May.
The state lawmaker issued his comments in the wake of nationwide protests against Floyd's death and police brutality—including largely peaceful demonstrations in North Carolina.
In November, Pittman will face an election challenge from local Democratic candidate Gail Young.
Speaking to the Charlotte Observer, which first reported Pittman's social media post, Young said she was "deeply disappointed" that the GOP lawmaker had incited violence against protesters.
In an email to Newsweek, Pittman said his statement on the protests had been "deliberately misrepresented" by the press and anarchists.
"Peaceful protest is a right and a valuable part of the American society. I was referring to those who commit personal violence, vandalism and theft under the guise of protesting injustice," the lawmaker said.
"Police brutality is a real problem that must be addressed; but there is no justice in making innocent people suffer for the crimes of a few bad cops. I long for the day when people stop making race an issue. To me, according to the Bible, there is only one race, the human race. We just come in different colors; but that should make no difference in how people are treated by anyone."
Pittman's remarks in the key 2020 battleground state are unlikely to be welcomed by President Donald Trump's re-election campaign—which carried the state by 3.6 percentage points in 2016.
Two recent state polls conducted by Public Policy Polling and Change Research showed former Vice President Joe Biden with 4-point and 1-point leads over Trump in the state, respectively.
Among local African-American voters, the Public Policy Polling survey found Biden had an even larger lead of 82 percentage points.
A national poll published by Morning Consult this week also revealed Biden had significant leads over Trump among various black voting groups.
Earlier this month, another state GOP lawmaker called for business owners to be given extended powers to use deadly force against people attacking their property.
The Az Central website reported that State Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita wanted "intentionally damage property while knowingly possessing explosives, a deadly weapon or a dangerous instrument" to be added to a list of legally justified reasons for using deadly force against a person.
The Arizona state lawmaker later added that she felt physical force had to be considered a measure of "last resort," only to be deployed when other options were not available.
Update 06/17/20 09:39 ET: This article has been updated with further comment from Pittman.
