Clay Higgins, a Republican congressman from Louisiana nicknamed ‘Cajun John Wayne’, is in hot water for a Facebook post he wrote after the London terror attacks.
In the post, Higgins called for all radical Muslims to be hunted down and killed. Higgins wrote the post on Sunday, June 4, the day after the attack in London that left seven dead.
‘The free world… all of Christendom… is at war with Islamic horror. Not one penny of American treasure should be granted to any nation who harbors these heathen animals. Not a single radicalized Islamic suspect should be granted any measure of quarter. Their intended entry to the American homeland should be summarily denied. Every conceivable measure should be engaged to hunt them down. Hunt them, identify them, and kill them. Kill them all. For the sake of all that is good and righteous. Kill them all,’ Higgins wrote.
https://www.facebook.com/captclayhiggins/posts/997878010315211:0
via Washington Post:
Reached by phone, Higgins told The Washington Post that he was surprised that his message was interpreted by some as hateful or an indictment against Islam — in fact, he said, he didn’t view the post as controversial at all.
He said he was calling for the death of Islamic terrorists, not peaceful Muslims. When he used the word “Christendom,” he said, he was referencing the Western world, not calling for a war between Christianity and Islam. Working in law enforcement, Higgins said, he interacted with people from different faiths and backgrounds and has always respected people based on “what was in their heart.”
“I can tell you that there weren’t many Muslims in that part of Louisiana, but those that I have met have been very cool and very loving,” Higgins said. “Many Muslims are American citizens and I’d give my last life’s blood for any one of them, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to speak out boldly and from my heart about the threat we face as a nation and as a world.”
Louisiana Democrats were quick to denounce Higgins comments, however, saying that ‘we need level headed, steadfast leadership to guide and protect us’ and not ‘hot-headed vitriolic language that terrorists aim to provoke.’
https://twitter.com/LaDemos/status/871798718651092993
https://twitter.com/LaDemos/status/871799406424711170
https://twitter.com/LaDemos/status/871799636607909888
However, according to Higgins, he said was deeply affected by the recent terror attacks and believes some Americans fail to realize our society is at war with an enemy who must be killed to be defeated.
“I think I’m well-documented as being a compassionate, loving human being,” he said. “But I got no love for people who blow up children at a concert. What kind of a man would strap a bomb to his chest and blow up children?”
Higgins, the former Reserve Deputy Marshal of Lafayette, is the U.S. Representative for Louisiana’s 3rd congressional district. He won the runoff election held on December 10, 2016, in which he defeated fellow Republican Scott Angelle, winning 56.1 percent of the votes.
He has yet to remove the post from his Facebook page.
