Current North Carolina Republican Lt. Governor and GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Mark Robinson is facing backlash again over antisemitic social media posts and statements.
Back in July of this year, Robinson took heat after he told a Moms for Liberty (MFL) convention in Philadelphia that dictators like Hitler are taken out of context and their work has merit that Americans need to study more.
Two weeks ago while serving as acting North Carolina Governor while Gov. Roy Cooper was in Japan, Robinson faced questions from the press about his history of praising dictators including Hitler and the bigotry in his social media posts.
You can see the exchange—with a fact check from the Democratic Governors Association—here:
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson refuses to apologize for his dangerous record of spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories.
WATCH THIS >> pic.twitter.com/vKMJWs0Wec
— Democratic Governors (@DemGovs) October 24, 2023
These remarks are the tip of the hateful rhetoric iceberg for Robinson, who has also called gay and trans people “filth”.https://t.co/nOr3H4ikZ3
— Heather Stancil (@StancilStancil) October 25, 2023
Robinson declared:
"We’ve dealt with the Facebook posts and moved past them."
But then more previously unreported Facebook posts from 2014-2019 were found where Robinson:
- shared a quotation attributed to Adolf Hitler
- insinuated Democratic leaders and activists—including Holocaust survivor George Soros—pose a greater threat than Hitler
- compared the toppling of a Confederate statue to Kristallnacht
- minimized the legacy of the Holocaust to rant about Marxism
People weren't buying Robinson's claim of not being antisemitic given his well-documented history.
I have never understood how people who have been traditionally discriminated against will turn around and discriminate against others. I would think they would have a unique perspective how not to treat others.
— Hurricanesgirl 🇺🇸 (@Hurricanesgirl) October 25, 2023
Turns out, earlier reporting on Mark Robinson’s antisemitic comments only covered the tip of the iceberg. @J_Insider: North Carolina lt. governor quoted Hitler in newly unearthed social media posts#ncpol #ncgovhttps://t.co/FOVjJ6Ojhd
— Kate Frauenfelder (@kafrauenfelder) October 25, 2023
Keep him away from the governors seat at all costs
— James Brinn 🇷🇺🇺🇸 #FireCashman (@JamesBrinn19) October 24, 2023
talking about this guy tomorrow. an anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist and Tom who quotes old school fascists and is also the Lieutenant Governor of a whole ass state. Mark Robinson of North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/QK6XZXe0D2
— BRG ☭ 🪂 🇵🇸 (@BlackRedGuard1) October 25, 2023
I hope everyone is googling "Mark Robinson anti-semitic" today.#ncpol https://t.co/g8cQQ0eBvF
— Billy Ball (@Billy_K_Ball) October 12, 2023
More things for @taylorswift13 to share about NC's misogynistic anti-Semitic racist lt. gov, @markrobinsonnc. Don't need to take my word for it - Robinson says who he is all the time.https://t.co/sxRm2INB9m
— NC NOW Prez (@ncnowprez) October 22, 2023
I told y’all. @markrobinsonNC & his crazy #antisemitic ride was not one the establishment @GOP wanted.
Mark is about to get Cawthorned.
Bill Graham will have support from party insiders made nervous by Mark Robinson’s political baggage. #ncpol #ncgov https://t.co/IFuLzebnkX
— BlondesForBiden (@BlondesForBiden) October 19, 2023
Some of Robinson's previously disclosed posts—in the slideshow below—also went after the Black and LGBTQ+ community.
Robinson had refused to issue an apology for years.
He claimed he could not and would not be held responsible for posts he made as a private citizen.
But earlier this month Robinson stated:
"I apologize for the wording, not necessarily for the content, but we apologize for the wording."
"And we have full confidence that the people of North Carolina understand that Mark Robinson is definitely not antisemitic."
In July Robinson spoke at Moms for Liberty’s “Blessings of the Liberty Breakfast.”
The North Carolina Republican addressed MFL quoting Hitler in their June newsletter, saying:
"Here’s the thing. Whether you’re talking about Adolf Hitler, whether you’re talking about Chairman Mao, whether you’re talking about Stalin, whether you’re talking about Pol Pot, whether you’re talking about Castro in Cuba, or whether you’re talking about a dozen other despots all around the globe, it is time for us to get back and start reading some of those quotes.”
At Moms for Liberty's Philadelphia event, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) says dictators like Hitler, Stalin and Mao are being taken out of context and promotes reading their writings.
"...It is time for us to get back and start reading some of those quotes." pic.twitter.com/TDXusaIUMZ
— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) July 5, 2023
Robinson stated it’s time for Americans to “start reading” the works of so-called strongmen—homicidal dictators—like Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong, Josef Stalin, Pol Pot and Fidel Castro who he claimed were unfairly taken out of context.
Robinson and his supporters made the same claim about his MFL remarks.
The Republican gubernatorial candidate acknowledged the history of the men wasn’t all positive and American children should be learning the good and bad parts of Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and Castro.
The MFL prayer breakfast had at least one Rabbi and other clergy in attendance while Robinson praised known antisemite Stalin and Nazi leader Hitler.
The Southern Poverty Law Center designated Moms for Liberty a far-right, anti-government, anti-LGBTQ+, Christian Nationalist extremist group.