LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution Wednesday, Feb. 14, denouncing the espousal of racist, xenophobic, white supremacist, anti-Semitic, and Islamophobic language by members.
This resolution comes after Republican State Representative Josh Schriver retweeted a great replacement post on social media, and then doubled down on the racist conspiracy theory that there is an international plot to replace white people with people of color.
Schriver was not mentioned in the resolution.
“As elected representatives, we are responsible for our words and actions,” House Speaker Joe Tate said on the house floor.
Schriver said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “Expanding types of “unallowed speech” based on subjective interpretations in our chambers of government sets a dangerous precedent of censorship for ALL Michigan residents.”
The great replacement conspiracy theory began in Europe and spread.
“It suggests that there are political actors who want to support the immigration of brown and Black people in order to replace whites in the population, particularly in the electorate,” said Professor Michael Traugott, with the University of Michigan Center for Political Studies. “It’s taken hold in larger proportion of various right-wing movements around the world and in particular in the United States among some Republicans.”
Tate stripped Schriver of his committee post and his staff earlier this week and called his rhetoric racist.
Detroit civil rights leaders said Schriver’s rhetoric is dangerous.
“It reflects the environment in which we are existing,” said Detroit NAACP Branch President Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony. “He’s not alone in that theory that’s being espoused by people across the country in certain quarters.”
Rev. Charles Williams II is the Michigan chair of the National Action Network.
He said he hopes the first-term Oxford lawmaker is voted out.
“Right is on our side. And with right on our side, I believe that these folks will be taken down every time they pop up,” Williams said.