A Republican lawmaker is under investigation after calling for the burning and looting of houses that show support for the Black Lives Matter movement, the Concord Monitor reported Saturday.
According to the news outlet, the Department of Justice is investigating Republican State Rep. James Spillane, of New Hampshire, for his since-deleted Facebook post in violation of the Civil Rights Act.
“Public Service Announcement: If you see a BLM sign on a lawn, it’s the same as having a porch light on at Halloween. You are free to burn and loot that house,” Spillane reportedly wrote in a recent post.
The DOJ’s Civil Rights Unit received multiple complaints regarding the Facebook post, with some pro-Black Lives Matter locals expressing fear that it will make them “targets of violence.”
Spillane is also facing calls to resign. New Hampshire House Speaker Steve Shurtleff, a Democrat calling for Spillane’s “immediate resignation,” told the Monitor he believes the “inexcusable” post is an “incitement of violence” that puts residents’ lives at risk.
In 2019, Spillane reportedly lost his seat on a legislative committee after tweeting a photo of a squirrel that he illegally shot dead to an animal rights activist.
Spillane is up for reelection this year.
