U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins (R-Port Barre, La.) wants to use “every conceivable measure” to hunt down and kill anyone suspected of being an Islamic radical. Higgins’ rhetoric is similar to when he was a sheriff’s captain and threatened to hunt and trap suspected gang members he referred to as “animals.”
On Sunday, Higgins posted the following statement on his Congressional campaign Facebook page regarding the recent central London terror attacks where seven people were killed:
“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.”
In a Twitter post, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) responded to Higgins’ comments:
“Rep. Higgins’s sentiments fundamentally clash with the core principles upon which this country was founded.”
The Louisiana Democratic Party said in a Twitter post, “We need levelheaded, steadfast leadership to guide and protect us, not hot-headed vitriolic language that terrorists aim to provoke.”
According to the Washington Post, Higgins said in phone call that 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.”
Higgins also told the Post that when working in the sheriff’s office, “he interacted with people from different faiths and backgrounds and has always respected people based on ‘what was in their heart.’”
Higgins made the decision to make a public statement on the attacks in London, but he has not posted a statement on Facebook regarding the fatal attacks in Portland, Ore., on May 30.
“You call it terrorism. I call it patriotism,” said Jeremy Joseph Christian, who may be charged with terrorism or a federal hate crime.
Jeremy Joseph Christian, a 35-year-old convicted felon, went on a fatal stabbing spree on a commuter train attacking bystanders who intervened when he shouted religious slurs at two women of Muslim appearance.
The Portland Mercury reported that Christian is a known white supremacist and right-wing extremist.
‘Cajun John Wayne’
Higgins, a former sheriff’s captain called “Cajun John Wayne” and referred to as “a local legend” by Fox News, won a seat in Congress in December replacing six-term U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany.
In January, he gave a speech on the floor in response to President Donald Trump’s travel ban and bashed Democrats and the “liberal media” for “irresponsible rhetoric.”
Higgins also thanked God for Trump:
“It was President Obama, who, against all reasonable consideration, put the American citizenry at risk in 2016 by his massive expansion of immigration from nations that are known to produce Radical Islamic Terrorists.
“Thank God that President Trump has upheld his oath to protect American lives.”
Prior to serving in Congress, in February 2016, Higgins resigned from his position as captain of the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office amid controversy over a video where he called gang members “animals.”
In Higgins’ viral “Crime Stopper” video, he threatened to hunt and trap suspected gang members.
“You will be hunted, you will be tracked,” he said. “And if you raise your weapon to a man like me, we’ll return fire with superior fire.”
The ACLU took issue with an advance copy of Higgins’ script for the segment, “and several people identifying themselves as family members of the accused gang members said they felt their relatives were in danger because of the segment,” according to KATC.
The county’s sheriff, Bobby Guidroz, said that the Crime Stoppers videos “had gotten away from its original message, and he didn’t like calling out suspects and criticizing people.”
Guidroz said he would “reign” the videos back in to what he believed to be acceptable.
But at a press conference announcing his resignation, Higgins said he would rather resign than be “reined in.”
“I don’t do well reined in,” he said. “Although I love and respect my sheriff, I must resign.”
He also had a message for the suspected gang members and their families.
“I will not kneel to violent street gangs,” said Higgins. “I will not kneel to murderers or the parents that raised them.
“I will not kneel to a discredited, wanna-be, Black activist that doesn’t really have the best interest of his people in mind, who just wants to make a profit.
“I will not kneel to bureaucrats in Baton Rouge, Washington or anywhere else who have forgotten why they wear a badge and who have forgotten who they serve.”
Higgins is also not backing down from his comments made on Sunday. In a separate Facebook post on Monday, he said:
