A police chief has resigned in disgrace after he called trans people “perverted” and threatened to kill “Marxist Democrats” on social media.
Lang Holland, chief of police in Marshall, Arkansas, resigned from his position after journalists uncovered posts on Parler, a far-right social media platform, in which he endorsed violence against Democrats.
In a post from Friday (November 6), Holland told people to “not forget what these Marxist Democrat b*****ds have tried to do” and urged Republicans to “get in their face” when they see them in public.
“Throw water on them at restaurants. Push them off sidewalks. Never let them forget they are traitors and have no right to live in this Republic after what they have done.”
In another post, he called transgender people “mentally defective” and “perverted freaks”, according to KATV, and also urged people to burn and smash the homes of Democrats and to run them out.
He also said former United States president Barack Obama should be executed and shared a meme from an account simply named “QAnon”, referring to a conspiracy theory that baselessly argues that the world is being run by Satan-worshipping paedophiles who are plotting against Donald Trump.
Holland also reportedly said Black Lives Matter protesters and Antifa members who tried to intimidate Republican voters should be shot in the face.
(1/n) These are screenshots made from the Parler social media app, posts by Marshall, AR police chief Lang Holland.
“Death to all Marxist Democrats. Take no prisoners leave no survivors!”
“Throw water on them in restaurants. Push them off sidewalks.” @KATVNews #ARnews pic.twitter.com/oXCFrnJj6T
— Viktoria Capek (@KATVViktoria) November 7, 2020
After the posts began to circulate on Twitter and Facebook on Friday, another account appeared on Parler with the username “Chieflangholland” that claimed to be the “real chief”.
The account, claiming to be run by Lang Holland, claimed that the original Parler account was “fake” and said he was “horrified and disgusted” by the posts shared on it.
However, Marshall mayor Kevin Elliott later said the original comments were made by Holland and that he had resigned.
“The City of Marshall strongly condemns the actions of Mr Holland in his posts to social media,” Elliott said in a statement released on Saturday (November 7).
“His remarks in no way reflect city government or the people of Marshall, Arkansas,” he added.
“The Marshall community does not in any way support or condone bullying or threats of violence to anyone of any political persuasion! We condemn it! We are a welcoming community that is humbly working to build a bright future for ALL our citizens, whether they be long-term residents or new arrivals.
“Any statements to the contrary do NOT reflect the values of Marshall,” he added.