KILLINGLY, Conn. — A Connecticut lawmaker is standing by comments that compared Gov. Ned Lamont and his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic to Adolf Hitler.
Republican state Rep. Anne Dauphinais initially posted a comment on Facebook Thursday night that called the Democrat “King Lamont aka Hitler.”
In response to criticism for that comment, Dauphinais posted a longer comment on her Facebook page Friday night that mentioned Nazi concentration camps, book burnings, and other actions under Hitler, interspersed with mentions of Lamont’s mandates during the pandemic.
“This Governor, with the help of the one-party rule we have in this state right now, has taken dictatorial powers for himself for what will be almost 2 full years when this latest extension expires,” Dauphinais wrote. “Hitler too was a dictator enabled by the rule of the single Nazi party.”
Steve Ginsburg, Director of the Connecticut region of the Anti-Defamation League, told FOX61 News that “Comparing our Governor to Hitler is offensive and ignores the evil of the Holocaust. We call on Rep. Dauphanais to apologize and educate herself so she can understand the harm her words cause. Such reckless analogies from an elected official exploit the experiences of Holocaust survivors, and they cheapen and delegitimize the memory of victims. Learn more about how and why Holocaust analogies can be disrespectful to victims, survivors, and their descendants here:”
House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora said, "These are really outrageous comparisons to be making." He said, "Over 75 million people died in WW2 and I think that needs to be respected."
He also said the comments take away from the message and concerns some lawmakers have about the state vaccine mandate.
"The appropriateness of government mandating vaccines on individuals in exchange for their employment. That's the discussion I think we should be having," said Candelora.
Max Reiss, Lamont’s communications director, called the comments “disgusting, repulsive and disrespectful to the history and memory of victims of the Holocaust,” the New Haven Register reported. An email message was left with Dauphinais Sunday.
Dauphinais’s district includes Plainfield and Killingly in eastern Connecticut.
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