Kansas GOP Official Apologizes After Comparing Face Mask Order to the Holocaust

Kansas GOP county chairman, Dane Hicks, has issued an apology after his newspaper published a cartoon that compared Gov. Laura Kelly’s (D) recent face mask order to the Holocaust.

The cartoon was shared on Friday by the Anderson County Review, a small Kansas newspaper. In the animation, a woman is depicted wearing a mask with a Star of David on the front of it as she stood in front of a line of people entering a cattle car.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

“Lockdown Laura says: Put on your mask … and step onto the cattle car,” the insensitive caption read.

On Sunday, Dane Hicks, the publisher of the newspaper and the Anderson County Republican Party chairman, issued the apology after intense scrutiny. The image was also removed from the newspaper’s Facebook page.

Another disgusting display by ignorant Republicans who fail to understand that their propaganda is costing lives.

I helped build the Illinois Holocaust Museum to fight exactly this kind of hate.

America is better than this. https://t.co/ITa4sTSoEc

— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) July 5, 2020

“After some heartfelt and educational conversation with Jewish leaders … I can acknowledge the imagery in my recent editorial cartoon describing state government overreach in Kansas with images of the Holocaust was deeply hurtful to members of a culture who’ve been dealt plenty of hurt throughout history — people to whom I never desired to be hurtful in the illustration of my point,” Hicks said in a statement shared to Facebook before adding, “It is not my intention to heap more grief onto this historical burden, and it’s apparent I previously lacked an adequate understanding of the severity of their experience and the pain of its images.”

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) was just one person to weigh in on the disturbing image, calling it “another disgusting display by ignorant Republicans who fail to understand that their propaganda is costing lives.”

The publication came as coronavirus cases in Kansas soared last week, resulting in Kelly issuing the executive order that requires residents to wear face masks while in indoor public spaces. While outside, masks are not required if individuals can remain six feet apart. The order will remain in effect until it is either rescinded or a statewide State of Disaster Emergency related to the coronavirus pandemic expires according to the mandate.