Michigan Priest Loses License After Controversial Gesture at Conservative Event [Video]

The Anglican Catholic Church has revoked the license of Michigan priest Calvin Robinson after he mimicked a gesture made by Elon Musk that some interpreted as a Nazi salute.

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Calvin Robinson, the former priest-in-charge at St. Paul’s Anglican Catholic Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been removed from his position after a gesture he made at a recent event sparked widespread backlash.

Robinson made the motion known as the Nazi Salute during his January 25 speech at the National Pro-Life Summit in Washington, D.C. The gesture closely resembled one performed by Elon Musk just days earlier, during a January 20 event celebrating Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Musk had placed his hand on his chest before extending his arm outward and saying, “My heart goes out to you.”  Robinson repeated both the words and the gesture at the end of his speech.

On Wednesday, the Anglican Catholic Church issued a statement announcing Robinson’s removal, saying his actions were widely perceived as a Nazi salute. While the church acknowledged they could not determine his intent, they stated that the gesture and its implications went against their values.

Mr. Robinson had been warned that online trolling and other such actions that are incompatible with a priestly vocation.  Clearly, he has not [stopped], and as such, his license in this Church has been revoked. He is no longer serving as a priest in the ACC.

The church also condemned Nazi ideology and anti-Semitism, stating that any gesture resembling a Nazi salute ”whether intentional or not”diminishes the gravity of the Holocaust and disrespects those who suffered under the regime.

In response, Robinson took to Facebook to defend himself, insisting that his gesture was meant as a joke. “in case it needs saying: I am not a Nazi,” he wrote.

Robinson, who is originally from England, has been outspoken about his conservative views in the past.