A Democratic politician in Texas has apologised after appearing to compare a partisan row over a the state's congressional maps to the Holocaust.
The proposal in the majority-Republican state legislature has provoked fierce opposition from Democrats, who claim it will unfairly advantage the right in the upcoming mid-terms.
"We better have the courage to stand up, otherwise we will fall for anything," Representative Jolanda Jones told former CNN host Don Lemon in a podcast interview, adding; "And in this country, we will be defeated, deported.
“We will lose all of our rights, and if you think it can’t happen, it can. And I will liken this to the Holocaust.
“People are like, well, how did the Holocaust happen? How was somebody in a position to kill all them people? Well, good people remain silent.”
Her comments came amid the heated battle over “redistricting” in Texas, with Republican lawmakers advancing new electoral boundaries that critics say would dilute the voting power of Black and Latino communities.
In protest, several Democratic representatives, including Jones, fled the state to block a vote on the new maps by placing the legislature below the attendance threshold required to conduct business.
Tensions escalated further when Governor Greg Abbott filed an emergency petition with the Texas Supreme Court seeking the removal of Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu from office, arguing that Wu and others effectively abandoned their duties by fleeing the state.
Abbott also warned on Sunday that if lawmakers did not return by Monday’s House session, efforts to remove them would begin, including the issuing of civil arrest warrants to be enforced when the representatives returned to Texas.
Apologising for her remarks, which sparked outrage from local Jewish groups, Jones later told Fox News Digital: “I made a statement on The Don Lemon Show comparing Trump’s attempt to disenfranchise black and brown people to the Holocaust. That was a mistake, and I apologise for it.
“Trump is coming for my community, and I get emotional about it and make strong statements, but that was going too far, and I retract that comparison.”
However, the Texas Republican Party sharply criticised her, stating: “The Holocaust isn’t your political metaphor. Millions suffered and died. Comparing that to Texas redistricting... is beyond disgusting.”
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