NC Lt. Gov. Robinson backs Israel, says he’s ‘never been antisemitic’ despite past comments
North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, as acting governor with Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper out of the country, said he has issued a proclamation “calling for a day of prayer and declaring North Carolina Solidarity with Israel Week throughout the state.”
“We honor and mourn the victims of the terrorist attacks by Hamas and their allies against Israel,” Robinson said.
Robinson has been frequently criticized for his history of antisemitic comments. He walked back some of those comments during a news conference on Thursday, saying that he has “never been antisemitic.”
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization, launched deadly land, air and sea attacks over the weekend that left more than 1,200 Israelis dead as of Wednesday, and between 100 and 150 Israelis captured as hostages, according to The Wall Street Journal. Retaliatory strikes by Israel on Gaza had killed at least 1,200 Palestinians, The Journal reported.
Robinson referred to the murders, hostages and violence, and lauded Republican leaders who, along with many Democrats, pledged formal support earlier this week in the General Assembly. Some Democrats who did not sign on have been criticized. Rep. Terence Everitt of Wake Forest said Republicans were trying to “cover up” their silence over antisemitic remarks made by members of their party, and mentioned Robinson.
On Thursday, Robinson talked about the “disturbing videos” of violence, saying that “terrorists have launched an unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Israel, taken hostages, murdered innocent civilians, including American citizens.”
“These evil acts are unconscionable. Sadly, they’re only the latest in a long line of terrorist attacks by groups like Hamas and their allies. It’s a solemn commemoration of the lives that have been lost; the fight against evil yet to come,” Robinson said.
He declared Oct. 12 through Oct. 19 as “North Carolina Solidarity with Israel Week” and a day of prayer from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday.
Robinson’s antisemitic comments
The News & Observer asked Robinson about his previous comments criticized for antisemitism. Robinson said that he is not antisemitic.
Robinson was elected lieutenant governor in 2020. That’s when many of his controversial Facebook posts first surfaced.
“I believe that Mark Robinson’s election in North Carolina is, as we would say in Yiddish, a shanda,” Rabbi Lucy Dinner of Temple Beth Or in Raleigh told the Jewish Insider in 2021. “It is a black mark on this state.”
He once posted that the Marvel movie “Black Panther” was “created by an agnostic Jew and put to film by satanic Marxist. How can this trash, that was only created to pull the shekels out of your Schvartze pockets, invoke any pride?” The N&O previously reported.
In a 2017 Facebook post, Robinson wrote: “I am so sick of seeing and hearing people STILL talk about Nazis and Hitler and how evil and manipulative they were. NEWS FLASH PEOPLE, THE NAZIS (National Socialist) ARE GONE! We did away with them,” and then continued talking about Communism.
Robinson addressed the comments again on Thursday.
“There have been some Facebook posts that were poorly worded on my part, did not convey my real sentiments, and I have addressed those issues and moved on from those issues,” he told reporters in a news conference at the Legislative Building in Raleigh.
“But I think what we’re seeing here now is the state of North Carolina including me as one of its top leaders, we are dedicated to stamping out antisemitism wherever we find it. And we are definitely dedicated to standing with the nation of Israel as they deal with real antisemitism that has turned into murderous violence. And so our position is clear. There is no antisemitism standing here in front of you, and I can definitely say in the state of North Carolina, the majority of North Carolinians feel the same,” Robinson said.
Pressed by reporters, Robinson said “there was never any antisemitism intended from those words, and there’s never been any antisemitism within me. I’ve never been antisemitic. I’ve never had anything against the Jewish people,” he said. Robinson said he has “dealt with” his Facebook comments and spoken to several Jewish groups about it.
Asked if he apologizes now for the comments, Robinson said: “I apologize for the word — not necessarily for the content, but we apologize for the wording. And we have spoken to several Jewish groups who completely understand what our sentiments were. And we have full confidence in the people of North Carolina understanding Mark Robinson is definitely not anti-Semitic.”
Robinson has not met publicly with any Jewish groups.
Cooper is in Japan the rest of the week for the Southeast U.S./Japan Association meeting in Tokyo. Cooper spokesperson Sadie Weiner called out Robinson’s “long history of hate speech.”
“It’s tragically ironic that someone with a long history of hate speech against Jewish people would take advantage of death and destruction in Israel for his own political purposes. Governor Cooper believes that Israel needs both our prayers and our support,” Weiner said in an emailed statement to The N&O.
“Governor Cooper stands steadfast in supporting Israel and their right to self-defense and has taken action to protect houses of worship and other religious organizations here that could be targets. He has also been in communication with the Israeli government to reaffirm our partnership,” she said.
Robinson said his proclamation on Thursday “is not about upstaging the governor,” but about standing with Israel. He did not want to answer questions about other topics, but said “I don’t think so,” when asked if he plans to take any other action as acting governor while Cooper is gone. The state Constitution allows the lieutenant governor to serve as acting governor when the governor is out of state.
North Carolina First Lady Kristin Cooper posted a photo to Instagram on Wednesday night of the Executive Mansion lit in blue, saying it is “in solidarity with the people of Israel. Our hearts remain with them.”
GOP primary opponent Treasurer Folwell blasts Robinson
Robinson is the frontrunner in the 2024 Republican primary for governor, and is likely to face the Democratic frontrunner, Attorney General Josh Stein.
One of Robinson’s primary-election opponents, State Treasurer Dale Folwell, called Robinson’s proclamation a “stunt.”
“While I strongly condemn the cowardly attack and unprecedented brutality inflicted on the Israeli nation by a terrorist state, and stand in full support of Israel to take actions necessary to defend themselves against an unprovoked attack that has shocked the world, I could not, in good conscience, accept your invitation as a member of the Council of State to stand with you at your press conference this morning,” Folwell wrote in a statement.
Robinson stood alone at the podium in the Legislative Building Auditorium for the news conference.
“You have regrettably seized the opportunity to engage in a stunt with dubious authority as acting governor during a brief interlude while Gov. Cooper is overseas conducting state business,” Folwell said.
“How can you pretend to be governor when the record is clear that you haven’t done your job as lieutenant governor? As a person who has shamefully denied the Holocaust and whose history is checkered with hateful anti-Semitic comments you have no right to be commenting on this topic.”
“You were against the Jewish people before you were for them,” Folwell continued. “As the poet Maya Angelou famously said, when someone shows you who they are the first time believe them. I am saddened but not shocked that you are playing political games for personal benefits.”
Folwell also included a screenshot of a 2018 Facebook post by Robinson that said “this foolishness about Hitler disarming MILLIONS of Jews and then marching them off to concentration camps is a bunch of hogwash.”
Another Republican primary opponent of Robinson, former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, called Robinson’s comments “troubling.”
“For a political candidate to try and use Israel’s nightmare for political gain is appalling. I’ve actually met with Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu at the Israeli Knesset in Jerusalem. My heart breaks for the Jewish people. I don’t think the CEO of the ‘Republican’ Jewish Coalition, Matt Brooks, was gaslighting when he said (in 2021) of Robinson’s antisemitic comments, ‘his refusal to apologize is troubling and unacceptable to us,’” Walker told The N&O on Thursday.
Stein campaign spokesperson Kate Frauenfelder told The N&O: “Mark Robinson called the Holocaust ‘hogwash’ and now uses the slaughter of Israelis and Americans to perform a transparent political stunt — this is as close as he should ever get to being governor.”
This story was originally published October 12, 2023 at 11:50 AM with the headline "NC Lt. Gov. Robinson backs Israel, says he’s ‘never been antisemitic’ despite past comments."
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