A former mayor of Connecticut was recently criticized for posting racist comments about Asians on social media.
According to the Hartford Courant, former New Britain mayor Timothy Stewart made anti-Asian slurs on Facebook, referencing racist comments made by Donald Trump during a presidential debate.
Stewart was responding to a comment made by another person on a post about Trump falsely claiming that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were eating their pets.
“I have some friends in Ohio who said they kill and eat geese, ducks and cats, but they’re not going to touch dogs right now,” the person said, according to screenshots captured by the New Britain Progressive.
“You need to bring in an Asian for that,” Stewart replied, adding a laughing emoji.
This isn’t the first time Stewart has made offensive comments on social media: In 2019, she called a female Democratic lawmaker “hot” after reading a photo of her listening to then-President Donald Trump speak.
The recent comments have sparked outrage among Connecticut’s AANHPI community.
“These constant racist comments are something I’ve heard so many times in my life,” Jenny Heikkila Diaz, co-chair of the Asian Pacific American Coalition, said in an interview with NBC Connecticut.
Local politicians have also called on Stewart to resign from his position on New Britain’s school construction committee.
“As a representative of New Britain’s diverse community, I am appalled by Mr. Stewart’s racist comments. His actions are unacceptable and he must be held accountable for his actions. He should immediately resign from his position on the School Construction Committee,” Rep. Manny Sanchez, a New Britain Democrat, said in a statement in response to the NBC Connecticut report.
Stewart’s daughter, Erin Stewart, currently serves as New Britain’s mayor. She did not respond to NBC Connecticut’s request for comment, but announced Tuesday that she would not seek a seventh term as mayor.
Stewart told NBC Connecticut he would not be commenting.
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