Martin Luther King III lambasted North Carolina Lt. Gov. and GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson (R) for alleged comments he made about Martin Luther King, Jr. in 2011.
“I am not surprised by Mark Robinson’s alleged inflammatory and offensive comments about my father, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His praise for slavery, disparaging rhetoric, and grotesque characterization of my dad and his legacy are deeply worrisome for North Carolinians and all Americans who oppose racism and bigotry,” King said in a statement Thursday evening.
“We must work to ensure Mark Robinson gets nowhere near the governor’s office, which is why Andrea and I will be in North Carolina this week to support Josh Stein and local candidates who will stand up for women, Black and Brown North Carolinians, and everyone else who Mark Robinson chooses to disparage.”
A bombshell CNN report on Thursday detailed a wide range of inflammatory comments the candidate allegedly made on a pornography website’s message board more than a decade ago.
CNN identified an account owned by Robinson that included comments calling himself a “black NAZI” and wishing for slavery to be reinstated.
In 2011, he reportedly criticized Martin Luther King Jr. as a “commie bastard” and “worse than a maggot.”
The NAACP on Thursday called on Robinson to drop out of the race.
“Anyone who identifies as a Black Nazi and supports reinstating slavery has no place running for governor,” the organization said. “We’re nonpartisan, but we’re not blind. And we speak out against what is wrong.”
Robinson has denied that the posts were his and said he will remain in the race for governor.
