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Michigan House speaker blasts lawmaker’s ‘blatantly racist’ social media post

Joe Tate standing
House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, pictured at a 2023 press conference, said a social media post by Republican lawmaker Josh Schriver was "blatantly racist. (Bridge photo by Lauren Gibbons)
  • Republican lawmaker on Feb. 6 posted an image referencing the 'great replacement' conspiracy theory to his X account
  • The post was condemned by House Speaker Joe Tate and other House Democrats as ‘blatantly racist’

House Speaker Joe Tate and other Democrats are publicly condemning Rep. Josh Schriver after the Republican lawmaker referenced a conspiracy theory popularized by the white supremacist movement on social media. 

In a Feb. 6 post on the social media site X, Schriver, of Oxford, reposted an image from conservative commentator Jack Posobiec that referred to the “great replacement” theory.

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According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the “great replacement” is a racist conspiracy narrative that claims there is an ongoing covert effort to replace white residents of white-majority countries with non-white populations. The theory is often linked to antisemitic beliefs that powerful Jewish people are behind the supposed plot.

The theory was frequently referenced in a document written by the mass shooter who killed 10 people at a Buffalo, N.Y. supermarket in May 2022. 

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Tate, a Detroit Democrat and the first Black lawmaker to serve as House speaker, in a Thursday statement said Schriver’s post was “blatantly racist” and “has deeply and personally offended the Michigan House of Representatives.”

“It is difficult for me to understand why he would hold these beliefs as a representative of a diverse group of Michigan residents,” Tate said. “Ignorance is no excuse for proliferating obvious hate.”  

Rep. Josh Schriver headshot
Rep. Josh Schriver, an Oxford Republican, reposted an image of the “great replacement” theory to his own page on Feb. 6. (Courtesy)

Schriver and a spokesperson for House Republican Leader Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Bridge Michigan. 

In a statement provided to The Detroit News, Schriver said he is “opposed to racists, race baiters, and victim politics.” 

"What I find strange is the agenda to demoralize and reduce the white portion of our population,” the statement continued. That's not inclusive and Christ is inclusive!”

In a subsequent social media post, Schriver wrote: “I do not believe God is a racist but He does love the races! In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Gentile. We are all invited to be brothers and sisters IN HIM!”

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Several Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Jason Hoskins, D-Southfield, and Kelly Breen, D-Novi, publicly criticized Schriver’s remarks. 

“Michigan House Republican celebrates Black History Month by promoting racist and dangerous conspiracies that there are too many people of color,” Hoskins said. 

The progressive organization Progress Michigan called for Schriver’s resignation. Sam Inglot, the group’s executive director, said Schriver “knows what he is doing” by posting “a well-known racist, white supremacist talking point.” 

“The Michigan Legislature is no place for racism, bigotry and extremism,” Inglot continued. 

Schriver, a first-term Republican, is originally from Warren and currently represents the 66th District, which covers portions of northern Oakland and Macomb counties.

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