An elected official in Pennsylvania got bounced out of office for posting her own version of Elon Musk's salute.
Towamencin Township supervisor Laura Smith resigned Saturday after posting a TikTok video of herself mimicking the arm gesture that many say resembled a Nazi salute, which Musk made last week during president Donald Trump's inauguration celebration, and community outrage against her spread quickly, reported The Philadelphia Inquirer.
"Just checking in on my friends who are struggling this week," Smith says in the video, smiling at the camera and then patting her chest twice before extending her arm straight out. "My heart goes out to you. I hope you're doing okay."
Smith had said in a Facebook post that she posted the TikTok video “to stir the pot. Because I can," but she struck a more contrite tone in her two-paragraph resignation letter.
“To allow the Township to move forward without the encumbrance of the fallout of my video, I tender my resignation from the Towamencin Township Board of Supervisors effective immediately," Smith said.
The Republican was vice chair of the board until her resignation, and she also stepped down from the boards of the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library and the nonprofit Knights for Life.
“The Board of Supervisors cannot and will not tolerate such conduct,” said a post on the township website, adding "[and the board] intends to accept this resignation at a public meeting as soon as possible.”
She said in her resignation letter and also told The Inquirer that her video has been “greatly mischaracterized” and that she “abhor[s] racism, anti-Semitism, or discrimination in any fashion or form, and my record as a township supervisor attests to my commitment to treat all people with dignity and respect.”
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“Not wishing to give offense, I removed the video from my accounts,” Smith said.
The national Anti-Defamation League defended Musk on Inauguration Day, calling his gesture “awkward," but the organization's Philadelphia affiliate condemned Smith's imitation of the salute “utterly unacceptable.”
“Clearly, this sordid episode does not reflect the values of that community or what anyone would expect from their elected officials,” said Andrew Goretsky, ADL Philadelphia regional director. “Her actions have impacted and caused harm to the community which must be acknowledged ... Intentionally mocking constituents' anxieties and concerns by using a gesture similar to a Nazi salute is not only unprofessional but also divisive.”
Watch the video below or at this link.