North Carolina Republican calls Black Lives Matter protesters 'ignorant thugs' and 'vermin' — and says cops should 'shoot them'

According to The Charlotte Observer, North Carolina state Rep. Larry Pittman posted an inflammatory rant against Black Lives Matter protesters on Facebook — and encouraged police officers to shoot any who resist arrest.

In the post, Pittman referred to the protesters as “ignorant thugs,” “criminals,” “domestic terrorists,” and “vermin,” who are "sponsor[ed]" by billionaire philanthropist George Soros and "bent on destroying our way of life," and that the police should "shoot them" if they resist or attack officers.

He also attacked his colleagues in public office as “gutless wonders ... who are bowing down to Black Lives Matter,” adding, “This is war. Our people have a right to expect our leaders to be on our side, not surrender to the lawless, godless mob.”

Pittman, a Republican and a pastor who represents a district in Cabarrus County, has frequently attracted national attention for his extreme comments.

In 2011, he said in a letter to colleagues that doctors who perform abortions should be executed by public hanging. In 2012, he called Planned Parenthood "murder for hire." In 2017, he posted on Facebook that the Civil War was "unnecessary" and Abraham Lincoln was "the same sort [of] tyrant" as Adolf Hitler. He later tried to walk this back, saying, "While both Lincoln and Hitler were obviously bad guys, what Hitler did was worse."

Asked for comment in an email from The Observer, Pittman replied, "Sorry, I don’t do interviews."