GOP Group Apologizes After Posting KKK Imagery on Facebook

An Alabama GOP group faced scrutiny this week after sharing KKK imagery on its Facebook.

According to WHNT, the Lawrence County Republican Party shared the post Sunday night when announcing its new county chairman, Shanon Terry. At first glance, the illustration looked like the typical GOP elephant with an American flag motif; but upon closer examination, users noticed there were KKK hoods hidden in the white spaces between the elephant’s legs.

The organization removed the image following online backlash, insisting it never intended to post KKK imagery.

“A google search picture of a GOP elephant was used and later found to have hidden images that do not represent the views or beliefs of the Lawrence County Republican Party,” Terry said in a statement. “The picture was then immediately replaced. As chairman I take full responsibility for the error.”

Illustrator Woody Harrington created the image for a Mother Jones article about the racism and bigotry within Trump’s GOP party. Harrington addressed the incident in an Instagram post, saying it was a lesson in “copyright karma.”

“Its now come to my attention that the Hate Elephant has been given new life (without permission or credit of course),” he wrote. “… Unfortunately, when they google searched ‘GOP elephant,’ they never bothered looking close enough at the original source material, or the elephant’s legs to notice the hidden KKK hoods … Let this be a lesson in copyright karma, and always remember to ask for a proof.”

Terry is also a member of the county school board, and is facing calls for resignation. He told WHNT he has no intention to leave the position, and reiterated that the Facebook was simply a mistake.

“The voters of District Four elected me to represent them and I am proud of the accomplishments of this administration over the past six years. I look forward to continuing to strive to give every student in Lawrence County the best opportunity to be successful,” he statement read in part. “… The image posted by me on a political Facebook page was not done with any malicious or harmful intent. Once made aware of the negative portion of the picture I immediately replaced it and followed up with an apology/explanation the next day … I do not support or agree with any hate group agenda and certainly would not try to further their cause.”

The Lawrence County Republican Party’s Facebook page was deleted Thursday night.