Quote of Maine Republican lawmaker's Nazi comments is missing context | Fact check

Andre Byik, USA TODAY
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The claim: Post implies Maine state representative questioned the legality of Nazi Germany's actions

An April 4 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) from the liberal group Occupy Democrats includes a picture of Maine state Rep. Laurel Libby.

"Breaking: In an unhinged rant, Maine Republican lawmaker Laurel Libby just asked, 'What did the Nazis do that was illegal?'" reads text in the image. "This is what we're up against, folks!"

Some social media users took the post to mean Libby was referring to Nazi Germany's actions in the 1930s and '40s.

"It's called the Holocaust. Google is free," one user wrote.

"So. Rounding up undesirables and shoving them into ovens isn't illegal to her," wrote another.

The post was shared more than 4,000 times in six days. A similar post on Instagram was liked more than 6,000 times.

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Our rating: Missing context

The implied claim here is wrong. Libby, a Republican, wasn't referring to Nazi Germany in her comment. She was referencing neo-Nazi activity in the state while making a point about freedom of expression during a debate.

Post omits context of Maine lawmaker's Nazi remarks

On April 3, the Maine House of Representatives narrowly approved a bill that would restrict unauthorized paramilitary training in the state. Democratic state Rep. Laurie Osher sponsored the bill in response to efforts by a prominent neo-Nazi to set up a paramilitary training center in the state in 2023, the Portland Press Herald reported. The bill would ban paramilitary activity intended to create public disturbances or violence, the article said.

The bill, Legislative Document 2130, passed by a 72 to 71 vote and was largely buoyed by Democratic support. It next heads to the state Senate. Opponents, including Libby, have called the bill unconstitutional, saying it infringes on constitutionally protected expression.

It was in this context that Libby spoke about Nazi activity in Maine. During debate on the bill on April 3, she referenced neo-Nazi activity in the state in 2023 that was covered by the media, including reports on a rise in white supremacist and other extremist groups in the state and a demonstration of neo-Nazis at the state Capitol.

"So let’s talk about the Nazis," Libby said on the House floor, according to video of the legislative session archived by the Maine Legislature. "I would like to know – although I’m not posing a question through the chair – I would like to know what they did that was illegal. I would like to know what they did – in detail if folks would like to share – that was wrong; that infringed on another person’s right. Holding a rally – and even holding a rally with guns – is not illegal. That is within our rights, madam speaker."

She continued, "Now we don’t have to like what said Nazis did. We don’t have to like what they stand for. We don’t have to agree with their positions. We don’t have to think well of them. But you know what we do have to do? We have to protect their First Amendment right to free speech and association."

The video of Libby's remarks makes clear she was not referring to the actions of Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, as the image in the Facebook post implies. She was making a point about constitutionally protected speech.

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In a phone interview with USA TODAY, Libby said posts on social media have taken her comments out of context, calling them manipulative and deceitful. She added that her job is to protect the rights of the people of Maine – including their right to freedom of speech and freedom of association – provided they are not infringing on another person's rights. It is not her job, she said, to "like" how people exercise their rights.

Grant Stern, executive editor of Occupy Democrats, acknowledged Libby wasn't talking about Nazi Germany as some took the post to mean, but he defended the point made in the post.

"While Libby wasn’t specifically referencing German Nazis in her comments, rather the American Nazis making a paramilitary camp in her state, it is a distinction of ideology without difference," Stern said in an email.

Stern noted that the Occupy Democrats image was inspired by a viral clip shared on X, formerly Twitter, by the Maine House Democratic Campaign Committee. The 41-second clip shows a portion of Libby's remarks on the state's House floor but excludes her reference to the 2023 media coverage about neo-Nazi activity in the state. It was viewed more than 290,000 times.

Following the circulation of the committee's clip, news organizations such as USA TODAY, The Boston Globe and The Associated Press reported on Libby's contention that her remarks had been misrepresented.

"Everyone who’s watching that clip thinks I’m a 1930s and '40s Nazi sympathizer," Libby told The Associated Press.

The Maine House Democratic Campaign Committee also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Post omits context from GOP lawmaker's Nazi comments | Fact check