Hampton official blasted for mask mandate 'gas chambers' tweet
HAMPTON — A town selectman is under fire for relating mask mandates and similar restrictions to “gas chambers” used in Nazi Germany, one resident writing a letter to the board for an apology.
Selectman Regina Barnes retweeted a post last week by U.S Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in which he stated the state of Pennsylvania is “making people wear masks inside their homes,” Ohio is “making people be home by 10 p.m.,” and Vermont “won’t even let you have friends over.”
“What’s next?” Jordan asked at the end of his Nov. 18 tweet. Barnes retweeted with the reply, “Gas chambers.”
The comment led to a letter to Barnes, Selectmen Chairmen Jim Waddell, town Manager Jamie Sullivan and the rest of the Board of Selectmen from Hampton resident Matthew Siden, who said he is a Jewish American and took offense to the comment. He wrote that his parents learned they had ancestors “wiped out by the Nazis, most likely in gas chambers.”
“From the age of 10, I heard the horror stories of children that had their whole family wiped out in gas chambers,” Siden wrote in his letter. He wrote that he understands that Barnes was relating mask mandates to gas chambers but that her recent comment went too far for an elected official.
“While I would prefer an elected official to focus on supporting small businesses or helping families in need. This is her right. However, this time she went over the line,” wrote Siden. “She owes her town an apology.”
Barnes interacted with critics on social media prior to Siden sending the letter, defending her statement.
“Are you comparing the inconvenience of wearing a mask to the wholesale slaughter of the gas chambers? I’d like some clarification,” Wendy Rega asked Barnes on Twitter. Barnes replied, “I relate both to communism and genocide.”
Asked if Barnes thought the tweet was distasteful, she replied, “Definitely not.”
She said the tweet falls in line with other statements she has made on social media in which she equates executive orders to tyranny. She also said she recently served a notice of trespass to Gov. Chris Sununu that states she is “exempt from wearing a mask” as a citizen of New Hampshire under the state’s constitution, referring to the governor’s mask mandate order enacted last week statewide.
She pointed to New Hampshire’s Bill of Rights, which says “the power of suspending the laws, or the execution of them, ought never to be exercised but by the Legislature,” arguing no law has been passed by the Legislature to mandate or allow for such a requirement. She made the same statement on an Oct. 26 selectmen meeting to explain why she did not plan on wearing masks at the polls during the following week’s Election Day.
“The legislative body of the people has not assembled, nor has it enacted any statutes, or laws regarding masks,” Barnes wrote to Sununu, having stated the same in an Oct. 26 selectmen meeting. “Therefore, I declare that I have no obligation to comply with any unlawful acts of pretend legislation, as any act that is repugnant or contrary to the Constitution is void and of no effect.”
Siden said he disagrees with Barnes on relating Nazi Germany to Sununu’s mask mandate.
“Equating reasonable, science-based efforts to protect the public from a deadly virus with the most horrific genocide in history is the very definition of offensive and ignorant,” said Siden. “But, this is on par with her usual rhetoric."
Barnes has been criticized in the past for posts she has made on social media. Barnes, a former state Senate candidate, posted the meme Sept. 11 on the “Friends of Regina Barnes” Facebook page stating "If you can pretend Bruce Jenner is a woman & Kamala Harris is black, then you can definitely pretend I am wearing a mask." It drew a call for her resignation from Clifton West, Jr., executive director of the Seacoast Black Lives Matter chapter. Barnes said at the time she would not resign, and Waddell said there is no way to force her to do so.
More:Hampton Selectman Regina Barnes under fire after Facebook posts called offensive
More:Hampton politician called out by shop owner over illegal parking
Following that post, the Board of Selectmen voted to pass a resolution that states it “respects the rights and freedoms of all individuals, and is a non-partisan body. The expressions of individual selectmen on political matters are their own responsibility, and should not be seen as a position of this board.”
Waddell said he does not know if the board will take up the recent complaint in a meeting or make a similar motion, but said he found the comment inappropriate.
“You don’t make jokes about certain things,” said Waddell. “It’s just totally inappropriate.”
Barnes said she does not view her statement as a joke and takes seriously her concerns for the overreach of power amid the coronavirus pandemic. She also said the statement was unrelated to her position as a selectman and does not intend to respond to statements about it at any future selectmen’s meetings.
“It’s not a selectmen issue,” said Barnes. “I’m not apologizing.”
Selectman Rusty Bridle said Barnes' comment was “disgusting.” He said he disagrees with Barnes on how she separates her statements online from her position as a selectman, saying residents look to elected officials for important information and communication. He said he is also unsure whether the board needs to take another vote on disassociating itself from the views of individual members but believes the statement does not reflect the board’s views.
“By putting ‘gas chambers’ on there, it was not done tastefully,” said Bridle. “The rhetoric needs to stop.”