A Republican Party headquarters in North Carolina was fire-bombed Sunday in a county where Democrats and Independents outnumber Republicans by a factor of 5 to 1. (Charlotte Observer)
Hillsborough police said somebody threw a bottle of flammable liquid through the window of Orange County’s GOP headquarters, setting campaign signs, supplies and furniture ablaze before burning itself out.
A swastika and “Nazi Republicans get out of town or else” were spray painted on the side of an adjacent building. No damage estimates were available.
“The firebombing of a local political headquarters in Orange County is clearly an attack on our democracy,” McCrory said in a statement. “Violence has no place in our society – but especially in our elections. … I will use every resource as governor to assist local authorities in this investigation.”
Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens said, “This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property; it willfully threatens our community’s safety … and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation.”
Indeed, if this attack had targeted the local NAACP or the Black Lives Matter HQ, or even the Democrats election office, no doubt the Obama Justice Department would be mobilizing forces to investigate hate crime charges, but nothing yet, from Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
Hillary Clinton reacted via Twitter:
The attack on the Orange County HQ @NCGOP office is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 16, 2016
Trump was a little less circumspect with his first reaction:
Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning @NCGOP
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016
And followed up with a more vanilla statement:
ALL SAFE IN ORANGE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA. With you all the way, will never forget. Now we have to win. Proud of you all! @NCGOP
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016
Meanwhile, the “Nazi Republicans get out of town or else” graffiti is just ripe with irony considering whomever perpetrated this crime is duplicating actual Nazi behavior while tagging their target as hate-mongering fascists.