Idaho rep Heather Scott says coronavirus lockdown akin to Holocaust, calls governor Brad 'Little Hitler'
Idaho State Representative Heather Scott has suggested that workers deemed 'non-essential' during the coronavirus pandemic are being treated like Jews during the Holocaust.
Scott who is a Republican and represents District 1 in the A seat in Idaho, compared Governor Brad Little’s shutdown orders to Nazi Germany during an hourlong Zoom interview with Jess Fields, a Houston-based podcast host.
She also referred to the governor as "Little Hitler" and questioned his authority to decide who can and can’t continue working during the pandemic.
"When you have a government telling you that your business is essential or non-essential, yours is non-essential and someone else's is essential, we have a problem there," Scott said. "I mean, that's no different than Nazi Germany where you had government telling people either you were an essential worker or a non-essential worker, and non-essential workers got put on a train."
Scott urged the governor to end the shutdown and claimed that people have compared him to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler over the enforcement. She said, "You can't take away people's lives and property without compensation, and that's exactly what he would be doing. I mean, they are already calling him Little Hitler—Gov. Little Hitler."
She continued, "I think people will start educating others, and people will be more and more vocal until they will say, 'Enough of this,' and put the pressure, hopefully, political pressure, on him. That's what I would hope for."
Scott also compared the COVID-19 disease to the flu. She noted around 34,000 people are estimated to have died in the US from the flu across the whole of last year. However, COVID-19 has killed more than 40,000 Americans in less than three months.
Scott has been called out for her comments. Brenda Hammond, president of the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force, told Idaho State Journal, “It makes my heart heavy to hear a comment from an elected official that shows such deep disregard and lack of respect for what the Jewish people experienced during the time of the Holocaust. It also shows an extreme ignorance of history."
She continued, "Her words will be especially hard for members of our community whose own relatives were put on those trains. Not to mention the few Holocaust survivors we are still privileged to have living among us.”
Scott's comments come as an increasing number of Americans protest the lockdown measures across the United States last week. After President Donald Trump tweeted "LIBERATE" multiple times addressing certain states, protestors gathered on streets and outside government buildings on Saturday to call for an end to the coronavirus-related restrictions that have been implemented to limit the virus's spread.
Following this, Democratic and Republican governors called out Trump's inflammatory tweets. "It is dangerous because it can inspire people to ignore things that actually can save their lives," said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
Gov. Little announced last week that the order would extend to the end of April in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus, although he lightened some restrictions so non-essential businesses could begin providing curbside service.