Graphic image of DeLauro removed

Facebook, Twitter take down depiction of rep.’s beheading

Law enforcement officials are investigating the origins of an edited photo that appeared to depict the Christopher Columbus statue that used to stand in New Haven’s Wooster Square holding the decapitated head of U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro.

The graphic image was removed by social media giants Facebook and Twitter and DeLauro condemned the photo as a product of the “culture of violence” she said President Donald Trump has created.

“This abhorrent photo depicts the beheading of a public official,” DeLauro said in a written statement Tuesday afternoon. “That is an incitement to violence, and law enforcement is reviewing it. This act is part of the culture of violence being fostered by President Trump. Witness Michigan and Virginia.

“These threats and hate in all its forms should be condemned by all, regardless of political party.”

Last week, federal authorities charged 13 members of an anti-government militia with plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the FBI revealed during a hearing Tuesday that the group also discussed targeting Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam — both of whom are Democrats who issued strict lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those arrests have put a spotlight back on threats of violence against public officials and both DeLauro and fellow Democrat U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes were subject to threats to start this week.

The threatening image of DeLauro appeared online Monday, the holiday named for the Italian explorer, as the community continues to grapple with the decision to remove the Wooster Square Columbus statue this summer during a wave of racial and social justice protests in New Haven and across the country.

DeLauro penned an op-ed in June in the New Haven Register that supported the removal of the statue and noted indigenous people should be honored, but she argued Columbus Day should continue in honor of the Italian-American community. New Haven ultimately voted last month to rename the holiday “Italian Heritage Day.”

Monday night, Hayes was subject to threats during a livestream town hall when racist Zoom-bombers interrupted the meeting with racial slurs and offensive music. Members of both political parties condemned the attack on the meeting, but Hayes also related it to a toxic culture related to the president.