GOP lawmakers hold symbolic book burning with flamethrowers

Two Republican lawmakers in Missouri held a public book burning this weekend at a GOP “Freedom Fest” festival in St. Charles County.

Video shows state Senators Nick Schroer and Bill Eigel (who is also running for governor) using flame throwers to shoot fire at a pile of boxes while laughing onlookers chant, “Let’s Go Brandon,” the GOP’s code phrase for “F**k Joe Biden.”

Related: Florida man arrested in connection to Nazi hate vandalism at LGBTQ+ centers

The graffiti included a “death to gays” Bible verse and swastikas.

On Facebook, Schroer posted a 3D photo of the burning and celebrated what he’d done, writing, “This is how we roll in St. Charles County! Burning down the swamp at St Charles GOP Freedom Fest with our grassroots bad to the bone fam. I’m very proud of how our county is finally coming together to ensure government is smaller, freedom isn’t just a campaign term, the constitution is honored, and our babies are protected (born and unborn). Things are heating up in God’s country.”

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Disturbed viewers on social media accused the lawmakers of acting like “Nazi thugs” and called them “impotent” and “pitiful” men who are “coming for our democracy.”

Bill Eigel and Nick Schroer are State Senators. They're burning books.

Is it normal for elected officials to act like Nazi thugs? Not usually, at least in America. So let's just call Republicans what they are, okay?

Nazis. Thugs. https://t.co/JGZIOzOrFc

— Jane of the North (@JaneotN) September 17, 2023

Republican politicians in Missouri literally burning books with flamethrowers while chanting ‘Let’s Go Brandon’.

Don’t look away. They are coming for our democracy.

Out-organize, out-donate, out-register and out-vote these wannabe fascists.pic.twitter.com/JQlWPAslKR

— TrumpsTaxes (@TrumpsTaxes) September 18, 2023

How Nazi of them pic.twitter.com/ezhuWpOkcj

— Outspoken™️ (@Out5p0ken) September 17, 2023

Schroer seemed to use this as fuel for the fire, replying and defending his actions multiple times. He also called the book burning aspect of the event “fake news.”

In one of his replies, Schoer said he and Eigel were burning a stack of empty boxes as part of a fundraiser for a raffle. According to one political forum, the lawmakers had previously vocalized that they decided to burn empty boxes as symbols of “naughty” books so they wouldn’t have to actually purchase them.

That facemask @realJonRiley is proud of sure has resulted in a loss of braincells… or does he normally spread divisive bs fake news? You be the judge.