GOP State Rep. Mike Hill has put up a video on Facebook defending the Confederate monument in downtown Pensacola:
“I’m Conservative Republican Representative Mike Hill. I’m here to stand in defense of this Confederate Monument,” opens Hill in the 30-second spot. “Those radicals on the left, like Antifa and Black Lives Matter, have demonstrated that all they want to do is destroy, divide and destruct. True American patriots want to build on a success of this nation.”
He adds, “Like President Donald Trump said, ‘You’re not going to rename my military installations,’ you are not going to tear down this Confederate monument. All lives matter. Stand with us.”
The Confederate monument in Lee Square isn’t in his district. In the 2020 legislative season, Hill proposed HB 31 that would have prohibited monuments like the one on the hill on North Palafox Street from ever being removed.The bill died in Criminal Justice Subcommittee on Saturday, March 14. He sponsored similar legislation in 2019 (HB 97) that also was killed in the subcommittee.
This isn’t Hill’s first publicity stunt at the monument. In August 2018, he posted a live video of him standing in front of it with a cheap replica of President Donald Trump’s Walk of Fame Star.
“Okay, Pensacola, I want you to be able to see the Trump star,” said Hill. “As you can see, Pensacola, I have the Trump star. We’re bringing it here to Pensacola. We’re going to lay it here. Trump’s an awesome president, and we’re going to show our support and respect for our president.”
He continued, “Hollywood doesn’t want his star. We want it here.”
Mike won the 2018 House District 1 election, and, of course, the star was never placed in Lee Square.