‘I strongly denounce this hate': Champaign mayor responds to council member's swastika post on Facebook
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — A member of the Champaign City Council is drawing criticism after he updated his Facebook profile picture to a swastika on Friday.
Council member Davion Williams changed his profile picture to the image of a swastika. The post quickly drew criticism in the comments, with people responding that the symbol is hateful. Williams replied, saying the swastika had been used for thousands of years prior across multiple cultures and religions to represent 'good fortune, well-being, and spirituality' and symbolize 'peace, prosperity, and the cyclical nature of life.'
Champaign City Council member apologizes to Jewish community after backlash over comments
Among those reacting to the post was the Mayor of Champaign, Deborah Frank Feinen. She commented 'This is unacceptable,' and also posted a longer statement on her own Facebook page.
'I have just seen the swastika on Council Member Davion Williams Facebook page. I strongly denounce this hate,' she said. 'I will be issuing a full statement today on this, but I did not want to let this hate happen without taking an immediate stand.'
In addition, Feinen updated her cover photo to show a yard sign reading, 'Hate has no home here.'
This is a developing story.
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