Watch CBS News

GOP Official Suggesting 'Another Kent State' After Berkeley Protests Resigns

MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) -- A Michigan Republican has resigned after causing outrage by suggesting that protesters at University of California, Berkeley, should be shot.

Dan Adamini, secretary of the Marquette County GOP, told The Mining Journal of Marquette he stepped down so he isn't "a distraction and a hindrance to the work of the party."

Adamini last week tweeted: "Violent protesters who shut down free speech? Time for another Kent State perhaps. One bullet stops a lot of thuggery."

In 1970, the Ohio National Guard fatally shot four Kent State students during Vietnam War protests.

Adamini said he was calling for an end to violence after last week's student demonstration that stopped a speech by right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos. Protesters broke windows and tossed smoke bombs.

Kent State officials called Adamini's posts "abhorrent."

© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.