Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer said Friday that “cancel culture” will “come after Bible characters next” during a discussion of the Chicago initiative to review historical statues in the city, including ones of former President Lincoln.
“If they start canceling American presidents, they’ll come after Bible characters next,” Hemmer said. “Mark my words, right?”
The segment with co-anchor Dana Perino and guest reporter Carley Shimkus centered around a Chicago initiative that would put five Lincoln statues under review.
“Way, way back in the day when I was first working in local news, I was at a CBS affiliate in Springfield, Illinois, and Lincoln was everything,” Perino said. “A part of every aspect of the city and there was even a sandwich named after Abraham Lincoln.”
Lincoln, who was born in Kentucky, considered Illinois his home and was buried in Springfield after his death.
The Black Lives Matter movement has put renewed focus on statues and monuments across the country, in many cases resulting in the memorials’ removal.
Shimkus said that “we are all sinners” and people from our history, despite some bad characteristics, should be celebrated.
She added that it’s the education system’s fault that people are no longer patriotic and that current curricula teach people “to always view themselves as the victim.”
“[A]re we in a transition period in our country right now where our grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren might not think of these people the way we do? They might not be taught in the same way we know them now. I say more statues, not less, not fewer. More opinions, more ideas, not less,” Shimkus said.