Right-wing priest Calvin Robinson has been ‘kicked out of a church’ after doing an Elon Musk ‘salute’ at a rally which he says was ‘dry wit’.
The controversial cleric has said he is ‘not a Nazi’ after performing the gesture at the end of his speech at the National Pro-Life summit in Washington DC on Friday.
Just days later the 39-year-old priest, who is also UKIP‘s lead spokesman and a broadcaster, was removed from the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC) with higher-ups suspending his licence to practice.
The pro-life event was held just days after Musk came under criticism for making a ‘salute’ during a celebration for the inauguration of Donald Trump.
Robinson, who is outspoken on the topic of abortion and pro-life matters, had made a speech to a rapturous crowd as conservatives continue to revel in Trump’s election victory.
At the end of his talk, Robinson told the audience: ‘God bless all of you for what you are doing. Please keep doing it. My heart goes out to you’.
He was then seen raising his arm and mimicking the gesture made by Musk days earlier, sparking laughter and applause from the crowd.
The ACC said that many have interpreted the gesture as a ‘pro-Nazi salute’ and that his actions are ‘incompatible with a priestly vocation’.
Calvin Robinson has been kicked out of the Anglican Catholic Church after mimicking Elon Musk’s salute at a speech
Robinson said the gesture was an attempt at ‘dry wit’ after being criticised by people online
The gesture was similar to one made by Elon Musk, who extended his right arm out at an upward angle during a MAGA rally celebrating the inauguration of Donald Trump
Bishop Chandler Holder Jones, the Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Province of America, said the church had ‘revoked’ Robinson’s licence.
In a statement posted on social media site X, which has since been deleted, he said: ‘While we cannot say what was in Mr. Robinson’s heart when he did this, his action appears to have been an attempt to curry favor with certain elements of the American political right by provoking its opposition.
‘Mr. Robinson had been warned that online trolling and other such actions (whether in service of the left or right) are incompatible with a priestly vocation and was told to desist.
‘Clearly, he has not, and as such, his licence in this Church has been revoked. He is no longer serving as a priest in the ACC.
‘Furthermore, we understand that this is not just an administrative matter. The Holocaust was an episode of unspeakable horror, enacted by a regime of evil men.
‘We condemn Nazi ideology and anti-Semitism in all its forms. And we believe that those who mimic the Nazi salute, even as a joke or an attempt to troll their opponents, trivialize the horror of the Holocaust and diminish the sacrifice of those who fought against its perpetrators. Such actions are harmful, divisive, and contrary to the tenets of Christian charity.’
Robinson has denied being a Nazi and says he has been inundated with abuse from ‘very bitter, vile, angry leftists’.
‘Today I received hundreds of nasty calls, texts, voicemails and emails today from very bitter, angry, vile leftists,’ he posted on X.
In a statement Bishop Chandler Holder Jones said Calvin Robinson was ‘no longer serving as a priest in the ACC’
Calvin Robinson said he had been inundated with messages from ‘bitter, angry, vile leftists’
In a full statement after it was announced the church had removed him as a priest, Robinson insisted he was ‘not a Nazi’ and said he was ‘praying’ for the people criticising him
‘They are often the very thing they accuse you of. I am not a Nazi. But I forgive you of your ignorance. My heart goes out to you!’.
He added the gesture was an attempt at ‘dry wit, in that typical British way’ and a ‘mockery of the hysterical ‘liberals’ who called Elon Musk a Nazi for quite clearly showing the audience his heart was with them.’
He said his talk at the pro-life event was well received and he was happy to have contributed to ‘the most important of causes’.
The ACC was the fourth denomination that the former computer science teacher has joined since 2022.
Originally a member of the Church of England, he moved to the Free Church of England when he failed to become a deacon in London, after other bishops raised concerns about his ‘libertarian anti-woke, anti-identity politics, Covid-sceptical’ views.
He later joined the Nordic Catholic Church before moving to the US, where he became a member of the ACC.
Previously a GB News presenter, he was dismissed for supporting Dan Wootton online after he made sexist comments against journalist Ava Evans.
On Tuesday, actress Sophia Bush lashed out at Elon Musk in a series of social media posts.
Musk turned and made the same ‘awkward hand gesture’ to the crowd behind him
But Musk took to his social media platform X to defend himself, stating that his opponents needed ‘better dirty tricks’
In a post to her Instagram account, the 42-year-old wrote: ‘If it walks like Nazi, talks like a Nazi, and throws HHs like a Nazi… it’s a Nazi.’
She continued in another post: ‘Don’t be like Elon. Resist fascism’, before following up with several posts detailing the rise of Nazism in Germany pre-World War II.
Meanwhile, yesterday, it was reported Elon Musk threatened to sue Tim Walz after the former Democratic Vice Presidential candidate claimed the Tesla CEO did a ‘Nazi salute’ at Donald Trump’s inauguration.
And last week he accused his critics of needing ‘better dirty tricks’ after they likened his ‘awkward hand gesture’ to a Nazi salute.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organisation founded to combat anti-Semitism which has criticised Musk in the past, defended the billionaire, saying it appears that he ‘made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute’.
The ADL also noted that Trump’s inauguration was a ‘delicate moment’ and that ‘politics are inflamed’ but urged ‘all sides’ to offer each other ‘bit of grace’ and ‘perhaps even the benefit of the doubt’.
Musk’s questionable gesture came after he made several statements in recent weeks in support of Germany’s far-right AfD party.
