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A Michigan state senator has apologized for wearing a protective face mask with a pattern that resembled the Confederate flag.
Dale Zorn, a Republican from Ida, had been blasted by other lawmakers for the “deeply hurtful” homemade mask he wore Friday on the Michigan Senate floor.
“Frankly, I’m at a loss for words other than to say I’m just really disappointed to see him make a choice that is deeply hurtful to so many people,” Jim Ananich, Senate Democratic Leader of Michigan, had tweeted.
Some 600 people had also signed a Change.org petition calling for Zorn’s resignation.
The senator issued a statement on social media Saturday, saying he was sorry to have offended.
“I’m sorry for my choice of pattern on the face mask I wore yesterday on the Senate floor. I did not intend to offend anyone; however, I realize that I did, and for that I am sorry,” Zorn said in a statement on Saturday.
“Those who know me best know that I do not support the things this pattern represents,” he said, adding “My actions were an error in judgment for which there are no excuses and I will learn from this episode.”
Debates over symbols of the Confederacy have heated up in recent years, given that they represent racism and slavery to many Americans.
Last week, the Marine Corps banned all Confederate flags, bumper stickers and similar items from its bases.
In an interview with local outlet WLNS on Friday, Zorn had said that the face covering, which his wife made, wasn’t meant to represent the Confederate emblem.
“I told my wife it probably will raise some eyebrows, but it was not a Confederate flag,” Zorn said.
He said his wife told him that the pattern was “more similar to” the Kentucky or Tennessee state flags.
But even if it had meant to represent the Confederacy, Zorn said the symbol is a part of US history and “something we can’t just throw away.”
“And if we want to make sure that the atrocities that happened during that time doesn’t happen again, we should be teaching it,” he said. “Our kids should know what that flag stands for.”
