A right-wing priest was booted from his church after trying to imitate the controversial “salute” Elon Musk performed at an inaugural rally for President Donald Trump last week.
Speaking at the National Pro-Life Summit in Washington D.C. last weekend, Father Calvin Robinson—a religious leader connected to United Kingdom’s far-right movement, according to The Daily Mail—warns in his address that “this is the last stand for Christendom.”
He cautions, “It’s make or break time. The whole of the old world is crumbling. Every country in Europe is embracing death. America as far as I can see is the only country fighting for life.”
As Robinson capped off his speech, he raised his arm to mimic Musk’s controversial Inauguration Day gesture, which many have likened to the Nazi salute.
The viral moment was shared on X by the progressive advocacy group Right Wing Watch and has racked up 1.3 million views.
Robinson was a priest with the Anglican Catholic Church, not associated with the Roman Catholic church, which holds to “traditional Christian morals,” according to its official website.
The Church addressed Robinson’s gesture in a statement posted on its homepage that declared that his association with the ACC has been revoked.
“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,” writes the Church. “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.”
They add, “Clearly, he has not, and as such, his license in this Church has been revoked. He is no longer serving as a priest in the ACC.”
Like Musk’s salute, Robinson’s was criticized and compared to the “Sieg Heil” used in Nazi Germany as the video was shared widely on X. Addressing the video in a Wednesday tweet, Robinson alleged that he received “hundreds of nasty calls, texts, voicemails and emails” from “very bitter, angry, vile leftists.”
“They are often the very thing they accuse you of,” wrote Robinson. “I am not a Nazi. But I forgive you of your ignorance.”
He added with a salute emoji, “My heart goes out to you! 🫡💙”
Robinson followed up with a lengthy statement posted on X Wednesday night, explaining that his “joke” intended to mock “hysterical ‘liberals’ who called Elon Musk a Nazi for quite clearly showing the audience his heart was with them.”
“My attempt at dry wit, in that typical British way, was not a joke at the expense of WWII, nor an admission of my membership in the Nationalist Socialist Party,” he said. “That would be an incredibly ignorant and bad faith assumption to make. The responses are very telling, though. The people who understand, cheer – those who have eyes to see. The people who do not want to understand, reach for their pitchforks.”
Musk, who has vigorously denied that he was giving a Nazi salute, has not commented on Robinson’s evocative hand gesture.