Brielle Meyer

Tuesday’s session was a closed-door session, the committee voted to censure Anderson and stripped him of his ability to participate in party activities.

^{Photo credit: Derek Anderson for Kent County Commission District 20 campaign website}

Note: This is a story I wrote for WZZM 13 in February of 2025. The original can be found here.

KENT COUNTY, Mich. — The Kent County Republican Committee (KCRC) voted on Tuesday to censure one of its members after he posted pro-Nazi images on social media.

Derek Anderson was stripped of his ability to participate in party activities as a part of the vote. However, since Anderson is a member of the KCRC’s executive committee by state law, they do not have the authority to remove him from the position.

State law requires elected officials and winners of the previous year’s primary elections to serve as statutory members.

Tuesday’s session was a closed-door session, the committee said they made the decision to censure Anderson to “reaffirm its unwavering commitment to the principles of freedom, law and order, and reverence for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

They called his conduct “unbecoming of a member of the party.”

The issue of whether additional steps such as removing Anderson from the position will now go to a special disciplinary committee. KCRC said the party is also investigating its ability to legally remove a statutory member and will pursue options to ensure that people who do not uphold its values are not in positions of influence.

“Anderson’s posts are offensive and wholly inconsistent with the beliefs and values of the Republican Party,” said KCRC Chairwoman Lynn Afendoulis. “Moreover, his sentiments dishonor the service and sacrifice of Americans who fought to defeat Nazi Germany and liberate Jewish survivors of concentration camps. We honor the memory of the millions of Jews who perished and reject any ideology that aligns with the sick, murderous regime responsible for their deaths.”

RELATED: Former GOP Kent County Board of Commissioners candidate posts pro-Nazi images on X