BRAINERD, MN (WCCO/CNN) – A Minnesota student’s yearbook quote about President Donald Trump has sparked nationwide fury because it has been seen as a threat.
For its 2017 yearbook, Brainerd High School in Brainerd, MN, dedicated a page to the president, sharing students’ quotes on Trump next to their pictures.
“I would like to behead him. I do not like him,” read the quote next to a 15-year-old’s picture.
The quote went viral, sparking controversy on Twitter – with actor Scot Baio tweeting the picture at the president himself – and in Brainerd.
At the school, protesters gathered, including Jeff Czeczok, who says he’s a local government activist.
"'I would like to behead him' is a threat,” Czeczok said. "It gives a terrible name to the school.”
The Brainerd Schools district says it is investigating how this happened and will review its processes so it doesn’t happen again.
"The administration was previously unaware of the students' statements in the yearbook. The district does not support or otherwise endorse any disrespectful or politically based statements that are in the yearbook and apologizes for the statements that were included,” said a spokesperson for the district in a statement.
Czeczok says he’s not satisfied with the response. He wants the teacher of the yearbook class fired.
"An apology is always fine after the fact, but why did it happen in the first place?" he said.
The student who allegedly said the controversial quote says she was misquoted and never directly threatened Trump.
She also says she didn’t know the comment would end up in the yearbook.
The Secret Service is currently investigating the threats.
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