Story highlights "Let it be known, I will do all in my power to prevent this from happening in our state," Rep. Karl Oliver said

A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was removed from New Orleans on Friday

(CNN) A Mississippi Republican lawmaker has apologized after calling for the lynching of politicians who approve of the removal of Confederate monuments.

State Rep. Karl Oliver expressed his frustration over the weekend with a growing movement to get rid of monuments that critics say celebrate slavery.

"The destruction of these monuments, erected in the loving memory of our family and fellow Southern Americans, is both heinous and horrific," he posted on Facebook Saturday. "If the, and I use this term extremely loosely, 'leadership' of Louisiana wishes to, in a Nazi-ish fashion, burn books or destroy historical monuments of OUR HISTORY, they should be LYNCHED!"

"Let it be known, I will do all in my power to prevent this from happening in our state," added Oliver, who has been in the state legislature since 2016.

But after widespread criticism from both sides of the political aisle, the post was removed from Oliver's account and the lawmaker said he was "very sorry" Monday.

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