Chicago City Wire

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson denounced a recent series of bomb threats against Chicago-area libraries while overlooking his own past use of extreme language.

Johnson characterized the bomb threats as an attack on democracy, emphasizing the importance of libraries as a public good and condemning any attempts to ban books.

However, just last month, Johnson referred to opponents of animated pornography in Chicago libraries as "extremists" who sought to disrupt democracy, raising questions about his consistency in defending free speech and public institutions.

Johnson characterized the threats as an attack on democracy.

“We will not sit silently while our city’s institutions are under attack from extremists. Libraries are a public good that everyone should be able to enjoy freely and safely,” Johnson said on Facebook.

“Support Chicago Public Library and fight any attempts to ban books for Chicagoans.”

The threats occurred following the signing of a measure by Governor J.B. Pritzker required Illinois libraries to adopt policies against book banning, a response to bans on numerous books in several Republican-controlled states, primarily addressing issues of race, gender and sexuality.

Last month, Johnson said opponents of animated pornography aimed at children in Chicago libraries were “extremists who want to disrupt our form of democracy and our life and.. want to redo the Civil War.”

Gov. J.B. Pritzker celebrated the state's ban on book bans in public schools and libraries, making it the first in the nation to do so.

Pritzker argued that allowing access to a wide range of perspectives through books is important and criticized the movement to restrict animated pornography in schools as "white nationalism," despite the ongoing concerns of some parents regarding explicit materials in school libraries.