Jesse Jackson has opted to weigh in on Phil Robertson and his inflammatory comments, calling the Duck Dynasty star worse than Rosa Parks' bus driver.
While Robertson's anti-gay comments in GQ got him suspended by A&E and ignited a national controversy, he made other eyebrow-raising statements as well.
Specifically, he said the Nazis needed Jesus, and opined that African-Americans were happier and not mistreated in pre-civil rights era Louisiana.
Collectively, the interview spurred Jackson into action.
"These statements uttered by Robertson are more offensive than the bus driver in Montgomery, Alabama, more than 59 years ago," Jackson told ABC News.
Why does he think Robertson's comments are worse?
"At least the bus driver, who ordered Rosa Parks to surrender her seat to a white person, was following state law," said the 72-year-old minister.
"Robertson's statements were uttered freely and openly without cover of the law, within a context of what he seemed to believe was 'white privilege.'"
Jackson, his Rainbow PUSH Coalition and GLAAD want to meet with A&E execs, along with Cracker Barrel's CEO, to discuss the future of the show.
He wants to meet within 72 hours with A&E and Cracker Barrel, a major Duck Dynasty sponsor, to urge the network to uphold Robertson's suspension.
Jackson and GLAAD said that they believe it's not right for a personality with such a large platform to benefit from such comments or to go unpunished.
Don't look for an apology, however, from the religious Robertson.
Sunday, he defended himself and comments about gays being sinners to his Bible study group in West Monroe, La., while hitting back at his critics.
"I will not give or back off from my path," he reportedly said.
Robertson added that his GQ comments were quotes from the Bible. "I didn't think much of it at all, but it seems a lot of other people did," he said.
Do you agree with the suspension of Robertson?
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