Atlanta, Sep 5 (AP) Facebook removed a photo illustration showing a Republican congressional candidate in Georgia posing with a rifle next to three Democratic House members, saying Friday that it violated the social media platform's policy against inciting violence.

The illustration, a montage of four photos, was posted Thursday by Marjorie Taylor Greene, a candidate who has previously courted controversy with her support of a baseless conspiracy theory involving President Donald Trump and her inflammatory remarks about two Muslim congresswomen.

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Greene is favoured to win election in a deeply conservative district northwest of Atlanta. She faces Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal in the general election.

Greene's post featured four separate photos that had been combined to show her posing with a rifle next to Democratic US Reps.

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Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar.

The three left-wing congresswomen, known as part of "the Squad," are often targeted by Republicans. Omar and Tlaib are two of only three Muslim members of Congress. Ocasio-Cortez is Hispanic.

“Hate America leftists want to take this country down,” Greene wrote, later adding, “We need strong conservative Christians to go on the offense against these socialists who want to rip our country apart.” Facebook said the post violated its policy against calling for violence. Omar said the post was generating death threats.

“Posting a photo with an assault rifle next to the faces of three women of color is not advertising,” she said in a statement.

“It's incitement.” Tlaib wrote on Twitter that, “It's dangerous in a time of rising political violence openly encouraged by this fascist president that a soon-to-be member of Congress thinks a post threatening women's lives is acceptable.”

Greene has embraced controversy. After her August 11 runoff victory, she inveighed against “spineless Republicans" and promised to kick Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi out of Congress.

But she denied in a statement Friday that she was trying to incite violence.

“No, those who say that are paranoid and ridiculous,” Greene said.

“Fake news is always looking for the next conspiracy theory. This question is idiotic.”

She went on to say that Democratic opponents “are trying to cancel me out even before I've taken the oath of office” because “I scare them so much.”

Pelosi called on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to “immediately condemn this dangerous threat of violence.”

McCarthy, who was traveling Friday, told The Associated Press he hadn't yet seen the post. But he said the GOP has no place for the QAnon views. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)