Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders on Wednesday called on President-elect Donald Trump to rescind the appointment of Trump’s campaign CEO Stephen Bannon.

Sanders said promoting Bannon to a position of authority in the White House is “totally unacceptable.” Sanders made the demand in a statement released Wednesday afternoon.

“In a democratic society we can disagree all we want over issues, but racism and bigotry cannot be part of any public policy,” Sanders said.

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Sanders is among a chorus of Democrats and anti-discrimination groups that have criticized the appointment of Bannon, a former chief of Breitbart News.

Below is the complete statement from Sanders:

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“This country, since its inception, has struggled to overcome discrimination of all forms: racism, sexism, xenophobia and homophobia. Over the years we have made progress in becoming a less discriminatory and more tolerant society – and we are not going backward. The appointment by President-elect Trump of a racist individual like Mr. Bannon to a position of authority is totally unacceptable. In a democratic society we can disagree all we want over issues, but racism and bigotry cannot be part of any public policy. The appointment of Mr. Bannon by Mr. Trump must be rescinded.”