Minneapolis city council member hits back at racist and anti-Muslim comments, saying people have been describing the police shooting as ‘a terrorist act’

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Minneapolis’ Somali American police officers are “afraid” after a wave of community and online anger in response to last week’s fatal police shooting of Australian Justine Damond.



Abdi Warsame, a Minneapolis city council member, hit back at racist and anti-Muslim comments aimed at the US city’s large Somali and east African community since Somali-born officer Mohamed Noor shot dead the Australian yoga instructor in a residential alley last week.



“I’ve heard others describe this tragedy as a terrorist act, as a Muslim against a Christian,” Mogadishu-born Warsame told reporters at a press conference.



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“These statements are dangerous and purely divisive, and they undermine our American values.”



Warsame pointed to Minnesota politician and former Republican US presidential candidate Michele Bachmann “talking trash” at a hog roast event when she described Noor as an “affirmative-action hire by the hijab-wearing mayor of Minneapolis”.



“I’ve spoken with a number of officers who are afraid,” Warsame said. “I’ve seen young children who are afraid.”

The state of Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in the US. The Somali and east African communities in the state have been targeted with suspicion after multiple arrests and convictions in recent years of locals with links to Islamic State.

Warsame described the shooting of Damond, 40, formerly from Sydney’s northern beaches, as a tragedy and said everything must be done to find the truth about why she was killed.



“Now is not a time for racial hatred. Now is the time for accountability, justice, and change,” he said.



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Damond called 911 last Saturday after hearing a woman’s screams and fearing a sexual assault was taking place near her house.



Noor’s partner Matthew Harrity told investigators Noor shot Damond when she appeared at their vehicle’s window.



Noor, following legal advice, has declined to be interviewed by investigators or speak publicly about the shooting.