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Rep. Ilhan Omar Assaulted by Protester at Town Hall Meeting (www.c-span.org)
submitted 9 months ago by to c/politics@lemmy.world
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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is assaulted by a protester during her first town hall meeting in her district of Minneapolis amid ongoing tension and protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. The protester jumps out of his seat and charges the representative before reportedly throwing a substance on her. This came following her call on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign.

It's going to keep escalating. Wonder when this will mirror the Caning of Charles Sumner.

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[–] 124 points 9 months ago (10 children)

And what, she didn't immediately unload a clip into his back? That's the state sanctioned method for dealing with protestors now, right?

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  • [–] 61 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    Because she’s braver than ICE Nazis.

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  • [–] 14 points 9 months ago (4 children)

    Looked like she was about to stomp his ass though.

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  • [–] 12 points 9 months ago (3 children)

    The sad thing is, if she had clobbered him, much as he would have deserved it, the right-wing media bubble would have hounded her for it, calling her violent.

    Even as it is, that guy will probably make a million dollars on gofundme.

    I hate this fucking country.

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago (1 child)

    I haven't seen a clip of the incident without people criticizing her for even looking like she was about throw hands. "She should have reacted with more decorum."

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    • [–] 69 points 9 months ago (3 children)

    This came following her call on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign.

    For people who didn't watch the video, she says, "Kristi Noem must resign or face impeachment," and the guy jumps up and rushes the stage.

    It sounded sort of like he was saying that Rep. Ilhan Omar should resign or something. But what a weird trigger. You got to wonder what kind of a loser would jump up to defend Noem.

    Or maybe he wasn't defending Noem, and was just waiting for Rep. Ilhan Omar to say something that he could shout back at her. The most childish and mindless of retorts.

    I can't see how this guy could possibly be anything but a total loser. He turns violent presumably in response to propaganda.

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  • [–] 38 points 9 months ago

    Or maybe he wasn’t defending Noem, and was just waiting for Rep. Ilhan Omar to say something that he could shout back at her.

    Possibly this, if be sprayed something on her then he came prepared to do just that and was waiting for the moment to jump.

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago*

    It sounded sort of like he was saying that Rep. Ilhan Omar should resign or something. But what a weird trigger. You got to wonder what kind of a loser would jump up to defend Noem.

    The kind that watches Newsmax. They're carefully programming these crazies to radicalize them into violence against anybody who speaks against Trump or ICE or Noem or anybody in the nazi administration.

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    • [–] 46 points 9 months ago (13 children)

    Really hope whatever the fuck he sprayed her with was nothing dangerous

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  • [–] 35 points 9 months ago (9 children)

    That woman telling her to go get checked immediately was right. It's unlikely, but people have been killed like this before.

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  • [–] 41 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Kim_Jong-nam

    At approximately 9:00 a.m., two women approached Kim with separate components of the VX nerve agent on their hands, combining it into the lethal weapon when touching his face. He died about 15 to 20 minutes later while being transported to the hospital.

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  • [–] 27 points 9 months ago

    This part is wild.

    She told her mother that she found a better job as an actor in prank videos for the Chinese market.[87] After Hương and Aisyah were arrested, they claimed they thought they were participating in a prank.[88] According to both suspects, they were told to play harmless tricks on people in the vicinity for a prank TV show, one target being Kim Jong-nam.[89] They said they were promised US$100, but after losing contact with their handlers, they never received the money.

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  • [–] 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (6 children)

    Yeah... but on the other hand I can see this becoming a common tactic to prevent people from speaking: spray them with water so they have to leave the event to get checked out, while the perpetrator faces relatively light charges because it wasn’t actually dangerous.

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  • [–] 18 points 9 months ago (3 children)

    Wouldn't work. Bring a fake bomb strapped to your chest to a town hall and you don't get a lighter sentence just because it wasn't a real bomb. Pretend terrorism is treated the same as real terrorism.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

    Because that’s an explicit threat. Spraying water is—at least on the face of it—a step below throwing rotten fruit or creme pies or fake blood: you can always claim it was meant to be symbolic.

    Edit for clarification: The point is, you can deliberately make it as non-threatening as possible, and it may be obvious to everyone that it’s not a threat—but if there’s a protocol to always check anyway, you’re shutting the speaker down by exploiting the protocol rather than the threat.

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  • [–] 7 points 9 months ago

    Ah, I see. I didn't realize the water was squirted out of a plastic flower on the attacker's lapel.

    But joking aside, no court would ever interpret the act "on the face of it." Rotten fruit, pie in the face, fake blood, you're right, those have lots of historical precedent as symbolic acts of protest. "Mystery fluid flung at someone's face" has historical precedent too, but not so symbolic.

    I understand what you're trying to say, but you're not thinking like a judge. If you were a judge, would you really want an article in a law book to describe you as the one who thought it was a good idea to greenlight the throwing of mysterious fluids at politicians' faces as an act of protest?

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago (2 children)

    It looked like a gel but that's just a best guess.

    I gave pepper spray that's a gel.

    Maybe that's what it was. Maybe not.

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago (1 child)

    If it was pepper spray, people in the room would have reacted even if it hadn't hit them.

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago*

    Well the gel kind is different. It doesn't spread. But other people are saying it was urine in a syringe. Maybe pig urine.

    I think any liquid shot out of a syringe could look like a gel . So I'm probably wrong.

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    • [–] 35 points 9 months ago (5 children)

    Is it me, or did that guy look drunk as a skunk?

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  • [–] 38 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    She was ready to throw down, lol. He might have picked the wrong one.

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    • [–] 25 points 9 months ago (4 children)

    Imagine standing up in the middle of a town hall ready to attack a state representative...because they called for Kristi Norm to resign... Surely there are better fights worth having.

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    • [–] 21 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    And she bravely went straight towards him, shes a fighter

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  • [–] 5 points 9 months ago

    There's a very good single frame of her, elbow cocked back and ready to swing at him.

    Had it been a better angle would have been an even better FIGHT image, since she's actually ready to throw down and Fuckface was running away.

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    • [–] 22 points 9 months ago

    Must be one of those peaceful nonviolent maga protesters.

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    [–] 18 points 9 months ago* (21 children)

    Shiiiiiiiiiiit somebody come get unc

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  • [–] [S] 16 points 9 months ago (20 children)

    Unc? Could you clarify for the kids in the back?

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  • [–] 26 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    He means uncle, as in someone come get your crazy ass racist uncle and take his ass home

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    Yeah, but this is a weird usage of that term. Normally it's for old dudes who are maybe a bit corny (because old) but basically good dudes. Like, FD Signifier's fans call him unc all the time.

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  • [–] 13 points 9 months ago* (15 children)

    Unc:
    A creepy, misbehaving, often drunk, uncle vibe having ne'er do well.

    or

    A close relative that is feeling themselves a little too much at the family gathering.

    It really depends on context. The asshole that got balled up like used tissue after assaulting Congresswoman Omar was stumbling and smiling, then sprayed her with some fart spray or other childish prank. Another commenter called the assailant drunk. I just went with it.

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  • [–] 10 points 9 months ago (14 children)

    Since when does unc have a negative connotation?

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  • [–] 14 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    Since GenA slang made it a thing.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    I've been hearing The Professional Left and others using it in phrases like "Crazy Uncle Liberty", which has the same connotation - even fairly normal families always seem to have the same unmarried/divorced uncle that loves to spew all the latest Faux News Bullshit Mountain talking points and generally making those around them miserable.

    Crazy Uncle Liberty also is a phrase used for dipshits screeching on hate radio/"patriot radio", or running a newsletter, or trying to recruit you into the John Birch Society, the person acting as the usual guy at the end of the bar on comment sections, and so on...

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago

    Bruh what the absolute fuck. Unc is just like anyone older than like 25 now. Idk wtf crazy uncle liberty is, and if that’s a thing alright cool. But unc has nothing to do with whatever all that is.

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  • [–] -4 points 9 months ago (8 children)

    Since any word referring to the male gender gets interpreted in the creepiest, most damning and uncharitable way imaginable.

    Great time to be alive as a man, we're really smashing the patriarchy /s

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago (7 children)

    Wow bro they let you bail out after spraying shit on Rep. Omar that quickly?

    For real though thats quite a toxic worldview. I’m sorry you’re hurting in whatever way drove you to think like that.

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  • [–] -2 points 9 months ago (6 children)

    The comment chain clearly evolved between the OP and my comment. Someone asked when "unc" got such a negative connotation after another commenter described it in quite despicable terms.

    My comment was on the nature of using the word "unc" in such a derogatory way, when lots of people use it as a term of endearment or at least as a less-harsh way of calling someone old/out-of-touch.

    What I said had nothing to do with the guy in the video. That dude's an asshole and should rot in prison for assaulting a member of congress. I even commented elsewhere that he would have deserved it if she clobbered him.

    Rage at somebody else.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago (5 children)

    I’m clearly not the one raging about anything rn.

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  • [–] 0 points 9 months ago (4 children)

    You even said

    Since when does unc have a negative connotation?

    And

    Nah bruh. The way it’s used is just you old and out of touch with culture now you old. It has nothing to do with creepy drunk uncles jfc.

    So clearly you understood the context, but you deliberately chose to misconstrue what I said because why? Do you get off on it or something?

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago (3 children)

    Since any word referring to the male gender gets interpreted in the creepiest, most damning and uncharitable way imaginable.

    Great time to be alive as a man, we're really smashing the patriarchy /s

    This is not a healthy world view. I’m done with this conversation, have a good night.

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  • [–] 0 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    It's not a healthy state that the world is in. I'm simply diagnosing it (one of several problems, of course).

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    Going incel adjacent is the wrong direction. I told you I was done with this conversation, I’m blocking you now jfc.

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  • [–] 0 points 9 months ago

    Taking issue with someone describing a generic term for men of a certain age group as "creepy, misbehaving, often drunk," and "touches himself too much" is incel adjacent? Or is it noticing the trend where that sort of thing is becoming more common?

    Or you could preemptively block me because you know what you said is an undefendable stance and you don't feel like admitting that?

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    • [–] 9 points 9 months ago

    So annoying that the video will not play over VPN.

    Go figure, though: the fucking ads play just fine, though.

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    [–] 8 points 9 months ago

    Disgusting

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    [–] 20 points 9 months ago (8 children)

    Time to get better security. It's weird that in the time of political assassinations (Kirk, attempt at Trump) you have representatives standing meters away from random people without any cover. If a guy sitting in the public can get to her faster than her security she has no security. Maybe it wasn't necessary 10 years ago but today it's just common sense.

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  • [–] 18 points 9 months ago* (4 children)

    Standing in front of your constituents and being vulnerable sends a much stronger message than hiding behind security. Congressperson Omar knows exactly how that projects a message of accessibility and strength. Watch in the beginning seconds of the video, she's the first to react and has to be held back from the assailant. She then tells her own security that she needs 10 more minutes to finish her speech before she goes to get checked out.

    She's not behind a pane of bullet proof glass, she is amongst her people. She knows exactly what she's doing.

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  • [–] 13 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 child)

    Yup, there's a reason Noem and all the other monsters in the admin have had to scuttle and hide on military bases. They're weak and pathetic, and know people fucking despise them.

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  • [–] 0 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 child)

    Personally I think it would be stupid to die for the sake of optics. She's is targeted by Trump all the time so it was a matter of time before some MAGA nutcase tries something. She doesn't need a bulletproof glass but I think her security should be closer to her than the public. If this guy had a knife she could be dead now. But I get your point. If she thinks having her security closer make her look weak and she's willing to risk her life for a better PR it's her choice.

    Still, her security letting some shady guy sit in a front row (doesn't look like someone who will vote for her) doesn't look good. It looks like they are not ready to handle real attack. Let's hope they won't have to.

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    • [–] 5 points 9 months ago

    More escalation

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    [–] 4 points 9 months ago

    What an absolutely weak half assed attempt to do nothing. Looked pathetic.

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    [–] 3 points 9 months ago

    Video is here: https://files.catbox.moe/1l4r23.mp4

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    [–] 1 point 9 months ago

    I don't like that she stopped just short of clocking that unfuckable turd. She should have let him have it. Instant reelection.

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    [–] -4 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    You Americans need to come up with a better abbreviation for Representative. I always reading it like Republican and get so confused when the people talked about did something against Republicans...

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