Someone planted a poster connecting Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar to the 9/11 attacks in the rotunda of West Virginia Capitol building, sparking outrage among lawmakers.
The poster features a split image of the former World Trade Center skyscrapers at the time of the attack and a portrait of the representative wearing her trademark hijab beneath it.
"'Never Forget' — You said", the caption on the poster reads. "I am the proof you have forgotten".
.@WVGOP #September11 poster gives @Ilhan @IlhanMN leverage when she plays the victim ☹️https://t.co/a8kpBPUEoG pic.twitter.com/IPPAonBc50
— Cold Cream 'n' Roses (@thestylepage) 3 марта 2019 г.
The poster was part of a display for "West Virginia GOP Day" that the party had advertised on Facebook as a day when "Republicans Take the Rotunda".
The poster, unsurprisingly, caused a heated dispute among the lawmakers, NBC reported. One staff member was physically injured during the morning's confrontations, and another official resigned after being accused of making anti-Muslim comments, the report reads.
Another Democratic Delegate Mike Angelucci alleged that the House's sergeant at arms Anne Lieberman had remarked that "all Muslims are terrorists" during the confrontation. Angelucci demanded she resign citing "hate speech". In a later interview, Lieberman denied she ever made such a comment, however, by the end of the day she had submitted her resignation "effective immediately", NBC reports.
House of Delegates Speaker Roger Hanshaw issued a statement saying his office is investigating what happened.
"Leadership of the House of Delegates is currently working to investigate these incidents to learn firsthand the factual basis of what occurred, and will respond with appropriate action", he said in a statement.
Representative Omar responded to the situation with a Tweet blaming the Republicans for an "anti-Muslim display".
"No wonder why I am on the ‘Hitlist' of a domestic terrorist and ‘assassinate Ilhan Omar' is written on my local gas stations", she tweeted Saturday. "Look no further, the GOP's anti-Muslim display likening me to a terrorist rocks in state capitols and no one is condemning them!"
No wonder why I am on the “Hitlist” of a domestic terrorist and “Assassinate Ilhan Omar” is written on my local gas stations.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) 1 марта 2019 г.
Look no further, the GOP's anti-Muslim display likening me to a terrorist rocks in state capitols and no one is condemning them! https://t.co/0ouCaloWqh
Ilhan Omar a Somali-American politician, was one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, along with Rashida Tlaib. Unlike Tlaib, Omar always wears a hijab in public, and has become famous for being the first lawmaker to do so.
