A tweet by President Donald Trump has led to an increase in threats against her life, claimed Ilhan Omar one of the first ever Muslim members of the US Congress.
Minnesota’s Omar said the threats were sparked by “violent rhetoric”, accusing Trump of stoking right-wing extremism. “It has to stop,” she added.
It comes after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced a new “security assessment to safeguard” the lawmaker.
The tweet showed Omar talking to a US-Muslim group about the 9/11 attacks.
On Monday Trump stepped up his attacks against Omar, calling her “out of control”.
He also said Pelosi “should look at the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and ungrateful US HATE statements Omar has made” before defending her.
Omar told BBC: “Since the president’s tweet Friday evening, I have experienced an increase in direct threats on my life – many directly referring or replying to the president’s video”.
She thanked security officials for “their attention to these threats” and accused Trump of fuelling a rise in “violent crimes and other acts of hate by right-wing extremists and white nationalists”.
She also expressed concern that Trump’s visit to her home state of Minnesota on Monday could lead to an increase in hate crimes and assaults.
“Violent rhetoric and all forms of hate speech have no place in our society, much less from our country’s Commander in Chief.
“We are all Americans. This is endangering lives. It has to stop,” she said.
