By AFRO Staff
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., says she is doing fine after a Jan. 27 attack that took place while she was speaking during a town hall meeting at the National Urban League’s Twin Cities headquarters in Minneapolis, Minn.
“I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don’t let bullies win,” Omar wrote on X (Twitter) after the incident.
Omar was speaking at a podium when a man, identified as Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, charged towards her with a syringe, spraying an unknown liquid on her. He was immediately arrested.
Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.-09) and other members of the CBC issued a statement in support of Omar.
“We are outraged by this brazen attack on our colleague and relieved that Congresswoman Omar is safe. We thank the Minneapolis Police Department for their swift response and the apprehension of the individual responsible,” said members of the CBC. “There is absolutely no excuse for violence and intimidation in our politics. Congresswoman Omar was faithfully executing her duties to her constituents, and despite being subjected to constant right-wing attacks, she continues to lead and represent Minnesota’s 5th District with dignity and courage.”
Melanie L. Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP), also spoke on the attack.
“We are shocked and extremely disturbed by the attack on Representative Ilhan Omar yesterday while she attempted to address the critical issues and chaos swirling around in Minneapolis,” said Campbell. “We thank God that neither she, nor anyone else, was seriously harmed in that senseless attack. We believe that NO public official should be threatened or physically attacked, especially when they are serving in the best interests of their constituents.”
Campbell, a convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR), continued, saying “political violence and intimidation have no place in our democracy.”
The incident also prompted a response from National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) President and CEO Shavon Arline-Bradley.
“Violence against Black women is unacceptable. When such acts occur in public civic spaces, they represent not only a personal attack, but an assault on democratic participation, community safety, and the dignity of Black women,” said Arline-Bradley, in a statement sent to the AFRO. “Rep. Omar’s experience cannot be separated from a broader pattern of anti-Black and xenophobic rhetoric that has normalized hostility toward Black women of African descent, immigrants, and Muslim communities. Language that portrays Black women as dangerous, unworthy, or outside the bounds of belonging fuels real-world harm. History shows us that when Black women are rhetorically targeted, their bodies are made vulnerable.”