Latest news with #hatecrimes
Fox News
3 hours ago
- General
- Fox News
Colorado Dems face backlash for fundraiser with Ilhan Omar after Boulder terror attack: 'Reprehensible'
Colorado Democrats are facing criticism for leading a fundraiser with Rep. Ilhan Omar less than an hour after Sunday's antisemitic terrorist attack in which 12 people were hurt, including a Holocaust survivor. The suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, is facing federal hate crime charges and numerous state-level attempted murder charges for using incendiary devices to burn people who were rallying for the release of hostages held by the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza. Soliman was in the country illegally after overstaying his visa and work authorization, according to authorities. About 30 minutes later in nearby Denver, there was a "private reception" with Omar, who has been a major critic of Israel, with many other Democrats listed as the hosts. Ticket prices ranged from $500 to $7,000. "Colorado Democrats who raise money for a notorious anti-Semite should be ashamed of themselves for ever doing so, but doing it while victims of the latest wave of anti-Semitic violence were en route to the hospital is even more hypocritical and reprehensible," Colorado House Minority Caucus Chair Rep. Anthony Hartsook, a Republican, said in a statement on Monday. "Just last year, House Democrats turned away families of Israeli hostages, denying them access to the House floor for fear that House Democrats' own radical members might cause a scene. Enough is enough. We must speak loudly and clearly against extremists who justify violence against Jewish communities worldwide. There is no place for anti-Semitism in Colorado," Harstook added. In the aftermath of the attack, Omar posted on X, "Violence against all forms is never acceptable. We must reject hatred and harm in all its forms." Rep. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder, who attended the event, faced additional scrutiny, but she told Fox News Digital that she condemns antisemitism. "Sunday was a deeply painful day for our community. My heart is with the victims of the Boulder attack and all those affected. I unequivocally condemn hate and violence in all forms—including antisemitism and Islamophobia," Joseph said in an email to Fox News Digital. "I've heard concerns about my attendance at a private event for Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. I was originally invited to introduce her at a Young Democrats event focused on youth engagement—something I care deeply about. When she was unable to attend, I chose to welcome her at a separate gathering, as a matter of courtesy and civic respect," she continued. "Attending that event was not an endorsement of any particular policy or comment. It was an extension of my role as a public servant who believes in dialogue, inclusion, and maintaining open lines of communication—even when views differ." "Condemning antisemitism and supporting peace, dignity, and human rights for all—including Israelis and Palestinians—are not mutually exclusive. I believe both are essential to a just and compassionate society," Joseph further stated. "These are difficult times, and I remain committed to listening, learning, and leading with care—for all members of our community—Jewish, Muslim, and beyond." Fox News Digital reached out to Omar's campaign for comment.
Arab News
6 hours ago
- General
- Arab News
French prosecutors treating Tunisian's murder as suspected terrorism
LONDON: Prosecutors in France investigating the murder of a Tunisian man are treating the case as a suspected racist attack, The Times reported on Tuesday. Hichem Miraoui, a 46-year-old hairdresser who had lived in France for 14 years, was shot five times on Saturday by his white neighbor, a 53-year-old named as Christophe B. The involvement of counterterrorism prosecutors instead of criminal prosecutors in the alleged far-right killing is a first in France. It follows mounting concerns over hate crimes against Muslims in the country after Malian man Aboubakar Cisse, 22, was stabbed to death outside a mosque in April. In last week's killing in the southern town of Puget-sur-Argens, a 25-year-old Turkish man was also shot but survived. The killer fled the scene by car but his partner alerted police, who arrested him. Christophe B, a sports shooting enthusiast who carried gun permits, had earlier posted videos on social media declaring that he planned to kill foreigners. He urged his compatriots to do the same, and in one video praised the late founder of France's National Front, Jean-Marie Le Pen. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau described the killing of Miraoui as a 'racist act.' However, the minister was previously criticized for what anti-racism groups described as an inadequate response to Cisse's murder. Counterterrorism authorities were also questioned for failing to treat the Malian national's killing as terrorism, with the investigation into the case being carried out by criminal prosecutors. Retailleau on Tuesday visited the Tunisian Embassy in Paris to express solidarity with the community. The Tunisian diaspora in France numbers more than 1 million people. More than 6 million Muslims reside in the country, about 10 percent of the population. 'Racism in France and elsewhere is a poison, and we see clearly that it is a poison which kills. Every racist act is an anti-French act,' Retailleau said. Official government data shows that racist, xenophobic and anti-religious crimes rose by 11 percent in the country last year. However, such crimes in France are also 'vastly underreported' because 'victims often don't trust the police or the authorities,' said Jean-Marie Burguburu, chairman of the National Consultative Human Rights Commission.
Free Malaysia Today
12 hours ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
France probes terror motive after man shoots dead Tunisian neighbour
The shooting happened late Saturday in Puget-sur-Argens in the Var region. (Reuters pic) NICE : French prosecutors today were probing a terror motive after a man who had posted racist videos shot dead his Tunisian neighbour and badly wounded a Turkish citizen in the south of the country. The shooting late Saturday in Puget-sur-Argens in the Var region comes after a Malian man was stabbed to death in April in a mosque, also in southern France, as concern grows over hate crimes against Muslims. The shooting was initially investigated by regional prosecutors as a suspected murder motivated by the victim's ethnicity or religion. But French national anti-terror prosecutors (PNAT) announced Monday that they would be taking over the investigation. The suspected killer, a 53-year-old who is French, fled the scene in a car but was arrested not far away after his partner alerted police. He posted videos with racist content before and after the shooting late on Saturday, according to regional prosecutor Pierre Couttenier. The Tunisian man killed, believed to be 35 years old, was shot five times. The Turkish citizen, 25, was wounded in the hand and hospitalised, the prosecutor said. A sports shooting enthusiast, the suspect 'posted two videos on his social media account containing racist and hateful content before and after his attack', he added. The PNAT prosecutors said today that they had opened an investigation into a 'terrorist plot' motivated by the race or religion of the victims. 'The racist nature of this double crime is beyond doubt, given the hateful remarks made by the killer,' said SOS Racisme, an anti-discrimination NGO. 'This tragedy echoes a series of racist crimes that have occurred in recent months,' it said, denouncing a 'poisonous climate' in the country including the 'trivialisation of racist rhetoric'. Aboubakar Cisse of Mali was stabbed dozens of times while attending prayers at the mosque in the southern French town of La Grand-Combe on April 25. A French national of Bosnian origin accused of carrying out the attack surrendered to Italian authorities after three days on the run. Italy then extradited him to France to face justice. Interior minister Bruno Retailleau was bitterly criticised for never travelling to the scene of that crime to show solidarity, while PNAT anti-terror prosecutors also came under fire for not taking over the case and instead leaving it to regular criminal prosecutors.
CNA
19 hours ago
- General
- CNA
France probes terror motive after man shoots dead Tunisian neighbour
NICE: French prosecutors were on Monday (Jun 2) probing a terror motive after a man who had posted racist videos shot dead his Tunisian neighbour and badly wounded a Turkish man in the south of France. The shooting late on Saturday in Puget-sur-Argens, in the southern region of Var, came after a Malian man was stabbed to death in April in a mosque, also in southern France, as concern grows over hate crimes against Muslims. The shooting was initially investigated by regional prosecutors as a suspected murder motivated by the victim's ethnicity or religion. But French national anti-terror prosecutors, known by their French acronym PNAT, announced on Monday that they would be taking over the investigation. The suspect wanted to "disrupt public order through terror", according to a source close to the case. The suspected killer, a Frenchman born in 1971, fled the scene in a car but was arrested not far away after his partner alerted police. He posted videos with racist content before and after the shooting late on Saturday, according to regional prosecutor Pierre Couttenier. The victim, who was born in 1979, was shot five times. The Turkish national was wounded in the hand and needed hospital treatment, the prosecutor said. "SWORE ALLEGIANCE TO FRENCH FLAG" The suspect, a sports shooting enthusiast, "posted two videos on his social media account containing racist and hateful content before and after his attack", the prosecutor said. According to French daily Le Parisien, the suspect said he "swore allegiance to the French flag" and called on the French to "shoot" people of foreign origin in one of his videos posted on social media. The PNAT prosecutors said on Monday that they had opened an investigation into a "terrorist plot" motivated by the race or religion of the victims. "The racist nature of this double crime is beyond doubt, given the hateful remarks made by the killer," said SOS Racisme, an anti-discrimination NGO. "This tragedy echoes a series of racist crimes that have occurred in recent months," it said, denouncing a "poisonous climate" in the country including the "trivialisation of racist rhetoric". Aboubakar Cisse of Mali was stabbed dozens of times while attending prayers at the mosque in the southern French town of La Grand-Combe on Apr 25. A French national of Bosnian origin accused of carrying out the attack surrendered to Italian authorities after three days on the run. Italy then extradited him to France to face justice. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau was bitterly criticised for never travelling to the scene of that crime to show solidarity, while PNAT anti-terror prosecutors also came under fire for not taking over the case and instead leaving it to regular criminal prosecutors. On Monday, Retailleau denounced the murder of a Tunisian man, calling it a "racist act". "Racism in France and elsewhere is a poison, and we can see that it is a poison that kills," Retailleau told reporters. "Every racist act is an anti-French act." He added that he had spoken on the phone with the Tunisian ambassador to France. He later spoke to his Tunisian counterpart, Khaled Nouri, who "condemned a terrorist crime", according to an official government statement.
CBC
a day ago
- General
- CBC
Man charged after 'unprovoked' assaults on several females at Union Station: police
Toronto police have arrested a man in connection with a string of alleged hate-motivated assaults against several females at Union Station on Monday. Just before 9 a.m., police responded to several reports of assault at the station, where they say the man approached several female victims and assaulted them unprovoked. Police have not released the victims' ages. "Following his arrest, he made anti-women comments," police said in the release. Police did not provide further detail about the alleged assaults, saying only that the victims' injuries were non-life-threatening and the incident is being investigated as a hate-motivated. The 23-year-old accused of no fixed address has been charged with 10 counts of assault. He was scheduled to appear in court in Toronto for a bail hearing Monday morning.
