Ilhan Omar Booed at Somali Concert in Home Town: ‘Get the F*ck Out of Here’
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) received a less than welcoming response from the crowd at Somali singer Suldaan Seeraar’s concert during Somali Week in her home district in Minneapolis over the weekend.
Omar took the stage to address the event, which was part of a celebration marking the 62nd anniversary of Somalia’s independence and was roundly booed by the crowd.
Video of Omar being booed and shouted down by the crowd as she began to speak quickly circulated on social media. One clip, which has over a million views, shows the crowd chanting “get out” while some in the crowd can be heard yelling “get the fuck out of here.”
Concert organizers attempted to get the crowd under control so that Omar, who smiled and remained in good spirits tried to make her remarks.
Ilhan Omar got booed onstage at a concert featuring Somali singer Soldaan Seraar in Minnesota last night.
People in the crowd chanted “Get out!” & shouted “Get the f*ck out of here!”. pic.twitter.com/sggii7h6sO— Leftism (@LeftismForU) July 3, 2022
“Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, we don’t have all night,” Omar stopped and addressed the crowd as they continued to shout her down.
Newsweek’s Khaleda Rahman explained the Somali crowd’s reaction to Omar – who herself is a Somali refugee and one of the first Muslim women ever elected to the U.S. Congress.
“It was not immediately clear exactly what prompted the crowd’s reaction, but some suggested that it was Omar’s support for abortion and LGBTQ rights,” Rahman noted, adding that the Somali crowd was comprised of many religious and socially conservative attendees.
Omar later tweeted video from the event, writing, “It was an honor to welcome you to our incredible city.”
It was an honor to welcome you to our incredible city. pic.twitter.com/mM77ZLVCYo
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 3, 2022
