DeSantis calls for Ilhan Omar’s deportation after saying she is ‘Somali First’ in speech
Ilhan Omar, who has accused
pro-Israel politicians of dual loyalty in the past, now faces questions
of her own after remarks she made to the Somalian community have gone
viral.
U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is seen in
Statuary Hall ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden’s State of the Union
Address in Washington, U.S., February 7, 2023.(photo credit: REUTERS/ELIZABETH FRANTZ)
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
called for Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar to be deported from the
United States on Tuesday after footage showed Omar delivering a
Somali-language speech to a gathering of community leaders at a
Minneapolis hotel Saturday night where she called herself “Somali First”
and vowed to protect Somalian interest as long as she is a member in
the US Congress.
The
footage shows Omar giving a speech in her native Somali where she
rallied against plans by the Ethiopian government to enter a sea access
deal with the Republic of Somaliland, a breakaway province of Somalia.
“The US is a country where one of your daughters is in Congress to
represent your interest,” Omar declared in her speech. “For as long as I
am in the US Congress, Somalia will never be in danger, its waters will
not be stolen by Ethiopia or others … Sleep in comfort, knowing I am
here to protect the interests of Somalia from inside the US system.”
"We,
as Somalians, love each other... people who know they are Somalians
first and Muslim second who protect one another and come to each other’s
aid and to the aid of other Muslims too,” Omar said in her remarks.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the 2023 NHGOP Amos Tuck Dinner
in Manchester, New Hampshire, US, April 14, 2023. (credit:
REUTERS/BRIAN SNYDER)
The Florida governor and
former 2024 Republican presidential candidate was the most prominent of
several Republican politicians to condemn Omar’s remarks. “Expel from
Congress, denaturalize and deport!” Desantis replied to a post of the
original video on social media platform X.
“The
political influence in this country that says it is okay to push for
allegiance to a foreign country. I want to ask why is it OK for me to
talk about the influence of the NRA (National Rifle Association), of
fossil fuel industries or Big Pharma, and not talk about a powerful
lobbying group that is influencing policies?” she said in 2019 amid a
spat of anti-Israel comments Omar made throughout the year – several of
which were condemned for antisemitic overtures and eventually led Omar
to issue an apology.
While Omar had much to say about pro-Israel congress members
and their alleged loyalties, she had similarly strong opinions about
the geopolitical situation in her native Africa, such as rallying
against Somaliland’s increasing cooperation with neighboring Ethiopia
and saying that America will “liberate the occupied territories” of
Djibouti, Somaliland, and Kenya’s North Eastern Province, the latter of
which has a large population of ethnic Somalis and Somali refugees.
“The
US government will only do what Somalians in the US tell them to do.
They must do what we want and nothing else. They must follow our orders
and that is how we will safeguard the interest of Somalia,” Omar
concluded in her speech.
Pud says: God Bless America and may God grant Donald Trump victory in 2024 and protect him from harm, Amen!
Thugs who accidentally knifed one of their own gang members and left him to die after murdering another boy - as pair await sentencing
Charlie Bartolo and Kearne Solanke both died of knife attacks in November 2022
Kearne was part of the group that targeted Charlie, but was stabbed himself
Two teenagers face life in prison for the double murder
Police today released the mugshots of two teenagers who accidentally stabbed one of their own gang members to death as they murdered another boy during a ‘ride out’.
Charlie Bartolo, 16, was rammed off his motorbike by a car before five killers jumped out and stabbed him repeatedly in Sewell Road, Abbey Wood, southeast London on 26 November 2022.
One of the attackers, 16-year-old Kearne Solanke, was accidentally knifed in the shoulder by his friend as they set about Charlie.
Kearne, known as ‘Havoc’, got back into the car with his accomplices who drove a mile away to Thamesmead where they dumped the car and their friend, leaving him to die of his injuries.
The two 16-year-olds were reported dead in separate 999 calls within six minutes of each other.
Alagie Jobe (left) and Hussain Bah (right), both 19, are facing life sentences after they were convicted of murdering both boys at Inner London Crown Court last week
The two 16-year-olds, Charlie Bartolo (left) and Kearne Solanke (right) were reported dead in separate 999 calls within six minutes of each other
The killers were members of Thamesmead’s T-Block gang involved in a postcode feud with rivals from Abbey Wood.
Alagie Jobe and Hussain Bah, both 19, are facing life sentences after they were convicted of murdering both boys at Inner London Crown Court last week.
Two other teenagers, aged 17 and 16, were also found guilty of the two murders by a jury.
Bah and Jobe will be sentenced on 7 February while the other boys, who cannot be named, will be sentenced on 23 February.
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones, KC, had told the court emergency services were called to Sewell Road at 5.05pm after Charlie was attacked.
‘Charlie was found to have suffered multiple stab wounds, including a large stab wound to his head.
‘He was taken from the scene to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, but despite the best efforts of emergency medical staff, Charlie died from his injuries at 6.24pm.
‘At 5.11pm, so just six minutes after the 999 call had been made in respect of Charlie Bartolo, another 999 call was made, and another ambulance was requested.
On November 16, 2023, Charlie Bartolo and Kearne Solanke lost their lives after sustaining stab injuries
The incident unfolded when Kearne Solanke, allegedly part of a group of five individuals, intentionally knocked Charlie off his moped using a 4x4 vehicle and then proceeded to stab him in the head
‘This time the call was to attend Titmuss Avenue, in Thamesmead, only about one mile away from where Charlie Bartolo had been found.
‘On this second 999 call the caller said that a 16-year-old had been stabbed and was bleeding heavily.’
‘This 16-year-old was named Kearne Solanke. Kearne had been stabbed in the shoulder, causing a deep wound so serious that there wasn’t time even to get him to hospital.’
Mr Emlyn Jones said the killers drove back to safe territory abandoned the car and dumped Kearne.
The 17-year-old got out of the car and went back to him.
In a 999 call played in court he said: ‘Someone’s been stabbed bro, please hurry up, ambulance we don’t need police please, he’s losing a lot of blood.
‘He’s struggling to breathe, please, please quick, he’s losing a lot of blood from his shoulder.
‘He’s breathing but he’s losing a lot of blood.
‘His name is Kearne. He’s breathing, he’s alright, he’s just got an open wound.
‘You’re good boy, you’re good, just don’t think about it, you have to keep your eyes open, I’m telling you bro on my Mum’s life. Stay with me please.’
He told the operator: ‘He didn’t say what happened I’ve just seen him on the floor.
‘He’s a friend of mine. We didn’t see anything we just saw him on the side of the road, we just bumped into him. I think it’s a stab wound.
The 17-year-old then went to a nearby youth club where he was seen on CCTV reenacting the murder, the court heard.
He was seen talking to another boy making stabbing and slashing motions and pointing to his head.
The 17-year-old later admitted to police he had a problem, he had a ‘beef’ with Abbey Wood.
‘And that, I’m afraid to tell you, is the depressingly petty reason for these killings - they arose from a sort of post-code rivalry between Abbey Wood and the neighbouring Thamesmead,’ Mr Emlyn Jones said.
The guilty verdicts marked a significant development in a case that has drawn attention due to the involvement of the teenagers
Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn said: ‘My team of detectives worked relentlessly to identify the group’s movements across South East London on the day of the murders'
Bah, Jobe and the 16-year-old insisted they were not at the scene and claimed they were misidentified
The killers drove to enemy territory in Abbey Wood ‘armed to the teeth with large knives’ looking for a victim and found Charlie.
‘As you will see from the CCTV, once he had been knocked off his bike, he stood no chance, and the defendants wasted no time in jumping out, knives already drawn to complete the attack.
‘The whole thing takes less than a minute.’
Jurors were shown CCTV footage of the car hitting the motorbike head on before the attackers jumped out and repeatedly stabbed Charlie as he flailed around on the pavement.
The Nissan Qashqai had been stolen in Erith the previous day.
A video was found on Kearne’s phone of him filming himself vaping in the back of the car about 25 minutes before the stabbings.
Bah, Jobe and the 16-year-old insisted they were not at the scene and claimed they were misidentified.
The 17-year-old accepted he drove the car away after the stabbing.
Jobe, of Sidcup Road, Eltham, Bah, of Mottisfont Road, Greenwich and the two youths, who cannot be named, each denied but were convicted of two counts of murder.
Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn said: ‘My team of detectives worked relentlessly to identify the group’s movements across South East London on the day of the murders.
‘Even though some of the CCTV did not pick up their faces, my officers worked incredibly hard to identify them via their clothing including trousers and footwear. This was crucial in placing them together before and after the attack on Charlie.
‘I am glad that all four defendants have been found guilty. It was an unusual case in that the murder of Kearne Solanke, was obviously not what the group had set out to achieve.
‘However, we successfully proved that the group, in the course of their joint attack, intended to cause death or at least really serious injury and, one of their members was, sadly, an inadvertent victim of that.
‘This case demonstrates the utter devastation caused by knife crime and people who arm themselves with large knives, not only risk killing those they see as enemies, but also people they consider their friends. My thoughts, and those of my team, remain with the families of both Charlie and Kearne.'
Farmers across Europe are rising up against the EU,with angry agricultural workers in Spain being the latest who are set to join the growing tractor protest movement.
By using their heavy machinery to block roads in and around major capitals on the continent, farmers in Germany, France and other EU nations have expressed their anger over rising costs, EU environmental policies and cheap food imports which they say are leading to a deterioration in working and living conditions.
But as farmers in France, Belgium and Italy staged protests on Monday and Tuesday, and as Spain's three main agriculture unions said they would soon join them, French president Emmanuel Macron risked inciting further fury by brazenly telling the disgruntled growers: 'You need more Europe, not less.'
As Macron spoke during a state visit to Sweden, Spanish unions Asaja, UPA and COAG said: 'The agricultural sector in Europe and Spain is facing growing frustration and unease due to the difficult conditions.
They also blamed 'stifling bureaucracy generated by European regulations.'
FRANCE: Farmers across Europe are rising up against the EU. Pictured: Farmers block a highway east of Paris in an attempt to 'starve' the city. Meanwhile, angry agricultural workers in Spain said they would also join the growing tractor protest movement
BELGIUM: By using their heavy machinery to block roads in and around major capitals on the continent, farmers in Germany, France and Belgium (pictured) have expressed their anger over rising costs, EU environmental policies and cheap food imports
ITALY: Dozens of Italian farmers also staged a protest with tractors near Milan (pictured), the latest in a series of impromptu demos that have sprung up from Sicily to Trento
GERMANY: Protesting farmers use their tractors to block traffic in central Hamburg
'Mobilisations will take place as soon as possible,' said Pedro Barato, president of Asaja, an association representing around 200,000 farmers and cattle breeders.
'The actions will not be very different from what is happening in other EU countries.'
The protests are set to take place in the coming weeks, the organisations said in a joint statement. Asaja members are due to meet on February 1 to make preparations.
Drought in southern Spain has hit farmers, with production of several crops such as rice and olives dropping over the past two years, but they also share the same as grievances as their peers in other European countries.
Those grievances were being played out across Europe.
Farmers set bales of hay ablaze to partly block access to Toulouse airport in southwestern France, and parked tractors across highways near Paris.
Dozens of Italian farmers also staged a protest with tractors near Milan, the latest in a series of impromptu demos that have sprung up from Sicily to Trento, with reports of convoys blocking roads now regular occurrences in recent weeks.
And in Belgium, farmers also disrupted traffic during the morning rush hour. One of the blockades was close to the Dutch border on the E19 highway, media said.
There, the angry protesters are also planning to block access roads to the the Zeebrugge container port, the port said.
'We are ready to block everything betrayed by Europe' declared one placard at the protest near Melegnano outside Milan.
'Europe imposes rules on us that make no sense. We can no longer make a living... we want to make more money and have our products valued for what they are,' said Luisito Naldi, one of the organisers of protests in northern Italy.
'We're tired,' he told AFP by telephone, saying that things had become so difficult that some farmers in the south were committing suicide.
He said they were seeking a meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government to discuss the matter engulfing the EU.
Farmers block a highway in Jossigny, east of Paris
A banner reading 'Let's fight for our means of production' hangs from a tractor, as farmers take part in a road block protest on the A6 highway near Lisses, south of Paris
Farmers gather near a bridge with an effigy hanging from it where a banner reads 'Proud to feed you' as they block a highway
Farmers block roads with tractors as they protest against the government's agricultural policies and demand for improved conditions to support growth, production, and the maintain of a sustainable income in Brussels, Belgium
Belgium farmers throw eggs towards the Wallonia's Environment Minister Celine Tellier as farmers protest in Namur, Belgium
Farmers from South Corsica set tires and wood pallets on fire outside the Southern Corsica prefecture building in Ajaccio, Corsica
Farmers in France, who also want measures against cheap imports - such as Ukrainian grain - are looking for more support from new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who will spell out his policy plans later today.
'Whatever happens, we are determined to go to the end,' farmer Jean-Baptiste Bongard said as crowds of farmers huddled together around small fires on a highway in Jossigny, near Paris, blocked by the tractors in the early hours.
'If the movement needs to last a month, then it will last a month,' said Bongard, who took over the family business in July and finds it hard to compete with foreign producers who do not follow the same regulations.
A huge placard at the protest, 'Let's save agriculture', was attached to one vehicle.
In Longvilliers, also near Paris, both carriageways of the highway were blocked with tractors, and bales of hay, with other traffic being diverted up a slip road as a queue of cars snaked into the distance.
The regional prefect said that farmers had blocked the main access to Toulouse airport, but that people could still gain access via nearby parking lots. BFM TV said stacks of hay and tyres had been set on fire at a roundabout in front of the airport.
Farmers in France, the EU's biggest agricultural producer, say they are not being paid enough and are choked by excessive regulation on environmental protection.
The protests has been going on for more than a week, but have increased in intensity, leading up to an EU summit.
There, farmers hope their action and those of other farmers in Europe will grab the attention of the politicians focused on aid for Ukraine and the bloc's budget.
Monday saw the angry French demonstrators choke off major motorways around the city and threaten to blockade the French capital in the intensifying, while they said they intended to 'starve Paris' to get their message across.
A farmer lies in a pile of hay after spending the night at a highway barricade in Aix-en-Provence, southern France
Farmers have lunch on the A20 highway near Saint-Maur
Protesting farmers blocking the A10 motorway mingle with food at their makeshift camp
Boxes of wine and barbecue food are seen in the farmer's make-shift Paris camp
Protesting farmers block the A10 motorway with tractors during a protest against taxation and declining income near Longvilliers, south of Paris, France
French farmers block a highway with their tractors during a protest over price pressures, taxes and green regulation, grievances shared by farmers across Europe, in Longvilliers, near Paris, France
Overnight, demonstrators were allowed to spend the night under motorway bridges, where they set fire to bales of hay and any foreign produce they could get their hands on, while some were pictured sleeping in their tractors.
As night fell and the cold set in, the farmers kept warm around their makeshift bonfires and barbecues, and cooked meat while sipping on boxed wine and beer.
Today, as dawn broke over the French capital, the farmers roused from their camps dotted around the city - cold and with sore heads - determined to press on.
Their first target of the day was the Rungis International Market, the largest fresh food market in Europe, situated south of the capital.
However, as they rolled towards it, protesters were met with French riot police.
A blockade of the market would have caused chaos to the city's food supply, which can last for three days before crisis shortages are announced.
But that is not an issue for some of the more extreme farmers, who have said they want to cause as much suffering as possible for the people of Paris to drive their message all the way to the Élysée Palace.
'The goal is to starve Parisians. That's it,' said grain farmer Benoit Durand, who is part of the trade union-led protest movement.
But officers used their vehicles including gendarmerie armoured cars to stop the convoy reaching Rungis - the so called 'Belly of Paris' - while leaving tractor blocks at eight major routes into the city undisturbed.
'Rungis is a red line, along with the city airports,' said a police spokesman.
'A convoy heading up from the south west was stopped twice this morning, and it will not be reaching Rungis,' they added.
Protesting farmers started the operation by blocking the A13 highway to the west of the capital, the A4 to the east and the A6 on which hundreds of tractors rolled towards Paris from the south.
By mid afternoon they appeared to have met their objective of establishing eight choke points on major roads into Paris, according to a traffic monitoring service.
'We need answers,' said Karine Duc, a farmer from the southwestern Lot-et-Garonne department as she joined a convoy of tractors heading for Paris.
'This is the final battle for farming. It's a question of survival,' she told AFP.
One banner on a tractor in the convoy said: 'We will not die in silence.'
Monday saw the angry demonstrators choke off major motorways around the city and threaten to blockade the French capital in an intensifying standoff with the government over working conditions, incomes, red tape and environmental policies
Demonstrators were allowed to spend the night under motorway bridges, where they set fire to bales of hay and any foreign produce they could get their hands on, while some were pictured sleeping in their tractors
French farmers started their tractors this morning for another day of protests, saying they would 'stave Paris' after triumphantly feasting on wine and sausages overnight
French farmers spend the night on the A4 highway, and mingle underneath an effigy hanging from the overpass above
Farmers keep warm near a fire as they continue blocking the A4 highway near Jossigny, east of Paris
A pair of farmers are seen early in the morning after spending the night in the blockade
A protesting farmer barbecues sausages at the farmer's camp overnight
Protesting farmers grill sausages on a barbecue on the A10 motorway near Paris
French farmers drive their tractors into the Paris region on the A16 motorway near Chamblis
Farmers gather as they block with their tractors the A4 highway near Jossigny, east of Paris
Tractors are lined up during a blockade by farmers on the A4 highway to protest over price pressures, taxes and green regulation, grievances that are shared by farmers across Europe, in Jossigny, near Paris, France
Farmers gather as they block with their tractors the A4 highway near Jossigny, east of Paris
In response, the government has ordered the deployment of 15,000 police and gendarmes, but are as of yet unwilling to stop the protests outright.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has told security forces to show restraint.
Armoured police vehicles were deployed to Rungis after some farmers threatened to 'occupy' it. Police and gendarmes are also under orders to prevent any incursion into Paris itself, Darmanin said.
Macron has offered a series of concessions to the French farmers.
These include abandoning a planned increase in diesel fuel duties.
The government has been trying to keep discontent among farmers from spreading ahead of European Parliament elections in June, which are seen as a key test for President Emmanuel Macron's government.
Farmer leaders said the government's responses so far were insufficient.
French farmers of the CR47 union (Coordination rurale 47) block the A16 highway near Beauvais
French farmers block a highway with their tractors, hay bales and tents, during a protest over price pressures, taxes and green regulation, grievances shared by farmers across Europe, in Longvilliers, near Paris, France
Farmers block with their tractors the A4 highway near Jossigny, east of Paris
Farmers coming from eastern France with a tractor displaying a message which reads as 'Produce or Die, block the A4 highway near Jossigny, east of Paris
French farmers of the CR47 union (Coordination rurale 47), including one with a banner reading 'No country without a farmer', arrive at the toll station of Ablainville on the A16 highway
Farmers block with their tractors the A4 highway near Jossigny, east of Paris
French farmers of the CR47 union (Coordination rurale 47) arrive at the toll station of Ablainville on the A16 highway
Farmers roll down a motorway east of Paris as they continue to blockade the city
Wood is stacked on the road during the blockade by farmers on Paris's A4 highway, to protest over price pressures, taxes and green regulation - grievances that are shared by farmers across Europe
French farmers drive tractors to take part in road block protests on the A6 highway near Ormoy, south of Paris
The vote of Marine Le Pen's National Rally is 10 points ahead of Mr Macron's Rennaissance Party, according to opinion polls.
She has offered full backing to the farms, saying she will prioritise French food for the French if she becomes president in 2027.
In the meantime the National Rally is expected to make significant gains in European Parliament elections in June.
France is not the only country facing farmer protests. Thousands of farmers across Europe are complaining about a lack of support for their industry.
In recent weeks, farmers in Germany, Poland and Romania have also demonstrated over what they call excessive red tape, high fuel costs and unfair competition resulting from liberal European Union trade policies.
This has led to increasingly drastic measures, as the agricultural workers complain about increased suicide rates and farms going out of business.
Meanwhile, Belgian farmers are planning to block access roads to the Zeebrugge container port in Belgium, financial daily De Tijd reported.
The protesters plan to bar access to the North Sea port, the country's second largest.
Farmers also disrupted traffic close to the Dutch border on the E19 highway on Tuesday morning, with a tractor convoy heading towards the port city of Antwerp, state broadcaster RTBF said.
Protesting farmers block the A10 motorway with tractors during a protest against taxation and declining income near Longvilliers, south of Paris, France
The Belgian protest movement was boosted by the similar outrage in France.
Belgian farmers blocked highways in southern Belgium and parked tractors near to the EU Parliament in Brussels.
A group of farmers blocked a square in central Brussels with tractors.
'We are asking them to review their laws,' said Nicolas Fryers, a farmer at the protest. 'They talk about being greener but if that happens then there will be land which isn't worked any more and it's difficult enough as it is.'
As more and more countries join the protests, France said it would push its EU peers to agree to ease regulations on fallow farmland. The EU introduced these to tie its farming subsidies to more environmentally-friendly practices.
The rules on fallow land were part of the grievances that have led to protests by angry farmers in France, Belgium and elsewhere in recent weeks.
A rooster walks on the A4 motorway during a blockade at Jossigny, east of Paris
