Right-wing trolls falsely claim newly elected Ilhan Omar said all white men should be 'put in chains'
Right-wing trolls are spreading a fake quote about enslaving white men and claiming that it was said by the newly-elected Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar.
The quote states the following:
I am America's hope and the president's nightmare.
I think all white should be put in chains as slaves because they will never submit to Islam.
The Democratic Representative-elect from Minnesota's 5th district, made history earlier this month by becoming the first ever Somalian-American legislator to be elected to office.
She is also the first woman to wear a hijab to be elected, one of the first Muslim women to be elected and the first ever woman of colour to represent Minnesota.
Typically, her religion and ethnic origin have seen her become a target for right-wing activists, who doctored an original quote that she said on The Daily Show in 2017, to something wholly inaccurate.
The quote had been turned into a meme, using a photo from her recent Time Magazine cover and was spread by prominent far-right accounts.
These didn't escape Omar, who took screengrabs of the tweets and shared them in her own post, complete with the caption 'who said facts mattered?'
People then began to rally around Omar in support, condemning the conspiracy to try and shame her and brand her as a racist.
One of the most prominent shows of support came from her fellow Democrat Representative-elect, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who accused the right of spreading "fake quotes, conspiracies + outright hatred".
Both Omar and Ocasio-Cortez have shared articles to Politfact which debunks the meme and the quote.
More: Everyone should read this guide about what to do if you see Islamophobia