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US policemen fired for suggesting Democratic lawmaker be shot
WASHINGTON, July 23, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Two Louisiana policemen were fired
Monday over an incendiary Facebook post suggesting a liberal congresswoman
should be shot, as President Donald Trump’s tweets attacking Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez and other lawmakers sparked a national uproar.
The officer’s Facebook post followed criticism that the president’s
incendiary rhetoric, which continued Monday with a new tweet about the four
“very racist” and “not very smart” Democratic congresswomen, was bordering on
incitement to violence.
“This vile idiot needs a round…….and I don’t mean the kind she used to
serve,” Charlie Rispoli, of the Gretna police department, wrote of former
bartender Ocasio-Cortez.
He was writing in response to a news article published by a self-styled
“satirical” website which falsely claimed the lawmaker had said American
soldiers were paid too much.
Following an investigation, Gretna police chief Arthur Lawson fired
Rispoli — as well as fellow officer Angelo Varisco, who “liked” Rispoli’s
post.
“Both of these officers we consider have violated our policies regarding
social media,” Lawson said at a press conference posted online.
“This incident, we feel, has been an embarrassment to our department.
These officers have certainly acted in a manner which was unprofessional,” he
said. “Alluding to a violent act to be conducted against a sitting
congressman, a member of our government — we’re not going to tolerate that.”
Over the past week Trump has tweeted multiple attacks on Ocasio-Cortez and
fellow first-term, ethnic minority lawmakers Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and
Ayanna Pressley.
The rhetoric provoked angry outcries from Democrats, and denunciations
from some Republicans, as the parties gear up for an intense 2020
presidential race.
The four lawmakers — who have become known collectively as “The Squad” —
appeared to be coming under increasing threat in the wake of Trump’s attacks.
The Illinois Republican County Chairmen’s Association branded them “The
Jihad Squad” in a movie poster-style meme featuring the slogan “political
jihad is their game.”
Omar and Tlaib are the first two Muslim women in Congress.
The poster, which has since been removed from the group’s page, shows Omar
appearing to hold a large shotgun, while Pressley brandishes a pistol.
Association president Mark Shaw said he condemned the “unauthorized
posting,” but then went on to criticize the “socialist” lawmakers for their
politics.
The Cook County Democratic Party in Illinois accused the Republican group
of perpetuating “lies and racism” and said such bigotry “has dangerous
consequences.”
But Trump downplayed his broader clash with the squad, telling reporters
Monday “there’s no racial tension,” even as he insisted the lawmakers are
“very bad for our country.”
A week earlier Trump tweeted that the women — all US citizens, three of
whom were born in America — they should “go back” to other countries.
Days later, as he singled out Omar for criticism at a campaign rally, his
supporters chanted “send her back!”
BSS/AFP/MSY/1044 hrs