Hundreds of residents marched across Mogadishu on Friday, expressing anger over US President Trump’s remarks describing Somali immigrants as “garbage.”
During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump claimed Somali Americans “contribute nothing,” adding, “We don’t want them in our country.”
His words sparked immediate backlash both in Somalia and across the United States.
“We are protesting against Trump’s insulting words calling us garbage,” said Ridwan Mohamud, one of the protesters in Mogadishu. “We are not garbage. He is the trash. He failed in his politics and now wants to distract people.”
The US is home to more than 250,000 Somali-descended citizens, among them US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a strong and outspoken critic of the president.
At the rally, crowds held photos of Omar and waved signs while chanting anti-Trump messages.
“Trump attacked our dignity and we won’t tolerate that,” said another demonstrator, Fadumo Ahmed. “We are Somalis. We have pride. He doesn’t understand who we are.”
Reports of alleged social security fraud within Minnesota’s Somali community are believed to have triggered Trump’s remarks. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, along with other state authorities, denounced the president’s statements shortly after they surfaced.
