A brawl erupted in Minneapolis after supporters of an insurgent candidate stormed the stage of a Democrat, according to reports.
Shocking video shows supporters of incumbent Ward 10 Councilmember Aisha Chughtai taking the stage at the Ella Baker Global Studies & Humanities Magnet School. The group was hoping to get the endorsement of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Party.
Chaos later sued after one woman from challenger Nasri Warsame’s team aggressively rushed toward a Chughtai supporter. The two camps then clashed on the school’s stage, slamming tables and throwing chairs.
“This is embarrassing! We are shutting this down! This is no longer safe!” convention chair Sam Doten said before officially adjourning the convention.
In a Facebook post afterward, Warsame claimed that two members of his team were sent to the hospital with injuries sustained in the brawl.
“The convention was shut down due to turmoil, and all the people were instructed to exit the building,” Warsame wrote. “No endorsement at this point, but more questions to ask regarding the process.”
Chughtai also released a statement, directing the blame toward Warsame’s campaign for leading his delegates onto the stage and “assaulting me and my supporters as I was about to begin my convention speech.”
She said more than a dozen of her supporters were “physically assaulted,” along with a photographer documenting the convention, and more were assaulted as “an attempt to scare us.”
“Eventually, our supporters locked themselves in our hospitality room, so they would be safe and away from a rapidly escalating and dangerous situation,” Chughtai added. “The Warsame campaign followed us off the floor and was only held back by a group of brave volunteers who blocked a hallway while our supporters were able to escape from the locked hospitality room out a back door of the building to safety.”
DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin, meanwhile, weighed in on the incident and declared Warsame’s team at fault.
“It is clear that the conflict was instigated by supporters of city council candidate Nasri Warsame,” Martin said in a statement. “Harassment and violence are unacceptable, and we expect candidates and their campaign teams to work hard to curb such behavior when it comes from their supporters, staffers, or volunteers.”
