Muslim claims he and Hispanic friend were beaten by a man chanting ‘Trump, Trump, Trump’
In what could be the latest incident of violence between Trump supporters and minorities, a Muslim student says he and a Hispanic friend were attacked this past weekend by a man who shouted racial epithets and “Trump, Trump, Trump,” the Wichita Eagle reports.
Khondoker Usama, the student body vice president at Wichita State University, in Kansas, said at a press conference this week that he and his friend, who has chosen to remain anonymous, were filling their vehicle at a gas station near campus early Saturday “when a man in his 20s or 30s started calling a black customer at the convenience store a racial epithet,” the Eagle reported.
Usama, 23, said, “suddenly it turned onto us, calling us ‘brown trash, go home. Trump will win.’ ”
“You want to live in this country, you better leave,” the man allegedly said.
“This is my country; who are you to tell me that?” Usama said his Hispanic friend replied.
Surveillance footage obtained by KAKE from the gas station (which contains no sound) shows two men filling up at the pumps when one of them is confronted by a man on a motorcycle. “The video appears to show the men exchanging words. Then, one of the students pushes the man on the motorcycle, who then punches and kicks him multiple times,” the station reported.
Police said Thursday that they had identified the man on the motorcycle but did not file charges. They are looking for at least one other witness.
The friend suffered a cut to his lip, KAKE reported. Usama described the incident as “absolutely traumatic.”
Rob covers business, economics and the environment for Fusion. He previously worked at Business Insider. He grew up in Chicago.