Bloomington, MN, Human Rights Commissioner Anita Smithson called a Back the Blue Rally in her town “fascist radicalization” on Twitter.
Smithson’s Twitter account is private, a member of the Bloomington Patriots Facebook group was able to provide screenshots of the tweets she sent regarding the event. Smithson tweeted out that “these people stuck in a cycle of fear and division don’t define us and don’t speak for us.”
Smithson also posted a photo of several attendees at the rally who are all running for public office in Bloomington, saying “they are showing us their values. (Not aligning with mine!).”
In a comment to conservative outlet The Minnesota Sun, Becky Strohmeier, the chair of the Bloomington Patriots, said that she considered the event a success.
Strohmeier said that the reason they are so concerned about Smithson’s tweets is because of her position.
“As a human rights commissioner, it is her job to ensure that everyone has a voice. That we all have the right to think, speak and assemble freely. Calling us fascists and white supremacists for supporting our police is completely out of line for a human rights commissioner. If she were just a private citizen it would be different, but she is supposed to be defending the rights of Bloomington residents, not trying to stifle them,” she said.
