Minnesota GOP lawmaker says Antifa and Muslim organization plan to ‘police Minneapolis under Muslim rule’

A Minnesota lawmaker said last week Antifa and Muslim organizations plan to “police Minneapolis under Muslim rule,” communism is moving into Minneapolis-St. Paul and the state’s Democratic attorney general would like to “close down all of northern Minnesota.” 

The Park Rapids Enterprise quoted Rep. Steve Green, R-Fosston, making the comments during a Hubbard County Board meeting Tuesday. Much of the discussion focused on disbursement of federal pandemic aid, according to the paper’s report. 

But Green also weighed in on talk of defunding police in the wake of George Floyd’s death while a cop held his knee on his neck.

After the county board chair questioned whether there was an alternative public safety plan, Green said Antifa and Muslim organizations plan to “police Minneapolis under Muslim rule,” according to the Enterprise. He also claimed some representatives have a bill that would impose eminent domain on every business destroyed during the Floyd protests and “only sell back to people under conditions” imposed by the city. 

“What you’re looking at, in my humble opinion, is communism moving into Minneapolis and St. Paul,” Green was quoted saying.

Green declined to comment.

Rep. Mohamud Noor, DFL-Minneapolis, said rather than talk about things that inflame people and create division, Minnesota needs to address the challenge before it.

“Minnesota is awake,” he said. “They understand the challenges; they have been hearing the challenges for far too long. And we can’t wait any longer.”

Green also speculated that Gov. Tim Walz wants to implement mail-in voting “and remove the county and local precincts” and said he’s “never liked mail-in ballots anywhere.”

Minnesota townships and cities outside the metro with fewer than 400 registered voters are allowed to offer mail-in balloting.

A county commissioner lamented the state shutdown’s effect on businesses and school districts, suggesting state officials either didn’t understand the consequences or have “devious intentions.” Green responded that Attorney General Keith Ellison “may try to close down all of northern Minnesota.”

“I don’t think that would bother him a bit,” he was quoted as saying.

The county board then passed a resolution encouraging Walz to let his shutdown order expire, allow churches to reopen and release all federal pandemic-related aid.

This post has been updated to clarify which jurisdictions use mail-in balloting. The original was incorrect, due to an editing error.