HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. _ A Hallandale Beach commissioner's anti-Muslim rant was heard around the world.
On Wednesday afternoon, two factions _ one backing her right to free speech and another demanding a public apology and resignation _ swarmed City Hall in dueling protests.
As Police Chief Sonia Quinones promised, officers were out in force and working to keep the peace. Bomb-sniffing police dogs were seen outside City Hall several times checking the perimeter of the building.
Commissioner Anabelle Lima-Taub, who is Jewish, kicked a hornet's nest when she accused U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., of being an anti-Semite who might "blow up Capitol Hill." Tlaib is a Palestinian-American and Muslim.
The Anti-Defamation League has joined several Muslim organizations in condemning the comments as Islamophobic and offensive.
Commissioner Michele Lazarow plans to seek a public reprimand of her colleague at Wednesday's meeting for promoting bigotry, fueling hatred and creating a hostile environment for the region's Muslim community.
Vice Mayor Sabrina Javellana and Commissioner Mike Butler say they plan to support the resolution to censure Lima-Taub.
But in a strong show of support for Lima-Taub, more than 200 people from all over South Florida gathered outside City Hall on Wednesday.
"She's a patriot," said Hollywood resident Melanie Dayan. "We live in a democracy and what's happening today with her own peers is not democracy."
Nearby, women stood holding signs attacking Tlaib, who came under fire on the day she was sworn into Congress for vowing to help fellow Democrats go after President Donald Trump and "impeach the mother------."
Aventura resident Peter Arak, an Israeli-American like Lima-Taub, said he came because he heard "all the Muslims" were planning to demonstrate against the commissioner.
"Someone who talks against us or the United States, we will stand up to them," he said.
Pro-Muslim speakers showed up Wednesday afternoon and were quickly surrounded by reporters.
A line of officers stood between the two groups in an attempt to keep them separated. Lima-Taub's supporters chanted "USA, USA, USA!" and occasionally tried to drown out their opponents with loud boos.
"We demand that she apologize; we demand that she resign," said Rasha Mubarak, a representative for the Florida Young Democrats.
Miami resident Donna Nevel with Jews Against Anti-Muslim Racism said Lima-Taub's "malicious lies" about Tlaib were bigoted, harmful and anti-Palestinian.
Nevel urged the commissioner to resign at once.
"We are at a critical moment in this country," she said. "A wide range of groups ... and leaders like Rep. Rashida Tlaib are joining together and working tirelessly for a society rooted in respect for all our communities."
In a Facebook post Saturday, Lima-Taub said she would not be silenced by her commission colleagues.
Mayor Joy Adams has remained silent on the matter and declined to return calls from the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Five days after Tlaib was sworn into Congress, Lima-Taub signed an online petition seeking to remove her from office and posted the petition on her personal Facebook page.
"Proudly signed," Lima-Taub wrote in the Jan. 8 post. "A Hamas-loving anti-Semite has NO place in government! She is a danger and (I) would not put it past her to become a martyr and blow up Capitol Hill."
The post was taken down Jan. 14 soon after the Sun Sentinel began asking about it.
The Sun Sentinel was the first to report Lima-Taub's Facebook post on Jan. 14. Outside City Hall on Wednesday, Lima-Taub's mother yelled at the Sun Sentinel reporter who broke the story, calling her a liar. Lima-Taub herself has admitted to posting the comments.
Denzel McCampbell, a spokesman for Tlaib, commended Lazarow for standing up against inflammatory rhetoric directed at Muslims.
"It is our hope that (Lima-Taub's) community holds her accountable and encourages her to accept that our country is made up of all different faiths and ethnicities," McCampbell told the Sun Sentinel last week. "It is what makes America unique and special."
