HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. _ A Hallandale Beach commissioner accused of engaging in an anti-Muslim rant that sparked a global media storm says she never attacked Muslims _ just a congresswoman who happens to be Muslim.
Commissioner Anabelle Lima-Taub, who is Jewish, kicked a hornet's nest when she accused Rep. Rashida Tlaib of being an anti-Semite who might "blow up Capitol Hill." Tlaib, D-Mich., is a Muslim and Palestinian-American.
The political firestorm came to a head Wednesday during a meeting where Commissioners Michele Lazarow, Mike Butler and Sabrina Javellana planned to seek a public reprimand of their colleague for promoting bigotry, fueling hatred and creating a hostile environment for the region's Muslim community.
Before a full house, Lima-Taub accused her commission colleagues of putting her life on the line. She also accused reporters of putting out stories that will lead to her "demise."
"Tonight might very well be my last night alive," she said.
Lima-Taub defended her Facebook post and denied hating Muslims.
"I never ever mentioned Muslim or Islam," she said to loud applause. "I repeat, I never ever mentioned Muslim or Islam. I do not hate or discriminate against any group, including Islam."
Lima-Taub said she has received death threats but has no plans to go into hiding.
Two factions, one backing her right to free speech and another demanding a public apology and resignation, swarmed City Hall in dueling protests before the meeting.
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.
The meeting was forced into a 10-minute recess shortly after 6 p.m. when a crowd of Lima-Taub's supporters began shouting over a Muslim woman who had signed up to speak. Another recess was called before 8 p.m. when Lima-Taub's supporters shouted over another Muslim speaker.
In a strong show of support for the commissioner, 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.
Around 20 pro-Muslim protesters showed up at 4 p.m. 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.
During the meeting, Mubarak told Lima-Taub her comments have created mayhem and chaos.
"You have activated a dark side," Mubarak said. "Commissioner, we are living in dark times in this country. This kind of rhetoric not only is it divisive, but it is pure violence."
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 on 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.
She broke her silence on Wednesday, saying Lima-Taub had a right to speak her mind.
"The comment she made was on her own Facebook page," Adams said during Wednesday's meeting. "It never should have escalated the way that it did and been put out there by the newspaper. We all have a right to say what we have to say."
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 on 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.
The Anti-Defamation League has joined several Muslim organizations in condemning the comments as Islamophobic and offensive
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."
