Police Called To Break Up Fights At Democrats' Convention

MINNEAPOLIS — The chair of Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party apologized after police had to break up fights at Saturday's Minneapolis City Council candidate convention.

There were no arrests, but at least two people were injured, including one who had the be hospitalized.

After reviewing video evidence and speaking with attendees, Chairman Ken Martin blamed the brawl on supporters of city council candidate Nasri Warsame.

"As we learn more about the incident that took place at the Ward 10 endorsing convention, it is clear that the conflict was instigated by supporters of city council candidate Nasri Warsame," Martin said.

"Harassment and violence are unacceptable, and we expect candidates and their campaign teams to work hard to curb such behavior when it comes from their supporters, staffers, or volunteers. Warsame and his team took the opposite approach at today’s convention by escalating the situation and encouraging conflict."

When supporters of City Council Member Aisha Chughtai took the stage, Warsame supporters apparently sparked chaos by jumping on stage, sparking a brawl. Wedge LIVE! recorded and uploaded video from the incident.

Matin apologized to Chughtai and her supporters "for the way they were treated at the Ward 10 convention."

"Our candidates and supporters deserve a safe forum to campaign at, and the Ward 10 convention fell far short of that. Our party will work with local leaders in Minneapolis to ensure future events are not marred by reprehensible conduct."

Martin vowed to call an emergency DFL meeting to ban anyone who "engaged in violent assaults."

"I was scared some of us might die," said Bridget Siljander, one of the Chughtai supporters who was on stage when the chaos began.

Siljander said she was terrified the fight would turn into a stampede and that it like an insurrection.

In a statement, Chughtai said that "During the Ward 10 Convention, the Nasri Warsame campaign continually made people feel unsafe. They intimidated delegates and alternates, harassed and threatened DFL volunteers, and assaulted me and my supporters."

Warsame responded in his own statement, saying "the statements published by both Aisha and the MN DFL are defamatory, slander, and libel because they disregard the truth that neither I nor my campaign promoted or encouraged yesterday’s disorder and violence."

He added that "the MN DFL prematurely published a statement and failed to accurately include first-hand accounts or videos taken by our campaign that shows the violence was not one-sided and rested the blame solely on my campaign."

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.