Black Georgia Senate hopeful pelted with racial slurs, porn at virtual town hall
U.S. Senate candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock is speaking out after a virtual town hall event in Georgia was disrupted by online hackers.
Warnock, who’s also senior pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, appeared in a meeting hosted by the Hall County Georgia Democratic Party on Monday when attendees say the event was hijacked by trolls chanting racial slurs, according to 11 Alive News.
Pornographic images were reportedly shown and QAnon conspiracy theorists also joined in, the station reported.
Addressing the incident, Warnock said he refused to let “a hateful few” get in his way.
“Tonight a virtual event I attended was targeted by hackers,” he wrote on Twitter. “A hateful few won’t stop us from going everywhere and speaking to everyone. It is more important than ever to hear each other out — that’s what I’ll do in the Senate.”
Warnock is among 20 candidates challenging Republican Kelly Loeffler for the Senate seat, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. He would become Georgia’s first Black U.S. Senator should he defeat her in the upcoming election, his campaign confirmed to McClatchy News.
Hall County Democratic party chair Kim Copeland recalled playing “Whack a Troll” as she watched the racial slurs appear on the screen during Monday’s meeting, which was hosted on Zoom. Copeland was moderating the event, according to the AJC.
“To say I was shocked was an understatement,” she told the newspaper. “I’m still in shock, to be honest.”
The Democratic Party of Georgia quickly denounced the incident, saying “hatred and bigotry” will not be condoned.
“Once again in this campaign season, we are seeing a Black candidate come under racist attacks meant to intimidate and shut down his platform,” the party said in a statement. “This must not and will not be tolerated. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and I am hopeful that all candidates in this race — regardless of party — will join us in condemning these kinds of racist attacks on Reverend Warnock and make sure to engage in a respectful debate.”
It’s unclear if the incident is being investigated by police.
This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Black Georgia Senate hopeful pelted with racial slurs, porn at virtual town hall."