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Calif. Councilwoman Receives Threats for 'Anti-Muslim' Comments

Calif. Councilwoman Receives Threats for 'Anti-Muslim' Comments

A California councilwoman has received threats over comments she made during a recent protest outside a fundraising event hosted by the Islamic Circle of North American (ICNA) Relief USA.

As we reported earlier this month, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned the Orange County tea party protest event as a gathering of "anti-Muslim bigots" and released a heavily edited video of protesters and speakers decrying ICNA and its event which hosted two controversial guests with ties to radical Islam.

During the daytime protest, local councilwoman Deborah Pauly remarked how her son and his military friends would be very happy to help these terrorists to an early meeting in Paradise."

Pauly's comments reportedly angered 27-year-old Paul Dean Andrews who pleaded not guilty Wednesday to one felony count of threatening a public official.

Pauly has since walked back those comments, claiming to be referring to terrorists in the Middle East and not anyone attending ICNA's fundraising event.  But Andrews allegedly sent her a Facebook message threatening violence against her with weapons, Deputy District Attorney Rebecca Olivieri said.

"We can't be specific on the threat, but it was a specific threat to harm her," said Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Orange County sheriff's deputies tracked the message back to Andrews and confronted him at his home Monday where he was arrested without incident.

On Tuesday evening, about 200 protesters gathered outside Villa Park City Hall to demand an apology from Pauly for her past comments, chanting, “Pauly, Pauly, Pauly has got to go.".

In addition, the Villa Park Peace Coalition sent a letter to Pauly demanding a public apology.

"Your speech incited hate and undermined the very essence of American values in which we pride ourselves," the members of the coalition said in the letter.  "In Villa Park, we have always supported religious pluralism as we have always enjoyed a peaceful co-existence amongst our constituents."

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