Police: Muslim Univ of Louisiana student lied about attack by Donald Trump supporters
A University of Louisiana Lafayette student who said she was physically attacked and robbed of her wallet and hijab by someone in a Donald Trump hat, made up the story, according to the Lafayette Police Department.
Public Information Officer Karl Ratcliff said police are currently reviewing the possibility of charging the 18-year-old student with filing a false police report for claiming Tuesday that two white males yelled racial obscenities at her and then attacked her.
photo/ Gerd Altmann via pixabay
Police added the student had claimed the men shouted racial obscenities as they knocked her down and stole her wallet and the headscarf, known as a hijab.
Charlie Bier, a spokesman for the university, said a federal privacy law prohibits him from saying whether the student could be disciplined.
She also claimed one of the males was wearing a Donald Trump hat, but the police investigation revealed that the student’s claims did not align with any witnesses or surveillance videos to corroborate her story.
“Basically, all we have is her statement,” Ratcliff said. “At this point, there’s not really much else we can do with it.”
“During the course of the investigation, the female complainant admitted that she fabricated the story about her physical attack as well as the removal of her hijab and wallet by two white males,” the police reported.
The story of her false attack went viral overnight, gaining the attention of national media outlets.
Sgt. Billy Abrams with the UL Police Department said the department added extra patrols on campus in the wake of the student’s report.
UL Lafayette President Dr. Joseph Savoie sent a message to the campus following the election that read, in part: “University campuses are places where men and women of all races and religions should be able to exchange ideas and learn from one another. We grow as human beings by listening to others who have different backgrounds and experiences. The University strives to provide an environment that nurtures healthy discourse.”
