Actor James Woods takes aim at Mall of America with video some are calling racist

He posted the tweet Monday, and some say it is inciting hate and fear.

November 15, 2017 at 3:47AM
(Rachel Chazin — Twitter/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Actor James Woods took aim at the Mall of America on Monday by posting a 45-second video showing hundreds of Muslims gathering at Nickelodeon Universe, the seven-acre indoor amusement park in the center of Bloomington mall. The conservative actor says "I would suggest getting your Christmas shopping done early. Oh, wait ..."

Woods, a prolific user of Twitter with more than 1 million followers, frequently tweets on conservative causes. His Mall of America tweet had more than 12,000 likes and about 9,000 retweets Tuesday. Many of the nearly 5,000 commenters supported Woods, but it also has generated backlash.

Although it is unclear when the video was originally captured or posted online, Nickelodeon Universe is a popular destination for Minnesota families, including the state's sizable Somali-American population, particularly during Eid al-Adha, the biggest religious holiday in the Muslim world.

Calls to the Mall of America seeking comment have not been returned.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768

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about the writer

Tim Harlow

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Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. He also covers the suburbs in northern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties, plus breaking news and weather. 

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