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Minneapolis school shooting: A first in domestic terrorism featuring anti-India Rhetoric
This violent and hateful incident is not isolated—it reflects a broader, escalating pattern of Hinduphobia fueled by online extremism and xenophobic conspiracy, often unchecked and amplified through social media algorithms and political rhetoric.
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ROHIT SHARMA - Wed, 27, Aug 2025
- 22:26 EDT
- 32
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Law enforcement officers set up barriers after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. August 27, 2025. / REUTERS/Ben Brewer
In a shocking act now being investigated as both domestic terrorism and a hate crime, 23-year-old Robin Westman opened fire during a back-to-school Mass at Annunciation Catholic School, killing two children (aged 8 and 10) and injuring 17 others—14 of whom were students and three, elderly parishioners. Westman died at the scene by suicide.
· Identity & Background: Westman was assigned male at birth as Robert Westman but legally changed their name in 2021, identifying as female. Their mother had worked at the school
· Weapons & Preparations: The shooter wielded a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol—all purchased legally—and attempted to barricade exits using a wooden plank
· Manifesto & Videos: Westman posted a pre-scheduled manifesto and disturbing videos on YouTube. One video features them clutching firearms marked with messages like “Kill Donald Trump,” as well as anti-Black, antisemitic, and anti-God slurs. Another video shows them laughing and referencing mass shooters, while a journal narrated in Cyrillic contained deeply troubling ideology
· Anti-Israel and Holocaust-Related Messages: According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Westman’s weapons featured slogans such as “Burn Israel,” “6 million wasn’t enough,” and references to the Tree of Life synagogue shooter Robert Bowers.
· Beyond Anti-Catholic Hate: Although the FBI is treating the attack as targeting Catholics, posts and inscriptions from Westman reflect a broader spectrum of hate, with antisemitic and far-right extremist messaging.
Anti-India Message: A First in Domestic Terrorism
Among the messages scrawled across the weaponry was the phrase “Nuke India”, marking the first known instance of domestic terror explicitly targeting India or Hindus. This unsettling addition underscores the shooter’s broad hateful scope. It prompted sharp commentary from MAGA-aligned figure Laura Loomer, who asserted on X stating that “Israel haters like the shooter today in Minnesota don’t just hate Jews. They hate Christians, Catholics, and Hindus too. It’s not hard to figure out why the shooter today opened fire on a Catholic school and had pro-Holocaust, anti-India and pro-Islamic phrases on his gun."
This violent and hateful incident is not isolated—it reflects a broader, escalating pattern of Hinduphobia fueled by online extremism and xenophobic conspiracy, often unchecked and amplified through social media algorithms and political rhetoric.
Rising Tide of Anti-India and Anti-Hindu Online Hate
The disturbing trend of Hinduphobic sentiment is not limited to physical violence—it’s amplified online:
A Stop AAPI Hate report documented an alarming 75 percent surge in online hate speech targeting South Asians—primarily Indians—in early 2025 following the U.S. presidential election.
Between Dec. 22, 2024, and Jan. 3, 2025, 128 hateful posts about Indians circulated on X (formerly Twitter), accumulating over 138.5 million views. Notably, 36 of these posts garnered over a million views each—many from blue-verified accounts.
In extremist forums like 4chan, the anti-Indian slur “Pajeet” saw a 122% increase, hitting 32,703 instances by March 2024
Real-World Incidents
Online hate has translated into real-world bias and violence:
In California, hate incidents logged via the “CA vs Hate” hotline revealed anti-Hindu bias accounted for 23.3 percent of all religiously motivated reports—second only to anti-Jewish bias at 36–37 percent, and ahead of anti-Muslim incidents at 14–15 percent
The FBI 2024 data recorded 25 anti-Hindu hate crimes—down slightly from 32 the prior year—but activists warn these numbers likely understate the real scale due to widespread underreporting
Additional incidents in 2024 included 10 anti-Hindu bias cases in California and multiple temple desecrations—yet local officials often omitted Hindus in public statements.
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