Christie Excoriated by Nigerian Activists for ‘Flippant’ #BringBackOurGirls Remarks at RNC
July 24, 2016
BY BRIDGET JOHNSON*
[caption id="attachment_31496" align="alignleft" width="300"] New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie addresses delegates at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 18, 2016. (Photo by Anthony Behar/Sipa via AP Imag[/caption]
Nigerian activists for the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram ripped New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for what the co-founder of the hashtag campaign called the governor "indecently" citing the girls' case in his Republican National Convention speech.
During his list of charges against Hillary Clinton, Christie told the convention that the former secretary of State "amazingly fought for two years to keep an al-Qaeda affiliate off of the terrorist watch list." Boko Haram was affiliated with al-Qaeda but switched allegiance to ISIS in March 2015.
"Now, what happens because of this reckless action by the candidate who is the self-proclaimed champion of women all around the world? These al-Qaeda terrorists abducted hundreds of innocent young women two years ago. These schoolgirls are still missing today. And what was the solution from the Obama-Clinton team? A hashtag campaign," Christie said.
"So, now let's figure it out. Let's decide. Hillary Clinton, as an apologist for an al-Qaeda affiliate in Nigeria, resulting in the capture of innocent young women, is she guilty or not guilty?"
The 276 girls were abducted from the Government Secondary School in April 2014, when John Kerry was secretary of State. The #BringBackOurGirls campaign was created and promoted by Nigerian activists and the families of the kidnapped girls to keep attention on the case.
The White House briefly participated in the campaign, including first lady Michelle Obama posting a photo of herself holding a placard with the hashtag. Few in Washington have continued the campaign. Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) continues to tweet a #BringBackOurGirls message every day.
Obiageli Ezekwesili, Nigeria's former education minister and former vice president of the World Bank's Africa division, was one of the activists who originally launched the hashtag that would go viral.
She tweeted at Christie after his speech, using the number of Chibok girls still missing:
