Racist TikTok bus driver backlash: witness gets death threat

On Monday, Norran reported that an Eritrean bus driver in Skellefteå has been posting videos on TikTok in which he threatens and insults Muslims. One of those who spoke out in the article, Nasser Nuru, says he was later threatened.– I stand by what I said, but now I’ve ended up in the firing line, says Nuru.

In the article, colleagues of the driver describe him as a problem at work, but also as a threat to Muslims in Skellefteå.

– Anyone can have him as a driver and colleagues are forced to meet him in the coffee shop. Some are so sick that they can barely go to work. He talks about slaughtering Muslims, one of them said.

The background is posts the driver made on TikTok, where he makes hateful statements about Muslims and, among other things, talks about hanging them on Kilimanjaro.

The driver has denied the allegations, insisting his comments were about historical events, not the present.

– It’s just a misunderstanding. I’d like to speak with those who reacted so strongly and ask why they're so offended, he said.

Another voice in the original article was Nasser Nuru, former chairman of Skellefteå’s mosque. He stresses that there are no conflicts between Christians and Muslims in the town. Instead, he believes the driver’s remarks amount to racism.

After the article was published, Nasser Nuru received a message on Messenger from someone linked to the same Eritrean organisation as the bus driver. The message makes it clear the person is unhappy with Nuru’s comments - and hints there could be consequences.

– For me, it was a clear indication that I’ll have to pay a heavy price for this. What that actually means worries me, says Nuru.

Nuru says he is used to threats, but one reason he takes this one seriously is that it comes from a person with a certain position in an organisation that exists worldwide. 

Adding to his concern, the chairman of the same organisation on Thursday posted a long Facebook message naming Nuru as the mastermind behind the article and accusing him of running a campaign against certain Eritreans.

– The consequences could be greater, because now it’s about more than one Skellefteå resident who did something. There’s an international aspect to it, says Nuru.

Are you afraid for your life?

– Absolutely.

The Eritrean organisation in question consists of Christian nationalists who reject Eritrea’s current unitary state and instead want a Christian Orthodox state dominated by Tigrinya speakers. Muslims and other ethnic groups are seen as threats or second-class citizens in such a vision.

Nuru has reported the threat to the police and was questioned on Thursday.