Walz targeted by misleading Minnesota flag design claims

"Walz changed his states (sic) flag to look exactly like the Somali flag, to pander to the Somali residents of his state," says an X post published August 6, 2024, shortly after Vice President Kamala Harris selected the 60-year-old governor as her running mate in the presidential race.

Another X user wrote: "He turned his home state into Somalia and now he wants to do the same to our country."

The claims were amplified by X owner and Tesla founder Elon Musk, podcast host Joe Rogan and Fox News host Jesse Watters. Similar allegations shot across TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.

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Screenshot from an X post taken August 9, 2024

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Screenshot of an Instagram post taken August 9, 2024

Minnesota is home to more than 80,000 people of Somali origin, many of whom fled unrest and famine in the African nation. One of the most prominent is US Representative Ilhan Omar, a frequent target of misinformation.

Minnesota adopted a new flag design May 11. It resembles the Somali banner in that it includes a white star on a blue background.

The state's new flag and seal were redesigned in line with recommendations from a commission created by the legislature following criticism of racially insensitive symbols, including a farmer beside a rifle and a Native American on horseback. 

Walz signed legislation creating the State Emblem Redesign Commission in 2023, but the governor was not a member of the panel (archived here).

Out of more than 2,000 comments and design proposals, the commission chose one from Luverne resident Andrew Prekker.

In an interview with Minnesota West Community and Technical College in December, Prekker said he was "visually inspired by the simplicity and popularity of state flags like New Mexico, Colorado and Tennessee" but that "all of my symbolic inspiration came from Minnesota itself with emphasis on embracing the history, significance and uniqueness of our state while also finding the experiences that all Minnesotans share and connect with."

According to the Minnesota secretary of state website, the flag "represents many of the state's best-known traits including its many lakes and rivers and the North Star" (archived here).

The white, eight-point star represents the state's motto "L'étoile du Nord," or North Star, and mirrors the one on the floor of the rotunda of the Minnesota State Capitol. It differs from the Somali five-point star, which is on a light blue background.

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This handout photo provided by the Minnesota Historical Society on December 20, 2023 shows a mockup of Minnesota's new state flag, replacing its old one that depicted a farmer beside a rifle and a Native American on horseback (AFP / Handout)

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Students wave a Somali flag during a demonstration in support of Somalia's government following the port deal signed between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland at Eng Yariisow Stadium in Mogadishu on January 3, 2024 (AFP / ABDISHUKRI HAYBE)

"The dark background is a stylized shape of the outline of the state of Minnesota, representing the land of Minnesota," the secretary of state's office says on its website.

"The remainder of the flag is a solid, bright blue, representing water. Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, the home of the Headwaters of the Mississippi River, Lake Superior and the start of the Great Lakes Basin."

Read more of AFP's coverage of misinformation on US politics here.