Plano City Councilman Tom Harrison has disputed claims that he shared additional offensive content on social media, according to his spokesman. Allan Samara stated that while Harrison admitted to posting a specific video and apologized, three other memes that appeared in his timeline were not posted by him.
Samara suggested that another individual may have shared those items, noting that they appeared in rapid succession without proactive commentary from Harrison.
The controversy centers on a video that appeared on Harrison's private Facebook profile in February. The since-deleted clip showed Muslim children in a classroom setting and included a message asking viewers to share it if they believed President Trump should ban Islam in American schools. Harrison has apologized for the post, with Samara explaining that the councilman did not intend to offend anyone.
Samara also said Harrison is hurt by allegations that he is a bigot.
A resident group called Our Plano, One Plano has collected 4,400 signatures in an effort to remove Harrison from office. Ana Bacchus, a member of the group, noted that the number of signatures gathered in less than four weeks matched the approximate number of votes Harrison received when elected.
She stated that residents signed the petition to express that there is no place for bigotry in the community.
