First, my sympathy to the victims and their families and appreciation for the police for their brave work.
Trump’s hate rhetoric strikes again. Of course, he is not directly responsible for the crime but he has created an atmosphere where bigots feel encouraged and supported by the President of the United States.
I’ll never forgive him for his comments after Charlottesville when he said the Nazis included “very fine people” . That’s why we have hate crimes like this.
Anti-Semitic hate crimes and social media posts are up under Trump
The number of anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. rose nearly 60 percent in 2017 – the largest single-year increase on record and the second highest number reported since @ADL_National started tracking such data in the 1970s. READ the report > https://t.co/UiKuC6VQB7 pic.twitter.com/dtrXXbQAns
— Oren Segal (@orensegal) March 26, 2018
More hate crimes are reported against Jews than any other religious group, FBI statistics show https://t.co/HiWVoKJNSp pic.twitter.com/rEBBD6ZLnV
— CNN (@CNN) October 27, 2018
Researchers say they are seeing an increase in anti-Semitic posts from far-right users of Instagram and Twitter, and that the services aren’t doing enough about it. https://t.co/p5bKAZj0U0
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 27, 2018
ADL has released a statement – "This is likely the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the United States" https://t.co/zeYexEalCF
— Jason Wilson (@jason_a_w) October 27, 2018
Report: 72% of Religious Hate Crimes in Los Angeles Targeted Jews according to LA County Commission on Human Relations. Next was Muslims @ 12% |
Read that again: hate crimes against Jews 7 out of 10, then Muslims, 1 of 10. https://t.co/ZRgMwHMBS4— Josh Block (@JoshBlockDC) October 19, 2018
This @milbank column is from 2016 –> Anti-Semitism is no longer an undertone of Trump’s campaign. It’s the melody. https://t.co/fJZtv9WE6u
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) October 27, 2018
Republicans are fomenting hatred against Jews by running ads laden with anti-Semitic tropes, like this one portraying George Soros as an evil puppet-master of the left, surrounded by stacks of cash https://t.co/gvv5lb8YYc pic.twitter.com/fiC9VBLIL3
— David Nir (@DavidNir) October 27, 2018
Trump’s reaction
Trump’s comments have been pathetic. He has not expressed sympathy for the victims. He blames them for not having guns (to make his NRA donors happy). As others have noted, the police there had guns and they got shot, too.
It's a miserable day in America when our @POTUS says there should have been guns & security inside the Pittsburgh synagogue, and nothing expressing love or loss for his 8 murder victims,
BUT the PM of a foreign country says all the right things about our American tragedy. https://t.co/Kem80IilLf— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) October 27, 2018
Of course, it’s still going on. How about Charlottesville?
“It looks definitely like it’s an anti-Semitic crime, and that is something you wouldn’t believe could still be going on,” President Trump says about synagogue attack prior to giving remarks at farmers convention pic.twitter.com/yXasz5G8Cq
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 27, 2018
Let's be clear: Trump is sending the military to guard the border against unarmed desperate migrants (who are still in southern Mexico), but faced with domestic white supremacist terrorists, he suggests that places of worship hire their own armed guards. https://t.co/bs5Muqyxlo
— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) October 27, 2018
Trump’s message here to those Jews shot while at prayer is essentially: it’s your own fault. Warm words for the police, but only blame for the victims https://t.co/9jt8OvPryO
— Jonathan Freedland (@Freedland) October 27, 2018
Three professionally-trained armed police officers were shot responding to the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh today. What does Trump think a part-time security guard would do against a determined gunman with an assault rifle? https://t.co/8aBdl6Xrpv
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) October 27, 2018
This @davidfrum essay perfectly rebuts #Trump logic.https://t.co/MxoudQavbk
I think #Trump is suggesting Synagogues nationwide should be filled with guns, and prepared to get in pitched firefights with anti-semitic attackers. How would that have worked out on Kristallnacht? https://t.co/Zc8Nyzustx
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) October 27, 2018
A reporter asked @realDonaldTrump if the Pittsburgh shooting has prompted him to revisit federal gun reform.
His response: "Well again, this has little to do with it."https://t.co/osxLi44Gr2
— Kara “Don’t Boo” 👻 Voght (@karavoght) October 27, 2018
This is sickening. The President of the United States blamed the victims — those who were worshiping on Shabbat, celebrating a Jewish rite of passage, and spending their Saturday morning with their family and friends. He has normalized hatred. https://t.co/tDqfIZIWCy
— Donna E. Shalala (@DonnaShalala) October 27, 2018
The DNC hack was the fault of the DNC. The bomb sent to CNN was the fault of CNN. etc. etc. https://t.co/H8bL8n0DkF
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) October 27, 2018
11 people are dead in an anti-Semitic attack.
Trump refuses to let it impact his political schedule, even for a few hours
It sends a clear message to his supporters, regardless of what he says https://t.co/NwUDOhan65
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) October 27, 2018
Trump has created an environment that encourages racism, hate crimes
It is happening here. Donald Trump and his supporters are not legally responsible for it, but they are damn well morally responsible. https://t.co/MJWaNTxj8O
— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) October 27, 2018
"He has refused to condemn anti-semitism and racism; he has encouraged chants of 'lock her up'…; he has appeared with, and promoted the views of, those who blame George Soros and the Jews for immigration problems… He has done these things even as this violence grows." https://t.co/3V4RaYj2yb
— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan) October 27, 2018
Rep. Gaetz has yet to apologize for his tweet linking Soros to the caravan. Since it was posted & amplified by the President, Soros received a bomb & several people in a synagogue have been murdered. https://t.co/SKcmTgG5V8
— GovTrack.🇺🇸 (@govtrack) October 27, 2018
.@realDonaldTrump says, "It's a terrible thing what's going on with hate." No president in our lifetime has encouraged and exploited hate as much as Trump has. Republicans own his politics of hate.
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) October 27, 2018
This is key from @EricLevitz. Trump is fluent in this form of xenophobic populist nationalism. It requires scapegoated outgroups below *and* a globalist (read:Jews) elite manipulating those outgroups to infest/undermine the "real" people. My piece on this: https://t.co/rIPis2FOCH https://t.co/2gcJT5xUm8
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) October 27, 2018
The clarity in the coded language of the President lets all of the hate groups know they are empowered to spew their hate filled rhetoric and act on their violent impulse. Groups that were marginalized are now emboldened. Thank you President Trump
— Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) October 27, 2018
The suspect
Social media accounts suggest shooting suspect Robert Bowers was a neo-Nazi/white nationalist who loathed Jews, migrants and refugees. He also said he strongly disliked Trump because he thought Trump was too soft on Jews.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) October 27, 2018
"All these Jews need to die," suspect tells police on scene at Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) October 27, 2018
Here's what we know so far about the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting suspect https://t.co/RpfEw6O6FL pic.twitter.com/r23g4ODrPw
— CNN (@CNN) October 27, 2018
The suspect in the Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooting wrote on social media that Jews were helping transport members of Latin American migrant caravans https://t.co/9KL2jUG3D3 pic.twitter.com/xJB7f3mJR0
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) October 27, 2018
We can do something about guns
It’s not too soon to say I’m horrified those worshipping at a synagogue were targeted and murdered. It’s not too soon to say we’re grateful for the first responders who risked their lives. And it’s not too soon to say that it’s in our power to take action against gun violence.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) October 27, 2018
Recent Pew Research poll shows that 50% of self identified Republicans are opposed to limiting access to AR-15 type assault rifles. In other words, such weapons of death should be allowed.
— Tom Coleman (@reptomcoleman) October 27, 2018
The accused synagogue killer legally purchased and possessed 10 guns, including the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and three Glock handguns used in the Pittsburgh massacre, the ATF said on Tuesday https://t.co/hnDseICmxY
— NYT National News (@NYTNational) October 30, 2018
and this
The doctor who operated on #TreeofLife shooter is a Jew. The shooter shouted anti-Semitic slurs at him even as he tended his wounds. The doctor said that he was proud to offer medical care to a human who was wounded. You want to know what it means to be a Jew? Here's your answer.
— Rabbi Latz (@RavMABAY) October 30, 2018
Sad! 