Trump sends the wrong message on New Zealand. World leaders must denounce the attack. - WP Editorial
By Editorial Board March 15 at 7:45 PM
THE UNSPEAKABLE carnage in New Zealand must be called out by its proper name: a terrorist attack by a white-nationalist bigot consumed by Islamophobia and impelled by the fervid extremism that suffuses the Internets darkest crevices.
The alleged gunmans garden-variety racism his rantings about the peril posed to whites faced with replacement by Muslims is of a piece with other hatreds espoused by other racist killers in other places and times. That he spent his days slinking through online cesspools and communing with like-minded social networks gives his crime a postmodern gloss.
But the forces that animated him, as evidenced by his inflamed manifesto ignorance, intolerance, bloodthirsty tribalism are ancient. The Internet and social media did not invent or refine evil; they just made it accessible on demand, in all its banal and lurid manifestations. As for the suspects evident wish to instigate discord and sow divisions he wrote that he wanted to incite violence, retaliation and further divide and hoped that by carrying out his massacre with a firearm he would add fuel to the United States gun debate hes a little late.
Still, its critical that world leaders clearly and precisely denounce this ghoulish act. An attack on mosques, as on any place of worship, is especially sinister and dangerous. Online racists lionized the murderer as a hero and cheered his killing spree as he streamed it live. In fact, he is a monster who slaughtered innocent people parents and children, the old and the young.
President Trump is not to blame for the tragedy, despite his own history of Islamophobic statements and a travel ban that targets predominantly Muslim nations. Still, he should go further than he has; for starters, by condemning the alleged killer, whose nativist rhetoric he called immigrants invaders, attacked mass immigration and wrote that he hoped to directly reduce immigration rates overlaps with the presidents own. On Friday, Mr. Trump cited an invasion of immigrants to justify his national emergency declaration to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
more
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-massacre-streamed-live-impelled-by-bigotry/2019/03/15/a373568c-475b-11e9-aaf8-4512a6fe3439_story.html
gordianot
(15,249 posts)Trump and his toxic rhetoric are to blame. Those who claim Trump is somehow a symptom or that Trump supporters are somehow blameless miss the point of what Fascism really represents.
watoos
(7,142 posts)The Pittsburgh murderer used the same language Trump uses, "invaders."
The NZ murderers used the same language as Trump, "invaders."
Minutes after Trump gave his condolences to the NZ victims and families, he used the word "invaders," regarding our southern border.
Did Trump order the murders of the people in Pittsburgh and NZ, of course not. Did Trump inspire the murderers in Pittsburgh and NZ? How can anyone say he did not? He was even mentioned by name in the manifesto written by the NZ murderer.
Oh and is there any doubt that Trump inspired the guy who sent pipe bombs to Democrats and the press?
I'm not pushing the M$M to blame Trump for the violence, but it needs to point out his hate speech every time he spews it.
When Trump talks about the dangerous people crossing our southern border when is a reporter going to have the guts to ask Trump why he hired so many of those dangerous people at his properties?
TheFarseer
(9,328 posts)"More outraged than thou" contests. To me, it just comes off as phony and opportunistic. He said it was a tragedy and that's fine. IF he said you know, those guys had a point or I'm sure the shooters were good people too - then we can get all mad.
watoos
(7,142 posts)What did Trump say about Charlottesville? He said there are good people on both sides.
Trump offered to do anything to help NZ, I think it was the prime minister of NZ called Trump and asked him to say publicly that he sends his love to the Muslim communities. Trump offered and NZ specified what they wanted.
I will be waiting for Trump to publicly send his wishes of love to the Muslim communities.
democrank
(11,112 posts)Donald Trump is a national disgrace.