The man who was responsible for yesterday's unbelievable mass shooting mostly targeting Muslims praying in mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, was apparently a fan of Trump. He apparently felt that the arrival of Trump onto the world scene signified some kind of awakening among white people, which he felt was necessary. In his manifesto, the mass shooter, Brenton Tarrant, described Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity.”
In fairness, Tarrant was not exactly a fan of Donald Trump. He asked himself the question, “Were/are you a supporter of Donald Trump?” Then, his answer:
“As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose? Sure. As a policy maker and leader? Dear god no.”
In fairness, Tarrant was not exactly a fan of Donald Trump. He asked himself the question, “Were/are you a supporter of Donald Trump?” Then, his answer:
“As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose? Sure. As a policy maker and leader? Dear god no.”
Still, there is that whole white nationalist angle, and how he viewed Trump as some kind of symbol for the seeming rising tide of white nationalism in much of the world today, not to mention how comfortable many white nationalists appear to be getting in expressing their views more freely and more loudly, as well as the obvious spike in violent hate crimes in recent years, particularly since Trump rose to political prominence.
When asked to comment on this, Trump, for once, profaned ignorance. The one time that you want Trump to admit that he knows about something, and of course this is the time that he chooses to claim that he had no knowledge of it. Here is how he responded:
When asked to comment on this, Trump, for once, profaned ignorance. The one time that you want Trump to admit that he knows about something, and of course this is the time that he chooses to claim that he had no knowledge of it. Here is how he responded:
“I didn’t see it. I didn’t see it, but I think it’s a horrible event ... a horrible, disgraceful thing and a horrible act.”
Trump stated that it was terrible that “places of worship turned into scenes of evil killing.” He expressed unity with New Zealand as a country, suggesting that relations between the two countries had never been better. But he said nothing about the gunman's white supremacist leanings, nor about his view of Trump as being good for white identity. He also neglected to mention how Muslims were specifically targeted in the shooting.
When asked about white nationalism, Trump downplayed the significance, suggesting that it was a very small percentage of people who believed in it:
“I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems, I guess. If you look at what happened in New Zealand, perhaps that’s the case. I don’t know enough about it yet. But it’s certainly a terrible thing.”
When asked about white nationalism, Trump downplayed the significance, suggesting that it was a very small percentage of people who believed in it:
“I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems, I guess. If you look at what happened in New Zealand, perhaps that’s the case. I don’t know enough about it yet. But it’s certainly a terrible thing.”
Beyond Trump, however, there already appears to be signs of a white nationalist reaction that is appalling. In Cleveland, while there was a gathering organized by Jews, Christians, and Muslims to mourn the tragedy in New Zealand, a man with a pro-Trump float passed by - twice - and played patriotic music. Here are some more details, as reported by John Deike of CBS Cleveland (see link below):
A vigil organized by Christians, Jews and Muslims at Cleveland City Hall to remember the 49 killed in Christchurch, New Zealand was interrupted Friday by a President Donald Trump supporter driving a “BUILD THE WALL” float.
Mourners looked on in disbelief as the float rolled past the memorial blaring music. The driver, Robert Cortis of Michigan, then made a second pass and played “God Bless America.”
Cortis told Cleveland 19 he was leaving the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and happened to drive by city hall as the memorial was being held.
Speakers, including Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, stayed on script and focused on the tragedy instead of the disruption.
Here are the links to the two articles I used in writing this particular blog entry, and from which I got all of the quotes (in yellow) used above:
After massacre, Trump downplays white nationalism threat by Jonathan Lemire, March 15, 2019:
https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2019-03-16/trump-downplays-white-nationalism-threat-after-massacre
Trump supporter drives ‘build the wall’ float past New Zealand mourners at Cleveland City Hall by John Deike | March 15, 2019:
http://www.cleveland19.com/2019/03/15/trump-supporters-drive-build-wall-float-past-mourners-new-zealand-massacre-cleveland-city-hall/
No comments:
Post a Comment