SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A mother and child place flowers at a memorial for victims of the mass shooting that killed 11 people and wounded 6 at the Tree Of Life Synagogue on October 29, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
On First Anniversary of Tree of Life Synagogue Massacre, Calls to Confront White Nationalist Ideology That Led to Slaughter
"They were killed by white nationalism. We must commit to defeating it."
Oct 27, 2019
On the first anniversary of the Tree of Life massacre in Pittsburgh, activists across the U.S. called for a concerted effort to fight back against the white supremacist ideology that motivated the shooter in the attack to target the synagogue.
"They were killed by white nationalism," tweeted activist collective Bend the Arc: Jewish Action. "We must commit to defeating it."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), in a tweet, echoed that message of resistance.
"Today marks one year since the massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue, the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history," said Sanders. "We mourn for the eleven victims, and we remain committed to fighting white supremacist violence as the national security threat that it is."
On the morning of October 27, 2018 a 46-year-old white nationalist named Robert Bowers entered the Tree of Life synagogue and opened fire, killing 11 members of the congregation. The massacre led to the temporary shuttering of white supremacist-friendly social media site Gab and for a number of advocates and activists to point to President Donald Trump's rhetoric as inciteful.
"All the violence we see is the extreme and radical version of what he is implementing on a policy and legal front as president of the United States," the ACLU's Cecilia Wang said of Trump at the time.
The message of pushing back against white supremacy was on display on Sunday from a number of advocates, activists, and politicians who called for fighting the racist ideology on behalf of the victims of the synagogue shooting.
"Holding the victims and survivors in my heart today," said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). "We must confront the hateful ideology of white nationalism and treat it like the national security threat it is."
In a piece for yes Magazine on the massacre's anniversary, writers Ben Lorber and Tina Vasquez predicted that hateful rhetoric from the right is only going to get worse as the country nears the 2020 election.
When right-wing leaders--including elected officials and the president of the United States--voice anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant conspiracy theories, it grants these ideas legitimacy and a massive public forum, helping to create a climate that encourages White nationalist attacks on Jews, immigrants, Indigenous people, and Black and Brown people. Because of this mainstreaming, anti-Semitism has become a potent force in mainstream right-wing U.S. politics, and will likely escalate as we approach the 2020 elections. Non-White immigrants, Muslims, Black folks, other people of color, Jews, and women will also continue to be principal targets of White nationalist violence.
Jewish advocacy group IfNotNow said on Twitter that the memory of the victims could be best kept alive by anti-racist action.
"We remember them by organizing against those on the right whose antisemitic rhetoric inspired the shooter," said IfNotNow.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
On the first anniversary of the Tree of Life massacre in Pittsburgh, activists across the U.S. called for a concerted effort to fight back against the white supremacist ideology that motivated the shooter in the attack to target the synagogue.
"They were killed by white nationalism," tweeted activist collective Bend the Arc: Jewish Action. "We must commit to defeating it."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), in a tweet, echoed that message of resistance.
"Today marks one year since the massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue, the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history," said Sanders. "We mourn for the eleven victims, and we remain committed to fighting white supremacist violence as the national security threat that it is."
On the morning of October 27, 2018 a 46-year-old white nationalist named Robert Bowers entered the Tree of Life synagogue and opened fire, killing 11 members of the congregation. The massacre led to the temporary shuttering of white supremacist-friendly social media site Gab and for a number of advocates and activists to point to President Donald Trump's rhetoric as inciteful.
"All the violence we see is the extreme and radical version of what he is implementing on a policy and legal front as president of the United States," the ACLU's Cecilia Wang said of Trump at the time.
The message of pushing back against white supremacy was on display on Sunday from a number of advocates, activists, and politicians who called for fighting the racist ideology on behalf of the victims of the synagogue shooting.
"Holding the victims and survivors in my heart today," said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). "We must confront the hateful ideology of white nationalism and treat it like the national security threat it is."
In a piece for yes Magazine on the massacre's anniversary, writers Ben Lorber and Tina Vasquez predicted that hateful rhetoric from the right is only going to get worse as the country nears the 2020 election.
When right-wing leaders--including elected officials and the president of the United States--voice anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant conspiracy theories, it grants these ideas legitimacy and a massive public forum, helping to create a climate that encourages White nationalist attacks on Jews, immigrants, Indigenous people, and Black and Brown people. Because of this mainstreaming, anti-Semitism has become a potent force in mainstream right-wing U.S. politics, and will likely escalate as we approach the 2020 elections. Non-White immigrants, Muslims, Black folks, other people of color, Jews, and women will also continue to be principal targets of White nationalist violence.
Jewish advocacy group IfNotNow said on Twitter that the memory of the victims could be best kept alive by anti-racist action.
"We remember them by organizing against those on the right whose antisemitic rhetoric inspired the shooter," said IfNotNow.
On the first anniversary of the Tree of Life massacre in Pittsburgh, activists across the U.S. called for a concerted effort to fight back against the white supremacist ideology that motivated the shooter in the attack to target the synagogue.
"They were killed by white nationalism," tweeted activist collective Bend the Arc: Jewish Action. "We must commit to defeating it."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), in a tweet, echoed that message of resistance.
"Today marks one year since the massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue, the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history," said Sanders. "We mourn for the eleven victims, and we remain committed to fighting white supremacist violence as the national security threat that it is."
On the morning of October 27, 2018 a 46-year-old white nationalist named Robert Bowers entered the Tree of Life synagogue and opened fire, killing 11 members of the congregation. The massacre led to the temporary shuttering of white supremacist-friendly social media site Gab and for a number of advocates and activists to point to President Donald Trump's rhetoric as inciteful.
"All the violence we see is the extreme and radical version of what he is implementing on a policy and legal front as president of the United States," the ACLU's Cecilia Wang said of Trump at the time.
The message of pushing back against white supremacy was on display on Sunday from a number of advocates, activists, and politicians who called for fighting the racist ideology on behalf of the victims of the synagogue shooting.
"Holding the victims and survivors in my heart today," said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). "We must confront the hateful ideology of white nationalism and treat it like the national security threat it is."
In a piece for yes Magazine on the massacre's anniversary, writers Ben Lorber and Tina Vasquez predicted that hateful rhetoric from the right is only going to get worse as the country nears the 2020 election.
When right-wing leaders--including elected officials and the president of the United States--voice anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant conspiracy theories, it grants these ideas legitimacy and a massive public forum, helping to create a climate that encourages White nationalist attacks on Jews, immigrants, Indigenous people, and Black and Brown people. Because of this mainstreaming, anti-Semitism has become a potent force in mainstream right-wing U.S. politics, and will likely escalate as we approach the 2020 elections. Non-White immigrants, Muslims, Black folks, other people of color, Jews, and women will also continue to be principal targets of White nationalist violence.
Jewish advocacy group IfNotNow said on Twitter that the memory of the victims could be best kept alive by anti-racist action.
"We remember them by organizing against those on the right whose antisemitic rhetoric inspired the shooter," said IfNotNow.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.