[ad_1]
Chelsea Clinton, center, looks with Imam Khalid Latif, left, during a vigil organized Friday at the Kimmel Center of New York University to mourn the victims of the death. Attack on Christchurch Mosque in New Zealand. (Rashid Umar Abbasi / Reuters)
Colby Itkowitz
Congress, Campaigns, Health Policy, Pennsylvania Policy
On Friday night in New York, when Chelsea Clinton came to a vigil for the victims of the New Zealand mosque massacre, she was confronted by a small group of students who accused her of to have incited violence.
Last month, the former first girl joined the crowd of Democrats and Republicans to condemn the language used by representative Ilhan Omar (D-Min.), One of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, that they considered perpetuating antisemitic stereotypes.
During the vigil, students from New York University expressed reactions such as Clinton's "stifled" hatred for Muslims.
"This, right here, is the result of a massacre caused by people like you and the words you give to the world," said a student in Clinton, according to a video of the confrontation. "And I want you to know that and I want you to feel that deep down inside you. Forty-nine people died because of the rhetoric that you have launched there.
"I'm so sorry you feel that," Clinton said. "Certainly, it was never my intention. I believe words count. I believe that we must show solidarity. "
Rose Asaf, a student who was there, posted a video of the exchange on Twitter. But after a strong reaction, she deleted her account. Another user has captured it and posted it on his page:
The mass shooting of 49 Muslim men, women and children during their afternoon prayers, allegedly committed by a man who is a recognized white supremacist, sparked a deeply emotional debate over terrorism and terrorism. Extremism of the far right. The tragedy came just a week after the US House passed a resolution condemning hate speech, inspired by Omar's comments. The original version only mentioned anti-Semitism but was expanded to include Islamophobia. Twenty-three Republicans opposed it because they did not focus solely on anti-Jewish statements.
The reaction of social media to Clinton's treatment of students shows how this tragedy is perceived throughout the political landscape. Some on the far left side with the students and wondered why Clinton would even participate in the vigil. But many others, including those who are unlikely to be Clinton 's allies, felt the students had been unjustly targeted by Clinton.
Donald Trump Jr., for his part, came to Clinton's defense.
Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, who has been working closely with the Clintons for decades, has seen a different motive. She retweeted Trump's son's message, accusing him of trying to sow discord among the Democrats.
"The right wants to exploit the conflicts in the center-left. I know people are upset about the video, but I urge them to move on, "tweeted Tanden. "People have been murdered by white nationalist hatred," she wrote. "Spend your time fighting this instead of the other."
The so-called gunman in New Zealand said in a 74-page manifesto that he had apparently written that he hoped his attacks would stoke new tensions in US policy. He cited President Trump as "a renewed symbol of white identity". This has prompted many Democrats to argue that Trump's rhetoric and policies regarding Muslims and the rise of white nationalism in America after Trump's election were responsible for the attacks.
Republicans, on the other hand, condemned hatred and praised religious freedom, but largely avoided references to white nationalism. Asked directly about the alleged shooter citing his name, Donald Trump firmly rejected any suggestion that Trump would have helped trigger the attack.
The White House advisor, Kellyanne Conway, also defended the president, saying: If readers read the entire manifesto, they will see that the shooter admitted is not a conservative but rather an "eco-friendly". terrorist ", a term often used to describe politically motivated attacks by the government. from the environment. Asked by reporters about the rise of white nationalism in the world, Trump downplayed it, saying it was only a "small group of people".
Andre Carson (D-Ind.), One of the three Muslims represented in Congress, said the president's remarks were a whistle for white supremacists. Trump "makes sure that the members of his base who probably can not align with him know publicly that I still appreciate the support, I'm with you, I'm here," Carson said in a statement. interview with CNN, Friday night. . "And they heard the message loud and clear."
Others have targeted Trump. Earlier in the day, the representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.) tweeted: "We remind every day that we have a ** Muslim ban ** in this country, because of the hostility of the President with regard to Muslims no evidence to support, and a Republican party that tolerates it. "
Chelsea Clinton has retweeted it.
[ad_2]
Source link