Charlottesville Tragedy "Inevitable Result" of Trump's Support for White Nationalism

Charlottesville Tragedy "Inevitable Result" of Trump's Support for White Nationalism

August 12, 2017

Press Contact: 

Elliot Levy

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202-800-7409

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Release Date: Saturday, August 12, 2017

 

New York – Following the violence and protests in Charlottesville, VA today – including the death of one person after a car drove into a crowd – Bend the Arc Jewish Action Chief Strategy Officer, Jonathan Lipman, released the following statement:

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic events of the protests in Charlottesville today and our sympathies go out to the families of those injured and killed. The events of the last two days are the inevitable result of the bigotry and hatred that Donald Trump has been championing since he began his campaign.

This is what it looks like for the President of the United States to support white nationalism. He has brought in white nationalists like Steve Bannon, Sebastian Gorka and Stephen Miller to serve at the highest levels of his administration. He has openly called for violence at his rallies, encouraged police to rough up suspects, and claimed that unauthorized immigrants were subhuman and not to be treated kindly. And he has still failed to acknowledge and commit to ending the increase in hate crimes that began with his election. This unmistakable pattern of the president’s support for and endorsement of white nationalism, combined with his outrageous failure to explicitly and forcefully condemn the white supremacists and neo-Nazis responsible for today’s violence, make his calls for unity disingenuous.

American Jews recognize these dangerous and escalating patterns. We've seen this before. This hatred must stop. And the way Trump and his Administration can help stop it is through actions, not only words. If he truly believes we must love and respect one another, he must fire the white nationalists in his office. He must renounce the use of violence against any human being. And he must forcefully condemn people like David Duke, who said today's events were the fulfillment of the president’s campaign promises. Failure to take these steps will be further evidence that he has chosen to align himself with white supremacy and against the safety and values of the American people. Those in his Administration who remain silent are also complicit.”