Chairman Thompson Statement on Domestic Terrorism Attack in Buffalo
(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, released the following statement on the mass shooting at a Tops Supermarket in Buffalo, New York:
“Tonight, we all mourn for and pray for the victims and their families. Today’s tragic mass shooting and killing of innocent people while grocery shopping in a predominantly Black neighborhood was senseless and an act of domestic terrorism – plain and simple. This heinous act unfortunately confirms the warnings from the Secretary of Homeland Security and others that domestic violent extremists pose the greatest terrorism threat to the homeland.
“Today’s terrorist attack – including the posting of a manifesto and live-streaming of the murderous attack appears to have drawn direct inspiration from other acts of domestic terrorism including the 2015 Charleston church shooting, the 2019 Christchurch attack and El Paso shooting, and the list goes on.
“While past violent white supremacist attacks seem to have factored into this heinous act, we must acknowledge that extremist rhetoric espoused by some media and political leaders on the right promoting theories that vilify or dehumanize segments of our society like ‘the great replacement theory’ is a factor too.
“We also – once again – see social media sites being used by extremists to spread their violent plans and manifestos among like-minded would-be domestic terrorists. As we have done with past attacks that were carried out on social media platforms, the Committee has questions about what more can be done to prevent such platforms from becoming windows into horrific violence and recruitment centers for the next domestic terrorism attack.”
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Press Contact
Adam Comis at 202-225-9978
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