Obama condemns religious violence
Print Edition
US President Barack Obama warned yesterday that religious violence had no place in American society after a gunman with alleged anti-Semitic ties killed three people at a Jewish center and retirement home.
“Nobody should have to worry about their security when gathering with their fellow believers. No one should have to fear for their safety when they go to prayer,” Obama said at the White House, a day after the shooting in Kansas.
Alleged gunman Frazier Glenn Cross, now in custody, was a former Ku Klux Klan leader and had a history of anti-Semitism, said the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups.
He reportedly yelled “Heil Hitler” as police escorted him away in Kansas City on Sunday.
Attorney General Eric Holder said the Justice Department was looking into whether the incident fell under the scope of the federal hate crimes statute, meaning stiffer punishment.
Obama said the shooting was particularly tragic because it came as Jews were preparing to celebrate Passover and Christians were marking Palm Sunday.
He said the US government would provide whatever assistance necessary to help the affected community, as synagogues and other religious sites hike security measures.
“As Americans ... we’ve got to stand united against this kind of terrible violence, which has no place in our society,” Obama said, as he hosted an Easter prayer breakfast.
“We have to keep coming together across faiths to combat the ignorance and intolerance, including anti-Semitism, that can lead to hatred and to violence,” he said.
Holder said in a statement: “Justice Department prosecutors will work with their state and local counterparts to provide all available support and to determine whether the federal hate crimes statute is implicated in this case.
“No matter what, we will do everything in our power to ensure justice is served in this case on behalf of the victims and their families,” the attorney general said.
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