SPLC statement on tragic shooting at synagogue in Pittsburgh
Today, we saw another horrific act of hate at a house of worship — this time, the murder of at least eleven congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue by a man who reportedly shouted “All Jews need to die” before he opened fire.
Editor's Note: This statement has been updated to reflect most recent reporting.
It reminds us of the slaughter of nine African American worshipers at Charleston’s Mother Emmanuel Church in 2015, the killings of six Sikh worshipers at a temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, in 2012, and, of course, the bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963 that left four young African American girls dead.
The violence in Pittsburgh follows on the heels of a string of attempted pipe bombings by a white supremacist who targeted frequent critics of President Trump.
Our hearts go out to the families of the victims of the most recent shootings.
AP Photo / Keith Skakocic
