SPLC: New Zealand attack shows white supremacy is global terrorist movement

The following statement is from Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center

ā€œThe atrocity in New Zealand shows us, once again, that weā€™re dealing with an international terrorist movement linked by a dangerous white supremacist ideology thatā€™s metastasizing in the echo chambers of internet chat rooms and on social media networks.

ā€œThis hatred is even being amplified by our own president, who speaks of an ā€˜invasion of our country.ā€™ 

The killerā€™s manifesto bears the unmistakable fingerprints of the so-called alt-right, both in tone and reference. It celebrates the Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik as well as Charleston terrorist Dylann Roof. It speaks of ā€œinvadersā€ who will ā€˜replaceā€™ white people. This is the very same kind of language used by Roof and numerous other white supremacists who have committed or attempted acts of terror.

ā€œOn his weapon, the killer wrote the white supremacist slogan known as the 14 words ā€“ ā€˜We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white childrenā€™ ā€“ coined by the infamous neo-Nazi terrorist David Lane.

ā€œIn this case, a killer attacked Muslims worshiping at two mosques. In November, a killer massacred Jews at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Though the victims were different, and the attacks came in different parts of the world, the terrorists shared the same ideology of white supremacist hate. 

ā€œWe ā€“ and that includes policymakers and the law enforcement community, in particular ā€“ must begin to view what we call ā€˜domestic terrorismā€™ through a global lens, just as we do the threat of groups like ISIS, because the growing white supremacist movement represents a clear and present threat to democracies across the world.ā€ 

Here are additional resources that the SPLC has available:

Terror from the Right: https://www.splcenter.org/20180723/terror-right
The Alt-Right is Killing People: https://www.splcenter.org/20180205/alt-right-killing-people
Lone Wolf: https://www.splcenter.org/20150211/lone-wolf-report