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New York, NY, June 14, 2017 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today condemned the shooting of a Republican member of Congress in Alexandria, Virginia and others as an act of domestic terrorism and “an attack against America’s political leadership and democracy itself.”
The gunman, who was killed at the scene, was identified by authorities as James T. Hodgkinson, 66, of Illinois, who apparently was an ardent opponent of President Donald Trump and whose social media postings blamed Trump and others for “destroying our democracy.”
At least five people were wounded in the shooting, including U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, the Majority Whip of the House of Representatives, a lobbyist, a House staffer and two members of the Capitol Police.
Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO, issued the following statement:
This shooting was an act of terror against our political leadership and democracy itself. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We commend the law enforcement officers and members of Capitol Police who heroically intervened and ended the situation before it got worse.
Terrorist incidents are often carried out by individuals who are unaffiliated with any specific movement. While we are still learning about his possible motives, the shooter seems to have been motivated by his extreme animus toward conservatives and the president.
Divisive public discourse emboldens extremists across all political spectrums. It is vital for our public officials on both sides of the aisles to make clear that violence and extremism are unacceptable and have no place in American politics or society.
For an in-depth analysis from our Center on Extremism on today’s violent attacks, click here.