The United Jewish People’s Order (UJPO) joins with so many others in grief and outrage following the mass murders in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas.
On May 14, 2022 in Buffalo, an 18-year-old self-declared white supremacist gunmatargeted Black people at a grocery store with an assault rifle. Following the slaughter of 10 people, an online manifesto and journal posted by the perpetrator made it clear that this was a premeditated hate crime against Black people in Buffalo.
Ten days later, on May 24, there was another mass shooting, this time at a grade school in Uvalde, Texas. The Uvalde shooter killed 19 children and two women who were teachers. It was eventually revealed that the shooter identified as an incel, or “involuntary celibate.” He was homophobic, transphobic, and openly racist.
These shootings have brought renewed calls for legislation in the U.S. to have mandatory background checks for gun purchases as well as restricting the sales of semi-automatic weapons. However, these incidents are not just about gun violence.
The shooter in Buffalo was inspired by the “great replacement theory,” an antisemitic conspiratorial idea that posits that Black and Brown immigrants will replace white populations and that this conspiracy is orchestrated by Jews. Consider the attack on
the Québec City Mosque (2017), the attack on the synagogue in Pittsburgh (2018), the van attack in Toronto (2018), the attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand (2019), and the attack targeting Mexicans in El Paso, Texas (2019) — all of these horrific crimes share an underlying ideology of hate, be it racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism, misogyny, or homophobia and transphobia.
We at the United Jewish People’s Order know that our safety is dependent on
solidarity with other targeted and marginalized groups of people. There has been a continuing upsurge in far-right organizing in Canada, the U.S. and globally. What
was once considered a fringe element has now been mainstreamed.
We must recommit ourselves to uniting in solidarity with other targeted communities because, we keep each other safe. The time is now.
May all their memories be a blessing.
Roberta A. Drury of Buffalo, N.Y. age 32
Margus D. Morrison of Buffalo, N.Y. age 52
Andre Mackneil of Auburn, N.Y. age 53
Aaron Salter of Lockport, N.Y. age 55
Geraldine Talley of Buffalo, N.Y. age 62
Celestine Chaney of Buffalo, N.Y. age 65
Heyward Patterson of Buffalo, N.Y. age 67
Katherine Massey of Buffalo, N.Y. age 72
Pearl Young of Buffalo, N.Y. age 77
Ruth Whitfield of Buffalo, N.Y. age 86
Jacklyn “Jackie” Cazares of Uvalde, Texas age 9
Uziyah Garcia of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Xavier Lopes of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Eliahna Cruz Torres of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Jose Flores of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Jailah Silguero of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Jayce Luevanos of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Amerie Jo Garza of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Alithia Ramirez of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Tess Mata of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Alexandria “Lexi” Rubio of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Makenna Lee Elrod of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Nevaeh Bravo of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Eliahna “Ellie” Garcia of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Rojelio Torres of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Maite Rodríguez of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Maranda Mathis of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Annabell Rodrigues of Uvalde, Texas age 10
Layla Salazar of Uvalde, Texas age 11
Eva Mireles of Uvalde, Texas age 44
Irma Garcia of Uvalde, Texas age 48
May 31, 2022
United Jewish People’s Order-Canada
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