Wiesenthal Center: Charlottesville Killing Should be Treated As Domestic Terrorism; Condemns Alt-Right & White Nationalists

August 12, 2017

The Simon Wiesenthal Center expressed its condolences to the family of Heather Heyer, killed by a motorist who sped into a crowd protesting a march of so-called Alt-Right and white nationalists earlier today in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Center also offered prayers for the 26 others injured by the motorist and mourned the death of two policemen who died in a helicopter crash responding to the riot in that city.

“This murderous attack, resembles car rammings in Israel and Europe perpetrated by terrorists associated with ISIS and Hamas. It should be treated as a deliberate act of domestic terrorism,” said Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper, Dean and Founder and Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action for the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading Jewish Human Rights organization.

“Today’s death and violence follows last night’s torchlight march at University of Virginia, reminiscent of KKK rallies where chants of the slogan ‘Blood and Soil’ used by marchers at mass Nazi rallies in Nuremberg and elsewhere in Germany during the 1930s and 1940s, were spouted by extremists,” Center officials added.

“Americans have the right to debate civilly the removal of a statue, the status of a flag or renaming of a park, without turning to violence and worse. We call upon all American leaders, whatever their political affiliations, led by President Trump, to specifically condemn the extreme alt-right and white nationalists who sow seeds of hate, distrust and violence. They and all other extremists, left or right, have no place in the mainstream of our nation,” Center officials concluded.

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The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).