Labour International extends its deepest sympathies to the affected families and congregation of the Tree of Life Synagogue as they mourn the senseless and hateful murder of 11 worshippers in Pittsburgh on 27 October.
The Jewish community in the USA has been subjected to recent increases in anti-Semitic abuse in tandem with the ascendency of right-wing populism in the USA. This pattern is mirrored across Europe. Progressive Jewish groups that are fighting for a more humane and tolerant society have particularly faced attack. For instance, the shooter responsible for the Pittsburgh murders and others on the far-right have focused their anti-Semitic ire on groups such as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. Anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant sentiments, and opposition to civil rights in general, often intersect in driving white supremacist and far-right rhetoric and action in the USA and in the rest of the world.
This anti-Semitic hate crime serves as a stark reminder that minorities and marginalised groups bear the brunt of the recent resurgence of far-right movements. In the USA alone, racially motivated attacks have included the Sikh Gurdwara in Oak Creek Wisconsin in 2012, the Emanuel AME Church, Charleston, South Carolina in 2015, and the murder of two African Americans by a shooter in Louisville, Kentucky just earlier this month. Immigrants and refugees also continue to be persecuted.
As international members of a socialist party that is in opposition to everything that far-right and white supremacist groups stand for, it is essential for us to support religious and ethnic minorities in the countries where we live. Labour International encourages all members to take an active role in confronting hate and countering anti-Semitism, racism and far-right propaganda wherever they can.
Labour International Coordinating Committee
Members can show solidarity with the Jewish community by attending vigils and marches that may be held in their localities. Please contact Jewish organisations where you live to see if there are events that you can lend support to. Please also consider donating to the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society which works to protect vulnerable refugees and advocates for the protection and dignified treatment of refugees and displaced persons. You can donate here: https://act.hias.org/page/6048/donate/1