On First Anniversary of Tree of Life Synagogue Massacre, Calls to Confront White Nationalist Ideology That Led to Slaughter

On the first anniversary of the Tree of Life massacre in Pittsburgh, activists across the U.S. called for a concerted effort to fight back against the white supremacist ideology that motivated the shooter in the attack to target the synagogue.

“They were killed by white nationalism,” tweeted activist collective Bend the Arc: Jewish Action. “We must commit to defeating it.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), in a tweet, echoed that message of resistance.

“Today marks one year since the massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue, the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history,” said Sanders. “We mourn for the eleven victims, and we remain committed to fighting white supremacist violence as the national security threat that it is.”

On the morning of October 27, 2018 a 46-year-old white nationalist named Robert Bowers entered the Tree of Life synagogue and opened fire, killing 11 members of the congregation. The massacre led to the temporary shuttering of white supremacist-friendly social media site Gab and for a number of advocates and activists to point to President Donald Trump’s rhetoric as inciteful.

“All the violence we see is the extreme and radical version of what he is implementing on a policy and legal front as president of the United States,” the ACLU’s Cecilia Wang said of Trump at the time.