A hug of white flowers and a cross: the presidential couple today honored the victims of the Buffalo, where ten African-Americans were killed on Saturday when an 18-year-old opened fire in a violent attack with racist motives.
Shortly after arriving in the city, US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill went near the Tops supermarket, where one of the worst racist attacks in recent US history took place. Under the hot sun, in absolute silence interrupted only by the wind and the clicks of the cameras, they then proceeded to the space, to the root of a tree, where the inhabitants have left flowers, notes and lighted candles.
Jill Biden laid a huge bouquet of white flowers. Joe, after taking off the sunglasses he was wearing, made his cross.
The presidential couple will meet with relatives of the victims, members of the first aid service and local officials, while around 20.00 (Greek time) Biden will deliver a speech.
According to the White House, the 79-year-old president wants to talk about the massacre “for what it is: terrorism instigated by a perverted hate ideology, an ideology that tears apart the soul of the country.” The attack, however, is a reminder that Biden, who was elected with a message of unity, has so far failed to appease an America undermined by racial hatred and gun violence.
The president, although aware that his party does not have a sufficient majority, wants to call on Congress to “act to ensure that weapons of war are not on our streets” and “not to fall into the hands of criminals or people with serious mental disorders.” ».
Biden has long called for a ban on offensive weapons, such as the one used in Buffalo on Sunday. New Zealand imposed such a ban after the racist attack on the Christchurch mosques in 2019, a massacre that inspired Buffalo’s perpetrator, 18-year-old Peyton Jetron.
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