By Boris Pavlov, Year 11
On October 27, 11 Jews were killed and 6 others were wounded by a shooter who stormed into the synagogue during service on Saturday. The worst hate crime against Jews in the history of the USA is a deeply worrying and painful reminder that anti-Semitism and hate are still very much present in our world and that is is an issue we must continue fighting.
The horrific shooting has brought light onto the responsibility of politicians in the attack, whose incitement of hate speech is a likely cause of the attack. Recently, the repeated actions of the United States government has led to a rise in hate speech throughout the country. Rabbi Jeffrey Myers has stated that he believes they are to blame for the rise in anti-Semitic rhetoric, of which President Trump has been accused on multiple occasions. It seems reasonable that especially after such a shooting, the behaviour demonstrated, and arguably encouraged, by the current government is unacceptable and deeply concerning.
Hate speech can unequivocally be linked to hate crimes and actions following it, as supported by suspect Robert Bowers, who said “all Jews must die” as he entered the synagogue. With atrocious events like these, it should be clear that the usage of hate speech should not be tolerated under any circumstances, and that more rigid consequences should be implemented for people in positions of power who normalise it.
Although some argue that freedom of speech should cover hate speech, the act and consequences most certainly prove that its use is unjustifiable under any means, and that actions should be taken to eliminate hate speech.
However, the Pittsburgh shooting also poses the question of gun control once more. The weapon of the Bowers gave him the opportunity to inflict so much harm in so little time. The question has been heavily debated in the United States, however, with Bowers having been heavily armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle despite a highly anti-Semitic social media presence, it seems reasonable to propose some form of regulation.
In any case, in the wake of the shooting, we should ask ourselves how it could have come to pass. The condolences due to the families of the deceased should not be passive words, but should inspire change. Instead, we should show empathy and take action to prevent such a devastating crime from happening again, in whatever means possible.
