Three Years Since Buffalo Attack: We Must Work in Solidarity to Confront Extremist Hate and Violence

Today marks three years since the white supremacist mass shooting at Tops supermarket in Buffalo, NY. 

Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, is a nationally recognized expert on extremism and hate-fueled violence who has spoken extensively about the hateful ideology and conspiracies behind the Buffalo attack and previously led the successful civil lawsuit against the white supremacists responsible for the Charlottesville violence. She shared the following statement: 

“It has been three years since the horrific mass shooting in Buffalo, where ten lives were taken by a white supremacist who specifically cited the racist, antisemitic, and xenophobic ‘great replacement’ conspiracy and sought to target Black people. Since that awful day in 2022, we have seen again and again how these conspiracy theories not only fuel direct violence against Black, Jewish, Latino, and other communities — but have also become wholly normalized.

“Alarmingly, these extremist ideas have now moved from the fringes of social media to the mainstream of our politics. They underpin federal actions, including dehumanizing policies targeting the immigrant community rooted in claims of ‘invasion,’ the elevation of known white supremacists to positions of power; efforts to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion and key civil rights protections; and so many other efforts aimed at driving wedges between our communities and undermining key democratic norms and rights.

“At the same time, this administration has also gutted the very programs that are critical to protecting against this extremism, from hate crimes prevention funding to efforts to monitor and counter domestic extremism, and more. 

“These policies have devastating real-world consequences for so many people, deliberately undermine our democracy, and continue to normalize and embolden violent extremists who seek to carry out the kind of violence we saw in Buffalo – and in Pittsburgh, Charlottesville, Poway, El Paso, and beyond. 

“We must resist cynical attempts to divide us, recognize that our safety is bound up with one another’s, and do everything in our power to build an inclusive and safe democracy for all.”