“There is no place for white supremacism,” said Joe Biden after the Jacksonville murder

US President Joe Biden this Sunday condemned the murder of three African Americans by a white man in Jacksonville, Florida, warning that there is “no place for white supremacism” in the country.

In a statement, Biden expressed his condolences and explained that federal authorities have opened an investigation into the attack, which they are treating as “a possible hate crime and violent extremism.”

The president also lamented that the crime occurred on the same day that marked the 60th anniversary of the March Against Racism on Washington, in which Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his historic “I have a dream” speech. .

At least four people are killed in an armed attack in the United States

“We need to say loud and clear that there is no place for white supremacism in America. We must refuse to live in a country where families go to the shops or to school for fear of being killed because of the color of their skin,” Biden said.

“Silence is complicity and we must not remain silent,” he added.

A white supremacist killed three people Saturday at a Dollar General store in the northern Florida city of Jacksonville before committing suicide.

Ryan Palmer, 21, used a long rifle and a Palmetto brand handgun that he bought legally and had a swastika painted on it.

The victims are Angela Carr, 52, killed in her car in front of the store; business associate AJ Laguerre, 19, who was shot trying to escape; and Gerrald Gallion, 29, shot as he entered the establishment.

Before the attack, the killer had tried to gain entry to Edward Waters University, an educational center traditionally aimed at the black community, but a security officer denied him entry because he would not identify himself.

Biden has unsuccessfully called on Congress several times to ban assault rifles, such as the one Palmer used in his attack. (JO)

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