July 15, 2024 (Nationwide) — Over the weekend, a 20-year-old shooter attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The Sikh Coalition immediately joined the nation in condemning this political violence, and we also echo calls to ‘lower the temperature’ of our national dialogue with less inflammatory rhetoric.
Openly encouraging, tacitly supporting, or even joking about political violence is always wrong. This is true regardless of who is targeted, or who is spreading the harmful rhetoric: it is wrong when it concerns the attempted assassination of former President Trump, a plot to kidnap the sitting governor of Michigan, or the assault of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s husband. It is essential that a full and transparent investigation into the shooter and shooting move forward, and that baseless claims that President Biden was behind the attack be condemned on both sides of the aisle. In the days ahead, the Sikh Coalition looks forward to continuing to amplify bipartisan and good faith messaging that is meant to unite rather than divide our country.
Additionally, we join numerous voices from the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities in denouncing the New York Post for falsely reporting that the shooter was a Chinese man. Misinformation and disinformation are always dangerous during election season, but blaming a member of an already marginalized and targeted group for such an attack without any evidence is an unacceptable failure of basic journalism ethics. At the time of writing, the New York Post has not taken down or apologized for their initial mistake; we urge them to do so. The Sikh community knows all too well how entire racial, ethnic, and/or religious groups can become scapegoats for political violence in times of tension.
Finally, we continue to believe that the civic engagement of the U.S.-based Sikh community has never been more crucial. The Sikh Coalition has on-boarded our inaugural class of ‘Get Out The Vote’ Fellows, and we look forward to sharing more about them and their work to engage sangats across the nation soon. We will also continue to produce nonpartisan content, like our voter registration GOTV Center and other free resources, to encourage everyone to make their voices heard in November regardless of their political affiliation.
As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.