29 May, 2017
President Donald Trump has condemned the killing in Oregon of two men who tried to stop another man from using anti-Muslim speech against two teenaged girls. A third man was injured in the violence.
Trump tweeted a statement saying:
"The victims were standing up to hate and intolerance. Our Prayers are w/ them."
He continued saying, "Our current political climate allows far too much room for those who spread bigotry. Violent words can lead to violent acts. All elected leaders in America, all people of good conscience, must work deliberately to change our political dialogue."
Oregon Governor Kate Brown said she was "heartbroken" by the attack.
"Safety while traveling through our community is a basic human right that we need to be able to guarantee to everyone, regardless of where they're from, or what they believe," she said.
Jeff Merkley, a U.S. Senator representing Oregon, denounced the incident on Twitter.
Thousands of people have given money to an online fundraising effort for the victims and their families. As of Monday, the amount donated reached about $800,000.
Minnesota representative Keith Ellison is the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress. He praised those killed in a statement.
"They saw injustice being committed, racism being practiced, and they intervened," said Ellison. He said they showed, "the best qualities of American heroes. And they were killed for it."
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi said that the attack showed an increase in hate-crimes against religious and ethnic groups during the past year.
I'm Phil Dierking
This story was originally written for VOA News. Phil Dierking adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.
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Words in This Story
bigotry - n. act that are strongly and unfairly against other people, ideas, etc.
conscience - n. the part of the mind that makes you aware of your actions as being either morally right or wrong
dialogue - n. discussion or series of discussions that two groups or countries have in order to end a disagreement
extremism - n. belief in and support for ideas that are very far from what most people consider correct or reasonable
hijab - n. head covering worn in public by some Muslim women.
ideology - n. the set of ideas and beliefs of a group or political party
spew - v. to flow out of something in a fast and forceful way