US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said the Indian-American community remains strong after an attempted mass shooting in Aurora, Illinois. He blamed online vitriol for the attack and urged voters to act during the upcoming midterms. "We're shaken, as is the entire Indian American community," he said, calling for better safety measures.
US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi feels the Indian-American community resolved to stand firm despite an attempted mass shooting targeting them in Aurora, Illinois.
Krishnamoorthi, who represents a district in the state, spoke to HT about the community gripped by fear but remained united. He blamed online vitriol fanned by President Donald Trump and his allies, criticised Republican silence, and urged Indian Americans to treat the upcoming midterm elections as a call to action. Edited excerpts:
We're shaken, as is the entire Indian American community. But we're strong and we're going to stand with each other. We're going to do everything we can to practice our faith. This is the time of the holiday festival of Navratri after all. But we have to take measures to ensure the safety of our community. The mood among Indian Americans is one of unfortunately fear but also resolve. Fear for understandable reasons. All that prevented the massacre from happening was the prospective shooter's AR15 gun jamming. But there is also a resolve that we're going to practice our faith. We're going to help others to be who they are.
How much has the online vitriol against Indians shaped what happened?
There have been violent hateful attacks against Indian Americans online. And the truth is Make America Great Again (MAGA) and President Trump have fanned the flames. One example was the Bo French tweet, where a political candidate explicitly targeted Indian-Americans. An elected Florida official called for me to be deported along with my "curry". Then we saw the Department of Homeland Security put out a tweet targeting Sikh truck drivers. This is vile. But Trump has doubled down on this and spread it. It is therefore no surprise that this rhetoric spills over from the online world to real violence. I'm going to call on social media companies to police themselves and this kind of rhetoric. I'm also going to call on agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to do more.
Will this incident impact how Indian-Americans vote in the upcoming midterms?
We have a choice to make in the upcoming elections. Do we want to go down the road of hate? Or of reconciliation and toleration? That is the choice. MAGA has shown its true stripes. You saw these tweets. And you see what's happening to Jews, Muslims and Sikhs in this country. We have to go down the road of putting a check on what's happening here. I hope Indian Americans view this as a call to action. I hope they vote for Democrats but whoever they vote for, they should vote for people who should stand up against this.
How do you view the position of your Republican colleagues on this rising anti-Indian sentiment?
They've been silent. Some of them like Senator John Cornyn of Texas and (Republican strategist) Karl Rove have condemned the bigotry. But most are silent. And this cannot be accepted as a norm. God forbid the next shooter is successful. Regardless of whether it is a church, mosque, temple or synagogue targeted next, we have to act against this now.