David Hogg: Trump ‘Supports’ ‘Terrorism’ Against Black Churches

David Hogg, a survivor of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Par
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

David Hogg accused President Donald Trump of supporting “terrorism” against black churches on Monday because Trump had not tweeted about the three historically black churches that recently burned down in Louisiana.

“You won’t see Donald Trump tweeting about this terrorism because it’s the kind he supports,” the gun control activist tweeted while linking to a Reuters article describing the “suspicious fires that destroyed three predominantly black churches in 10 days” in Louisiana’s St. Landry Parish.

According to the Lafayette Daily Advertiser, the three churches that burned down were:

— St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre was destroyed in a fire early in the morning on March 26.

— Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas burned down in the early morning of April 2.

— Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, on Highway 182 south of Opelousas, burned down on April 4.

The three historic black churches were reportedly more than 100 years old, and the Associated Press reported that the “churches were vacant at the time of the fires, and no one was injured.”

Louisiana State Fire Marshall Butch Browning reportedly said the fires were “suspicious,” but he added that federal and state investigators “have not determined what the motive is” as of Monday evening.

“Right now, what we have to say is that the fires are suspicious,” Browning reportedly said. “We do believe that crimes have occurred. We believe that the three fires obviously are not coincidental, they are related.”

NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson on Monday condemned the “domestic terrorism” in Louisiana and similar church burning incidents in Tennessee.

“What is happening in Tennessee and Louisiana is domestic terrorism and we must not turn a blind eye to any incident where people are targeted because of the color of their skin or their faith. The spike in church burnings in Southern states is a reflection of the emboldened racial rhetoric and tension spreading across the country,” Johnson said in a statement. “But this is nothing new. For decades, African American churches have served as the epicenter of survival and a symbol of hope for many in the African-American community. As a consequence, these houses of faith have historically been the targets of violence. The NAACP stands vigilant to ensure that authorities conduct full investigations.”

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