Advertisement
Opinion | Trump shooting a reminder in Hong Kong of harm of divisive speech
- Words can kill. While political violence cannot be condoned, we need to recognise that it’s not only the drawing of the gun that we condemn
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
5
The “unimaginable” happened in the Pennsylvania on July 13: an assassination attempt on a former US president and shoo-in Republican Party nominee for the presidential election. It ended with two fatalities – the shooter “neutralised” by Secret Service snipers and one bystander – with two others critically injured and Donald Trump’s right ear wounded.
Advertisement
Leaders in the United States and across the world condemned the political violence. Statesmen including President Joe Biden have declared there is “no place” for political violence in democratic America.
But was it all that unimaginable? Four sitting US presidents – Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John Kennedy – were killed. Ronald Reagan, Theodore Roosevelt and now Trump were injured in assassination attempts.
And America is not alone in having a history of politics turned deadly. In 2022, former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated at a political event.
Presidents and seekers of political office are not the only ones at risk. Over the last three years, serious threats against US federal judges, prosecutors and court personnel have more than doubled, amid alarming reports of threats towards judges in Trump-related cases.
Advertisement