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Josh Withey
Jun 15, 2017

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Alex Wong/Getty Images
On Wednesday, a gunman opened fire on a group of Republican congressmen who were practising for a charity baseball game.
Congressman Steve Scalise was shot in the hip and is said to be in a critical condition in hospital, following the apparently very deliberate attack on some of the most powerful politicians in America.
The gunman, now identified as James T Hodgkinson of Illinois, was killed during a fire fight with the police.
The 66-year-old had reportedly previously campaigned for Senator Bernie Sanders during his bid to become the Democratic party's nomination for President of the United States.
A Facebook account that has been reportedly linked to Hodgkinson features a number of anti-Trump and anti-Republican posts.
President Trump described the attack as a "very, very brutal assault."
In the wake of other recent attacks - such as the ones in London, Manchester and Orlando - the Muslim community and its leadership immediately condemned the actions of someone practising a perverted version of Islam.
Hodgkinson was white and apparently a big fan of left wing policies.
So in the wake of this particular attack, Twitter user Mikel Jolett decided to make a rather important point.
As a white man, I just want to say this shooter does not speak for m--- Oh, WE don't have to do that?— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel Jollett) 1497451383
He later clarified that if the man who had committed this crime was Muslim, 'we'd be calling this an act of terrorism'.
HOT TAKE: There are violent, twisted liberals & violent, twisted conservatives & violent twisted Muslims & violent, twisted Christians— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel Jollett) 1497454384
Hi point has struck a chord with people online.
@Mikel_Jollett Privilege, checked ☝🏻— Dennis Herring (@Dennis Herring) 1497460416
Writer Shaun King also had this to say.
Bernie Sanders said in a statement following the attack.
I am sickened by this despicable act. Let me be as clear as I can be. Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society and I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms.
One person attempted to undo Jolett's logic...
@Mikel_Jollett Because "white" isn't a belief system. If this guy turns out to have done this in the name of libera… https://t.co/iDXVNBSodi— Locke (@Locke) 1497451606
And failed pretty miserably.
"Black" isn't a belief system either. Neither is "black boy holding a candy bar." https://t.co/fMU2Eb935h— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel Jollett) 1497452164
Jolett is presumably referencing Trayvon Martin here, the unarmed 17-year-old who was shot to death by neighbourhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman on 26 February, 2012.
Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder but was acquitted by a jury in 2013.
BOTTOM LINE: violent and twisted people should not have access to weapons of mass murder.— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel Jollett) 1497454892
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