ILWU Statement on the Mass Shooting in Buffalo, NY
ILWU Statement on the Mass Shooting in Buffalo, NY
May 17, 2022
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) strongly condemns the racist terror attack on the Black community in Buffalo, New York, that resulted in the senseless murder of 10 people. Our deepest sympathies go out to all of those impacted by this act of racist violence.
The murderer was emboldened by the white supremacist conspiracy known as “The Great Replacement Theory.” Only a few short years ago, this belief was found mainly on the fringes of the right-wing extremist movement, but it has recently been mainstreamed by conservative media outlets and several Republican politicians. This baseless, racist idea was once discussed only on white supremacist message boards on the dark web but is now openly espoused on prime-time conservative cable news networks. Only one gunman pulled the trigger, but many bear responsibility for this tragedy.
Racism is a corrosive and destructive force that threatens individuals, families, democracy, and civil society itself. Active anti-racism is the antidote to these toxic beliefs and is a core value of our union. The ILWU reaffirms our commitment to ending racism in all of its forms, whether it is the terrorism of a single, racist gunman, or racism that is systemic and institutionalized. We will continue to build a labor movement rooted in the principles of anti-racism and multi-racial democracy and fight for a world free of the scourge of racism and its resulting violence.