Deplorable Act Allegedly Fueled by Trump’s Hateful Comments
Today, the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) strongly condemns the alleged hate crime against a homeless Latino man in Boston. Two brothers from South Boston have been arrested for the attack, which left the man with a broken nose, battered arms and chest and a face soaked in urine.
“Donald Trump was right — all these illegals need to be deported,” one of the brothers reportedly told police about the assault.
SEE: “South Boston Brothers Allegedly Beat Homeless Man” (The Boston Globe)
“For far too long, we have witnessed firsthand how extreme and hateful rhetoric broadcasted across the media has bred an environment in which hate crimes against vulnerable communities have become too common,” said Alex Nogales, President and CEO of NHMC. “In this instance, the attackers apparently referenced heinous, anti-Latino remarks which have been made all too casually by some public figures as motivation. We are disgusted by this crime and the debasement of a human being, and our thoughts are with the victim. We need to come together and fight this bigotry be it on the street, on the airwaves or from the podium.”
For many years, NHMC has urged the federal government to study the role that hate speech in the media has played in the prevalence of hate crimes in this country. Most recently, NHMC supported legislation championed in a previous Congress by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) that would have directed the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to update its 1993 report, “The Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crimes.”
NHMC also commissioned studies and polling which has found that hate speech promotes hatred toward people of color, certain religious groups and LGBT people. Furthermore, the studies revealed that hateful rhetoric not only harms the targeted group, but it can also negatively impact listeners’ health, regardless of race, ethnicity, nativity or ideological alignment with the speaker.
When asked about the violent encounter, Donald Trump stated, “I haven't heard about that. It would be a shame, but I haven't heard about that. I will say that people who are following me are very passionate. They love this country and they want this country to be great again. They are passionate.”
In July, NHMC condemned Trump’s bigoted comments about Mexicans. We continue to urge organizations and associations to distance themselves from him and his hatred.]]>
