Where Did Buffalo Terrorist Learn about ‘the Great Replacement’?

Latest gun massacre was a well-organized terrorist attack

Manny Otiko
My Side of the Aisle

--

YouTube screengrab.

When I first heard about the latest mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y, I didn’t blink an eye. Unfortunately, mass shootings are a near-daily occurrence in America. But then I started digging deeper into the story and the more I learned, the more I got a sinking feeling.

The mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo was no ordinary incident of random violence. This was a domestic terrorist attack strategically carried out to terrorize ethnic communities. It was also modeled after previous mass murders in Christchurch, New Zealand, Charleston, S.C, El Paso, Texas and Norway.

Republicans Mainstreamed Great Replacement

According to news reports, the shooter, Payton Gendron, an 18-year-old white male, drove about three hours to a predominately Black neighborhood. He came heavily armed and was wearing protective gear. He also took out the armed security guard. The suspect also left a lengthy manifesto. In his manifesto, the alleged shooter says he carried out the attack to prevent the “Great Replacement.” This is a conspiracy theory, which originated from white supremacist websites, claiming Jews are deliberately replacing white voters with…

--

--

Manny Otiko
My Side of the Aisle

Manny Otiko writes about race, politics and sports. He has been published in Salon and LA Weekly. Follow him on Twitter @mannyotiko.