Former President Barack Obama sent his condolences to New Zealand after 49 people were killed in shootings Friday in two mosques in Christchurch.
“Michelle and I send our condolences to the people of New Zealand. We grieve with you and the Muslim community. All of us must stand against hatred in all its forms,” Obama tweeted Friday.
Michelle and I send our condolences to the people of New Zealand. We grieve with you and the Muslim community. All of us must stand against hatred in all its forms.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 15, 2019
Obama has rarely spoken about current events since leaving the White House in 2017, but he has opted to make statements in the aftermath of tragedies.
He sent similar condolences after a gunman opened fire at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in October.
“We grieve for the Americans murdered in Pittsburgh. All of us have to fight the rise of anti-Semitism and hateful rhetoric against those who look, love, or pray differently. And we have to stop making it so easy for those who want to harm the innocent to get their hands on a gun,” he wrote last year.
President Trump said earlier Friday the United States would support New Zealand as it recovers from the massacres.
“My warmest sympathy and best wishes goes out to the people of New Zealand after the horrible massacre in the Mosques,” Trump tweeted. “49 innocent people have so senselessly died, with so many more seriously injured. The U.S. stands by New Zealand for anything we can do. God bless all!”
My warmest sympathy and best wishes goes out to the people of New Zealand after the horrible massacre in the Mosques. 49 innocent people have so senselessly died, with so many more seriously injured. The U.S. stands by New Zealand for anything we can do. God bless all!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 15, 2019
