David Hogg recently told the Washington Post that he has been the target of seven assassination attempts since he survived the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Hogg has mostly been known for his activism since the shooting at his school, staying in the spotlight and amassing a large social media following as he transitions to Harvard this fall. He said in the 16 months since the shooting, which claimed the lives of 17 of his classmates and teachers, he has become a target of harassment from some that disagree with his political beliefs.
Though he declined to give specific details about the attempts on his life, he said he understands why he and his fellow activist classmates would be on the receiving end of such threats.
“I see people as misguided and misinformed of what we’re actually here to talk about,” he said. “But I also realize, if they kill me, that’s probably the stupidest thing they could do to try to end the movement. Because that would make it even more successful in the end. Because it would invigorate us and create f—ing change.”
He continued, “Honestly, I realize that it’s horrible that I have to live through this, and it is traumatizing. But you eventually become desensitized to it. Like, oh, your house got SWAT-ted. You got a call from the police saying someone said that everyone in your family had been killed and that you are being held hostage for $100,000. Right? That becomes part of daily life. It’s just something that you have to get through. But I mean, what am I going to do? Stop? … Well, I’m not going to stop. I want to go to school and, for lack of a better word, weaponize my knowledge and learn as much as possible to end violence.”
Hogg is active with March For Our Lives, an organization formed in the wake of the Parkland shooting that works to enact reform of gun legislation.
