Eustace Statement on Charlottesville

(TRENTON) – Assemblyman Tim Eustace (D-Bergen/Passaic) issued the following statement in response to recent violence in Charlottesville, Va.:

“Domestic terrorists used hatred and violence in Charlottesville to advance a racist, anti-Semitic agenda. President Trump — the leader of the birther movement and a decades-long smear campaign against the Central Park Five, a man endorsed by the KKK and the so-called ‘alt-right’ – has affirmed that agenda. In the aftermath of a hate crime, the president’s claim that those who choose to affiliate themselves with Klansmen and neo-Nazis are ‘very fine people’ further evidences his complete lack of a moral compass. A man who places white nationalists and those who oppose them on equal moral footing is unworthy to lead the free world.

“White supremacy is a poison that maims the soul of the United States of America, a nation that great patriots marched and fought and died to move forward. They too were portrayed as troublemakers and agitators. They too heard that there was ‘blame on both sides.’ They fought anyway, knowing that their mission was greater than themselves or their time. America has come much too far to surrender that progress to bigots spreading hateful ideologies.

“As the nation mourns the murder of Heather Heyer, we should follow her example of standing for love and inclusion. We should have zero tolerance for hatred – whether it comes from extremists hundreds of miles away, organized hate groups here in New Jersey or from our own friends and family members. Most of all, even in the midst of chaos, we should be steadfast in the belief that ultimately, good wins.”