Pittsburgh synagogue shooting

[[File:Governor Wolf Joins Pittsburgh in Mourning After Tragic Shooting in the Tree of Life Synagogue (44896943224).jpg|thumb|right|165px|Mourning for the victims]]{{antisemitism}}
'''The Pittsburgh synagogue shooting''' was an antisemitic [[terrorist]] attack on the Tree of Life Congregation — Or L'Simcha synagogue in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, [[Pennsylvania]] on October 27, 2018. 11 [[Jewish]]-Americans were killed and 6 people (mostly police officers) injured, including the shooter himself, making it the deadliest attack on Jews in American history. This attack was one of several terrorist incidents ahead of the 2018 United States legislative elections, along with the [[2018 United States mail bombing attempts|mail bombing attempts]] towards [[Democratic Party|Democrats]] and [[liberals]] by Cesar Sayoc, the {{wpl|Jeffersontown Kroger shooting}} in Louisville, [[Kentucky]], towards [[African Americans]] at a grocery store by Gregory Alan Bush, and the {{wpl|Tallahassee shooting}} at a [[Florida]] [[yoga]] studio towards women by [[Incel|incel]] Scott Paul Beierle.

==The perpetrator==
The man behind the shooting was 46-year old Baldwin, Pennsylvania resident Robert Gregory Bowers {{lived|1972}}.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ailworth |first1=Erin |last2=Hagerty |first2=James R. |title=Pittsburgh Shooting Suspect Described as Man Who Kept to Himself - Robert G. Bowers was active on social media, but few recall him in person; 'very unremarkable, normal—which is scary' says one neighbor |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/pittsburgh-shooting-suspect-described-as-man-who-kept-to-himself-1540771482 |date=October 28, 2018 |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=October 29, 2018}}</ref> Bowers was originally a normal [[conservative]] and fan of radio host Jim Quinn, but he would become an extremely antisemitic and [[racist]] [[white nationalist]] over time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2018/11/10/Robert-Bowers-extremism-Tree-of-Life-massacre-shooting-pittsburgh-Gab-Warroom/stories/201811080165|title=How Robert Bowers went from conservative to white nationalist|website=post-gazette.com|accessdate=November 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121120216/http://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2018/11/10/Robert-Bowers-extremism-Tree-of-Life-massacre-shooting-pittsburgh-Gab-Warroom/stories/201811080165|archive-date=November 21, 2018|dead-url=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/10/31/18034256/anti-semitism-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting-prejudice-right|title=Tree of Life shooting: How the rise of conspiracy theory politics emboldens anti-Semitism|work=Vox|access-date=2018-11-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103014007/https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/10/31/18034256/anti-semitism-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting-prejudice-right|archive-date=November 3, 2018|dead-url=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Bowers was a regular user on [[Gab]], a self-described "free speech" social media site and alternative to [[Twitter]], which has since become a home for the [[far-right]] and the [[alt-right]], especially those banned from other platforms. Bowers registered on Gab in January 2018 under the handle "onedingo" and his bio stated, "Jews are the children of Satan ({{bible|John|8|44}}). The Lord Jesus Christ [has] come in the flesh."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20191121051646/https://www.discussionist.com/?com=thread&address=10152026130&togglemark=1 
Right wing nationalist sentenced to 419 years in prison] by jh4freedom (Jul 15, 2019, 03:17 PM) ''Discussionist'' (archived from November 21, 2019).</ref> which indicated he practiced an antisemitic and racist version of [[Christianity]]. Bowers' Gab profile had a photo of the number [[1488]], a numerical symbol popular among [[Neo-Nazism|neo-Nazis]] and white nationalists, derived from [[David Lane]]'s [[Fourteen Words]] and the Nazi slogan ''Heil Hitler'' (H being the eighth letter of the alphabet). As you can expect, the shooter's Gab feed was filled to the brim with antisemitism, racism, [[Holocaust denial]], and hatred of [[Donald Trump]] for not being antisemitic enough and for the arrest of alt-right organizations Rise Above Movement (RAM) and [[Alt-right glossary#Proud Boys|the Proud Boys]] for their roles in the violence at the [[Unite the Right|Unite the Right/Charlottesville riots]] and the Metropolitan Republican Club NYC brawl with [[Antifa]], as well as references to the Central American migrant caravan (for which he blamed Jews) and use of a racial slur to describe Jews, either posted by himself or reposted (Gab's version of retweeting) by other users on the website. His feed also showed interactions with other alt-right users such as Brad "Hunter Wallace" Griffin of ''[[Occidental Dissent]]'' and the Southern nationalist/[[Neo-Confederate]] organization [[League of the South]] (one of the key organizers in the Charlottesville riots/Unite the Right and their leader Michael Hill a planned speaker), with which he worked to dox a left-wing blogger; the virulently antisemitic [[Patrick Little]] of the [[California]] [[Republican Party]] branch before being kicked out; the equally anti-Semitic Jared Wyand of Project Purge and formally the Republican Party; Daniel "Jack Corbin" McMahon, a self-described "Antifa Hunter" and fascist; Daniel "Grandpa Lampshade" Kenneth Jeffreys, a neo-Nazi host for the UK-based Radio Aryan and an associate for ''[[The Daily Stormer]]''; and other Gab users who held his views.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://time.com/5437006/gab-social-media-robert-bowers|title=How Gab Became the Social Media Site Where the Pittsburgh Suspect's Anti-Semitism Thrived|last=Vesoulis|first=Andy|work=Time Magazine|access-date=May 9, 2019|date=October 27, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/11/01/gab-domestic-terrorist-robert-bowers-engaged-several-influential-alt-right-figures|title=On Gab, domestic terrorist Robert Bowers engaged with several influential alt-right figures|work=Southern Poverty Law Center|date=November 1, 2018|access-date=May 9, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.adl.org/blog/deadly-shooting-at-pittsburgh-synagogue|title=Deadly Shooting at Pittsburgh Synagogue|date=October 27, 2018|publisher=[[Anti-Defamation League]]|quote="First Trump came for the Charlottesville 4 but I kept supporting Trump because he is a better candidate than Hillary Clinton. Then Trump came for RAM but I kept supporting Trump because he is better than Hillary Clinton. Then Trump came for the Proud Boys but I kept supporting Trump because he is better than Hillary Clinton. Then Trump came for me and there was no one left to support"|access-date=May 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119161420/https://www.adl.org/blog/deadly-shooting-at-pittsburgh-synagogue|archive-date=January 19, 2019|dead-url=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-bowers-gab-pittsburgh-shooting-suspect-today-live-updates-2018-10-27|title=Robert Bowers, Pittsburgh shooting suspect, was avid poster of anti-Semitic content on Gab|last=Silverstein|first=Jason|date=October 29, 2018|publisher=CBS News|access-date=May 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122043949/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-bowers-gab-pittsburgh-shooting-suspect-today-live-updates-2018-10-27/|archive-date=January 22, 2019|dead-url=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://heavy.com/news/2018/10/robert-bowers-social-media-rob-gab|title=Robert Bowers: See Squirrel Hill Suspect's Social Media|last=McBride|first=Jessica|date=October 27, 2018|publisher=Heavy.com|access-date=October 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181027184026/https://heavy.com/news/2018/10/robert-bowers-social-media-rob-gab|archive-date=October 27, 2018|dead-url=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name= "Law and Crime">{{Cite news|url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/police-have-identified-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooter-as-white-supremacist-robert-bowers/|title=Who is Synagogue Shooting Suspect Robert Bowers?|work=Law and Crime|last=Kalmbacher|first=Colin|date=October 27, 2018|access-date=May 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121203821/https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/police-have-identified-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooter-as-white-supremacist-robert-bowers/|archive-date=November 21, 2018|dead-url=no|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://https://www.thedailybeast.com/robert-bowers-is-neo-nazi-who-posted-about-killing-jews-on-gab|title=Pittsburgh Synagogue Suspect Robert Bowers Hated Trump—for Not Hating Jews|last=Weill|first=Kelly|work=The Daily Beast|access-date=May 9, 2019|date=October 27, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/pittsburgh-shooting-suspect-robert-bowers-worked-on-gab-to-dox-left-wing-blogger|title=Pittsburgh Shooting Suspect Robert Bowers Worked on Gab to Dox Left-Wing Blogger|last=Weill|first=Kelly|work=The Daily Beast|access-date=May 13, 2019|date=November 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/jack-corbin-and-the-violent-underbelly-of-white-nationalism|title='Jack Corbin' and the Violent Underbelly of White Nationalism|last=Holt|first=Jared|work=Right Wing Watch|access-date=May 13, 2019|date=December 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://https://www.propublica.org/article/all-four-white-supremacists-charged-in-charlottesville-violence-plead-guilty|title=Once Defiant, All Four White Supremacists Charged in Charlottesville Violence Plead Guilty|last=Thompson|first=A.C.|work=ProPublica|access-date=May 9, 2019|date=May 6, 2019}}</ref> Bowers believed in [[White genocide|white genocide]] propaganda; for instance, he once posted, "Daily Reminder: Diversity means chasing down the last white person," and his most infamous quote, "HIAS likes to bring invaders that kill our people. I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I'm going in."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pennsylvania-shooting-suspect/who-is-robert-bowers-the-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting-suspect-idUSKCN1N1056|title=Who is Robert Bowers, the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting suspect?|last=Renshaw|first=Jarrett|work=Reuters|access-date=May 13, 2019|date=October 27, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/27/us/synagogue-attack-suspect-robert-bowers-profile/index.html|title-Robert Bowers: What we know so far about the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting suspect|last1=Ahmed|first1=Saeed|last2=P. Murphy|first2=Paul|work=CNN|access-date=May 13, 2019|date=October 27, 2018}}</ref>

After being convicted of all 63 federal charges related to the above shooting on June 16 2023, on August 2 2023, Bowers was [[death penalty|sentenced to death]].<ref>[https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2023/08/02/pittsburgh-synagogue-tree-of-life-trial-updates-robert-bowers-verdict/stories/202308020089 "Pittsburgh synagogue shooter sentenced to death, more than 4½ years after he killed 11 in Squirrel Hill"] by Megan Guza, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2023 August 2</ref>

==Reactions from the far-right==
The American far-right, which contains a large number of anti-Semites, were divided about the Pittsburgh shooting. Robert Bowers was especially divisive given the mention of "optics" (an [[Alt-right glossary|alt-right term]] for how to market white nationalism and/or neo-Nazism to the masses). One faction, led by Andrew Anglin of ''The Daily Stormer'' and Greg Johnson of ''Counter-Currents Publishing'', viewed the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting as counter-productive to their cause (despite ''Stormer'' having users, such as Andrew "Weev" Auernheimer, who condone violence against non-whites and Jews); another, led by Alex Linder of ''[[VNNforum]] ''and "Vic Mackey" of the Bowl Patrol (an online neo-Nazi [[Draft:Dylann Roof|Dylann Roof]] Charleston church shooter murder cult), celebrated said shooting and Robert Bowers in particular.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.adl.org/blog/the-jews-should-count-themselves-lucky-extremists-react-to-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting|title="The Jews Should Count Themselves Lucky": Extremists React to Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting|work=Anti-Defamation League|access-date=June 1, 2019|date=October 27, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://unicornriot.ninja/2019/bowl-patrol-dylann-roof-fans-hope-to-inspire-more-mass-shootings|title='Bowl Patrol': Dylann Roof Fans Hope to Inspire More Mass Shootings|last=Schiano|first=Chris|work=Unicorn Riot|access-date=June 1, 2019|date=January 8, 2019}}</ref>

==Related arrest==
Jeffrey Raphael Clark, aka "DC Bowl Gang" and "DC_Stormer", a Washington, D.C.-based neo-Nazi, alt-right member of the Bowl Patrol, and self-described "Meth-smoking, Pipe bomb making, mailman-murdering, Che Gueverra of the altright", would be later arrested after his family reported Clark's violent behavior. Clark specifically praised Dylann Roof, Cesar Sayoc (the [[2018 United States mail bombing attempts]] "MAGABomber"), and Bowers online; his pinned post on his [[Gab]] account was a graphic and bloody image of Roof killing 9 blacks in the style of the video game ''Doom'', and he wrote that Sayoc's actions were "a dry run for things to come" and Bowers' victims "deserved it". Clark, unsurprisingly, had deep ties to the alt-right. He and his late brother Edward (who killed himself after the synagogue shooting) were part of the neo-Nazi group Vanguard America (VA; rebranded since Charlottesville as Patriot Front), to which James Alex Fields (the Charlottesville car attacker) also belonged, and both Clark brothers posed with the group's flag. Jeffrey Clark was also a member of the Proud Boys, a "Western chauvinist" alt-lite organization led by [[Canada]]-born Gavin McInnes of Vice that also had Unite the Right organizer Jason Kessler as a member, and had flyers promoting the [[Atomwaffen Division]] (AWD), a paramilitary terrorist group that openly promotes violence against non-whites. Clark also had ties to alt-right ringleader [[Richard Spencer]] of the National Policy Institute and [[Jack Posobiec]] and had attended the Charlottesville [[Unite the Right]] rally. D.C. police ultimately found nooses, firearms, drugs, body armor, a license plate, and Nazi and Confederate flags.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://thedailybeast.com/clark-brothers-accused-of-planning-race-war-followed-alt-right-figures-richard-spencer-jack-posobiec|title=Clark Brothers Accused of Planning Race War Followed Alt-Right Heroes|last=Weill|first=Kelly|work=The Daily Beast|access-date=June 1, 2019|date=November 1, 2018}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Christchurch terrorist attacks]]: A mass shooting incident against Muslims in New Zealand on 15 March 2019, which was fueled by hatred. Much like Bowers, the shooter was radicalized by far-right extremists.
*[[PewDiePie#Deadly violence and related miscellanea|Poway synagogue shooting]]: another American Jewish synagogue shooting in Poway, California, at Chabad of Poway, in which an elderly Jewish woman named Lori Gilbert-Kaye was killed and 3 others injured. The shooter, John T. Earnest, was inspired by the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter, Robert Bowers, and Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the perpetrator of the terrorist attacks at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, [[New Zealand]].

==Reference links==
*[https://archive.today/20181027152850/https://gab.com/onedingo Official Gab account of the suspect, which is now suspended]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20181027160428/https:/imgur.com/a/cwB9QkR second archive], [https://youtube.com/watch?v=pyls1iHHmwo A YouTube video featuring the feed of the suspect's account with a police scanner]
*[https://www.tolols.org/ Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation official website]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ92z_jGf9w Vigil for Pittsburgh shooting victims]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Alt-right]]
[[Category:Antisemitism]]
[[Category:Civilian gun massacres]]
[[Category:Crime]]
[[Category:Hate crimes]]
[[Category:Holocaust denial]]
[[Category:Neo-Nazism]]
[[Category:Racism]]

Categories: Alt-right, Antisemitism, Civilian gun massacres, Crime, Hate crimes, Holocaust denial, Neo-Nazism, Racism