President Obama on Sunday urged those protesting the recent shootings of black men by police officers to avoid inflammatory words and actions, which he said would worsen tensions and set back their cause.
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What makes headlines right now are the shooting of twelve police officers and the killing of five by a gunman in downtown Dallas Thursday night, but the underlying cause is the same: The man who did this said he was revenging the two police-related deaths of black men – Philando Castile, 32, in Minnesota and Alton Sterling, 37, in Louisiana this week.
The Dallas shooter is not representative of blacks, the president said, just as the man who killed people at a historic African-American church past year in Charleston is not representative of whites, and the Muslim-American who killed 49 people at an Orlando nightclub last month is not representative of Muslim-Americans. “That includes protesters, that includes family members who have grave concerns about police misconduct, and they’ve said this is unacceptable”.
The president will deliver remarks at the interfaith service, and the president and first lady will privately meet with the families of the fallen officers, as well as with those who were injured, to “personally express the nation’s support and gratitude for their service and sacrifice”. Obama’s spokesman says the president hopes to offer Dallas “some measure of comfort”.
“Maintaining a truthful and serious and respectful tone is going to help mobilize American society to bring about real change – and that is our ultimate objective”, Obama said.
As many as seven officers and two civilians were also wounded in the attack, which marked the deadliest day for USA law enforcement since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. I’m so grateful for the understanding not only of his majesty but the people of Spain.
“It is in the interest of police officers that their communities trust them”, Obama said.
In Washington, some of the president’s conservative critics were accusing him of pointing blame at police in previous incidents, and sympathizing with Black Lives Matter and other groups that complain about racial bias in policing.
The president had traveled to Spain after attending a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit in Poland, but the killings in the USA overshadowed most of his public appearances in both countries.
This marks the first time in 15 years a USA president has made an official visit to Spain.
Obama was supposed to spend two days in Spain but shortened the visit to about a day because of the shootings.
“We’ve had a hard week in the United States”, he told King Felipe VI before they met in private at the Royal Palace.
After the meeting with Rajoy, Obama lauded the long-standing ties between the US and Spain and complimented new economic policies that he said had begun to “bear fruit” in a country with about 20 percent unemployment.
Obama also thanked Rajoy for his government’s contributions as a fellow North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally, and for hosting US sailors and guided missile destroyers at a naval base on the southern coast. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California joined Obama on Air Force One for the flight to Dallas.
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Obama received a red-carpet, airport welcome after he arrived in Spain late Saturday to open the last leg of what is likely his final trip to Europe before leaving office in January.
