Anti-Muslim Event in Texas Ends in Gunfire, Two Deaths

An exchange of gunfire outside a provocative anti-Muslim event in the Texas suburb of Garland on Sunday evening resulted in the death of two suspected gunmen, the injury of one security guard, and a firestorm of rhetoric over a controversial art contest which invited entrants to depict the Prophet Muhammad in competition for cash prizes.

As the New York Times reports:

Though it could not be confirmed overnight what the motivations of the alleged gunmen may have been, ABC News early on Monday reported that one of the individuals had been identified by law enforcement:

Though billed by its organizers as an event celebrating “free speech,” critics argue the event was antagonistic and hateful towards Muslims by design.

According to Reuters:

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In addition to Geller, the event in Garland was also attended by Geert Wilders, a rightwing Dutch lawmaker known for hateful and intolerant views of Islam and Muslims. Wilders was invited to give a speech which, according to the Associated Press, said in part, “Muhammad fought and terrorized people with the swords. Today, here in Garland, we fight Muhammad and his followers with the pen. And the pen, the drawings, will prove mightier than the sword.”

Following events in Garland, journalist Glenn Greenwald, making it clear that just because the art contest is viewed as despicable and hateful by many, that does not mean critics like himself condone or justify the violence it may have provoked:

Given the nature of the event, the Guardian reports how a large security force was hired in advance:

Bridie Jabour, a Guardian journalist, also filed this explainer on the AFDI and Geller:

Social media was predictably swarming with responses to the shooting under the hashtag #garlandattack, but journalist Murtaza Hussain suggested on Twitter that little of value could be learned from those trying to put the events in context in less than 140 characters:

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October 9, 2020 NewSimulationShoes News