Fox Analyst Decries NZ Attack, Calls Alleged Political Motive 'Understandable'

[DonViejo]

By Nicole Lafond
March 15, 2019 11:45 am

A Fox News foreign affairs analyst and a former staffer for the Trump 2016 campaign condemned the attacks, but told Fox News’ Bill Hemmer on Friday that it was “very understandable” what the shooter in the New Zealand mosque massacre was “trying to do on a political level.”

“It is very understandable what he is trying to do on a political level, obviously it’s horrific and it should be condemned completely on the action level,” Walid Phares told Fox News on Friday, before discussing the attention the shooter likely wants to bring to his ideological beliefs through the attack and trial.

It is unclear what Phares was trying to express in the eyebrow-raising remarks. Phares tweeted that he thinks his words were twisted.

Link to tweet

Phares went on to express that it is the responsibility of the New Zealand government and governments around the world to “take action against” the ideologies that promote “violent action” and fight terrorism “from any side and all sides,” a remark that resembles President Trump’s response to the racist violence in Charlottesville.

“Unfortunately New Zealand has joined the community of probably a hundred countries, victims, countries that are fighting terrorism from any side and all sides,” Phares said. “Mosques, churches have been attacked by extremists on all sides. But what is interesting here is that this individual allegedly has been inspired by an ideology that claims that you should take action, violent action, against immigrants or members of the Islamic faith, that is something that the government in New Zealand and around the world both in the Arab world, Muslim world needs to take action against.”

Link to tweet

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https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/fox-analyst-ex-trump-staffer-very-understandable-what-new-zealand-shooter-trying-do-politically

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Man, I'm trying to convince my government to take action by

impeaching the leader of violent ideology.

[gratuitous]

2. Sure

Because Muslims in New Zealand are just such a scary thing to someone in Australia. Australian terrorists have no recourse but to travel to New Zealand, secure firearms they can't get in Australia, and shoot up a couple of mosques. Very understandable. I'm guessing economic anxiety has something to do with it, too.

By the way, the ideology that promoted this violent action was white supremacy.

[struggle4progress]

3. White nationalist speak with forked tongue

[Blue_Tires]

4. The really disturbing subtext in the reaction of Trump and Fox News is

they're *barely* concealing the fact that they silently believe this is the start of a GOOD thing and they're ecstatic that it happened...

Once upon a time, conservatives at least used to keep up appearances by disavowing their followers who go on to commit terrorism... Now it's clear they want to throw him a parade and give him a medal