- Hillary Clinton
« Speech following the June 12, 2016 Mass Shooting in
Orlando
June 13, 2016 - Industrial Innovation Center - Cleveland, OH.
Hillary Clinton:
A Moment When We All Need to Stand
Together
Hillary Clinton addressed the tragic terrorist attack at an Orlando LGBT nightclub during her remarks today in Cleveland, Ohio. She discussed her plan to respond to terrorist attacks like what happened in Orlando, stating that “we must attack it with clear eyes, steady hands, unwavering determination and pride in our country and our values.”
Clinton has already laid out a plan to defeat ISIS and other radical
jihadist
groups in the region and beyond, and her remarks laid out three
areas that
demand urgent attention: working hand-in-hand with allies to dismantle
the
networks that move money, arms, propaganda and fighters around the
world;
hardening defenses at home and defending against lone wolves;
and preventing radicalization and counter efforts by ISIS and
other
international terrorist networks to recruit in the United States
and
Europe.
Clinton said, that "this is a moment when we all need to stand together” and pledged that “we will overcome the threats of terror and radicalization.” She reiterated that we are stronger together; told the LGBT community she will always have their back, and condemned Islamophobic rhetoric that is counter to our values and makes us less safe.
The full transcript of her remarks in Cleveland are as follows:
“I am absolutely delighted to be back in Cleveland and to be here at
the
Industrial Innovation Center. I’ve had a chance to learn about the
great work
you’re doing.
I especially want to applaud ‘Team Wendy’ for everything you do to
protect our
troops, first responders, and others from Traumatic Brain Injury. It is
so
important that we continue to support those who protect us.
Thank you. Thank you all. It’s good to be back in Cleveland, I can tell
you
that.
I want to thank your extraordinary Senator, Sherrod Brown, for his
leadership
and for that very kind and generous introduction. You are very
fortunate to
have him representing you. I want to thank your Congresswoman Marcia
Fudge, who
is both indomitable and indefatigable. She is such a tenacious advocate
for the
people she represents. I want to acknowledge the mayor, Mayor Jackson,
who is
here, County Executive Budish, and I particularly want to recognize the
passing
of George Voinovich.
He devoted his life to serving the people of Ohio as Mayor of
Cleveland, as
Governor and Senator. And we send our prayers and sympathy to his
family.
I also want to thank Dan Moore, the owner and founder of this company
and Team
Wendy, for his belief in Cleveland, for his commitment to create jobs.
I can't
wait to work with him, to do more of what he has accomplished too.
You know, originally I had intended to come to Cleveland under very
different
circumstances. We are heading into a general election that could be the
most
consequential of our lifetimes.
But today is not a day for politics.
On Sunday, Americans woke up to a nightmare that’s become
mind-numbingly
familiar: Another act of terrorism in a place no one expected. A madman
filled
with hate, with guns in his hands and just a horrible sense of
vengeance and
vindictiveness in his heart, apparently consumed by rage against LGBT
Americans
– and by extension, the openness and diversity that defines our
American way of
life.
We will learn more about the killer in the days to come. We know that
he
pledged allegiance to ISIS, that they are now taking credit, and that
part of
their strategy is to radicalize individuals and encourage attacks
against the
United States, even if they are not coordinated with ISIS leadership.
But there’s a lot we still don’t know, including what other mix of
motives
drove him to kill. The more we learn about what happened, the better
we’ll be
able to protect our people.
In the days ahead, we will also learn more about the many lives he
viciously
cut short – many of them young people just starting out in their lives.
They were travel agents and pharmacy techs, college students and
amusement park
workers - sons and daughters, brothers and sisters - and they had one
thing in
common: they all had a lot more to give.
We should all take a moment today, amid our busy lives, to think about
them, to
pray for everyone who was killed, for the wounded, those who are
fighting to
regain their lives and futures. For our First Responders who walked
into danger
one more time.
As a mother, I can’t imagine what those families are going through.
Let’s also remember the other scenes we saw on Sunday:
We saw the faces of those first responders who rushed into danger to
save as
many people as they could.
We saw survivors like Chris Hansen who risked their lives to help
others.
People gathering outside hospitals to comfort anxious family members
waiting
for news of their loved ones, and waiting too, to learn more about what
they
could do to make sure this never happened again.
Religious leaders condemning hate and appealing for peace. People
lining up to
donate blood. Americans refusing to be intimidated or divided.
Yesterday, I called Mayor Dyer of Orlando and offered my support and my
appreciation for the leadership that he and the other officials have
shown.
This is a moment when all Americans need to stand together.
No matter how many times we endure attacks like this, the horror never
fades.
The murder of innocent people breaks our hearts, tears at our sense of
security, and makes us furious.
Now we have to steel our resolve and respond. That’s what I want to
talk to you
about: how we respond.
The Orlando terrorist may be dead, but the virus that poisoned his mind
remains
very much alive. We must attack it with clear eyes, steady hands,
unwavering
determination and pride in our country and our values.
I have no doubt we can meet this challenge – if we meet it together.
Whatever we learn about this killer, his motives in the days ahead, we
know
already the barbarity we face from radical jihadists is profound.
In the Middle East, ISIS is attempting a genocide of religious and
ethnic
minorities, they are slaughtering Muslims who refuse to accept their
medieval
ways, they are beheading civilians, including executing LGBT people,
they are
murdering Americans and Europeans, enslaving, torturing, and raping
women and
girls.
In speeches like this one after Paris, Brussels, and San Bernardino, I
have
laid out a plan to defeat ISIS and the other radical jihadist groups in
the
region and beyond.
The attack in Orlando makes it even more clear: we cannot contain this
threat –
we must defeat it.
The good news is that the coalition effort in Syria and Iraq has made
real
gains in recent months.
So we should keep the pressure on ramping up the air campaign,
accelerating
support for our friends fighting to take and hold ground, and pushing
our
partners in the region to do even more.
We also need continued American leadership to help resolve the
political
conflicts that fuel ISIS recruitment efforts.
But as ISIS loses actual ground in Iraq and Syria, it will seek to
stage more
attacks and gain stronger footholds wherever it can, from Afghanistan
to Libya
to Europe.
The threat is metastasizing. We saw this in Paris and we saw it in
Brussels.
We face a twisted ideology and poisoned psychology that inspires the
so-called
‘lone wolves’ – radicalized individuals who may or may not have contact
and
direction from any formal organization.
So yes, efforts to defeat ISIS on the battlefield must succeed. But it
will
take more than that. We have to be just as adaptable and versatile as
our
enemies.
As President, I will make identifying and stopping lone wolves a top
priority.
I will put a team together from across the entire government, as
well as
the private sector, and our communities to get on top of this urgent
challenge.
And I’ll make sure our law enforcement and intelligence professionals
have the
resources they need to get the job done.
As we do this, there are three areas that demand attention. First, we
and our
allies must work hand-in-hand to dismantle the networks that move
money, and
propaganda and arms and fighters around the world.
We have to flow -- we have to stem the flow of jihadists from Europe
and
America to Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan – and then back again. The only
way to
do this is by working closely with our partners. Strengthening
our
alliances, not weakening them or walking away from them.
Second, here at home, we must harden our own defenses.
We have to do more to support our first responders, law enforcement,
and
intelligence officers who do incredible work every day – at great
personal risk
– to keep our country safe. I have seen first-hand how hard their job
is and
how well they do it.
In Orlando, at least one police officer was shot in the head.
Thankfully, his
life was saved by a Kevlar helmet – something folks here at Team Wendy
know a
lot about.
It's often been said that our law enforcement, our intelligence
agencies, and
our first responders have to be right 100 percent of the time. A
terrorist only
has to be right once. What a heavy responsibility.
These men and women deserve both our respect and gratitude, and the
right
tools, resources, and training. Too often, state and local officials
can’t get
access to intelligence from the federal government that would help them
do
their jobs.
We need to change that.
We also need to work with local law enforcement and business owners on
ways to
protect vulnerable, so called ‘soft targets’ like nightclubs and
shopping malls
and hotels and movie theaters and schools and houses of worship.
Now, I know a lot of Americans are asking how it was possible that
someone
already on the FBI’s radar could have still been able to commit an
attack like
the one in Orlando – and what more we can do to stop this kind of thing
from
happening again.
Well, we have to see what the investigation uncovers. If there are
things that
can and should be done to improve our ability to prevent, we must do
them.
We already know we need more resources for this fight. The
professionals who
keep us safe would be the first to say we need better intelligence to
discover
and disrupt terrorist plots before they can be carried out. That’s why
I’ve
proposed an ‘intelligence surge’ to bolster our capabilities across the
board,
with appropriate safeguards here at home.
Even as we make sure our security officials get the tools they need to
prevent
attacks, it’s essential that we stop terrorists from getting the tools
they
need to carry out the attacks – and that is especially true when it
comes to
assault weapons like those used in Orlando and San Bernardino. I
believe
weapons of war have no place on our streets.
We may have our disagreements on gun safety regulations, but we should
all be
able to agree on a few things.
If the FBI is watching you for suspected terrorist links, you shouldn’t
be able
to just go buy a gun with no questions asked. You shouldn’t be able to
exploit
loopholes and evade criminal background checks by buying online or at a
gun
show.
And yes, if you’re too dangerous to get on a plane, you are too
dangerous to
buy a gun in America.
I know some will say that assault weapons and background checks are
totally
separate issues having nothing to do with terrorism.
Well, in Orlando and San Bernardino, terrorists used assault weapons,
the
AR-15, and they used it to kill Americans. That was the same assault
weapon
used to kill those little children in Sandy Hook. We have to make it
harder for
people who should not have those weapons of war.
That might not stop every shooting or terrorist attack. But it will
stop some
and it will save lives and it will protect our first responders. And I
want you
to know I’m not going to stop fighting for these kinds of provisions.
The third area that demands attention is preventing radicalization, and
countering efforts by ISIS and other international terrorist networks
to
recruit in the United States and Europe.
For starters, it is long past time for the Saudis, the Qataris, the
Kuwaitis
and others to stop their citizens from funding extremist organizations.
And
they should stop supporting radical schools and mosques around the
world that
have set too many young people on a path toward extremism.
We also have to use all our capabilities to counter jihadist propaganda
online.
This is something I spent a lot of time on at the State Department. As
President, I will work with our great tech companies from Silicon
Valley to
Boston to step up our game.
We have to do a better job intercepting ISIS’s communications, tracking
and
analyzing social media posts, and mapping jihadist networks, as well as
promoting credible voices who can provide alternatives to
radicalization.
And there is more work to do offline as well.
Since 9/11, law enforcement agencies have worked hard to build
relationships
with Muslim-American communities. Millions of peace-loving Muslims
live, work,
and raise their families across America. They are the most likely
to
recognize the insidious effects of radicalization before it’s too late,
and the
best positioned to help us block it. We should be intensifying contacts
in
those communities, not scapegoating or isolating them.
Last year, I visited a pilot program in Minneapolis that helps parents,
teachers, imams, mental health professionals, and others recognize
signs of
radicalization in young people and work with law enforcement to
intervene
before it’s too late.
I’ve also met with local leaders pursuing innovative approaches in Los
Angeles
and other places. We need more efforts like that, in more cities across
America. And, as the Director of the FBI has pointed out, we should
avoid
eroding trust in the community, which will only make law enforcement’s
job more
difficult.
Inflammatory, anti-Muslim rhetoric – and threatening to ban the
families and
friends of Muslim Americans, as well as millions of Muslim business
people and
tourists from entering our country – hurts the vast majority of Muslims
who
love freedom and hate terror. So does saying that we have to start
special
surveillance on our fellow Americans because of their religion.
It’s no coincidence that hate crimes against American Muslims and
mosques have
tripled after Paris and San Bernardino.
That’s wrong and it’s also dangerous. It plays right into the
terrorists’
hands.
Still, as I have said before, none of us can close our eyes to the fact
that we
do face enemies who use their distorted version of Islam to justify
slaughtering innocent people. They’d take us all back to the Stone Age
if they
could, just as they have in parts of Iraq and Syria.
The terrorist in Orlando targeted LGBT Americans out of hatred and
bigotry. And
an attack on any American is an attack on all Americans.
I want to say this to all the LGBT people grieving today in Florida and
across
our country: you have millions of allies who will always have your
back. And I
am one of them.
From Stonewall to Laramie and now Orlando, we’ve seen too many examples
of how
the struggle to live freely, openly and without fear has been met by
violence.
We have to stand together. Be proud together. There is no better rebuke
to the
terrorists and all those who hate.
Our open, diverse society is an asset in the struggle against
terrorism, not a
liability. It makes us stronger and more resistant to radicalization.
This
raises a larger point about the future of our country.
America is strongest when we all believe they have a stake in our
country and
our future. This vision has sustained us from the beginning – the
belief that
yes, we are all created equal and the journey we have made to turn that
into
reality over our history. That we are not a land of winners and losers.
That we
all should have the opportunity to live up to our God-given potential,
and we
have a responsibility to help others to do so as well.
As I look at American history, I see this has always been a country of
‘we’ not
‘me.’ We stand together because we are stronger together.
E pluribus unum – out of many, one – has seen us through the darkest
chapters
of our history. Even since 13 squabbling colonies put aside their
disagreements
and united, because they realized they were going to rise together or
fall
separately.
Generation after generation has fought and marched and organized to
widen the
circle of dignity and opportunity – ending slavery, securing and
expanding the
right to vote, throwing open the doors of education, building the
greatest
middle class the world has ever seen.
We are stronger when more people can participate in our democracy. And
we are
stronger when everyone can share in the rewards of our economy, and
contribute
to our communities.
When we bridge our divides and lift each other up, instead of tearing
each
other down.
We have overcome a lot together, and we will overcome the threats of
terror and
radicalization and our other challenges.
Here in Ohio, and all across America, I’ve listened to people talk
about the
problems that keep them up at night.
The bonds that hold us together as communities – as one national
community –
are strained by an economy with too much inequality and too little
upward
mobility, by social and political divisions that have diminished our
trust in
each other and our confidence in our shared future.
I have heard that, and I want you to know as your President I will work
every
day to break down the barriers holding you back and keeping us apart.
We are
going to get an economy to work for everyone, not just those at the
top. We are
going to forge a new sense of connection and shared responsibility to
each
other and our nation.
Finally, let us remind us all, I remember how it felt on the day after
9/11.
I’ll bet you do as well.
Americans from every walk of life rallied together with a sense of
common
purpose on September the 12th. And in the days and weeks and months
that
followed we had each other’s backs.
I was a Senator from New York. There was a Republican president, a
Republican
governor, and a Republican mayor. We did not attack each other – we
worked with
each other to protect our country and to rebuild our city.
President Bush went to a Muslim community center just six days after
the
attacks to send a message of unity and solidarity. To anyone who wanted
to take
out their anger on our Muslim neighbors and fellow citizens, he said,
‘That
should not and that will not stand in America.’
It is time to get back to the spirit of those days. The Spirit of 9/12.
Let’s make sure we keep looking to the best of country, to the
best
within each of us.
Democratic and Republican Presidents have risen to the occasion in the
face of
tragedy. That is what we are called to do my friends, and I am so
confident and
optimistic that is exactly what we will do. Thank you all so much.”