Pingree Statement in Advance of Vigils for Charlottesville Victims to be Held Throughout Maine

"Just one week after President Trump was sworn in as President, the KKK circulated fliers throughout Maine in order to recruit members and intimidate our communities1. The KKK, neo-Nazis, and white supremacists have been emboldened by political rhetoric that harkens back to an America where minorities, women, gay people, and the poor did not have rights or a seat at the table. The horrific resurgence of hate in Charlottesville over the weekend feels like 1968, not 2017. Today, three people are dead and more than a dozen are injured for upholding the values of America in the 21st Century--where equality is our common goal and hate has no place.

"I am sorry that I cannot be a part of the vigils happening across Maine tonight because I am traveling with Congressional colleagues overseas. However, I am so grateful to Mainers, from Portland to Bangor, who are coming together in the face of this horrible act tonight.

"Elected leaders must call the violence in Virginia what it is: domestic terrorism by white nationalists. To call it anything else is an injustice to those who lost their lives yesterday and those who confront bigotry every single day.

"The fight for equality isn't over, and we cannot go backward. Thank you all for organizing peacefully tonight. I wish I was able to be with you."

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