Poway synagogue shooting: suspect John T Earnest linked to mosque arson last month

According to TellMama, an organisation which works on tackling anti-Muslim hatred in the UK, they note that a 19-year-old man has been detained by the police following an antisemitic-inspired mass shooting at a California synagogue in the USA. 

Police have named the suspect as John T Earnest and said he entered the synagogue in northern California during Passover celebrations and opened fire with an assault rifle, killing one person and injuring three others, including the rabbi. Earnest has since admitted that he ‘took inspiration’ from the Islamophobic terror attack in New Zealand that took place in March 2019.

An antisemitic and racist manifesto attributed to Mr Earnest was uploaded to 8Chan, a website popular with neo-Nazis and white supremacists before the shootings took place, came a bold claim: that John T Earnest had attempted to burn down a local mosque days after the terroristic mass shootings which left 50 Muslims dead in New Zealand.

Police have confirmed that John T Earnest is a suspect in the attempted arson of a mosque in Escondido, California, on 25th March 2019.

CCTV footage from the mosque captured the moment when an individual had poured petrol against a side door and started a fire, which was soon extinguished by worshippers, who were inside the mosque for Fajr (morning) prayers.

Details from the alleged manifesto of John T Earnest reference the mosque arson and take ownership of it – including the praise of Brenton Tarrant, which appeared in the car park. The manifesto states, however, that the message was spray-painted.

The manifesto used the racist epithet “Sandn******” to describe Muslims praying inside of the  Escondido mosque, which furthers how any understanding of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred must factor how racialisation impacts on Muslims. This understanding departs from traditional understandings transcends the “black-white divide” and welds Muslim with a singular racial category, often Asian or Arab, despite the racial diversity of Muslims in the United States (with notable numbers of Muslims identifying as black or Latinx).

Such “othering” works to further the dehumanising idea that Muslims are a cultural menace or securitised threat, which, in turn, helps to pre-empt empathy.

The synagogue shooting came six months after a white supremacist murdered 11 people inside of a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Robert Bowers, the main suspect, faces the prospect of the death penalty if convicted. Bowers’s name appeared in the manifesto attributed to John T Earnest.

Brenton Tarrant, the Christchurch terror suspect, is ‘credited’ with inspiring this latest act of antisemitic violence, which, if true, demonstrates how emboldened white supremacists and white nationalist feel to act upon the violence which underpins their ideologies.

White supremacist attacks on other faith groups remain in the headlines in the United States, as weeks earlier, a 21-year-old man, who once ‘joked’ about white power online, was charged with hate crime offences, following several arson attacks on black churches in Louisiana.

This incident is yet another example of extreme behaviour and hatred from one person to towards other people because of their race, religion and/or belief system. Although this example is from USA, the police and other agencies in the UK are fully aware that their are simular crimes being committed within our communities.

The Equality and Inclusion Partnership (EQuIP) who work closely with the police and other relevent agencies in Warwickshire would like to encourage any people who suspect others within their community who hold extreme views which could lead to a hate crime to contact the police, or if they prefer to report online via the www.reporthatenow.com, personal detailsdo not have to be disclosed.

If a person would prefer to talk to a person not connected with the police, they can contact EQuIP on 01788 863117 or email: advice@equipequality.org.uk.