US ambassador attends candlelight remembrance vigil on 10th anniversary of Wisconsin gurdwara attack

Washington, August 9

A top US government official participated in the candlelight remembrance vigil last week to mark the 10th anniversary of the attack on a gurdwara in Wisconsin, the US State Department said on Monday.

On August 5, 2012, a white supremacist opened fire inside the Oak Creek gurdwara in Winconsin, killing six people.

A seventh person who was severely paralysed, died from his injuries in 2020.

US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain travelled to Oak Creek, Wisconsin, to participate in the 10th anniversary of the incident, the US State Department said.

“The event convened federal and state government representatives, civil society, and religious leaders to honour the victims of the 2012 attack and to stand in solidarity with the Sikh community,” it said.

During his visit to Wisconsin on August 5 and 6, Hussain met with community leaders and local government officials to discuss our continuing efforts to work together to combat hate and protect religious freedom and places of worship everywhere, the State Department added.

US President Joe Biden called for reducing gun violence and banning assault weapons in the US to defeat “domestic terrorism” and hate in all its forms, including the “poison of white supremacy”, as he condemned the attack on the Sikh gurdwara in Wisconsin on the 10th anniversary of the heinous act.