The attack once morest the Pulse, perpetrated on June 12, 2016 by a heavily armed man in the name of Daesh, left 49 dead and more than 50 injured. It was at the time the worst massacre by firearms in the country’s history.
A gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, target in 2016 of a terrorist attack that killed 49 people, will be designated a “National Memorial”, Joe Biden announced on Saturday to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the tragedy.
“In the coming days, I will be signing a bill designating Pulse Nightclub as a National Memorial, enshrining in law what has been true since that terrible day five years ago: Pulse Nightclub is a sacred place,” the President said. in a press release.
The attack once morest the Pulse, perpetrated on June 12, 2016 by a heavily armed man on behalf of Daesh, had also injured more than 50 people. It was at the time the worst massacre by firearms in the country’s history.
Its author, Omar Mateen, 29, was killed during the police assault following several hours of siege. The attack had deeply shocked the country and the LGBT community, in the middle of a month celebrating gay pride.
“Within minutes, the Pulse had long been a place of acceptance and joy, and became a place of indescribable pain and grief,” added the President, who had visited the scene with President Barack. Obama a few days following the attack.
He called for “addressing the public health epidemic (of) gun violence in all its forms” by toughening regulations on gun purchases.
“We must drive out hatred and injustice”
Joe Biden also underlined the “particular impact” of this type of violence on the country’s LGBT communities.
“We must drive out the hatred and injustices that contribute to the epidemic of violence and murder once morest transgender women, especially those of color,” he said.
The text of the law was unanimously approved by the Senate on Wednesday, in a rare moment of political consensus, and had already been voted on in 2020 by the House of Representatives.
Its designation as a “National Memorial” does not include the nightclub in the list of monuments managed by National Parks, such as the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial in the federal capital, and does not allow financing by federal funds, according to the text voted on Wednesday.
Pride parades are held across the United States on Saturday and Sunday. In Washington, Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance, accompanied by her husband, Doug Emhoff.
“We still have a long way to go,” she said, pointing to progress already made such as the legalization of same-sex marriage by the US Supreme Court in 2015.
“We need to make sure our transgender community is protected,” she added.