Michael Moore: Syria-born Boulder shooter is an example of how nearly anyone can ‘assimilate into American culture’
24 March 2021
Michael Moore offers 'reality check': Swing state polls signal ...
Filmmaker Micheal Moore on Tuesday said the alleged Boulder, Colo., shooter, who was reportedly born in Syria, is an example of how anyone can "truly assimilate into our beloved American culture."
Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, the 21-year-old alleged shooter accused of opening fire and killing a total of 10 people including an officer with the Boulder Police Department.
On Tuesday, March 23, Moore took to Twitter with his opinion of the recent mass shooting that took place in Boulder. He tweeted, "The life of Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa shows that people can come from all over the world and truly assimilate into our beloved American culture."
Shortly after Moore shared his tweet, he was met with backlash from thousands of conservative Twitter users and the tweet ultimately led to a heated debate, reports The Independent. Some have described the tweet as insensitive and "heartless" while others insisted that his words may have come too soon.
One user tweeted, "Did you really tweet this? We allowed him refuge in our country & he repaid us by murdering our own people. This is most heartless tweet I've seen in a long time."
Another also said, "I hate people who live in America and hate America. You know nothing about what the world is like 'out there'. I'm an immigrant who made it here. No society is perfect. No country is. But we all flock to US because it is better than most/all. Stop bashing America."
Others argue that it is "too soon" for Moore's remarks. "Too soon for this crap. We in Colorado are hurting," one Twitter user wrote. "Ten innocent lives lost. A community devastated. Save this crap for another day. #BoulderStrong"
However, others have pushed back to defend Moore's remarks. One person responded saying, "Actually critical cultural commentary is important in democracies as it spikes an engaged conversation and it makes us re-think our priorities in culture, one of them being an insane amount of firearms."
Despite the arguments about Moore's remarks coming too soon, some Twitter users have argued that there is no "cooling off period" for combating gun violence. "Save pointing out America's gun problem for another day?" another person tweeted. "There is no cool off period, its a persistent and constant epidemic. We can wait for Colorado to heal, but in the meantime, we'll move into a whole new grieving process in Texas, or Virginia, Florida, on and on."
According to The Gun Violence Archive, nearly 10,000 people have died as a result of gunfire in the United States just in the first quarter of 2021.