Biden Condemns Killing of Palestinian-American 6-Year-Old in Oval Speech — Calls Slain Child’s Family After Address
President Joe Biden condemned the murder of 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume in his Oval Office speech — then contacted the boy’s family immediately afterward.
Joseph Czuba has been charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of the child, whose mother was seriously wounded in the attack last Saturday. Police say the suspect carried out the attack because the victims are Muslim. Czuba is their landlord.
President Biden gave a well-received Oval Office address Wednesday night, during which he addressed the attack that killed Wadea and called for unity:
You know, I know many of you in the Muslim American community or the Arab American community, the Palestinian American community, and so many others are outraged and hurting, saying to yourselves, “Here we go again,” with Islamophobia and distrust we saw after 9/11.
Just last week, a mother was brutally stabbed, a little boy — here in the United States — a little boy who had just turned six years old was murdered in their home outside of Chicago.
His name was Wadea — Wadea — a proud American, a proud Palestinian American family.
We can’t stand by and stand silent when this happens. We must, without equivocation, denounce antisemitism. We must also, without equivocation, denounce Islamophobia.
And to all of you hurting — those of you who are hurting, I want you to know: I see you. You belong. And I want to say this to you: You’re all America. You’re all America.
This is in a moment where there’s — you know, in moments like these, when fear and suspicion, anger and rage run hard, that we have to work harder than ever to hold on to the values that make us who we are.
We’re a nation of religious freedom, freedom of expression. We all have a right to debate and disagree without fear of being targeted at schools or workplaces or in our communities.
And we must renounce violence and vitriol, see each other not as enemies but as — but as fellow Americans.
After the speech, President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden spoke to Wadea’s family, according to a statement from the White House emailed to Mediaite:
Following the President’s Oval Office address to the nation this evening, the President and First Lady spoke tonight to the father of Wadea Alfayoumi, as well as Wadea’s uncle. The President and First Lady expressed their deepest condolences to the Alfayoumi family as they mourn; their prayers that Wadea’s mother, Hannan Shahin, makes a full recovery; and their commitment to keep speaking out against anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim hate and violence.
Watch above via The White House.
