The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum strongly condemns the senseless and cowardly terrorist attack in Hanau, Germany that left nine innocent people dead and others critically wounded before the gunman took his own life and that of his mother.

The attacker was an extremist who held racist beliefs and left behind a manifesto filled with hateful vitriol directed at people of national origins, religions, and beliefs other than his own.

We extend our sympathy and thoughts to the families of the victims and the community in which they lived and reaffirm that terrorism, in all its forms, is a threat to human rights.

Terrorist attacks leave a trail of destruction in their wake, and also shake entire communities and countries to their very cores. As German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated in response to this attack, “Racism is a poison; hate is a poison,” and this poison divides our society.

As a Museum dedicated to teaching the history of the Holocaust and advancing human rights, it is our duty to call attention to attacks of this type and to deplore the pernicious way they undermine society.

To learn more about the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum please visit dhhrm.org.