Hating in Las Vegas

Renting a hotel room, introducing at least a dozen of firearms, and shooting at thousands of people attending a music festival in the open air – these can only be the actions of someone who is filled with hate and has easy access to weapons – and weapon mods.

After the tragic events of last Sunday night in Las Vegas , when a lone gunman caused the worst massacre in the history of the United States (59 people dead and over 500 injured), it matters little whether he belonged to the Islamic State, or if he had recently converted to Islam and acted on extremist beliefs, or whether his hate obeyed other reasons and factors; regardless of the reason, the result was the same: he attacked innocent people.

If the motive of the attack was influenced by terrorist groups, the United States will have to acknowledge the enemy they've declared war on is within their own borders; yet if ISIS has no correlation with the gunman – as the FBI has stated – then Mr. Trump will have to reflect on his hate speeches and on the xenophobia he has been spreading in the last months.

Little sets apart the hate policies of those who join groups like ISIS and those who reject outsiders – due to the color of their skin or because they come from a different culture. In both cases, it's all about a lack of tolerance and a rejection of diversity . The “other” is condemned to the point where attempts are made on their life.

Presently, there are waves of xenophobic feelings arising worldwide, deterring peaceful international coexistence. In Europe, far-right groups are gathering strength and beginning to occupying places at congresses (Germany being the most recent example), courtesy of the hostility sentiments against immigrants who arrive looking for better opportunities.

The battle against these aggressions has many fronts. First of all, Governments should discourage alienating speeches and begin promoting inclusion. Taking into consideration marginalized groups should be one of the priorities because a good measure of the resentment is found in the lack of opportunities for the younger people and in a society which is disillusioned by traditional politicians.

We're still on time to contain the feelings of hate before they cross local borders and reach international proportions.

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