Ocasio-Cortez draws ire for questioning ‘thoughts and prayers' after New Zealand mosque shootings
(FOX NEWS) - U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., slammed those expressing thoughts and prayers for the victims of Friday's mass shooting that killed 49 people in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Reacting to remarks made by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter and invoked other mass shootings that took place in houses of worship.
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"At 1st I thought of saying, 'Imagine being told your house of faith isn't safe anymore.' But I couldn't say 'imagine.' Because of Charleston. Pittsburgh. Sutherland Springs,'" Ocasio-Cortez wrote.
The congresswoman was referencing the 2015 Charleston shooting at the Emmanuel A.M.E. Church that left nine dead, the 2017 Sutherland Springs shooting at the First Baptist Church that left 27 dead, and the 2018 Pittsburgh shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue that left 11 dead.
"What good are your thoughts & prayers when they don't even keep the pews safe?" she asked.
That sparked plenty of backlash on social media.