Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and several lawmakers joined the Sikh community in the United States to remember the victims of the 2012 tragic Oak Creek gurdwara shootout, urging people to reduce gun violence.
On August 5, 2012, a white supremacist opened firing inside the Oak Creek gurdwara in Wisconsin, killing six people. A Sikh priest, who received injuries in the shootout that left him paralysed, passed away in March this year.
"Eight years ago, a white supremacist targeted a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, WI ultimately taking seven lives in an unspeakable act of terror," Biden, the former vice president, said in a statement.
"To truly honour those we lost, it's up to all of us to stand up to bigotry in our lives, give hate no safe harbour, and reduce gun violence," Biden said as several US lawmakers joined the Sikh community in remembering the victims on the eighth anniversary of the attack.
The six victims killed included one woman: Paramjit Kaur, 41; and five men: Satwant Singh Kaleka, 65, the founder of the gurdwara; Prakash Singh, 39; Sita Singh, 41; Ranjit Singh, 49; and Suveg Singh Khattra, 84.
"Eight years ago today a white supremacist walked into a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, WI, fatally shooting 6 people. We just honoured El Paso and next week is the anniversary of Charlottesville. How much longer will the rising threat of white supremacy go virtually unaddressed?" Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris said in a tweet.
Other lawmakers who spoke out included Congressman Ted Lieu, Congresswomen Judy Chu, Grace Meng and Barbara Lee and Indian-American Congressmen Ro Khanna and Raja Krishnamoorthi,
"The United States is proud to be a diverse nation where the kind of religious intolerance that took place at Oak Creek gurdwara has no place. By remembering the anniversary of Oak Creek gurdwara shooting, we recommit ourselves to the ideals of acceptance, equality, and mutual respect," Krishnamoorthi said.