OBAMA/RACISM: “Former president Barack Obama still knows how to find the right words after a national tragedy.
With more than 2.4 million likes and counting, Obama’s tweet Saturday [8-12-17] quoting Nelson Mandela in the wake of white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Va., is the third-most liked tweet since Twitter launched.
One woman was killed and 19 people were injured when a man, who had been a part of a white supremacist rally in downtown Charlottesville, rammed his car into a crowd of people.
‘No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion…’ Obama’s tweet read.
The quote is from former South African president Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.
Obama shared more of the quote in two more tweets, which got 1 million and 900,000 likes respectively.
By contrast, President Trump’s first tweet in response to the tragic scene in Charlottesville got 186,000 likes.
Of course, not everyone liked Obama’s sentiment.
Some users called on the former president to condemn the violence ‘from either side.’
Others blamed the Charlottesville violence on Obama.”
-William Cummings, “Obama Charlottesville tweet one of the most liked ever,” USA Today, Aug. 14, 2017 11:36pm