Payton Gendron is an 18-year-old white supremacist who traveled 200 miles on May 14th to kill 10 innocent people shopping for groceries in Buffalo, New York on a beautiful Sunday morning. Prior to engaging in his maniacal murder spree, Gendron penned a startling 180-page manifesto declaring his hatred for Jews and Blacks.
Gendron is a strong proponent of the 'Great Replacement Theory', a conspiracy rooted in the belief that demographic trends are wiping out white populations in a deliberate plot to replace them with immigrants and ethnic minorities. More specifically it is a conspiracy theory that Jews are behind the down-trend in white populations and up-trend in Black populations.
The same hateful beliefs have been used to justify previous mass shootings such as the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh that resulted in the murder of 11 Jews and the Chabad of Poway shooting that ended with one Jewish woman being murdered. It's also the same white supremacist conspiracy theory adopted by demonstrators of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia when they were chanting - "Jews will not replace us."
In his manifesto, Gendron espoused horrific antisemitic sentiment including "I wish all JEWS to HELL! Go back to hell where you came from Demon!" when asked if he was "an anti-semite."
The Hasidic Jewish communities in Lakewood, Toms River, and Jersey City were also mentioned in Gendron's manifesto - "Hasidic activities in Brooklyn, in Jersey City, in Lakewood are deplorable" he stated.
Gendron went on to say in his manifesto he chose this particular zip code in Buffalo due to its high percentage of "black population". He further discussed his hatred of African Americans. Gendron live streamed his killing rampage on Twitch, a steaming platform. Stills from the video show "ni**er" written at the bottom of the AR15 he used.
In his manifesto Gendron said he was acting alone, not affiliated with any particular group, and had been radicalized online starting in 2020. He endorsed neo-Nazism, white supremacy, and fascism in the document. He said he had targeted Black people, but that Jews were "the biggest problem."
He went on to further state his belief that Black Americans were killing whites and taking public funding, and that Jews were responsible, and – although he was targeting Black Americans – Jews "can be dealt with in time." He also called for a war between Jews and non-Jews. "The real war I’m advocating for is the gentiles vs the Jews. We outnumber them 100x, and they are not strong by themselves," Gendron wrote.
In his manifesto, Gendron presents himself as a young left-winger who evolved into a fascist, eco-fascist, populist, and accelerationist bent on speeding up the collapse of established government. In reality, he's one of countless isolated young men being radicalized on social media scrolling through extremist and neo-Nazi sites peddling dangerous conspiracy theories that often result in real world violence.
Gendron pleaded not guilty to charges including 10 counts of first degree murder and 10 counts of second degree as a hate crime. County prosecutors have added the highest charge which is a first in New York state history: domestic act of terrorism motivated by hate in the first degree. He is remanded without bail. Meanwhile, the US Justice Department is also pursuing a federal case.
This hate crime is a reminder to continue reporting all antisemitic acts or even warning signs by calling or texting StopAntisemitism at 877-411-HATE (4283) or submitting a report HERE because as we see once again what starts with Jewish people never ends with the Jewish people.