The civil rights leader discusses the attack on Jussie Smollett and how Trump’s rhetoric is pushing the US towards a ‘crisis’

Jesse Jackson: 'Hate and violence are raining down on our country'

Jesse Jackson: 'Hate and violence are raining down on our country'

Donald Trump has energized violent bigots including those allegedly behind a horrific attack on actor Jussie Smollett, who was attacked last week in Chicago in what authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson has told the Guardian.

'You are loved': Jussie Smollett attack leads to outpouring of support Read more

The alleged assault, which Jackson called an attempted “barbaric lynching”, was the latest in a line of hate attacks, including the antisemitic mass shooting last year at a Pittsburgh synagogue, Jackson said. And, according to Jackson, the president, with his words and actions, has fostered an environment where hatred has thrived and violence has been “encouraged”.

“The spirit of demeaning and bullying has been revived,” Jackson said in a phone interview, adding that he believed Trump was pushing the country towards “a crisis”.

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Smollett, who is black and gay, was allegedly attacked on Tuesday in Chicago, where he lives while filming the hit Fox drama series Empire, by two men in ski masks. According to Chicago police, the alleged assailants yelled “racial and homophobic slurs” at the actor, battered him, and poured an “unknown chemical substance” on him.

They then tied a noose around his neck and, according to Smollett, yelled “this is Maga country” – an apparent reference to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.

Trump has condemned the assault, calling it “horrible”.

But, Jackson said, Trump’s bigoted rhetoric and agenda have emboldened bigots and set the table for such incidents.

“Hate and violence are raining down on our country,” Jackson said. “The rain is falling from the top.”

Other prominent activists and celebrities, including the actress Ellen Page, have drawn similar connections between Trump and incidents like the one on Smollett. The LGBT and environmental activist made waves during a television appearance Thursday with a powerful denunciation of Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence’s agenda, saying the leaders “want to cause suffering” in already marginalized communities.

“This needs to fucking stop,” Page said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

In the wake of this week’s alleged attack, Smollett – who told Essence magazine in a statement that he is “OK” – has received an outpouring of support from across the country and in Chicago, a diverse city nevertheless plagued by segregation, where local activists say that the actor’s assault underscores that such incidents can happen even in purportedly progressive spaces.

“It goes to show that we have a lot more work to do than we think,” said Mariah Emerson of the Center on Halsted, an LGBT community center in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. “Chicago’s a pretty progressive city, but this is deeper than politics. It’s deeper than policy. It’s a personal, and it’s not going to go away just because we seem like a blue city or we vote a certain way or we seem more liberal.”

In a statement Thursday, Smollett’s family called the attack a “hate crime” and said it highlights how widespread such “domestic terrorism” against marginalized groups is in America.

“We want people to understand these targeted hate crimes are happening to our sisters, brothers and our gender non-conforming siblings, many who reside within the intersection of multiple identities, on a monthly, weekly, and sometimes even daily basis all across our country,” the family said.

In his own statement on Friday, Smollett said he is physically safe after the attack and that he’s confident “justice will be served” – in spite of what he said were “frustrations and deep concern with certain inaccuracies and misrepresentations that have been spread”.

“These types of cowardly attacks are happening to my sisters, brothers and non-gender conforming siblings daily,” Smollett told Essence. “I am not and should not be looked upon as an isolated incident.”

“During times of trauma, grief and pain, there is still a responsibility to lead with love,” the 36-year-old actor added. “It’s all I know. And that can’t be kicked out of me.”