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Taiwan's president condemns California church shooting

California Church Shooting
Posted at 1:06 PM, May 17, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-17 16:07:49-04

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan's president has condemned the shooting at a Taiwanese church in California by a man reportedly driven by hatred of the island, while a lawmaker from her ruling party questioned whether Chinese propaganda was a motivating factor in the violence.

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Tsai's office issued a statement saying she condemned “any form of violence" and asked the island's chief representative in the U.S. to fly to California to assist.

A Taiwanese legislator wrote on Facebook that “ideology has become a reason for genocide" and that the Taiwanese need to “face up to hateful speech and organizations" backed by China's ruling Communist Party. Local media say the suspect, David Chou, was born in Taiwan and had ties to anti-Taiwanese groups backed by China.