Biden: 'White supremacists will not have the last word'

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - President Joe Biden asserted Thursday that white supremacy has no place in the US, calling it "venom" during remarks at the United We Stand Summit.

"White supremacists will not have the last word, and this venom and violence cannot be the story of our time. So we convened this summit to make clear what the story of our time must be," he said.

"Our own intelligence agencies in the United States of America have determined that domestic terrorism rooted in white supremacy is the greatest terrorist threat to our homeland today," said Biden. "We need to say clearly ... white supremacy, all forms of hate, fueled by violence have no place in America".

Susan Bro, the mother of Heather Heyer who was killed in a white supremacy rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017, spoke before Biden.

"We're here to share our experiences and our strategies to combat hate," she said. "But it must continue beyond today. Governments, corporations, communities and organizations must continue to move forward in ways that pull us all together.”

A white supremacist drove his car into a crowd of counter-protestors in Charlottesville, killing Heyer and wounding 19.

The president also said he had no intention of running for office but decided to run after the events in Charlottesville.

Biden said social media platforms should be accountable for spreading hate and fueling violence.

"I'm calling on Congress to get rid of special immunity for social media companies and impose much stronger transparency requirements," he added.