In front of a flowerbed and “oversized photos of the 19 children and two teachers killed”Joe and Jill Biden paid tribute, Sunday, May 29, to the victims of the massacre that occurred five days earlier at Robb Elementary School, in Uvalde, Texas, reports the Washington Post.
The American president and his wife moved to this bereaved city “to follow a familiar ritual after an American massacre: to pray, to attempt to comfort the families of the victims and the survivors, and to meet the rescue workers”.
“Our children are not safe”
A crowd had gathered outside the school building before the Bidens arrived, cheering for the White House tenant when he got out of his car, according to the Houston Time.news. Some shouted at him: “We need help. We need change. Our children are not safe”.
The Democrat “wiped away a tear” hugging the survivors of the shooting, the second deadliest in schools in the United States after that of Sandy Hook in 2012, before participating in a mass on the spot, says for his part the New York Times.
As the president was leaving the church, someone shouted: “Do something”and Mr. Biden replied: “We will do it”.
This visit “came just twelve days after Mr. Biden shared the grief” of other families, following another tragedy, a racist shooting in Buffalo, New York, where ten people were killed, the newspaper reports.
An investigation into the police intervention
This trip took place while the Ministry of Justice announced on Sunday the opening of an investigation into the response of the police, who waited about an hour to put an end to the massacre of Uvalde, reports for its part the Wall Street Journal.
It also took place against the background of a debate which “intensifies”in Washington, on new gun control measures, “but the leaders of both parties face difficult obstacles to overcome because of the size of the gap between them”.
At the Houston convention of the National Rifle Association, America’s main pro-gun lobby, on Friday, conservatives including former President Donald Trump opposed any tougher gun laws. “claiming that the answer lies in a better mental health system and stronger schools.”