Harrisburg, PA – In the wake of the arson attack and attempted assassination at the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg on Sunday, April 13th, Governor Josh Shapiro spoke out with moral clarity, issuing a renewed call to condemn political violence. The Governor reiterated his commitment to leading with strength, faith, and unity through this trying time, and praised the quick and courageous response from first responders.
Watch the Governor’s latest remarks here.
Read more of Governor Shapiro’s comments below:
ON CONTINUING TO PROUDLY AND OPENLY PRACTICE HIS FAITH
“I said on Sunday... it wasn’t clear at the time what the motives were of the arsonist, but nothing he could do would deter me from doing my job as Governor — nothing he could do would deter me from proudly and openly practicing my faith. I told you that day that I was going to be heading to our second Seder, and we did. We had a beautiful Seder together, and I continue to find strength in my faith as we go forward here. I know that there are people out there who want to ascribe their own viewpoints as to what happened here and why. I know there are people out there who want to adopt their own political viewpoints or their own world views as to what happened and why. I choose not to participate in that.”
ON THE GOVERNOR’S RECORD OF CONDEMNING POLITICAL VIOLENCE WHENEVER IT OCCURS
“I said after the assassination attempt on the President in Butler; I said, in Altoona, after we captured the individual who shot and killed the U.S. health care CEO; and I said on Sunday that this kind of violence has no place in our society, regardless of what motivates it. This is not how we resolve our differences, and this is not okay. This level of violence has to end, and it has to be roundly condemned by everyone, both political parties, people from all different walks of life. It's not okay.”
ON SUPPORTING FIREFIGHTERS AND FIRST RESPONDERS WHO PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE TO SAVE OTHERS
“Throughout my entire career, I have been a strong supporter of our firefighters and fire services, both in terms of policies that I support, that we passed, that I fixed my name on into law — whether it's the Cancer Presumption Law of the last session or the historic funding I proposed in my budget just a few months ago for our firefighters. I've always been a strong supporter of our firefighters and will continue to be. My policy views will not change.”
ON THE OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT THE GOVERNOR AND HIS FAMILY HAVE RECEIVED FROM PENNSYLVANIANS
“I want to thank them for so many of the messages of support they've shared with us. I want people to see that my wife and I and our kids continue to celebrate our faith proudly and openly. I want them to see that people from all different faiths have reached out to condemn this act and to lift up our family in prayer — and that’s the Pennsylvania way. Remember, this is a place that was established by William Penn to be warm and welcoming for people of all faiths. Back in the 1600s, he established Pennsylvania for that very purpose, and I am absolutely committed to continuing to ensure that people of all faiths have the ability to practice openly and proudly however they choose to practice.”
ON REOPENING THE GOVERNOR’S RESIDENCE PROMPTLY AND ENSURING IT REMAINS A WELCOMING AND INVITING PLACE FOR PENNSYLVANIANS
“It is critically important to me that the residence be a place that is comfortable and safe for me and my family, for our staff, and for visitors all across Pennsylvania. We're going to continue to have the house open to celebrate Halloween and Christmas and many other things. We're going to continue to have a lecture series, quarterly, as Lori and I began a couple years ago. We're going to continue to welcome lawmakers and guests, and we're going to try and do that very, very quickly. [...it is] important to not only get the place cleaned up and repaired quickly, [...it is] important to me to get people back into the residence quickly, to get visitors to come back, and to make sure that the building continues to be a place where people from all different walks of life are comfortable gathering.”
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