The BBC’s Gordon Corera on the rise of fascist violence:

The El Paso shooting fits a growing and disturbing trend of far-right violence internationally.

Like the attack in Christchurch, the suspected attacker fits a particular profile – an individual who may have acted alone but who inhabited an international online subculture of extremism, one in which others incite and encourage violent acts.

A document – which authorities have linked to the attacker – was posted online and was characteristic in its claims about population replacement (in New Zealand it was Muslims, in El Paso, Hispanics).

The “population replacement” thing is absurd. Anglo-Saxons did quite a bit of Maori-replacement in New Zealand, and Spanish people replaced Mayans and others in what is now Mexico, and Yankees replaced Hispanics in what is now Texas.

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, an El Paso native, told CNN Mr Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric had stoked divisions: “He’s an open avowed racist and is encouraging more racism in this country.”

Also on CNN, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, another Democratic presidential hopeful, said: “Donald Trump is responsible for this. He is responsible because he is stoking fears and hatred and bigotry.”

But acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney rebutted the Democrats’ allegations and attributed the attacks to “sick” individuals, saying on ABC: “There’s no benefit here in trying to make this a political issue, this is a social issue and we need to address it as that.”

But Trump does incite hatred of Hispanic and/or African-American people almost every time he says anything, so we can’t (and shouldn’t) pretend that just has no effect.