The gunman responsible for the mass shooting in a Tops grocery store in Buffalo, New York, was reportedly motivated in part by the “great replacement” theory. He referenced the ideas that comprise the theory in a 180-page document he allegedly wrote before the attack.
Mass shooters in El Paso, Texas and Christchurch, New Zealand also subscribed to the idea that white citizens are being replaced by minorities.
While the theory has been adopted by white supremacists around the world, it is connected to a real change in the United States, where the nation’s demographics are shifting.
According to the 2020 Census, the white population decreased by more than 8 percent since 2010, while the multiracial population grew by more than 270 percent. Democrats have hoped the shift would work in their favor.