US Attorney General Loretta Lynch warns of ‘hatred’ wave ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration

Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, January 15, 2017. (Photo by AP)

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch says America has a long way to go before overcoming the waves of “hatred” and “intolerance” that are gripping the country, voicing concern about the future of race relations under the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

"We cannot stop. We have to work. I know that in our pursuit of a brighter future, we still face headwinds. We still face oppositions. We see it. Waves of hatred, waves of intolerance and injustice that are still blowing in this country, and they seem to grow stronger the more that we achieve,” Lynch said Sunday, a day before Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The outgoing attorney general made the remarks during her final speech at 16th Street Baptist Church, a historic church in Birmingham, Alabama. A lethal bombing attack in 1963 killed four African American girls at the church.

Lynch said 50 years after the bombing, racial minorities are still being targeted in the US “simply because of who they are,” referring to the 2015 racially charged massacre of nine people at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

The attorney general also addressed Trump’s inauguration on January 20, warning that “Dr. King's dream and all that has flowed from it is at risk like never before.” 

“I've seen people speaking out, and marching, and organizing, and gathering in the time-honored tradition that has made this country stronger,” Lynch said. “That's what I've seen. And in their cries of justice, I've heard their belief that it can be attained.”

Lynch’s remarks came a day the beginning of a week of protests against Trump and his racist campaign rhetoric.

During the buildup to his face-off with former secretary of state Hillary Clinton on November 8, the Manhattan billionaire stirred outrage by promising to build a wall along the Mexican border, deport millions of immigrants and ban Muslims from entering the US.

A few thousand protesters chanted “no justice, no peace” while marching along the National Mall toward the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington on Saturday.

“Adversity is not a call for despair, it is a call to action,” Lynch said using Luther King as an example.

“If it does come to pass that we do enter a period of darkness, let's remember this: This is when dreams are best made. That's when they come to us. That's when we find them,” she added.