Obama urges unity at memorial for victims

PRESIDENT Barack Obama led a national outpouring of grief, while calling for unity at an emotional memorial after a shooting that unleashed fierce debate about inflammatory political rhetoric.

In a speech repeatedly interrupted by applause for those who tackled the gunman — and the announcement that a US lawmaker who was shot in the head had opened her eyes — Obama said the attack must not lead to new divisions.

“At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarised; at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do, it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds,” he added.