“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy.”

Circulates under Martin Luther King Jr.

Editorial status

misattributed

This sentence went viral under Martin Luther King Jr.'s name after the death of Osama bin Laden. The documented trail cited here begins with a Facebook post by a 24-year-old English teacher, not a speech or writing by King.

Source-backed author: An unnamed English teacher (2011 Facebook post)

Earliest traceable appearance in this record: 2011 Facebook post, as reported in the cited contemporaneous coverage.

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