NEW YORK, April 30 — After a synagogue shooting in the United States and a church attack in Burkina Faso, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned yesterday that the world is nearing a “pivotal moment” in the battle against hatred.

“As crime feeds on crime, and as vile views move from the fringes to the mainstream, I am profoundly concerned that we are nearing a pivotal moment in battling hatred and extremism,” Guterres said in a statement.

A teenage gunman opened fire at a synagogue in California on Saturday, killing one person and injuring three others including the rabbi as worshippers marked the final day of Passover.

On Sunday, gunmen killed four worshippers and a pastor in a small town in Burkina Faso, the first attack on a church since jihadist violence erupted in the African country in 2015.

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On March 15, 160 people were killed in attacks on mosques in New Zealand.

Guterres deplored a “disturbing groundswell of intolerance and hate-based violence targeting worshippers of many faiths,” saying such violence had become “all-too-familiar.”

“Houses of worship, instead of the safe havens they should be, have become targets,” he said.

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The UN chief appealed to religious leaders, governments, civil society and all others to combat hate, saying “this is a job for everyone.” — AFP