Straight Talk

World mourns loss of 49 lives in hate-driven attack on two New Zealand mosques

by Charlie Smith on March 15th, 2019 at 8:26 AM
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      An Australian man has been named as a perpetrator of a horrific mass murder at two New Zealand mosques.

      Brenton Tarrant, 28, is from Grafton, New South Wales, and will soon appear in court.

      The attacks in Christchurch left 49 people dead and 48 people injured.

      Tarrant is reportedly one of three people reportedly taken in custody.

      It's the worst mass shooting in New Zealand history. The country's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has called this the "New Zealand's darkest day".

      The mosque shootings occurred a week before the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

      Donald Trump has condemned the attacks in New Zealand, which were perpetrated by a gunman who likes his politics.
      Voice of America

      Shooter admires Donald Trump

      The killer live-streamed his murderous rampage and issued a lengthy written explanation.

      Tarrant's so-called manifesto went on for 74 pages and expressed support for Donald Trump and for a U.S. civil war to "save" the white race.

      That's considerably shorter than the 1,518-page "explanation" provided by a Norwegian racist mass murder, Anders Breivik, after he murdered 77 people in 2011. His victims included 69 children and youths whom he hunted on an island.

      Breivik was motivated by misplaced fears of a Muslim "tide" overrunning Europe.

      The suspect in the New Zealand case allegedly had brief contact with Breivik, according to the Washington Post. 

      A 2012 book by Globe and Mail columnist Doug Saunders, the Myth of the Muslim Tide, pointed out that Breivik cited several authors and journalists who've whipped up fears of Muslims. Saunders noted that they've been given platforms on Fox News and in publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Maclean's magazine.

      He's not alone in raising this issue.

      The former race discrimination commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission, Tim Soutphommasane, has been one of the world's most outspoken critics of broadcasters and newspapers creating a political climate in which racist attacks occur.

      Soutphommasane specifically referred to the role of the media and politicians in promoting hate after the mosque shootings in Christchurch.

      Last year, Soutphommasane accused the Australian media of fomenting racism to attract audiences. In effect, he accused these outlets of monetizing discrimination.

      "These avatars of white nationalism are typically lauded as ‘alt-right showmen’ or ‘alt-right provocateurs’," Soutphommasane said in his final speech as the race discrimination commissioner. "They are fawned upon and given sympathetic platforms to spread their messages of hate and division.

      "With this kind of licence, it is no surprise to find far-right groups being emboldened like never before."

      Video: On Hate author Tim Southphommasane speaks about the hate directed at him when he was the race discrimination commissioner in Australia.

      His new book, On Hate, makes the case that it's patriotic to stand up against hatred and discrimination.

      The perpetrator of a mosque shooting in Quebec City in 2017, Alexandre Bissonnette, was also reportedly a fan of Trump. Some have questioned whether Quebec's trash-talking private broadcasters played any role in influencing Bissonnette's mindset.

      Meanwhile, world leaders, including Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump, have condemned the mass murder in Christchurch.

      Kensington Palace issued the following statement:

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