In the first address to parliament since Friday’s terrorist attack on Christchurch, Jacinda Ardern paid tribute to the Muslim community and pledged to deny the perpetrator the notoriety he craves Al salam Alaikum. Peace be upon you. And peace be upon all of us. The 15th of March will now forever be a day etched … Read more
Imposing a Digital Services Tax will concentrate the tech giants’ minds on their woeful response to the Christchurch massacre, writes Terry Baucher. What to do about Facebook, Google and Twitter’s reprehensible failure to stop the live-streaming of a terrorist atrocity and the dissemination of vile images? How about a 20% Digital Services Tax, for starters … Read more
Not for the first time, the bleakest corners of the internet have apparently spawned real world tragedy. What is 4chan, and how does it foment so much hate? Even as the nation was plunged into a whirlwind of shock, horror and grief, there were plenty of online communities that had an opposite, chilling reaction – … Read more
If you’re still feeling down in the wake of the horrific events of Friday, you’re not alone. Here are some simple ways to care for yourself and others. It’s been a horrific few days in New Zealand. People have been affected in different ways, but for many of us, our reaction to the events of … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Multi-party consensus starts to form on gun law changes, moving student led vigil held in Christchurch, and inquiry into attack announced. Across parliament, a consensus has formed that New Zealand’s gun laws need to change. The pressure is coming on particularly with regards to military style semi-automatics … Read more
At any time, but especially as New Zealand’s Muslim and migrant communities recoil from an inhuman attack, you can play a role, writes Lucy Lawless I wrote this in Nov 2018 and am now infuriated and ashamed that I didn’t get it published. Want to know how to actually be part of a healing process? … Read more
Calls to foreground the voices and perspectives of our Muslim community in the days following the Christchurch attacks have been heeded by many newsrooms, but are all too soon drowned out again by the sheer number of headlines. Here we’ve highlighted Muslim voices from across the media in the wake of the white supremacist terror … Read more
How New Zealand and international organisations are dealing with inflammatory and racist moments in their pasts. UPDATED to include apparent false information from the National Party, and the National party’s subsequent response. In the wake of the Christchurch terror attack, organisations around New Zealand have removed content which might be seen as part of the culture … Read more
History has shown us time and again how atrocity begins with cheap opportunistic hate speech against minorities. It has to stop in New Zealand, now, said refugee and MP Golriz Ghahraman in a speech at the Aotea Square rally on Saturday. Below, an edited transcript E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga karangatanga maha. … Read more
As New Zealand grapples with the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shooting anger is growing over the ‘gaps, omissions and errors’ in our gun laws. In a day of extraordinary contrasts on Monday, the prime minister this afternoon said gun law reform would urgently pursued, while the man who sold weapons to the man charged with … Read more
After the vigils, the flowers, the messages, and the grief, what happens next? Donna Miles-Mojab, an Iranian New Zealander based in Christchurch, has a list of simple yet practical steps all New Zealanders can take. Let’s all stand “shoulder to shoulder” and circle the mosque, a friend writes. He suggests we should build a human wall, “a … Read more
Poems by Louise Wallace, James Brown, Tofig Dankalay, Gregory Kan, Tusiata Avia, Qalina, Airini Beautrais, Selina Tusitala Marsh Ahakoa he iti he pounamu | Although it is small it is greenstone Louise Wallace I choose pounamu / it is a river stone / she was of the earth / she was orchids in the hothouse … Read more
Australian media helped feed the anti-Muslim prejudice that led to the Christchurch attacks, writes Australian journalism lecturer Dr Nasya Bahfen, a practising Muslim of Indonesian heritage. Despite not personally knowing anyone who was gunned down at Friday prayers in Christchurch, I did not sleep that Friday night. I know I am not the only one who … Read more
The words of the Christchurch gunman were vile, vicious and unhinged. What they were not was shocking. In fact, they were ordinary, recycled lines from the political mainstream, writes Mehdi Hasan in this post originally published at the Intercept “IT’S THE BIRTHRATES.” So begins the online manifesto of the man accused of shooting and killing at least … Read more
In the wake of the Christchurch terrorist attacks, there’s been an outpouring of support from all over New Zealand and around the world. Here, a selection of the best images (including several from our Spinoff readers). This post will be updated with new images over the week. If you have any photos from NZ/around the … Read more
Wellingtonians gathered at the Basin Reserve last night to mourn the loss of 50 lives, grieve together, and stand against terrorism, Islamophobia and white supremacy, reports Emily Writes. Many wore white. Many cried. There were many tamariki there, in the sunshine, sitting quietly on the laps of their parents. A young girl stood at one of the entrances … Read more
Welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Vigils held around country to mourn the victims of Christchurch mosque attacks, Muslim community speaks out about years of Islamophobia, and gun laws look set to change. The terrorist attack against two Christchurch mosques has sparked mourning throughout the country. The attack against the city’s Muslim community has caused … Read more
‘We need someone asking what is being done about racist hatred’, says head of African Communities Forum. An African community group is redoubling demands for the urgent appointment of a Race Relations Commissioner following the terrorist attack in Christchurch that has left 50 people dead. The position has been empty for over nine months since … Read more
The terrorist attacks that tore through the Muslim community in Christchurch also exposed ugly truths about New Zealand. By Toby Morris
In the wake of the terrorist attacks on Friday, people are aruging that the Crusaders name is now problematic, writes Jamie Wall for RNZ. Let’s face it, though: it always was. ‘Problematic’. It’s a word that gets bandied around a bit these days, usually about something someone has said on social media, or something they’ve … Read more
After the terrorist atrocity in Christchurch, supporters including Sikhs are rallying around the Muslim community to ensure bodies can be buried as quickly as possible. Madeleine Chapman reports from Christchurch On Sunday morning the roads were reopened. The mound of flowers at the corner of Deans Ave and Riccarton Rd, perched as close as the … Read more
For more than five years, Muslim representatives knocked on every door we could, we spoke at every possible forum. We pointed to the rise of vitriol and the rise of the alt-right in New Zealand, writes Anjum Rahman of the Islamic Women’s Council of NZ How does a heart break? Does it shatter into a million … Read more
Faisal Halabi – an Arab, a Muslim, and a New Zealander – reckons with what all those identities mean for him. I’m sitting in my London flat, thinking about the distance between myself and New Zealand. It’s just over 18,000km. I’m also thinking about the distances between the different identities I’ve balanced growing up in New Zealand: … Read more
Thousands across the country have been gathering this weekend for the victims and families of the Christchurch terror attacks. At Auckland’s Aotea Square vigil on Saturday, words of love and triumph were preached, as were reminders of New Zealand’s xenophobic past. “Look at this place, it’s completely empty,” my taxi driver remarks as we drive … Read more
Most gun owners in NZ are law abiding, safety conscious people. But laws that are easy to bypass enabled the appalling tragedy of the Christchurch mosque shootings. A firearm owner writes. New Zealand has long been a country associated with firearms. From our history as a rugged wild paradise where life was focused on hunting … Read more
Christchurch seemed like a place where nothing happened, writes Guyon Espiner for RNZ. Now, an offshore horror has wormed its way in – or perhaps it was here all along. If you dug a hole from Paris and kept on digging right through to the other side of the world you would end up in Christchurch. … Read more
In the wake of the Christchurch mosque attacks, a survivor from the 1996 Dunblane school massacre living in New Zealand has some constructive advice for the media and the public. I live in New Zealand now, but 23 years ago this week I was an 11-year-old at primary school in Dunblane. To be more precise, … Read more
A day that began with the hope of the climate march ended with the despair of a massacre, writes James Dann from Christchurch. I want to say it started like an other day, but it didn’t. It was grey and wet. By the time school climate strike kicked off, the rain had stopped, and the … Read more
The days ahead will be full of difficult feelings and even more difficult conversations. Louisa Woods writes about how to start and have these conversations with your children. For many of our children and teens, yesterday dawned full of hope. They stood together, united, passionate, and energised. We saw them reject apathy, counter ignorance, and … Read more