Tag: New Zealand

In the days and weeks following the massacre at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre, which left 50 people dead and over 45 seriously injured, New Zealanders widely came together in unity... But, in the midst of all this, there were some discordant notes.

As a nation, New Zealanders were left shocked, horrified and grieving. However, most people soon rallied to support the Muslim community and also to present a strong united front against the attack and all that it symbolised.

In much of the media discussion over the next few days, the fact of men, women and children whose lives had been extinguished seemed to barely figure, except as pretexts for drawing conclusions to match one’s predispositions. 

The terrorist massacre in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, was not only an exceptional event for a quiet country at the end of the world, but possibly a new benchmark in the violent radical right-wing arena.

There are no mitigating factors, be it poverty, bullying, or perceived discrimination, that can explain, much less justify, any terrorist attack against civilians.

The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) expresses its deep dismay at the horrific terrorist attacks on Muslims in Christchurch New Zealand, in an act of appalling right-wing racist terrorism.

Issues with the content aside, what was most disturbing about Sachs’ words were that they are presented as being representative of a large part of New Zealand’s Jewish community.

New Zealand’s UN voting record on Israel has been highly problematic in recent years. Over the course of his term, former foreign minister Murray McCully consistently refused to condemn Palestinian terrorism.

National Party MP Alfred Ngaro – chairman of the recently launched New Zealand-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group – is a man on a mission. That mission is to tackle the flood of biased information about Israel and to redress the resulting imbalance of perceptions.

Wellington has yet to condemn Hamas’ rocket attacks or other actions. This has the New Zealand Jewish community and supporters of Israel worried.