WELLINGTON (NEW ZEALAND): As New Zealand marked two years since a white supremacist attacked two mosques in the city of Christchurch, PM Jacinda Ardern said “the world still needs to have conversations about racism and white supremacy.”
“In the aftermath of the attack it was incumbent on New Zealand to get its house in order,” she said, adding that it was not fair to say that because the terrorist came from Australia, that New Zealand didn’t have a responsibility.
“Members of our Muslim community were experiencing some pretty horrific racism before that attack here in their own communities.”
Australian Brenton Tarrant killed 51 people and injured dozens when he opened fire on Muslim worshippers on March 15, 2019 with high-capacity semi-automatic weapons. The attack sparked a global debate about the threat of white supremacy.
Tarrant released a racist manifesto shortly before the attack and streamed the shootings live on Facebook.
Ardern said every global leader has a responsibility as their voice can be broadcast anywhere, at any time. “Countries need to take that into account,” she said. She said a NZ$1 million ($719,800) community engagement response fund had been established for community groups to engage with the Royal Commission. A slew of other measures were also announced for the community.
When asked if New Zealand was a much safer place for Muslims now compared to two years ago, Ardern said: “I am not the one to answer that, only our Muslim community can. But I can say right now, there’s still work to be done.”