Okay. We all likely feel that way.
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I can name the head bomber and the architect of the attack. I won’t here, but I can (witnessing the results of their actions first-hand does that). I can also remember the ideological justifications they used. So can many others. Don’t assume that people are as ignorant as this fool thinks they are.
He was trying to incite and inspire racial hatred and divisions, using a tired old narrative that was pre-prepared for him by members of the far right around the globe (he didn’t construct anything here, just strung together a bunch of talking points). That narrative intersected with his actions today.
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In an era of “clicks make you famous” I have mixed feelings about Boingboing having posted a link to the manifesto. The only point of clicking on it is to learn of the persons reasoning or justification. Neither of those will bring the innocent victims back to life. As Graccus just pointed out, at the end of the day it’s
.
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I didn’t want to quote the text directly, but the example was the 2004 Madrid Train Bombings, not 911.
I’m just getting hammered for posting anything from what he said, but I agree the core was racial division - its just hard as a Kiwi to see a foreigner use your nation as a proxy. There were definitely friends who assisted him locally - but - I don’t know his level of machiavellian guile, so I interpret some of what he says as the ramblings of a 28 year old youth, not lex luther. According to him, there was 1 (singular) individual who assisted from overseas - he stated - not in a planning capacity, but simply to encourage (not that it makes it ok).
Not directed directly at you Gracchus. But in general, I’m getting a lot of heat here. My frustration is that NZ is now a proxy. I’m not stating violent racism doesn’t exist, what I’m trying to state is that it does not (or has not) existed in NZ up until this point. The actor was foreign, with agendas in foreign nations (specifically US, France, Protugal (?) and the UK). The arguement I make is that NZ does not natively foster this level of violent racism (but you could argue to some extent it does now), it is an extremely diverse nation that has a long history of racial harmony.
I came to NZ as a foreigner and was basically raised in the Pacific Island community and later became part of the greater “Pakeha” culture. And my lament is for these 50 souls, however the reason I want to expose this terrorist is to show how anathema his thinking is to NZ culture. That is where many say “no lone wolf’s, copy cat etc.” And I agree, but I also beleive for a nation with NO level of racial violence part of the healing involves a denunciation of this mans acts - which can only occur if we know why he acted. Perhaps that is a luxury only afforded to small isolated Pacific nations, but having been raised by Samoans, Tongans, Niueans, Pakeha as a fatherless youth, my NZ is not defined by this hate - so much so I have trouble identifying it - and I would rather look it in the eye and say “who put this here” than wait for the next copycat. You may disagree, but that is how NZ has always healed, confrontation.
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https://nzhistory.govt.nz/keyword/racism
White Americans say the same thing, and we all know that’s bullshit. Racism exists in ALL settler colonies. Until white people accept and understand that history and the modern day enactment of racism, this problem will not be fixed.
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You’re getting hammered in that instance for attributing any validity or originality to anything in that manifesto.
Again, it could have just as easily been one of your fellow Kiwis who was poisoned by the rhetoric of the extreme right that’s now swirling around the globe. This should shake any New Zealander who’s complacent out of any delusion that the country is somehow immune.
And by “complacent” I mean people who make this kind of statement:
Perhaps read up on your own country’s colonial history (@Mindysan33’s links above are a good starting point).
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I find it interesting for someone to state “racism isn’t an issue here” in a nation that is 75% European descent. Yeah…racism isn’t an issue for 75% of the population…how about we ask the 25% and see what they have to say.
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Especially as not too awfully long ago, it was 0% European and 100% Maori. I wonder how that changed so dramatically? Over here (US) we have some experience with genocide of native cultures, and did it much more thoroughly, but that does not make it right.
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I think my message got pruned due to replying to a deleted message.
My point shouldn’t be in violation of anything, so I will try again with some additions. If for some reason this is a violation, just let me know, but I am not speculating on his mental state, etc:
he live-streamed one of the attacks on the internet.
A 74-page anti-immigration manifesto posted online and attributed to the killer rants about “white genocide”.
The gunman then walks back into the mosque, where there are at least two dozen people lying on the ground. After walking back outside and shooting a woman there, he gets back in his car, where the song “Fire” by English rock band “The Crazy World of Arthur Brown” can be heard blasting from the speakers. The singer bellows, “I am the god of hellfire!” and the gunman drives away. The video then cuts out.
This guy wanted to be infamous. He planned it out like a fucking movie, complete with a soundtrack. He wasn’t hiding who did it, trying to blend back into the landscape. He made it clear his intentions behind his actions and WANTS you to spread his message far and wide. Most people will be repulsed, but a tiny fraction will be like, “Right on.”
Warhol’s quote needs an asterisk to add “infamous or notorious”.
Yes, exactly.
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You’re right, I should have specified gun homicides which (excluding the recent event) 0.125 per 100,000 per year. Number of guns is at about 0.25 per person, but with only about 300,000 gun licenses that indicates only one gun owner in 13 people or 0.075 per person. As a kiwi (former), my guess is most weapons would be target shooting weapons (handguns are illegal). Bottom line - we have way less guns than Canada per capita and apart from some bush plinking with a .22, less of a gun culture (opinion)!
Um, yeah, right. Of course.
But why are you ignoring the explicitly far-right, white supremacist message he sent? Those are the people who will say Right on. Along with some others who may well join far-right, white supremacist networks.
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Most likely this guy had little local help but an active online group that radicalized him and taught him how to pull off this terrorist act. The closest comparison is to a terrorist cell radicalizing locals for their actions, and not to bring out the comfortable blanket that is “we need to understand the individual.”
As someone for NZ what you are not used to is this style of terrorism which is far too common in the US, and the proliferation of white supremecists networks means that this terrorist was raised by an international community of like-minded extremists. Ignore the name, ignore the manifesto. That’s what they actually want, and we already know it inspires more people to become terrorists like this one regardless of reasons.
So fuck the individual, directly target the institutions that caused this. We always want to blame the individual because it is easier the unique thing would be to erase him and talk about the bigger picture.
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NZ’s gun culture isn’t as deranged as in the U.S., nor are firearms as readily available. Cold comfort to the 49 dead and their families whose lives were destroyed by one non-American 2nd Amendment nut who got his hands on high-powered rifles (which he decorated with white supremacist slogans and symbols).
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Yeah, because it’s how terrorists operate. This one just gets to enjoy the benefit of several corporations condoning his ilk so he got to livestream it, post VODs, have a twitter feed, and have media host his manifesto.
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So you’re saying we should’ve frozen his peach? Why oh why do you hate free peaches?!
/s, obvs
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Speaking of which, this aged really well…
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My sincere sympathies to the victims’ families & loved ones.
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It’s been an increasing trend in these sorts of attacks in the West. The cited inspirations and personalities called out here, and in a number of other recent attacks are a greatest hits list of American Alt-right personalities. And this guy even praised and called out Donald Trump. So we’ve got an Australian, connected to an American political movement carrying out a large scale, coordinated attack in New Zealand. The US has become an exporter of terror.
It doesn’t seem to have been necessary here given New Zealand’s gun laws. But given the near total lack of gun control in the US it’s only a matter of time before we see an attack like this carried out with American sourced guns as well.
Global rise of far right nationalism or not, this guy’s ideological inspiration seems to be explicitly American.
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