WELLINGTON (Reuters) – The world still needs to have conversations about racism and white supremacy, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday as the country celebrated two years since a white supremacist attacked two mosques in the city. of Christchurch.
Armed with high-capacity semi-automatic weapons, Australian Brenton Tarrant killed 51 people and wounded dozens when he opened fire on Muslim worshipers on March 15, 2019.
Tarrant released a racist manifesto shortly before the attack and broadcast the shooting live on Facebook. The attack sparked a global debate about the threat of white supremacy.
“The world needs to have these conversations,” Ardern said at a news conference.
“After the attack, it was up to New Zealand to put its house in order,” she said, adding that it was not fair to say that since the terrorist came from Australia, New Zealand had no responsibility.
“Members of our Muslim community were experiencing horrific racism before that attack here in their own communities.”
Ardern said that every global leader has a responsibility, because his voice can be broadcast anywhere, anytime.
“Countries need to take this into account,” she said.
Ardern apologized last year after a royal commission of inquiry into the country’s worst massacre found that security agencies were almost exclusively focused on perceiving the threat of Islamic terrorism before the attack.
Ardern said that a NZ $ 1 million ($ 719,800) community engagement response fund was established for community groups to engage with the Royal Commission. A number of other measures have also been announced to 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 now, there is still work to be done. done done. “
($ 1 = 1.3893 New Zealand dollars)
(Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Michael Perry)