World reacts to ‘horrific’ New Zealand mosque massacre by Brenton Tarrant with sorrow, solidarity and fury
- Donald Trump said he spoke to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern about the killings
- Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan blamed ‘Islamophobia’ for the attack
Leaders around the world expressed disgust and sorrow at the killing of 49 people in New Zealand mosques on Friday, with some also expressing anger at what they see as the demonisation of Muslims that fuels such attacks.
Western leaders expressed solidarity with the people of New Zealand.
US President Trump said he spoke to New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern about the “horrific” massacre of Muslim worshippers in Christchurch.
“I informed the Prime Minister that we stand in solidarity with New Zealand – and that any assistance the USA. can give, we stand by ready to help. We love you New Zealand!” Trump tweeted.
The response from some Muslim countries blamed politicians and the media for stoking hatred.
“I blame these increasing terror attacks on the current Islamophobia post-9/11 [where] 1.3 billion Muslims have collectively been blamed for any act of terror,” Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan wrote on social media.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the massacre was a result of Muslims being demonised.
Mosque shooter ‘Brenton Tarrant’ painted guns with white supremacist icons
“Not only the perpetrators, but also politicians & media that fuel the already escalated Islamophobia and hate in the West are equally responsible for this heinous attack,” he tweeted.
Hundreds of angry protesters in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka chanted “Allahu akbar!” [God is Greatest] after Friday prayers.
“We will not let the blood of Muslims go in vain,” said one protester.
Members of the Bangladesh national cricket team, in Christchurch for a match against New Zealand, arrived for Friday prayers as the shooting started but were not injured.
New Zealand terrorist attack leaves 49 dead, more than 40 injured
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australian Brenton Tarrant, who was arrested after the attack, was an “extremist, right-wing violent terrorist”.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, who is New Zealand’s head of state, said she was “deeply saddened by the appalling events”.
Pope Francis deplored the “senseless acts of violence”.
In Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel mourned “with the New Zealanders for their fellow citizens who were attacked and murdered out of racist hatred while peacefully praying in their mosques”.
New Zealand’s Muslims left shaken and fearful after mosque shootings leave 49 dead
Sadiq Khan, London’s Muslim mayor, said people in his city stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Christchurch. He also slammed those who promote religious hatred.
“When the flames of hatred are fanned, when people are demonised because of their faith, when people’s fears are played on rather than addressed, the consequences are deadly, as we have seen so sadly today,” he said.
Palestinian chief peace negotiator Saeb Erekat called the attack a “consequence of racist ideologies that continue trying to promote religious wars”.
He compared it to a shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh that killed 11 people in October, deadly attacks on churches in Egypt by Islamic State and an attack by a far-right Israeli gunman on a West Bank mosque in 1994 that killed 29 people.
Christchurch mosque gunman posted racist manifesto online before rampage
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said the attack brought back memories of 2011, when anti-Muslim extremist Anders Breivik killed 77 people at a youth camp on a Norwegian island: “It shows that extremism is nurtured and that it lives in many places.”
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
