Daily Times

Two mosques in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, were the target of a terrorist attack on Friday (March 15th). At approximately 1:40 pm, the first shots were fired. Forty-nine faithful were killed and fifty others seriously injured. Ten minutes before the first shots, he posts his plan on the internet on a far right forum, to be on the verge of committing a violent actthat will be broadcasted on the Internet.  In his post were several links, one of which refers to a Facebook profile named Brenton Tarrant, on which the video of the attack is to be broadcasted live, starting at 1:34 pm.

This message also contains several links to a document of almost a hundred pages, in which the author justifies himself for attacking two mosques in Christchurch. The New Zealand authorities have announced the arrest of three people, including an Australian in his 20s suspected of being the shooter, which corresponds to the self-description of the author in his text. The link between the terrorist and the author of the manifesto, however, has not been confirmed at this stage by the authorities. The chronology of the facts however, accredits a direct link between the terrorist and the author of the document. New Zealand premier Jacinda Ardern spoke of the “terrorist attack” that “seems to have been well planned”. According to reports several assailants simultaneously entered places of worship, separated by a few kilometers and crowded at the time of prayer, around 1:40 (local time) this Friday. While witnesses have reported scenes of horror, there were children among the victims. The gunman is “right-wing terrorist extremist, violent,” confirmed Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison without further details early in the morning, saying the investigation was in the hands of the New Zealand authorities.

Before committing his massacre, Brenton Tarrant had posted photos of his arsenal on Twitter.The traces that he left on his social networks before Twitter and Facebook closed his accounts show a user immersed in the hate ideology of the extreme right. On the website Scribd, the terrorist had put an online manifesto on the “great replacement” conspiracy theory and Islamophobia in vogue amongst the right-wing circles and well-established political parties around the world. A banner on his Twitter account depicted a photo of the attack in Nice showing a girl mowed by Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel in 2016. In his manifesto the terrorist developed the theses justifying his act and claimed to have perceived the “invasion of France by the non-whites” during a trip to the Hexagon (France) in 2017. The manifesto is a document of claim and therefore propaganda, which details the obsession of its author for the end of Europe and the alleged “replacement” of its population by immigration. This theory, popularized by the French far-right essayist Renaud Camus, gives its title to this “manifesto”. It crystallizes most of the whims of the far right and calls on Europeans to attack anyone with an immigrant background. Words inscribed on his weapons appearing in the rampage video also correspond to the images posted on the Twitter account that published the manifesto. The pictures of the weapons with their specific inscriptions were published on March 13 on his Twitter account.  Nameson his gear are of figures in military history, including many Europeans who fought against the Ottoman forces in the 15th and 16th centuries. There are also names of far-right terrorists convicted of terrorist attacks against Muslims in recent history.

The song which played in the suspect’s car is known as a marching anthem for Serbian nationalist paramilitary units known as Chetniks during the 1992-95 Bosnian war.It praises Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, who was convicted of genocide and war crimes.

According to media sources in Europe “The language used in the 87-page manifesto, linked out in a social media post from an account that is believed to belong to one of the attackers, was similar to that used by ISIS and al Qaeda”. He talks about the attack being carried out with the blessing of the Reborn Knights of Templar, which is a reference to the Crusades.

He also talks about wanting to precipitate civil war and this is exactly what we hear in al Qaeda’s manual, “The Management of Savagery,” or with ISIS’s idea of eliminating the so-called “gray zone” of co-existence between Muslims and the West. The idea being that you use wanton acts of vicious savagery with the objective of causing retaliation, escalating violence and conflict in countries that have Muslim minorities. He’s trying to stoke tensions, to create a clash of civilizations.

To me, there’s almost a symbiotic relationship right now between extreme terrorists on the far-right and some politicians on the far right.

Fraser Anning, a right-wing Australian senator from Queens, blames ‘immigration’ for New Zealand mosque attacks. He added,Muslims, “may have been the victims today; usually they are the perpetrators.”

“The real cause of bloodshed on New Zealand streets today is the immigration program which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place,” Anning expressed in a written statement.

Australian PM Scott Morrison was quick to condemn Anning’s statement, writing on Twitter that “remarks by Senator Fraser Anning blaming the murderous attacks by a violent, right-wing, extremist terrorist in New Zealand on immigration are disgusting. Those views have no place in Australia, let alone the Australian Parliament.”

“New Zealand, like Australia, is home to people from all faiths, cultures and backgrounds. At the press conference, the Prime Minister assured that the attackers were not under surveillance. According to her, New Zealand was targeted because it “represents diversity”.There is absolutely no place in either of our countries for the hatred and intolerance that has bred this extremist, terrorist violence and we condemn it,” Morrison continued According to Australian media reports Brenton Tarrant was originally from Grafton, a town 600km (370 miles) north of Sydney, and had previously worked at a fitness facility.The police say they have arrested four people, but it was not clear whether Brenton Tarrant was among them. Additionally, the theory of a second shooter has not been ruled out.

Published in Daily Times, March 16^th 2019.