Labour International offers its deepest condolences to the victims and families impacted by the horrific terror attack on two mosques on 15 March in Christchurch, New Zealand.

This sickening incident occurred only months after the equally senseless murder of Jewish worshippers in Pittsburgh. It emerges as yet another white supremacist assault on the lives and religious freedom of minority groups. Similar attacks driven by far-right ideology have claimed the lives of other religious minorities and black worshippers in the US and the UK.  

These connected events underscore the danger of allowing racism and intolerance to proliferate in our political system and communities. We condemn the destructive racist and Islamaphobic rhetoric emanating from right-wing parties and political leaders that are fuelling these brutal acts of violence. The cynical scapegoating and demonisation of Muslim communities is all too common in conservative and right-wing political discourse across Australasia, Europe and the US. We also call for greater accountability from the media and press, certain sectors of which have perpetuated pernicious stereotypes and falsehoods about Islam and Muslim communities that have deadly consequences. 

We know that this will be a time of vulnerability and pain for Muslim members of the Party and want to share the message that we stand in solidarity with them. We urge our members to participate in vigils and actions that may be held in the wake of this terrible event. As a Party that stands against the oppression of people everywhere, we call on members to work with anti-racist movements and sister-parties in the countries they live in to further the rights of ethnic and religious minorities.  

Labour International Coordinating Committee

Please contact Muslim organisations where you live to see if there are events that you can lend support to. You may wish to donate to initiatives that have been set up to help the victims and their families. Here are a few that you may consider:

• The Muslim crowdfunding site LaunchGood has a fund for the affected families. The money will be distributed by the New Zealand Islamic Information Centre.
• The New Zealand Council of Victim Support Groups has launched a crowdfunding campaign for victims and their families.
• The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh has set up a fund for the victims in solidarity with Muslim worshippers.