49 killed, more than 20 wounded in 2 New Zealand mosque shootings; 4 suspects in custody

RIP to the victims of this senseless hatred.

Looks like it's happened in 2 separate Mosques?

https://www.news.com.au/world/pacific/police-respond-to-shooting-inside-christchurch-mosque/news-story/db75a7aa031b8db068ca7c7e44c4728e

Tragic.

I'm sitting here in my office absolutely fuming. I'm in NZ and we were watching things unfold live on TV. Just had a coffee break & my colleagues were in there almost cheering this on. I am not joking. All because the victims appear to be muslim. The comments were the most ignorant things I've ever heard. I told them to 'shut it' at was met with blank stares like they couldn't understand why this is bad. Bad on so many levels. There you have it, folks. Evil. Right here in NZ.

Jesus, someone really planned this out. How sad. New Zealand will have a hard heal after this one.

Filth. Let’s just hope it is just one sicko. The police are naturally still leaving open the possibility of others involved.

This is so tragic. Two mosques. At least 9 killed. Why anyone would commit such a horrendous act is beyond me. I can't believe the responses from some people either. Disgusting.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/111313238/shooting-at-christchurch-mosque

Humanity really needs a refresher course on the whole "thou shalt not kill" thing.

Or, instead of bringing any particular religion into it, people need to be educated against hatred.

I've just had a read through most of the shooter's manifesto. Assuming it's authentic, he's an Australian who identifies himself as an 'eco-fascist' (but formerly a communist, then a libertarian). He's also a white nationalist. His main concern is that not a single majority white country is achieving replacement fertility rates. He believes that mass immigration prevents the paradigm shift that is needed for these societies to return to a stable fertility rate. He was radicalised on the internet and by his travels through Europe. The issues he lists on the front page are: worker's rights, anti-imperialism, environmentalism, responsible markets, addiction free communities, law and order, ethnic autonomy, protection of heritage and culture. He used a gun in the attack because he wants to sow division within the US on gun control which may lead to states in favour of the 2nd amendment splitting off from the US. He seems like a very troubled individual, to say the least.

Shocked to see something like this in New Zealand!

I was just reading the article about student walkout in NZ in relation to climate change, and this horrific incident will completely overshadow that.

Condolences. New Zealand is considered the second most peaceful country in the world with Iceland being number one. Things like this are some of the things I didn't think I would see or hear there. Islamophobia is getting out of hand and a lot of innocent and good people are suffering for something that they have absolutely nothing to do with.

agree with most of the posters here. this is beyond awful on so many levels..

Extreme White Christian Terrorists! -3

Why the downvotes?

I've just had a read through most of the shooter's manifesto. Assuming it's authentic, he's an Australian who identifies himself as an 'eco-fascist' (but formerly a communist, then a libertarian). He's also a white nationalist. His main concern is that not a single majority white country is achieving replacement fertility rates. He believes that mass immigration prevents the paradigm shift that is needed for these societies to return to a stable fertility rate. He was radicalised on the internet and by his travels through Europe. The issues he lists on the front page are: worker's rights, anti-imperialism, environmentalism, responsible markets, addiction free communities, law and order, ethnic autonomy, protection of heritage and culture. He used a gun in the attack because he wants to sow division within the US on gun control which may lead to states in favour of the 2nd amendment splitting off from the US. He seems like a very troubled individual, to say the least.

M3M3M3's post proves my description was correct about the attacker. People don't like accurate descriptions?

The truth hurts sometimes, doesn't it?

Why? Christchurch is beautiful, hate has no place there. I'm so upset it makes no sence at all. Killing people? I'm people.

What an awful thing to happen. Prayers to the victims and their families.

Senseless gun violence again.

Absolutely horrific.

What's not great is the violation of a space reserved for veneration. I lived in Christchurch for 20 years, walked everywhere even once in drag (party thing) I never ever felt any threat. Of all the places I've lived Christchurch is a paradise. To have this happen is astounding. I know people will recover to an extent. Someone has put a dark cloud over me and I can't forgive that.

Shameful behaviour. The world stands with New Zealand and its people today.

The manifesto for this brutal massacre is on Twitter. Pretty grim stuff, and it's all over the place: denouncing diversity, Sadiq Khan, Erdogan, praising white rebirth... all the usual messed-up madness.

It has been verified that at least one of the gunman livestreamed the shooting to social media, sharing the horrifying video to Facebook

Presume FB took it down pronto, denying the perp the propaganda coup he desired.

I hope that the media don't give the bastard too much publicity. Don't make him a hero or martyr - let's hear about the victims, instead. We can all recall the name of the Oslo/Utoya mass murderer but can anyone remember his victims names? I can't.

This is so horrible, so much hatred in this world.

The persons who have perpetuated this violence against us ... have no place in New Zealand."

I agree with that statement by the PM! NZ is such a peaceful and friendly country, absolutely shocking that such an incident could happen there and such violence absolutely has no place in such a lovely country. The killers should be ashamed of what they've done and I hope they face swift justice. If there is any good result to come from this is that ironically their attack will only bring people together in support of the Muslim community!

You wonder where people learn this kind of hatred . . .

Nobody should die in this way.

Heartbreaking, sickening and shocking news. They are saying there could be 50, 60 or more dead. That figure may rise way more with possibly more terrorists on the loose. This was a meticulously planned terror attack.

Quiet New Zealand will never be the same again.

I've just seen comments from an Australian senator who tries to lay responsibility with open immigration policies. What a disgusting thing to say. As far as we know, the only person of a foreign nationality who is responsible is Australian.

New reports of a third shooting and a car bomb. :(

I read at least one shooter was Australian

Blimey, talk about being close to it.  I moved to CHC a few years ago.  I was on my way to CHC hospital for some business.  Just before Deans Avenue the traffic built up.  Drivers had to pull to the side to let two police cars through.  Reached the corner.  At this point only about five police cars there.  The shooting took place just a few minutes before.  As I drove further into the city there were police and ambulances going every which way.  Obviously cancelled my hospital visit and went home.  Shootings now at another mosque and also outside the hospital.  Central city is under lock down which includes my wife in the middle of the CBD.  This is so awful.  CHC is a wonderful place and I am so sad and also angry this has happened.  I hate these people.  Can't believe it has happened in this city of 400,000 in a South Pacific island.  Apparently the guy captured is a blonde Australian.  More are possibly being sought.  This is so very, very awful.

The news just keeps getting more and more horrible. My prayers for the deceased and their families.

I am shocked at what people can do to each other. I am at a loss of words to describe my feelings.

A WHITE Australian complaining about the 'immigrants taking over his people's land' pretty much says everything there is to say about the mindset of those who complain about the 'immigrants' everywhere.

I hope that the media don't give the bastard too much publicity. Don't make him a hero or martyr - let's hear about the victims, instead. We can all recall the name of the Oslo/Utoya mass murderer but can anyone remember his victims names? I can't.

This is so horrible, so much hatred in this world.

@Toasted Heretic - we often disagree but not this time. Well said.

Horrible.

... How many more people have to be killed by guns to realize that the ONLY way is to have NO guns... For that to happen we need lots and lots of smart people...

To be fair, people 50+ years ago had plenty of guns but shootings like this didn’t really happen (Kent State would be the beginning point).

What changed?

The language of hate has consequences.

It's important to take that into account on yet another dark day of man's inhumanity to man.

Have a safe weekend everyone, whoever you are and whatever your beliefs.

The death toll is surely set to rise....

They did think things very thoroughly, especially with the revelation that there were several vehicles rigged as IEDs.

We can all recall the name of the Oslo/Utoya mass murderer but can anyone remember his victims names? I can't.

I can’t remember the shooter’s name nor do I want to be reminded of it.

The victims’ names are remembered by those people who will always remember them: family and friends. That is a fitting memorial.

Absolutely Condemnable act of terrorism against innocent worshippers.

Absolutely disgusting. This is as sick as it gets. What is wrong with people? Attacking and killing innocent people that have done nothing wrong and just wanted to worship. Hope this guy gets life and does hard time in a miserable and dirty cell. No person should ever be attacked like this regardless of their ethnicity or religion. My heart goes out to all the families of the dead and deceased. RIP

We can all recall the name of the Oslo/Utoya mass murderer but can anyone remember his victims names? I can't.

I can’t remember the shooter’s name nor do I want to be reminded of it.

The victims’ names are remembered by those people who will always remember them: family and friends. That is a fitting memorial.

To be fair, people 50+ years ago had plenty of guns but shootings like this didn’t really happen (Kent State would be the beginning point).

What changed?

Types and number of weapons available, proliferation of information, widening wealth gap, etc.

@Sh1mon M4sada

You paint a pretty bleak picture of NZ, and while some of it is true I can't say I agree with your statement about law enforcement. It isn't so much that they don't care... I know for a fact they do... but the problem is really that they are underfunded and therefore don't have the resources required to deal with everything that people ask of them. Other than that I have always said NZ is not as safe as everyone assumes it to be... gang violence happens but mostly it's kept within the gang circles. People can get guns but it is pretty much illegal to carry in public. Random attacks happen quite often and there is a lot of crime such as theft. This kind of event though... this is unprecedented in NZ.

Based on the manifesto the shooter is explicitly an anti immigration white supremacist.

I don't know any of the victims but I cry. This is not what mankind should be doing. Hate should never be an option.

Jeeze....what horrible news to wake up to....

who would've guessed that out of all places, its New Zealand could 'outkill' America. Just another proof the western society is spiraling down to internal conflicts, christians vs muslims, white vs non white, leftists vs right wingers, poor vs rich... so many social rifts have developed over decades

@Alice

> Many things have already been said here, although I don't really understand why they call the shooter a 'far-right supporter'. He has long been an eco-terrorist very much opposed to corporatism and private ownership. And even in his so-called manifest, he strongly denounces conservatism and its reliance on western traditional values. So basically he seems far more like a left-wing radical to me. In any case, I think media play their part in exacerbating the political and social conflicts which will eventually tear down and destroy western societies.

You are picking a choosing only certain parts of his manifesto. As someone pointed out above.

A WHITE Australian complaining about the 'immigrants taking over his people's land' pretty much says everything there is to say about the mindset of those who complain about the 'immigrants' everywhere.

Complaining about wanting large all White populations is White nationalism coming from a country that has a history of White immigrants stealing Native peoples lands! Irony is wasted on the stupid!

Humanity really needs a refresher course on the whole "thou shalt not kill" thing.

May the victims' souls rest in peace.

Show how rare this is in New Zealand, from the Guardian:

New Zealand’s last mass shooting was the 1990 Aramoana massacre, in which 13 people were murdered as well as the killer David Gray.

Certainly it is a terrible tragedy.

My hope is that the communities and religions in New Zealand come together over this and use it to set up dialogue.

"This is one of New Zealand's darkest days"

It sure is. Condolences to the victims.

My heart goes out to all the victims and their loved ones. To honor the hundreds of people grieving right now I will say no more right now.

How terrible!

My prayers for the victims, and condolences to family & friends.

What a COWARD!

Couldn't do it in his own backyard but chose to terrorize another country - a more peaceful one where terrorists alerts are much rare. I guess Australia was too risky for a nincompoop such as he.

RIP to the victims, and offering thoughts of to all families affected.

World is a powder keg right now. Race/Holy wars in the West don't seem to be a far fetched paranoia anymore

New Zealand is considered the second most peaceful country in the world

@JJ J. I am guessing you have only visited NZ as a tourist (and bought the pure NZ lie), violence, weapons, gangs is very much part of the furniture in NZ. For a country of less than 4 millions, look at how many gangs there are.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangs_in_New_Zealand

The only people who feel safe are those who can afford to live in safe neighbourhood, have security support, or are part of gangs. Law enforcement just don't care about the average Joe, which leads to violent offenders thinking they WILL get away with their crimes, and they often do (even if they are caught, charged, and convicted). Law abiding citizens take up martial arts, own guns, or just try to stayout of harms ways as much as possible until caught out like this story. Very sad, and heart wrenching, and my prayers go out to victims and their family.

I am sorry if you're a kiwi and don't like to read this, but it's the reality.

frightening similar to the 2011 norway terror attacks. rip to all victims and affected. the norwegian perpetrator did not have to pay for his crime, enjoying the rest of his life in prison paid by taxpayers. most likely the same for these murderers in new zealand.

If things have come to this in a country as peaceful as New Zealand, then what hope is there for the rest of humankind?

Many things have already been said here, although I don't really understand why they call the shooter a 'far-right supporter'. He has long been an eco-terrorist very much opposed to corporatism and private ownership. And even in his so-called manifest, he strongly denounces conservatism and its reliance on western traditional values. So basically he seems far more like a left-wing radical to me. In any case, I think media play their part in exacerbating the political and social conflicts which will eventually tear down and destroy western societies.

YESTERDAYTODAYTOMORROWMar. 15 12:00 pm JSTI'm sitting here in my office absolutely fuming. I'm in NZ and we were watching things unfold live on TV. Just had a coffee break & my colleagues were in there almost cheering this on. I am not joking. All because the victims appear to be muslim. The comments were the most ignorant things I've ever heard. I told them to 'shut it' at was met with blank stares like they couldn't understand why this is bad. Bad on so many levels. There you have it, folks. Evil. Right here in NZ.

There's some uncouth bigots in America who cheer this sickening despicable act too. They're too stupid to even know what 'Muslim' is, let alone realize that Islam worships the Christian/Jewish/many religions God.

Either way, this same crap happened on a very large scale in the Bosnia War of 1992 - 1995. Some people claiming to be 'Christian' hounded me because I wore a t-shirt promoting a stop to the 'ethnic cleansing' there - the victims weren't Christians!

I don't give fig who it is - prejudicial attitudes and the violence it always leads to is just plain WRONG!

@Silvafan

You are picking a choosing only certain parts of his manifesto. As someone pointed out above.

I'm not sure what you mean, but your comment is a very weak rebuttal if that's even what it's supposed to be. I'm pointing to the relevant parts of his past and in his manifesto in reference to how the person is being portrayed in media, hence my statement. The other parts of his personal history and his manifesto don't change the fact that he has more in common with left-wing radicalism than any other political leanings.

RIP to the victims of this senseless hatred.

No. Not “senseless hatred”. To the perpetrator and followers I’m sure it makes sense. By calling it “senseless” one moves it into the category of things that cannot be grasped. This can be.

What is wrong with people? 

I don’t know. Maybe a lack of moral education?

christians vs muslims, white vs non white, leftists vs right wingers, poor vs rich...

More like haters vs. everyone else.

There's some uncouth bigots in America who cheer this sickening despicable act too.

Thanks for the inclusivity.

My prayers for the victims,

If one prays, a fitting response especially as the people murdered were praying. Among Christians they might conceivably be considered martyrs - those killed while giving witness to their faith. Same with Muslims?

What a COWARD! ... I guess Australia was too risky for a nincompoop such as he.

Right the first time I think. I reserve the latter word for people who are incompetent. This guy wasn’t. If Australia was too risky, then his choice was appropriate and supports the notion of his competence.

BigYenMar. 15 09:26 pm JSTrlperez@hotmail.com.au:

Dutton the Minister for White Supremacy, I couldn't agree more, as shown by his complete lack of sympathy for the (non-white and mainly Muslim) refugees on Manus and Nauru, and his otherwise inexplicable sympathy for white au pair girls and white South African farmers.

Since this scumbag the NZ police have in custody is an Australian, and was probably influenced and validated by the likes of Dutton back in his home country, perhaps it's time for right-wing Australian politicians to pull their heads in and stop promoting anti-Islamic feeling. I wouldn't bet my house on the chances that they're going to do that, however. Too much of a vote-winner.

7( +9 / -2 )

It seems that racism and xenophobic attitudes have been plaguing Australian politics for quite some time. I remember 20 years ago the ever-socially conscience Aussie band put out their album 'Redneck Wonderland' as a reaction/response to these hateful attitudes in their homeland. It's a terrific CD and it ROCKS.

... Sad, sad, sad...

... How many more people have to be killed by guns to realize that the ONLY way is to have NO guns... For that to happen we need lots and lots of smart people...

He used guns. Others use knives, pressure cookers, vehicles, etc. It's not the 'weapon', it's the person. So overly simplistic to blame guns.

The issues he lists....

Sounds like just another nutter filled with hate and has very little self control of his emotions, and probably beat up his own family after a few beers.

Unfortunately, NZ is the perfect nest for him, high tolerance to violent crimes within law enforcement community, guns readily accessible, military training also readily accessible (plenty of under employed ex-military people around).

There's a time and place for criticism. Maybe this is neither?

You're correct in saying so, and I did apologise, but I felt it needed to be brought into context. Seems to me a hateful, nutter Aussie that travels to NZ to carry out his ghastly deeds will have reasons, and the context is high tolerance of violent crimes, access to weapons and training in NZ.

Gun laws are very strict.

So NZ PM is wrong to call for gun laws to change? (her first response btw).

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/111329984/christchurch-shootings-49-killed-in-terrorist-attack-nz-on-alert--live-updates

I don't know whether to believe you're sincere in your post or just being a troll. There is no place for any (civillian) farmer or sporting shooter to own or use an assault rifle, in this case including an AR15. Obviously it was easy enough for the nutter to buy a 30 rounds mag (instead of the 7 rounds one that the NSA say would be enough to address previous mass shooting.

The New Zealand Defence Force is tiny. About 12,000 people

Again, I think you're trolling for a response, it doesn't matter how small, what matter is the skills they pass on, and the opportunity for them to pass it on. Look at the small arms handling of the nutter, he is trained, well trained given the casualty involved. This is no conjecture, it's evidence.

All of them? A gross overgenaralisation. At best

Doesn't have to be 'all' does it, or is it another attempt at trolling.

pure...4.794...

sure, but the point is, NZ is not what the marketing msg makes it out to be, and my post was a response to people who said NZ was 2nd safest place in the world etc. BTW, have a look at what the NZ US embassy has to say about violent crimes in NZ.

https://nz.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/victims-of-crime/

...and compare that to Nz's cousin Australia.

https://au.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/victims-of-crime/

Then read @Haaa Nemui's post above, he is spot on about lack of funding for law enforcement. I am most sincere about the future prospect for NZ having worked there and know its people deserve better.

Toasted Heretic Today  12:11 pm JST

Humanity really needs a refresher course on the whole "thou shalt not kill" thing.

Or, instead of bringing any particular religion into it, people need to be educated against hatred.

No particular religion was brought into it.

"Thou shalt not kill" is not particular to any one particular religion. It appears in a book that is used by multiple religious denominations and sects.

And one doesn't need to even be an adherent of any of those religions to embrace the idea that we shouldn't kill.

The guy literally wrote in his manifesto he wanted to start a civil war, race war and a war between the left and right.

Media and liberals somehow ignore that in their haste to make racial, religious and political attacks. They just can’t help themselves to start doing exactly what the killer wanted.