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Do We Know What Spawned the Christchurch Massacre?

By Patrick J. Buchanan

On March 15, in Christchurch, New Zealand, one of the more civilized places on Earth, 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant, an Australian, turned on his cellphone camera and set out to livestream his massacre of as many innocent Muslim worshipers as he could kill.

Using a semi-automatic rifle, he murdered more than 40 men, women, and children at one mosque, drove three miles to another, and there killed more, 50 in all. Dozens are still wounded, suffering, and dying. An atrocity and act of pure evil by a man with a dead soul. Yet, predictably, within 48 hours, the president of the United States was being publicly indicted as a moral accomplice.

Donald Trump, it was said, used a word, “invasion,” to describe the 76,000 migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S. border in February. At the same time, the killer used that word to describe the Muslim migration into the West. The killer also mentioned Trump in his 74-page manifesto.

What further need have we of proof? Trump also failed to express America’s revulsion and his country’s condolences to Muslims everywhere, and failed to denounce the “white nationalist” ideology that motivated the killer.

From there, it was a short jump to declare that we Americans have too long ignored this growing menace. Charlottesville, where a woman protester was run over by a neo-Nazi, was trotted out again and again.

But does the vision of America as a country where white racism is rampant and an unleashed white nationalism is a scourge that is running amok correspond with reality?

America’s elites are familiar with the Acela Express, the train that runs from D.C.’s Union Station to Penn Station in New York.

In which of the five Eastern Seaboard cities at which the Acela stops to take on and discharge passengers—Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Newark, New York—are white nationalists responsible for a significant share of the assaults, robberies, rapes, and shootings?

Chicago may lead the nation in total gun deaths. But the murder rate was highest in 2018 in St. Louis, Baltimore, Detroit, New Orleans, and Kansas City. In how many of these cities are Klansmen and neo-Nazis regularly hauled in for violent crimes?

As for the mass murders of our new century, the racist right has perpetrated its share. Dylann Roof’s killing of the black women and men at the Charleston church qualifies, as does the massacre of Jews at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. Yet a Muslim major, Nidal Hasan, fatally shot 13 soldiers at Fort Hood. In the 2015 San Bernardino massacre, Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik carried out that attack that left 14 dead and 22 wounded.

According to Forbes, of the 18,814 deaths caused by terrorists around the world in 2017, well over half were due to the actions of four groups: Islamic State, the Taliban, Al-Shabab, and Boko Haram. All are Sunni Muslim; none are alt-right.

Undeniably, atrocities that exceed in bloodshed the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre by Al Capone’s gang, where seven men were stood against a wall in a Chicago garage and executed, have become all too common. But the atrocities seized upon by the left as most representative are those that conform to vision, a narrative, a pre-existing script. This preconceived idea is that America is a hotbed of white nationalism where the worst crimes are committed by white racists. And this is a myth.

Now, there are no excuses, or defenses, for what happened in Christchurch. But there is an explanation. All peoples to some degree resent and resist the movement of outsiders into their space. Some migrants are more difficult than others to assimilate into Western societies. European nations that had not known mass migrations for centuries were especially susceptible to a virulent reaction, a backlash. Americans, after all, reacted viscerally to the Irish migration of 1845-1849, and, again, to the Great Migration from Central and Eastern Europe from 1890 to 1920. Inter-ethnic violence was not uncommon.

Our leaders in the 1920s understood this and took steps to halt the migrations until those who had come could be assimilated, and, in a word, Americanized. It worked. By 1960, we were a united people. Then, without the people’s consent, the great experiment began:

America’s doors were thrown open to peoples of every religion, race, culture, and creed, to create a different nation that mirrored all mankind in its diversity, in author and commentator Ben Wattenberg’s phrase, a universal nation. The problem: A universal nation is a contradiction in terms. A nation of all races, religions, and tribes had never before existed.

The liberal democracies that embraced this ideology, this idea, are at war with human nature, and are losing this war to tribalism and authoritarianism.

As for Christchurch, unfortunately, such horrors appear to have become the new normal. But Brenton Tarrant alone is responsible for what he did. And it was not Trump but the New World Order globalists who fertilized the soil that spawned him.

Pat Buchanan is a writer, political commentator and presidential candidate. He is the author of Nixon’s White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever and previous titles including The Greatest Comeback: How Richard Nixon Rose From Defeat to Create the New Majority, Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025? and Churchill, Hitler and the Unnecessary War, all available from the AFP Online Store.

COPYRIGHT CREATORS SYNDICATE, 2019

Hyper-Hypocrisy of The West about ISIS

Eric Zuesse, originally posted at strategic-culture.org

During the period of 17 September to 11 December of 2016, the United States and its allies carried out a massive operation to move ISIS’s surviving jihadists who were in the oil-producing Iraqi region of Mosul, into the Syrian oil-producing region of Deir Ezzor and Palmyra. This was done so that those oil-stealing-and-selling jihadists in Iraq would now be stealing Syria’s oil and would thereby increase the likelihood of overthrowing Syria’s long-existing non-sectarian Government. The U.S. and its allies would then replace that Government by one which would be controlled by the fundamentalist Sunni Saud family, who own Saudi Arabia, the long-time leading oil-power, and which family are America’s main foreign ally. The Sauds are crucial to maintaining the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency. The U.S. aristocracy rely upon them.

Now that ISIS is being defeated by Syria’s Government (and by its allies Russia and Iran) in Syria, the United States and its allies are trying to find other governments that will take them in as refugees. It’s part of a deal the U.S. regime reached with ISIS.

The issue of what to do with the thousands of surviving but (temporarily) defeated ISIS members — and with their spouses and children — has raised hypocrisy to perhaps the highest level in all of history. Its background needs to be understood if one wants to understand the sources of that enormous hypocrisy. Here’s this background:

When Russia started bombing ISIS in Syria on 30 September 2015, it greatly disturbed the U.S. regime, which therefore started on 12 October 2015 to air-drop weapons into that area so as to help the jihadists to shoot down Russia’s jets, which were bombing ISIS. America’s Fox News Channel headlined “US military airdrops 50 tons of ammo for Syrian fighters, after training mission ends”. The U.S. didn’t start bombing ISIS in Syria until 16 November 2015, and the U.S. Government’s excuse for not having bombed them earlier was “This is our first strike against tanker trucks, and to minimize risks to civilians, we conducted a leaflet drop prior to the strike.” They pretended that it was done out of compassion — not in order to extend for as long as possible ISIS’s success in taking over territory in Syria.

And then on 26 February 2019, Syria’s government news-agency reported that the U.S. had sent to the U.S. Federal Reserve 40+ tons of gold that ISIS had accumulated from selling, on the international black markets, oil from Syria’s oil-producing region around Deir Ezzor — Syria’s oil stolen by ISIS and the proceeds now being stolen yet again by the U.S. regime — and this gold now being sent to the U.S. (On March 8th I reported the further background and context of that U.S. theft from Syria.) The U.S. regime had offered to ISIS-members who were in Syria’s oil-producing region a choice either to become captured and killed by Syria’s Government, or else for them to give to the U.S. that gold, and the option which was selected by the jihadists was to give the gold to the U.S., which is therefore now trying to find other countries to send the jihadists to as ‘refugees’ (since Syria certainly doesn’t want them, and neither does the U.S. regime). The U.S. regime is honoring its commitments to those ‘former’ ISIS members and their families, to assist them to find countries which will accept those people as ‘refugees’. Sweden, being very liberal (meaning ideologically very confused), happens to be one of these countries, and is actually considering and debating whether to allow them in.

Zero Hedge is perhaps the keenest news-site for exposing The West’s rampant hypocrisies (and so all of The West’s propagandistic ’news’-sites hate it and call it ‘fake news’ even though it actually is more reliably accurate than the mainstream ones themselves are); and, on March 10th, it pointed out that Sweden was in a flurry over whether to accept, as refugees, ISIS jihadists who have escaped, and their spouses and children. Zero Hedge truthfully pointed out that,

Sweden’s new government, which was finally formed in January after months of delay, is introducing policies that will lead to more immigration into Sweden — despite the main governing party, the Social Democrats, having run for office on a promise to tighten immigration policies.

The right to family reunion for those people granted asylum in Sweden who do not have refugee status is being reintroduced — a measure that is estimated to bring at least 8,400 more immigrants to Sweden in the coming three years. According to the Minister of Migration, Morgan Johansson, this measure will “strengthen integration,” although he has not explained how.

“I think it is a very good humanitarian measure; 90 percent [of those expected to come] are women and children who have lived for a long time in refugee camps, [and] who can now be reunited with their father or husband in Sweden”, Johansson said.

This is supposed to be ‘democracy’?

However, that article, as noted at Zero Hedge, was written by Judith Bergman, of the Gatestone Institute. Sometimes, even such vicious propaganda-organizations, as that, produce authentic news, and here was such an instance. (It’s yet another reason why arguing ad-hominem, instead of strictly — that is, 100% — ad-rem, is essential to avoid, in order to determine truth and reject lies. That was a truthful article. Though Bergman wrote for a hate-mongering anti-Muslim site, the reporting in it was honest and factual. So, here’s some ad-hominem background to it, not as a part of the argument in this particular case — regarding Sweden’s debate over whether to accept former ISIS members as refugees — but instead as context explaining how this truth came to be published by the hate-mongering Gatestone

The Gatestone Institute is a rabidly pro-Israeli-Jews, and rabidly anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim operation, which was founded and is run by the heir and grand-daughter, Nina Rosenwald, of the biggest early (1895) investor in Sears Roebuck & Co., Julius Rosenwald. He died in 1932. His heir and son was Nina’s father, and in 1939 he “was one of three founding members of the United Jewish Appeal (UJA).[12] [Nina] Rosenwald’s mother, a professional violinist, was a refugee from both the Russian Revolution and Nazi Germany.[9].” Nina, being not very bright, was never able to rid herself of the prejudices her parents felt against Palestinians and generally against Muslims (since Israel’s main supremacism is against Muslims, because Israel’s ruling ethnicity, Jews, have been stealing land from Muslims). Nina identifies herself as “a human rights activist”. (As was said at the start here, this issue “has raised hypocrisy to perhaps the highest level in all of history.”) She had, in fact, hired John Bolton as Gatestone’s Chairman; and, for his service as that, during June 2017 to March 2018 (when he became hired as Trump’s National Security Advisor), Bolton received $310,000. So, Bill Berkowitz headlined on 27 September 2018 “Meet Nina Rosenwald, the Sears Heiress Seeding Islamophobia at Home and Abroad”, and he brought together and linked to the great reporting by Max Blumenthal and by Lee Fang, documenting the Gatestone Institute’s rabid global hate-mongering for Israel.

But, in this particular case (the article by Judith Bergman), there was no deceit, because nothing in her reporting violated Nina Rosenwald’s biggest hatred, hatred of Muslims — so, these truths were acceptable to Rosenwald. Bergman’s article happened to be truthful Israeli propaganda. (After all: some propaganda is truthful.)

The Israeli regime won’t have any credibility whatsoever unless it condemns Sweden’s compassion for jihadists and for the wives and children of jihadists. Israel’s Minister of Justice had endorsed exterminating all Palestinians, but that rationale — sheer bigotry — for opposing them, isn’t suitable for foreign consumption, and so it was almost immediately disappeared from its public posting (shown there at that link). If Israel can’t pretend to be against Muslims on account of jihadists, then Israel’s barbaric treatment of its Palestinians won’t make any sense at all to the many fools (mainly in America, Israel’s chief patron) who support Israel (such as the Rosenwalds do). The U.S. regime hides the barbarous reality of Israel, but that reality isn’t blacked-out quite as much in the rest of the world; so, Israel can’t afford to be publicly silent regarding jihadists, even in cases where the U.S. regime would prefer such silence. Obviously, the U.S. regime wants Sweden to accept those ‘former’ ISIS members (because the U.S. regime aims to conquer Russia and all nations — such as Syria — that are allied with Russia, and uses ISIS, Al Qaeda, and nazis, as “boots-on-the-ground” mercenaries, in order to do that), and so this ISIS-as-refugees issue is one on which the American regime and the Israeli regime happen to disagree.

Bergman closed her article by describing the Swedish Government’s efforts to be compassionate toward jihadists while the Swedish Government also provides an appearance of caring for the safety of non-jihadist (the vast majority of) Swedes:

On a positive note, however, at the end of February, the Swedish government presented plans to introduce legislation that would criminalize membership of a terrorist organization.This new law would enable the prosecuting of returning ISIS fighters who cannot be connected to a specific crime, but who were proven to have been part of a terrorist organization. Critics have pointed out that it has taken years for the government to take steps to criminalize membership of terror organizations.

Sweden is hypocritically ‘neutral’, but actually a vassal nation of the United States. Sweden is being pushed by its master, the U.S. regime, to accept some of the people the U.S. Government had been protecting in order for the U.S. to become enabled to take over Syria and to deliver it to the U.S. aristocracy’s chief ally the Sauds; and, so, the Swedish Government is now trying to square this circle, in order to satisfy everyone at least somewhat. This split loyalty (between the imperial master, and the domestic public) is what’s called ‘democracy’, nowadays. The master pulls one way, the public are confused or undecided, and the U.S. regime’s other main Middle Eastern ally, Israel, is pulling in the exact opposite direction, on this particular matter. This is how international affairs actually are being decided. The various aristocracies come to an agreement on how to proceed. The respective publics are virtually ignored, except as fronts for their PR. That’s today’s international order, just as has been the case for thousands of years: it is agreements that are reached between aristocracies.

Back in September of 2018, the U.S. regime was backed by the United Nations in opposing Russia’s and Syria’s plan simply to slaughter all of the tens of thousands of Al Qaeda-affiliated jihadists (and their families), whom the Syrian Government had exiled to Idlib, Syria’s most pro-jihadist province, and who were being collected there with the intention to destroy them all at the very end of the war — finally to finish them off there. Both Syria’s Government and Russia’s Government wanted simply to destroy them en-masse, at the war’s end. However, because of the success of that U.S.-based (and also U.N.-backed) international propaganda campaign arguing that bombing them would be ‘inhumane’, those jihadists survive, and will probably also be moved to other nations. Sweden could become one such nation, if they decide to take in not only ‘former’ ISIS but ‘former’ Al Qaeda, as ’refugees’. The U.S. has protected both of those groups, against Syria’s Government.

Hypocrisy exists when people don’t care enough about their values so as to think carefully through to decide what values — if any — they actually hold, and what their actual priorities are. Fools like that are the meat upon which their aristocrats constantly feast, producing, as the aristocracy’s excrements, bigots (such as jihadists, and such as the majority of Israelis — and such as people who accept those bigots). Without those fools, aristocrats would need to actually earn a living, instead of merely to live off the fat (the fools) of the land and thereby producing this waste-matter, bigots, who make things difficult for everybody else, including for any decent people who might happen to exist in the given receiving nation (such as in Sweden).

The origin of The West’s hypocrisies that claim to be supporting “human rights” and “democracy” around the world, while actually invading or overthrowing target-governments, go back at least as far as Cecil Rhodes in the late 1800s, and the rationale that’s given of it is entirely fraudulent. It is the difference between, on the one hand, an authentic revolution, which can sometimes produce a democracy, versus, on the other hand, a coup or else an invasion, neither of which can, nor is actually designed to, produce a democracy. But the PR has to say the reason for an invasion or coup or sanctions (such as against Venezuela or Iran or Syria or Libya or Iraq or Ukraine) is to promote ‘human rights’ or ‘democracy’ or ‘oppose corruption’ in the given target-country that’s to be, basically, destroyed. Suckers are necessary, in order for this fraud — the actual aristocratic control of international relations — to succeed. And that’s how the system works. It works by that combination, of liars and fools.

—————

Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of They’re Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRIST’S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.

The New Zealand Psyop

by Kurt Nimmo, Another Day in the Empire: Following the murder of fifty Muslims at a mosque in Christchurch New Zealand, the corporate media went into overdrive, describing the alleged shooter as a white supremacist Trump supporter. This is clearly not the case. If we read a “manifesto” attributed to the accused shooter, Brenton Tarrant, […]

The post The New Zealand Psyop appeared first on SGT Report.

Is Chelsea Clinton Islamophobic now?

Source: Jeannie DeAngelis

In early February, the only child of the “indefatigable” former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, did the unthinkable when she condemned Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) over the congresswoman’s anti-Semitic remarks. In response to Omar’s Jew-hating rhetoric, Chelsea tweeted:

We should expect all elected officials, regardless of party, and all public figures to not traffic in anti-Semitism.

Fast-forward a month, and a lunatic shoots up a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 49 people. Again, in a tweet, Chelsea expressed her sympathy for the victims and used the opportunity to show camaraderie with those who blame white nationalism for everything terrible in the world. On Twitter, Chelsea wrote this:

Heartbroken & horrified by the white nationalist terrorist attack during Jummah on the mosques and Muslim community in Christchurch. Keeping all affected by this tragedy in my heart and prayers. We need a global response to the global threat of violent white nationalism.

Wait, “Jummah”?

Anyway, like a dutiful liberal, pregnant Chelsea did what she’s never done for the multitudes of Christians murdered the world over, every day: she slipped on her maternity top and waddled on over to the New York University campus to join her brethren for a vigil for victims of the massacre.

Let’s face it: Chelsea had to go to NYU. For liberals, the Christchurch catastrophe is equivalent to hitting the SJW lotto and achieves everything the Jussie Smollett debacle failed to accomplish. For starters, it ties racism (since when is Islam a race?) to Trump’s immigration policy and exploits the unfortunate event as a vehicle to demand sympathy for Muslim refugees coming to America from hotbeds of terrorism around the world. As a bonus, and despite the carnage having transpired in a country with strict gun control laws, the tragedy has also become a sounding board for leftists to condemn America’s Second Amendment further, as well as demonize every Trump-supporter having the misfortune to have been born white.

After arriving, much to her surprise, Chelsea found out she was an unwelcome attendee. Instead of spending the evening weeping and hugging women in hijabs, a female student accused Chelsea of having “stoked” the bloody massacre some 9,000 miles away.

Ambushed in a hallway, Chelsea’s February tweet condemning Omar’s anti-Semitism was referred to by Muslim Bernie Sanders–supporter and NYU senior Leen Dweik. While her friend videoed the encounter, Leen got in Chelsea’s face, saying:

This, right here, is a result of a massacre stoked by people like you and the words that you put out into the world. And I want you to know that and I want you to feel that deep down inside. Forty-nine people died because of the rhetoric you put out there.

Stunned by the confrontation, Clinton responded to the accusation by explaining that inciting a terrorist attack against Muslims was “certainly … never [her] intention.” Then Chelsea attempted to commiserate with the woman’s outrage by saying, “I do believe words matter. I believe we have to show solidarity.”

Over and over, Chelsea repeated, “I’m so sorry that you feel that way.” Unimpressed, a male student responded to Clinton’s heartfelt expression of sorrow with, “What does ‘I’m sorry you feel that way’ mean?”

Campus activist Rose Asaf then posted the video of the confrontation, along with a tweet, stating: “People haven’t forgotten the Islamophobic mob she incited against @IlhanMN. There is no sense of responsibility.”

So is this how it works? Jew-hating Ilhan Omar spews hatred, and Chelsea Clinton publicly condemns that hatred. Then, weeks later, there’s a terrorist attack, Muslims die, and Chelsea is personally responsible for the bloodshed? Among some on the Left, it seems, is the new standard that even if the criticism is warranted, if one dares to criticize a Muslim, and even if the one doing the criticizing generally embraces Islam, any form of disparagement is defined as “stoking” violence against the whole Muslim community.

Think about it: by criticizing a woman who practices a faith she usually extols, even Chelsea Clinton has managed to be attacked by a person who, based on her politics, is undoubtedly like-minded on most other issues.

Notwithstanding the scrumptiousness of the schadenfreude, as crazy as it sounds, maybe there is a larger lesson for Chelsea Clinton to glean from all of this. By desperately trying to be on the cutting edge of cultural diversity and by wrongly defining many injustices as justice, people like Chelsea Clinton place themselves in a precarious position.

Much like Mom, Chelsea lives her life striving to be politically correct. In addition to shilling for Muslim Barbie, Chelsea also defends the right to dispose of unborn babies. So, in light of what happened at NYU, the obvious question for Ms. Clinton to consider is whether or not it is also possible for anti-life activists to one day turn on those who lament that their grandmothers were denied the right to abort their mothers.

If a Muslim-supporter like Chelsea can be blamed for inciting a massacre in a mosque, that means that the things liberals embrace, like abortion, also have the potential to make those who support those policies potential victims. And so, as the left publicly attack their own on liberal stomping grounds like NYU, the rest of America should take note as the policies Chelsea Clinton supports are making victims of the left’s fiercest advocates.

Tears for Christchurch: Australia First Imported Hate in 1788. Now We’re in the “Export Business”

If you want to know why an Australian man massacred 50 Muslims in a mosque in New Zealand yesterday afternoon, then you need to understand a little bit about our nation’s dark past and in particular the quality of our …

The post Tears for Christchurch: Australia First Imported Hate in 1788. Now We’re in the “Export Business” appeared first on Global Research.

WATCH LIVE: NEW ZEALAND KILLER SAYS ATTACK WAS FALSE FLAG

from InfoWars: It’s not Alex Jones saying this — it’s the shooter, it’s Rush Limbaugh, and others — tune in and find out the shocking proof! The New Zealand shooter admitted in his manifesto that his goal was to kill Muslims with firearms to spark a civil war in the United States, and create cultural […]

The post WATCH LIVE: NEW ZEALAND KILLER SAYS ATTACK WAS FALSE FLAG appeared first on SGT Report.

UK’s Corbyn says social media platforms must act after New Zealand attack

March 17, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – Social media platforms must be able to react more quickly and stop the broadcast of live events, the leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party said on Sunday, after a gunman in New Zealand broadcast a shooting rampage last week.

A gunman broadcast live footage on Facebook of an attack that killed 50 Muslims in two mosques. The footage quickly spread across the internet and was still available on platforms including Twitter several hours later.

“The social media platforms which were actually playing a video made by this person who is accused of murder… all over the world, that surely has got to stop,” Jeremy Corbyn told Sky News on Sunday.

“Those that control and own social media platforms should deal with it straight away and stop these things being broadcast. But that brings into the whole issue of the question of regulation of social media.”

(Reporting by Kate Holton and Elizabeth Piper)

Anti-gun nuts would rather see the New Zealand massacre DOUBLED in size, than watch a would-be victim defend the innocent with a handgun

(Natural News) Almost immediately after global news headlines started claiming that an Australian man had murdered several dozen Muslims while they were worshiping inside their mosques in New Zealand, Democrat Alexandria Occasional-Cortex (A.O.C.) from New York began running her mouth in condemnation of people’s “thoughts and prayers” about the incident, while simultaneously blaming the National…

World reacts with sadness, anger to New Zealand mosque shootings

March 15, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – Leaders and organizations around the world expressed disgust and sorrow at the killing of 49 people in shootings at two New Zealand mosques on Friday, attacks that many blamed on the demonization of Muslims by the West.

Western leaders from Donald Trump to Angela Merkel expressed solidarity with New Zealanders, deploring what the White House called a “vicious act of hate”.

The response from some Muslim countries went further, blaming politicians and the media for stoking that hatred. The nationalities of the victims included Indian, Pakistani, Malaysian, Indonesian, Egyptian, Bangladeshi, Saudi, Somalian and Turkish, authorities said.

New Zealand police said 49 people were killed and 42 were being treated for wounds, including a four-year-old child. Three people were in custody including one man who has been charged with murder, police said.

“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 attack was a result of Muslims being demonized. “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.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated “the urgency of working better together globally to counter Islamophobia and eliminate intolerance and violent extremism in all its forms,” a spokesman said.

Hundreds of 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 hurt.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said some of the victims may have been new immigrants or refugees.

“They are us,” she said. “The person who has perpetuated this violence against us is not. They have no place in New Zealand.”

Trump, following a phone call with Ardern, said on Twitter: “…I informed the Prime Minister … that we stand in solidarity with New Zealand – and that any assistance the U.S.A. can give, we stand by ready to help. We love you New Zealand!”

The accused gunman’s manifesto posted online praised Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose”.

Asked by a reporter if he thought white nationalism is a rising threat around the world, Trump said: “I don’t really. I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems. I guess if you look at what happened in New Zealand perhaps that’s a case, I don’t know enough about it yet.”

Trump said he had not seen the gunman’s manifesto.

‘EXTREMIST’

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said an Australian national 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 a message of condolence sent by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Francis “assures all New Zealanders, and in particular the Muslim community, of his heartfelt solidarity in the wake of these attacks”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called for an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the world’s largest Muslim body, to discuss this “horrible crime”, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported.

“Western hypocrisy of defending demonization of Muslims as ‘freedom of expression’ MUST end,” Zarif said on Twitter. He posted a picture of U.S. President Donald Trump saying “I think Islam hates us,” during the 2016 U.S. election campaign.

The 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 the shooting last October at a synagogue in the U.S. city of Pittsburgh that killed 11 people, 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.

A statement by Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has been accused by the United States of terrorism, said in part: “Hezbollah warns against the tendency of extremism against Muslims and foreigners and against the politics of hate that the United States nourishes in the world, rather than religious values that advocate tolerance, dialogue and acceptance of the other.”

‘FLAMES OF HATRED’

German Chancellor 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”. Her foreign minister, Heiko Maas, said: “When people are murdered solely because of their religion, this is an attack on us all.”

Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of London, said Londoners stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Christchurch. He also pointed his finger at those who promote religious hatred:

“When the flames of hatred are fanned, when people are demonized 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.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said the attack brought back memories of the 2011 attack by anti-Muslim extremist Anders Breivik that killed 77 people: “It shows that extremism is nurtured and that it lives in many places.”

Al-Azhar University, Egypt’s 1,000-year-old seat of Sunni Islamic learning, called the attack “a dangerous indicator of the dire consequences of escalating hate speech, xenophobia and the spread of Islamophobia”.

(Reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Gayatri Suroyo in Jakarta; Nadine Awadalla in Cairo; Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Joseph Sipilan in Kuala Lumpur; Krishna N. Das in New Delhi; Mike Holden in London, Gwladys Fouche in Oslo; Jan Strupczewski in Brussels, Michelle Martin in Berlin, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza and Roberta Rampton and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Philip Pullella in Rome; Michelle Nichols in New York; Writing by Tom Allard, Peter Graff, Frances Kerry, Grant McCool; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Robin Pomeroy and Sonya Hepinstall)

Dozens killed in shooting attacks on New Zealand mosques

March 15, 2019

By Praveen Menon and Charlotte Greenfield

WELLINGTON/CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (Reuters) – A gunman shot dead 49 people and wounded more than 40 at two New Zealand mosques on Friday, some as they were kneeling at prayer, livestreaming online some of the killings in what Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called an assault on the nation’s values.

The gunman broadcast footage of the attack on one mosque in the city of Christchurch on Facebook, mirroring the carnage played out in video games, after publishing a “manifesto” in which he denounced immigrants, calling them “invaders”.

The video footage widely circulated on social media, apparently taken by a gunman and posted live online as the attack unfolded, showed him driving to a mosque, entering it and shooting randomly at people inside.

Worshippers, possibly dead or wounded, lay huddled on the floor, the video showed. Reuters was unable to confirm the authenticity of the footage.

It was the worst ever mass killing in New Zealand and the country raised its security threat level to the highest, Ardern said, adding, “This can now only be described as a terrorist attack.”

Police said three people were in custody including one man in his late 20s who had been charged with murder. He will appear in court on Saturday. Police have identified none of the suspects.

“We were not chosen for this act of violence because we condone racism, because we are enclave for extremism,” Ardern said in a national address. “We were chosen for the fact that we are none of these things. It was because we represent diversity, kindness, compassion, a home for those who share our values.

“You have chosen us but we utterly reject and condemn you.”

Police Commissioner Mike Bush said 49 people had been killed. Health authorities said 48 people were being treated for gunshot wounds, including young children.

Leaders around the world expressed sorrow and disgust at the attacks, with some deploring the demonization of Muslims.

U.S. President Donald Trump condemned the “horrible massacre” in what the White House called a “vicious act of hate”.

The gunman’s manifesto praised Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose”. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

‘SHOOTING EVERYONE IN THE MOSQUE’

One man who said he was at the Al Noor mosque told media the gunman was white, blond and wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest. The man burst into the mosque as worshippers were kneeling for prayers.

“He had a big gun…He came and started shooting everyone in the mosque, everywhere,” said the man, Ahmad Al-Mahmoud. He said he and others escaped by breaking through a glass door.

Forty-one people were killed at the Al Noor mosque, seven at a mosque in the Linwood neighborhood and one died in hospital, police said. Hospitals said children were among the victims.

The visiting Bangladesh cricket team was arriving for prayers at one of the mosques when the shooting started but all members were safe, a team coach told Reuters.

Three Bangladeshis were among the dead and one was missing, the consulate said.

Shortly before the attack began, an anonymous post on the discussion site 8chan, known for a wide range of content including hate speech, said the writer was going to “carry out an attack against the invaders” and included links to a Facebook livestream, in which the shooting appeared, and a manifesto.

The manifesto cited “white genocide”, a term typically used by racist groups to refer to immigration and the growth of minority populations, as his motivation.

The Facebook link directed users to the page of a user called brenton.tarrant.9.

A Twitter account with the handle @brentontarrant posted on Wednesday images of a rifle and other military gear decorated with names and messages connected to white nationalism. What looked like the same weapons appeared in the livestream of the mosque attack on Friday.

Facebook said it had deleted the gunman’s accounts “shortly after the livestream commenced” after being alerted by police. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube all said they had taken steps to remove copies of the videos.

KILLINGS CONDEMNED

It was not immediately clear if the attacks at the two mosques were carried out by the same man.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said one of the men in custody was Australian.

All mosques in New Zealand had been asked to shut their doors and post armed guards, police said, adding they were not actively looking for any other “identified suspects”.

Political and Islamic leaders across Asia and the Middle East condemned the killings and voiced concern over the targeting of Muslims.

“I blame these increasing terror attacks on the current Islamophobia post-9/11,” Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan posted on social media. “1.3 billion Muslims have collectively been blamed for any act of terror.”

Six Indonesians had been inside one of the mosques, with three managing to escape and three unaccounted for, its foreign minister said.

Afghanistan’s ambassador said three Afghans had been wounded. Two Malaysians were wounded, their foreign ministry said.

Muslims account for just over 1 percent of New Zealand’s population, a 2013 census showed.

“FIRING WENT ON AND ON’

The online footage, which appeared to have been captured on a camera strapped to a gunman’s head, showed him driving as music played in his vehicle. After parking, he took two guns and walked a short distance to the mosque where he opened fire.

Over the course of five minutes, he repeatedly shot worshippers, leaving more than a dozen bodies in one room alone. He returned to the car during that period to change guns, and went back to the mosque to shoot anyone showing signs of life.

One man, with blood still on his shirt, said in a television interview that he hid from a gunman under a bench and prayed that he would run out of bullets.

“I was just praying to God and hoping our God, please, let this guy stop,” Mahmood Nazeer told TVNZ.

“The firing went on and on. One person with us had a bullet in her arm. When the firing stopped, I looked over the fence, there was one guy, changing his gun.”

The video shows the gunman then driving off at high speed and firing from his car. Another video, taken by someone else, showed police apprehending a gunman on a pavement by a road.

Police said improvised explosive devices were found. The gunman’s video had shown red petrol canisters in the back of his car, along with weapons.

Violent crime is rare in New Zealand and police do not usually carry guns. Before Friday, New Zealand’s worst mass shooting was in 1990 when a gun-mad loner killed 13 men, women and children in a 24-hour rampage in the tiny seaside village of Aramoana. He was killed by police.

(This story has been refiled to add country name to dateline)

(Additional reporting by Tom Westbrook, John Mair and Swati Pandey in Sydney, Ruma Paul in Dhaka and Michael Holden in London; Writing by Micheal Perry and Frances Kerry; Editing by Robert Birsel and Nick Macfie/Mark Heinrich)

New Zealand PM promises gun law reform after 49 killed in mosque shootings

March 15, 2019

By Charlotte Greenfield and Praveen Menon

CHRISTCHURCH/WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Reuters) – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Saturday promised to reform the country’s gun laws, a day after at least one gunman attacked worshippers in two mosques, killing 49 and wounding 42 others.

The attack, labeled terrorism by the prime minister, was the worst ever peacetime mass killing in New Zealand and the country raised its security threat level to the highest.

Armed police were deployed at several locations in all cities, unusual in a country where levels of gun violence are low.

The gunman broadcast footage of the attack on one of the mosques in the city of Christchurch on social media. A “manifesto” was also posted online, denouncing immigrants as “invaders”.

The video footage, posted live online as the attack unfolded, showed a man driving to the mosque, entering it and shooting randomly at people inside.

Worshippers, possibly dead or wounded, lay on the floor, the video showed. Reuters was unable to confirm the authenticity of the footage.

Police said three people were in custody including one man in his late 20s who had been charged with murder. He will appear in court on Saturday. Police have not identified the suspects.

“Our investigations are in their early stages and we will be looking closely to build a picture of any of the individuals involved and all of their activities prior to this horrific event,” Police Commissioner Mike Bush said.

Ardern said the main perpetrator used five weapons during his rampage, including two semi-automatic weapons and two shotguns, which he was legally licensed to own.

“I can tell you one thing right now, our gun laws will change,” Ardern told reporters.

The man facing murder charges was an Australian citizen who had spent a lot of time traveling overseas and spent time only sporadically in New Zealand, Ardern said.

None of those arrested had a criminal history or was on any watchlist in New Zealand or Australia.

Among the wounded, two were in a critical condition, including a four-year-old child, he said.

There was a heavy police presence at the hospital where families of the wounded had gathered. Funerals were planned on Saturday for some of the victims, several of whom were born overseas.

Dozens of people laid flowers at cordons near both mosques in the South Island city, which is still rebuilding after a devastating earthquake in 2011 that killed almost 200 people.

GRAPHIC: New Zealand shootings – https://tmsnrt.rs/2O3v80l

SORROW, SYMPATHY

Leaders around the world expressed sorrow and disgust at the attacks, with some deploring the demonization of Muslims.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who condemned the attack as a “horrible massacre”, was praised by the accused gunman in a manifesto posted online as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose”.

Asked by a reporter in Washington if he thought white nationalism is a rising threat around the world, Trump said: “I don’t really. I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems. I guess if you look at what happened in New Zealand perhaps that’s a case, I don’t know enough about it yet.”

Ardern, who was flying to Christchurch on Saturday, said she had spoken to Trump, who had asked how he could help.

“My message was sympathy and love for all Muslim communities,” she said.

Political and Islamic leaders across Asia and the Middle East voiced concern over the targeting of Muslims.

‘SHOOTING EVERYONE IN THE MOSQUE’

One man who said he was at the Al Noor mosque told media the gunman burst into the mosque as worshippers were kneeling for prayers.

“He had a big gun…He came and started shooting everyone in the mosque, everywhere,” said the man, Ahmad Al-Mahmoud. He said he and others escaped by breaking through a glass door.

Ardern said she had asked authorities to look into whether there was any activity on social media or elsewhere ahead of the attack that should have triggered a response.

Forty-one people were killed at the Al Noor mosque, seven at a mosque in the Linwood neighborhood and one died in hospital, police said.

The visiting Bangladesh cricket team was arriving for prayers at one of the mosques when the shooting started but all members were safe, a team coach told Reuters.

Muslims account for just over 1 percent of New Zealand’s population, a 2013 census showed, most of whom were born overseas.

Social media was flooded with messages of shock, sympathy and solidarity.

One image shared widely was of a cartoon kiwi, the country’s national bird, weeping. Another showed a pair of figures, one in a headscarf, embracing. “This is your home and you should have been safe here” the caption read.

(Additional reporting by Tom Westbrook, John Mair and Swati Pandey in Sydney; Writing by Lincoln Feast; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Sonya Hepinstall)

U.S. says Chinaâ€™s treatment of Muslim minority worst abuses â€˜since the 1930sâ€™

Source: Lesley Wroughton, David Brunnstrom

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo highlighted abuses in Iran, South Sudan, Nicaragua and China in the department’s annual “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,” but told reporters that China was “in a league of its own when it comes to human rights violations.”

“For me, you haven’t seen things like this since the 1930s,” Michael Kozak, the head of the State Department’s human rights and democracy bureau told the same briefing, referring to abuses of China’s Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region.

“Rounding up, in some estimations … in the millions of people, putting them into camps, and torturing them, abusing them, and trying to basically erase their culture and their religion and so on from their DNA. It’s just remarkably awful.”

“It is one of the most serious human rights violations in the world today,” he said.

While Kozak did not elaborate on his comment about the 1930s, he was apparently referring to the policies of persecution of Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Soviet Union.

China had initially denied there even were camps, Kozak said, adding its explanation now that they were for voluntary labor training “does not match the facts.”

“But at least we’re starting to make them realize there is a lot of international scrutiny on this,” he said.

China’s Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on the report, which comes at a time of closely-watched trade negotiations between the United States and China aimed at resolving a tit-for-tat tariffs dispute.

Xinjiang Governor Shohrat Zakir said on Tuesday that China was running boarding schools, not concentration camps, in the country’s far western region as the U.S. ambassador for religious freedom called the situation there “completely unacceptable,” and said sanctions against Chinese officials under the Global Magnitsky Act remained a “possibility.”

The administration of President Donald Trump has weighed sanctions against senior Chinese officials in Xinjiang, including the Communist Party boss there, Chen Quanguo, who as a member of the powerful politburo is in the upper echelons of China’s leadership. Beijing has warned of retaliation if Washington were to target Chen and the administration has yet to act despite complaints from U.S. lawmakers.

The State Department report said Chen had replicated in Xinjiang policies similar to those credited with reducing opposition to Communist Party rule in Tibet, where he was previously stationed.

INTENSIFIED DETENTION CAMPAIGN

The report said that in the past year, China had significantly intensified its campaign of mass detention of members of Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang.

It said authorities there were reported to have arbitrarily detained from 800,000 to possibly more than two million Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs and other Muslims in camps with the aim of erasing religious and ethnic identities.

Pompeo said the Iranian government had killed more than 20 people and arrested thousands without due process for protesting for their rights “continuing a pattern of cruelty the regime has inflicted on the Iranian people for the last four decades.”

In South Sudan, he said, military forces had inflicted sexual violence against civilians based on their political allegiances and ethnicity, while in Nicaragua, peaceful protesters had faced sniper fire and government critics had “faced a policy of exile, jail or death.”

The report also revised its usual description of the Golan Heights from “Israeli-occupied” to “Israeli-controlled.”

A separate section on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, areas that Israel captured along with the Golan Heights in a 1967 war in the Middle East, also did not refer to those territories as being “occupied,” or under “occupation.”

In Myanmar, the report said press freedom had declined and journalists had reported that self-censorship had became more pronounced because of the trial and conviction of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who were jailed for seven years after being convicted in September of breaking a colonial-era official secrets law.

The reporters had been working on a Reuters investigation into the killing of 10 Muslim men and boys by security forces and Buddhist civilians in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

Responding to the U.S. report, Amnesty International criticized the Trump administration for engaging with governments, including that of Saudi Arabia, “regardless of their human rights record, if doing so will advance U.S. interests.”

The State Department report highlighted Saudi Arabia’s killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and said it had not provided a detailed explanation of the direction or progress of the investigation.

A CIA assessment and a Senate resolution have blamed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for ordering the killing, something Saudi officials deny, but President Donald Trump has said Washington will remain a “steadfast partner” of Saudi Arabia even though the prince may have known about the plan.

Republican and Democratic U.S. senators said this month they were frustrated with the Trump administration’s failure to provide more information about the case and vowed to push for a stronger response.

PewDiePie ‘Sickened’ by NZ Shooter Uttering His Name Ahead of Mosque Rampage

The gunman who live-streamed himself killing Muslims at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on Friday appeared to be rooting for the Swedish blogger.

PewDiePie ‘Sickened’ by NZ Shooter Uttering His Name Ahead of Mosque Rampage

The gunman who live-streamed himself killing Muslims at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on Friday appeared to be rooting for the Swedish blogger.

Conservative? Hardly. New Zealand mass shooter is a far-Left “eco-fascist” who praised communist China

(Natural News) As usual, the lying mainstream media is busy plastering up fake headlines all over the place about the latest mass shooting incident that took place in New Zealand, describing the alleged shooter as a “Trump-supporting white supremacist” who hates Muslims for being brown. But the guy’s own 1,500-page manifesto, which Big Tech is…

Update: New Zealand mosque shootings – White supremacist gunman videos live murder of 49 at two Christchurch mosques

Source: James Cox and Jenny Awford

AT least one terrorist opened fire at New Zealand mosques today murdering 49 people and injuring 48 others in a sickening attack.

The shooter executed Muslim worshippers in Christchurch during Friday prayers – and even live-streamed the slaughter on Facebook in a 17-minute video.

What we know so far:

At least one gunman opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, at 1.40pm local time on Friday
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has declared the attack a terrorist attack
49 people have been killed – 41 were killed at Masjid Al Noor Mosque, seven at Linwood Masjid Mosque and one died at hospital
48 people were rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds and 20 are in critical condition
One of the gunmen live-streamed the deadly attack on Facebook using a GoPro in footage too distressing to show
It was posted on a Facebook page belonging to Brenton Tarrant
It is understood the killer is an Australian with British parents published a chilling 74-page manifesto before the rampage
Cops have arrested three men and a woman, with initial reports of one wearing a suicide vest proven incorrect
A 28-year-old man has been charged with murder and will appear in court tomorrow
Two others remain in custody and it is not clear if the fourth person was involved in the attack
Police are searching a property on Somerville Street, Dunedin in relation to today’s attack
New Zealand and Australian authorities have confirmed the suspects were not on any watch lists
The Bangladesh cricket team were at one of the mosques and escaped the shooting
Cops defused improvised explosives found on nearby booby-trapped cars
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called it “one of New Zealand’s darkest days”

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared the mosque massacres a “terrorist attack” and said it was one of the country’s “darkest days”.

Three men and one woman are in custody following the shootings at Masjid Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Masjid Mosque in Christchurch at around 1.40pm local time.

Initial reports one of those arrested was wearing a suicide vest were incorrect, as cops warned “let’s not presume the danger has gone”.

New Zealand Police commissioner Mike Bush said a man in his late twenties has been charged with murder and will appear in court tomorrow.

He added police were still trying to establish if the other three were involved, though one likely had “nothing to do with this incident”.

Police also defused a number of improvised explosives which were found on nearby booby-trapped cars following the bloodbath.

Ardern confirmed 41 people were killed at the Masjid Al Noor Mosque and a further seven were killed at the Linwood Masjid Mosque. One person later died from their wounds at hospital.

As she raised the country’s security to the highest level, the PM said: “It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack.”

She said the four people in police custody held extremist views, but had not been on any police watchlists.

“It’s not a matter of someone having slipped under the radar,” the PM said.

One white-supremacist gunmen filmed the footage – too shocking to show in its entirety – on a GoPro camera and streamed it to a Facebook page.

He fired automatic weapons as people ran for their lives and executed people at point blank range – including one girl who lay on the floor screaming for help.

CHILLING MANIFESTO

The shooter – believed to be a 27-year-old Australian with British parents – also published a chilling 74-page manifesto online saying he was inspired by Norway mass murderer Anders Breivik.

In the document he writes of taking revenge for the “thousands of European lives lost to terror attacks”.

He also wrote: “I have read the writings of Dylan Roof and many others, but only really took true inspiration from Knight Justiciar Breivik.”

The video was published on the Facebook account of a man named Brenton Tarrant – and this profile has since been removed.

The names of the gunmen have not yet been confirmed by police.

In twisted footage, the gunman says “let’s get this party started” as he drives up to a mosque playing loud music.

He also says “Remember lads, subscribe to pewdiepie”, referencing the controversial YouTuber.

LIVE-STREAMED SLAUGHTER

The man is seen taking automatic weapons from his boot, daubed in bizarre references to historic Muslim wars.

He then enters and shoots down multiple people in the prayer room, as they run in panic.

The man shoots several people from the car park before stalking through the building, picking off people and shooting bodies on the floor.

The man then walks back outside and shoots a young girl on the pavement as she screams for someone to help.

The sicko drives off boasting about how he “should have stayed longer” and blaring music including “Fire” by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.

Following the shootings, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it is “one of New Zealand’s darkest days”.

In a press conference, Police Commissioner Mike Bush warned: “We’re not assuming this is contained to Christchurch.”

He revealed that police in the city and elsewhere will be carrying guns for the next week or so.

Mr Bush said “there have been some absolute acts of bravery” in the arrests of the four attackers as he confirmed a “significant” amount of casualties.

“This is absolutely tragic. So many people are affected. We don’t have the identities of those who have died yet because those places are in lockdown.”

He said he would not assume there are not other attackers.

Police today were searching a property in Dunedin, around five hours’ drive south of Christchurch, connected to the incident, and had evacuated people in neighbouring homes.

The lockdown of schools throughout Christchurch was lifted at 5.50pm.

But patrols have been stepped up around mosques in other cities including Los Angeles “out of caution”.

CRICKET TEAM CAUGHT UP IN CARNAGE

The Bangladesh cricket team among worshippers caught up in the carnage – although all escaped unharmed.

Team manager Khaled Mashud said: “This was a kind of accident that we would never expect nor want in any part of the world.

“Only two of the players had stayed back in the hotel, and rest of the squad had gone there.

“We were very close to the mosque, and we could see from the bus. We must have been about 50 yards from the mosque.

“I would say we were really lucky. Had we arrived even three or four minutes earlier, we probably would have been inside the mosque.

“We are very thankful that we weren’t caught in the crossfire, but what we saw was straight out of a movie scene. We could see bloodstained people staggering out of the mosque.

“Maybe in about eight-10 minutes, we were all inside the bus and were sitting with our heads bowed, just in case someone fired at us.”

Mohammed Nazir told TVNZ he saw three women bleeding on the ground outside at Masjid Al Noor Mosque.

Another witness told the station: “My husband was driving past he said he took three people to the hospital, one was a little girl all been shot.

“He wanted to take more he said there was like a dozen people just lying on the road.”

Small children are said to be among the dead, and bodies have been reported laying on the ground outside.

A massive police response is under way with the city locked down.

Canterbury Police tweeted: “We have a critical incident in Christchurch. Please avoid the area. We will give more in the near future.”

One schoolboy caught up in the middle of shootings has described the blood-curdling “screams” amid the carnage.

Idris Khairuddin revealed Friday prayers were just about to start when multiple gunshots shattered the peace.

He said: “At first I thought it was just like construction work or something, then people were all running and screaming.”

The Bangladesh cricket team was at the mosque for Friday prayer when the shooting started.

Tamim Iqbal tweeted: “Entire team got saved from active shooters!!! Frightening experience and please keep us in your prayers.”

Mushfiqur Rahim said: “Alhamdulillah Allah save us today while shooting in Christchurch in the mosque…we r extremely lucky…never want to see this things happen again….pray for us”.

The upcoming third Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh has been called off following the mass shootings.

THE WORLD REACTS

Prime Minister Theresa May has led the UK condemnation of the Christchurch mosque shootings that killed 49 people.

In a tweet she sent “deepest condolences to the people of New Zealand after the horrifying terrorist attack in Christchurch”.

She added: “My thoughts are with all of those affected by this sickening act of violence.”

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “Our hearts go out to the people of New Zealand following the news of this terrible act in Christchurch.

“NZ is one of the most peaceful, peace-loving and generous nations in the world. Your friends in the UK stand with you today in deepest sympathy.”

The Queen said she is “deeply saddened by the appalling events in Christchurch today”, adding: “Prince Philip and I send our condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives.”

The UK’s counter-terrorism chief also said he was stepping up patrols around mosques in the UK and Brit officers were ready to support their counterparts in New Zealand.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said: “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.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the attack was a deliberate demonising of Muslim political struggles.

He wrote on Twitter: “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.”

In a statement, Al-Azhar University, Egypt’s 1,000-year-old seat of Sunni Islamic learning, said the attacks had “violated the sanctity of the houses of God”.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he’s shocked at the “terrible attacks”.

He wrote on Twitter: “We emphatically condemn violence and the lack of reason of fanatics and extremists who want to break our societies.”

Update: New Zealand mosque shootings – White supremacist gunman videos live murder of 49 at two Christchurch mosques

Source: James Cox and Jenny Awford

AT least one terrorist opened fire at New Zealand mosques today murdering 49 people and injuring 48 others in a sickening attack.

The shooter executed Muslim worshippers in Christchurch during Friday prayers – and even live-streamed the slaughter on Facebook in a 17-minute video.

What we know so far:

At least one gunman opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, at 1.40pm local time on Friday
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has declared the attack a terrorist attack
49 people have been killed – 41 were killed at Masjid Al Noor Mosque, seven at Linwood Masjid Mosque and one died at hospital
48 people were rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds and 20 are in critical condition
One of the gunmen live-streamed the deadly attack on Facebook using a GoPro in footage too distressing to show
It was posted on a Facebook page belonging to Brenton Tarrant
It is understood the killer is an Australian with British parents published a chilling 74-page manifesto before the rampage
Cops have arrested three men and a woman, with initial reports of one wearing a suicide vest proven incorrect
A 28-year-old man has been charged with murder and will appear in court tomorrow
Two others remain in custody and it is not clear if the fourth person was involved in the attack
Police are searching a property on Somerville Street, Dunedin in relation to today’s attack
New Zealand and Australian authorities have confirmed the suspects were not on any watch lists
The Bangladesh cricket team were at one of the mosques and escaped the shooting
Cops defused improvised explosives found on nearby booby-trapped cars
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called it “one of New Zealand’s darkest days”