TVNZ
Monday March 18, 2019
By Anna White
New
Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern meeting with the representatives
of the refugee centre during a visit to the Canterbury Refugee Centre in
Christchurch, on March 16, 2019. PHOTO: AFP
New Zealand will need to confront racism as a
nation, Jacinda Ardern told media today, saying it was needed to ensure
the safety of the Muslim communities and others.
It comes after 50 people were killed in the Christchurch mosque terrorist attacks last Friday.
"The primary suspect here,
the person who has been arrested for this terrorist attack, was not a
citizen of New Zealand," Ms Ardern said when asked if Christchurch had
problems with racism.
"That is not to say there are
not those who live in New Zealand who hold values and ideas and use
language that is completely counter to what the vast majority of New
Zealanders believe.
"I don't think we can ignore that. We cannot ignore that."
People who do not hold the
values "of openness, of diversity, of compassion" is an issue "we're
going to have to confront as a nation", Ms Ardern said, if the safety of
the New Zealand Muslim community and other communities is to be
ensured.
Guled Mire, who came here as a refuge 22
years-ago, says he's experienced all forms of racism in this country.
Source: Breakfast |
Guled Mire told TVNZ1's
Breakfast today that since he arrived in New Zealand 22 years ago as a
refugee from Somalia with his family, he has experienced racism almost
daily, been chased by a skinhead, talked down to by teachers and
patronised by his peers.
One of his earliest memories in New Zealand is of his local mosque burning down, the target of an arson attack.
Mr Mire says attacks targeted on Muslim communities are "nothing new to us".
"We've had situations where the heads of pigs have been chopped off on mosques and vandalism on mosques throughout the country.
"This was a terrorist attack fuelled by white supremacist violence extremist ideology and I think we need to acknowledge that."
On Saturday, Ms Ardern was
asked if she agreed with the view that white supremacy world wide was
not a growing problem, she said: "No".
One of his earliest memories in New Zealand is of his local mosque burning down, the target of an arson attack.
Mr Mire says attacks targeted on Muslim communities are "nothing new to us".
"We've had situations where the heads of pigs have been chopped off on mosques and vandalism on mosques throughout the country.
"This was a terrorist attack fuelled by white supremacist violence extremist ideology and I think we need to acknowledge that."
On Saturday, Ms Ardern was
asked if she agreed with the view that white supremacy world wide was
not a growing problem, she said: "No".