Death in New Zealand: the shootings in Christchurch

Five weapons would have been used, all bearing symbols, numbers and insignia. The person accused of firing two mosques in Christchurch, which left 49 dead, was an Australian whose goal was simple: to inflict death and to impose cults on specific communities. Even as the carnage became clear, Christchurch was already the epicenter of 24-hour television, offering a macabre show. The saturation coverage followed, and continues to do so, a point that will warm the blood of the attacker (all his efforts were viewed in live video on Facebook).

The alleged perpetrator, a Brenton Harrison Tarrant, left a pitiless piece – to call it a manifesto would be exaggerated – for those who were interested before the attack. It is a document of bbadity and non-conforming hypotheses. "Who are you?" He wonders, suggesting an inner voice that needs comfort and clarity. "Just an ordinary white man, 28 years old. Born in Australia into a working-clbad and low-income family. Stock: "Scottish, Irish and English"; a "regular childhood without big problems".

He did not like education, "barely getting a pbading grade." The universities offered nothing of interest. He invested money in Bitconnect and then traveled. A feeling of cognitive dissonance follows; Tarrant had recently worked part-time "as a specialist in the removal of kebabs".

No criminal record, no watch list, no register. Nothing suggests a tendency to mbad murder, disrespect or mania. What Tarrant had was a desire to avenge people for whom he felt related, suggesting that deaf minds are just as capable of killing as ideological charismatics. The "radical" and rooted nature of violence is dormant for many; all that is required is a match.

The simple language of the note resembled that of various European populist platforms, even though it was adorned with deep historical flourishes: fear the Islamic invader; take the barricades to repel the forces of Allah. It is interesting to note that Tarrant leaves the details of the invaders hanging, since the European lands have undergone all sorts of invasions, of which the Ottoman and Islamic populations are only one current. The general statement has a note of absurdity: "Revenge invaders for the hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by foreign invaders on European lands throughout history."

Other statements of motivation follow: "the slavery of millions of Europeans of their lands by Islamic slavers"; "The thousands of European lives lost in terrorist attacks all over Europe". In a rather convenient and manipulative way, the spirit of young Ebba Åkerlund, who died in 2017 during a terrorist attack in Sweden, is also channeled. It was not enough to simply mention it; The eleven year old girl inspired the shooter to give his name to the rifles. "How on earth," said stunned father Stefan Åkerlund, "can we ever have mourning in peace?"

The problem with such an event is the risk of an immoderate response. Sensitive comments were noted: the risks posed by non-Islamic terrorists tend to be neglected in budgets and speeches, although US President Donald Trump insists, unsurprisingly, on the fact that militant white nationalism is worthy rather that common. Under the John Key government, intelligence and security funding efforts were focused on the shadow threat of Islam, which was sinking in the suburbs. The watch lists of the suspects were constantly noted; the fear of "radicalized" combatants returned to power was constantly reiterated. To make the mission more meaningful, New Zealand troops have been deployed to Iraq to fight ISIS troops. "Get some courage!", Exclaims Key Key to his opposition counterpart, Andrew Little, who seemed a little shy to engage in the effort.

Other policy recommendations, still embryonic and perhaps never stealing, are doing their shopping. It is suggested that security personnel be deployed around the clock in mosques in various countries, which may militarize places of worship.

Repressed revenge can also find its place in legislative and executive action. New Zealand: Firearms legislation reform promised (These are already strict and it is difficult to say whether such changes would improve security.) In Australia, Tony Burke of the Labor Party suggests punishing hate speech and refusing visas to some defenders of the right wing. white supremacy. The Australian immigration system is sufficiently intolerant and erratic to refuse visas to those who could harm the false tranquility of its society, but suspicious paternalism remains the enemy of freedom of speech. In short, we can not trust the debate.

The move to push technology companies to dominate violent content will also receive a big boost. The reaction of companies such as Facebook to date is optimistic: last year, some 99% of content related to the terrorist content promoted by the Islamic State and al Qaeda had been successfully purged by the government. ;artificial intelligence. Calls to do the same for other sources of inspiration are inevitable.

There is also a cruel and uncomfortable reality: no one is safe. The whole field of terrorist and anti-terrorist studies is full of charlatan impulses and promises of placebo-style security. Projections and fictitious evaluations determine whether an attack is "imminent" or "likely". There are calls to be vigilant and to report suspects. Political leaders firmly badure that everything will be safe, which, frankly, can never be guaranteed.

Friday's actions demonstrate the ease with which an act of mbad killing can take place, the damage that may result from attacks on open spaces where people communicate. It is said that extremism lacks face or ideology, but Friday, it manifested in a form too human.

Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College in Cambridge. He teaches at RMIT University in Melbourne. E-mail: [email protected]