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Iqna: New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the activities people do together in order to change the world’s views about their country aftermath of the Christchurch mosque attacks, highlighting that these people intend to issue a plea to world leaders to build inclusive, compassionate societies.
In delivering New Zealand‘s national statement in the United Nations general debate on Tuesday, Ardern said that New Zealand was well known to the world for rolling green hills, warm hospitality and hobbits.
But now it was also known for the shootings on March 15 that took 51 innocent lives and devastated a nation.
“There is no changing a nation’s history, but we can choose how it defines us. And in Aotearoa New Zealand, the people who lined up outside of mosques with flowers, the young people who gathered spontaneously in parks and open spaces in a show of solidarity, the thousands who stopped in silence to acknowledge the call to prayer seven days later, and the Muslim community who showed only love.
“These are the people who collectively decided that New Zealand would not be defined by an act of brutality and violence, but instead by compassion and empathy.”
One of the hard questions she faced in the aftermath came from a young boy who was standing outside a mosque in Wellington days after the March 15 attack.
“He was shy, almost retreating towards a barrier … He didn’t say his name or even say hello. He simply whispered, ‘Will I be safe now?’
“My fear is that, as a leader of a proudly independent nation, this is one thing I cannot achieve alone. Not anymore.”
In the weeks after the attack, Ardern pushed for countries and tech companies to work together to stop the way online platforms were used to weaponize the video footage.
Acts of discrimination can have a global reach on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
Ardern said that social media users should speak with the responsibility of someone who knows a small child might be listening.
“Whether it is acts of violence, language intended to incite fear of religious groups, or assumptions about ethnicities to breed distrust and racism – these actions and utterances are as globalized as the movement of goods and services.
The collaborative work led to the Christchurch Call to Action, which now has buy-in from 48 countries, eight online platforms and three organizations.
“Neither New Zealand nor any other country could make these changes on their own. The tech companies couldn’t either.”
Read more from Shafaqna:
After Christchurch Mosque Attacks, Many New Zealanders Become Muslim
Texas Walmart shooting: Gunman admired murder of Muslims at two mosques in New Zealand
