New Zealand Attack, War Crimes, Terrorism and International Disorder

Published Thursday, 21st March, 2019 | By Susan AKA Peacefull

hobbesIt would be interesting to read this manifesto to gain insight into the right wing delusional belief system that evokes the desire to shoot innocent people in two Mosques. What is noteworthy is the playing of army music and his desire for notoriety. It is noteworthy right wing white supremacists are viewed as extremists not terrorists. It is noteworthy the comparison by the media with ISIL. The issue of creating terror I believe has come from the military and the use of training children in violent video games is a means of radicalising the young to associate killing with fun. It is a dark area that needs to be investigated, researched and games removed from shelves when found to be deleterious to mental health and future wellbeing. This is more of a priority than guns in my view

The Australian arms industry is another concerning factor and the ambitions to become a world leader in arms supply. This is not going to foster a peaceful world, nor does it place Australia in the position of a mediator or neutral party. I believe that Australia has become more of a target as a result of this arms industry which is a result of the Australian/American Defence Relationship and associated partners. All arms do is escalate armament, which for some is the goal.

https://www.mapw.org.au/australias-arms-industry/ (figures are dated).

Australia Top 10 exporter of arms: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-29/aid-groups-lash-coalition-plan-to-become-major-weapons-exporter/9369962

“We are seriously concerned about indications that the Australian Government intends to become a major arms exporter to volatile regions that have appalling human rights records,” she said.

NSW Police: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/war-on-terror-why-nsw-police-will-now-be-armed-with-highpowered-assault-rifles-20171218-h06lkg.html

Victoria Police: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victoria-police-switches-to-semiautomatic-weapons-20100429-tt44.html

Victoria Police: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victoria-police-to-get-military-style-semi-automatic-guns-20180328-p4z6rw.html

It turns out the assault weapon in New Zealand were made in Australia.https://www.smh.com.au/national/assault-guns-made-here-20130123-2d7jx.html

I recall talking to a policeman last year who had the view that violence was necessary and that he had no issue in using it. He was ex-military. When I told him about Peace Pilgrim, this is right field for him, but he heard me out. She was an American woman who experienced enlightenment and she stood between a violent man who had chased a child into a barn to sexually assault that child. She said nothing but stared at him with unconditional love. the man stared hard at her and then left. What I conveyed to this policeman is that there are alternatives to violence. He couldn’t comprehend what I was saying and had to cut the conversation. What he didn’t understand is that the woman reached this violent man through loving him. What this does is brings out the sanity in him as he is very dark. Who knows the abuse he experienced, who know the violence he had perpetrated at that point. The reality was the power of love stopped him. In Poland citizens came out and placed flowers in the gun barrels of soldiers which de-escalated the violence. Protest (unarmed) is another method or silent vigil’s to remain in a state of nonviolence. This does bring out a context of safety which naturally de-escalates. Violence begets violence is the point here. The violence promulgated through the glorification of war, the ANZAC day memorial is a case in point, could be utilised to ‘not forget’ the insanity of war and that there are no heroes when innocent people die (this includes soldiers). People go into war zones at the beckoning of governments who are using violence to change behaviour or seeking to gain power or access to resources.

Question: Is the increase in high powered weapons due to the Australian defence industries objective of increasing arms sales?

From a marketing perspective Defence industries want to expand markets as they operate as a business, how does this reduce violence in the world when violence has to be promoted as a solution in order to sell arms. What link does the rising white supremacist connection have with arms trading and military perspectives? These industries have a vested interest in fuelling conflict. The Project for a New American Century was a white paper in the US prior to the Bush Administration which advocated for lifting arms sales and the importance of a threat to justify defence spending. The marrying of US Defence with the Department of Energy is a fusing of military and business interests ie. energy markets. The war in Afghanistan against the Soviets was funded 50:50 by Saudi Arabia and Muslim fighters were recruited via a database (Al Qaeda means) brought in to fight the Russians. Meanwhile innocent civilians were caught in the cross fire. Osama bin Laden was brought in by the CIA and trained. He then was disappeared along with Al Qaida and then ISIS and ISIL appears. Who is creating these wars through smoke and mirrors? The Guardian cites the CIA as directly involved as they ally with Saudi Arabia against Iraq and Iran. There is a close relationship between the Bush family and the Saudi Royal family as was explained by the film Fahrenheit 911 by Michael Moore. The Sunni/Shiite divide is exploited as an internal war based on oil where Muslims fight Muslims, seems to have comparisons to the Protestants and Catholics. Where are the peacemakers? Where are International Courts of Justice with the power to bring to Justice those responsible for these energy wars https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/03/us-isis-syria-iraq

This article makes a clear assertion of the US behind the creation of Al Qaeda which means database, it is not a terrorist group according to the article. https://truth11.com/2011/05/13/al-qaeda-a-cia-database-not-a-terrorist-group/

How do we reconcile violence in a massacre in New Zealand with the supply of weapons, arms industries, violence as entertainment and wars in the Middle East where hundreds of thousands are massacred. I recall being shown footage by an Iraqi doctor of US cross hair targeting of a building then moving it to a group of people. I attended a presentation at the University of Melbourne by Scott Ritter the former weapons inspector (and CIA operative) in Iraq talk about US illegal wars of aggression where weapons of mass destruction were not a threat and that this rationale for war was initiated to create name change rather than regime change. Refer my website for audio recordings (scoll down) https://www.worldpeacefull.com/peace-journalism/ The removal of Saddam Hussein was justified as he was not cooperative and conveyed as the great ‘evil’ as Ritter stated. He had to be seen as unreformable. Ironically the US sold chemical weapons to him as an ally in the 1980’s via Donald Rumsfeld refer https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/dec/31/iraq.politics. So when it serves US interests these leaders are allies, when it no longer serves them they become the enemy. What of the ethics of arming regimes? What of the ethics of removing democratically elected leaders ie. Salvador Allende (Chile)? what of the ethics of interfering in internal politics of countries and the various powerful business interests rotating in and out of political power? Where does this lead us? The values and ethics of US leaders (business and political) has not been held up to the light of scrutiny to ensure balance in reporting, there is a strong narrative of terrorism but not the roots of the conflict and other’s contravening what they say they fight for e.g. democracy, freedom. This of course applies also to other world leaders e.g. Russia, China, Britain, Canada, Israel, Myanmar (Burma) regime and the list goes on. The media has to report in a style that balances. The reason this article has taken this direction is because of the lack of problem solving in global media which seems to keep on propagating myths and misinformation. This then leads to intelligence agencies in media outlets, lawlessness of their activities and on and on we go as we seek to unravel truth from falsehood. The silence is for fear of persecution in a world order based on power over not power within. It is not unlike the bully in the playground where the other children are too afraid to speak up, some may suicide or relinquish their sovereignty as they believe they have no power. Again, where does this all end? No checks and balances, no curtailing unrelenting power dynamics, no enforceable international law that is neutral (all equal before the law), no international police force to apprehend those who have committed crimes, no matter their country of origin. They speak of a rules based order but an order without rules which is only responsive to violence and power projection, is on a path to nowhere. Refer https://www.unaa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/UNAA_RulesBasedOrder_ARTweb3.pdf

Questions:

Is this the Hobbesian type of world we want to establish?
Will it lead to order and international peace?

Of course not. It heads us in the opposite direction. There has to be real determination within the United States, within Australia, New Zealand (in this case) and at the United Nations to affirm that international peace is the priority and that money does not talk.

We have to place the public interest at the centre not business interests and adhere to enforceable international law coupled with policy responses that deal directly with resolving conflict. International Conflict Resolution and units within government must be deployed to resolve underlying conflict that drives conflict and profits that have a vested interest in continuing endless wars. This is extremely problematic for the world public, who are largely defenceless. It is the public of nations that are the targets, as 90% die as a result of these wars over resources, international chessboards and strategic power. Australia has taken a turn that is reflecting a disdain and disregard for human rights as is evident at Manus Island, Christmas Island and Nauru. The human rights issue is a real issue as vulnerable people are suffering intensely. We are witnessing the removal of rights in areas of unemployment and homelessness. Thus an ethos that has no respect for ordinary people and seems to be either responsive or in collaboration with others who have no interest

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/03/17/jacinda-ardern-receivedbrenton-tarrants-manifesto-nine-minutes/

Jacinda Ardern received Brenton Tarrant’s manifesto nine minutes before New Zealand attack

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hugs a mosque-goer at the Kilbirnie Mosque on Sunday in Wellington Credit: Getty

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her office received a “manifesto” from the gunman suspected of killing 50 people in two Christchurch mosques minutes before Friday’s attack.

“I was one of more than 30 recipients of the manifesto that was mailed out nine minutes before the attack took place,” Ms Ardern told reporters on Sunday.

“It did not include a location, it did not include specific details,” she said, adding that it was sent to security services within two minutes of receipt.

Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, a suspected white supremacist, was charged with murder on Saturday. Tarrant was remanded without a plea and is due back in court on April 5 where police said he was likely to face more charges.

Ms Ardern said she had read “elements” of the lengthy, meandering and conspiracy-filled far-right “manifesto”.

“The fact that there was an ideological manifesto with extreme views attached to this attack, of course, that is deeply disturbing,” she said.

The massacre was live-streamed around the world by the gunman and the shootings have raised new questions about violence being disseminated online.

Ms Ardern told the briefing that she had been contacted by Facebook operations chief Sheryl Sandberg who had acknowledged what had happened.

“This is an issue that I will look to be discussing directly with Facebook,” Ms Ardern said.

Facebook said on Twitter it had removed 1.5 million videos of the attack in the first 24 hours and it was also removing all edited versions, even those without graphic content.

Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, demanded social media sites freeze their websites in the event of a terrorist atrocity to prevent people sharing graphic images of terrorist violence.

He said a “radical rethink” was needed after Tarrant broadcast live the shootings on Facebook before it was shared among millions of people.

“If social media sites can’t stop the videos being uploaded to their platforms then they should suspend all uploads,” he said. “If you have to review a massacre to assess whether it breaches your terms and conditions you’ve got the wrong business model.”

For almost three days forensics teams have been working through multiple crime scenes – at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques as well as a house in Dunedin, the southeastern city where the Tarrant lived.

Bodies of those he gunned down had remained inside the mosque awaiting autopsies and identification by increasingly distraught family members desperate to begin Muslim burial rites.

Ms Ardern tried to reassure them on Sunday.

“I can confirm that the bodies of those who have died are beginning to be returned to their families from this evening,” she said, adding that all were expected to be released by Wednesday.

It is customary in Islam to bury the dead within 24 hours.

Ms Ardern said police would be posted at all mosques while they are open.

Police Commissioner Mike Bush earlier said the body of the 50th victim was found at the Al Noor mosque, where more than 40 people died after a gunman entered and shot at people with a semi-automatic rifle with high-capacity magazines, before travelling to a second mosque.

As the bodies of some victims were released to their families, a list circulated by relatives showed they ranged in age from three to 77 and included at least four women.

Amid the sadness, there have also been tales of heroes such as Alabi Lateef and a fellow worshipper, who followed the 28-year-old Australian gunman to his car and used a discarded rifle to smash the vehicle’s back window.

Alabi said he told worshippers to duck down and then described how he and a “brother” decided to confront the attacker during a lull in the gunfire.

“By the time he got there (outside the mosque) the bullets were finished and the gun was used,” Lateef recounted.

The pair’s actions may have helped saved further casualties, as Tarrant was apprehended by two armed police officers soon after.

Daoud Nabi, a 71-year-old Afghan man, reportedly ran into the line of fire to save fellow worshippers at the Al Noor mosque and died shielding someone else from a bullet.

“He jumped in the firing line to save somebody else’s life and he has passed away,” his son Omar told AFP.

Haji Daoud Nabi (pictured), 71, a father-of-five and retired engineer, moved to New Zealand from Afghanistan in 1977

The mosque attacks have shaken this usually peaceful country, which prides itself on welcoming refugees fleeing violence or persecution.

Ms Ardern has vowed to change the country’s gun laws and to uncover how a self-avowed extremist legally purchased two semi-automatic weapons, reportedly AR-15s, two shotguns and a lever-action gun without drawing the attention of the authorities.

It has also has emerged that a former soldier raised concerns about extremism at Tarrant’s gun club in Dunedin.

Ardern said the cabinet would be briefed on Monday on the aftermath of the disaster and begin discussions “around issues like, for instance, gun policy.”

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