Two messages to share after Christchurch massacre

One is to call out against hatred; the other is to embrace the acceptance that is its best cure.

New Zealand, from an American perspective, may seem to be at the end of the Earth. But that perceived isolation doesn’t equal protection. Evil can come from anywhere and descend on anyone. The internet can speed messages of hate.

On Friday, at least one gunman, possibly more, attacked two mosques in Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island, killing several dozen people and wounding dozens more. It was afternoon on the day of prayer for Muslims.

The carnage was purposeful, livestreamed on Facebook. This was a heinous act of violence designed to be seen and shared. A shooter, apparently using a helmet camera, led viewers on his rampage.

The design of the crime is all too recognizable.

It is Pittsburgh, where a gunman killed 11 people in a synagogue.

It is a South Texas church, where a murderer killed 26 people.

It is a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where the death toll was six.

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/commentary-two-messages-to-share-after-christchurch-massacre/