Streaming terror

The terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch that killed nearly 50 people has left the world shaken. New Zealand is where such a dastardly attack is least expected, and the way the shooter, Brenton Tarrant, streamed the massacre brought the horror into millions of homes worldwide, in spite of the authorities' efforts to thwart the sharing of the video. The cold-bloodedness of the attack and its execution seemed to have been designed for maximum effect.

Following the Christchurch killings, there has been increased scrutiny of right-wing hate groups that populate the Internet and radicalise youth. The 28-year-old shooter and his accomplices were fed by and were feeding the rising tide of radicalisation and anti-immigrant diatribe that is rife in cyberspace. Indeed, much of the so-called manifesto of the terrorist was a rehash of what has been seen on such sites. It is time that the issue of rising Islamophobia is addressed. It is pervasive, and incidents such as this shooting show that it is not restricted to the fringe, as it ought to be.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s response, however, stands out for its clear and univocal message of unity and calling the killings an act of terror, as well as promising to relook at the gun laws of the country. She has given direction to the country when it was needed and indeed has raised the bar for other leaders, who seldom venture beyond platitudes, if at all. Local people, too, have risen to the occasion, but uncomfortable questions remain about how long it took the police to react and how the attacker and his accomplices managed to escape the police radar. Purveying hate under the guise of free speech is one of the most damaging aspects of unregulated social media. Indeed, the platforms that make billions owe their users a better social engagement environment. However, we also realise that social media can only magnify what is posted on it. Even as we address that and condole the victims’ families, we must also realise that hate, divisiveness, and intolerance are evils that need to be snuffed out at the first instance. They should never be allowed to fester to a point where they burst out in a blaze of bullets, or the blast of a bomb.