OPINION | White nationalist terror is real

The horrific violence unleashed on worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand on Friday underscores the grave and growing threat posed by White nationalist terrorism. Fifty people, including five Indians, have died in the attack so far, many are still reported missing, and several others injured. Many of the victims had fled violence in their countries to make safe and serene New Zealand their new home. That perception of New Zealand as a peaceful haven was shattered on Friday. The violence was aimed at having maximum impact. The killer struck at noon on Friday when mosques are full of worshippers. He also streamed the massacre live online to amplify the terror. An Australian man identified as Brenton Tarrant is said to have carried out the attack. Hours before the attack, he posted a link to an 87-page manifesto filled with hate and rage directed at immigrants and Muslims, who he saw as “invading colonisers.” This put them in his crosshairs. A right-wing, White-nationalist extremist and terrorist, Tarrant is a product of the hate and bigotry around us. Islamophobics, radicalised White supremacists, neo-Nazis and anti-Semitics have been unleashing large-scale violence for years now. In July 2011, for instance, Anders Behring Breivik shot dead 77 youngsters in Norway and in 2017, a shooting incident at a mosque in Quebec in Canada left six Muslims dead. The US has witnessed countless such killings.

Post 9/11, the world focused on Islamist jihadist terrorism and ignored terrorism unleashed by White supremacists and majoritarian extremists. Terror attacks by nationalist supremacists were rarely viewed as a global phenomenon. Instead, governments and the media viewed them through the lens of mental health. They were seen as victims and portrayed as derailed individuals and sad loners. The role of Islamophobia and bigotry in their radicalisation was conveniently ignored. The problem is not a minor one. Over the past eight years, Europe and the US have recorded 124 fatalities in attacks by White supremacists targeting immigrants, non-Protestants and non-Whites.

The mass killings at Christchurch underscore the need for the international community to act robustly not only against White supremacists and right-wing bigots but also, their core ideology which is sweeping the internet. Importantly, all countries and governments must act against those who preach and spread hatred. They may not be actually carrying out the attack but are no less dangerous, as they incite others with their incendiary speeches and rabble rousing. They include influential politicians. Right-wing politicians in Europe and elsewhere give such supremacist ideologies acceptability. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern provided ideal leadership, comforting the affected community, acknowledging White terror, vowing to tighten gun laws and even advising US President Donald Trump to send love and sympathy to all Muslim communities.