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Friday was the fifth anniversary of the Christchurch massacre.
It’s understandable if it passed you by. Anthony Albanese seemingly forgot, as he has since 2022, when he last released a statement about it.
“It is vital that we do not let this date go unmarked,” he said at the time.
Five years on from the terrorist attack in Christchurch, my thoughts are with the families and friends of those lost, those injured and the entire Muslim community in New Zealand who responded to this horrific event with such courage and fortitude.
When I visited Christchurch… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal)
5:31 PM • Mar 15, 2024
He’s not the only one. The anniversary wasn’t marked by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil, or seemingly any member of Cabinet.
There was virtually no media coverage of the anniversary by most major media outlets either, except in the Guardian, which ran an opinion piece from a survivor of the attack.
This is maddening but not surprising. As I’ve written before, forgetting is what we do best.
Today is the 5th anniversary of the Christchurch terrorist attack which took the lives of 51 people. I can't find any mention of it in Australian media which is strange because if the terrorist is the product of any country it is Australia.
— Chris Wilson (@Chris___Wilson)
9:32 PM • Mar 14, 2024
The Aotearoa Royal Commission of Inquiry into the massacre has a chapter profiling Tarrant, the murderer. It picks through his upbringing, looking for potential clues as to what he would become.
A lot of people — Australians especially — have tried to argue that Tarrant was an aberration, or that he was radicalised elsewhere. On one of his international trips, maybe, or by the internet’s dark corners.
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