Letter to Editor The Christchurch tragedy - published in Bellingen Courier Sun

_{Dear editor,}

_{The Christchurch tragedy}

_{We have all been deeply saddened and outraged by the  recent terrible events in Christchurch. We ask ourselves: How could it possibly be that in the 21}^st _{Century, 50 innocent worshippers could be gunned down in cold blood by a young, white, male political extremist? How did we get to this? The appalling truth is that events like this, particularly in the USA, have become all too frequent in recent years.} 

_{The Christchurch victims came from all walks of life, and from all corners of the globe. Some of them had traveled from overseas to visit family members. A number of them were refugees: Syrians, Palestinians, Afghans, Bangladeshis, Iraqis and others from war-torn parts of the world.} 

_{They had found refuge in a welcoming country, a country where they finally felt safe, where they at last could begin to rebuild their shattered lives and to contribute to their communities.}

_{Without doubt, when seeking an explanation for such atrocities, we can point to the internet as a terrible and rich resource for those who want to share their white supremacist hatred. But that is only a part of it. We surely need to have a cold, hard look at how some of our politicians, shock jocks, and media commentators have been fueling the fires of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment over many years in Australia.}

_{When will we acknowledge, and then attempt to deal with, the fact that, as a society, we seem to have normalized the politics of fear and intolerance?}

_{When will we recognize that the unspeakable seems to be the new normal, that it’s OK, according to the nation’s ex-Attorney General, George Brandis, to be a bigot?} 

_{When will we, as a nation, collectively reject the demonizing of those arriving on our shores by boat, or looking too dark-skinned, or appearing too religious?}

_{When will we unequivocally condemn the dog-whistling, which in recent times has become a foghorn, of leading politicians who warn darkly of “single males”, “rapists” and “paedophiles” who might find their way to our shores? People who, according to the same Minister, will take our jobs, live off the dole, kick patients off waiting lists, and kick people out of their social housing. The same Minister who is then outraged when it is put to him that this kind of talk fuels the flames of anti-Muslim and racist sentiment.}

_{When will we finally call time on the highly-paid shock jocks and other media commentators who, on a daily basis, single out Muslims as being “unaustralian”, unwilling to integrate or to contribute to Australian society?}

_{When will we finally and collectively assert that it’s not OK for the Murdoch press to produce 2,891 anti-Islamic stories in a single year?}

_{When will we finally, and unequivocally, condemn those politicians who thrive on the politics of fear, and who readily play the race card for purely political motives? It is surely not OK for a Senator to turn up to parliament wearing a burka to promote herself and her anti-Muslim beliefs.} 

_{It is surely not OK for another senator to travel the length and breadth of the country to attend far-right meetings, at taxpayers’ expense, and to blame all Muslims for the appalling tragedy in Christchurch. Surely, these people should have no place in our parliament.}

_{As Craig Foster, ex-Socceroo, tweeted last week: “Australia is waking up today to a recognition that we have allowed Muslim Australia, our own brothers and sisters, to be demonized and marginalized. My thanks to all those who are demanding a new national conversation about Muslim Australia, refugees, multiculturalism and racism. God knows, we need it.”}

_{Mike Griffin}, 

Valla Beach NSW 2448