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Hispanic Federation Statement on New Zealand Massacre

The massacre yesterday at the Al Noor and Linwood Mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand was an abhorrent attack on Muslim men, women, and children. Gathered in community and faith, the victims were targeted for no other reason than who and how they worshiped. The Board of Directors, staff, and member agencies of the Hispanic Federation condemn this violence without reservation and offer our solidarity and condolences to the victims and their families.   

While New Zealand is a world away from the communities we serve here in the United States, the hate that inspired the shooter is all too familiar to us.  While some would prefer to see yesterday’s event and the ones that have preceded it as the work of the deranged, we know all too well that these acts of violence are born and nursed by racism and bigotry.  What happened yesterday wasn’t a singular incident, it is part of a pattern of hate-fueled violence increasingly directed at religious and ethnic minorities throughout the Western world.   

While some national leaders refuse to acknowledge the ideological underpinnings of these violent acts, we cannot afford that luxury. In the face of such vileness, we are obligated to call out the problem by its name: white supremacy. This is not the time to equivocate. It is the time to reassert that what binds us together is our shared humanity; no matter the color of our skin, the country of our origin, or the faith we profess. We owe nothing less to the victims of yesterday’s bloodshed.