Australian PM seeks to cover up political roots of fascist attack in New Zealand
By
Mike Head
23 March 2019
Over the past week, millions of Australians have sought, via vigils, petitions and social media posts, to voice their revulsion and outrage at the massacre of 50 Muslims at two New Zealand mosques.
Adding to the shock and concern is that this terrible crime, one of the worst acts of fascist violence since World War II, was carried out by a young man, Brenton Tarrant, 28, who was born and bred in Australia.
By contrast, while feigning sympathy for the victims, the entire political and media establishment is desperately denying any responsibility for creating the social conditions and political climate for such atrocities.
In a speech last Monday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an end to “mindless tribalism.” While appealing for an end to “hate, blame and contempt,” his sole purpose was to insist that there was no link between the Christchurch attack and Australia’s notorious record of demonising and incarcerating refugees.
Morrison claimed that “legitimate policy debates” about “border policy” and slashing the migration intake were being hijacked by “tribalists” of both “the left and the right.” Tarrant had “rightly been denounced” for exploiting concerns about immigration to justify a mass killing, but “equally” anyone must be denounced if they seek to connect government policy to “racial hatred.”
This attempt to wall off refugee and immigration policy from the murders committed by a self-proclaimed “ethno-nationalist” is utter hypocrisy. There are palpable connections between Tarrant and the bipartisan regime of “stopping the boats,” detaining asylum seekers indefinitely and vilifying Muslims, which has been…