“We demand that the government act in a transparent manner to publicly release the full Royal Commission of Inquiry into
the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mosques and act upon the recommendations and findings with urgency following its
hand over to the Governor-General on 26th November,” said FAIR spokesperson Azad Khan.
“The Muslim community is very much looking forward to the findings of the Royal Commission Report and its
recommendations.”
“It is disappointing that a Minister with the overarching authority for the March 15th response has not been appointed
yet. We have had a Minister for Christchurch Earthquakes and Minister for Covid19 Response. It is only appropriate
considering the enormity of the March 15th terrorist attacks that the government appoints a Minister for March 15th
response. As it is now, the recommendations of the Inquiry can just fall through the cracks with various agencies
passing responsibility between them. This isn’t going to work if we want real change to result from this.”
“The government may have good intentions for genuine change, but we are fearful that bureaucracy and red tape will cause
delays. We have already waited nearly two years for the results of the Inquiry.”
“We want to see an independent Commission established that amplifies the voices of the victims and that allows them the
opportunity to be part of the process to manage the recommendations and related outcomes. It is critical that those
affected by these attacks have some agency in seeing the changes to the circumstances that gave rise to this horror. We
believe that those recommendations must be into priority order, be adequately funded and be properly resourced with the
right people and knowledge.”
“It is the existing broken and biased laws, systemic failures, institutional racism and colonial mindset of the previous
governments and enforcement agencies that led to the catastrophic events of March 15th. White supremacist violence was
not and is not treated as the major security threat by agencies such as police and NZSIS.”
“With this in mind, it is also quite concerning that there is talk about introducing new anti-terrorism laws. New
anti-terrorism laws won’t stop another terrorist attack instead they are far more likely to be used against Muslims and
Māori.”
“The police and intelligence agencies knew nothing about the Christchurch fascist in advance of his murderous rampage,
and there is no reason that additional terrorism laws would make them more aware of potential threats.”
“The intelligence services and police were repeatedly told about the threat of white supremacist violence and did
nothing. They had no information about the rising fascist threat or profiles of groups or individuals. Instead, all of
their efforts were focused on profiling the Muslim community. This can only be understood as institutional racism. We
have to be prepared to confront this difficult reality.”
“Finally, we extend our heartfelt gratitude and thanks to the Commissioners, Sir William Young, Jacqui Caine and the
Royal Commission team for undertaking this enormous and critical task. We believe that this report can form the basis of
positive change and create a society that is fair and safer to all those who consider New Zealand as their beloved home.
The time for change is now and we don't expect anything less.”