Motions — School Hostage Crisis—Beslan, Russia

I move, That this House note with deep sorrow the deaths of hundreds of people, and the traumatisation of so many others, in the school hostage crisis in Beslan, Russia, and extend the deepest sympathy of New Zealand to the people of Russia, and to the families which have suffered such terrible losses.

This terrorist attack is a terrible tragedy for Russia, and the condolences of the House go to all the families and communities devastated by it. The appalling loss of life and the large number of children among the dead, highlight the complete lack of humanity of those responsible. There can be no justification for terror; around the world there is horror at what has happened. I am sure that all New Zealanders will join this House in deploring this brutality and sharing in the sorrow of the parents, families, and communities of Russia who have lost children, loved ones, and valued members.

As we get older, we inevitably get somewhat inured to death. Our grandparents die, our parents die, and sometimes our siblings and children die. That is almost always sad, it is sometimes tragic, but it is rarely evil. Nothing can prepare us for the unspeakable horror of what happened in Beslan a few days ago. Children sometimes die in accidents. Far too many children die from preventable diseases and isolated acts of domestic violence, often committed in a drunken rage or under the influence of some drug. Some children die as the tragic consequence of military operations, but they are never targeted as a deliberate act by any but the most evil people.

The National Party joins others in this House in expressing our total disgust at the atrocity committed by the terrorists in Russia. Their action in deliberately setting out to use innocent children as pawns is totally deplorable. Nothing can justify such behaviour. Tragically, it is very clear we have not seen the last of these terrible acts. It is very clear that the world will continue to see such moral outrages, continuing a series of terrorist acts stretching back some decades and building to a crescendo in the last few years in New York, in Washington, in Madrid, in Bali, and now in Beslan. We in New Zealand must make our total opposition to those who would commit such atrocities absolutely and unambiguously clear.

The aftermath of this terrible assault on innocent victims in Beslan, mostly children, has left a chilling reminder that terrorism does not distinguish between the blood of innocents. Fighting terrorism is one of the biggest challenges facing the international community, and New Zealand First supports the Government’s move to stand united with any country with a shared commitment to fight terrorism resolutely. Sowing terror is a despicable and deplorable act.

New Zealand First would like to convey its sincerest sympathy to the Russian Government, to the people of Beslan, and most especially to the families of the victims of this terrorism as they mourn the loss of their loved ones. We urge this Parliament to stand united in its condemnation of such acts and to do all it can to assist in stamping out such abhorrent activity whenever and wherever it may take place.

I wish to endorse the comments made by the previous speakers. The Green Party totally condemns the unspeakable atrocity that has taken place. No political goal can justify sacrificing the lives of hundreds of innocent people, mainly children. We must help the world community and Russia to track down all of those responsible for this outrageous terrorist act and bring them to justice.

We also have a duty to address the dire situation in Chechnya itself and the ongoing war there, where atrocities are committed on both sides, as Amnesty International points out, with almost total impunity, which provides a breeding ground for terrorists. We have to support the international agencies like the United Nations Human Rights Committee in ending such practices.

However, on this day our hearts must go out first and foremost to the Russian people and in particular the families of those who have died in Beslan, in their day of anguish.

I rise on behalf of the ACT party in support of all the other parties to condemn this monstrous evil. The entire world has recoiled from the events that have unfolded in a town that few of us knew existed. We have seen something truly monstrous where young children have been targeted and murdered for some political end. We heard the story of the small boy who was held hostage, who did not know what it was about. He was hungry, heat-exhausted, and thirsty. He asked for a cup of water to drink, only to be bayoneted in front of his school fellows by his captors. This is a monstrous evil. All around the world we must condemn it.

We send our condolences from this Parliament to the Russian people, to the people of Beslan, and to those families who have suffered so tragically.

How the world has changed in just the 3 short years since we saw the unthinkable of aircraft flying into the World Trade Center and into the Pentagon. We thought then, around the world, that terrorism had reached a level that it could descend no further below and that this was the most despicable, outrageous, and callous of acts. In fact, 3 short years later what we are sadly realising is that it was perhaps but the beginning. In those 3 years we have had, as has been mentioned, the bombings at Bali, the Madrid rail attack earlier this year, and now, by any standards the most despicable action of all, the events at Beslan over the weekend just past.

This is not the time to dwell on the events that lie behind those activities, but to reflect the looks of pain, anguish, sadness, and extreme fear in the faces of the parents, the friends, and the associates of those children who were trapped in that school. Anyone who watched the television newsreel on Friday evening as the events unfolded cannot help but be caught up in that same feeling of unreality and sheer horror. And maybe, just maybe, if enough people are exposed to that type of horror it will lead to a new resolution that terrorism cannot just be not tolerated, but has to be stamped out. These people know no limits. We could not believe that terrorists would fly aircraft into buildings like human bombs. Now that they terrorise, murder, and, frankly, slaughter innocent children, we are at the most depraved end of the spectrum of all.

My party’s sympathies go with those of others to the people of Beslan and Russia. We cannot begin to comprehend their sadness, their frustration, and their anger, but we can give them the consolation of our support in these difficult times.

Motion agreed to.