Motions — Condolences—Acts of Terrorism, Sri Lanka and San Diego

I seek leave to move a motion without notice that this House condemn the Easter Sunday bomb attacks in Sri Lanka on 21 April and the shooting at a synagogue in San Diego, USA on 28 April.

💬 SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that process? There appears to be none.

I move, on behalf of the Government, That this House condemn the 21 April act of terrorism against Christians worshipping in three churches and tourists in three hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday and the shooting on 28 April at a synagogue in San Diego, leading to the loss of innocent lives.

The Government of New Zealand wishes to extend its deepest condolences to those communities in Sri Lanka and the United States affected by these tragic events, the effects of which will be felt globally. I am struck by the tragic parallel between these attacks and the one which took place in Christchurch on 15 March. They all saw innocent lives lost in the act of peaceful prayer and worship. New Zealand stands with the people of Sri Lanka and the United States of America against such assaults on religious freedom, tolerance, and compassion.

New Zealand immediately registered our shock and concern with the attacks in Sri Lanka, and the share scale and magnitude of those attacks was truly horrifying. In addition to my statement of 21 April, I have written to the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka to express New Zealand’s sympathies and solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka and to offer any assistance that we can. The Governor-General and the Minister of Foreign Affairs have likewise written to their counterparts. Consular advice and support have been offered to New Zealanders in Sri Lanka, and the New Zealand Police has provided force-to-force support to Sri Lanka police. Our thoughts and aroha are with the people of Sri Lanka, our Sri Lankan communities in New Zealand, their families and friends, and all those in our communities affected by this tragic event.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs has also written to Secretary Pompeo expressing the Government’s concern at the attack on Jewish people worshipping in San Diego and our sympathy to the United States of America and our stand against such assaults, based on our shared values of religious freedom, tolerance, and compassion.

New Zealand stands alongside both countries in condemning all forms of terrorism. These atrocious attacks that we have experienced in our nation are an affront to our shared values and common humanity. We share that same perspective when we see these assaults abroad. They remind us why it is so important that New Zealand remains a country that embraces and celebrates diversity, a place that stands for the values of inclusion, compassion, and empathy. We encourage all our communities to work together towards this goal.

The Opposition wholeheartedly associates itself with the comments of the Prime Minister on the atrocities in Sri Lanka on 21 April, which left at least 250 people dead and more than 500 others injured, and the shooting on 28 April at the Poway synagogue in San Diego.

With over 220 people killed inside churches and places of worship across Sri Lanka, it is one of the bloodiest terrorist attacks committed against Christians. Anyone in any place of worship in any part of the world should be safe from hate and violence. Worship and reflection in any faith, be it Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, or Islam, should be peaceful, it should be respected, and it should be done without fear of violence. Easter Sunday, the day when Christians remember the resurrection of Christ and the birth of new life, is a time to come together with friends and family and remember.

On the holiest of days, unimaginable sadness and hurt fell on Sri Lanka. These attacks are yet another reminder that there is still much work to be done in our world to ensure the freedom of worship for the God you choose, ensure people have freedom of speech and association, and ensure that other such freedoms are inalienable rights given to everyone, irrespective of where you live and what you believe. We stand ready to help ensure those freedoms are protected and enhanced around the world.

I want to particularly acknowledge the first responders who, like in Christchurch, never expected that when they woke up that morning they would be responding to this evil attack. We stand with the Government in offering our support, and indeed New Zealand’s support, for whatever we can do to help the people affected by these devastating events.

The Green Party too absolutely stands with this House in condemning both the attack against Christians worshipping on 21 April in Sri Lanka and also those worshipping on 28 April at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in San Diego.

I was reminded of my nana taking me to the Easter mass in the Ōtara Rd Catholic church as a child all my life, and remembering that, once again, these people were in the absolute place of worship and peace, in an absolute calm and professing their faith to their God. And I want to acknowledge that this again has happened and that we need to make certain that we are protecting these peaceful places of worship for every religion and every community.

I was reading about a five-year-old girl who was badly hurt in the Sri Lanka St. Sebastian Church, and she asked as she was recovering, “Why do people bomb?” We know that the motivations share something in common. They seek to fill a place of peace and worship with violence and terrorism and fear and hate. We have to continue to reject those notions in the places of worship and peace around the world. There must be the exact opposite effect, and I am pleased to stand here with the Green Party and with all the members of this House to once again condemn acts of terrorism against communities and religions. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I rise on behalf of the ACT Party to offer commemoration of those victims of the Sri Lanka and San Diego terror attacks, to offer consolation to their survivors, and to offer condemnation of their attackers.

Every time terrorists around the world try to separate us, using what they view as significant but really superficial differences between different people, our response in this House and beyond must be very simple. When they try to emphasise superficial differences amongst humanity, we must meditate on what makes us the same, the universal individual rights that we all share as humans: the freedom to speak and express ourselves, to move, to associate, to think, and, particularly, pertinent to this case—sadly, echoing Christchurch—to worship. Those are the common inheritance of humanity—those simple and inalienable rights—and it’s upon those that we must meditate as the only proper response to the terrorists who try to divide us with superficial differences.

I’m very proud to be part of this House that, once again, is united in that conviction. Again, I offer condolences to the survivors, along with commemoration of the victims, and absolute condemnation for their terrorist attackers. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Motion agreed to.