RE: My thoughts on the events in Christchurch on Friday
Thank you. It's nice to hear that even on the far side of the world people have seen this and are as shocked as we are.
For me, finding what makes someone like this tick, what motivates them and understanding what caused him to do this is important. He wasn't aggrieved at our society. We had done nothing to anger him.
He saw things he didn't understand when he was travelling, he mis-understood things, twisted them further and then spiraled into hate, supported by crap he saw online.
This was all the work of an idiot. We are not to blame for this. It's important to know this.
The prime minster has set a good example and set the tone for the country's response. The local mosque here is covered in flowers, there was a vigil held at a sports ground just down the road from here - 11,000 people turned up.
Next Friday there are plans for non-Muslims to line the roadways to the mosque - to stand with candles, while they go to pray.
This is how to respond to terror. This is how you stop the spread of hate.
And this is something the shooter just couldn't understand about New Zealand. He picked exactly the wrong country to do this in.