Comment from our CEO: Christchurch attack
Waking up this morning (Friday 15th March 2019), many of us share in the horror unfolding in Christchurch, New Zealand. People coming together to practice their faith have had their lives taken away or changed forever by the murderous acts of a few individuals who believe that extreme violence against their fellow human beings is justified. To reflect on the words of New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, it is the darkest of days. Violent conflict is an ever present reality. In my job, as Chief Executive of the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) that stands for peace and is a leading specialist in the prevention, resolution and response to violent conflict, I receive daily reports of terrorism incidents around the world. A global issue I meet many people affected by such acts. Last week I was in Madrid, my visit coinciding with the 15th anniversary of the attacks on that city. I met with the Director and Deputy Director General at the Support to Victims of Terrorism unit at the Spanish Ministry of Interior. It was a privilege to attend the opening of an exhibition “Vivir sin miedo. Vivir con memoria”, by the Asociación de Víctimas del Terrorismo, translated as Living without fear / Living with memory. Members of my team traveled to Brussels with British survivors of incidents in Paris, London Westminster and Manchester. They stood in solidarity with our European friends as the EU commemorated the annual day of remembrance for victims of terrorism. This week, I was a guest of the Portugese Security and Intelligence Services in Lisbon alongside Police from Finland (Turku 2017), France (Paris 2015) and emergency responders (Barcelona 2017). I was alongside a mother who lost her son to the warped ideologies of Daesh. Next week, I will visit Northern Ireland to promote continued reconciliation on our islands and attend commemorations of anniversaries including the Warrington bombing and the London Westminster attack. Like the Founders of the Peace Foundation, Colin and Wendy Parry, everyone I met, from far and wide, has the same aim. Nobody should ever go through this sort of event again and that we must work to end violent conflict. Violence sets the tone for hatred Those who use violence, as we've seen in Christchurch this morning, do so to create division, hatred, fear and terror. They use very stark, brutal and horrific methods to do this and they do so to create a reaction. Their methods and communication is binary. It is about 'us and 'them' and about creating 'the other' - it sets people apart, drives division and sets the tone for hatred. The vast majority of people are immune to this, but our media and politicians are not, and often their response is in rhetoric and simplistic solutions driven by 'knee-jerk' and emotional reactions. Already today, in response to the events in Christchurch, there are numerous people 'parachuting in' with unchecked, and at time, odious opinion. I have heard and seen some...