On behalf of the Oxfam Executive Board, Rachael Le Mesurier, Oxfam New Zealand’s Executive Director offered the following statement:
The leaders of Oxfam’s agencies worldwide are meeting in Kenya this week and we send a message of strength and solidarity to the people of New Zealand as they respond to the appalling act of extremism against the Kiwi Muslim community, where at least 50 people were shot dead by a white supremacist terrorist, in Christchurch, on Friday March 15, 2019. This was a shocking terrorist atrocity in New Zealand. Oxfam strongly condemns Islamophobia and all acts of extremism.
Our thoughts are with the many Muslim New Zealand families grieving the loss of their loved ones and to people of the Islamic faith – and all faiths – over the world who have been traumatised by this act of mass murder. To the over-whelming majority of New Zealanders who are refusing to bow down to extremists’ attempts to terrorise and divide humanity, we stand alongside you in your compassion and your commitment to building a diverse nation, where everyone is valued as equal and hatred of any kind is completely rejected. Oxfam resolves to fight all forms of discrimination and to deepen our work with communities and people around the world, to reject narratives of hatred, blame and division being perpetrated including by a new wave of nationalistic leaders, and some influential media, instead for one of love, equality and justice.