As members of Indivisible Northampton, and as fellow human beings, we are writing to express our condolences for the Muslim men, women, and children who were killed while praying in their mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, and to condemn this terrible killing committed by yet another white supremacist.
Unlike our president, the prime minister of New Zealand spoke about those murdered, many of whom were immigrants, saying “… They have chosen to make New Zealand their home, and it is their home. They are us.”
In addition, the leadership there immediately moved to tighten gun safety laws, to protect their citizens from the dangers of gun violence. As members of Indivisible, which works for inclusivity, justice, and freedom, we applaud the leadership in New Zealand.
We encourage every one of us to keep working to strengthen our democracy here, to bring safety and justice to everyone in our communities — regardless of citizenship status, religion, race, gender, or any other factor. Because, we agree: “They are us.”
Lawrence Pareles
Florence