I was appalled at the shooting attack in Christchurch, New Zealand last week. Like most people, I am horrified that someone could do such a thing to anyone , much less, to worshippers in a place of prayer. My prayers and my condolences go out to those who lost loved ones and respected members of their communities.
What is almost as appalling, to me, is the way some influential people have used such a horrific event to grab some headlines for themselves. There are elections looming in Australia at this time , so obviously, our politicians are out there getting their names in the paper. I guess most people think that’s understandable because , after all, that’s what politicians do. World-wide, spokesmen and women have made their thoughts and feelings known about how they feel about terrorism , racism and religious intolerance. For the most part , their comments have been kind and have shown some empathy.
There are some, however, who have sought to use this awful terrorist attack to forward their own interests. I was absolutely mortified to hear the comments from the Turkish president on the subject. I’m afraid, I can’t understand why he chose to attack Australians in his speeches. I don’t know how the citizens of Turkey view Australians but I’m extremely worried about any Australians who want to attend the annual Gallipoli commemorations next month, if the Turks , in any way, agree with their president. His rambling, almost incoherent speech about how he would be ready to send home any Australians who threatened him or his country, “In boxes , the way his forefathers did in the first world war,” He alluded to that ill-fated First world war battle at Gallipoli . It seems he would like people to believe that the Turks won that battle because they were a superior fighting force. They actually won it by default because the allied commanders sent the attacking force to the wrong beach, forcing them to fight uphill in ridiculously steep terrain against a much larger force.
I’m wondering why Mr Erdogan is using video of the Christchurch Massacre to promote the view that Australians and others may be planning to attack him . Personally, I think that is a nutty idea. I’ve not heard or seen any evidence of Australians even disagreeing with Erdogan in anything but his recent crazy rants against peace-loving Australians. He’s even using video which world opinion has unilaterally condemned. Even profit-hungry social media companies have removed it from their sites but Mr Erdogan continues to use it to try to foment hatred of a people he doesn’t have a clue about. I think we should treat this man with care and never underestimate the dangers of allowing the ravings of people like him to cause mass hysteria.
Pedrotheswift 