17 March 2019: The BWI and its affiliates have expressed deep solidarity and strong condemnation over the Christchurch mosque attacks that occurred Friday afternoon in Christchurch, New Zealand. The brutal attack, which has shocked not only New Zealand but the entire world, has claimed 50 lives and of the 42 injured, two are in critical condition.
BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson, who was part of a BWI Mission to New Zealand last month, denounced the horrific attack and conveyed his sincere sympathies to the families and communities of those whose lives were cut short.
“Our first and foremost thoughts are to the families who lost their loved ones under the hands of an extremist right-wing assailant,” said Yuson. “On behalf of BWI, we express our sincere condolences to the families. We also applaud the strength of New Zealand’s communities to come together and recover in the wake of this horrific tragedy. We cannot let these acts of hate divide us at such a critical time for the global community. Christchurch, we are with you.”
Yuson noted that Christchurch’s growing diversity was part of its strength. “Migrant construction workers from the Philippines, India and China have been a key part of the Christchurch’s reconstruction after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. Its growing Muslim community has provided a critical refuge to people escaping crisis and conflict.”
“The BWI’s affiliates in New Zealand---E Tū and FIRST Union---both play an active role in responding to racism across the country, combatting migrant worker exploitation and bringing together New Zealand’s diverse working class community,” said FIRST Union General Secretary Dennis Maga. “Migrants’ rights---both to safety and to decent working conditions---are at the heart of our mission as a union."
Dave Noonan, Vice President BWI Asia-Pacific Region and the National Secretary of the Construction and General Division of CFMEU, offered his heartfelt words of solidarity, “To the people of New Zealand and to the Muslim community we send our solidarity. To the families of the victims of this terror, we express our deepest condolences. Words alone cannot express our grief and sorrow. The perpetrators of this horror deserve only contempt. Hatred, bigotry, and ignorance will not prevail over humanity. Fascism and Nazism were defeated in the 20th century. We will together, in unity, again confront and defeat this evil.
“We express our deepest condolences to Christchurch’s Muslim community in the wake of this enormous loss,” said Fatimah Mohamed, BWI auditor and Executive Member of the Union of Forestry Employees Sarawak. “In this time of immense suffering, we ask that all people regardless of their religion, class, race, and class of Christchurch and New Zealand as a whole do more to build bridges between communities and combat racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia.”