In the RNZ audio below we are told that the NZ Muslim Community has asked why it is that New Zealand’s security agencies are watching them and “appear not to have been tracking the extreme right.”
I have a few responses to this accusation.
- There is no evidence that the security services are not tracking non-Muslim extremists. While it is correct that Tarrant (an Australian) was not on one of their watch lists, he would have been stopped if the police had done their job correctly and had applied the already existing gun legislation at the time. The biggest portion of the blame should surely be laid at the feet of our police.
- The whole point of covert surveillance is that no one is aware of it. How can Muslim community leaders make the claim that they are being watched if the GCSB is doing their job correctly?
- The whole point of our security agencies is to keep ALL New Zealanders safe from extremists. Like a hospital emergency ward, they would have to apply the principle of triage to decide where they deploy most of their resources. When it comes to extremism it isn’t a competition, but if it was, we all know which type of extremist would come out the clear winner worldwide.
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