Al salam Alaikum
Peace be upon you. And peace be upon all of us.
Mr Speaker the 15th of March will now forever be a day etched in our collective memories. On a quiet Friday afternoon a man stormed into a place of peaceful worship and took away the lives of 50 people.
That quiet Friday afternoon has become our darkest of days.
But for the families, it was more than that. It was the day that the simple act of prayer – of practising their Muslim faith and religion – led to the loss of their loved ones lives.
Those loved ones, were brothers, daughters, fathers and children.
They were New Zealanders. They are us.
And because they are us, we, as a nation, we mourn them.
– Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern
PM House Statement on Christchurch mosques terror attack
All images thanks to Ken Hansen