The horrific massacre of 49 people at a mosque in New Zealand has shown that white nationalists now constitute an "international terror threat," according to the Anti-Defamation League.
In a statement released Friday about the attack on the mosque, the ADL said that the mass murder that occurred in Christchurch, New Zealand should make governments across the world recognize the dangers caused by white nationalist extremism.
"This attack underscores a trend that ADL has been tracking: that modern white supremacy is an international threat that knows no borders, being exported and globalized like never before,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. “The hatred that led to violence in Pittsburgh and Charlottesville is finding new adherents around the world. Indeed, it appears that this attack was not just focused on New Zealand; it was intended to have a global impact.”
In recent years, white supremacists have carried out massacres at places of worship ranging from the murder of nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015; the murder of 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh; and Friday's murder of 49 people at a Mosque in New Zealand.
"No one should be targeted for their faith or their immigrant status, and it is unconscionable that the shooter singled out Muslims during their hours of prayer," Greenblatt said.
