The Asian Australian Lawyers Association National Executive Committee is deeply saddened by the horrific acts of violence in Christchurch, New Zealand on Friday 15 March 2019 which took the lives of 50 innocent children, men and women in a peaceful place of worship.  The Executive Committee extends our sincere condolences to the families, friends and community of the victims.

As an Association, we value the contribution of Muslim Australians to our community and Muslim members to our Association, and we stand with you in grief and prayer.  We are pleased to see the almost universal support for the Muslim community of Christchurch and the utter condemnation of these despicable acts of terrorism.

Sadly, this incident and the ignorant and inflammatory remarks by some which followed demonstrate that we must be forever vigilant against racism, prejudice, ignorance and intolerance.  As a society we still have a long way to go in fostering diversity and inclusion across all sectors.  Together, we hope to continue the discourse on cultural, ethnic, religious, gender and other types of diversity for a more enriched, harmonious and inclusive Australia.