Analytic Research: A Sociological Perspective on Christchurch Attack

This report presents a sociological analysis of the Christchurch mosque attack in 2019, where a gunman opened fire on worshippers, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries. The report summarizes a BBC news article covering the event and delves into sociological concepts such as deviance, crime, hate crime, and terrorism, using theories like conflict theory, social control, and structural strain to understand the motivations and societal factors behind the attack. It explores how the gunman's racist and anti-immigrant views, coupled with a perceived imbalance of power, led to the commission of this heinous crime. The report also includes personal reflections on the tragedy and emphasizes the need for justice and stricter gun control measures. Desklib provides access to this and other solved assignments for students.

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Analytic Research
[Subtitle]
[Name]
[University]

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................3
2. Article Summary..........................................................................................................................3
3. Sociological Analysis..................................................................................................................4
4. Thoughts and Feelings.................................................................................................................4
5. Conclusion...................................................................................................................................4
References........................................................................................................................................5

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1. Introduction
On Friday, 15th March 2019, an attack was reported at a Muslim Mosque in Christchurch,
New Zealand. The first report came at 13:40 local time when a gunman entered the mosque
through the front door and opened fire for more than five minutes (BBC News, 2019). It has
been reported that the attacker first targeted the men’s prayer room and then opened fires in the
women’s room. It has been found that the shooter then drove to another mosque in the suburbs,
where a second shooting has been reported. According to the BBC news report, the entire attack
was live-streamed by the gunman from a head-mounted camera (BBC News, 2019).
The footage of the Australian gunman shows him firing at women, men, and children, inside the
mosque, at a very close range. Facebook removed the copy of the footage from the Facebook and
Instagram accounts of the gunman. The live-stream of the shooting went on for nearly 17
minutes (BBC News, 2019).
The gunman, Brenton Tarrant, is an Australian and 28 years. Authorities have found that
the man is lucid and mentally stable, as confirmed by the shooter’s former attorney. At the
present time, he has been charged with a single murder. It is expected that Tarrant will be facing
more charges in his next appearance at the court on April 5th (Fifield, 2019).
The gunman, Tarrant, had a gun license and used a semi-automatic gun for this attack, similar to
the ones that have been used in several mass shootings in the US. In this mass shooting, fifty
people were killed, and more than forty have been injured, not to mention the state of shock that
the entire country has been left in. More than 34 people are still hospitalized, including a four-
year-old young girl (Fifield, 2019).
New Zealand has been long considered free from terrorism, as perceived by the outside
world. The death toll of the said attack has exceeded the annual homicide rate of New Zealand.

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Thirty-five people were killed in 2017 while more than 50 people have been killed alone in this
incident ( Fifield, 2019; Guy & Holcombe, 2019).
2. Article Summary
The BBC article describes the unfolding of the sorrowful incident in a Muslim mosque,
in New Zealand. According to the source, the Prime Minister of New Zealand has described it as
a terrorist attack and one of the darkest days for the country. The gunman has espoused anti-
immigrant and racist views and live-streamed himself throughout the 17 minutes of footage,
during which he pulled out his car on the entrance of Al-Noor Mosque, entered the mosque, and
opened fire at the worshippers. Not only he stopped at one mosque, but he traveled another 5
minutes and went to another mosque to do the same (BBC News, 2019).
Prime Minister Morrison has described the man to be associated with extremist, right-wing
terrorism. Police Commissioner Bush has confirmed that the man was not known to any of the
security services (BBC News, 2019).
The event had happened when the Bangladesh National Cricket Team was minutes away from
entering the Al-Noor Mosque for their Friday prayers. The cricket team is safe and sound, but all
of them have taken mental damage, according to their team manager, Khaled Mashud. The
incident has also stirred up a wave of global responses. Prime Ministers of America and the UK
have offered their condolences (BBC News, 2019).
3. Sociological Analysis
When Brenton Tarrant committed this mass murder, he basically showed deviance from
normal behavior. In terms of sociology, deviance can be anything that is different from socially
acceptable rules and norms. However, in the case of Tarrant, the deviance has extended to a full-
fledged crime. Any instance of deviance becomes a crime when it violates the rules and norms

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of any specific society that have been set by the institutions. In the above-presented case, Tarrant
has broken New Zealand’s criminal laws and has been found guilty of several murders.
The crime under question, committed by Tarrant, can fall under several categories of crimes.
There are some types of crimes which are victimless, but Tarrant committed a crime where there
was not one but more than 90 victims (50 were killed, and 40 were injured). Also, the sources
have shown that this mass shooting was agitated by racism and anti-immigration views.
Therefore, it can be said that the crime can be classified as a hate crime. According to the FBI,
the hate crime is a criminal offense which is motivated due to bias or partiality against a specific
religion, race, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation.
Furthermore, it has been found that the majority of hate crimes are conducted against people due
to ethnicity or race. In the present case of the New Zealand attack, the major motivation of the
crime was the bias against Muslims or the bias against the religion Islam. This hate crime also
falls under the category of terrorism because it randomly targeted Muslim people due to their
identification with the religion Islam.
In the present case, the Conflict Theory of Defiance can be used to describe the crime under
discussion. The said theory emphasizes that crimes or deviant behaviors are a result of the
unequal distribution of power, capital, and other resources. In addition to this, differences in
gender, race, and class can also give rise to crimes. Due to racism and anti-immigrant views,
Tarrant was forced to perform the crimes for which he has been taken into custody. According to
sources, the gunman believed that the minority should leave their country because according to
him, the minority community was thriving and prospering. This perceived unbalanced power and
racial views led him to perform extremely inhumane activities. Here, the theory of social
control is also relevant because the gunman, being from the dominant class, desired to control

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the behavior of others through the use of force and violence. In a way, this is similar to the early
witch hunts that were performed in Europe and America, during the Middle and Colonial ages.
In those times, women who were thought to be different were killed. Following a similar
behavior, Tarrant, being a member of the dominant society, attempted to control the minority
race by using extreme violence and hate crime.
Structural strain theory is also relevant in this case as it is a type of functionalist theory, that
focuses on societal inequalities as primary drivers of deviant and criminal behaviors among
individuals. In the present case of Tarrant, the sources have revealed that he had documented a
text that had anti-immigrant and racially biased teachings. Here, social inequality can be seen as
a major driver of causing the mass shooting since the gunman believed that the minority was
strengthening its roots in the dominant society and he further believed that the minority should
not be let to prosper in the dominant society. This led to the unfavorable happening.
4. Thoughts and Feelings
I feel very sad for the people who went to the mosque to offer their Friday prayers,
without knowing that they will not be coming back. The entire incident was very sorrowful,
especially the death of young, innocent children, which really breaks my heart. Even more
heartbreaking is the case of a four-year-old girl who is still in a very critical condition and is
fighting for her life in a hospital. It makes me angry about the person who did this, and I think
that the slow wheels of justice are pacing down the proceedings of the trial against this person.
Apart from this, I am seriously horrified that such an incident can take place in a place, as safe as
New Zealand, where there are rarely any terrorist activities. I believe that terrorism has no
religion and therefore, cannot put the blame on any specific race or religion. Overall, this was a

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very inhumane act and should be regarded as a crime against humanity. I hope that the gunman is
tried according to the laws of justice. Moreover, I think that there should be a check on gun laws.
5. Conclusion
On Friday, 15th March 2019, a mass shooting attack was carried out at a Muslim Mosque
in Christchurch, New Zealand. The gunman, having several semiautomatic guns, entered the
mosque through the front door and opened fire on the worshippers for more than five minutes.
The attacker first targeted the men’s prayer room and then opened fires in the women’s room.
The shooter then drove to another mosque in the suburbs, where a second shooting was carried
out. The attacker was wearing a head-mounted camera, which he used to live-stream the entire
incident. The man was caught by the Australian police and was initially charged for one murder.
He is awaiting trial and is expected to be charged with multiple murders. The crime was
motivated by hate against the Muslims and therefore has been identified as a hate crime. New
Zealand's prime minister has identified this attack as a terrorist attack. I feel horrified on such a
happening in a peaceful country and hope that the criminal is punished according to the laws.

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References
BBC News. (2019, March 15). Christchurch Shootings: 49 Dead In New Zealand Mosque Attacks.
Retrieved from BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47578798
Fifield, A. (2019, March 17). New Zealand Shooting: Alleged Gunman Fires Lawyer, Says He’ll
Represent Himself. Retrieved from Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/new-zealand-shooting-live-updates/
2019/03/17/21bb0634-48ec-11e9-8cfc-2c5d0999c21e_story.html?utm_term=.1031e0046939
Guy, J., & Holcombe, M. (2019, March 18). New Zealand Rushes To Identify Christchurch Terror
Attack Victims. Retrieved from CNN News: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/17/asia/new-
zealand-mosque-shooting-victims-identification-intl/index.html
Zhou, N., & Jacobs, S. (2019, March 18). New Zealand Attack: Victims of the Mosque Massacre.
Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/17/new-zealand-
attack-victims-of-the-mosque-massacre