Three days later a tram shooting in Utrecht appears to have been “terrorist,” probably Islamist, possibly intended as revenge for Christchurch. Surely one can accept that those were the motives, if they were, without expressing any sympathy for the reasoning. Not everyone who worries about immigration or Islamism is complicit in those New Zealand murders, of course, even those whose views are crudely expressed or genuinely nasty. For instance casual use of “terrorist.” As a technical not a moral matter, terrorism is the targeting of civilians to induce changes in government policy. New Zealand has relaxed laws, many guns and few murders; the Netherlands strict laws, few guns and few murders.

Source: National Post March 19, 2019 16:18 UTC