In the wake of the Chirstchurch terror attack, social media is full of reminders of the horror that occurred. The stories, the faces of the people lost, and the ignorance of our ‘leaders’ are everywhere.
It’s impossible to ignore.
I’ve taken to hiding the stories from my Facebook newsfeed. Not because I’m ignorant or cold, but because it’s a heavy burden to carry every day. I don’t want the constant reminder and I’m not sure I can handle it.
But I did find solace in one thing, or rather, one person: Jacinda Ardern.
Can you imagine having a leader of a country showing this kind of empathy?
Thank you, Jacinda Ardern, for reminding the world what a Leader is and could be.pic.twitter.com/uYcGGS9ccB— Jonny Geller (@JonnyGeller) March 17, 2019
The photos of Jacinda, stoic and strong, made me feel safe. Her calm gaze and set jaw as she embraced the people of New Zealand gave me hope. Not only that things will be ok but that humanity will be ok; that the Donald Trumps and Fraser Annings of the world will not triumph.
The biggest thing Jacinda did was maybe the simplest: she wore a headscarf.
The decision was first and foremost an act of solidarity. It said “I stand with you.”
It also said a lot more. The scarf told the gunman that he did not succeed.
The scarf reminded all of the bigots and racists that their opinions are insignificant. It reminded people that we are all the same, no matter religion, race, gender or culture.
The scarf told the terrorists and supremacists that they will not win, they will not infiltrate, and that love is bigger than their guns.
The scarf was a quiet act of defiance that spoke volumes.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says her cabinet has agreed "in principle" on proposals to change the country's gun laws, in response to the terror attack in Christchurch on Friday: https://t.co/97DrXSPwyQ pic.twitter.com/NCrdC5MZ8k
— CNN (@CNN) March 18, 2019
But it would be unfair to say Jacinda pioneered the act of silent protest. People all over the world have reclaimed their lives in the wake of terror in a variety of powerful ways. From the Australian Muslim volunteers who just arrived to wash the Christchurch victims for burial, to the Yazidi women in Syria who last week burnt their burqas after years of being held captive as sex slaves by ISIS, to the people sitting in Parisian cafes enjoying a meal just days after the 2015 attacks.
Examples of quiet defiance in the face of terror can be traced back years. It’s always been there and it always should be. It says: “We are here. We are unified. And you can’t change that.”