IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 250 

Honoring the victims of the March 15, 2019, shootings at mosques in 

Christchurch, New Zealand. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 23, 2023 

Ms. OMAR (for herself, Mr. CARSON, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. 

GARCIA of Texas, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. CROCKETT, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. 

SEWELL, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. TONKO, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Ms. 

NORTON, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. CONNOLLY, 

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. CASAR, and Mr. FROST) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the victims of the March 15, 2019, shootings at 

mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

Whereas, on March 15, 2019, a White supremacist armed 

with military-style semiautomatic weapons stormed the Al 

Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Center indiscriminately shooting and murdering 51 children, women, and 

men and injuring 40 others during Jumu’ah prayer in 

Christchurch, New Zealand; 

Whereas the entire attack seemed to be orchestrated for social media as the gunman livestreamed parts of the terVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:05 Mar 24, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR250.IH HR250

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•HRES 250 IH 

rorist attack on social media for 17 minutes using a 

head-mounted camera; 

Whereas upon his arrest, the gunman admitted to police that 

his plan was to target worshippers in a third mosque 

then burn down the mosques after his attack, and that 

he wished he had done so; 

Whereas the terrorist attack targeted individuals solely on the 

basis of their religion and ethnicity and carried out in a 

place of worship; 

Whereas these attacks were motivated by an extremist ideology of White supremacy carried out by an individual 

who espoused racist and Islamophobic views; 

Whereas Islamophobia has been a growing threat to communities around the world; 

Whereas increased instances of Islamophobia and hate crimes 

committed against Muslims, or those thought to be Muslim, are partly a result of the response to the September 

11, 2001, attacks, and the rise of hate speech and false 

coverage in the media and online chatrooms that continue 

to fuel the ignorance that drive certain individuals toward 

acts of hatred and violence; 

Whereas Islamophobia is an integral component of the White 

supremacist ‘‘great replacement’’ conspiracy theory, 

which the shooter embraced; 

Whereas the ‘‘great replacement’’ is an Islamophobic, 

antisemitic, racist, xenophobic, and misogynist conspiracy 

theory suggesting that White people are being intentionally ‘‘replaced’’ by ‘‘invaders’’; 

Whereas the ‘‘great replacement’’ conspiracy theory and rhetoric depicting immigrants and non-Whites as an ‘‘invaVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:05 Mar 24, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR250.IH HR250

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•HRES 250 IH 

sion’’ has been promoted by Members of Congress and 

other national leaders; 

Whereas subsequent mass shootings, including at a synagogue in Poway, California, a Wal-Mart in El Paso, 

Texas, and a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, were in 

part inspired by the Christchurch shootings and the 

White supremacist ‘‘great replacement’’ conspiracy theory 

and ‘‘invasion’’ rhetoric he espoused; 

Whereas such heinous acts of violence are an assault on the 

values of tolerance, diversity, and inclusivity that are the 

foundation of a free and democratic society; 

Whereas the United States has experienced hundreds of public mass shootings in churches, schools, concerts, and 

movie theaters; 

Whereas in an average year, at least 10,300 hate crimes involve a firearm; 

Whereas communities of color are disproportionately impacted by gun violence; 

Whereas hate crimes harm not only the victim or victims, but 

also traumatize entire communities and damage public 

confidence in their safety; 

Whereas the Government of New Zealand responded to the 

attacks by banning semiautomatic weapons and implementing a buyback program for gun owners; 

Whereas we must stand in solidarity with the Muslim community in New Zealand and around the world, and reaffirm our commitment to promoting understanding and 

respect for all people, regardless of their background or 

beliefs; and 


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•HRES 250 IH 

Whereas Congress must do everything in its power to condemn and eradicate the ideologies that fuel hate crimes: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) mourns the loss of the worshipers killed at 

3 the mosques in Christchurch; 

4 (2) recognizes and condemns the transnational 

5 threat of White supremacist ideology, conspiracy 

6 theories, and violence; 

7 (3) deplores attacks on people of all faiths in 

8 their places of worship; 

9 (4) affirms the rights of religious minorities in 

10 the United States and around the world to practice 

11 their religions in peace; and 

12 (5) commits to ending gun violence. 

Æ 


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