In Australia, guns are illegal. Because we believe that having a weapon that can takes someones life and is solely used for that purpose should not be in the hands of just any everyday citizen. When you put a lethal machine in front of a violent person there is only going to be one outcome, violence. But there is also one thing that is worse than any physical object that can cause just as much pain and suffering…hate. Yesterday at 4:30 pm a man was shot and killed outside of the Parramatta police station by a 15 year old gunman. Now although this is the most tragic thing that could happen to that person’s family, there is one that is starting to brew again amongst the rest of society. The gunman was identified as being of Iraqi, Kurdish background and was born in Iran. And although police are not entirely sure, they suspect that his intentions where politically motivated and, quote, “therefore linked to terrorism”.

A man was killed, peoples lives were at stake, and if history tells us one thing is that we as a society turn to one thing or a group of people to blame our problems on. If it were true that this person’s actions were linked to terrorism, what would be the first reaction of every normal citizen in Western society? to blame and outcast Muslims as solely responsible for what has happened. The whole concept of terrorism is to divide a country and conquer them through fear and violence. And yes we are afraid. I don’t live that far from Parramatta, and who knows what could be next. Something could happen right next door. But thats the point of what they are trying to do. Create a split  through hate, and the media are always going to play at that, because they don’t give a shit. All they want is a reaction to which they can profit from, and we are giving it to them.

The first thing I heard from media outlets, was in fact that the gunman was 15years old and that he was Arab, and that it was likely linked to terrorism. Not once did they report that the victim was a family man who had been working in the finance and business sector for 17 years. No, that wasn’t important, but identifying the gunman as a potential terrorist because of his ethnic background and by no further proof in that matter. And as a result they bring hate back into Western Sydney when people associate his ethnicity and his religion to terrorism.

We forget that there are real people in this world that suffer the same consequences that the rest of the world does. They escape war torn and fear filled countries to raise a family and live a happy life. But when the world around them turns to use a weapon worse than any bomb or gun on them to outcast them just because of where they come from and who they worship. Hate isn’t just an inconvenience, it ruins lives, collectively. And in the end destroys everyone, even the people who use it.