By Brendan Rees
Casey Councillor Rosalie Crestani has hit back at accusations she was “appalled” by the multiple minutes of silence held during the council meeting for Christchurch massacre victims.
It comes after Cr Sam Aziz created a stir last week when he was accused by several people of trivialising a minute’s silence during a council meeting on Tuesday 19 March following the New Zealand shooting.
Cr Sam Aziz called for a minute’s silence to honour the lives of those lost in recent overseas terrorist attacks as well a further minute of silence “to actually honour the memory of those that we haven’t remembered and those that have got no one to remember them.”
However, Cr Crestani rejected claims she was “appalled” by Cr Aziz’s behaviour, saying “the multiple minute silences were unusual but drove multiple points home.”
“I wondered, do we observe a minute’s silence for every attack or mass loss of life that occurs overseas? Perhaps we should,” she said. “So that we can remember just how blessed we are as a nation to have such a rare occurrence but also to show compassion for our fellow humanity.”
Cr Crestani also added she was upset when Sheikh Daud Dlongolo of Hallam Mosque was invited to conduct a prayer at the council meeting following the Christchurch massacre saying she “simply did not” agree with it.
“We were there with compassion for fellow humanity who were killed in the mosques in New Zealand; however I prayed to my God and held my Bible up at one point, and asked Jesus to comfort the families of the victims of the attack in New Zealand, for justice and peace to prevail.”
Cr Aziz posted on his Facebook page saying: “I stand by what I did, and I hope I won’t have to do it again. As I have said before: All lives matter.”
“Apparently it’s madness to honour all who have died in violence, not just those who died in the New Zealand tragedy,” he posted.
Cr Rex Flannery said the minute silences took away the emphasis of what happened in New Zealand.
“I had no idea it was going to happen … you would have to ask Councillor Aziz and (Mayor) Amanda Stapledon why they did it because it’s beyond me,” he said.
Adam Sadiqzai, a community leader and a proud Muslim said Cr Aziz deserved to be “called out” as he made a “mockery of everyone” who sat in the public gallery of the council meeting.
“My stand has got nothing to do with religion, absolutely nothing. For me a life is a life, and no life is more valuable than another,” he said.
Mayor Cr Amanda Stapledon declined to comment on the matter, and Cr Aziz did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.
