The events in New Zealand yesterday were profoundly disturbing and deeply sad. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.

A number of commentators have pleaded with their audiences to not read the terrorists evil manifesto. It’s now been scrubbed from all respectable corners of the Internet in fact. I, however, think that to fight evil we need to understand it and the manifesto is a window into his psyche – so I did read (some of) it. What I found was an ethno-nationalist nihilist intent on fanning flames of division which he hopes will cause our society to burn to the ground. In the aftermath, he imagines that an ‘eco-fascist’ state will be established.

With his inentions in mind, I scrolled through Twitter, watching with dismay, as accusatory fingers were pointed at all kinds of innocent people. And who do feminists blame? Men.

This is a gross insult to the many men – first responders, hero/victims and passers by who intervened to stop the massacre or deal with the aftermath. Men like 71 year old Afghan Daoud (Omar) Nabi who reportedly threw himself in front of another worshipper to save their life.

Men like Naheem Rashid who tried to wrestle the gun from the terrorist Al Masjid al Noor Mosque.

Men like Carl Pomare who stopped his car and got out, with his colleagues, to help the wounded.

For every single devil like the terrorist; there are thousands of good, courageous, self sacrificing men like those mentioned – it’s they who are representative of men. Let’s deny the terrorist his wicked aim and stand together as men and women, in love and gratitude for the fact that he is a terrible aberration bearing nothing in common with the vast majority of men.