survivors of attacks often refrain from returning to the scene of the incident, however, Temel Ataçocuğu made just on the contrary and in difficult circumstances. The 47-year- the old Turkish man had a noble motivation: peace.
The lingering wounds from being shot nine times did not prevent Ataçocuğu from completing fifteen walk and bike trip through New Zealand for peace on Tuesday, the third anniversary of a terrorist attack which targeted 51 Muslim worshippers.
Atacocugu set out to retrace the 360 kilometers (224 miles) of the shooter drive from Dunedin to the two mosques in Christchurch where he transported out his attacks.
“I wanted for fix this damage,” he said. “Because three years ago he started this journey with to hate.”
Ataçocuğu explained that he wanted to bless the road and elevate money for charity along the way. He had intended to walk all distance but had to switch to a mid-ride bike when he started getting blisters after the weather went from hot to rainy in one day. He also has a mysterious case of blood poisoning and finished up spend a couple of days in a local hospital.
“The highlight was meeting many of magnificent people and get great support of them,” he said. “The low point was being in the emergency room. But I wasn’t going give up. I’ve had on my bike right after the dump. It helped him to up wasted time. Tuesday he was joined by around fifty supporters as he traveled the final stretch at Al Noor Mosque, entering at 1:40 p.m. – the exact time he was shot during Friday prayers in 2019.
“I made a speech, it was very moving,” Ataçocuğu said. “I was so happy. It was a big relief to have finished my mission.”
Ataçocuğu was shot in his face left arms and both legs in the attackand he said the injuries often hurt him during son walk and roll. He said he planned to recover with long hours of sleep, and maybe a sauna and a spa.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told lawmakers that in the aftermath of the attackle muslim community had shown courage, unity and determination. “March 15 is a date in our collective national history where we learned the worst and the very best of humanity“, Ardern said.
The terrorist responsible for the attacks, Australian white supremacist terrorist Brenton Tarrant, in 2020 pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder40 accounts of attempted murder and one to count of terrorism. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of word.
A online the donations page showed that by Tuesday afternoon, Ataçocuğu had raised around 64,000 New Zealand dollars ($43,000) for three charities benefiting children. “All of New Zealand is one“said Ataçocuğu. “The terrorist sucks.
