The AFLW‘s first Muslim player Haneen Zreika and her team, the GWS Giants, wore black armbands in tonight’s clash against Geelong. In a touching gesture, the team donned the armbands to honour the 49 lives lost in today’s Christchurch mosque terror attacks.
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“Tonight we all wear black armbands to stand with her, and all those in New Zealand, after today’s horrors.” GWS tweeted. “Everyone has the right to be who they are without fear.”
.@HaneenZreika is the first Muslim woman to play #AFLW. Tonight we all wear black armbands to stand with her, and all those in New Zealand, after today’s horrors. Everyone has the right to be who they are without fear. pic.twitter.com/gsModcM0uX
— GWS GIANTS (@GWSGIANTS) March 15, 2019
In a special moment on such a horrendous day, Zreika scored her first-ever goal and celebrated accordingly with her teammates.
Haneen Zreika is on the board in the #AFLW! 🙌🙌#AFLWGiantsCats pic.twitter.com/4PTcX0Uu1z
— AFL Women’s (@aflwomens) March 15, 2019
After the match, Zreika said she was “very proud” to play for the Giants. “Especially [after] what happened today in New Zealand. They got around me and they all wore these black bands to represent me and I think that’s just so beautiful and I’m so happy to be a part of a club like this.”
Earlier this evening, Christchurch Police Commissioner Mike Bush confirmed the death toll from the terror attacks had risen from 40 to 49.
A man in his late 20s has been charged with murder and will appear in Christchurch court on Saturday morning.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has strongly condemned the terrorist attack.
“These are people who I would describe as having an extremist view, they have absolutely no place in New Zealand and in fact, have no place in the world,” she said.
“You may have chosen us but we utterly reject and condemn you.”
