Just over a week after the massacre in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, solidarity with the victims and their relatives remains unbroken. For every one of the 50 deaths, more than 2600 people have made money on the Internet for the bereaved.

An aid fund on the website Givealittle.co.nz went to Sunday just under 8.3 million New Zealand dollars - from 91,000 donors. A further 2.5 million New Zealand dollars from 40,000 donors were raised by the crowdfunding platform LaunchGood.com. In total, about 10.8 million New Zealand dollars came together (6.6 million euros).

In Christchurch, however, the parishioners were able to return to their prayer houses. After Saturday's reopening of the Al Noor Mosque, where most of the dead had died, the police released the Linwood Mosque on Sunday.

"All memories come back"

Both houses of worship were closed for security reasons following the March 15 attacks by an Australian right-wing extremist. In addition, after the forensics, craftsmen and cleaning teams had to move in to remove the bullet holes and blood stains.

"All memories come back," said Abdul Aziz, one of the Überlenden, when he came to the Linwood Mosque on Sunday. The refugee from Afghanistan is one of the people who stood in the way of the assassin. The 48-year-old is celebrated as a hero. He had chased the killer out of the mosque by throwing a credit card machine at him. He probably prevented further deaths. It takes time to heal the wounds, said the father of four children on Sunday. "But we have to be strong, we have to look ahead."

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For next Friday, a national commemoration ceremony in Christchurch is due. New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the ceremony was an opportunity for all people "to come together in a closed spirit to honor the victims of the terrorist attack". It is scheduled to take place at 10 am local time opposite the Al Noor Mosque. Then the New Zealanders could show again that they are compassionate, inclusive and diverse. "And that we protect those values."

For their crisis management Ardern got much encouragement. She approached people and demonstratively wore a headscarf at meetings with families of victims and public commemorative events. As a first political measure, it brought just a few days after the fact a tightening of arms legislation on the way.