Chris Hemsworth, Russell Crowe, Mark Ruffalo lead celebrity tributes to New Zealand victims: 'White supremacy must be stopped'

Chris Hemsworth and Russell Crowe were amongst the first celebrities to condemn the terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques on Friday, and paying tributes to the victims of the mass shooting that claimed 49 lives. 

Russell Crowe, who is New Zealand born but has spent most of his life in Australia, slammed the "senseless, pointless, cruel deaths" that resulted from the act of Australian Brenton Tarrant, who gunned down dozens of worshippers and left behind a violence-ridden white supremacist agenda.

Crowe took to Twitter to share, "40 dead in NZ. Senseless, pointless, cruel deaths. My heart breaks for all the families involved, and for the beautiful people of New Zealand to whose hearts this pain will attach, for a long time. Kia Kaha." “Kia kaha” is a Māori phrase that means “be strong.“

Australian actor Chris Hemsworth reached out to family and friends of the victims. "Much love NZ, my heart goes out to all those involved in this tragedy, victims families friends," he posted.

Fans responded to the sentiments, commenting their tributes. "Whilst not in Christchurch this has devastated the entire population of the land I call home. Arohanui Aotearoa," wrote one. “Arohanui” is a Māori phrase that approximates "Big Love", "Aotearoa" is how the Maoris refer to New Zealand.

Another fan added, "From the heart of the event we are all in shock. Daughter was in lockdown I was sent home from work. Big thanks to emergency services. Kia kaha."

Actor Sam Neill called the tragedy horrific and also took to Twitter to share, "This beyond grotesque horrific white supremacist terrorist crime in OUR, YOUR little country. With love and heartbreak to the Muslim community of Aotearoa, we are with you. You are us. We are all New Zealanders. Kia kaha. We weep together."

On Saturday, he further added, "We struggle to grasp the immense scale of this grotesque Christchurch terrorist attack. The grotesque white supremacist ideology behind this atrocity, the slaughter of our brothers and sisters. Again to the Muslim community in NZ- we love you and weep with you."

The gruesome attack also shocked and stunned celebrities from across the world and many took to social media to express their deepest condolences. Arnold  Schwarzenegger tweeted, "My heart goes out to the victims, their families, and the people of New Zealand. This is a horrific act of terror but please know that the world stands with you. I stand with you."

Singer John Legend wrote, "The killings in New Zealand are so horrific and heartbreaking. This white supremacist terrorist movement is so destructive here and abroad. We need to unite against it."

Chief executive of Apple Tim Cook used a Martin Luther King quote in his tribute and wrote, "The community in Christchurch is in our hearts, as are all affected by this horrific attack. 'I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.' - MLK."

Actor Mark Ruffalo shared, "White supremacy is a global enemy and it must be stopped. It is a racist, Islamophobic, antisemitic, and completely deranged ideological view of the world. These people are terrorists and must be treated as such."