Following the brutal massacre of around 50 people in the Al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, the Prime Minister of the country said that she wouldn’t publicize the attacker by taking his name. During her first addressing to the parliament after the attack on 15th March 2019, Jacinda Ardern refuses to offer any sort of publicity to the attacker.
That’s why you will never hear me mention his name. He is a terrorist, he is a criminal, he is an extremist. But he will, when I speak, be nameless.
The shooter had written a 74-page screed promoting his white supremacy. He even live streamed the attack on Al Noor mosque on Facebook. Although the company removed the video immediately after they acknowledged, it was still viewed by many people before it was taken down.
The New Zealand PM said that the attacker may have sought notoriety with his heinous act, but New Zealand will give him nothing. Not even his name, she said. She further mentioned that the shooter is an Australian citizen with one count of murder charges on him. The other charges will follow, and the families of the victims will be served justice, the PM added.
Jacinda said that the government is also looking at the role social media played in the attack. Since the shooter live streamed his attack on Facebook, Ardern said that it is the responsibility of social media platforms to see what’s being published on their platforms. She said,
They are the publisher, not the postman. There cannot be the case of all profit, no responsibilities.
She also assured the people that appropriate “gun laws” changes would be made soon. Jacinda is receiving praise for the way she has responded with all the compassion, strength, and calm.
