New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured in parliament on Tuesday) has vowed never to name the Christchurch killer
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has vowed never to name the accused Christchurch mosque killer.
Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, plans to represent himself when he stands trial for the shootings that killed 50 on Friday.
There are fears the self-confessed white supremacist, who referenced Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik in his ‘manifesto’, could use the legal process to espouse extremist views.
Ms Ardern, who opened parliament on Tuesday with a Muslim prayer, said efforts should be made to prevent giving the gunman the attention he wanted.
‘He obviously had a range or reasons for committing this atrocious terrorist attacks. Lifting his profile was one them and that’s something we can absolutely deny him,’ she said.
‘One thing I can assure you, you won’t hear me speak his name.’
In an impassioned speech in parliament, she called for heroes and the deceased to be spoken of, rather than the gunman.
‘He is a terrorist. He is a criminal. He is an extremist. But he will, when I speak, be nameless,’ she said.
‘And to others I implore you: speak the names of those who were lost, rather than name of the man who took them.
‘We in New Zealand will give him nothing. Not even his name.’
Earlier on Tuesday, Ms Ardern told reporters that she would do everything in her power to deny him a platform for his racist views.
Ms Ardern (pictured on Tuesday), who opened parliament with a Muslim prayer, said efforts had to be made to prevent giving the gunman the attention he wanted
Brenton Tarrant, the man charged in relation to the Christchurch massacre, makes a sign to the camera during his appearance in the Christchurch District Court
‘I agree that it is absolutely something that we need to acknowledge, and do what we can to prevent the notoriety that this individual seeks,’ she said.
Asked if she would like the trial to occur behind closed doors, Ardern said she would prefer that but said it was not her decision to make.
The gunman’s desire for infamy was made clear by the fact that he left behind a convoluted 73-page manifesto before Friday’s massacre and livestreamed footage of his attack on the Al Noor mosque.
The video prompted widespread revulsion and condemnation by lawmakers and members of the public.
Facebook said it removed 1.5 million videos of the shootings during the first 24 hours after the massacre.
‘He is a terrorist. He is a criminal. He is an extremist. But he will, when I speak, be nameless,’ Ms Ardern (pictured on Tuesday) said
Asked if she would like the trial to occur behind closed doors, Ardern (pictured on Tuesday) demurred, saying that was not her decision to make
But on Tuesday, Ardern expressed frustration that the video remained available online, four days after the attack.
‘We have been in contact with Facebook; they have given us updates on their efforts to have it removed, but as I say, it’s our view that it cannot – should not – be distributed, available, able to be viewed,’ she said.
‘It is horrendous and while they’ve given us those assurances, ultimately the responsibility does sit with them.’
Arden said she had received ‘some communication’ from Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg on the issue.
The prime minister has also spoken with British Prime Minister Theresa May about the importance of a global effort to clamp down on the distribution of such material.
A judge ordered Tarrant to return to New Zealand’s High Court on April 5 for his next hearing on one count of murder, though he is expected to face additional charges. He is being held in isolation in a Christchurch jail.
Ardern has said gun law reforms would be announced within ten days of the attack and an inquiry conducted into intelligence and security services that failed to detect the risk from the attacker or his plans.
There have been concerns intelligence agencies were overly focused on the Muslim community in detecting and preventing security risks.
New Zealand’s international spy agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau, confirmed in a statement that it had not received any relevant information or intelligence ahead of the shootings.
New Zealand’s international spy agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau, confirmed in a statement that it had not received any relevant information or intelligence ahead of the shootings. Pictured: New Zealand parliament on Tuesday