Crouching next to a sea of floral tributes with his young children by his side, a man covers his face and quietly weeps.
His little girl, with her blonde hair bunched above a head-band bearing a yellow flower, gets up and places a bouquet.
The mourners were among thousands including schoolchildren and policemen to pay respects at two Christchurch mosques where 50 Muslims were killed in a devastating terror attack on Friday.
Pictures from outside the al-Noor and Linwood mosques show the ground barely visible underneath a mass of flowers and heartfelt messages dedicated to the victims.
Broken: Crouching next to a sea of floral tributes with his young children by his side, a man covers his face and quietly weeps next to the Al Noor mosque
Dismayed: The mourners are among thousands including schoolchildren and policemen to pay respects at two Christchurch mosques where 50 Muslims were killed in a devastating terror attack on Friday
Paying tribute: A little girl, with her blonde hair bunched above a head-band bearing a yellow flower, gets up and places a bouquet. For many, joining the vigil for the victims of the mass shooting was a much-needed opportunity to soothe their minds after a wrenching few days
On Monday evening, more than 1,000 students from rival Christchurch schools and different religions gathered in a park across from the Al Noor mosque, joining voices in a passionate display of unity. Pictured: Children place flowers
Paying respects: A Muslim man prays at a makeshift memorial near the Al Noor Mosque on Deans Road in Christchurch
Two police officers, who were among thousands of mourners, paid tribute by placing flowers outside the al-Noor mosque
Christchurch hospital said it was treating 31 victims as of Monday, nine of them in critical condition. Pictured: Police place flowers outside the al-Noor mosque
On Monday evening, more than 1,000 students from rival Christchurch schools and different religions gathered in a park across from the Al Noor mosque, joining voices in a passionate display of unity.
The students sat on the grass in the fading daylight, lifting flickering candles to the sky as they sang a traditional Maori song.
Hundreds then stood to perform an emotional, defiant haka, the famed ceremonial dance of the indigenous Maori people.
For many, joining the vigil for the victims of the mass shooting was a much-needed opportunity to soothe their minds after a wrenching few days.
Most of the students spent hours locked down in their schools on Friday as police tried to determine if any other shooters were involved in the attacks.
Those at the vigil told harrowing tales of being forced to hide under classroom tables or on a school stage behind a curtain, of being instructed not to speak, and to urinate in a bucket rather than risk leaving the classroom for a bathroom.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said authorities hope to release all the bodies by Wednesday. Pictured: Tributes at the Botanical Gardens in Christchurch
Police said authorities are working with pathologists and coroners to complete the task as soon as they can. Pictured: Students place candles at a makeshift memorial at the Botanical Gardens in Christchurch
It come as the white supremacist accused of gunning down 50 people opted to represent himself at trial. Pictured: Members of the public place candles at a makeshift memorial at the Botanical Gardens in Christchurch, New Zealand
Ms Adern declared on Tuesday that she would do everything in her power to deny him a platform for his racist views
‘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,’ Ms Ardern told reporters
Sarah Liddell, 17, said many of her peers felt intense anxiety since the attack. There was a sense of safety in coming together on Monday, she said.
‘I feel like it’s just really important to show everyone that one act of violence doesn’t define a whole city,’ she said. ‘This is one of the best ways to show everyone coming together. Some schools have little funny rivalries, but in times like this we all just come together and that’s all forgotten.’
The students draped a fence along the park with chains of colorful paper notes, each emblazoned with messages of love and hope and sorrow: ‘You are not alone. This is your home. You are part of us. We all bleed the same colour.’
Relatives of the dead are still anxiously awaiting word on when they can bury their loved ones. Islamic tradition calls for bodies to be cleansed and buried as soon as possible after death, usually within 24 hours.
Christchurch hospital said it was treating 31 victims as of Monday, nine of them in critical condition.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said authorities hope to release all the bodies by Wednesday.
Police said authorities are working with pathologists and coroners to complete the task as soon as they can.
‘He obviously had a range of reasons for committing this atrocious terrorist attack. Lifting his profile was one of them. And that’s something that we can absolutely deny him,’ Ms Adern said of the alleged killer. Pictured: Tribute in the Botanical Gardens
Asked if she would like the trial to occur behind closed doors, Ardern demurred, saying that was not her decision to make. Pictured: Tribute in the Botanical Gardens
The gunman’s desire for infamy was made clear by the fact that he left behind a convoluted 74-page manifesto before Friday’s massacre and livestreamed footage of his attack on the Al Noor mosque. Pictured: Tribute in the Botanical Gardens
The video prompted widespread revulsion and condemnation by lawmakers and members of the public. Pictured: A man prays at the al-Noor mosque
Facebook said it removed 1.5 million videos of the shootings during the first 24 hours after the massacre
On Tuesday, Ardern expressed frustration that the video remained available online, four days after the attack
The tributes flowed as the white supremacist accused of gunning down 50 people opted to represent himself at trial.
This prompted Ms Adern to declare on Tuesday that she would do everything in her power to deny him a platform for his racist views.
‘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,’ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters.
‘He obviously had a range of reasons for committing this atrocious terrorist attack. Lifting his profile was one of them. And that’s something that we can absolutely deny him.’
Asked if she would like the trial to occur behind closed doors, Ardern demurred, saying that was not her decision to make.
‘One thing I can assure you – you won’t hear me speak his name,’ she said.
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.
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.
‘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,’ Ms Ardern said
‘It is horrendous and while they’ve given us those assurances, ultimately the responsibility does sit with them’ Ms Ardern said of Facebook
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 terror material. Pictured: A policeman places tributes at the al-Noor mosque
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. Pictured: A woman carries flowers to the Deans Ave vigil near the al-Noor mosque
‘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.
‘He seemed quite clear and lucid, whereas this may seem like very irrational behavior,’ Peters told the newspaper. ‘He didn’t appear to me to be facing any challenges or mental impairment, other than holding fairly extreme views.’
Under New Zealand law, a trial is ‘to determine innocence or guilt,’ Lawyer Richard Peters, who was assigned to represent Tarrant at his initial court appearance on Saturday, said of the accused murderer
Young women weep as they hold each other for comfort during a students vigil near Al Noor mosque
Hundreds of students gathered to light candles and leave flowers outside the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch today
Young people lit candles during a vigil to commemorate the 50 people who were shot dead in Friday’s terror attack
Grief continued to wash across the nation today, with New Zealanders of all stripes gathering to express revulsion over the killings – and a unified front against racial hatred
Schoolgirls comforted each other as they viewed flowers and tributes to those who died in the shooting attacks at mosques in Christchurch
Tearful youngsters staged vigils around the country in the wake of the horrifying attack, that left 50 dead and dozens injured at two mosques in the southern city
He said a judge could order a lawyer to assist Tarrant at a trial, but that Tarrant would likely be unsuccessful in trying to use it as a platform to put forward any extremist views.
Under New Zealand law, a trial is ‘to determine innocence or guilt,’ Lawyer Richard Peters, who was assigned to represent Tarrant at his initial court appearance on Saturday, said.
‘The court is not going to be very sympathetic to him if he wants to use the trial to express his own views.’
Peters said Tarrant didn’t tell him why he wanted to represent himself.
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.
A mourner takes a picture of candles commemorating victims of Friday’s shooting, outside the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch
United in grief: Teenagers embrace as they pay tribute to those killed in the sickening mosque attacks in Christchurch on Friday
Some school students lit candles and embraced as they tried to come to terms with the horrifying events on Friday
The haka has been performed by a number of groups in New Zealand in the wake of the devastating attacks on Friday
Some came together for moving performances of the haka – a traditional Maori ceremonial dance that has been performed by groups across New Zealand in recent days
Students perform the Haka during a vigil to commemorate victims of Friday’s shooting, outside the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch
High school students performed a haka during a vigil near Al Noor mosque on Monday in Christchurch, New Zealand
Hundreds of New Zealand school children today gathered to pay tribute to those killed in the Christchurch massacre – with some performing a traditional haka dance (pictured)
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