New Zealand Prime Minister: I Will Not Even Speak the Name of This Terrorist

The Prime Minister of New Zealand stated that her government will not allow the court proceedings against the attacker of the Christchurch mosques to become an opportunity for him to promote himself and his beliefs. Jacinda Ardern said in Parliament on March 18, 'He is a terrorist. He is a criminal. He is an extremist. But when I speak of him, he will not even have a name.' Ms. Ardern, who has met with the families of the victims of the Christchurch mosque attacks and other Muslim citizens of her country in recent days, stated, 'Bring forth the names of those who died, not the name of the man who took their lives.' The New Zealand Prime Minister mentioned that the Australian white supremacist attacker 'was seeking many things with his terrorist act; self-promotion was one of them. And that is something we will definitely prevent.' Ms. Ardern's speech in the New Zealand Parliament began with the words 'As-salamu alaykum.' The Prime Minister announced the cabinet's agreement to reform gun laws. According to the Associated Press, Jacinda Ardern responded to a question about whether she wanted the trial of the mosque attacker to be held behind closed doors, stating that decisions regarding judicial proceedings are not within her authority. The Australian white supremacist attacker killed 50 people in an attack on two mosques in Christchurch last Friday. The victims included young children, the elderly, women, and men. This 28-year-old individual published a 74-page 'manifesto' before the attack on the Al Noor mosque and live-streamed the massacre on Facebook using a camera attached to his head. The Prime Minister emphasized that her government is in contact with Facebook to ensure that all copies of the footage are removed from the social network. Facebook has stated that it has removed 1.5 million copies of the video so far. Ms. Ardern said, 'We believe this video cannot and should not be broadcast, be accessible, or be watched by anyone.' The Prime Minister also emphasized that she will implement reforms regarding gun ownership laws in her country. The Christchurch mosque attacker had legally acquired several firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Ardern stated, 'The law will be enforced with full force' against the attacker. She added, 'This individual was not from here. He did not grow up here. He did not acquire his beliefs in this country. But it is not to say that beliefs similar to his do not exist in this country.' New Zealand is generally considered one of the safest countries in the world. According to a report from 'GunPolicy,' the number of fatalities from the Christchurch mosque attack is 'almost equal to or greater than' the number of gun-related homicides in each of the years between 2004 and 2015. New Zealand media described the attacks on Friday as 'the worst terrorist attacks' in the country's history.