Determination to keep the Christchurch attack video off the Internet,
and block the attackers manifesto have continued to expand in New
Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has now promised to not even say the attacker’s name publicly.
Ardern suggested that the attacker carried out the strike in an attempt
to gain notoriety, and is urging New Zealanders to deny him that by not
even speaking his name in the future.
New Zealand’s campaign against the video of the attack has included the
police threatening to imprison people for 10 years if they are in
possession of, or share the video. New Zealand ISPs have been pressed to
block foreign websites that have the video or the manifesto.
The international investigation into the matter
is still trying to build an accurate picture of the attacker and his
motives. Though New Zealand is clearly playing a role in this, it seems
the New Zealand government would just as soon scrub all record of the
attack having ever happened.
New Zealand PM: Censorship Meant to Deny Attacker Notoriety
PM vows to never speak the name of the shooter
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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