19 Mar 2019; DW: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told parliament on Tuesday that a gunman charged with a terrorist attack on two mosques that killed at least 50 people will face the "full force" of the law.
At a special session of parliament to commemorate the victims of the attack, Ardern vowed never to mention the accused by name in order to deny him a platform.
Ardern opened her speech to parliament by saying "peace be upon you" in Arabic, a common greeting in Muslim-majority countries, before reading the names of the victims. She vowed to deliver justice to the "families of the fallen."
What the prime minister said:
- "I implore you: speak the names of those who were lost, rather than the name of the man who took them. He may have sought notoriety, but we in New Zealand will give him nothing, not even his name."
- "We will also look at the role social media played and what steps we can take ... There is no question that ideas and language of division and hate have existed for decades, but their form of distribution, the tools of organization, they are new."
- "We cannot simply sit back and accept that these platforms just exist and that what is said on them is not the responsibility of the place where they are published. They are the publisher, not just the postman. There cannot be a case of all profit, no responsibility."
- "This of course doesn't take away the responsibility we too must show as a nation, to confront racism, violence and extremism. I don't have all of the answers now, but we must collectively find them, and we must act."
'Terrorist, criminal, extremist'
On Friday, a 28-year-old suspected gunman launched attacks on two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch. In a massacre that shocked the world, the suspect livestreamed the assault on Facebook.
Police arrested the man, who is believed to have published a far-right manifesto linking his assault with other extremist attacks against Muslims. "He is a terrorist. He is a criminal. He is an extremist," Ardern said. "But he will, when I speak, be nameless."
Guns in the crosshairs: The government has announced plans to tighten gun control laws, including a ban on certain semi-automatic rifles and potentially implementing a buyback program.
"As the Cabinet, we were absolutely unified and very clear: The terror attack in Christchurch on Friday was the worst act of terrorism on our shores, it was in fact one of the worst globally in recent times, it has exposed a range of weaknesses in New Zealand's gun laws," Ardern said. Authorities said the suspect had legally purchased firearms used in the assault.
Awaiting trial: The suspect will face a hearing on one count of murder at New Zealand's High Court on April 5. However, Ardern noted more charges will be leveled against him in the near future.
