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Category: Christchurch Terror Attack

  • Christchurch attacks 5 years on: terrorist’s online history gives clues to preventing future atrocities

    ANALYSIS: By Chris Wilson, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Ethan Renner, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Jack Smylie, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau, and Michal Dziwulski, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

    As our research has previously revealed, the man who attacked two mosques in Christchurch on 15 March 2019, killing 51 people, posted publicly online for five years before his terrorist atrocity.

    Here we provide further information about Brenton Tarrant’s posting. This article has two main goals.

    First, by placing his online posting against his other online and offline activities, we gain a far more complete picture of the path to his attack.

    Second, we want to show how his online community played a role in his radicalisation. This is important, as the same can happen to others immersed in that community.

    In combining his online and offline activity here we do not seek to attribute blame to those who might have been expected to detect this behaviour. It is exceptionally difficult to identify terrorists online.

    And yet, history is full of difficult problems that have been overcome. We use the benefit of hindsight to provide greater understanding of Tarrant’s pathway than has previously been available.

    The aim is to prevent similar attacks by better understanding how such people act and how they might be detected.

    Words and deeds
    In the timeline below, we focus on Tarrant’s activity in 2018, following his first visit to Dunedin’s Bruce Rifle Club on December 14 2017, until his final overseas trip in October. It is for this period that we have the most comprehensive online posting history.

    A timeline of Brenton Tarrant's activities in 2018
    Graphic: The Conversation, CC BY-SA

    In 2024, we have both the benefit of hindsight and the accumulation of information relating to the attack. However, this triangulation of online and offline activities illustrates the ways those contemplating terrorist violence might act.

    We can now see, for example, that Tarrant bought high-powered firearms on three occasions over a six-week period in March and April 2018. And he posted publicly twice on the online imageboard 4chan about his plans for racially motivated violence, and his veneration of a perpetrator of a similar attack.

    Tarrant therefore not only “leaked” his plans for violence, he did so at the very moment he was buying weapons for it.

    Over 20 days in July and August, Tarrant presented to hospital with gunshot wounds, and began selling weapons online under the username Mannerheim (the name of a Finnish nationalist leader revered for defeating the communists in the country’s civil war).

    He also posted publicly about his anger at the presence of mosques in South Island cities (claiming one had replaced a church). He wrote “soon” when another poster suggested setting fire to these places of worship.

    A month later he attempted to sell weapons on online marketplace TradeMe, using a prominent white nationalist slogan — “14 Words” — in his username. (Strangely, this clear red flag was mentioned only once in the royal commission report on the attacks.)

    TradeMe removed one of these advertisements for violating its terms of use. That caused Tarrant to move to another forum — NZ Hunting and Shooting Forums — to complain.

    Extremist community
    Our study has also revealed how important the 4chan community is to the radicalisation of individuals like Tarrant. In contrast to the fleeting human interaction he had with others as he travelled the world, 4chan was Tarrant’s community.

    4chan’s /pol/ (politically incorrect) board became his home. Here he interacted with others over long periods, imagining he was speaking to the same people over months and years, and assuming many of them had become his friends.

    We have found that, while creating a sense of belonging and community, /pol/ also works to create extremists in both direct and indirect ways.

    Its anonymous nature (users are assigned a unique ID number for each thread, rather than a username) has two effects. One is well known, the other identified in our study.

    First, anonymity encourages behaviour that would be absent if the poster’s identity was known. Second, anonymity is frustrating for those who wish to “be someone”, who crave respect and notoriety.

    We have documented the way Tarrant (and others) strive to gain status in a discussion, only to have to start again when they move to a new thread and are given a new ID. This lack of ongoing recognition is agonising for some individuals, who go to lengths to obtain respect.

    Anonymity and peer respect
    And just like a real-world fascist movement, /pol/ venerates violent action as necessary for the vitality and regeneration of the community.

    When a terrorist attack, school shooting or other violent event occurs, users celebrate these events in so-called “happening” threads. These threads are longer, more emotional and excited than any other discussions. Participants often claim the individual at the centre of the event is “/ourguy/” (a reference to the /pol/ board).

    The threads are also highly anticipatory: many users believe this event will finally push society into violent chaos and race war.

    These dynamics are closely connected. For those who seek recognition and status on the bulletin board, such as Tarrant, the excited attention and adoration given to those who perpetrate high-profile violence is the clearest path to the peer respect that the anonymity of the board otherwise denies them.

    As harrowing as this finding is, we contend that gaining respect from their online community is in itself a crucial motivation for some perpetrators of far-right terrorism.

    The nature of this extreme but easily accessible corner of the internet means any hope Tarrant was a one-off — and that this won’t happen again — is misguided.

    The authors acknowledge the expert contribution of tactical and forensic linguist and independent researcher Julia Kupper. More information about our study will be released at heiaglobal.com. Our research was approved by the University of Auckland Human Participant Ethics Committee. A paper based on this study has been submitted for peer review and publication.The Conversation

    Chris Wilson, co-founder and director of Hate & Extremism Insights Aotearoa (HEIA) and director, Master of Conflict and Terrorism Studies, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Ethan Renner, researcher, Hate & Extremism Insights Aotearoa, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Jack Smylie, research analyst, Hate & Extremism Insights Aotearoa, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau, and Michal Dziwulski, researcher, Hate & Extremism Insights Aotearoa, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Christchurch massacre: Behind the scenes of meeting the survivors

    FIRST PERSON: By Mahvash Ikram, RNZ First Up senior producer

    The image of Amna Ali telling her five-year-old son that his father is in heaven will forever be etched in my memory.

    Mohammad was six months old when his dad Syed Jahandad Ali was killed at Al-Noor mosque.

    As Amna sat there bravely telling me her story, a little voice said “Mama”.

    Her son had been upstairs playing with his granddad while his mother talked to the strange lady who he’d never met before.

    Clearly, his patience had run out.

    She wanted to tell him to be quiet, but I asked her to bring her son down instead.

    I had never met Syed, but had seen pictures of him.

    Spitting image
    Mohammad is a spitting image of his father.

    He sat in Amna’s lap as she explained to him she was telling me about his “Baba”.

    And then she told him is Baba is in heaven, “he’s in the best place” she told him to repeat.

    Since Syed’s death Amna has completed two diplomas, travelled alone with her three children and is planning to start an IT career.

    Syed Jahandad Ali holding son Mohammad Yousuf Ali.
    Syed Jahandad Ali holding his son Mohammad Yousuf Ali. Image: RNZ

    Ironically, her graduation ceremony is on March 15, and she planned to receive her diploma in person.

    Even as she looked back at the most painful years of her life she didn’t shed a single tear.

    On the other hand, I found it hard to fight the lump in my throat.

    He was a foodie
    After the interview, she had an elaborate morning tea on the kitchen counter — I was surprised how this mum of three young children found the time to prepare so much beautiful food.

    Syed was a foodie she told me, he loved her cooking.

    Just hours earlier I had left Auckland, like every other year it was time to do a story about the mosque attacks.

    But this anniversary was going to be different I told myself. I had planned to meet survivors and families and talk about their achievements.

    I had no idea their resilience and strength would be so overwhelming.

    Most of the people in the mosques on the day of the attacks came from countries where terrorism isn’t rare.

    Over the past five years many people have asked me, with no malice at all, why the Christchurch attacks left such a deep impact on the survivors and families.

    Best answer?
    Perhaps, survivor Faisal Abbas has the best answer.

    Al Noor Mosque
    Al Noor Mosque . . . in memory of the 51 who lost their lives at two Christchurch mosques on 15 March 2019. Image: RNZ/Nate McKinnon

    He was in Peshawar, Pakistan, in 2014 when terrorists gunned down hundreds of teachers and students at the Army Public School massacre.

    It was his school and he wanted to send his children there.

    The principal who died saving her students had been his teacher.

    To him, it was a final nail in the coffin. He told me he did not want to be where even his school wasn’t safe, so he picked the safest country he could find and moved to New Zealand.

    For Faisal, he says, it’s his first hand experience of terrorism and choosing to get away from it that made the Christchurch attacks even harder to process.

    ‘Going with the flow’
    Before the attacks, he said, he meticulously planned everything, but now he prefers to “go with the flow”.

    He trusts in Allah’s plan and he knows whatever will happen is for the best.

    And then he repeated a verse from the Quran where God tells Prophet Mohammad “Verily with hardship comes ease”.

    I share the same religion as the survivors, but I pray my faith in God becomes as strong as theirs.

    One of the toughest thing as a journalist is to decide what makes the final cut.

    Farid Ahmed made headlines around the world for choosing to forgive the attacker who killed his wife.

    Farid Ahmed holds a picture of his family
    Farid Ahmed holds a picture of his family . . . being in a wheelchair hasn’t stopped him from spreading the message of love and forgiveness. Image: YouTube screenshot

    When I interviewed him for my story on this trip he was in hospital fighting an infection — a detail that I didn’t put in the story.

    Message of love, forgiveness
    Being in a wheelchair hasn’t stopped him from spreading the message of love and forgiveness.

    I told him perhaps now would be a good time to slow down and rest. He just smiled and said there was no time, otherwise it would be a disservice to his wife who died saving others.

    One of my favourite parts of the trip was visiting Temel Atacocugu. Despite nine bullets and some 30 surgeries, his sense of humour is intact.

    Temel Atacocugu’s pet goldfish.
    Temel Atacocugu’s three pet goldfish . . . their Turkish names are Pakize, Serafettin and Abuziddin. Image: RNZ/Mahvash Ikram

    He has three pet goldfish all of whom he’s given Turkish names. Pakize — the pure one, Serafettin — the good boy and Abuziddin, Temel says that’s just a traditional name.

    I didn’t imagine I would come back feeling so moved.

    Five years ago, the survivors and families I met told me they would rebuild their lives. Every year they inched closer to that goal.

    This time they seemed to have delivered on that promise.

    I can only marvel at the miracle of their strength and resilience which is beyond my understanding.

    And the only words that help me make any sense of it all are: “Verily with hardship comes ease”.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Allegations over cult leader feature in new Muslim Media Watch outlet

    Pacific Media Watch

    A new media monitoring watchdog, Muslim Media Watch, published its first edition today featuring a cover story alleging that a Malaysian cult leader who was reportedly now in New Zealand could “create social unrest”.

    Named as Suhaini bin Mohammad, he was allegedly posing as a Muslim religious leader and was said to be wanted by the authorities in Malaysia for “false teachings” that contradict Islam.

    His cult ideology was identified by MMW as SiHulk, which was banned by the Johor State Religious Department (JAINJ) in 2021.

    The front page of the inaugural August edition of Muslim Media Watch
    The front page of the inaugural August edition of Muslim Media Watch. Image: Screenshot

    In an editorial, the 16-page publlcation said a need for “such a news outlet” as MMW had been shown after the mass shootings at two Christchurch mosques on 15 March 2019 and the Royal Commission inquiry that followed.

    Fifty one people killed in the twin attacks were all Muslims attending the Islamic Friday prayer — “they were targeted solely because they were Muslims”.

    The editorial noted “the shooter was motivated largely by online material. His last words before carrying out the shootings were: ‘Remember lads, subscribe to PewDiePie.’”

    “It is therefore disappointing that, while acknowledging the role of the media in the shootings, none of the 44 recommendations in the government’s response to the [Royal Commission] relate to holding media to account for irresponsible reporting, or even mention media; the word does not appear in any recommendation,” writes editor Adam Brown.

    Often not neutral
    “Indeed, the word Muslim appears only once, in ‘Muslim Community Reference Group’.
    It has long been acknowledged that media reporting of Muslims and Islam is often not neutral.”

    The editorial cited an Australian example, a survey by OnePath Network Australia which tallied the number, percentage and tone of articles about Islam in Australian media in 2017, in particular newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp: The Daily Telegraph, The Australian, The Herald Sun, The Courier Mail and The Advertiser.

    “Over the year, the report found that 2891 negative articles ran in those five newspapers, where Islam and Muslims were mentioned alongside words like violence, extremism, terrorism and radical. This equates to over eight articles per day for the whole year; 152 of those articles ran on the front page,” said the MMW editorial.

    “The percentage of their opinion pieces that were Islamophobic ranged from 19 percent
    to 64 percent.

    “The average was 31 percent, nearly a third, with one writer reaching almost two thirds. Also, as OnePath comment, ‘Even though they are stated to be “opinion” pieces, they are often written as fact.’”

    Editor Brown said the situation in New Zealand had not improved since the shootings.

    “Biased and unfair reporting on Muslim matters continues, and retractions are not always forthcoming,” he wrote.

    Examples highlighted
    The editorial said that the purpose of MMW was to highlight examples of media reporting — in New Zealand and overseas — that contained information about Islam that was not
    accurate, or that was not neutrally reported.

    It would also model ethical journalism and responsible reporting following Islamic practices and tradition.

    MMW offered to conduct training sessions and to act as a resource for other media outlets.

    On other pages, MMW reported about misrepresentation of Islam “being nothing new”, a challenge over a Listener article misrepresentation about girls’ education in Afghanistan, an emerging global culture of mass Iftar events, an offensive reference in a Ministry of Education textbook, and the ministry “acknowledges bias in teacher recruiting”, an article headlined “when are religious extremists not religious extremists”, and other issues.

  • King’s Birthday Honours: Former NZ leader Jacinda Ardern receives high accolade

    By Katie Scotcher, RNZ News political reporter

    Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has received one of the top accolades in today’s King’s Birthday Honours.

    Ardern, who was prime minister from September 2017 until January this year, has been appointed a Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

    She received the honour for services to the state.

    Dame Jacinda declined to speak to RNZ about the award, but said in a statement she was “incredibly humbled”.

    Jacinda Ardern interacts with her daughter from the floor of the debating chamber after her valedictory speech at Parliament. Her arms are wide and she looks like someone recently freed.
    Jacinda Ardern after giving her valedictory speech. Image: Phil Smith/RNZ News
    Former prime minister Jacinda Ardern in NZH
    Former prime minister Jacinda Ardern featured on the NZ Herald front page today. Image: NZH screenshot APR

    “I was in two minds about accepting this acknowledgement. So many of the things we went through as a nation over the last five years were about all of us rather than one individual,” Ardern said.

    “But I have heard that said by so many Kiwis who I have encouraged to accept an honour over the years. And so for me this a way to say thank you — to my family, to my colleagues, and to the people who supported me to take on the most challenging and rewarding role of my life.”

    Ardern’s official citation listed her leadership in response to the March 15 terrorist attacks and the covid-19 pandemic “positioning New Zealand as having one of the lowest covid-19 related death rates in the Western world.”

    It noted she had been named top of Fortune Magazine‘s World’s 50 Greatest Leaders in 2021.

    The citation also referenced Ardern’s focus on child poverty reduction and listed several policies her government introduced, including free school lunches in some schools.

    Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins visit a vaccination clinic in Lower Hutt
    Jacinda Ardern at a covid-19 vaccination clinic. Image: Angus Dreaver/RNZ

    Ardern was first elected in 2008 and became leader of the Labour Party in 2017. She became prime minister later that year.

    Ardern announced her surprise resignation in January, saying she did not have “enough in the tank” to seek re-election.

    Since leaving politics in April, Ardern has become New Zealand’s Special Envoy for the Christchurch Call and trustee of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize.

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
    Jacinda Ardern meets with members of the Muslim community following the 2019 terrorist attack. Image: RNZ

    She has also been appointed two fellowships at Harvard University.

    In a statement, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said Ardern was recognised for leading New Zealand through some of the “greatest challenges” the country has faced in modern times.

    “Leading New Zealand’s response to the 2019 terrorist attacks and to the covid-19 pandemic represented periods of intense challenge for our 40th prime minister, during which time I saw first hand that her commitment to New Zealand remained absolute.”

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Ex-PM Ardern named Christchurch Call envoy against online violence

    RNZ News

    Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been appointed as Special Envoy for the Christchurch Call.

    Ardern established the initiative to eliminate violent extremist content online in the wake of the March 15 mosque attacks.

    Her successor as Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, appointed Ardern to the newly created position.

    He had previously hinted she could continue her work on the initiative.

    Hipkins said Ardern would be New Zealand’s senior representative on Christchurch Call-related matters and would work closely with France.

    “This allows me to remain focused on the cyclone recovery and addressing the cost of living pressures affecting New Zealanders,” Hipkins said.

    Ardern will report directly to Hipkins and has declined to be paid for the job.

    “Jacinda Ardern’s commitment to stopping violent extremist content like we saw that day is key to why she should carry on this work,” Hipkins said.

    “Her relationships with leaders and technology companies and her drive for change will help increase the pace and ambition of the work we are doing through the Christchurch Call.”

    Ardern’s role will be reviewed at the end of the year.

    She is due to deliver her final speech at Parliament tomorrow and will formally leave politics next week.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

  • NZ communities gather in unity for He Whenua Taurikura Hui on countering violent extremism

    By Jonty Dine, RNZ News reporter

    The widow of the final victim in the 2019 terrorist attack says things have not improved for New Zealand Muslims.

    Hamimah Amhat was recently exercising in Christchurch when a passing motorist screamed at her to go back to her country.

    “That shook me, I just had to sit down and let myself calm down.”

    Amhat said she did not stoop to the level of such hatred but found herself feeling bitterly disappointed.

    “It was broad daylight and in a university area. That is just one of the recent incidents that has happened to me but I know of plenty of others too which is very discouraging.”

    New Zealand’s annual gathering on countering terrorism and violent extremism, He Whenua Taurikura Hui 2022, got underway in Auckland today.

    Members of the Māori, Pasifika, Jewish, Muslim, rainbow, and many more communities will unite at the Cordis Hotel for the two-day hui.

    Conversations crucial
    Amhat said conversations were crucial to prevent another mass murder.

    Zekeriya Tuyan was the 51st victim of the 15 March 2019 terror attack, passing away 48 days after being shot in the chest.

    He was survived by his beloved wife and two sons.

    “The boys were very young, we lost a great friend, husband and father.”

    Amhat said her husband treated her like a queen and she was still getting used to opening doors for herself as Tuyan always insisted on doing this for her.

    “Simple things like that, he put me on a pedestal.”

    Amhat is the chair of the Sakinah Community Trust, a kaupapa created by the daughters, wives and sisters of March 15 victims.

    Strength and well-being
    “It involves promotion of strength and well-being in the community.”

    Among the many initiatives the group is involved with is Unity Week, which runs from March 15-22.

    “It is about galvanising our allies, and touching the hearts of those sitting on the fence.”

    The week acknowledges the affected communities which Amhat said were not just the people who were directly impacted by the events.

    “It’s also the people who pulled up their sleeves and got together even though they were grieving as well and in shock, they made time to help the families and make sure the community continued to function.”

    Amhat said the Muslim community could not sit back and wait for tolerance to come to them.

    “People find it hard to approach us, just recently my driving instructor told me, ‘I didn’t know how to react to a Muslim woman,’ and I just had to tell him to smile, we are human beings.”

    She said education was key to dispelling fears and myths.

    ‘Sharing our space together’
    “We invite them to share our space together. Cut through our skin and we bleed red blood.”

    While we were moving forward as a nation, things could be faster and more effective, Amhat said.

    She cited recent incidents in Aotearoa including the Dunedin student who had her hijab ripped off, New Zealand soldiers linked to white supremacist groups and school board nominees spouting hateful ideology.

    Amhat said anti-Chinese racism was also prevalent during the pandemic.

    “It was as if people had forgotten about March 15 and racism actually increased towards the Chinese and everyone else who looked Chinese to those discriminatory people.”

    Formalities at the hui began by acknowledging the survivors of the 2019 terrorist attack in Christchurch.

    The morning then focussed on the consequences of colonialism and near two centuries of Pākehā dominance in Aotearoa.

    He Whenua Taurikura Hui 2022
    He Whenua Taurikura Hui 2022 . . . “a good cause in keeping Aotearoa safe and free from violence and hate rhetoric based on identity, including faith and ethnicity.” Image: Khairiah A. Rahman screenshot APR/FB

    ‘Colonial entitlement’ still rife
    Auckland University professor of indigenous studies Tracey McIntosh opened panel discussions looking at why the country needed to face deep but necessary discomfort over the impact colonisation had for Māori.

    This included relocation, confiscation and invasion.

    “Of all the times I hear government agencies say Te Tiriti, if there is one word that seems to avoid their tongue, that’s the word colonialism,” McIntosh said.

    Those impacts included dishonouring the Treaty with impunity, mass incarceration, immigration policies and racialised myth making, she said.

    “The forces that brought us here today are no less than pure, distilled, colonial entitlement.”

    There was a responsibility of powers to humbly engage with the issue of racism, McIntosh said.

    “You have centrist power mongers who passively protect and maintain colonial privilege while presenting themselves as benign allies.”

    Independent body
    Māori deserved an independent body to monitor threats, she said.

    “While extremists get the most attention, because they are the loudest and most violent, they hold less structural power.”

    Both the Crown and government agencies had a lot of work to do, McIntosh said.

    “Taking on a Māori name and logo but not sharing power is not equality.”

    New Zealand had seen the rise of groups that represented hate and hostility through online emboldenment, she said.

    The 2019 terror attack disturbed New Zealand’s complacency, McIntosh said.

    Another prominent Māori leader said his people continued to endure terrorism at the hands of the state.

    Enduring terror acts
    Bill Hamilton of the National Iwi Chairs Forum spoke of the terror acts his people had endured such as invasion and abduction.

    “Our children were taken and continue to be taken by the likes of Oranga Tamariki, and those are violent terrorist acts on our people.”

    Aotearoa still had very subtle and sneaky forms of racism today, he said.

    Hamilton said what was supposed to guarantee protection, equality and a mutually beneficial relationship — Te Tiriti o Waitangi — had instead seen the demonisation of Māori leaders, beatings for use of te reo, and widespread invasion.

    “Our grandparents were beaten as kids for speaking their language.”

    The state needed to apologise for the terror inflicted on the Māori people, he said.

    Hamilton believed there had been a residual effect across society where people viewed Māori as less than equal.

    He Whenua Taurikura Hui 2022 continues tomorrow with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern scheduled to speak about 9am at Cordis Hotel.

    The topic will be diversity in democracy, creating safe spaces online and countering messages of hate.

    Asia Pacific Media Network (APMN) is represented at the hui by Auckland University of Technology communications academic and Pacific Journalism Review assistant editor Khairiah A Rahman.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • ‘Democracy can be fragile’: Ardern uses Harvard speech to call out tech companies

    RNZ News

    New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has delivered the highly regarded Harvard Commencement address, calling out social media as a threat to modern day democracy.

    She was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the university.

    The Commencement is steeped in history with Ardern’s predecessors including Winston Churchill, JFK, Angela Merkel — and topically for today’s speech — Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

    Capping off her day, Ardern confirmed to media afterwards that she would meet US President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday (Wednesday NZ time).

    She invoked the memory of the late Benazir Bhutto, the first woman to head a democratic government in a Muslim country, and to give birth while in office with Ardern being the second.

    Seven months after the two women met Bhutto was assassinated, Ardern said.

    ‘Path carved still relevant’
    “The path she carved as a woman feels as relevant today as it was decades ago, and so too is the message she shared here.

    “She said part way through her speech in 1989 the following: ‘We must realise that democracy… can be fragile’.

    “… while the reasons that gave rise for her words then were vastly different, they still ring true. Democracy can be fragile.”

    Ardern told her audience of thousands that because of the speed of social media, disinformation is creating an ever increasing risk.

    Watch the address

    The Harvard Commencement address.    Video: RNZ News

    “Social media platforms were born offering the promise of connection and reconnection. We logged on in our billions, forming tribes and subtribes.”

    While it started as a place to experience “new ways of thinking and to celebrate our difference” it was now often used for neither of those things, she said.

    However, just two days after the massacre in a school in Texas that saw 19 students and two teachers killed, the biggest response she got from the audience was when she referred to changes to firearms law.

    Standing ovation over guns stance
    She received a standing ovation when she said the government had succeeded in banning military style semi-automatics and assault rifles, in the wake of the Christchurch mosque attacks.

    Outside Harvard University in Boston on the day that PM Jacinda Ardern received an honorary doctorate.
    Outside Harvard University in Boston on the day that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern received an honorary doctorate. Image: Kris Snibbe/Harvard Gazette

    “On the 15th of March 2019, 51 people were killed in a terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The entire brutal act was livestreamed on social media. The royal commission that followed found that the terrorist responsible was radicalised online,” she said.

    “In the aftermath of New Zealand’s experience, we felt a sense of responsibility. We knew we needed significant gun reform, and so that is what we did.”

    She went on to say that if genuine solutions were to be found to the issue of violent extremism online, “it would take government, civil society and the tech companies themselves to change the landscape. The result was the Christchurch Call to Action.

    “And while much has changed as a result, important things haven’t.”

    Ardern called on social media companies to recognise their power and act on it and acknowledge the role they play in shaping online environments.

    “That algorithmic processes make choices and decisions for us — what we see and where we are directed — and that at best this means the user experience is personalised and at worst it means it can be radicalised.

    ‘Pressing and urgent need’
    “It means, that there is a pressing and urgent need for responsible algorithm development and deployment.”

    She said the forums were available for the tech companies to work alongside society and governments to find solutions to the issues.

    She encouraged her audience to realise that their individual actions were also important.

    “In a disinformation age, we need to learn to analyse and critique information. That doesn’t mean teaching ‘mistrust’, but rather as my old history teacher, Mr Fountain extolled: ‘to understand the limitations of a single piece of information, and that there is always a range of perspectives on events and decisions’.”

    While the prime minister’s US trip was planned around the Harvard Commencement, there is a trade and tourism focus, but also a chance to check in with some of the tech giants at whom she delivered her message, in particular around the Christchurch Call, during the next few days.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at Harvard University
    Jacinda Ardern has received an honorary law doctorate from Harvard University. Image: Kris Snibbe/Harvard Gazette

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • NZ terror attacks anniversary: A letter to my son – ‘Never be ashamed of your beliefs’

    OPEN LETTER: By Mahvash Ikram

    Three years on from the Christchurch terror attacks on 15 March 2019, Mahvash Ikram writes an open letter to her young son telling him one day he will learn how the Muslim community was targeted, but that shouldn’t scare him from going to a mosque.

    Dear son,

    You’re not yet two, but you’ve already been to the mosque several times. You don’t understand what happens there, but you love to copy what everyone does. You already know how to say Allah-o-Akbar, and it has become an essential part of your ever-growing vocabulary.

    Some would say Muslims start early with their young and I agree wholeheartedly.

    So, here’s your first lesson — never be ashamed of your beliefs.

    But, remember your vocabulary also includes salam, which means peace. So, practise your faith in peace.

    Not long from now, you will understand the concept of standing in prayer behind the imam.

    And that’s when we will take you to the mosque for your first ever Friday prayer, Jummah.

    We will most likely go as a family, and maybe a few friends will come along too. I will make a big deal out of it. Mothers are embarrassing in all cultures — especially your mum, just ask your older sister.

    A white shirt
    We will dress you in new clothes, probably a white shirt that will be a bit tight around your pudgy little tummy. It will no doubt get stained with your favourite lunch, which will be ready for you when you come home.

    Soon you will learn Friday prayer is a bit of a celebration for Muslims — clean clothes, a hearty home-cooked meal and lots of people to meet at the mosque. It will be an important part of your social calendar, second only to the two big festival prayers.

    I look forward to all of it, except one thing — one day you will learn about the March 15 terrorist attacks.

    You will learn someone targeted innocent members of your community for their faith.

    Al Noor Mosque
    Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch … strewn with flowers and offerings honouring the victims of the terror attack there on 15 March 2019. Image: Alex Perrottet/RNZ

    And that’s your second lesson, sometimes you will be treated unkindly for your beliefs. You are not alone, there are other communities that suffer the same fate.

    Remember — this has nothing to do with you. You are not responsible for a fault in another person’s head.

    Trust me, it will be a rude awakening — just like it was for the rest of our country. It is often called the end of Aotearoa’s innocence. Lots of people, including children, were killed and injured that day.

    It still hurts
    One of those who died was a three-year-old who went to the mosque with his older brother.

    Another child was shot but survived. Lots of children lost their parents too. It still hurts.

    Tributes and flowers left outside Al-Noor Mosque in Christchurch after the terror attacks.
    Tributes and flowers left outside Al-Noor Mosque in Christchurch after the terror attacks. Image: Isra’a Emhail/RNZ

    Most grown-ups around you are trying to make sure something like this never happens again in Aotearoa and around the world.

    Sometimes we fail, but we are trying.

    Hate is an ugly emotion, too big for one’s body. When it takes over, it makes people cruel. They say and do things that can seriously hurt for a very long time. The worst part is these people don’t even realise how horrible they are.

    You will also hear of people who practise your faith, but carry a similar hatred. Stay away from them. They, too, destroy families. Denounce them openly.

    People may call you names, they may provoke you to fight back and say your religion teaches violence. It is not true. Ignore them.

    Keep this verse of the Quran close to your heart and have patience with what they say and leave them with noble (dignity).

    Don’t be scared
    Don’t let all of this scare you from going to the mosque.

    In fact, when you are a bit older I encourage you to go to all sorts of places of worship, whether it’s a mosque, a temple or a church, you will find tranquility and calm.

    Don’t be afraid to know others and learn about their views, it is how we rid the world of hate.

    Our religion teaches us to respect all other humans regardless of their faith, race, ethnic origin, gender, or social status.

    I understand all this information might make you a bit nervous. It is a lot to take in for a little boy your age. But some grown ups just never got on to it and look at what that’s done.

    So, let’s get started. After all, we Muslims do start a bit early with our young.

    All my love,

    Xoxoxo

    Mummy

    Mahvash Ikram is on the staff at Radio New Zealand. This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • NZ government plans new law, tougher penalties for hate speech as crime

    By Katie Scotcher, RNZ News political reporter

    Hate speech will become a criminal offence in New Zealand and anyone convicted could face harsher punishment under proposed legislative changes.

    The government has today released for public consultation its long-awaited plan for the laws governing hate speech.

    The plan is part of the government’s work to strengthen social cohesion, in response to the Royal Commission of inquiry into the Christchurch mosque terror attack.

    Justice Minister Kris Faafoi said yesterday that abusive or threatening speech that incites can divide communities.

    “Building social cohesion, inclusion and valuing diversity can also be a powerful means of countering the actions of those who seek to spread or entrench discrimination and hatred,” he said.

    Protecting free speech and protecting people from hate speech would require careful consideration and a wide range of input, Faafoi said.

    Punishment may increase
    The government is considering creating a new, clearer hate speech offence in the Crimes Act, removing it from the Human Rights Act.

    That would mean anyone who “intentionally stirs up, maintains or normalises hatred against a protected group” by being “threatening, abusive or insulting, including by inciting violence” would break the law.


    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern talks about assistance for the homeless from the Auckland tornado last weekend, the Sydney traveller with covid-19, and the the hate speech law proposals at an outdoor media conference in Papatoetoe yesterday. Video: RNZ News

     

    The punishment for hate speech offences could also increase — from up to three months’ imprisonment or a fine of up to $7000, to up to three years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to $50,000.

    The groups protected from hate speech could also grow – the government is considering changing the language and widening the incitement provisions in the Human Rights Act.

    It has not yet decided which groups will be added. That is expected to happen following public consultation.

    It is currently only an offence to use speech that will “excite hostility” or “bring into contempt” a person or group on the grounds of their colour, race or ethnicity. Gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or disability are not protected grounds.

    The government is proposing several changes to the civil provision of the Human Rights Act, including making it illegal to incite others to discriminate against a protected group.

    Protection from discrimination
    It also wants to amend the Human Rights Act to ensure trans, gender-diverse and intersex people are protected from discrimination.

    The proposed changes were recommended by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch terror attack on 15 March 2019, which found hate crime and hate speech were not adequately dealt with.

    “The current laws do not appropriately recognise the culpability of hate-motivated offending, nor do they provide a workable mechanism to deal with hate speech.”

    The Ministry of Social Development will simultaneously consult with the public about what can be done to make New Zealand more socially cohesive.

    Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan, who is leading the social cohesion programme, told a media conference today the government wanted to build from existing Māori-Crown values.

    Priyanca Radhakrishnan
    Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan … underlying vulnerabilities that New Zealand needed to address as the country grew in diversity. Image: Samuel Rillstone/RNZ

    “We are not starting from scratch,” she said. “We are generally regarded as a country with a high level of social cohesion and we’ve seen that as our team of 5 million has largely come together to rally around both in the aftermath of March 15 and also during the covid-19 lockdown.”

    However, she said there were underlying vulnerabilities that New Zealand needed to address as the country grew in diversity and that this effort would be grounded in the values of the Treaty of Waitangi and the Māori-Crown relationship.

    Ethnic programme
    She said the government had accepted in principle all 44 recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch mosque attacks and had made progress on implementing those. Subsequent hui with ethnic groups had fed into the government’s response, she added.

    “We’ve set up an ethnic communities graduate programme to provide a pathway into the public service for skilled graduates from ethic communities and also as one way to inject that broader cultural competence into government agencies, including the intelligence agencies.

    “And the new Ministry for Ethnic Communities will come into effect next week and will take the place of the Office for Ethnic Communities.”

    Radhakrishnan said the programme had a broader reach than ethnicity and that others who feel marginalised were being included.

    She said the government wanted input from the public on how the programme can be forwarded.

    Public submissions open today and close on August 6. The government’s discussion document includes steps on how to submissions.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Actress Rose Byrne to play Jacinda Ardern in mosque attacks film

    RNZ News

    Australian actress Rose Byrne is set to play NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in a film about the week following the 15 March 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, according to US media reports.

    New Zealand screenwriter and producer Andrew Niccol will write and direct the project, They Are Us, which focuses on the week following the 2019 attacks, the Hollywood media outlet Deadline reports.

    Glen Basner’s FilmNation Entertainment is shopping the project to international buyers at the upcoming Cannes Virtual Market, according to the report.

    “They Are Us is not so much about the attack but the response to the attack … how an unprecedented act of hate was overcome by an outpouring of love and support,” Niccol told The Hollywood Reporter.

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern … “how an unprecedented act of hate was overcome by an outpouring of love and support.” Image: Samuel Rillstone/RNZ/File

    The title is drawn from Ardern’s words on the day of the attacks, describing those directly affected by the shootings.

    The film is reportedly being produced by Ayman Jamal, Stewart Till, Niccol and Philippa Campbell, with production to take place in New Zealand.

    The Hollywood Reporter said the script was developed in consultation with several members of the mosques affected by the tragedy.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by Pacific Media Watch.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Muslim community to pray in private on anniversary of NZ attacks

    RNZ News

    Christchurch’s Muslim community will today hold private prayers to remember the 51 people killed in the terror attacks on the Masjid Al-Noor and Linwood mosques two years ago today.

    Hundreds of people attended the official commemorative services marking the second anniversary on Saturday.

    The imam of Masjid An-Nur Gamal Fouda said today’s prayers will be held at both mosques to remember those who lost their lives.

    “Families will remember their loved ones in different ways, many will pay their respects today by visiting the graves of those who died.

    “Saturday’s service went very well, it was great to see so many families coming together again, the wider community provided so much support,” he said.

    Imam Gamal Fouda of Masjid An Nur. March 13, 2021, Christchurch.
    Gamal Fouda at the national remembrance service on Saturday. Image: Mark Tantrum/RNZ

    Gamal Fouda said messages, flowers and cards from all over the world had helped families get through a very hard week.

    “All we can do is repeat our message that only love can heal us and make the world greater for everyone.

    ‘Sad and peaceful’
    “Today I feel sad and peaceful at the same time, sad for those who have left us but grateful that we can all come together again to remember our loved ones and friends.”

    Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said it took a while for the full horror of what had happened that day to sink in.

    “I was at a student protest in the square when we were first told something had happened, by the time we got back to council a staff member came up to me and said the police have said there’s been a shooting and at least 20 people have been killed.”

    Dalziel said she was close to the Muslim community through her history as Immigration Minister and as a mayor who presided over citizenship ceremonies.

    “I know some of the families personally so it’s been difficult coming to terms with what’s happened,” she said.

    “Some of them came here as refugees and the essence of refugee status is offering people a level of protection they can’t get in their own country but we couldn’t protect them from the behaviour of a extremist, someone who was motivated to carry out a terrorist attack on innocent people as they were praying.”

    She said it was sad that New Zealand still had some way to go to get rid of Islamophobia from our society.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Muslim community to pray in private on anniversary of NZ attacks

    Police outside Al-Noor Mosque in Christchurch on Saturday as people gathered to remember the attacks two years ago. Image: RNZ/AFP

    RNZ News

    Christchurch’s Muslim community will today hold private prayers to remember the 51 people killed in the terror attacks on the Masjid Al-Noor and Linwood mosques two years ago today.

    Hundreds of people attended the official commemorative services marking the second anniversary on Saturday.

    The imam of Masjid An-Nur Gamal Fouda said today’s prayers will be held at both mosques to remember those who lost their lives.

    “Families will remember their loved ones in different ways, many will pay their respects today by visiting the graves of those who died.

    “Saturday’s service went very well, it was great to see so many families coming together again, the wider community provided so much support,” he said.

    Imam Gamal Fouda of Masjid An Nur. March 13, 2021, Christchurch. Gamal Fouda at the national remembrance service on Saturday. Image: Mark Tantrum/RNZ

    Gamal Fouda said messages, flowers and cards from all over the world had helped families get through a very hard week.

    “All we can do is repeat our message that only love can heal us and make the world greater for everyone.

    ‘Sad and peaceful’
    “Today I feel sad and peaceful at the same time, sad for those who have left us but grateful that we can all come together again to remember our loved ones and friends.”

    Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said it took a while for the full horror of what had happened that day to sink in.

    “I was at a student protest in the square when we were first told something had happened, by the time we got back to council a staff member came up to me and said the police have said there’s been a shooting and at least 20 people have been killed.”

    Dalziel said she was close to the Muslim community through her history as Immigration Minister and as a mayor who presided over citizenship ceremonies.

    “I know some of the families personally so it’s been difficult coming to terms with what’s happened,” she said.

    “Some of them came here as refugees and the essence of refugee status is offering people a level of protection they can’t get in their own country but we couldn’t protect them from the behaviour of a extremist, someone who was motivated to carry out a terrorist attack on innocent people as they were praying.”

    She said it was sad that New Zealand still had some way to go to get rid of Islamophobia from our society.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

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    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Christchurch commission’s call to improve NZ social cohesion is its hardest – and most important – recommendation

    ANALYSIS: By Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato

    The most fundamental obligation of any state is the safety of its citizens. On 15 March 2019, New Zealand completely failed in this obligation.

    The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mosques was designed to tell us why and how this happened — why 51 people were murdered, and what steps need to be taken to prevent such acts recurring.

    In a nutshell, the commission concluded no one was solely to blame. It was a collective failure, divided between the security agencies, the police and a population lacking social cohesion and with a fear of speaking out.

    The failure of the security agencies was unremarkable in the commission’s analysis. They were alienated, under-resourced and overly focusing counter-terrorism resources on the threat of Islamist extremism.

    While the agencies were aware of right-wing extremism, their intelligence was underdeveloped — but even if it had been better, the outcome may not have been different.

    The primary reason the terrorist was not detected, the commission concludes, was due more to

    the operational security that the individual maintained, the legislative authorising environment in which counter terrorism operates, and the limited capability and capacity of the counter terrorism agencies.

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and senior cabinet ministers talk to media outside Nga Hau E Wha National Marae in Christchurch, ahead of the report of the royal commission being made public. Image: The Conversation/GettyImages

    Intelligence and police failures
    So, there was “no plausible way he could have been detected except by chance”. And apparently, this failure to detect was “not in itself an intelligence failure”. In fact, no security agency failed to meet required standards or was otherwise considered to be at fault.

    Views will differ on that, but the culpability of the police is clearer. The report concludes their administration of the firearms licensing system did not meet required standards, due to a lack of staff guidance and training, and flawed referee vetting processes.

    This intersected with the regulation of semi-automatic firearms which was “lax, open to easy exploitation and was gamed by the individual”.

    Even so, the commission concluded it was possible, perhaps likely, that the terrorist would eventually have been able to obtain a licence. Beyond that is supposition: an effective licensing regime may have delayed his preparation, but whether it would have changed his mind about the attack, the target, the weapons, or even the country he was in, will always be unknown.

    Whether these failings are sufficient for ministerial and/or agency accountability is a matter of debate. The last time anything comparable happened was after the Cave Creek disaster in 1995, when the responsible minister resigned over the systemic failure at the Department of Conservation.

    Preventing another attack
    Official accountability aside, the commission sets out the road map to prevent such an attack happening again. Fixing the firearms licence process will be the easiest. The six recommendations calling for enhanced standards and improved quality control dovetail with laws put in place after the attack.

    The type of firearms used in the attack are largely prohibited and those who show “patterns of behaviour demonstrating a tendency to exhibit, encourage, or promote violence, hatred or extremism” can no longer be considered fit and proper to possess a firearm.

    The other change will be harder. There are no fewer than 18 different recommendations aimed at the security agencies, starting with the creation of a new ministerial portfolio and establishment of a new national intelligence and security agency.

    It will need to be well-resourced and empowered to meet a range of objectives, from developing a counter-terrorism strategy to creating a public-facing policy that addresses, prevents, detects and responds to extremism.

    Also among the recommendations are greater information sharing between agencies, public outreach, the reporting of “threatscapes” and developing indicators identifying a person’s potential for violent extremism and terrorism.

    All commendable goals, but how they will be reconciled with existing security agency remits, and whether there is a budget to meet such ambitions, is not clear at this stage.

    Jacinda Ardern and others at a mosque
    Imam Gamal Fouda of Al Noor Mosque, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Muslim Association Canterbury President Mohamed Jama at the unveiling of a plaque honouring the 51 people who lost their lives in the Christchurch mosque terror attacks. Image: The Conversation/GettyImages

    The need for social cohesion
    Perhaps most surprising in the report is the suggestion that the likeliest thing to have prevented the attack would have been a “see something, say something” culture — one in which those with suspicions about another person could safely raise their concerns with authorities.

    “Such reporting,” the commission says, “would have provided the best chance of disrupting the terrorist attack.” This is a remarkable sentence, both brilliant and unnerving. It suggests the best defence against extremism was (and is) to be found within ourselves, and in the robust and multicultural communities we must create.

    However, successive governments have failed in this area through their reluctance to make counter-terrorism strategies more public, perhaps worried about alienating or provoking sections of the population.

    It’s a paradox, to say the least, but the commission recommends several measures to enhance social cohesion, beginning with the need to support the ongoing recovery needs of affected family, survivors and witnesses.

    These evolve into a variety of soft goals, ranging from the possibility of a new agency focused on ethnic communities and multiculturalism, to investing in young New Zealanders’ cultural awareness.

    Again, these recommendation are commendable, but the proof will be in their resourcing and synchronising with existing work in this area.

    Free speech and public safety
    Greater immediate progress may be made in the prevention of hate speech and an extension of the censorship laws to prohibit material advancing racial hatred, discrimination and/or views of racial superiority.

    Although New Zealand already has law in this area (covering discrimination and sentencing in crimes related to race, ethnicity or religion), there remains a large gap when it comes to what is and is not permissible speech.

    It then becomes a vexed question of the limits of free expression, and would be difficult to craft into law. But if the government could do this, a significant advance will have been made.

    So, after all of these words, will the vision of this royal commission make New Zealand safer in the future? The answer is yes, risks can be reduced — but it is a long road ahead.The Conversation

    Dr Alexander Gillespie, professor of law, University of Waikato. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.