New Zealand's Prime Minister Says She Would Never Say The Name Of The Christchurch Gunman...

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has vowed never to say the name of the Christchurch mosque gunman. “He sought many things from his act of terror, but one was notoriety – that is why you will never hear me mention his name,” Ms Ardern said in an emotional address at New Zealand’s parliament. 

Last Friday’s shootings at two mosques left 50 people dead and dozens wounded. Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, a self-described white supremacist, has been charged with murder. 

The prime minister addressed a special meeting of parliament on yesterday, opening her speech by using the Arabic greeting “Salaam Alaikum”, which in English means “peace be upon you”. She said: “I implore you, speak the names of those who were lost rather than the name of the man who took them. He is a terrorist. He is a criminal. He is an extremist. But he will, when I speak, be nameless.” Ms Ardern has already announced that the nation’s gun laws will be reformed and that the details would be presented within days.

 The prime minister also called on social media platforms to do more to combat terror, after the gunman in Christchurch live-streamed his attack on Facebook.

 Police on Tuesday said that the bodies of six victims had now been released to families. They said that 12 bodies had been formally identified and all 50 post-mortem examinations were complete. 

 The bodies of some of the victims were being washed and prepared in a Muslim ritual process on Tuesday, partly with the help of volunteers flown in from overseas. New Zealand’s immigration service said it was processing visas for the families of the victims seeking to come from abroad to attend funerals.
from leadership.ng