CHRISTCHURCH: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Sunday said she intends to ask Facebook how the Christchurch gunman, who slaughtered 50 people during Friday prayers, was able to livestream the massacre. Using a GoPro camera, the terrorist broadcast extremely graphic footage of him shooting people at the Al Noor Mosque via Facebook Live. The livestream was available to watch on social media for hours after the attack.
In a press conference on Sunday, Ardern said the New Zealand Government did its best to take down the video, but its power to do so is limited.
“We did as much as we could to remove or seek to have removed some of the footage that was being circulated in the aftermath of this terrorist attack. Ultimately, though, it has been up to those platforms to facilitate their removal and support their removal.”
She indicated disapproval at social media giants such as Facebook for allowing graphic content to be uploaded and shared widely.
“I do think there are further questions to be answered. Obviously these social media platforms have wide reach,” she said.
“This is a problem that goes well beyond New Zealand, it has played out in other parts of the world. So whilst we might have seen action taken here, that hasn’t prevented [the footage] being circulated.
“This is an issue that goes well beyond New Zealand, but it doesn’t mean we can’t play an active role in getting it resolved.”
Facebook on Sunday said it has removed 1.5 million videos of the shootings “in the first 24 hours” after the attack. “We continue to work around the clock to remove violating content using a combination of technology and people,” Facebook New Zealand’s Mia Garlick said on Twitter.
Garlick said that, of the removed videos, 1.2 million were “blocked at upload.” “Out of respect for the people affected by this tragedy and the concerns of local authorities, we’re also removing all edited versions of the video that do not show graphic content,” she said.
During the press conference, Ardern was also asked about the comments made by Australian senator Fraser Anning, who said immigration was to blame for the shooting.
Anning’s remarks were widely condemned and he was publicly egged by a teenage boy who has since been hailed as a hero. When asked for her reaction to the comments, Ardern was blunt. “They were a disgrace.”
— dpa/IANS
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