christchurch shooting
New Zealand is arresting people for sharing footage of the Christchurch shootings
New Zealand is taking an active approach to ensure video of the deadly mass shootings that took place at two mosques in Christchurch in March remains banned.
The Associated Press reports six people appeared before a New Zealand court on Monday on charges that they illegally redistributed the livestreamed video originally shared by the alleged gunman, Brenton Tarrant, who faces 50 murder charges. Two of the six people have been in custody since March.
Philip Arps, a 44-year-old who runs an insulation firm, reportedly smiled and winked at members of the public while appearing before the court, per RNZ National. He was denied bail. The same is true for an unnamed 18-year-old suspect who reportedly shared Tarrant's video and a still image of one of the mosques with the caption "target acquired."
New Zealand's chief censor has banned both the video and Tarrant's racist, anti-immigrant manifesto which was posted online before the shootings took place. Redistributing either is punishable by up to 14 years imprisonment.