In a bold and inspiring move, the New Zealand Prime Minister refuses to name the shooter who took away the lives of more than fifty people two weeks ago near the Christchurch Mosque, New Zealand.
“You will never hear me mention his name,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told the New Zealand Parliament Tuesday.
“He is a terrorist, he is a criminal, he is an extremist, but he will, when I speak, be nameless, and to others 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.”
While Ardern has provided a point of stability for all New Zealanders as the country, her actions have personally touched the relatives of those who died in the massacre, which tore apart a close Muslim community in this small city of around 400,000 people.
The day after the attack in Christchurch, Ardern wore a hijab as she stood in the center of a room, surrounded by families desperate to hear words of reassurance. They were tired, worried and many were grieving loved ones presumed killed in the hail of bullets fired by a man who singled them out for their beliefs.
Even before she said a word, Ardern’s simple decision to cover her hair served to show families she respected them and wanted to ease their pain.
People were quite surprised. I saw people’s faces when she was wearing the hijab — there were smiles on their faces,” said Ahmed Khan, a survivor of the attack who lost his uncle at the Al Noor mosque.
Ali Akil, a member of Syrian Solidarity New Zealand who came to Christchurch to support the community, said wearing the hjiab was “a symbolic thing.”
“It’s saying I respect you, what you believe, and I’m here to help,” he said. “I’m very impressed.”
She was quick to label the incident a terrorist attack, a designation that can be lacking for far-right killings, and within hours had vowed to change the law to prevent future atrocities.
“Our gun laws will change,” she said, evoking memories of former Australian Prime Minister John Howard who clamped down on guns within two weeks of the 1996 massacre at Port Arthur in Tasmania, which killed 35 people.
True to her word, New Zealand’s cabinet met Monday and agreed on “in principle” changes to be detailed next week. They’re expected to include a ban on semi-automatic weapons.
