No sooner had the victims of the Christchurch attack fallen than governments were clamoring to mine the tragedy for political capital. Despite the shooting having been live streamed on Facebook, antipodean officials have directed their ire against fringe websites in a desperate bid to control the narrative and criminalize curious civilians.
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Politicians Can’t Let a Crisis go to Waste
In the wake of the mass shooting that left 50 people dead in Christchurch, New Zealand, the usual activists have emerged to condemn their particular bête noire. Some want greater gun controls, some want a crackdown on online extremism, a few object to violent video games, while others seek greater internet surveillance, enhanced police funding and increased investigative powers. The ability to openly debate emotive issues is an integral part of the democratic process. Few would deny the right of the offended and the grief-stricken to table these topics, even if they might blanche at some of their knee-jerk solutions.
While debate can be healthy, the actions taken by Australian and New Zealand officials has been anything but. Working in cahoots with ISPs, these governments have encouraged the blacklisting of websites – many of which have no connection to the Christchurch shooting. Even more disturbingly, police and prosecutors have detained individuals whose “crime” is to have watched video footage of the incident. The criminalization of individuals for accessing materials has had the reverse effect, heightening interest in the footage and fueling conspiracy theories in a classic case of the Streisand effect.
Translation:
If you say something we don't like we'll lock you in a cage and shoot you if you resist.#hypocrisy https://t.co/PgIDRt38mA— Roger Ver (@rogerkver) March
