New Zealander Faces 14 Years in Prison for Sharing Mosque Shooting Video
Peter D'Abrosca
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A New Zealand man faces a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison for sharing a video on the internet.
“A Christchurch businessman has pleaded guilty to sharing a livestream video that was recorded by a gunman last month as he began killing 50 people at two mosques,” said ABC. “Philip Arps pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing the mosque video and will remain in jail until he’s sentenced on June 14. He faces a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.”
According to the report, the “distribution” charges are unique to this case. Since the Christchurch killings were unprecedented, there was no law on the books banning the online sharing of such videos. The island nation implemented the new law in response to the shooting.
“New Zealand’s Chief Censor David Shanks banned both the video and a manifesto written by the white supremacist accused of the attack, making it illegal to view, possess or distribute them,” ABC said.
Arps reportedly asked a third party to doctor the video with crosshairs and a kill count before he shared it.
Arps is accused of neo-Naziism.
“In 2016 Arps was one of a group of men who filmed themselves doing Hitler salutes as they delivered boxes of pigs heads and offal to the Al Noor mosque,” said The New Zealand Herald. “In that case he was convicted of offensive behaviour and fined $800.”
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