US teenager’s racist manifesto censored in NZ

THE Acting Chief Censor has put a temporary ban on New Zealanders sharing the racist manifesto of a teenager arrested over a mass shooting in New York.

Rupert AblettHampson said there are distressing similarities to the March 15, 2019, mosque attack in Christchurch in which 51 people were killed, and the suspected killer also published an online manifesto.

‘‘The killer says in his document that he was inspired by the March 15 mosque killer.

‘‘It has become a trend for terrorists, in particular white supremacist killers, to issue these kinds of publications to encourage others to follow their lead.’’

Payton Gendron (18) has been charged with firstdegree murder after 10 people were killed in the shooting at a grocery story in Buffalo, New York. Most victims were Black.

Mr AblettHampson said it was important the public was made aware this material was likely to be objectionable under New Zealand law.

He has made an interim decision to effectively ban it, using a power introduced after the March 15, 2019, shootings, with a final decision to follow.

Meanwhile, Internal Affairs is considering whether to refer material from a livestream of the shootings to the censor’s office for classification.

The New York shooting was reportedly livestreamed. — RNZ FULL REPORT @ PAGE 2, World Focus