New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has vowed to starve the Christchurch mosque attacker of the infamy he sought by refusing to ever say his name aloud. Appearing in parliament for the first time since Friday’s shootings, which left 50 dead, Ardern opened with the Arabic greeting “as-salaam Alaikum.” She went on to say: “He sought many things from his act of terror but one was notoriety, that is why you will never hear me mention his name... 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 nothing—not even his name.” The prime minister has won plaudits for her compassionate response to the mass murder. The government is expected to announce changes to its gun laws “before Monday,” with Ardern saying there was “a sense of urgency” and “resolve” that the reforms would not be derailed by the country’s pro-gun lobby.
