On March 20th, at around 1:30 p.m. local time in New Zealand, a man who shall remain unnamed, walked into a mosque and opened fire on around 300 people. He alone killed around 40 and injured dozens in what is now one of the darkest days in New Zealand history. This took place on a Friday, known as a very large prayer day inside of mosques.

Not only that, he filmed the entire thing and streamed it on Facebook Live. The video is swarming around the internet. Many if not all regret watching this gruesome video because of the horror and inhuman acts it showcases. The video depicts him walking into the mosque and being greeted by a Muslim saying, “Welcome Brother.” That same person is the first person to be shot by the killer. Other parts of the video reveal the man gathering people in a corner and shooting them all in a line. There are no words to describe the barbaric and inhumane atrocities committed by this individual. Aside from the video, there is also an 87-page manifesto written by the man beforehand. This manifesto says many things too disturbing to restate. In the video, before walking in, the man says, “Subscribe to PewDiePie.” PewDiePie is the most subscribed Youtuber in the world and is someone who has never in his life agreed or provoked attacks on humanity like this. In the manifesto, the killer explains the purpose was to stir up controversy and start a “civil and race war” in the United States. PewDiePie, or Felix, is seen on Twitter condemning the attacks and stating that he is crushed to see his name muttered by this person. He also says that he stands with the victims and families during this time. It is unfortunate that a lot of blame will now be targeted at Felix when he has never done anything to promote violent behavior. The whole point of the manifesto was to defer blame and make people angry at each other rather than the actual person committing the terror attack. Not only is there the video and the manifesto, but he also planned the entire attack on a site known as 8chan. 8chan is a more extreme version of the comment and forum based 4chan website. It serves for more savage-like topics and includes illegal things. Many evil humans default to this site as it was made for those not wanting there to be a filter on what they say.

A few days after the attack, the New Zealand Government responded with an extensive plan. New laws were created as a direct result of what happened. The highlight of the laws is the full country-wide ban on semi-automatic weapons. Many in the New Zealand government have noted, in their minds, what they believe is the unnecessary purpose of semi-automatic weapons in public society and their dangers when it comes to safety. This has been debated by many on all sides if it is to be considered an appropriate response to the event. This has also caused a small uproar in the United States as it has once again refueled the dispute between people on the proper response to mass shootings and how they can, hopefully, be prevented in the future.  

It is also terrible to see the spread of both the video and the manifesto as this is what the shooter wanted. Many celebrities and others have been cited saying not to spread the video, spread his name, or anything regarding the shooter because it only gives him what he wants. As humans, we must come together during this time to mourn and honor the lives lost. We must look at the future and what we as people must do to prevent this from happening again. Without this, the radicals will go further and further down the rabbit hole of crimes committed against humankind.