New Zealand bans possession, distribution of shooting suspect’s manifesto

New Zealand on Saturday announced a ban on the possession and distribution of a manifesto allegedly written by the suspect behind attacks at two mosques last week.

The country’s Office of Film and Literature Classification said the document is objectionable under law.

{mosads}”There is an important distinction to be made between ‘hate speech,’ which may be rejected by many right-thinking people, but which is legal to express, and this type of publication, which is deliberately constructed to inspire further murder and terrorism,” New Zealand’s Chief Censor David Shanks said in a statement. “It crosses the line.”

Shanks called on the public to delete any copies of the manifesto, as well as report it when it is discovered online.

“New Zealanders can all play a part in denying those who exhort hatred, killing and terror,” Shanks said. “Do not support the murderous objectives of its author by republishing or distributing it.”

The “manifesto” of the 28-year-old Australian man charged with the murder of 50 people included more than 70 pages full of anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric.

It was reportedly entitled “The Great Replacement, an apparent reference to a 2012 book by a French author that describes a “theory” that European white majority is being replaced by many Muslim and nonwhite immigrants.

It also allegedly included a line calling President Trump “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose.” The White House rejected the suspect’s remarks.

The manifesto was published on social media and CNN reported that it was also sent to the office of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern shortly before the shooting started.

The manifesto quickly spread across the internet, as well as video of attacks that was live-streamed on Facebook. Authorities earlier this week made it illegal to distribute or possess the video.

A 22-year-old New Zealand man was arrested for distributing the footage.