New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern criticises planned film depicting 2019 mass shooting at Christchurch mosque
- Ardern was widely praised for her response to the 2019 Christchurch attack, which left 51 people dead and another 40 seriously injured
- The US-backed film, titled They Are US, would focus on her response to the violence, adding to the backlash
The US-backed film They Are Us has sparked an intense backlash among New Zealand Muslims, with community leaders slamming the project for pushing a “white saviour” narrative.
Ardern said the attacks – when a white supremacist gunman ran amok at two mosques during Friday prayers, killing 51 and seriously injuring another 40 – remained “very raw” for many New Zealanders.
“In my view, which is a personal view, it feels very soon and very raw for New Zealand,” Ardern told TVNZ. “And while there are so many stories that should be told at some point, I don’t consider mine to be one of them – they are the community’s stories, the families’ stories.”
Ardern won widespread praise for her empathetic and inclusive handling of the attacks, the worst mass shooting in modern New Zealand history, including wearing a scarf when meeting mourners.
