The Christchurch Call: "It seems like a complete waste of time and tax-payer money (because we didn't pay for the tickets) for what seemed like a 30-minute powwow and photo opportunity," guest says.
A guest of July's conference, attended by Jacinda Adern, speaks on the availability of the March 15 video & the Christchurch Call's viability. The Department for the Prime Minister & Cabinet responds.
“Jacinda Adern started the proceedings followed by Douglas Emhoff. It was over in about 10 minutes. What I observed was there was no media interaction with the hosts. No questions. Just them talking. There wasn't even any interaction with the other panelists.”
These words come from a man who attended the Christchurch Call conference held in Auckland on Friday, 21 July.
The Christchurch Call was launched in the wake of the 15 March 2019 massacre in Christchurch. Following the twin attacks, copies of the gunman’s livestream video began to circulate online around the world. The video knew no borders.
In the words of Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC), it “is the first initiative of its kind, where governments and online service providers have agreed to a series of commitments and ongoing collaboration to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.
This year invites were sent out for a Christchurch Call conference in Auckland.
Above: Byron C. Clark speaking with The Wigram about combating online extremism and the work of the Christchurch Call.
The former Prime Minister and Special Envoy, Adern, and Emhoff, the husband of Kamala Harris, the US Vice-President, would be in attendance. Aside from the high-powered guests, the guest list included a Jewish rabbi, an interfaith vicar, a high school student, members of the Muslim communities and LGBTQI+ communities.
In the meeting room, the group sat around a u-shaped table with the former Prime Minister and the Second Gentleman Emhoff sitting at the centre. The media had arrived too and set up their cameras. The cameras rolled.
“So after Jacinda Adern and Douglas Emhoff had finished speaking, all of the media personnel left.”
“They just came in, shot footage of Jacinda Adern and Douglas Emhoff speaking, then once [they] finished, they packed up their cameras and left with no engagement with anyone else in the room.”
He says the media didn’t question Adern or Emhoff.
Of the conference, he says “I felt incredibly disappointed that there was no engagement or comprehensive discussion around the aims or goals of the Christchurch Call, which makes me question whether or not this programme is even viable.”
To understand the depth of his disappointment, we need to wind the clock back to 2019, in the days following the attack, as the city was reeling, and a flower memorial developed along Rolleston Avenue outside the Botanic Gardens.
He had been involved in the Muslim communities in Christchurch and “had been invited to previous meetings with regard to countering online extremism.”
“I've been working very closely with the Christchurch Muslim communities post March 15. I have been impacted personally by the tragic events of March 15.”
“My first encounter with the former Prime Minister Jacinda Adern was in the days following. There were high level discussions in the mayor's office.”
“It was discussing issues such as security, issues involving residency for those who were bereft of a loved one and a lot of health and safety issues, burials, legal matters.
“Community representatives and city leaders were called there at the request of the Prime Minister's office.”
“At this point the Christchurch call had not been discussed.”
“However I had a chance to speak directly with her during the visit of his Royal Highness Prince William at the George Hotel. At the that time she did not directly use the term “Christchurch Call" but indicated that she and the government were working on something to counter online terrorism.”
At that point there was no detail. “The Christchurch call wasn't mentioned but the concept was.”
In 2021 a second meeting took place in Christchurch.
“…the Muslim leadership including myself were invited to a meeting with the Prime Minister's special representatives on cyber and digital security at the Department of Internal Affairs in Hereford Street. It was to do with the Christchurch Call.”
“Basically we were invited to discuss concerns about cyber security. However the meeting lasted about half an hour and were informed that the livestream of the terror attack on 15 March had mostly been eliminated from most websites.”
“So I responded that the livestream is incredibly accessible to people and showed on my phone just how accessible.”
“In a very dismissive way, I can't remember the exact words. I had suggested that in many countries these types of sites have been blocked but was informed that it is a very difficult and complicated process to do in New Zealand.”
“They didn't explain to me why it couldn't be done. At that time I had found it through the Google search engine.”
“I felt incredibly frustrated because it’s not an answer. Because if other countries are responsible enough to be able to block a site or an offensive website, why is it difficult for us.”
A New Conference for Auckland
In 2023, 4 years on from the gunman’s attacks, he attended the Auckland meeting. He knew Douglas Emhoff, the Second Gentleman would attend.
“The conference was held at the Auckland Policy Office on the corner of Customs Street and Queens Street. I was aware the meeting was called by Special Envoy Jacinda Adern, that’s what she’s known as.
“I expected it to be a discussion about how the Christchurch Call would move forward with its objectives to discuss also how the New Zealand and the United States were going to work together moving forward.
The Thursday Shooting
On the Thursday, the day before, a shooter entered a building site in the Auckland CBD.
“Based on what had been reported, I knew that it had happened around the Queens Street/Custom Street area.”
The building where the conference was going to happen was in fact located a just over the road from Commercial Bay where the shooting happened. The presence of Emhoff, Kamala Harris, Adern and the touring women’s soccer teams might have provoked the heavy Police response seen that day.
The shooting didn’t unnerve him.
The Conference
On the Friday, the guests went to the conference location.
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