Following the disgusting Christchurch mosque attacks, the video which the alleged shooter produced was classified by New Zealand law as "disturbing footage" which means it is illegal by law to possess or distribute the material.
Today, a local Christchurch man was found guilty and sentenced in relation to that particular offence and others. Philip Neville Arps distributed the video, allegedly livestreamed it to 30 people on Facebook, and asked a video editor to add hit-markers and a kill count (presumably to make it look like Call of Duty gameplay) to share it around as a meme. He also showed a general distaste for Islam and Muslims throughout his arrest and trial.
At Christchurch District Court this morning, 44-year-old Arps was told by Judge Stephen O'Driscoll that it was clear he has "strong and unrepentant views towards the Muslim community". By spreading the video, and also having another version modified to have crosshairs and a "kill count" added, Arps "glorified" the shootings, the judge said. And by distributing the video the day after attack showed "particular cruelty on your part" and callousness. It was, in effect, a hate crime against the Muslim community, the judge said. When he was arrested and asked by police about the victims' deaths, he replied, "I could not give a f***". Judge O'Driscoll said it was clear that Arps holds "strong and unrepentant views towards the Muslim community". "Religion on a whole, Sir," Arps said from the dock.
Arps had previously pleaded guilty to one charge of sharing raw footage from the accused shooter's livestream to approximately 30 people on Facebook. He also pleaded guilty to requesting another person add crosshairs and a "kill count" to the video. The court heard he intended to distribute this modified footage as a meme. A police statement said Arps had called the modified footage "awesome" and showed no empathy for the people killed.
He also had one previous incident where he had visited the Al-Noor Mosque in Christchurch (where the majority of the deaths on March 15th were) with a group of other men, and delivered boxes of pigs heads and offal while shouting various white power style slurs and recording the event. In that particular case, he was charged $800NZ ($520US/$760AU/£415GBP/€563EUR) and charged with offensive behaviour.
All in all, he was sentenced to 21 months in prison, with the judge not wanting to convert his sentenced to an electronically-monitored one as he "has a high risk of reoffending". It is important to note that while the judge classified this as a hate crime towards Muslims, there is no hate crime legislation in New Zealand, and its potential introduction is currently a hotly debated issue.
So I ask you NSG, did he deserve his 21 months? More? Less? None? And as a secondary, do you support hate crime legislation?