Police urge people to stop sharing that Christchurch shooter video online

Image: PETE MARSDEN/AFP/Getty ImageS

In a clear act of terror, multiple people have died after gunmen opened fire at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on Friday.

New Zealand Police said four suspects are in custody, and that the situation is ongoing.

The city is in lockdown, and the incident has already been described by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as “one of New Zealand’s darkest days.”

It’s also been reported that one of the attacks was live streamed online on YouTube and Facebook, although the original videos have been since taken down. Clips of the disturbing attack continue to be shared online, and inexplicably, broadcast by news outlets. 

With the right keywords, it’s easy to find the disturbing video through a cursory search of social media. Mashable found at least several videos of the attack on YouTube and Twitter.

It appears these platforms cannot keep up, as people re-upload and repost the footage, allowing it to quickly spread around the internet, effectively amplifying the shooter’s hate. 

Police have asked for people to stop sharing the footage, and that it was looking to get as much of it removed.

Google said it’s working to remove the footage as soon as possible from YouTube, and it would work closely with authorities to provide assistance. 

“Our hearts go out to the victims of this terrible tragedy. Shocking, violent and graphic content has no place on our platforms, and is removed as soon as we become aware of it. As with any major tragedy, we will work cooperatively with the authorities,” Google’s spokesperson said.

Twitter said it would proactively work “to remove the video content from the service,” while Reddit said it would remove any content containing links to the video stream. Facebook said it was working with law enforcement to continually remove the video.

“Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and the community affected by this horrendous act. New Zealand Police alerted us to a video on Facebook shortly after the livestream commenced and we quickly removed both the shooter’s Facebook and Instagram accounts and the video,” Facebook’s spokesperson said.

Facebook said it would also be removing any praise or support for the crime, the shooters “as soon as we’re aware.”