The owner of an insulation company who came under fire for using Nazi symbolism has been held in custody after appearing in Christchurch District Court on Wednesday.
Phil Arps was charged by police on Friday after they raided his home and faced two charges relating to the sharing of the live stream filmed by the alleged gunman who killed 50 worshippers at two mosques on Friday.
Public gallery were excluded from the appearance due to safety and security reasons.
Judge Stephen O’Driscoll said “we’re in a high risk situation, people may act in ways they would otherwise not do so”.
Both charges were laid under the Films, Video and Publications Classifications act 1993 and relate to the the distribution of a live stream of the shooting at the Deans Avenue Mosque by the alleged shooter.
There were strict restrictions around what was able to be reported from the court under the Bail Act 2000.
He remains in police custody and reappear in the Christchurch District Court on 15th April.
Arps company, Beneficial Insulation, uses a "Black Sun" as part of its logo while advertising its services as starting at $14.88 per metre - a number used as a common hate symbol.
Both symbols appeared inscribed on images of guns posted on Twitter by the alleged Christchurch mosque shooter in the lead up to the terror attack.
The Black Sun was designed under the guidance of Nazi SS leader Heinrich Himmler and is commonly used by neo-Nazi groups.
1488 is a combination of two popular white supremacist numeric symbols. The first symbol is 14, which is shorthand for the "14 Words" slogan: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children."
The second is 88, which stands for "Heil Hitler" (H being the 8th letter of the alphabet). Together, the numbers form a general endorsement of white supremacy and its beliefs.
Newshub
