Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern attends the unveiling of a plaque at the Al-Noor Mosque. Photo / NZME
Christchurch police have tracked down a 36-year-old man after "hate speech" graffiti was found scrawled on the footpath outside a city mosque where 42 Muslims were murdered last year.
The message was written on the concrete outside the Al Noor Mosque on Deans Ave on Saturday.
The mosque was the scene of the beginning of the March 15 Christchurch terror attack.
A gunman opened fire at the mosque during Friday prayers, killing innocent men, women and children.
He then drove to the Linwood Mosque and continued shooting.
In total he murdered 51 people and wounded 40 others.
He was jailed for life without parole - the first sentence of its kind in New Zealand - by Justice Cameron Mander after an unprecedented four-day hearing in the High Court at Christchurch in August.
Saturday's message read: "Islam is right about women."
A man posted video of himself outside the mosque near the scrawled words, claiming responsibility for it.
"Let's see what the public outcry is, should be fun," the alleged writer said.
In the video he points the message out to another member of the public who tries to rub it out with his foot.
"Oh look, he's going to wipe it off … good on you mate," the man in the video continued.
"I don't have a problem with Muslims - by the way.
"What I do have a problem with is our freedom of speech being taken away."
Police investigated the incident.
This afternoon, Canterbury District Commander Superintendent John Price said officers had found and spoken to a 36-year-old Christchurch man "in relation to a number of chalk messages written on footpaths throughout Christchurch including Al Noor Mosque, Linwood Mosque and several police stations".
"We appreciate this behaviour has drawn much attention and we want to thank the public for letting us know about it," Price said.
"We also want to use this opportunity to remind the public that if you see any behaviour that causes concern, to contact police."
The man is due to appear at Christchurch District Court today on unrelated matters.
The Herald has chosen not to publish his Twitter name or the footage.
Al Noor Mosque imam Gamal Fouda also responded to the incident.
"The freedom of speech is one of the priorities for any community in New Zealand, however, hate speech and hate crimes can't be tolerated by any New Zealander," he said.
"No one should be discriminated against because of his ethnicity, gender, or faith.
"This is not our culture in NZ."
Fouda said addressing the issue of institutional racism in New Zealand "is not the duty of the Muslim community only".
"As we are not the only community who has been systematically suffering from it," he said.
"Many people including even Māori and others suffered from it for decades."
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