In the aftermath of the Christchurch terror attack, a re-imagined version of a famous New Zealand Silver Fern symbol has gone viral, as artists raced to pay tribute to the Muslim victims and show support to the community.
“I was thinking of the silver fern and thinking the pinnae (the individual bits coming off the stem) looked like figures, a similar number to the number of victims,” Pat Campbell, who drew the cartoon for the Canberra Times, told BuzzFeed News.
He then decided to draw the fern but with the silhouettes of people praying, he said.
He drew 49 figures, the same number as the initial death toll. Later on, he added another one when another victim passed away.
“There were a lot of silhouettes to draw,” Campbell said.
“They just kept coming. It brought home to me the death toll and the destruction one man can do with the right weapons.”
When this image was drawn on Saturday morning, the death toll was 49. Since then it has risen to 50 so I have added another figure. Below is a link to a hi-rez version for those wanting to use the image for themselves or nonprofit fundraising for victimshttps://t.co/dzEsjUNTNZ pic.twitter.com/LSqFt68NMG
— Pat Campbell (@patcartoons) March 19, 2019
Campbell said that the responses to the image have been positive but sad.
“I did the image, I guess, for myself, but it has resonated with others as well. I’m glad if the image brings comfort or poignancy to people,” he said.
“For me, it was about people doing their own thing, not harming anyone,” he said. “The fern is about people coming together, as one. The fern tied to New Zealand, and they weren’t just Muslims, they were New Zealanders.”
Meanwhile, Wellington artist Ruby Jones drew an image of two women embracing, captioned with the words: “This is your home and you should have been safe here.”
Auckland mural artist Paul Walsh also unveiled a painting which features the image of Naeem Rashid, who attempted to stop the shooter in the attack.
Outpour of Love & Support for New Zealand Muslims after Massacre