Petitions calling for New Zealand prime minister to win Nobel Peace Prize gain over 20,000 signatures

More than 20,000 people have signed petitions calling for New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her response to a pair of mosque shootings that killed 50 people.

A change.org petition to the United Nations had gained more than 20,000 signatures as of Sunday morning. A French petition calling for the prime minister to win the prestigious annual award had nearly 3,000 signatures. 

“If a Nobel Prize for Peace could be given to a spontaneous statement for wisdom and courage, rather to a person, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern deserves it,” a message on the change.org petition reads. 

The statement goes on to praise Ardern for her advocacy on gun control legislation, adding that her “strong leadership after the shootings in Christchurch… could teach a thing or two to other world leaders who at times have come short when tragedy strikes.”

An Australian man is accused of opening fire at multiple mosques in New Zealand earlier this month, killing 50 people and injuring dozens more.

Ardern has been praised for how she has responded to the attacks, such as her call to never mention the shooter’s name. 

“He may have sought notoriety, but we in New Zealand will give him nothing, not even his name,” she said. 

Last Wednesday, Ardern announced that New Zealand would ban all military-style semi-automatic weapons and all assault rifles in the wake of the shootings. 

The ban took effect the same day as the announcement. 

“I believe what I have done has not been about leadership. All I have done is simply echoed the humanity of New Zealanders,” Ardern said at a  tent vigil in Auckland on Saturday, according to Axios.