Man who wrote hate speech outside mosque spoken to by police

Police have spoken with a man who left a hate speech message written in chalk outside the Masjid An-Nur in Christchurch.

Stuffunderstands the words “Islam is Right about Women” were chalked outside the mosque on Deans Ave on Saturday.

Canterbury District Commander Superintendent John Price said on Tuesday officers had "located and spoken to" a 36-year-old man in relation to a number of chalk messages written on footpaths throughout Christchurch including Masjid An-Nur Mosque, the Linwood Islamic Centre 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.

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“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 appeared in the Christchurch District Court on Tuesday on unrelated matters.

Masjid An-Nur imam Gamal Fouda earlier said education was important when it came to preventing hate speech.

He wanted programmes taught in schools to educate young people about diversity and tolerance.

“New Zealand needs to do a lot more about hate and discrimination.”