On the first day of his murder trial in April 2012, Anders Breivik raised his fist in a white power salute, attacked the legitimacy of Norways courts and promoted the violent extremist conspiracy theories that led him to murder 77 people just months earlier, most of them teenagers at a summer camp. It was clear that he intended to use the courtroom as a stage.

The international focus on Breiviks terrorist attack meant that he had a large audience. Parts of the trial were televised. Reporters from around the world filled the Oslo courtroom and tweeted updates, sometimes repeating his groundless claims without context. During the closing statements, he gave a rambling 45-minute speech that was later celebrated and reprinted on white nationalist and neo-Nazi websites.

Brenton Tarrant, who is accused of killing 50 people and wounding dozens of others in last months anti-Muslim attack in New Zealand , also apparently wants to use the courtroom as his soapbox. He has already made white supremacist gestures in court and intends to represent himself; his manifesto cites Breivik as an inspiration. His next court hearing is set for Friday.

New Zealands justice system now faces the difficult question of how to properly try Tarrant and ensure that justice is served while grappling with an unprecedented national tragedy, global media attention and a defendant who appears set on derailing the proceedings.