The tattoos on the chest of a prominent participant in last week’s Capitol invasion and riot are Norse symbols now used to indicate adherence to far-right politics, writes an expert in Old Norse mythology. The defining image of the storming of the US Capitol on January 6 was undoubtedly that of a bare-chested man posing … Read more
A new social media platform that keeps censorship to a bare minimum has taken off in the wake of Donald Trump’s election loss. So what is this thing? You’ve quite possibly never heard of Parler, the new app taking the free speech world by storm. But in the United States it’s top of the app … Read more
The controversy over the People of Colour exhibition at Mercy Pictures shows how alt-right ideas can thrive in irony-steeped artistic environments, writes Amal Samaha. On Saturday, a gallery show in Auckland ended. The exhibition featured rows upon rows of flags, each on a relatively uniform rectangular frame, set in neat rows. All apparently normal, except … Read more
With around 1 in 10 New Zealanders declaring themselves supporters of Donald Trump, a hypothetical Trump Party would be a shoo-in for parliament, writes Massey University’s Grant Duncan. The US presidential election may still be extremely close, but one thing is clear: those pundits and pollsters who predicted Trump was in no position to win … Read more
Summer reissue: Are we missing the rise of the far right? Marc Daalder speaks to the angry middle-aged men who want to see nationalism rise in New Zealand. This post was first published 2 February 2019. Hundreds of Kiwis have pledged to march today against an obscure UN migration pact today under the guise of … Read more
New Zealander Kristin Hall spent a year living in a rural Irish town that last month became the centre of an internet-stoked frenzy over refugees. Oughterard may be half a world away, she writes, but it could easily happen here. I was scrolling through Twitter the other day when I saw a tweet from renowned … Read more
While awaiting trial for the murder of 51 Muslims in Christchurch, the man responsible for the March 15 terror attack has been permitted to send a hate-filled letter to far-right sympathisers. Does Corrections really not understand the potential for serious harm, internationally, if they fail to do their job to highest standards, asks Anjum Rahman. … Read more
The old utopian ideal of an unmoderated free speech arena can’t survive this upswing in right wing violence, writes the co-author of a report calling for greater regulation of the internet. Like many people my age, I feel like I grew up both on and with the internet. There was an amazing sense of freedom … Read more
Fears are growing about the seemingly unstoppable descent into alt-right radicalisation many young men are falling into. A visiting expert says it doesn’t have to be like that, reports Sophie Bateman. Since the Christchurch mosque attacks, a number of urgent changes have been made in New Zealand: semi-automatic weapons have been banned, media guidelines for … Read more
Cantabrians have shown great compassion and generosity to Muslim and migrant communities following the terrorist attacks. But properly healing the wounds of March 15 also requires facing up to the city’s racist history, writes Dr Rawiri Taonui Content warning: this post includes offensive images and descriptions of violence and racist language. Following the terrorist attacks … Read more
Despite unequivocal statements from French authorities that they believe the Notre Dame fire was accidental, far-right personalities are claiming it was arson. Marc Daalder explains why. It didn’t take long. Within hours of the news breaking of a devastating fire at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, far-right leaders were leaping on it, using dog … Read more
A former leader of NZ’s far right communities says groups have closed up shop, but we must interrogate their claims and listen to the voices they try to speak over. Kate Hannah writes for RNZ. “The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the … Read more
Not for the first time, the bleakest corners of the internet have apparently spawned real world tragedy. What is 4chan, and how does it foment so much hate? Even as the nation was plunged into a whirlwind of shock, horror and grief, there were plenty of online communities that had an opposite, chilling reaction – … Read more
Are we missing the rise of the far right? Marc Daalder speaks to the angry middle-aged men who want to see nationalism rise in New Zealand. Hundreds of Kiwis have pledged to march today against an obscure UN migration pact today under the guise of a brand-new organisation calling itself NZ Sovereignty. The central issue emphasised … Read more
In an attempt to understand the appeal of polarising Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, Madeleine Chapman spent a week in Peterson’s beef-filled shoes. First published on 6 December 2018. I took three shits during my week living as Jordan Peterson. That’s three fewer than is healthy and three more than I expected. I ate seven bowls … Read more
The former National leader and Hobson’s Pledge advocate has become a fresh lightning rod in the debate around free speech and ‘deplatforming’. We asked a range of people to give us their view on the decision. Massey University announced this morning that a planned address by Don Brash this week would not go ahead. In … Read more
Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux are in New Zealand to preach their alt-right message in Auckland. But should the media just ignore them, asks Hayden Donnell for The Spinoff TV. “Their visit has excited both racists and people who are racist adjacent,” says Hayden Donnell. But as the Canadian visitor appear to perversely use even … Read more
‘The Powerstation is a blank canvas,’ says owner after organisers reveal alt-right duo Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux will appear at beloved music venue in Auckland this evening. The owner and manager of Auckland live music venue The Powerstation has cancelled the appearance this evening of Stefan Molyneux and Lauren Southern. Peter Campbell initially defended … Read more
Detachment is a luxury only some enjoy. For women, non-whites or any of the subjects of Stefan Molyneux and Lauren Southern’s rants, looking the other way is rarely possible, writes Morgan Godfery White nationalism is, for the basement dwelling 4chaners, mouth breathing Redditors, and Youtube philosopher kings, nothing more than a desperate search for an … Read more
Phil Goff’s decision to ban two right wing Canadian provocateurs from Auckland council venues has a lot of us re-examining our views on hate speech, free speech and censorship. Danyl Mclauchlan sat down with Danyl Mclauchlan and Danyl Mclauchlan to debate the issue. Liberal Danyl: Okay, let’s try and think our way through the whole … Read more
‘The world is divided into two principles: order and chaos. Order is male and chaos is female.’ Danyl Mclauchlan investigates the strange philosophy of number one best-selling author and thinker Jordan B Peterson, author of 12 Rules for Life. Professor Jordan B Peterson is having a moment. I’d never heard of him – such is the … Read more
Christchurch’s Wunderbar in Lyttelton attracted fury today after a refugees advocate posted a photograph which seems to run counter to its ‘nice people only’ slogan. Henry Oliver called to ask what they were up to. Last night, Murdoch Stephens of Double the Quota, a refugee advocacy group, posted a photo of Wunderbar, a Lyttelton bar … Read more
He started life as a left-wing advocate for downtrodden workers; he ended it as a hero to proto-Nazis. William Ray looks at the life of Arthur Desmond, the New Zealand author of the book Might is Right. This is the latest episode of Black Sheep, a Radio NZ series about the shady, controversial and sometimes … Read more
In an interview with The Spinoff, Bill English said that he didn’t claim to be a feminist, because to do so amounted to ‘virtue signalling’. Former mayoral contender and current Greens candidate Chlöe Swarbrick says it is part of a wider problem Doom and gloom. The world’s getting hotter, relative inequality is rising, housing is … Read more