Dr. Carmen Celestini

I spoke to the host of the Big Story Podcast, Cormac Mac Sweeney, about the recent conviction of convoy leader, Pat King, the far-right in Canada, and what impact the Trump Presidency could have on Canada.

King’s live feeds from the convoy played a significant role in his conviction, but the remaining convoy leaders who are charged had very different online activities during the campaign. How will King’s conviction impact their upcoming trials? The far right in Canada have been emboldened by the Convoys, the shift the right of the Canadian electorate (based on recent polls for the 2025 federal election), and the election of Trump in the US. What could potentially happen if Trump fulfills his campaign promises with Christian nationalism, deportations, detention camps, and limiting of the rights of LGBTQ2SA individuals, and will it affect the political climate here? The full episode with more commentary can be found on The Big Story Podcast site.

Seaborn Larson wrote a long form piece for the Missoulian newspaper about their engagement with a cell in Montana. My earlier work printed in the Critical Theology Journal was included in the piece.

I was interviewed by David Rider for the Toronto Star to discuss the conspiracy theories linked to the urban planning theory of creating livable cities, where residents can access everything they need within 15 minutes of their home. Conspiracy theories link this to the Great Reset and the social credit system, to enslave populations and bring in a new world order.

On election day, November 5, 2024 voters encountered instances of bomb threats, fake FBI videos claiming potential terrorism at voting locations, fake instances of ballot cheating, and accusations of elected officials stating that the transfer of power would not occur. Were the institutions successful in countering these threats and claims, or did disinformation have an impact?

This morning I was on CBC Radio – Windsor live to discuss the ongoing court case of Seth Bertrand. He has been charged with terrorism for attempting to join the Atomwaffen Division (AWD), a listed terrorist organization in Canada. The AWD was an accelerationist neo-Nazi group that began on the now defunct Iron March forum. They are known for wanting to cause chaos by dismantling society through violence and then taking over the government to establish a white ethnostate dictatorship.

I was interviewed by XTRA! about the home school movement in Canada, and its links to Christian Nationalism and the “Groomer” moral panic. Is this a new frontier for attacking the educational system in Canada? Christian nationalists in Canada have been pushing to remove children from schools in response to sex education and SOGI in schools. The fear of indoctrination of students, often preyed upon by populist politicians globally, is also building in nationalistic movements using tropes of religious persecution and fear mongering.

Professor Timothy Caulfield and myself answered calls from across Canada about conspiracy theories, moral panics, and dis/misinformation on CBC National Radio’s Just Asking. It was a great conversation!

Myself and other scholars spoke to Christopher Cheung at the Tyee, about the populist messages and dog whistles in Pierre Poilievre’s social media posts. Many of the posts are videos that while seemingly banal, actually speak to those on the far-right, and those who are conspiracy driven. The mediate racism included by his followers in their responses to the posts, are primarily ignored.