Dr. Carmen Celestini

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.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has been making appeals to Christians across Canada, and this is not a new approach in the conservative realm in Canada. Yet, there are those Christians who are not as welcoming to his approach to the ethnic churches and communities. I spoke with The Tyee about Christianity, politics, and Christian Nationalism and it’s influence in Canada.

I had the opportunity to discuss politicians’ responses when confronted with questions about conspiracy theories. In the discussion with the Blue Sky talk show on CBC Saskatchewan about conspiracies, why they take hold, the swing to right wing governments, and the implications to marginalized communities when politicians entertain conspiracies as a political platform.

Pastor Artur Pawlowski is the keynote speaker at a Prayer Breakfast in Ohio and people are questioning if this is good for the community. A reporter contacted me to find out more about this Canadian Pastor and his link to a transnational Christian Nationalism movement in North America.

Through a forfeiture sale the Canadian government is selling copies of Alex Jones’ book on the Great Reset. David Fraser from the CBC news spoke to me about this sale and my thoughts about it. I honestly, found it odd considering the Prime Minister is the crux of the Great Reset conspiracy for many Canadian conspiracists, but there are also issues of censorship if the government had chosen not to sell the items.