Alex Jones thinks Pierre Poilievre is a global superstar for the far-right movement
Alex Jones is #TeamPoilievre
During an interview, Alex Jones identified Poilievre as one of the leaders of a "rising" global far-right movement that is challenging the "New World Order" - the conspiracy theory that the elite are pushing for an authoritarian globalist 'woke' agenda.
Jones crowned Canada's very own new Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre as a leader-to-watch of the new far-right global movement (along with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and new Italian President Georgia Meloni). For someone as infamous as Alex Jones to wholeheartedly endorse Poilievre is a major red flag.
The fact that an alt-right crusader is endorsing Poliviere is incredibly concerning. Let's unpack.
Wait, Who is Alex Jones?
Alex Jones is an infamous far-right conspiracy theorist who regularly promotes conspiracy theories as inarguable facts (disinformation) and hateful rhetoric through his website Infowars. Infowars reached approximately 3.34 million unique readers in February 2020 alone. This is the same guy who claimed that fluoride in the water is "turning the frogs gay," - so clearly, he's not a reliable news source.
You might recognize his name from news headlines: recently, Jones was taken to court by the parents of victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting because Jones said that Sandy Hook was a media stunt and that the school shooting never happened. He is now ordered to pay almost $1 billion in damages to victims he accused of being crisis actors.
Despite this actual fake news, Jones is wildly popular in far-right spaces and contributes to the radicalization of people who feel disenfranchised - including young white boys and men.
And remind us who Pierre Poilievre is again?
Pierre Poilievre was recently elected by members of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) to be party leader. He was a cabinet minister for Stephen Harper. He has been actively pandering to far-right ideologies, and in becoming CPC leader, he has united the far-right and center-right. He is often likened to Canada's Donald Trump.
A non-exhaustive list of what he has said/done:
"Canada's aboriginals need to learn the value of hard work more than they need compensation for abuse suffered in residential schools."
Hate speech should be legal;
Flip flops on abortion rights;
Wants to repeal the Carbon Tax
Pushes the antisemitic conspiracy theory that the World Economic Forum is taking over the world
His Youtube videos had hidden tags to lure in anti-women communities
Claims that rich people and poor people had the same pandemic experience (no societal inequities)
Pierre Poilievre has bridged the far-right with right-winged politics
The fact that Alex Jones endorsed Pierre should concern you. And the fact that Pierre Poilievre's response to Alex Jones praising him has been silence is also fucking concerning.
Poilievre has kept his real, personal views quiet while expertly capitalizing on a clear and meticulously crafted populist platform (see our #OCPDefines post on populism), which has been nothing short of political catnip for Conservatives.
Far-right/alt-right/right-wing extremism is rooted in white supremacy, and it has shifted into mainstream conservative political movements — meaning what we read as "conservative" in poli sci textbooks is inconsistent with how Conservative parties show up today.
What exactly is the far-right movement?
Far-right/alt-right beliefs are often anti-immigrant, anti-science, anti-racial diversity, pro "traditional" gender roles, etc.
Far-right beliefs are deeply rooted in white supremacy (not to say that the movement is comprised of only yt people — POC who haven't processed their internalized racism can also become indoctrinated in far-right ideologies).
One of their core beliefs is that “white identity” is under attack by multicultural forces using “political correctness” and “social justice” to undermine white people and “their” civilization. They reject history, evidence and facts that do not align with their beliefs.
Globally, we've been seeing the rise of far-right ideologies fuse into mainstream politics and mainstream conservatism and overtake what we have traditionally thought to be conservative values.
You don't wake up and choose to be Marjorie Taylor Green. Alt-Right recruitment mostly happens through slow exposure to increasingly radical rhetoric and figures, luring folks through coded language, populism, and a sense of belonging. And while there are people who benefit directly from the far-right movement, the vast majority of people being lured in are inadvertently aligning with beliefs that work against them and their own interests (see our posts on Andrew Tate, populism, and the radicalization of young white boys (or check out NYT's podcast Rabbit Hole).
Many of us see this problem, but the Left and progressive communities continue failing to get our shit together. We're out here playing checkers while the far-right (alt-right, right-wing extremism - different names of the same violence) has been playing Queens Gambit-level chess.
The far right is an organized, insidious, coordinated, and well-funded movement. Some of it is visible, but a lot of it is hidden, which makes it all the more harder to stop.
Far-right Extremism is alive in Canada - so what do we do about it?
If we want to fight against this dangerous movement, the participation of people who value and center human rights in our democracy is a necessity now more than ever.
18% of eligible Ontario voters handed Doug Ford a majority government, which means a loud minority can and will show up and put leaders who very likely don't align with your beliefs into office - and they're counting on you not voting. This is especially concerning when you consider the spread of far-right beliefs, fascism and overt white supremacy across our country and world.
And when voting, we need to consider not only who will show up for the issues we are personally impacted by but also who will show up for the issues we, as a collective community, know needs to be prioritized.
-
Dear White People*:
To be clear, any of us that are not ultra-wealthy (with a capital $$$) will be impacted by the far right - including the vast majority of white people.
Let’s take abortion access in America as an example. Even though Roe v. Wade existed for ~30 years - BIPOC and low-income folk faced systemic barriers to accessing abortions. These communities kept calling for better laws and regulations around reproductive healthcare.
Still, because the majority of people in America (wealthy people and white folk) didn’t face these same systemic inequities - they were not addressed or prioritized.
Had they been addressed, it would have been much harder to overturn Roe v. Wade.
America settled/was content/celebrated that some people had access instead of ensuring everyone could access abortions.
This year, through long-game right-winged organizing for~30 years, Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Now, in several states, it’s not just BIPOC who cannot access abortions - it’s everyone that isn’t wealthy in that state.
They know most of us won’t care about other people if “me and mine” are taken care of.
The thing is anyone who isn’t the ultra-rich white cis-het-man (or close to that privilege) will be fucked if the far-right is successful - including the vast majority of everyday white people.
This is why it is critical we show up for marginalized communities - one because it is the right thing to do, but two - because the systemic gaps that cause these communities of people to be marginalized and systemically oppressed can and likely will be widened by the far right so that more and more of us fall through that gap.
*Non-Black, Non-Indigenous people of colour and/or anyone else who thinks the far right “isn’t their problem” — babes, they are.
We are the change that we seek
Are you someone who believes in systemic inequities stemming from colonization and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade? Do you believe in science and the climate emergency? Do you think Trans Lives Matter? Black Lives Matter? That Antisemitism is unacceptable? That telling a woman what she can and cannot do with her body is wrong? Do you believe that people's basic needs should be met? Do you think Love is Love? Do you believe in human rights? Do you think Canada needs to meaningful participate in Truth and Reconciliation?
Then you are part of the answer to stopping far-right rhetoric. Your meaningful participation in our country - by voting, engaging in politics, supporting organizations and having conversations with loved ones - is critical now more than ever. Many of us have enough privilege that we opt out or are silent in these convos because we aren't impacted as much on a daily basis. But that privilege that has let us shy away from important discourses is a big part of how the far-right is spreading as fast and far as it is right now.
We are the ones we've been waiting for, We are the change that we seek.
On Unsubscribing from “Neutrality”
And in order to be the change we seek, we cannot be 'neutral' in the face of injustice. You cannot be neutral in the face of injustice.
People often criticize our content for being "biased." The thing is, all media sources have a bias. We are proud and intentional about ours, and you can read more about it in our highlight On Neutrality.
We are very committed to bringing credible and evidence informed information. We also bring critical insight and context to these issues, to help invite people into discussions. But we do not believe in being neutral because the stuff we discuss at the On Canada Project relates to human rights and systemic oppression. We cannot be "neutral" when talking about these issues because:
"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."
-Desmond Tutu
