George Christensen has hit back at critics for appearing on an alt-right YouTube series – which later hosted far-right extremists including a former neo-Nazi and a Proud Boys leader – by declaring “you do not catch extremism”.
Nationals MP Mr Christensen last week appeared on an episode of WilmsFront, a YouTube series and podcast hosted by conservative website The Unshackled.
In his interview published on September 30, Mr Christensen asked host Tim Wilms “Are you a neo-Nazi?”, “Are you a racist?” and “Do you spread conspiracy theories?”, to which the interviewer replied “No”.
Earlier episodes of this Unshackled program have featured long interviews with prominent anti-lockdown activists who have incited large protests, as well as former United Patriots Front leader Blair Cottrell.
It comes after Australia’s domestic counter-terrorism agency ASIO warned the coronavirus pandemic has created more opportunity for right-wing extremists to recruit members through the internet.
Far-right violent extremism now accounts for up to 40 per cent of the agency’s caseload – up from 10 to 15 per cent before 2016, it was revealed during a parliamentary inquiry last month.
The day after Mr Christensen’s interview was published, Wilms hosted a two-hour interview on a related show called The Uncuckables.
The show’s five other guests included far-right agitator Neil Erikson, and a man named ‘Versace Cowboy’ who is identified as “leader of the Melbourne Chapter of the Proud Boys”.
Read the article by Josh Butler in The New Daily.