5 May 2023

Violent transphobic rhetoric on rise online - report

From Morning Report, 7:36 am on 5 May 2023

A new report has found extreme far-right content is continuing to thrive in New Zealand.

The Disinformation Project report says in the wake of Posie Parker's anti-trans rallies, transphobia has become a new focus for conspiracy theorists over Covid-19 issues.

Since February 2020, the group has analysed increasing violent rhetoric online stemming from Covid-19 misinformation and disinformation.

Te Herenga Waka's School of Psychology Professor Marc Wilson has long been researching conspiracy theories, and says he's 'deeply scared' by the report's findings.

He spoke to Corin Dann.