On Friday, RNZ broadcast an interview, below, with security analyst Paul Buchanan and described him as an expert.
RNZ’s headline refers to some “anti-mask movement”; however, Dr Buchanan has deduced, despite admitting, “I don’t have perfect proof of this,” that this week’s bomb-threat phone calls to schools, this “violent extremism”, can only have come from the “antivax movement”. Because who else would target schools, he asks, who else “would try to intimidate children on a regular basis in order to score political points?”
Note: Dr Buchanan believes the “antivax movement” has morphed to now include anyone who is anti-Government. Oh, and they’re “supported and funded by foreign sources”.
He says he has based his deduction on the fact that the NZ Intelligence Community has issued warnings that “the most likely origin of an act of violent extremism will come from the antivax movement”. Ergo, this horrible threat must be them, then.
Why did RNZ air this? At best, it is an unsupported opinion piece. At worst, it’s a deliberate attempt to create further division, fear, anger and blame towards anyone not wearing a mask or declining the Government-recommended vaccine/boosters for whatever personal reason. And, if you criticise this Government, you might now be in the “antivax movement”, too.
Regardless, it’s most certainly disinformation.
Shame on RNZ for giving this wholly unsupported, ‘expert’ opinion airtime.
