Stands by controversial post

Photo: Facebook

Ken Finlayson — the People's Party of Canada candidate in Kamloops — is standing by a social media post that compares climate activist Greta Thunberg to Nazi propaganda from the 1940s.

The post was shared on the PPC Kamloops Thompson Cariboo Facebook page. It shows Thunberg next to a poster from the Hitler youth movement and a photo of Heinrich Himmler with a little blond girl. Underneath the original post, it simply reads "Manipulation....." The PPC post states "Useing [sic] Children for propaganda! How low can you go?"

Finlayson says he was the person who shared the post to the Facebook page and stands by the comparison.

"I pity Greta Thunberg. I think the exploitation of children, which I think this is a case of, is a Nazi tactic. And especially so with a child who's suffering from a disease," he said.

Thunberg is a Swedish teenager who's made international headlines since August 2018 for her climate change activism. She started, alone, sitting in front of the Swedish parliament buildings; more recently, she spoke at the United Nations General Assembly and at a US congressional hearing. Thunberg also has Asperger Syndrome. In a recent tweet that went viral, she spoke about how it can help her see things differently.

Finlayson, who doesn't believe in climate change (calling it a hoax and environmental activists alarmists), thinks Thunberg has an irrational fear of climate change because of her diagnosis and that she's being exploited.

"That's what the Nazis did with children," he says. "I think if you're exploiting vulnerable people to serve a political agenda, I think that's a fair comparison."

He says, instead, she should be "protected and pitied" because of her "affliction."

"It's a sad case of exploitation of a person who's already suffering."

Heidi Coleman, president of the Kamloops Jewish Community says the use of Nazi imagery is "insulting" and "scary."

"It's a juxtaposition that does not sit well with me and I'm sure others in the Jewish community as well."

Jeffrey Meyers, a law professor at Thompson Rivers University (TRU), with expertise in right-wing politics, says the use of the post and posts like it are "right out of the Alt-Right playbook."

"We cannot allow this type of toxic and nihilistic politics to gain a similar toehold in Canada. Suggesting that an embrace of young climate activist, Greta Thunberg, is equivalent to Nazi propaganda is beyond the pale," he says. "In fact, it's the PPC candidate’s post which most resembles Nazi propaganda. What better way to prove your own cruelty and small-mindedness than to post this ridiculous false equivalence?"