Media releases

• Misinformation, prolonged pandemic pose security threat in Canada: Brock experts

  Monday, January 11, 2021 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 11 January 2021 – R0003

  The spread of misinformation and a prolonged pandemic threatens Canadian security, warns a defence report released last week.

  Intensified distrust in government, resurgence of populist support and the manifestation of violent extremist organizations are three of the trends identified by the report, says Ibrahim Berrada, an instructor with Brock’s Centre for Canadian Studies and a former Parliament Hill staffer.

  The report, written in October by Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), was made public last week. DRDC is an agency of the Department of National Defence.

  The rising levels of extremism in the context of the COVID pandemic fits into a longer history, dating back to antiquity, of increasing social and political unrest during and in the aftermath of natural disasters, says Colin Rose, Assistant Professor with the Department of History.

  “We give up certain rights and freedoms to our governments and in exchange, they protect us from the unpredictable, respond to our needs and help us achieve our wants,” says Rose. “In the midst of a global pandemic, it becomes clearer that the state is unable to meet all these needs and provide these protections.”

  Governments are more vulnerable to criticism from extremist groups and people, whose politics might otherwise be moderate, are drawn to the promises given by the far right. Politics of isolation, “Canada first” rhetoric and racial supremacy serve as a rally point for the dissatisfied, he says.

  To counter this, institutions have to achieve lasting trust and legitimacy with the population, establish firm limits on the scope of acceptable politics and draw as many people as they can into the arena of legitimate politics. Leaders need to be seen to be acting in the best interest of ordinary Canadians and not creating a second set of rules for the elite.

  “Transparency and accountability create legitimacy; when our institutions lose that legitimacy, illegitimate politics take their place,” says Rose. “That’s exactly what we have seen happening in the U.S. for the past decade, and we see it happening here as well.”

  Rose says that providing an open timeline and schedule of COVID-19 vaccinations would allow people to see that institutions are acting, and there may be a solution to our current crisis within sight.

  The proliferation of misinformation on social media platforms poses a disturbing threat to Canadian peace and security, says Berrada

  “Radicalized right-wing populist movements are driven by misinformation, permitting the spread of ethnonationalism, xenophobia, racism, bigotry, misogyny and extremism,” he says. “Moreover, misinformation cultivates a level of distrust in our elected officials problematizing pandemic efforts.”

  Politicians must ensure the dissemination of reliable information, reinforce pandemic measures prioritizing the health of Canadians, and maintain the economy. A prolonged pandemic coupled with lockdown measures and restrictions further exacerbates an already demoralized and COVID-fatigued population.

  “Falsities regarding the dangers of the virus and the importance of the vaccine, the predominance of anti-vaxxer and anti-masker campaigns, and prolonged health measures combine to create the perfect storm for radicalization in Canada,” says Berrada.

  Social media permits the easy transmission of the rhetoric of American radicalized movements to extremist and anti-government organizations already entrenched in Canadian social and political institutes.

  “Disaffected individuals already frustrated by health measures, the precarity of income and the supposed coercion against their rights and freedoms are more susceptible to accepting conspiratorial theories posed by right-wing fringe groups,” says Berrada.

  Conspiracy theories encourage distrust in the government and promote a higher risk of violent, seditious, and anarchist behaviour. The circulation of misinformation requires immediate attention from government officials, defence intelligence, social media giants and public health officials, he says.

  Colin Rose, Assistant Professor with the Department of History, and Ibrahim Berrada, instructor in the Centre for Canadian Studies are available for media interviews.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases

• Removal of Trump may be best option forward: Brock experts

  Thursday, January 07, 2021 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 7 January 2021 – R0002

  How should America move forward and properly react to Wednesday’s occupation of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump?

  That’s the question being pondered by politicians, experts and observers around the world today.

  Brock University Associate Professor of Political Science Paul Hamilton says the events in Washington were either “the last gasp of the Trump era or the beginning of the descent of American politics into political violence and anti-democratic populism.”

  “So much will hinge on the response of Republican politicians and whether they will remain loyal to Trump or repudiate him and his politics,” says Hamilton. “There is talk of the 25th Amendment and of impeachment. A bipartisan coalition to unseat Trump would demonstrate the gravity of this moment and represent a unified statement of support for the rule of law and democracy.”

  Tami Friedman, Associate Professor of History at Brock, says what happened at the Capitol was as frightening as it appeared.

  “There have been political protests and even violence in the chambers before, but very rarely,” she says. “What we saw yesterday was extraordinary: a mob fighting its way past law enforcement and invading the building, with the goal of overthrowing a presidential election by blocking certification of legitimate election results. No one should minimize the gravity of what has occurred.”

  Friedman says Trump’s attempts to change the election results harken back to the end of the Civil War, when there was an intense struggle over granting citizenship rights to former enslaved African Americans.

  “What followed was Reconstruction (1865-1877), an experiment in interracial democracy in the southern states that had broken away from and gone to war against the United States,” she says. “That experiment was overthrown by white supremacist southerners who used every conceivable means — ballot fraud, intimidation, murder — to disenfranchise and terrorize former slaves and their allies and restore themselves to power. It is no accident that the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol yesterday were waving Confederate flags that celebrate slavery and white supremacy.”

  Associate Professor of Political Science Stefan Dolgert says the “insurrection of Jan. 6 was the predictable result of Trump’s escalating violation of the norms of representative democracy, aided by two decades of fictitious grievance-peddling in the right-wing media ecosystem.”

  “As a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S., I signed an open letter from American political scientists calling for the immediate removal of President Trump via the 25th Amendment, but I do not expect this will eliminate the danger to the U.S. and the world, even if successful,” says Dolgert, who is from California.

  “The coup failed, but this is the beginning rather than the end of the trouble. The coming years will see more overt violence, and probably at least one successful effort to overturn a legitimate democratic election. Canadian politicians need to plan for this eventuality and can no longer blithely assume that the U.S. is a stable democracy.”

  Ibrahim Berrada, a Brock instructor in Canadian Studies and former Parliament Hill staffer calls Thursday’s actions an “attack on democracy” spurred on by Trump.

  “Trumpian populism encourages right-wing radicalism incited by division and polarization and fueled by hate and anger,” says Berrada. “Donald Trump’s consistent barrage of conspiracy theories and radicalized unsubstantiated claims inspires rebellion among his supporters without rationalizing their potential actions or considering any impending consequences.”

  He says it’s important to understand that Canada is not immune to the sentiments instigated by Trump, and that the President’s actions will have long-lasting consequences on both sides of the border.

  “Canada has seen a steady rise of radicalized right-wing sentiments; albeit, these political sentiments have not always been prosperous in garnering widespread support,” Berrada says. “Right-wing populist moments are very much a part of Canada’s political landscape.

  “Misinformation, promotion of conspiracies and campaigns of mistruths are dangerous. We must remain wary of radical right-wing movements in the coming days, weeks and months,” he says.

  Associate Professors of Political Science Paul Hamilton and Stefan Dolgert, Associate Professor of History Tami Friedman and Canadian Studies instructor Ibrahim Berrada are available for media interviews.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca or 905-347-1970

  Categories: Media releases