Anna Slatz is a Canadian journalist[1] and gender-critical activist.[2][3] She is the co-founder and editor of the gender-critical website Reduxx[4] and was previously affiliated with far-right website Rebel News. Slatz served as editor of student newspaper The Baron until she was fired following the publication of an opinion piece by and an interview with the leader of a neo-Nazi group, which led to a wave of resignations.[5]
Anna Slatz | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | University of New Brunswick |
| Years active | 2018–present |
Career
editSlatz served as the editor-in-chief of The Baron, a student newspaper from the University of New Brunswick Saint John campus (UNBSJ). In 2018, Slatz published through the newspaper an op-ed written by and an uncritical interview with neo-Nazi and self-proclaimed president of the National Socialist Canadian Labour Revival Party (NSCLRP) Michael Thurlow, containing offensive and false tropes about Indigenous peoples and residential schools. Following criticism directed towards the newspaper, Slatz defended the publication on the principle of free speech, arguing that no opinion should be censored regardless of how controversial it may be.[5][6] She was later fired from The Baron and the publication's board of directors published an apology for the incident.[6][7][8][9]
In 2020, Slatz was affiliated with Canadian far-right website Rebel News,[10][11][12] later co-founding her own publication, Reduxx. After an article by Reduxx was shared by author J. K. Rowling, The Washington Post's gender columnist Monica Hesse wrote of Reduxx, "what kind of 'feminist news' site has zero articles on fair pay or reproductive rights, and only articles about transgender people who have allegedly committed crimes?"[13] The Southern Poverty Law Center called the Reduxx "nothing but rabid transphobia," and argued that "like many white nationalist websites that list endless pages of 'Black crime' meant to suggest that Black people are inherently prone to criminality, Reduxx is an endless scroll of alleged trans sex offenders and pedophiles."[14] Ayaan Hirsi Ali has called the site "a ground-breaking publication and database which keeps track of the exploding cases of men invading women’s spaces and exhibiting paraphilic behavior."[15]
In June 2020, Slatz traveled to New York on behalf of Rebel News to cover the Manhattan protests related to the killing of George Floyd, where she was arrested under suspicion of having violated a curfew. She faced multiple charges including disorderly conduct, and spent two days in custody. The Committee to Protect Journalists demanded her release, stating: "We call on New York authorities to quickly release Anna Slatz without charges. It is unacceptable to arrest journalists who are doing their jobs and reporting on matters of public interest, including protests."[1] The charges against Slatz were later dismissed at the request of the Manhattan District Attorney's office.[2][16]
Following the publication of a video showing anti-transgender activist Chris Elston following a woman in the street and asking her about "gender ideology", Slatz criticized Elston's actions, stating they were not "activism" but "theater".[3] In 2023, Slatz responded to a video produced by ThePrint in which Indian men stated that women who dress provocatively are "inviting" rape, saying "I can't think of a single valid reason for any woman to visit India".[17]
References
edit- ^ a b Beiser, Elana (2020-06-03). "Canadian journalist Anna Slatz arrested in New York City, still in custody". Committee to Protect Journalists. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ a b "Weinstock Defends Canadian Reporter Jailed in NYC". Great Neck, NY Patch. 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ a b Holmes, Juwan J. (2021-03-16). "J.K. Rowling superfan films himself stalking woman for blocks demanding she explain "gender ideology"". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ Bye, Clarissa (2023). "Sydney transwoman soccer player 'misgendered': warning from e-Safety cyber watchdog". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ a b Daro, Ishmael N. (2018-01-29). "This Student Newspaper Let A Nazi Sympathizer Write For Them". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ a b Blackmore, Olivia (2018-01-31). "New Brunswick Student Paper Laughs Off Critics Of Nazi Op-Ed". Canadaland. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ Scheitel, Leah (2018-02-05). "OP-ED: UNB Student Newspaper's Big Whoopsie". Capilano Courier. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ "Editor of student newspaper out after publishing controversial articles". Global News. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ Bissett, Kevin (2018-02-01). "Editor of student newspaper out after publishing controversial articles". CTVNews. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ "Save Anna Slatz". Rebel News.
- ^ Warnica, Richard (19 August 2017). "Rebel without applause: How Ezra Levant built an extreme media juggernaut — and watched it all begin to unravel". National Post. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ^ Whyte, Lara (28 September 2019). "The women flying the flag for Generation Identity and far-right politics". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
The Rebel Media has more than one million subscribers on YouTube, and is often described as the home of an anti-Muslim ideology it calls "counter-jihad".
- ^ Hesse, Monica. "Listening to 'The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling' is exhausting work". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ Cassie Miller (April 18, 2023). "Male Supremacy Is at the Core of the Hard Right's Agenda". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ Ayaan Hirsi Ali (June 4, 2024). "Misogyny on the Left - Restoration, with Ayaan Hirsi Ali". Restoration on Substack. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ "Journalist released after waiting two nights in custody for arraignment". U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ Sohal, Balraj (2023-09-23). "Indian Men blame Women for Rape in Shocking Interview". DESIblitz. Retrieved 2023-11-02.