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Lauren Southern
Southern in 2016
Born	(1995-06-16) 16 June 1995 (age 29) Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Alma mater	University of the Fraser Valley (did not graduate)
Occupation(s)	Political activist, internet personality
Political party	Libertarian
Website	laurensouthern.net

Lauren Southern
YouTube information
Subscribers	711,000 (March 2024)
Creator Awards 100,000 subscribers 2016

Lauren Cherie Southern (born 16 June 1995) is a Canadian far-right political activist, Internet personality, and journalist associated with the alt-right. In 2015, Southern ran as a Libertarian Party candidate in the Canadian federal election. She worked for The Rebel Media until March 2017. In addition, she has written for Spiked, the International Business Times, and The Libertarian Republic. Southern continues to work independently and publishes videos on YouTube.

In 2017, Southern supported the white identitarian group Defend Europe opposing the action of non-governmental organizations involved in search-and-rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea. She was detained by the Italian Coast Guard for blocking a ship embarking on a search-and-rescue mission. In March 2018, Lauren Southern was also detained while trying to enter the United Kingdom and officially banned from entering the country. A spokesperson for the British Home Office said that "her presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good". In July 2018, her Australian visa was declined.

Education and personal life

Southern was born in Surrey, British Columbia. She studied political science at the University of the Fraser Valley but completed only two years and did not receive a degree.

Political career

In 2015, Southern was a candidate in the 2015 Canadian federal election representing the Libertarian Party in the district of Langley—Aldergrove. She was briefly removed by the party as a candidate, but was eventually reinstated with support from Breitbart News and The Rebel Media. The election was eventually won by Conservative candidate Mark Warawa. Southern finished last, having received 535 votes, or 0.9% of the total.

Activism

In June 2015 while reporting on the Vancouver SlutWalk for Rebel Media, Southern's cameraman was shoved and Southern's protest sign stating "There Is No Rape Culture In The West" was torn up.

In March 2016, a protester in Vancouver poured a container of urine over Southern's head while she was engaging with LGBTQ protesters at a rally in Vancouver, arguing that there were "only two genders".

Southern was mistakenly suspended from Facebook, having criticized the site for banning several conservative commentators. She later received an email apology from Facebook saying the suspension was an "error".

In October 2016, Southern had her gender legally changed to male as part of a video produced for Rebel Media to show the ease of Ontario's new gender ID laws.

In 2016, Southern authored and self-published Barbarians: How Baby Boomers, Immigrants, and Islam Screwed My Generation.

In January 2017, Southern posted incorrect rumours from 4chan that the Quebec City mosque shooting had been carried out by Syrian refugees; she later deleted those tweets. In March 2017, Southern announced she would be leaving Rebel Media to become an independent journalist. In the same month, she gained access to White House press briefings.

In April 2017, Southern was one of several scheduled speakers at a Patriots' Day rally in Berkeley, California. The rally led to a riot between pro-Trump demonstrators and anti-Trump counter-protesters.

Support for the targeting of NGO ships

In May 2017, Southern took part in an attempt organized by the identitarian group Génération identitare to block the passage of an NGO ship, the Aquarius (co-owned by SOS Mediterranée and Doctors without Borders), which was leaving Sicily to start a search-and-rescue mission for ship-wrecked migrants off the shores of Northern Africa. Claiming that the goal of the activists "was to stop an empty boat from going down to Libya and filling up with illegal migrants", Southern was briefly detained by the Italian Coast Guard. NGO ships often rescue migrants and refugees, who disembark from Libyan shores on unsafe makeshift rafts, and bring them to Sicily. With regard to her actions, Southern stated that "if the politicians won't stop the boats, we'll stop the boats."

Southern supported similar actions by identitarian group Defend Europe, which chartered a vessel in order to track and stop what it called collusion between NGOs and human traffickers. The group has been accused of intending to obstruct the rescue of migrants and refugees in distress at sea. In July 2017, Southern revealed that Patreon had deleted her account out of concerns about her "raising funds in order to take part in activities that are likely to cause loss of life". Southern denied these allegations, stating that Defend Europe's actions were likely to save lives and that none of her funding went towards the group.

United Kingdom-related events

In February 2018, Southern, along with Brittany Pettibone and Caolan Robertson, distributed flyers in the English town of Luton that said, "Allah is a Gay God".

In March 2018, Southern, Pettibone, and Pettibone's boyfriend, Martin Sellner, were all denied entry to the United Kingdom. Southern was also questioned under the Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Her denial of entry was on the same grounds as Pettibone and Sellner. A representative from the British Home Office stated, "Border Force has the power to refuse entry to an individual if it is considered that his or her presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good."

2018 attempted New Zealand tour

In 2018, Southern and Canadian podcaster and YouTuber Stefan Molyneux had planned to speak at the Bruce Mason Centre in Auckland's North Shore in early August as part of a tour organized by David Pellowe of Axiomatic Events. However, the tour was cancelled after the Mayor of Auckland Phil Goff announced that the Auckland Council would not allow any of its premises including the Bruce Mason Centre to be used to stir up "ethnic or religious tensions" and "divisive views". While Pellowe and human rights lawyer Craig Tuck criticized Mayor Goff's decision as a violation of free speech, the cancellation of Southern and Molyneux's tour was welcomed by the Auckland Peace Action activist group and the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand. In response, Southern denied assertions that her views were "hate speech" and claimed that New Zealand had been infected by the "bug of progessivism".

Views

Southern has been internationally described as alt-right, far right, and right-wing.

Southern has advocated against European countries accepting refugees or other migrants from Africa and Asia. Southern has promoted Renaud Camus's "great replacement" theory that immigration would lead to white genocide. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has described Southern's YouTube videos as anti-feminist, xenophobic, Islamophobic, and borderline white nationalist.

As of January 2018, Southern was producing a documentary called Farmlands about post-Apartheid farm violence in South Africa. The tagline for the documentary's trailer, "Crisis. Oppression. Genocide?" reflected a broader white nationalist campaign against perceived racially motivated violence against white farmers.

Notes

1. ^ Sources describing her as "far-right" include:
   • Gordon, Graeme (27 July 2017). "Why Lauren Southern Got Banned From Patreon". Canadaland. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
   • Baidawi, Adam (3 April 2018). "South Africa Says Australia Retracted Claim of 'Persecuted' White Farmers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
   • "Canadian far-right activist Lauren Southern barred from Britain for anti-Muslim views". National Post. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
   • Oppenheim, Maya (13 March 2018). "Far-right Canadian activist detained in Calais and banned from entering UK". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
   • Maxwell, Tani. "'There's no one for right-wingers to pick a fight with': The far right is struggling to sustain interest in its social media platforms". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
2. Sources describing her as "alt-right" include:
   • Mortimer, Caroline (20 July 2017). "Far-right activists stopped as they try to block refugee rescue in the Mediterranean". The Independent. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
   • "A European alt-right group wants to take to the sea to stop rescuers from saving migrants". vox.com. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
   • "Lauren Southern is the alt-right's not-so-secret weapon". Archived from the original on 16 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
   • Porter, Tom (12 March 2018). "A U.S. alt-right media personality was among a group of activists denied entry to the U.K." Newsweek. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
3. Sources describing her as "right wing" include:
   • Shaw, Adam (12 March 2018). "Right-wing journalist Lauren Southern denied entry to UK, purportedly over criticism of Islam". Fox News. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
   • Hosenball, Mark (12 March 2018). "British authorities ban three foreign right-wing activists". Reuters. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
   • Farrell, Jeff (14 August 2017). "Anti-immigrant ship trying to block refugees from crossing Mediterranean has funding cancelled". The Independent. Retrieved 9 May 2018.

References

1. De Lorenzo, Giuseppe (19 May 2017). "Lauren Southern, l'attivista che combatte islam, immigrazione e Ong" [Lauren Southern, the activist who fights Islam, immigration, and NGOs]. Il Giornale (in Italian). Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
2. Warren, Rossalyn (28 July 2017). "Europe's far-right pirates of the Mediterranean are targeting refugee rescue missions". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
3. Lauren Southern (16 June 2017). "It's my birthday so the only thing I want to see in my notifications today are pictures of your pets or anime versions of politicians. TY" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 27 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017 – via Twitter.
4. "Explained: Alt-right, alt-light and militias in the US". Al Jazeera. 12 October 2017. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
5. Shaw, Adam (12 March 2018). "Right-wing journalist Lauren Southern denied entry to UK, purportedly over criticism of Islam". Archived from the original on 14 March 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
6. • Wildman, Sarah. "A European alt-right group wants to take to the sea to stop rescuers from saving migrants". Vox. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
   • Khandakar, Tamara. "Lauren Southern is the alt-right's not-so-secret weapon". Archived from the original on 16 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
   • "Alt-right activist Lauren Southern's visa rejected on eve of Australian tour". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). 9 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
   • Warren, James (7 December 2017). "How women of the alt-right are attacked viciously — by the men of the alt-right". Poynter. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
7. "Lauren Southern - author archive - spiked". www.spiked-online.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
8. "Lauren Southern -- Archives". Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
9. ^ Claxton, Matthew (17 May 2017). "Former Langley Libertarian candidate detained in Italy". The Abbotsford News. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
10. ^ Oppenheim, Maya (13 March 2017). "Lauren Southern: Far-right Canadian activist detained in Calais and banned from entering UK". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018. Ms Southern, who supported a seaborne mission seeking to hamper the rescue of refugees, claimed British authorities had told her she was 'officially banned from UK for racism' after being detained. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
11. "Lauren Southern told to reapply for Australian visa". NewsComAu. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
12. "Lauren Southern". Libertarian.ca. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
13. "Lauren Southern is the alt-right's not-so-secret weapon". Archived from the original on 16 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
14. ^ Kabas, Marisa (15 June 2015). "Meet the Canadian college student who's about to be the next enemy of the feminist movement". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 28 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
15. Claxton, Matthew. "Langley post-secondary student runs as Libertarian". Langley Advance. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
16. Claxton, Matthew (17 May 2017). "Former Langley Libertarian candidate detained in Italy - Abbotsford News". Abbotsford News. Archived from the original on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
17. "Official Voting Results | British Columbia, Langley—Aldergrove | Forty-second General Election, 2015". www.elections.ca. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
18. Lachenal, Jessica (9 March 2016). "Internet Jerks Pledge to Make Internet Even Worse in #TheTriggering". TheMarySue. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
19. Jean-François Cloutier: Lauren Southern troll la SlutWalk Archived 1 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine (in French). In: TVQC, 14 June 2015.
20. Raptis, Mike (7 March 2016). "Activist accused of pouring bottle of urine on Rebel reporter during 'anti-fascist' rally in Vancouver". National Post. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
21. Mike Raptis: Activist pours urine In: Toronto Sun, 2016/03/07
22. Christian, Natasha (8 March 2016). "Protester pours urine on journalist for 'hateful' comments". Yahoo7. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
23. Trump supporter BLOCKED by Facebook for complaining about site's censorship of right-wing activists Archived 3 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine
24. Taranto, James (23 May 2016). "The Troll Booth". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
25. Southern, Lauren (3 October 2016). "Lauren Southern Becomes a Man!". The Rebel Media. Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
26. Tamara Wernli: Total durchgeknallt Archived 25 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine (in German). In: Basler Zeitung, 1 December 2016.
27. Southern, Lauren (21 December 2016). "Barbarians: How Baby Boomers, Immigrants, and Islam Screwed My Generation". CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1541136946. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
28. Hutchins, Aaron (30 January 2017). "Twitter, the mosque shooting, fake news and bias". Maclean's. Archived from the original on 21 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
29. Lauren Southern (9 March 2017). "Going Independent". YouTube. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
30. Cristina López G.: Meet Lauren Southern Archived 8 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine. In: Media Matters for America, 14 March 2017.
31. Sam Kestenbaum: Trump's White House Archived 28 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine. In: The Forward, 2017/03/15.
32. Robb, Amanda (26 April 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: The Canadian extremists inside the Berkeley violence". National Observer. Observer Media Group. Archived from the original on 18 June 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2018. On April 15, American activists, many of whom support closed U.S. borders, held a "Patriots Day" rally in Berkeley, California. One of the marquee speakers was Lauren Southern, a Canadian. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |website= (help); Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
33. "Clashes Break Out at Opposing Rallies in Berkeley". NBC Bay Area. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
34. Matthew Claxton: Former Langley Libertarian candidate detained in Italy Archived 17 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine. In: Abbotsford News 2017/05/17.
35. Claudio Cartaldo: Migranti, blitz contro l'Ong Archived 7 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian). In: il Giornale, 13 May 2017.
36. Lauren Southern (21 July 2017). "PATREON BANNED MY ACCOUNT??". YouTube. Archived from the original on 23 July 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
37. Gordon, Graeme (27 July 2017). "Why Lauren Southern Got Banned From Patreon". Canadaland. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
38. ^ "Why 3 anti-Islam activists were refused entry to the UK". BBC News. 14 March 2018. Archived from the original on 18 March 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
39. Oppenheim, Maya (18 March 2018). "Lutz Bachmann: Founder of far-right anti-Islam group Pegida barred from entry to UK and deported". Independent. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
40. Hosenball, Mark (12 March 2018). "British authorities ban three foreign right-wing activists". Reuters. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
41. Hatton, Emma (6 July 2018). "Far-right pair banned from speaking at Auckland Council venues - Phil Goff". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
42. "Mayor bans controversial Canadian pair from talking in Auckland Council venues". New Zealand Herald. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
43. Williams, Thomas Chatterton (27 November 2017). "The French Origins of "You Will Not Replace Us"". The New Yorker.
44. Kelley, Brendan Joel (7 November 2017). "Lauren Southern: The alt-right's Canadian dog whistler". Hatewatch. Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
45. Shaw, Adam (12 March 2018). "Right-wing journalist Lauren Southern denied entry to UK, purportedly over criticism of Islam". Fox News. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
46. Baidawi, Adam (3 April 2018). "South Africa Says Australia Retracted Claim of 'Persecuted' White Farmers". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 May 2018.

External links

• Lauren Southern at IMDb
• laurensouthern.net
• FARMLANDS 2018 documentary about South African race-based land redistribution violence.

• 1995 births
• Canadian anti-communists
• Canadian libertarians
• Canadian media personalities
• Canadian political writers
• Canadian social commentators
• Canadian women in federal politics
• Critics of multiculturalism
• Critics of Islam
• Female critics of feminism
• Libertarianism in Canada
• Libertarian Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons
• Living people
• People from Surrey, British Columbia
• Writers from British Columbia
• Far-right politics in Canada