Lauren Southern insults Melbourne, city fires back

THE far-right activist told a Brisbane audience she couldn’t find more than a “few hundred” good Melburnians. The city fired back.

AT the risk of giving Lauren Southern exactly what Lauren Southern wants, we bring you the latest provocative statement from the professional provocateur.

The Canadian, who recently whizzed around the country on a speaking tour she hoped would “shock” Australia, took to the stage in Brisbane last week where she did the usual schtick about immigration and white privilege and, well, you know the rest by now.

But then she attacked Melbourne and slandered its people. And that, Melburnians say, was a step too far.

This is what she said, in full:

“So far my trip in Australia has been absolutely lovely, wonderful country, wonderful people … And then there’s Melbourne.

“You know that old tale in the bible when Abraham is talking to god about Sodom and Gomorrah … He’s like begging with god and says ‘god, if I can find ten good people in Sodom and Gomorrah, please, do not nuke Melbourne.”

“We did find a few hundred good ones there — there is a silent majority I believe in Melbourne so we can’t nuke it yet guys I’m sorry.”

For background, Southern is making a living from her opinions, most of which can reasonably be described as right wing but have been labelled far-right by many.

The first leg on her Australian tour was met with protests from the left, including some from the extreme left, who rushed the stage and tried to disrupt proceedings.

She has an army of supporters in Melbourne who gravitate towards her for her position on subjects including gender, Islam and multiculturalism.

The joke was clearly made in jest, but it didn’t go down well with many. The following responses can be found online.

Lauren Southern sold out shows around the country. Picture: Jeremy Ng/AAP

— “Lauren Southern doesn’t like Melbourne much and I can tell her that the feeling is mutual.”

— “An alleged activist, Lauren Southern, has suggested that Melbourne, one of the world’s most liveable cities, should be nuked. Can she please go home. She’s an antagonist who revels in drawing attention to and making a spectacle of herself.”

— “I feel sorry for you. That you were unable to experience everything that a multicultural city like Melbourne has to offer. I’m sorry that you are a such a terrible representative of Canada and all the other wonderful people from that country.”

— “You’re only permitted to be an a*sehole if you’re a white bimbo apparently. When she talked to people in Melbourne she was trying elicit an angry response but no one knew who she was, hilarious.

— “We gave her a warm Melbourne welcome, what an ungrateful and petulant little mole.”

— “I’ve been called worse things by better people.”

— “Congratulations Melbourne. Our overall decency and humanity was noticed by Nazi Barbie @Lauren_Southern. Apparently she could only find a ‘few hundred’ bigoted f**ksticks which she has laughingly described as a silent majority of our over 4 million population. Be proud!”

— “Interesting how an alt right figure is laughing at how she wishes violence upon Melbourne for simply disagreeing with her.”

— “Shame bcoz it was voted the world most liveable city few times. It is also vibrant, arty, sporty and the AFL capital of the world … If you have to nuke every place people disagree with you, there will be nothing left …”

Southern’s time in Melbourne was eventful. She spoke to Melburnians on the street but was met with indifference by many who did not recognise her.

The 23-year-old, who landed in Australia wearing a T-shirt that read: “It’s OK to be white”, shared a five-minute clip on her YouTube channel where she asked people: “Should we kill Lauren Southern?”

The interviews did not go as planned.

“I don’t know who that is to be honest,” one person told her.

“She is a fascist from America,” Southern responded.

“Get rid of her,” one young man told her. “I hate racism. We need it out of this country and we need it out of this world … we’re not in that decade anymore.”

Wish granted. Southern has taken her politics to New Zealand.