Photo: ODT filesPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern was warned that the first Covid lockdown could have opened space for extremists to fill with "misinformation" to "exacerbate people's fears" of each other. That's according to top officials from the Prime Minister's department, who said: "Right-wing extremists are using the crisis to spread hate and conspiracies." Officials warned Ardern that this was a problem all Five Eyes partners had experienced and all members take this problem "seriously," according to the top officials. In the report, officials warned Ardern: "Right-wing, Islamic and other extremists are using the Covid-19 crisis to spread hate, conspiracies and extremist narratives". "This is of significant concern as right-wing extremists online have encouraged attacks against target communities, including deliberately spreading the virus."

Source: Otago Daily Times May 11, 2021 04:41 UTC