'The Anti-Greta' climate activist Naomi Seibt says she's 'absolutely' a fan of far-right podcaster Stefan Molyneux

Advertisement
'The Anti-Greta' climate activist Naomi Seibt says she's 'absolutely' a fan of far-right podcaster Stefan Molyneux
Naomi Seibt at CPAC

Anthony Fisher/Insider

Advertisement

Activist Naomi Seibt, second from left, on a panel sponsored by the Heritage Foundation at CPAC, February 27, 2020

  • Naomi Seibt, the 19-year-old German self-described "climate realist," said at a CPAC panel Friday that she was inspired into activism and YouTubing in part by watching far-right personality Stefan Molyneux.
  • Molyneux in 2018 said that he had once been skeptical of "white nationalism," but a trip to Poland showed him he "could have peaceful, free, easy, civilized and safe discussions in what is essentially an all-white country."
  • Insider asked Seibt if she was aware of this statement, and if so, was she still a fan of Molyneux's.
  • Seibt said: "I am still a fan of Molyneux's, absolutely." She added that the statement taken out of context sounds "racist" to some, but that "he's just describing his experience in Western countries."
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland - Naomi Seibt, a 19-year-old German who has been called "the anti-Greta Thunberg" because of her self-described "climate realism," said she's still a fan of far-right YouTuber and podcaster Stefan Molyneux, who she credits as one of the people who inspired her into activism and creating her own YouTube videos.

Seibt spoke at a Friday CPAC panel hosted by the Heritage Foundation titled, "Energy, Costs, and Defeating the Climate Delusion: Featuring European 'Anti-Greta' Naomi Seibt."

During a Q and A session, Insider read the following quote of Molyneux's to Seibt: "I've always been skeptical of the ideas of white nationalism, of identitarianism and white identity. However, I am an empiricist and I could not help but notice that I could have peaceful, free, easy, civilized and safe discussions in what is essentially an all-white country."

Advertisement

Insider asked Seibt if she was aware of Molyneux's statement, and if so, did she still consider herself a fan of his.

"I am still a fan of Molyneux's, absolutely," Seibt replied.

Seibt added: "I know that the statement taken out of context sounds incredibly racist to many people. To me, it does not, because he is not devaluing other races, not at all. He's just describing his experience in Western countries.

"And I agree with that to the extent that, for example, I know for a fact that if I was in a country [where] Sharia [law] is more present, I know that I will not be able to speak as freely as I can in Western countries ... It's not that we are better in any way in Western countries and that's not the point that Stefan Molyneux is trying to make. It's just that we still have freedom of speech in these countries and I'm very happy that that's the case."

Earlier during the panel, Seibt said that she is actually not "anti-Greta" and "not a climate denier."

Advertisement

Seibt says that she believes in "man-made climate change," but that she believes the effect of greenhouse gases on the environment have been exaggerated by climate activists, academics, and scientists.

"I am not a puppet of the right-wing or the climate deniers. Our work is based on principles that unite us," Seibt said. "Climate alarmists should be a little more humble."

Molyneux was banned from PayPal in November 2019, after a significant history of making statements widely viewed as racist, sexist, and anti-Semitic. In a statement to The Guardian this week, Molyneux said: "I have always opposed the idea of racial superiority/inferiority."

NOW WATCH: How networks treat the Democratic debates like reality TV

{{}}