One day after public uproar caused the New Yorker magazine festival to drop Steve Bannon from its lineup, a prestigious Canadian debate forum announced it will welcome President Trump’s former chief strategist to the stage this fall to defend populism.
On November 2, the Munk Debates will host Bannon, former head of alt-right news outlet Breitbart, who will be arguing the “pro” side in a debate on the rise of populism, while Atlantic magazine senior editor David Frum will take on the “con” argument.
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The event will take place in Toronto, with tickets ranging from $40 to $100.
“Long-held notions of the role of government, trade and economic policy, foreign policy and immigration are being challenged by populist thinkers and movements,” says a description of this instalment of the Munk Debates. “Does this surging populist agenda in Western nations signal a permanent shift in our politics? Or, is it passing phenomenon that will remain at the fringes of society and political power?”
Bannon is quoted as saying, “”I want to bring everything crashing down and destroy all of today’s establishment,” juxtaposed with Frum, whose quote reads, “We are living through the most dangerous challenge to the free government of the U.S. that anyone alive has encountered.”
During his time at Breitbart, Bannon proudly proclaimed the site was “the platform for the alt right.” Under his direction, the website moved further and further towards publishing openly racist content — for example, stories published under the tag “black crime.” As Trump’s chief strategist, Bannon’s accomplishments included writing the initial draft of the Muslim travel ban, which was struck down by the courts as discriminatory. More recently, he has been working on starting an organization called “The Movement” in Europe, which aims to unite the far right and take down the European Union.
“Let them call you racists,” Bannon told France’s far-right National Front in a recent speech. “Let them call you xenophobes. Let them call you nativists. Wear it as a badge of honour.”
His appearance at The New Yorker Festival triggered swift outrage, with high profile speakers like Jim Carrey, John Mulaney and Judd Apatow all refusing to participate if he was there. In a matter of hours, New Yorker editor David Remnick, who was to interview Bannon, rescinded the invitation.
Remnick said the point was to “put pressure on a set of arguments and prejudices that have influenced our politics and a President still in office” but upon further reflection, “if the opportunity presents itself I’ll interview him in a more traditionally journalistic setting as we first discussed, and not on stage.”
Bannon responded: “The reason for my acceptance [of the New Yorker Festival] was simple: I would be facing one of the most fearless journalists of his generation,” he said in a statement. “In what I would call a defining moment, David Remnick showed that he was gutless when confronted by the howling mob.”
The announcement of Bannon and Frum’s debate has sparked similar anger in Canadian media circles, with critics taking issue not only with Bannon’s invitation but also the choice of Frum, a speechwriter for former president George W. Bush, as his opponent and the defender of liberal democracy.
Frum wrote Bush’s famous 2002 “axis of evil” State of the Union Speech, in which he described Iran, Iraq, and North Korea as countries that “pose a grave and growing danger.”
Munk organizers have not responded to VICE News’ request for comment. The debates have previously hosted speakers like Glenn Greenwald and Fareed Zakaria, as well as Jordan Peterson and Nigel Farage.
Cover image of Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist. Photo by Scott Applewhite/AP
