Jul 17, 2026 – 4.00pmIn August 2018, Canadian far-right agitators Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux cancelled an appearance in New Zealand, after their venue got cold feet. In Dunedin, Australian expat Brenton Tarrant was soon shooting his mouth off about it.On a message board thread, users menacingly vented their disappointment. Some began discussing the location of various mosques on the South Island. Tarrant complained of two in Christchurch. As Google Maps links were shared, four of the users, including Tarrant, started gleefully fantasising about what violence they could unleash on them. When one posted a picture of a pair of matches, Tarrant responded with one word: “soon”.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Myriam RobinSenior writerMyriam Robin is a senior writer based in the Melbourne newsroom. She has previously been a Rear Window columnist and editor, and before that reported on financial markets and media.Fetching latest articles
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