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Paul Joseph Watson

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Paul Joseph Watson
Watson in 2013
Born (1982-05-24) 24 May 1982 (age 42)
Sheffield, England
Other namesPJW
CitizenshipBritish
Occupation(s)writer, editor, YouTube personality
Years active2002–present
EmployerAlex Jones
Websitewww.youtube.com/user/PrisonPlanetLive

Paul Joseph Watson (born 24 May 1982)[1][2][3], also known as PJW, is an English YouTube alternative media personality, radio host, writer, and conspiracy theorist.[4][5][6][7] He is the Editor-at-Large of Infowars.com, an online publication that promotes theories about American and international politics, and a contributor to Infowars' talk radio programme The Alex Jones Show, where he occasionally either hosts or co-hosts instead of or with radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

Political stance

Watson has been called one of the "right-wing commentators of the digital age".[8] He has previously described himself as a libertarian, and supported Ron Paul in the 2012 U.S. presidential election. In a 2016 tweet, he said he no longer considered himself a libertarian because Gary Johnson "made the term an embarrassment."[9] In a post to Facebook in November 2016, Watson described himself as being a member of the "New Right," which he considers to be distinct from the alt-right.[10] Watson has also referred to himself as a conservative, and he considers modern day conservatism to be a counter-cultural movement.[11]

Watson, while criticising Islam in the context of terrorism, has been accused of inciting hatred against Muslims.[12] In a YouTube video, he described Islam as "an intolerant, radical, extremist belief system" and stated that rape "is the culture of Islam".[13]

Although he endorsed Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, Watson declared in an April 6, 2017 tweet he was "officially OFF the Trump train" following the president's decision to launch missile strikes on Syria in response to a gas attack several days earlier, believing Trump had reneged on his promise to not intervene in Syria. After noting a decrease in Twitter followers, he denied he had "turned on Trump," saying he was "off the Trump train in terms of Syria."[14] He declared in a separate tweet he would shift his focus on ensuring French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen of the National Front would be elected in the 2017 election.[15]

In the media

Watson with Alex Jones

In 2016, he became known for being an early proponent of the conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton suffers from numerous serious medical conditions. Watson's part in the manufacture and popularization of the rumour was covered in the mainstream media as part of a discussion of the role of rumour and conspiracy theory in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[16][4][17]

In February 2017, he offered via Twitter to pay any journalist who thinks Sweden is safe to visit the country and stay in the 'crime ridden migrant suburbs' of Malmö.[7][18] Many journalists took him up on the offer,[19][18] and Watson chose New York journalist and videographer Tim Pool, who was already planning a similar investigation.[20] Watson provided $2000 USD to Pool for the trip.[20][18] Tim Pool also ran a fundraiser to fund an investigation into other 'no-go zones' in other areas of Sweden and Europe.[20]

Biography

Watson was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire,[21][22] where he grew up on a council estate.[2] In a November 2016 interview with The Tab, he described his adolescence as "not particularly conventional", and said that he exercised for three hours each day and did not drink alcohol.[23]

References

  1. ^ "An interview with Paul Joseph Watson". The Tab Sheffield. 2016-11-07. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
  2. ^ a b Macbain, Hamish (1 March 2017). "Are these the faces of London's young 'alt-right'?". Evening standard magazine.
  3. ^ "Contact Information". Propagandamatrix.com.
  4. ^ a b Cheadle, Harry (26 August 2016). "How Conspiracy Theories About Hillary Clinton's Health Went Mainstream". Vice.
  5. ^ "Britain's extremist bloggers helping the 'alt-right' go global, report finds". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  6. ^ "The alt-right's take on Clinton's speech: Botched, but legitimizing".
  7. ^ a b UGC and Social News team. "Alt-right editor challenges journalists to visit Sweden".
  8. ^ "Examining the Right Wing British Blowhards Using YouTube to 'Prove Everybody Wrong' - VICE".
  9. ^ Lynch, Conor (23 December 2016). "Donald Trump and the libertarians: Why have so many people who claim to love freedom embraced a strongman?". Salon.
  10. ^ Pearce, Matt. "The 'alt-right' splinters as supporters and critics agree it was white supremacy all along".
  11. ^ Walter, Damien (18 February 2017). "There's a very simple reason why the alt-right is not the new counterculture". The Independent.
  12. ^ "Anti-immigration politicians link London attack to migrant policy". The Guardian.
  13. ^ "The Truth About Islam". YouTube.
  14. ^ Withey, Josh (8 April 2017). "Paul Joseph Watson in humiliating U-turn after losing hundreds of followers". indy100. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  15. ^ Greenwood, Max (7 April 2017). "Syria strike disappoints Trump backers in media". The Hill. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  16. ^ Jamieson, Amber (26 August 2016). "Conspiracy central: the activists painting Clinton as a sick, terrorist-friendly killer" – via The Guardian.
  17. ^ Collins, Ben (9 August 2016). "'Is Hillary Dying' Hoax Started by Pal of Alex Jones".
  18. ^ a b c Roden, Lee (21 February 2017). "Far-right editor's offer to pay travel costs to 'crime-ridden Malmö' backfires as dozens accept". The Local Sweden.
  19. ^ Bowden, George (20 February 2017). "Paul Joseph Watson's Twitter Offer For Journalist Trip To Sweden Spectacularly Backfires". Huffington Post.
  20. ^ a b c Bowden, George (21 February 2017). "Paul Joseph Watson Comes Good On Twitter Offer To 'Investigate Malmo, Sweden, Crimes'". Huffington Post.
  21. ^ "Paul Joseph Watson on Twitter".
  22. ^ "An interview with Paul Joseph Watson". 7 November 2016.
  23. ^ Worswick, Marie-Elise (7 November 2016). "Meet the pro-Trump YouTuber from Sheffield who's impacting the U.S. Election". The Tab.
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