Revealed: What Ezra Levant Wanted His "Banned" Reporters To Do At Marrakech UN Climate Talks

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Conservative Canadian broadcaster Ezra Levant is appealing to the public and his prime minister to intervene in a row with organisers of the upcoming United Nations climateย conference.

Levant wanted to send three staff members from his โ€œThe Rebelโ€ media company to the COP22 talks taking place next month in Marrakech,ย Morocco.

The Rebel had applied to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for media accreditation but,ย according to screenshots shared by Levant, the UN has declined the application because โ€œadvocacy media outlets do not qualify for mediaย accreditation.โ€

DeSmog can reveal that Levantโ€™s crew intended to film other journalists at press conferences and outside the venue, in an apparent attempt to expose what Levant thinks is a hypocriticalย media.

At a Rebel event in Edmonton in September, U.S.-based climate science denialistย Marc Morano, who would be an โ€œhonorary Rebelย journalistโ€ in Morocco,ย toldย an audience member he intends to โ€œput onย a disguiseโ€ at theย conference.

Levant has appealed for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to intervene in the โ€œbanโ€ and has support from three Canadian journalism associations, which may not agree with Levantโ€™s politics, but also donโ€™t condone the UNโ€™s decision. Levant has alsoย started an online petition and had his lawyers send a legal letterย to the UN.

The three journalists whose applications were declined are reportedly Rebelโ€™s Alberta bureau chief Sheila Gunn Reid, producer Meaghan MacSween and cameraman Alexย Jones.

But what was The Rebel going to do in Morocco?ย  Was it there to report the proceedings, or somethingย else?

In September, Levantโ€™s The Rebel hosted a public screening of Marc Morano’sย climate science denial film โ€œClimate Hustleโ€ in Edmonton.

In audio recorded by a DeSmog researcher in attendance, Levant tells the audience that โ€œwe will be asking questions and turning the camera around to show the other journalists,โ€ in an apparent attempt to ridicule reporters who he describes as โ€œcheerleadersโ€ for the UN.

During aย Q&A session following the Climate Hustle screening, Levant says that Marc Moranoย will be an โ€œhonorary Rebel journalistโ€ in Morocco. Morano is Communications Directorย ofย the US โ€œthink tankโ€ Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow,ย which has received funding from Exxon in the past. (Morano has received official credentials alongside CFACT colleagues for several UN climate conferences, including Paris, Lima andย Warsaw.)

Answering questions later, Morano told one audience member that he would โ€œput onย a disguiseโ€ to avoid being recognised inย Morocco.

โ€œWe’re just going there to expose them โ€ฆย They’re not gonna expect us to be there โ€ฆ They might recognize me, but โ€ฆ I’ll put on a disguise,โ€ Moranoย says.ย 

He also tells the audience member that โ€œwe could still film them and Iย could give a lot ofย questions for them to ask as well, so โ€ฆ there will be a lot of opportunities at this thing,โ€ although it is not clear if he is referring directly to Rebelย staff.

Fascist Scienceย Guy?

Ezra Levant tells the audience in Edmonton:ย โ€œ[inaudible].. to show the contrast of how they say โ€˜reduce, reuse, recycleโ€™ while their limosย idle outside. While they say โ€˜reduce, reuse, recycleโ€™ while dining in five-starย restaurants.โ€

When answering questions, Rebelโ€™s Gunn Reid referred to US science broadcaster Bill Nye as โ€œBill Nye the fascist scienceย guy.โ€ย 

Later, she told the audience: โ€œThese people who believe in global warming really seem like a doomsday cult and I think thatโ€™s whatโ€™s driving the urgency forย them.โ€

โ€œEventually, after all the predictions fail, the people in the white pajamas waiting for the comet to come are going to figure out that the comet is neverย coming.โ€

DeSmog has asked the UNFCCC for a response to The Rebel’s protest. DeSmog has also approached Marc Morano and Ezra Levant forย comment.

In a legal letter sent to the UN, Rebel Media’s lawyers write: โ€œThe denial of accreditation to representatives from The Rebel fundamentally denies not only The Rebel from following facts and opinions on the subject of climate change to be expressed, but it also denies the opportunity of Canadians and others to receive those views through theย media.โ€

Main image: Ezra Levant. Credit: Flickr/University of Saskatchewanย CC BYNCSAย 2.0

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