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Journalist Mehdi Hasan is getting praise online after debating 20 conservatives on a popular YouTube series.
The Internet is buzzing after former MSNBC host and journalist Mehdi Hasan appeared on the YouTube series Surrounded, where he masterfully debated 20 far-right conservatives who were staunch supporters of President Donald Trump – and in some cases, outright fascists. The clips from the 90-minute debate garnered the British-American journalist a wave of support on social media, with some also pointing out how dangerous the viewpoints of those he debated are.
“I debated 20 far-far-far-right conservatives on Jubilee’s ‘Surrounded.’,” Hasan wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter as he shared a highlight reel from the debate with a link to the episode, adding: “Below are some brief highlights of them unable to answer my basic questions or rebut the simplest of points. Not sure whether to laugh or cry.” In another post, he shared one key shot of his pained expression, declaring it to be his new profile picture on X.
Many were alarmed at the people Hasan spoke with, with a couple of them standing out for their particularly abhorrent viewpoints and the glee with which they expressed them. A senior research analyst who studies the far right, Ben Lorber, noted one self-identified fascist as an online personality known as Pinesap who is a close associate of white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
Another individual Lorber identified who is an associate of Fuentes is Kai Schwemmer. Hasan revealed in a post quoting Lorber that he had no idea of the identities of who he debated, stating that Jubilee cast them for the episode.
Some questioned the judgment in platforming such individuals. One user on X by the name of SeastersJones expressed that sentiment to Hasan directly, writing: “Don’t debate fascists because fascist don’t actually debate. It’s that simple.” Many more, however, were praising Hasan for his dismantling of those 20 far right figures, with a user named James Allen on X calling him a “national treasure” for sitting down for the debate.
Others also mocked the far-right conservatives, particularly an Iranian-American man who dressed in a full navy blue suit with a matching hat, sporting a polished moustache. That man expressed viewpoints which even struck others in the group the wrong way, particularly about Palestinians in Gaza. One user named Atieh Bakhtar wrote in a post reply on X, “I’m Iranian too! We don’t claim this guy! Every country has idiots and psychopaths. Proud of Mehdi for putting this guy in his place.”
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