Australian Senator Links Ban of ‘Climate Deniers’ to Hitler, Says It’s ’Unscientific’

An Australian senator has linked a website banning climate change sceptics to Hitler, Stalin, and Mao.

Academic news and analysis website The Conversation has announced a zero-tolerance approach to “climate change deniers,“ vowing to remove comments and lock accounts.

The decision has outraged right-leaning Liberal Party Senator for Tasmania Eric Abetz.

“Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong couldn’t have put it better themselves. They'd be so proud,” he told parliament.

“To so superciliously and arrogantly deny a voice to an alternative point of view is reminiscent of totalitarian regimes.”

In a blog post, The Conversation’s editor Misha Ketchell said people shamelessly peddling pseudoscience were perpetuating ideas that would ultimately destroy the planet.

Senator Abetz, who described himself as a “climate change agnostic,” said environmental prophets of doom had been getting it wrong for half a century.

“This ugly, unscientific, totalitarian, arrogant approach taken by The Conversation is the exact opposite to the principles of scientific endeavour.”

He said the lesson of history was truth would ultimately prevail.

“The Conversation can stop the conversation, but it cannot stop the march of inquiring minds that will ultimately determine this issue,” Senator Abetz said.

By Matt Coughlan