the lunatic fringe in sleepy ye olde england...

There's an interesting town in South West England which is not exactly a 'sleepy, olde-worlde place':

On the ‘Welcome to Totnes’ sign that greets people to the town somebody added ‘Twinned with Narnia’ below it. It’s been removed since by those who don’t have a sense of humour, but to me it’s a perfect description of Totnes. The town has been described as ‘New Age’, ‘Alternative’ and even ‘eccentric’ but however you like to describe it, Totnes is different to any other town in the South Hams, or even Devon for that matter. Totnes - Twinned with Narnia - Easymalc's Wanderings

Since the pandemic, however, there has been what many consider to be a very disturbing ‘challenge to complacency’ happening, with anger in Totnes as Covid ‘anti-vax’ propaganda was posted through letterboxes

At the same time as this disquiet was being expressed last summer, a lot of attention was being paid by the wider 'mainstream media' to "Narnia": Totnes, Transition Town & Conspiracyland.

As covered in a new series on BBC Radio 4:

What’s happening in the Devon town of Totnes? The small town of Totnes in Devon is known for its warmth and open-mindedness, gong baths and healing crystals, but a fault line has emerged between the minority who’ve been drawn in by disinformation laced with hate and those who are fighting against it. Some in the town were drawn into a conspiracy theory movement during the pandemic, one whose monthly marches and rallies persist to this day. A conspiracy theory newspaper called The Light seems to have played a key part in the division there. BBC disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring investigates how the theories that dominate its pages are changing the town. Marianna in Conspiracyland – 1. Entering Conspiracyland – BBC Sounds

This has been challenged by some who, by no means conspiracy theorists, 

At the end of my street in Totnes a huddle of people gather around a trestle table each week hawking newspapers. They’re surrounded by rhetoric denouncing vaccines, denigrating the government and even denying climate change. The newspaper is The Light, a controversial print publication that describes itself as the ‘uncensored truth’ with links to inflammatory ideologies and far right figures. As a journalist, I know I should probably stop and find out what they’re about but I know they see me as the MSM (mainstream media) and I fear I’d probably get a barrage of abuse. So even though I happen to love engaging in conversation with people who see the world differently to myself, I tend to cross the high street...

It’s a bit bonkers. But it’s not ‘dangerously crazy’ as Totnes resident Peter Shearn suggested this week. He was interviewed by BBC journalist Marianna Spring for her documentary Conspiracyland which was released on BBC Sounds and Radio 4 and expressed his fears about the impact that The Light and its cabal was having on the town. Conspiracyland documents the rise of conspiracy theories since the pandemic - people who largely believe that Covid-19 and the vaccine are a form of governmental control. Totnes is one of several hubs across the UK where The Light is passed out on the street, but it has become a central focus because it’s a town that has always embraced alternative thinking.

And by making Totnes the central focus, it exacerbates its image as a slightly crazy - even dangerously crazy - place to hang out. In actual fact, it’s a liberal-thinking, sustainably minded, increasingly affluent town where alternative views are embraced. Sometimes those alternative views venture into conspiracy. I loved Marianna Spring's documentary for shining the light on a growing movement that is emerging in many parts of the country. But it's not representative of most of Totnes. It’s a small, straggly band of people with a megaphone giving away a free newspaper that very few read in a tucked away corner of the high street. I would call them the lunatic fringe (maybe because I'm in the MSM). If you don’t like it, just cross the street. I live in 'Conspiracyland' Totnes and it may be bonkers but it's not dangerously crazy - Jacqui Merrington - Devon Live

This 'lunatic fringe' is appearing in other Devon towns: last summer there was a lot of disquiet in very 'sleepy Devon', with the conspiracy newspaper The Light still circulating in Sidmouth.

And late last year, concern over extreme opinions was still being expressed in Totnes, and a couple of months ago, in the next county, Glastonbury residents were shining a light on the publication spreading disinformation in their town.

Here is the latest February edition of the The Light to look through.

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