‘Turn Ardern’ campaign sees Kiwis turn magazine and book covers with NZ Prime Minister Jacinda’s face on them back to front due to anger over her love of chasing publicity
- Campaign asks people to put magazines with Jacinda Arden on them backwards
- Colin Wilson, behind the online campaign, is a vocal opponent of Ms Ardern
- He said Ms Ardern spends too much time posing for photo shoots
An online campaign issued by a 66-year-old bricklayer has asked people to put magazines with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on the cover back to front.
Colin Wilson, behind the Coltheman1 account, is a vocal opponent of Ms Ardern and her policies.
Mr Wilson has previously said the movement was born out of the belief the Labour leader spends more time doing photo shoots than running country.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is the target of an online Twitter campaign putting magazines with her on the cover back to front
One Twitter user filmed himself at a Countdown in Warkworth, on New Zealand’s North Island, doing as instructed.
He was filmed taking an issue of Woman’s Day with the prime minister on the cover before turning it over and putting it back on the shelf.
‘Come in Team Leader @Coltheman1, Countdown Warkworth is now clear,’ the man tweeted.
‘#TurnArdern should become and Aussie past time.
‘I would love to see total smarta*** Aussies start shutting turning Jacinda Ardern while she is on holiday! C’mon Aussies, shame her (sic).’
Mr Wilson was dubbed the Team Leader and told the Herald on Sunday he was surprised by the success of the movement.
‘I never expected the term ‘Turn Ardern’ to get as big as it is, or for people to report back to me. But they seem to have put me on a pedestal (as) Team Leader,’ he said.
Mr Wilson recently tweeted he was proud of all his ‘operatives giving up their free time to ensure that the public are not subjected to all these photoshopped pictures of someone we don’t even know masquerading as our PM’.
Colin Wilson, behind the Coltheman1 account, is a vocal opponent of Ms Ardern and her policies. Mr Wilson has previously said the movement was born out of the belief the Labour leader spends more time doing photo shoots than running country
A spokesperson for Ms Ardern told the publication she was not bothered by the campaign.
She instead said she felt sorry for supermarket workers who had to turn the magazines the right way repeatedly.
Mr Wilson told the New Zealand Herald he has received hundreds of messages and an ‘implied death threat’ since his identity was revealed.
His profile is now set to private.