'Nasty views': Sean Plunket calls out Victoria University lecturer over Jordan Peterson criticism

Magic Talk Host Sean Plunket has again gone into bat for controversial professor Jordan Peterson, this time challenging a Victoria University lecturer to explain his "nasty views" that Prof Peterson was a transphobe.

On Tuesday, Prof Peterson appeared on several New Zealand programmes to promote his best-selling book 12 Rules to Life, which he is talking about at four events across the country this week.

But Victoria University of Wellington lecturer Dr Eddie Clark seemingly took issue with Prof Peterson appearing on TVNZ's Breakfast show.

"As we contemplate all the awful ways conservative people are having their free speech restricted, let us contemplate Jordan Peterson, the stupid person's thinking transphobe, has been brought out to NZ by a major publisher & is on morning primetime TV on a state-owned channel," Dr Clark tweeted.

"If all the institutions, public and private, are on the side of facilitating one's speech, despite lots of quite well-founded accusations of bigotry, any attempt to portray one's self as oppressed are just risible."

Some replied to the tweet saying that racism shouldn't be given a platform, while others suggested Dr Clark's views were "ivory tower anti-working class elitism" and could not be supported by evidence.

Plunket made a similar claim, tweeting that Dr Clark "reconsider your claim that [Prof Peterson] is a transphobe".

"At least provide maybe one example to support your claim", Plunket said before inviting Dr Clark onto his afternoon Magic Talk show.

Dr Clark later tweeted that he had blocked Plunket after the exchange.

"I won't put up with attempts to harass me on here, even if Sean is somehow trying to depict this as winning an argument."

Plunket took to air on Wednesday to suggest Dr Clark didn't have any examples to back up his claims.

"I wanted to ask Eddie, who must be aware of the laws of defamation, whether or not he had any proof Jordan Peterson was a transphobe," he said.

"Eddie if you have got the courage to take on Jordan Peterson and spout such rubbish about him, why haven't you got the courage to talk to me"

A Victoria University spokesperson told Magic Talk that Dr Clark was unavailable.

"Eddie is joining a long line of people who will talk trash elsewhere but are not prepared to front on this show, or anywhere else to debate their nasty, nasty views," said Plunket.

Prof Peterson has courted controversy since shooting to fame in 2017 for his stance against political correctness, including calling white privilege a "Marxist lie" and that women wear makeup to be sexually provocative.

He has also said he doesn't believe governments should be able to compel people to use others' preferred pronouns.

On Wednesday, Auckland Peace Action representative Iris Krzyzosiak appeared on Plunket's show to discuss a statement the group released criticising Prof Peterson's views as threatening "everything of value in society".

The interview went viral worldwide, with many commenting that Ms Krzyzosiak was unable to support her claims with evidence

Newshub attempted to contact Dr Clark and received an automatic reply saying he was on research leave until July 1. Since contacting Dr Clark, he has made his Twitter feed private.

Victoria University said it did not want to comment.

Newshub.