Discussion: UK anti-vaxx 'freedom' morons, protests and QAnon idiots

[hitmouse]

One of my friends just bumped into a mutual acquaintance in the co-op, a staunch anti-vaxxer. Unmasked, obviously. And also very ill, 'with the flu'. Won't get tested, because tests are part of the conspiracy. I hope he's ok because he's a nice guy despite his delusions. That's the second local anti-vaxxer I know of this week ill with covid symptoms who won't be tested. Just amazing to me how long you can hold onto these beliefs when all the evidence mounts up in your own body.

Maybe an obvious point, but I hope your friend's had a test since?

 

[lazythursday]

Maybe an obvious point, but I hope your friend's had a test since?

He has to test regularly for work anyway. Thankfully I heard this on the phone rather than in person.

 

[hitmouse]

This may possibly be of interest/use to some people:

Vaccine: The Human Story

Listen to Vaccine: The Human Story | SoundCloud is an audio platform that lets you listen to what you love and share the sounds you create.

soundcloud.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsFqDcPnFCImeS6cbFlQxgg/videos

"From its beginnings in folklore and mythology, to the development of the vaccine and the birth of the anti-vax movement, up to its eradication in the 20th century, we tell the story of the global fight against smallpox."

Q&A: Vaccine – The Human Story

Dr Annie Kelly, writer and host of a new podcast which tells the story of the smallpox vaccine, talks to #VaccinesWork.

www.gavi.org

Vaccine: The Human Story, a new independent podcast, begins at the end: the announcement of the eradication of smallpox by an ambitious, unprecedented, and, as of now, still unreplicated vaccine campaign. After that – just minutes into episode one – writer-host Dr Annie Kelly unmoors and paddles out into that moment’s oceanic, variegated history. Across the first two episodes, Kelly follows smallpox from ancient Egypt to medieval France and Japan, into Indian myth and Yoruba legend, to Tudor England, 9th century Baghdad, mid 1500s Tenochtitlan, a Spitalfields archaeological site in the 1980s – and elsewhere. The ambitious scope of Vaccine is propelled by a soaring score and anchored by compelling narration. We spoke to Annie Kelly about how she –a sociological researcher with a PhD on digital anti-feminist groups and the emergent far-right –wound up diving deeply into the history of the vaccine, and what she’s learned along the way. An excerpted transcript of our conversation, edited for clarity and concision, follows.

What brought you to this project?​

Dr Annie Kelly: My background is essentially in extremism, modern-day digital extremism specifically. There has been a growth in anti-vaccination movements and COVID-skeptic movements over the last couple of years, some of which was suddenly very close to home. I was seeing them organising in my city, which I suppose kind of made me switch tracks a little. And I’m not a scientist – I had to learn a lot about vaccines all of a sudden, because if you want to understand why something is misinformation, you have to first understand the thing itself – if that makes sense.

Was the podcast intended as a way of rebutting some of those anti-vaccine narratives you were encountering?​

AK: That was initially how I conceived of the project – as an answer to anti-vax concerns. But one thing I’ve noticed in my research – and this is true for a lot of misinformation and conspiracy research – is that answering or rebutting or debunking specific misinformation is often a bit of a band-aid solution. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very useful tool, and I’m grateful to the people who are doing that fact-checking work. But misinformation isn’t magic. You don’t simply see a piece of misinformation and go, like: “whoa! That’s it, I’m radicalised.” People respond to misinformation because it reflects a kind of emotional need that they have.

Vaccine-sceptics, people who are really firm and definite in what they believe, or who subscribe to a lurid conspiracy theory, are rare. What is much more common is people who are just not sure. They’re just frightened; they don’t trust it. It seemed to me that to reach those people, or even, you know, to attempt to reach those people, you had to avoid patronising them – not say to them, “What are you talking about? Vaccines are wonderful.” I think you have to make those people feel like they are part of the story itself – and I think everyone alive today is part of the story.

Not actually listened to it so no idea if it's any good, but there you go.

 

[hitmouse]

There was a reported demo at a pop up vaccination centre in a shopping centre in Bristol, but local news do not mention an invasion, only early closure, so not sure it was same incident.

It does sound to me like this may well have been the one:

'Anti vax' protest sees Bristol vaccine clinic shut early

Children and a retired NHS nurse were among the protestors encouraging shoppers not to get the vaccine

www.bristolpost.co.uk

Dunno if anyone can review the footage and confirm if it matches the spot? Also interesting that there doesn't seem to be any coverage of it beyond the local news.

 

[cuppa tee]

Breaking news.....

Dozens of anti-vaxxers storm ITN headquarters and chase after Jon Snow — Metro

Anti-vaccine protestors stormed the offices of ITN and shouted abuse at Channel 4 news presenter Jon Snow.

apple.news

 

[LDC]

It does sound to me like this may well have been the one:

'Anti vax' protest sees Bristol vaccine clinic shut early

Children and a retired NHS nurse were among the protestors encouraging shoppers not to get the vaccine

www.bristolpost.co.uk

Dunno if anyone can review the footage and confirm if it matches the spot? Also interesting that there doesn't seem to be any coverage of it beyond the local news.

No, looks like different places/demos to me.

 

[ddraig]

Breaking news.....

Dozens of anti-vaxxers storm ITN headquarters and chase after Jon Snow — Metro

Anti-vaccine protestors stormed the offices of ITN and shouted abuse at Channel 4 news presenter Jon Snow.

apple.news

 

[LDC]

Piers Corbyn with a megaphone leading people in one of those photos predictably.

 

[Steel Icarus]

I mean wtf. Protesting against something that isn't mandatory, the silly cunts

 

[cuppa tee]

I mean wtf. Protesting against something that isn't mandatory, the silly cunts

....think they’re ramping it up now because of kids vaccinations...
from what I’ve seen there is a belief that this wil be done without parental approval.

 

[Steel Icarus]

....think they’re ramping it up now because of kids vaccinations...
from what I’ve seen there is a belief that this wil be done without parental approval.

It would be fucking great if I could make my lad have the bastard but he's been reading bullshit the like of which this lot peddle.

 

[petee]

....think they’re ramping it up now because of kids vaccinations...
from what I’ve seen there is a belief that this wil be done without parental approval.

this is exactly the argument here in the states.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Priceless!

There has been some confusion among anti-vaccine protesters regarding which media they are targeting. Earlier this month a group gained access to the BBC’s former headquarters at Television Centre in protest at BBC News, although the building is now used to make ITV’s Loose Women.

Similarly, several of the individuals livestreaming the occupation of ITN’s building on Monday afternoon seemed to be operating under the erroneous belief that they had taken over the headquarters of the Daily Mail.

The protesters later headed to Google’s central London offices, where they were again met by police officers.

Anti-vaccine protesters occupy ITV News and Channel 4 headquarters

Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow chased by conspiracy theorists during incident at ITN building in central London

www.theguardian.com

 

[cuppa tee]

It would be fucking great if I could make my lad have the bastard but he's been reading bullshit the like of which this lot peddle.

Sorry to hear that, from what my kid told me the whole plandemic thing was popular among kids from her school since the covid arrived. We’ve been getting stuff shoved thru our door in Brixton for the last couple of weeks, the last flyer came off a template on Piers Corbyns letlondonlive website, and he was at today’s shenanigans in person...

 

[BigMoaner]

Update re my mate who I have mentioned on here.
I caught up with a mate of his and he had spoken to his ex wife.

All, and I mean all, of his mates in our lot have ditched him. Or he has ditched them. Got increasingly abusive when people laughed at his theories. People just blocked or he blocked them.

His ex wife says he has tunnel vision and all he cares about now is his "awakening". About the only thing left from his old life is he sees his kids regularly. He has a new circle of mates who go on marches together, all covid deniers. His insta is just one long mash up of syrupy, cheesy spiritual nonsense - and the usual covid theories. He has a never ending bee in his bonnet about the Democrats and saving children too, no surprise as q and covid denial go so well together.

0lenty of mates got so sick of it that they were absuivr to him back. Essentially telling him to fuck off, many protecting the vulnerable at home. I think the unanimous kick back will hopefully help him in the long run, help him see that he's clearly entertaining stuff that's wacked and has made him isolated. No one had the patience in the end. Looks to me from the outside thay it's some sort of breakdown. He knows where we all are and why we no longer talked to him, so he knows how to open up dialogue again if he ever chooses to come back away from his stuff.

Sad, weird and scary when I think what he used to be like.

 

[glitch hiker]

Ok, this isn't UK morons, but it's interesting to see how clearly the views of these people crumble under merest scrutiny

 

[cupid_stunt]

They haven't a fucking clue, and it didn't take long for the compassion with Nazi Germany to come up.

 

[BigMoaner]

the smoking

 

[BigMoaner]

They are unreal. it never ever ceases to blow my mind when i hear them speak.

 

[BigMoaner]

wearing stars. i mean jesus

 

[BigMoaner]

They haven't a fucking clue, and it didn't take long for the compassion with Nazi Germany to come up.

liked the fact that he lost it a bit at that. you think this is nazi germany because you go to a gym?

 

[BigMoaner]

if you think of the value to human life of vacinnes. the fact that we would be living in disease ridden soups if we didn't have them.

 

[xenon]

It does sound to me like this may well have been the one:

'Anti vax' protest sees Bristol vaccine clinic shut early

Children and a retired NHS nurse were among the protestors encouraging shoppers not to get the vaccine

www.bristolpost.co.uk

Dunno if anyone can review the footage and confirm if it matches the spot? Also interesting that there doesn't seem to be any coverage of it beyond the local news.

Dunno about this. But there was a anti lockdown freedom, all the hashtags, gig in Castle Park on Saturday. Which is near the Broadmead shopping area in central Bristol. As seen on Facebook, (I left sarcy comment.) They've tried advertising it a few times.

Was in Broadmead area on Sat afternoon but didn't seem anything much going on, roving antivaccer wankers shouting or whatnot

e2a Castle Park is just round the corner from Cabot Circus, as well, so yeah, linked to the supposed gig.

 

[glitch hiker]

They haven't a fucking clue, and it didn't take long for the compassion with Nazi Germany to come up.

It's incredibly sad. You can see it coming a mile off and all you can do is watch in horror. People that spend their lives unwittingly buying into the worst lies possible, perpetrated by the worst people possible. Now, at the worst time imaginable, they - by and large - are paying with their lives. Consequently none of us get through this crisis anytime soon.

 

[BigMoaner]

Nearly all COVID deaths in US are now among unvaccinated

Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the United States now are in people who weren’t vaccinated, a staggering demonstration of how effective the vaccines have been and an indication that daily deaths — now down to under 300 — could be practically zero if everyone eligible got the shots.

apnews.com

 

[BigMoaner]

it reminds me of the idea that we are all getting more extreme.

"rugged individualists" "libertarians" "i march to my own drum" and the like I could easily get on with say 20 years ago. they prattle, i prattle. we move on in conversation. no hard feelings, in the main.

now it it feels (stress on teh feels) that my political "opponenants" are that much more inaccesable and distant and likely now hate me more than ever. the echo chambers and rabit holes drifting us apart further and further.

make sense?

someone bomb the internet please.

 

[Yossarian]

Nearly all COVID deaths in US are now among unvaccinated

Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the United States now are in people who weren’t vaccinated, a staggering demonstration of how effective the vaccines have been and an indication that daily deaths — now down to under 300 — could be practically zero if everyone eligible got the shots.

apnews.com

Deaths in the US are now back up to around 1,000 day, still almost all among the unvaccinated - apparently older Americans are a lot more likely to be vaccine hesitant than their British counterparts.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Meanwhile, down under, this is fucking low.

Anti-vaxxers hijack tragic death of student who had heart attack while swimming

Tom Van Dijk, 17, died while swimming with his family on August 21 and his school have been accused by anti-vaccine groups of falsely pushing vaccines on the students

www.mirror.co.uk

Tom Van Dijk, 17, died after suffering a cardiac arrest while swimming with his family on August 21 in Australia.

However, anti-vaxxers have spread false reports online that the champion swimmer died after receiving a dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

The principal of St Puis X College has come forward to say the student hadn't even had his first dose of the vaccine. John Couani told The North Shore Times : "We have had a tragic loss [but] he did not have Covid-19 and did not die as a result of the vaccine. We are a community in terrible grief and sorrow, but there is a lot of misinformation that needs to stop."

 

[hitmouse]

No, looks like different places/demos to me.

If you're right, and that means at least two different clinics shut down by anti-vaxxers the same day, that's a pretty grim trend.

 

[Johnny Doe]

Reading back through the timelines of some of these loons, in particular those worried about 'discrimination' and would you believe, not one of them ever postef about racism, sexism or ableism before.