Thread by @RobertBohan

Thread: It’s not every day that Fascism drops a mailer in your post box. Here three of Ireland’s far right extremist groups are sending misinformation. Let’s take a look at their very dodgy & cruel claims.

Firstly they take a quote out of context by Dr Nabarro of the WHO.

In fact the expert went on Irish radio to dispel the interpretation of far right cranks. Essentially he wanted to avoid lockdowns by having effective test & trace amongst other measures.
newstalk.com/news/whos-davi…

They claim that lockdowns discourage the sick visiting drs & delay seriously ill getting help. This is not backed up by any stats evidence. As usual GPs & Emergency are still available. In fact a family member was admitted this week, op on & discharged. hiqa.ie/sites/default/…

Next we have the Conspiracy theory that there are ‘natural laws’. The only laws operating in Ireland are made by govt. The key responsibility of govt is to protect the people. The Pandemic lockdown is saving some 5,000 lives based on my analysis of statistics.

https://twitter.com/robertbohan/status/1316693149704695809

Next the Tulips have the temerity to discuss mental health (these extremists hate LGBTQI, Muslims, Roman Catholicism, People of Colour etc!). The ‘suicide’ trope is beloved of the Conspiracists. There is no evidence to back up the Fascists’ claim thejournal.ie/suicide-irelan…

Religious worship is not banned. People can worship at home & many different religions provide live streaming or online recordings of services. Religious leaders are available where needed to administer sacraments etc. procathedral.ie/live-web-broad…

The claim regarding the weakening of the immune system is complete pseudo-science. It relies on an absence of Vitamin D. You get this by going outside. People are fully able to do so during the lockdown. These muppets ain’t v clever 🙄 bbc.com/future/article…

The claims regarding jobs, closing businesses & recession is correct. Having said that, Ireland has one of the best supports for workers in furlough. The state has to balance the needs of the economy versus some 5,000 people dying if it did nothing. irishtimes.com/business/econo…

The cost of Covid-19 is enormous. However in a society where we value the lives of others highly, money is relative. Ask anyone who has lost a friend, a parent, a grandparent, a brother or a sister. Up to 1% of the pop could die of Covid = 49,000 people. cso.ie/en/releasesand…

Lockdown does work. The virus is circulating globally & there is always a risk of re-infection to populations. The first lockdown worked in driving down fatalities to zero. It was known that another would be required if people failed to follow guidelines

extra.ie/2020/10/26/new…

The rise in infections are due to younger people becoming infected. Older & vulnerable people are maintaining high standards of preparedness. Those presenting for tests are mild cases that can be treated at home. gov.ie/en/press-relea…

Ports & airports are open in order to provide emergency support, to ferry critical workers & ship food & other vital materials. Numbers passing through these points are a tiny fraction of the norm. Again the Fascists provide no evidence for their claims. ourworldindata.org/mortality-risk…

The far rights desire to kill the vulnerable is an ancient one & is best represented by the euthanasia policy of their third Reich. This leaflet is an example of that. Without the lockdown, the vulnerable are more likely to die. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…

The claim that testing leads to more cases is a manipulation of data. Testing is driven by people feeling ill, contacting their GP & getting an appointment. Their contacts are tested in order to ensure that the virus does not spread. www2.hse.ie/conditions/cor…

As has been clear since January the majority of those infected (up to 90%) have little or no symptoms. This appears to be news to our jackbooting tulips. However up to 1% of people can die of Covid based on Italian & Chinese data.
coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality

Next we have some bizarre statistics. Apparently you’re dead (81.9y) before you catch Covid (82.4y)! Life expectancy is 81.96y The role of age is discussed here by the Irish Covid Czar: irishexaminer.com/news/arid-4005…

Underlying conditions are what make people vulnerable to Covid. Up to half the pop have underlying conditions. These are the people we are shielding in the lockdown. Their lives have value too (even if the far right would rather rev up the Euthanasia vans) encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/art…

Here’s a paper showing comorbidity & Covid-19 showing major risk factors: medrxiv.org/content/10.110…

Next comes the misunderstanding of testing positive for Covid. Most who do will not have symptoms - however, & this is critical, they can give the virus to vulnerable people who may need to be hospitalised & might die. nhs.uk/conditions/cor…

Next comes their statistic for 37y old. This is of no comfort to those with compromised immune systems, chest issues, diabetics, the obese etc. Again a misuse of statistics to confuse the vulnerable.
latimes.com/california/sto…

Then there’s lightning & kids. It’s well known that kids are generally not impacted. However they can get sick from Covid. They can spread Covid but not as easily as older people. That’s why schools are open. Kids can die of Covid - but it’s rare independent.co.uk/news/world/ame…

NPHET figures were based on what would happen if no prophylactic measures were taken. They were correct in that situation. The virus may be ‘harmless’ to some 80-90% of people However the remainder are likely to become v sick, be hospitalised or could die. mayoclinic.org/diseases-condi…

It’s worth pointing out that 1,995 people have died of Covid-19 in Ireland. This is significantly more people than are members of the three Fascist groups that published this leaflet. Using their own argument on numbers there’s no point in listening to these hatemongers.