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22 Jul, 10 tweets, 6 min read
Tens of thousands of Canadians have visited anti-lockdown, anti-vaccine online communities rife with conspiracy theories.

Since 2021, the #nomorelockdowns hashtag has been used on Canada-related tweets thousands of times, more than any other country.
thestar.com/news/investiga…
The Star has tracked the spread of these online communities that many fear could catch the cluster of unsure Canadians - sometimes called the vaccine-hesitant - who are caught in a tug of war between public health authorities and anti-vaxxers. thestar.com/news/investiga…
What helped fuel the spread? Hashtags. Like the COVID itself, #nomorelockdowns has spread across borders and oceans.

Our analysis found the hashtag intensified once it became a fixture of anti-lockdown social media rhetoric in Ontario. thestar.com/news/investiga…
Public figures took part in its spread. Ontario MPP Randy Hillier, who has more than 38,000 followers on Twitter, routinely used the hashtag. By the end of 2020, more than 3,100 Canada-related tweets used it. Since the start of 2021, another 6,400 tweets. thestar.com/news/investiga…
Who are these members? They come from all walks of life, including Renfrew County's Don Garfat. In spring 2020, the father of two found the tightening restrictions unfair. With the barrage of news, he found his outlet on Facebook group "No More Lockdowns." thestar.com/news/investiga…
That inspired him, and many others, to move their online discourse (which includes a kaleidoscope of conspiracy theories - from Qanon to those of the Christian right) to the real world.

In May, Garfat came to Toronto to march in an anti-lockdown protest. thestar.com/news/investiga…
These online groups have also organized protests at vaccine clinics. One anti-lockdown Facebook group even urged members to sneak inside hospitals to make videos they hoped would prove the health-care system was not overwhelmed by COVID-19. thestar.com/news/investiga…
Experts are concerned. If the anti-vaccine movement can convince even a small percentage of Canadians to forego immunization, COVID-19 will continue to spread, they say. In fact, Canada is unlikely to reach herd immunity, Dr. Mustafa Hirji predicts. thestar.com/news/investiga…
"The hesitant are trying to find a lot of information. And by doing so, they can encounter some pretty well designed anti-vaccine stuff online,” said Ève Dubé, a medical anthropologist at the National Institute of Public Health in Quebec. thestar.com/news/investiga…
Tens of thousands of followers, members who have taken online conspiracy discourse into the streets, and fear from public health experts: How the anti-lockdown, anti-vaccine movement blossomed in Canada.

#StarInvestigation by @GrantRants and @edward_the6 thestar.com/news/investiga…

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