Thread by @allthecitizens

This week, anti-vaxx protesters stormed the ITN building, hurling abuse at @jonsnowC4 💉 THREAD inews.co.uk/news/anti-vax-…

Meanwhile, an ongoing @AllTheCitizens and @BITE investigation found many of the conspiracy theories motivating these protests present in seemingly legitimate anti-lockdown groups aiming to ‘widen the UK policy debate.’

One of these is the Health Advisory & Recovery Team (HART), which says it is “a group of highly qualified UK doctors, scientists, economists, psychologists & other academic experts” who came together “over shared concerns about policy and guidance relating to the COVID pandemic.”

However, research using leaked chat logs obtained by @LogicallyAI suggest this public image is a thin veneer disguising a complex web of disinformation - logically.ai/articles/hart-…

Whilst it has been easy to dismiss anti-vaxx street protests as an unorganised mob of confused conspiracy theorists; the more thoughtful, well-marketed appearance of groups like HART, risks legitimising wild theories and allowing them to reach a much wider audience.

Here, @AllTheCitizens lays out five well known COVID-19 conspiracy theories peddled, endorsed or cited by HART members beneath their polished, public facing guise.

1 - 'Vaccines are Bioweapons' - Despite no evidence to support the idea that vaccines are designed to kill or control human beings, HART members have shared videos from well-known advocates of this theory.
reuters.com/article/factch…

They did so whilst urging others to “stop the genocide”, and warned doctors and nurses that “I was just following orders” was no defence during the Nuremberg Trials.

2 - '5G causes Coronavirus' - Conspiracies surrounding 5G have grown in number in the past year, with theorists claiming it either causes Covid-19 or the signals it omits can “impair the human immune system.”
ft.com/content/1eeedb…

Members of HART have discussed 5G’s “negative impact on health” and one member casually floated the idea that Covid transmission may be down to “5G after all…”

3 - 'Vaccine Magnetism' - Pushed by an online TikTok trend around #magnetchallenge, this theory suggests that the vaccine contains magnetic material, which could be the result of a microchip.
bbc.com/news/av/572071…

Although the theory has been proven false, even by those who posted viral videos, HART members regularly float the idea that the vaccine is magnetic and may be due to the inclusion of graphene oxide.

4 - 'Vaccines cause miscarriages' - this damaging theory, which may prevent pregnant women from taking up vaccines, was disseminated by HART members. reuters.com/article/factch…

They posted articles and videos highlighting “anecdotal reports of menstrual irregularities/miscarriages” whilst challenging the validity of academic studies which counter this theory.

5 - 'Bill Gates!' - Bill Gates has long been a favourite scapegoat of conspiracists everywhere - insider.com/bill-gates-cli…

Covid-19 has been no exception and HART members have shared theories highlighting the “psychopathic plans” of “our overlord” which range from profiteering to involvement with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The appearance of these theories in HART’s chat logs is highly concerning, and suggests their ‘sterilised’ public image could act as a Trojan horse to deliver wild and dangerous theories to a wider audience through media and policy channels.

Whilst HART may use slicker tactics than the groups of protesters who piled into UK media headquarters in the past month, their members share many of the same ideas and peddle many of the same dangerous conspiracies.

And it's not just HART. Tweets from @NeilDotObrien reveal similar disinformation surrounding the group PCRClaims, despite their willingness to provide a cleansed, respectable public image -

https://twitter.com/NeilDotObrien/status/1352980826112348160

Disinformation around vaccines is not going away. The Citizens believes it is important to understand why and how disinformation is spread and to keep the public informed about groups that may be seeking to mislead them.