An inside look: bizarre conspiracy theories equating a pandemic with genocide

On the afternoon of Labor Day, a middle-aged woman in central Leeds explains to several dozen listeners that the coronavirus is the work of the global elite to enslave ordinary people, she writes British independent.co.uk.

It’s not a conspiracy theory! That’s Bill Gates ”, the revelation is accompanied by applause.

When questioning the world during the quarantine, the woman found the unpublished truth in videos on Facebook and YouTube. According to the interlocutor, these types of publications on social networks do not stay for long, because technology companies are part of the elite, so they erase information.

It turns out that the event in the town square is not accidental. It’s part of the COVID-19 Truth Tour, an event hosted by coronavirus skeptics from across the UK. They oppose the quarantine, face masks, vaccines, and the pharmaceutical, financial, media, scientific and technological industrial conglomerate, whose members apparently seek to inflate the scale of the pandemic to bring wealth to the rich, restrict the freedom of ordinary people and create global power. Proponents of conspiracy theories published in Lithuania repeat similar “truths”.

Without due attention, these ideas can create tangible fissures in the foundations of society.

“It’s not just Bill Gates who got it right. He’s just one of them. They control the global financial system, most governments and the World Health Organization.” independent.co.uk explains to the reporter that the organizer of the event cycle introduced himself to Dave.

The virus is said to have been created by the powerful to reduce the number of idle, “ordinary people,” and vaccines will help introduce technology that puts everyone in control.

In parallel, to put it mildly, surreal ideas can also be heard words of sincere concern. For example, the mental health crisis triggered by the quarantine, economic hardships, and the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine. But similar ideas quickly sink into the mud of “splintering”, “bought scientists”.

Growing popularity

In normal times, similar statements would likely be somewhere between tacky and ridiculous, but this year it’s not the norm. In the heat of a global pandemic, conspiracy theories threaten not only public health but also trust in institutions, a fundamental characteristic of Western democracies.

Research from Anglia Ruskin University shows that believers in conspiracy theories are much less likely to follow the recommendations of public health institutions.

“Without proper attention, such ideas can lead to tangible cracks in the foundations of society,” explained Jovan Byford, Senior Lecturer at the Open University in the UK and author of A Critical Introduction to Conspiracy Theories.

In the era of the coronavirus, conspiracy theories seem to be gaining more popularity than ever. More than 10 million worldwide. people saw Pseudo-documentary “Plandemia” crossed by hoaxes.

At the same time, vaccine-skeptical communities in the UK that encourage parents not to vaccinate children have received € 9.2 million since the quarantine began. Additional visitors and misleading posts about the 5G connection on Facebook led to real crimes. At least 75 mobile poles have been damaged across the country, most of the time they are not even related to fifth-generation communications.

Simple answers

It is concerning that theories of a similar nature are mixed with the Qanon conspiracy theory, which has been around for several years. Far-right Americans believe in the idea that President Donald Trump is fighting Satan-worshiping pedophiles who secretly rule the world.

The membership of this theoretical group in the UK has risen 120% since March, and posters backing Qanon dominated the coronavirus protests in London in late August.

At the same time, the popularity of highly controversial personalities is growing. David Icke, for example, was warmly received at the event, arguing that the royal family in the UK are interdimensional lizards. Kate Shemirani, who is at the forefront of the vaccine skeptical movement, also received 6 million applause last month. equating the life-threatening Holocaust with quarantine.

Probably the key question is, why have views that have been on the sidelines until recently gaining more and more support in recent months?

According to Imran Ahmed, director of the UK’s Center for Digital Hate, the coronavirus is the perfect time for conspiracy theorists. People close their homes, spend more time online, and meet less often with friends and colleagues, who generally become an alternative source of information.

At the time, Byford believed that conspiracy theories thrive in the face of uncertainty and dramatic events. At this point, official explanations seem inadequate, deviating from reality.

“Cognitive dissonance works. After all, a situation that shakes up everyday life must have a more dramatic explanation than a virus that has replaced one mammal with another ”. independent.co.uk Byyford explained.

While reliable information about the virus is collected, scientists and politicians often interpret the same data very differently. At the same time, conspiracy theories that explain everything in the face of stress provide a sense of security. They create “scapegoats” to whom pent-up anger can be directed.

After all, a situation that shakes up everyday life must have a more dramatic explanation than a virus that has replaced one mammal with another.

Search for responsibility

In any case, the COVID-19 pandemic is far from the first outbreak accompanied by conspiracy theories. 1919 In the wake of the Spanish flu, rumors circulated that the disease was a biological weapon for Germany, which had lost the First World War.

But unlike then, in the 21st century. information spreads in an instant. Information space experts agree that lies spread so quickly that there is no time to judge them based on rational logic rather than emotion.

We need advertisers, the main customers of social media, to use their power to influence the will of technology companies to combat this problem. At the same time, laws are needed to prevent people from falling into the trap of professional propagandists, ”said Ahmed.

The extent to which these changes are possible remains an open question. It is not clear what the real impact of the additional safeguards would be.