Coronavirus, conspiracy theories | Tøyen-Cola provokes strong reactions: – Spreads conspiracy theories and misinformation



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On Tuesday night, a Twitter message generated strong reactions on social media. Local soft drink producer Tøyen-Cola, which among other things has made itself known by being in opposition and in court against giant Coca-Cola, has at some point changed its label recently. Show one Twitter message from the user @DyvekeIrene:

“OR. Mathisen AS, which produces Tøyen Cola, has started printing conspiracy theories about covid-19 and 5G on its bottles. Spreading conspiracies and disinformation in a global pandemic and crisis is dangerous, and something I don’t want to support financially, and I don’t think others shouldn’t either, ”he writes.

The label says:

“WWW.DINERETTIGHETERHER.COVID.1984.5G.ID2020.EVENT201”.

The soft drink producer answers what they want to communicate further down in the case.

Most people have likely heard of Covid-19 and 5G before, while, for example, the “Event 201” is unknown to the general public, but it is popular with many conspiracy theorists.

The event is not yet a secret. It has been featured by several reputable news outlets and outlets, including Reuters and Business Insider, as well as fact-checking sites FactCheck.org, Snopes, and Faktisk. Event 201 was a pandemic simulation conducted in October 2019, a few months before the corona outbreak. It was staged due to a growing number of epidemics and was based on a fictional coronavirus, says the Johns Hopkins Center, which hosted the simulation.

Due to the similarities between Event 201 and Covid-19, the impression is created that Bill Gates knew about Covid-19 before it broke out. This has since been rejected by all of the media and news agencies mentioned. The other conspiracy theories have also been discussed, verified, and rejected by fact-checking sites, including here and here. Business Insider describes the link to Bill Gates as “weird.”

– Just a few keywords

The words that stand out on the Tøyen-Cola label, and which may seem like a link to some, are not, the manufacturer states:

– It is not a real link, it is just a few keywords.

That’s what soda producer Jarle Hollerud tells Nettavisen. According to him, this has been on the label for a “good time.”

– In that context, what do you ask yourself? Hollerud asks.

– I wonder what you are trying to communicate by printing this on a label.

– So, first I must understand how you interpret it, Hollerud answers.

The online newspaper notes that several Twitter users, including MDG politician E claim Trædal and former FRP politician Trond birkedal, has replied to the message. The latter, for example, has called for a boycott of all O. Mathisen products, including Tøyen-Cola.

– Are we the ones who do 5G?

Hollerud is surprised that more people are reacting and calling for a boycott because of the fictitious URL. Then he asks again why Nettavisen is getting in touch.

– What are you trying to communicate with this? Why are you printing this here?

– Are these words that are interesting, not the rest of the label? Hollerud asks again.

– I think the rest of the tag is similar to most tags. Made and bottled, ingredient list, etc. Is that with covid and 5G not found on Coca-Cola labels, for example?

– It’s been a long time since I looked at other labels. Why is it written? This is a long topic. The dummy URL suggests several topics that should probably be on the agenda. I would encourage these people to point out what’s up with these provocative topics. That O. Mathisen represents incorrect information … are we the ones creating 5G? Are we the ones who want to sow fear? Or are we the ones who want a discussion on the subject? Maybe someone can think why one should take any action against a virus that statistically turns out not to be much more harmful than the previously known flu, but like I said, it is a very, very broad topic. I can show up somewhere and argue with those who have a say in the case, says Hollerud, adding:

– What did we say wrong? We haven’t said anything, we’ve only mentioned a few topics, asks Hollerud.

– Okay, do you want a discussion on these issues? Including covid and 5G?

– I do not have a great need to discuss it, but I ask that there be more coverage in the media. That there are spotlights at different angles to the most famous ones. There are many faces to a problem. I step ahead of the newspapers, and I do not follow the media in any other way, and I see that strict measures are being implemented, and I am calling for a reason, other than that everyone agrees that we should now initiate a lot of measures. We must have a reason to initiate these measures, and I don’t think the reason is good enough, but that is my personal opinion. This is not to say that it is correct, but there are other aspects of the case that should appear in the media.

I would fill in the label

Hollerud says that the goal of printing this on the label was primarily to fill the label with text, to “make it look professional,” but that he may have unconsciously tried to create buzz on the subject.

– I did not expect it to be tweeted and people feel provoked by it, but if it provokes a public debate, I am happy with the result.

He thinks it is stupid for someone to call for a boycott of Tøyen-Cola and prefer to have a discussion about what they have done wrong. Consider that there is no false information that is spread by mentioning that it exists.

– It’s no secret that Event 201 was derailed in October 2019. They carried it out: a test version of the pandemic scenario. No theory or misinformation? Hollerud asks.

– Those, who are you targeting then?

– I’m not a definitive answer, so look it up yourself, but if you want a quick answer, I think it was the Johns Hopkins Hospital, World Economic Forum in collaboration with the Bill and Linda Gates Foundation that organized Event 201. Sit a bit at him, and see if there is any interesting information. Then the objective is really achieved, to make people aware of the things that exist and that are not mentioned. It’s good for people to notice, so you can boycott the soda as much as you want.

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