In recent weeks there have been a series of rallies across the country at which various conspiracy theorists have offered their view of events. Some say the pandemic is a hoax, some that it is caused by 5G; others argue that it has been deliberately engineered by a cabal of the likes of Bill Gates and Lord Rothschild.
That last name is inevitable — no conspiracy theory is complete without supposed Jewish involvement, and it is usually a Rothschild. But natural as it is that anti-vaxxers, coronavirus conspiracists and antisemites should come together — they all sign up to variations on the same theme — it is also dangerous.
Lord Mann’s report this week analysed 27 leading anti-vaxxer social media platforms and found antisemitic content in 79 per cent of the networks.
These may indeed be the deluded online ramblings of a bunch of oddballs. But they have an impact in the real world, far beyond the rallies.
