LONDON (Dispatches) – Counter-terrorism officials and police are increasingly concerned over the trajectory of the UK’s anti-vaxxer movement as it evolves towards violent extremism and the formation of U.S.-style militias.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is among those receiving direct security updates on individuals prepared to “undermine national health security”, The Guardian reported.
The movement’s more extreme elements are recruiting and strategizing over the encrypted social media messaging app Telegram, with one UK anti-vaxxer channel asking for “men of integrity” to “fight for our children’s future”.
Anti-vaxxers have targeted scores of schools and recently stormed a COVID testing site. They were led by Britain’s most visible activist, Piers Corbyn, who subsequently urged people to burn down the offices of MPs who backed new restrictions.
Health experts warn that their false claims have had an impact on the vaccination program, with Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, blaming “misinformation” for vaccine hesitancy.
Latest intelligence assessments describe the anti-vaxxer movement as ostensibly a conveyor belt, delivering fresh recruits to extremist groups, including racially and ethnically motivated violent extremist organizations.
“It’s a growing concern and it is being monitored at the highest level,” said the Whitehall source, adding, “No 10 is among those getting the reports direct: the PM is seeing them in his inbox. The consensus is that we didn’t win [the disinformation war] as cleanly as we need to do next time.”
Of chief concern is that Britain’s anti-vaxx conspiracists are moving offline, with the UK-based Alpha Men Assemble (AMA) group organising military-style training in preparation for what it has termed a “war” on the government and its COVID policies.
The developments come as thousands of people poured into the streets of several European countries to protest against governments plan to curb COVID-19, as the Omicron variant continues to surge rapidly across the continent.
Thousands of people across Germany gathered for coronavirus demonstrations on Saturday, DW reported.
The protests in Germany came as the country hit a new record infection rate. The Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases (RKI) recorded 497.1 new cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days. That’s higher than the last reported peak of 485.1, recorded on November 29.
Similar protests also took place on Saturday in other European countries, including Italy, Austria and France, as governments move toward making vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory.
Italy recently tightened restrictions and introduced vaccine mandates for people over 50, Austria’s parliament is due to vote on a vaccine mandate next week and French lawmakers are debating tighter rules for the unvaccinated.