One of life’s few certainties is that the anti-vaccination movement will always undo the conspiracies it propagates: that it is a movement of peace and love, and intellect; as opposed to the venomous, hateful, threatening, anti-Semitic, anti-intellectual, misogynistic cult we all know to be apparent, even by the most rudimentary of browsing on social media. This is only two days old, still published on the WIN News Shepparton Facebook page [edit: 45 minutes after this blog post was published, WIN News Shepparton deleted the whole thread in which this comment, and others, appeared for two days]:
More on that offensive Vazquez threat, down the page.
Over the last few months, the anti-vaccination cult has been in overdrive in an attempt to downplay the existence of its poisonous heart.
In October 2016, Grant MacArthur published an article in the Herald Sun, in which Victorian Health Minister, Jill Hennessy, provided some of the vile commentary which has been afforded her by anti-vaccination activists, both directly, via Twitter and email, and in anti-vaccination Facebook groups. I’ve included the bulk of the text, here, for a reason, which will become apparent down the page:
VICTORIAN Health Minister Jill Hennessy has turned the tables on vile anti-vaccine campaigners who threaten and harass her.
Ms Hennessy has shone a light on the practices of militant “anti-vaxxer” trolls by releasing a swath of their abusive messages, which include calls for her execution and prayers that she fall ill with cancer.
On making their threats public in a remarkable Herald Sun online video, Ms Hennessy said Victorians should be aware of anti-vaccine proponents’ true nature so as to be better able to balance their unfounded claims against science.
“No level of abuse from the anti-vaccination movement changes the fact that vaccinations save lives … (or) that without vaccinating our children we will not defeat many of the great public health challenges that we have,” she said.
“So they can type away with acid fingers providing all sorts of awful insults to me — it will have absolutely no impact on my personal commitment to vaccination and staring down the myth-makers.”
Ms Hennessy said she was bombarded with hate mail and misogynistic and often violent social media messages whenever policies to increase vaccination rates were aired.
She wants parents who have legitimate questions about vaccination to consult doctors, not anti-vaxxers.
“People should be under no illusions: the anti-vaccination movement is not a group of peace-loving hippies, as some might assume. They are an organised group that peddle misinformation that is dangerous, and their advocacy techniques are unhelpful, abusive and downright rude,” she said.
“There is a certain irony that people who purport to advocate on behalf of children’s wellbeing make threats of violence, threaten the wellbeing of vaccination advocates’ children, and use language which at its best is childish and at its worst constitutes harassment.
“If you are unable to prosecute an argument without having to go to such steps, then you probably don’t have a very good argument in the first place — and that is very true of the anti-vax movement.
Belgin Colak, an administrator for the Anti-Vaccination Australia Facebook community of 5800 members, said she was unaware of any threats to the minister.
There is no suggestion any of the threats to Ms Hennessy have been made via Ms Colak’s Facebook group, by its members, or by her.
“As a woman I don’t agree with anyone being spoken to in that way,” Ms Colak said.
Remember those comments from anti-vaccination activist, Belgin Colak/Arslan.
The minister appeared on The Project, on Network Ten:
The minister also appeared on Today, on the Nine Network:
We know the comments directed at and sent to the minister are real. The anti-vaccination movement is known for this stuff: just search “threats and abuse” on my blog. And, these are just some of the all-too-real examples I shared publicly, with the minister, from the Anti-Vaccination Australia Facebook group:
This is the same person; she changed her name after her comments were published:
Melbourne anti-vaccination activist, Olivier Vles – the guy responsible for The Unreasonable Wank – has been at the forefront of this inept and dishonest, disinformation campaign, spamming antivax groups with these conspiracy theory posts against the minister, which claim that the Herald Sun article was faked, and that none of the messages were real:
And Sydney anti-vaccination activist Adam Crabb – of the anti-Semitic, homophobic, racist The Crazz Files – cited the Herald Sun article only yesterday, in Anti-Vaccination Australia, along with a screenshot of the aforementioned text, calling it fake:
It is startling (okay, it’s not really that startling), that anti-vaccination activists would continue this ruse, even as their awful commentary across many fora continues. The following are just a few examples from recent days, in the Anti-Vaccination Australia group, alone. Even on posts by Adam Crabb!
Here is Bruce Thompson, on an Adam Crabb post, on January 2 2017. Thompson is the electorate officer for NSW Nationals MP, Leslie Williams. I’m not even joking. And, as an aside, Williams also knows about recent hideous comments Thompson has provided in relation to journalists Jane Hansen and Claire Harvey:
Other comments on the Thompson/Crabb thread, discussing Jill Hennessy:
The following are all from Anti-Vaccination Australia, as well.
January 5 2017:
January 5 2016, Crabb linked to a defamatory Mike Adams YouTube video in which Jill Hennessy is called a “baby killer” and a “Aborigine baby murderer”; the title of the deranged video being, Australian health minister Jill Hennessy part of the Vaccines Mafia ?:
Evil Jill Hennsey
And lets not forget the end of the video (which many of us have watched, with alarm and despair), in which Mike Adams highlights his Glock side-arm, for the camera, after spending 17 minutes vilifying an Australian state health minister!
On January 6 2017, Crabb claimed that the minister is mentally unstable:
On January 6 2017, Blue Mountains NSW antivaxer, Lynette Kennedy posted these lies about the minister:
While others piled on Crabb’s post, including in regard to the minister’s hair, of all things:
So,what has got anti-vaccination activists all hot and bothered about the minister, this time? A new immunisation campaign, as set out in this press release:
The Andrews Labor Government has launched a new campaign to reinforce how immunisation saves lives and keeps children safe from deadly diseases.
Acting Premier James Merlino today joined Minister for Health Jill Hennessy, in the City of Port Phillip, to launch the campaign and remind parents to ensure their children are fully immunised before heading back to childcare and school after the holiday season.
The Labor Government’s tough new No Jab, No Play law requires all Victorian children to have a record of immunisation to be enrolled in childcare and kindergarten, unless they have a medical reason.
Currently, 93.5 per cent of Victorian children under five are fully immunised, however in many parts of the state immunisation rates are still far too low, with some suburbs falling below 90 per cent.
More needs to be done to increase coverage and reach the 95 per cent ‘herd immunity’ required to halt the spread of dangerous and virulent diseases such as measles.
Despite scientific evidence proving they are safe and effective, and have saved millions of lives, around 25 per cent of people still have concerns about vaccines.
From 15 January, a new campaign promoting the benefits of immunisation and the No Jab No Play laws by telling real-life stories will hit TV screens, radio, cinemas, online and social media.
It also encourages parents to keep immunisations up-to-date, with the Government’s VaxOnTime app available for download to help busy parents keep track of when their child’s vaccinations are due.
The campaign aims to motivate parents concerned about vaccines to find out more from reputable sources and learn about the importance of immunisation.
To learn more about immunisation visit www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/immunisation
Accordingly, this news story was picked up by many Victorian news outlets. One of those outlets was WIN News Shepparton. Readers might remember that WIN News has form for allowing anti-vaccination activists to appear in their stories. What was less expected was that WIN News Shepparton would allow the following awful comments, from anti-vaccinationists, to remain on its Facebook page:
Remember, above, those October 2016 comments from Belgin Colak/Arslan? Arslan said this: “As a woman I don’t agree with anyone being spoken to in that way”:
she should be more concerned with the magic number on her bathroom scales. Minister of health, what a joke!
Melanie Chantel she deserves all the truthful comments
Nazis
Funny that our health minister doesn’t look so healthy herself
Too much bleach gone into her big, fat obnoxious head
you irresponsible cow!
Criminal
She is a despicable evil woman
And then the comment from Frankie Joseoh Vazquez. Of course, Vazquez is well-known to many readers for his online death threats and abuse. He is still welcome in all anti-vaccination fora, including Anti-Vaccination Australia, which is administered by Belgin Colak/Arslan and Breana Stanley:
Jill Hennessy is hiding under a rock he rdays are fuking numbered I assure u the thing ha sold her soul to the draconians she’s a cocaine addicted mut
little miss piggy
How are unhealthy overweight women in charge of health? 😳
🎯This is a legitimate question.I’m glad you found a way to ask nicely! I stopped myself from saying what i thought! She is sickening:(
Shawn Dhu her lies are sickening for sure. Making up fake tweets against her with 200 characters when the limit is 140. 😳 Good one, JH. 👍🏻💥 #liarliarpantsonfire
Jill Hennessy is the herd of turd, Shit for brains. Bring on inauguration of donald trump he tells the truth and will save children because money cant persuade him into lying. You are an insult to intelligence jill, the money is more important than safety to this evil woman.
As always, the best at highlighting the the atrocious bahaviour and personalities of the anti-vaccination movement is the anti-vaccination movement. Hopefully the minister seeks some legal recourse against some of these anti-vaccination activists.
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4 Responses to More ugly misogyny against Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy from the antivax movement