Bayside suburbs targeted by Protector Party coronavirus conspiracy theory
Hundreds of residents in Melbourne’s bayside suburbs have received disturbing coronavirus conspiracy theory pamphlets claiming the pandemic is a scam. And the man behind the flyers has been unmasked.
Inner South
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Alarming conspiracy theory pamphlets claiming coronavirus is “a scam” and a “plandemic” have been dropped into hundreds of letterboxes throughout Elwood, Elsternwick, Brighton and Beaumaris.
The flyers are the work of fringe-dwelling political wannabe and “serial peddler of conspiracy theories” John Casley.
The pamphlets claim doctors and nurses have been silenced from debate and prevented from sharing their evidence about how COVID-19 is a scam.
The flyer directs people to the Protector Party’s crudely designed website which contains largely incoherent ramblings, including linking the virus death toll to 5G.
“There is no pandemic and a few benefit from many suffering by believing there is,” the site says.
“It is proved that increased 5G effect via increased device usage reduces oxygen intake, pandemic death figures could be real and blamed on the fictitious virus”.
Mr Casley, secretary of the Protector Party, ran as an independent for the seat of Goldstein in last year’s federal election, securing just 1349 votes.
He has previously made failed bids for the state seat of Brighton in 1988, 1992 and 2018, where he garnered just 273 votes.
Goldstein federal Liberal MP Tim Wilson said Mr Casley was a “persistent serial peddler of conspiracy theories”.
“He’s a reminder why fools should remain silent, lest they remove all doubt,” he said.
University of Melbourne epidemiology expert Professor Tony Blakely said conspiracy theories were completely unjustified.
“There’s millions of cases occurring globally and the hundreds of thousands if not soon millions of deaths occurring from this virus,” Prof Blakely said.
It comes as dozens of conspiracy theory Facebook groups have emerged in recent months telling tens of thousands of online followers the deadly virus was just a cover for the global elite to consolidate their control over the masses.
The groups tell its followers not to wear masks, reject coronavirus tests and plans protests.
A Department of Health and Human Services spokesman said coronavirus was an incredibly infectious disease that had killed hundreds of thousands of people all over the world, including at least 376 Victorians.
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