How ‘Gympie Pyramid’ arrest video became anti-Covid vax misinformation

A video shot in the bush near Gympie has been hijacked by Covid conspiracists and used in a growing misinformation movement. Watch the video and read the truth behind it:

Covid lockdowns and vaccination mandates may be largely a memory in Queensland, but the fight against the measures taken to combat the pandemic continues – even if the “proof” is fake.

One of these casualties of the truth stems from a video taken near Gympie two years ago, when protesters tried to block progress on construction of the Bruce Hwy Bypass, which they alleged impinged on an archaeological site often referred to as the Gympie Pyramid.

The Gympie Pyramid consists of the rounded eastern end of a sandstone ridge, and is located on the Gympie Connection Road, several kilometres northeast of the city. Among the many theories of its origins is a disputed claim of Indigenous significance.

Video of arrests made during an October 2021 clash between Indigenous protesters and police has become a tool in the spread of misinformation about pandemic crackdowns.

Video footage of a clash between protesters and police outside Gympie October 2021 over construction of the Bruce Hwy bypass has been used by fringe and social media proponents as “proof” of tyrannical anti-vaccination crackdowns in Australia

Those fighting to protect the area claimed it had Indigenous cultural heritage, called Dajki Kundu. That claim has been repeatedly rejected by historians, the Queensland government and Department of Transport and Main Roads.

Since the video was taken, the Covid misinformation movement has published and shared the video, claiming it as proof Australians were being forcibly rounded up and herded into camps if they refused vaccination.

These sites have included X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok, as well as fringe independent media sites, including American Military News.com and Sovren.media.

Rocky Ridge, Gympie Pyramid, map Bruce Highway Gympie bypass

Those involved in the October 2021 protest were unimpressed with the misrepresentation.

“Lying about breaches of human rights allows the real breaches to be ignored,” Kabi Kabi woman Diane Djaki Widjung said.

Ms Djaki Widjung was among those who faced charges over the October 2021 incidents, only part of which were captured in the arrest footage.

All charges were later dropped.

Ms Djaki said on Tuesday the free exercise of beliefs, protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage and human rights laws were at the heart of those events but “vax status was not a factor”.

The use of the video in this way was doing more harm to people’s fights than good, she said.

Sunshine Coast University misinformation expert Dr Naomi Smith said the video footage had taken hold as part of the anti-vaccination campaign as it “fit really well” into the framework being pushed by these groups.

“All human rights issues are vitally important to the future path of humanity, but those who consider spreading misinformation should remember that the manipulation of the truth to suit their own agenda, unfairly diminishes the rights of others.”

Sunshine Coast University misinformation expert Dr Naomi Smith said this type of misinformation had arisen from “a really high level of distrust that’s grown in society”.

The pandemic and lockdowns created the “perfect environment for these types of things to take off”.

Dr Smith said with every conspiracy theory there was a “kernel of truth in the lie”, and the ability for this video to be presented this way was bolstered by actual lockdown arrests in places like Ballarat at the time.

She said the footage “fit really well” within the anti-vaccination narrative “if you don’t know any better”.

Another big driver was that social media had a financial incentive to allow it continue.

“Misinformation is engaging,” Dr Smith said.

“They have an economic incentive not to do anything about it.”

The video continues to be circulated on social media sites almost two years after it was recorded and shared, despite ongoing efforts by some on the sites to combat the misinformation.

As for solving the problem of misinformation, Dr Smith said it would be difficult to put the “genie back in the bottle” for social media and the self-publication doors it had opened.

Restoring trust through “transparent” and “accountable” institutions and better funding for local media would help combat the problem, she said.

Legislation had a role to play too.

Dr Smith said it should be focused on harm, and not come at the expense of allowing people to voice their opinions.

People had their own role to play, she said.

There was always a need to question unverified claims, especially when it came to “why no-one is reporting on it”.

“It’s really important for people to sit back and take a moment.

“You have to think: What are they selling me?”

Originally published as How ‘Gympie Pyramid’ arrest video became anti-Covid vax misinformation