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France is one of the most vaccine-skeptical countries in the world, a fertile ground for the dissemination of false information by die-hard anti-vaccine campaigners, writes Marianna Spring, a specialist in disinformation at the BBC.
In his spare time Gilles enjoys watching sci-fi movies and reading spooky bands – comics in French.
It also helps run a conspiracy-focused Facebook group. 50,000 members, many of which are spreading lies about the coronavirus.
“I felt in my stomach that all of this was exaggerated and false,” says Gilles. He doesn’t deny – like other members of the group – that covid-19 is real. Instead, he harbors vague suspicions about the disease, potential cures, and alleged cover-ups.
And, according to the posts he’s seen in the group, he doesn’t want a covid vaccine either.
Profile picture of Gilles on Facebook.
He fears, despite all the scientific evidence, that the vaccines were developed too quickly to be safe. Gilles is part of a large panorama of ms.
Rise of social media
The Facebook group Gilles helps lead is just one example of a larger trend: an increase in anti-vaccine content in French on social media over the past year.
A study by BBC Monitoring (the unit that monitors global media) found that the number of follower pages sharing anti-vaccine content in French increased in 2020, from 3.2 million likes to nearly of 4.1 million.
These pages do not answer legitimate medical questions, are leagues of scientific and political discussions underway in Europe and elsewhere.
Instead, they are run by people who have made a firm resolve to go against vaccines and who are spreading delusional false rumors of vaccines that kill millions of people, contain trackers, or alter our DNA.
Anti-vaccine pages in French also tend to confuse messages against the system. Much of the discussion revolves around concerns that covid inoculations could become mandatory, with dissident and opposing communities fearing that French democracy will be replaced by the so-called “health dictatorship“.
Currently, covid-19 vaccines are not mandatory in France, although minors are legally required to be vaccinated against certain diseases.
Facebook claims to be investigating the groups and pages reported by the BBC investigation and claims to have removed 12 million segments of nefarious disinformation about COVID-19 and approved vaccines.
“Last week, we announced additional measures to curb the spread of harmful disinformation among groups,” a company spokesperson said, “including restricting the reach of those who break our rules.”
In the group led by Gilles, extravagant false conspiracy theories appear alongside posts expressing more moderate views, such as opposing vaccines being mandatory.
He doesn’t agree with the extreme content, but says he finds it hard to dismiss all objectionable posts.
Counter attack
But there are others who are doing their best to fight the wave of anti-vaccine conspiracies. They’ve created their own pages on Facebook, infiltrating social media spaces where lies abound.
Marie – a pseudonym – leads a group of volunteers who promote online vaccine messages. You want to remain anonymous out of fear for your safety.
Les Vaxxeuses is a group that fights against misinformation about vaccines online.
“We have suffered many death threats,” she explains, somewhat upset, from her home in Paris, “from people on social networks who read our page and don’t like what they see. “.
I asked him why he continues when he has to face such abuse.
“I love science,” he replies, “and I hate fake news”.
Her Facebook page provides her followers with accurate vaccine information, urges them to chat with people and even persuade them to get the vaccine.
Science activists use these kinds of memes to gain support.
History and freedom
This battle for the truth rages around the world, but it is particularly vicious in France.
According to an Ipsos survey carried out last year, only 40% of the French population was willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, although a more recent study indicates that this number has risen to more than half.
However, Tristan Mendes France, a university professor who helps run a site called Conspiracy Watch, remains concerned about the numbers. Fifteen years ago, he says, polls indicated that only about a tenth of the French population was skeptical of vaccines.
“It’s important to differentiate between those who are skeptical about vaccines and those who are absolutely anti-vaccine,” he says.
“According to him, the online anti-vaccine movement has flourished in France in particular because it takes advantage of a pre-existing skepticism against the authority and pharmaceutical companies.
Opposition to vaccines in France has grown considerably in recent years.
It’s not just about online conspiracy theories. According to Medes France and other experts, vaccine skepticism has deeper and more complicated roots: a combination of a deep distrust of the state, a passion for freedom personal and historical failures.
The country experienced a real vaccination scandal in 2009. The French government bought enough doses of vaccine against the H1N1 “swine flu” virus to vaccinate the entire population.
It cost more than $ 700 million, but with just a few hundred swine flu deaths in the country, many did not want to be vaccinated. They saw it as a huge waste of money.
In recent weeks, France has been one of many European countries to halt use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine over fears of blood clots.
Medical regulators in the UK and the European Union have concluded that there is no evidence that the vaccine produces clots and that the injection is safe and effective.
But it became another story used by French anti-vaccine campaigners to promote their conspiracy story.
Mdico Polmico
On the other hand, there is the so-called “Didier Raoult effect”.
Raoult is a famous doctor in France, known for his intellect and frank opinions.
Doctor Didier Raoult is a celebrity in France.
“In our country, it is a crime to be smart. It is very difficult for me not to be smart. I apologize,” he said with a laugh, speaking from his research institute. in Marseille.
Despite his once stellar reputation in scientific research, Dr Raoult has sparked controversy by advocating the use of a drug called hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus.
His claims were echoed by Donald Trump, but lacked scientific evidence. The incident prompted the filing of a formal complaint from his peers in the medical community.
Drugs controversy aside, Dr Raoult has – unwittingly – become a hero of die-hard activists promoting anti-vaccine conspiracies. Fictitious quotes falsely attributed to the doctor are circulating on social networks.
Although these messages are false, the doctor still harbors controversial views on vaccines. He says he’s not sure people under 65 should be vaccinated against COVID-19. And this despite the benefits highlighted by public health experts: young people can be severely affected by the virus and mass vaccination can limit dangerous mutations in the virus.
Vulnerability to disinformation
Dr Raoult’s approach seems to fit into a general perspective in French-speaking Europe. At one extreme, it sometimes spills over into the realm of conspiratorial thinking.
Gilles, the science fiction enthusiast, is sure he doesn’t want a COVID-19 vaccine. He is indifferent to catching the disease.
“I don’t think anything will happen,” he said. “He might have flu symptoms, but it’s unlikely.”
Covid-19 has a higher death rate than the flu in all age groups, with the possible exception of children under 12. The long-term effects of the coronavirus can also be serious and it is more infectious than the flu.
But this lingering suspicion leaves Gilles – and others like him – vulnerable to all kinds of misinformation.
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