How widespread globally is the "virus is a hoax" conspiracy?

[OneGrassRoot]

I follow the anti-mask, pro-QAnon, pro-Trump folks fairly closely. I've seen this cult grow and see it's quite popular in certain countries where I have connections but my connections are limited.

Does anyone have a feel for how widespread conspiracy theories about COVID-19 are in other countries? I'm referring to people who embrace The Plandemic movie and believe it is no worse than the flu and is being used to manipulate citizens in various nefarious ways. The anti-mask people.

I know there is a not insignificant following -- and growing -- in Canada, England, France and Australia.

Curious if this is a limited phenomenon, due in part perhaps to access to the conspiracy theories, or if it's more widespread. I'm specifically curious about in which countries it's a popular theory.

Thanks for any insights you may have.

[louis-t]

1. I was shocked to find out the 1918 pandemic

also had anti-maskers. Probably MAGA time travelers.

[OneGrassRoot]

2. LOL!

"MAGA time travelers." Good one.

[Newest Reality]

3. Hahaha! Good one.

[Initech]

15. I swear there's so many parallels between now and 1918 it's not even funny.

[underpants]

4. I know that some 5G phone towers were set on fire in England

But I haven’t heard much from there since. That was really early on.

[OneGrassRoot]

5. Thx! n/t

[Stallion]

6. We'll I've Read the Same BULLSHIT from about 100 Tweets concerning Texas-Goes Something Like This-

My best friend's 3rd Cousin on her mother's side went in for a Covid test but got tired of waiting so they left before getting a test. 2 days later they were informed they tested Positive.

Those are obviously inauthentic tweets when hundreds of different people tweet the same or similar hearsay from third parties. It is such blatant BULLSHIT that so many different posters would have the same identical story-or a close variation thereof

[OneGrassRoot]

7. EXACTLY. Seen the same...

verbatim. smh

[OneGrassRoot]

8. Kick. Still hoping for insight from other countries. n/t

[EllieBC]

9. There was an anti-mask "rally" here in Vancouver this weekend.

Which is hilarious because there isn’t even a mask mandate in our province.

Anyway those the media spoke to were spouting some crazy stuff about masks causing cancer.

[OneGrassRoot]

10. I have quite a few (some now former) friends in Canada...

most in Quebec. They went down the rabbit hole with the anti-vaxx stuff and are now full-fledged QAnon, pro-Trump, yeah the mask is "slavery" and causes cancer and/or "activates the virus" and we're all sheeple.

Oy.

[EllieBC]

11. The anti-vax movement here is strong.

And it’s not the usual suspects of right wingers and super Christians. It’s a lot of your run of the mill, “my BA in English lit from UBC taught me to think for myself and I’ve spent 2 hours watching YouTube videos and now I know vaccines kill!!!! I’m gonna bike down to the local craft brewery/ coffee shop/bike shop and buy some essential oils!”.

Those people and the QAnons make for strange bedfellows but on the subject of science they are BFFs.

[OneGrassRoot]

12. Yes, yes, yes. smh. n/t

[Initech]

13. I'm not sure, but this would be worth investigating.

I have friends in the UK and in Central Europe, and the next time I communicate with them online I should ask them, since when I was over there, I got asked a lot about what was happening here.

[OneGrassRoot]

14. Please do...

I’m very curious. Friends in Asian countries like Singapore say it’s not prevalent there, largely because there’s more trust in government and more awareness of the collective good.

[Swede]

16. Here in Canada a youtube video making the rounds

about how watching it will change your life forever. Some qanon bs, but several Facebook friends recommended it.

[JI7]

17. In most other countries it's a small extremist fringe. But in the US it's a major

political party and while they are not a majority that make up a significant minority.