From RFK Jr to Latin America, Poland’s Anti-Vaxxers Find Friends Abroad

Kennedy was speaking, non-sequiturs and all, at the invitation of parliamentarians from the far-right Confederation Liberty and Independence coalition (Konfederacja Wolnosc i Niepodleglosc, often shortened to Konfederacja), whose leadership include vaccination sceptics.

"This is a global problem that is being pushed by a global medical cartel, the global pharmaceutical companies and regulatory agencies," Kennedy went on to claim. "And our response must be global as well. We need to create institutions that are enduring, persistent and strong enough to counter the unleashed power of this medical tyranny."

Kennedy, an environmental lawyer turned anti-vax campaigner, is the son of the former US attorney general and assassinated presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former president John F. Kennedy. His appearance at the session was popular, with over 200,000 views and 6,000 shares on Facebook alone, and is indicative of how existing connections between domestic and foreign anti-vaxxers, far-right politicians and ultra-conservative groups are proving useful in disseminating anti-COVID vaccination rhetoric throughout Poland.

At the same time, the pandemic is helping to create new opportunities for these networks. While much has been made of Russian-produced disinformation - and this is an issue in Poland, too - many 'COVID entrepreneurs' from across Europe, the US, Latin America and elsewhere are contributing to the 'infodemic' in Poland while pursuing their own anti-democratic, anti-EU or populist agendas.

Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. (R) and his wife, US actress Cheryl Hines (L). Photo: EPA/EFE Michael Reynolds

Far-out networks

Two of the most prominent anti-vaxxers in Poland currently...