The co-founder of Microsoft and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has become the leading target of conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 pandemic, especially since he criticized the decision of US President Donald Trump to stop US funding of the World Health Organization (WHO), they write. world media.
A fertile ground for conspiracy theories and attacks
As one of the richest men in the world, Gates has long been the target of attacks on the Internet, but in recent weeks, attacks on him on social networks have intensified from various sides, from anti-vaxxer groups to supporters of debunked conspiracy theories that link the new corona virus to 5G technology. The Wall Street Journal (The Wall Street Journal).
Gates recently posted a three-second video on Instagram of himself holding the sign "Thank you healthcare workers" behind the window, after which, according to the newspaper, over the next few days, his post received hundreds of thousands of comments accusing him of crimes against humanity and link to various conspiracy theories involving vaccines, the WHO and implanting microchips in people.
Attacks on Gates intensified last Sunday after he criticized the US decision to cut funding to the WHO, which the Trump administration cited as the WHO's handling of the pandemic, the paper said, adding that the philanthropic organization Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the WHO's second largest funder after USA.
Conspiracy theories have intensified with the spread of the corona virus and, the Wall Street Journal points out, social media platforms remain fertile ground for theories related to the virus, but also for online harassment, despite promises by those companies to suppress such activities.
The episode with Gates underscores the tense and politicized nature of the debate over the new coronavirus, the paper said, noting that millions of Americans have lost their jobs during the pandemic, making the government's handling of the crisis a deeply personal issue.
Star Conspiracy Theory
Gates (64) is now the star of explosions of conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 pandemic, he points out New York Times (The New York Times), indicating that the Microsoft co-founder has been falsely portrayed in posts on YouTube (YouTube), Facebook and Twitter as the creator of Covid-19, a profiteer of a vaccine for the virus and part of a nefarious scheme to exploit the disease to monitor the global population.
Gates' 2015 speech warning that the greatest threat to humanity is not nuclear war but an infectious virus that could threaten the lives of millions of people has resurfaced on YouTube in recent weeks with 25 million new views, but not as Gates wanted, the paper said, adding that anti-vaxxers, members of the conspiracy theorist group Cannon (QAnon) and right-wing commentators took the video as evidence that one of the richest men in the world planned to use the pandemic to take control of the global health care system.
Conspiracy theories also twist Gates' words, the newspaper points out. After he mentioned on Reddit the possibility of "digital certificates" as confirmation of who had the virus, internet trolls began to claim that he wanted to control the population by implanting microchips in people.
The rampant claims gained momentum as Gates emerged as a counterweight to Trump on the coronavirus issue, advocating for stay-at-home measures, expanding testing and developing a vaccine. He practically took over the role of George Soros (George), a billionaire and donor to the American Democratic Party, as a villain for the right, the newspaper points out, and indicates that Gates is the last person, along with the leading expert on infectious diseases in the USA, Anthony Fauci, who the target of right-wing commentators who disparage anyone who disagrees with Trump on the virus.
By 2018, the Gates Foundation had collected $46,8 billion, making it one of the world's largest private humanitarian organizations, according to the New York Times. The foundation worked to distribute vaccines in developing countries, advocated for family planning through increased use of contraception, and funded the development of genetically modified crops. Those efforts have sparked unfounded accusations that Gates is endangering the world's poor with unnecessary drugs and harmful crops as he tries to reduce the global population.
More popular than the 5G theory
In addition to being one of the most prominent public figures who speaks about the pandemic, the billionaire philanthropist has also become the main target of various theories about the spread of the corona virus, according to American television. CNBC.
Conspiracy theories that falsely link Gates to the origin of the corona virus in some way were mentioned 1,3 million times on television or social media from February to April, according to data from the analytics company Zignal Labs.
According to CNBC, this is about 33 percent more than the second most popular conspiracy theory about the corona virus, which links the pandemic to 5G technology.
In April, conspiracy theories linking Gates to the coronavirus, including claims that he knew in advance that there would be a Covid-19 pandemic or that he wanted to implant microchips in the global population, reached 18.000 mentions in one day on television and social media, according to Zignal labs.
That analytical company, according to CNBC, found that this year more than 16.000 Facebook posts with disinformation about Gates and the corona virus were liked and commented on almost 900.000 times.
Sacrificial lambs of Trump supporters
Loyal supporters of President Trump have found their scapegoats - the WHO, Gates and Fauci, as elements of the global and bureaucratic elite that they blame for exaggerating the virus, imposing disastrous economic measures and prescribing drugs that they claim will ultimately benefit the elite financially, writes Politico (Politico).
For Trump's supporters, the WHO is guilty of downplaying the seriousness of the corona virus and siding with China. Gates is blamed for pushing a vaccine that does not yet exist, and Fauci for contradicting the president by advocating strict guidelines for physical distancing.
For Trump's hard-line base, Gates has, as Politiko states, become a vehicle for expressing anger about a number of things: international institutions, the corona virus, the so-called Big Government, and vaccines.
Among those critics of Gates are the stars of conservative shows such as Laura Ingram (Laura Ingraham) from Fox News television (Fox News) and other pro-Trump commentators and influencers. Ingram, the portal points out, is perhaps the most prominent critic of Gates on the conservative Fox News and at one point implied that Gates hopes to use a vaccine to digitally track all people.
Some figures, such as former Trump adviser Roger Stone, have claimed that Gates and "other globalists" are working to use vaccines as an excuse to microchip the world's population, even though, Politico points out, neither Gates nor the WHO can to impose compulsory vaccination, since only individual governments can do so, although this has not yet been discussed.
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