At the conference, Minister of Health Adam Niedzielski was asked about further incidents related to the action of anti-vaccines and an idea on how to curb such attacks. – It is slowly transforming and creates a certain atmosphere for the use of physical violence – assessed the minister. He also informed that the services would monitor the network in this matter.
Head of the Ministry of Health Adam Niedzielski at the Wednesday conference in Bialystok was asked about the increasing aggressive actions of anti-vaccine communities towards vaccinators and vaccination infrastructure.
– Indeed, the activity of the anti-vaccine environment is undergoing such an evolution, which leads to more and more frequent use of violence, not only virtual slogans, threats and other types of invectives, because unfortunately this is what we are dealing with – he admitted.
He described that “it is slowly changing and creating a certain atmosphere for the use of physical violence, and what we had to deal with on Monday, i.e. an attempted arson, in fact setting fire to both the vaccination point and the center or workplace of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station, it really is there. a phenomenon that, other than anti-vaccine terror, cannot be called “.
– The purpose of this behavior is not only to cause direct damage, but to intimidate the part of society that thinks with reason, which is guided by the results of research, pragmatism – assessed the Minister of Health.
Niedzielski stated that “the idea of freedom and its abuse in terms of proclaiming anything, including values or content that is offensive to other people, is not an idea that leads to the harmonious functioning of society”, he explained that such behavior “leads to incitement, embarrassment, social division “.
– That is why we will monitor what is happening on the Internet. Here, I also point out to anonymous, in quotation marks, Internet users that you are not anonymous and that the complaints that will be submitted allow your IP addresses to be identified – he said. He added that he himself had made such complaints.
Adam Niedzielski at a conference in BiałystokTVN24
Attacks on vaccination points against COVID-19
Recently, the activities of anti-vaccination communities have become more acute. This week, an unknown perpetrator set fire to it a mobile vaccination point against COVID-19 and the building of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station in Zamość. Niedzielski has awarded a prize of 10,000 zlotys to a person who will help identify the arsonist. He previously rated the event as “act of terror“.
Also this week’s anti-vaccine group surrounded a mobile vaccination point in Gdynia. The police sent 15 motions for punishment to the court in this case.
In Aleksandrów Kujawski, anti-vaccinationists entered orphanage. “They just came to intimidate me and attack me.” It was a traumatic experience – said the director of the facility.
At the end of July there was a struggle in front of one of the vaccination points in Grodzisk Mazowiecki caused by anti-vaccines trying to forcibly enter the building. During the police intervention, two people were arrested: one for violating the bodily integrity of an officer, the other for insulting and making criminal threats. The two men who had been guarding the vaccination site and who had sustained minor injuries stayed decorated by the Minister of Health.
Tomasz Karauda, a doctor from Łódź, who promoted vaccinations, submitted a notification to the prosecutor’s office regarding criminal threats. He decided to act because the publications with his participation began to appear threats to deprive him and his family members of life.
Main photo source: TVN24