Ghislaine Maxwell meets Omicron in a new conspiracy theory
When the news of Omicron broke as we were eating Thanksgiving dinner, the sleeping beast of internet conspiracies began to stir out of its turkey-induced stupor (or at least, that’s how I imagine it). By the weekend, the beast was in full fervor once again.
The conspiracist Telegram groups I follow started flashing up: “Omicron = moronic,” was a clever anagram created by one user in a group called TRUTH PILLS. Others said “This is what evil looks like,” or claimed Omicron was not a variant but a “scariant” and “in fact an increase of 5G affecting the body” — referring to fringe and totally false claims that 5G is a health hazard. The reintroduction of masks, many agreed, constituted “a compliance test.”
The response within numerous 50,000-strong groups was unanimous: “WE DO NOT COMPLY!” they wrote.
By Saturday, the hashtag #donotcomply had begun trending on Twitter. Among those who jumped on it were lifestyle influencers and right-wing pundits, including the debunked British television nutritionist Gillian McKeith and the actor and “anti-woke” activist Laurence Fox.