An Iranian politician has publicly spoken out against Covid-19 vaccines, accusing the Bill Gates Foundation and the French president of trying to reduce world population through Covax, the World Health Organization portfolio of vaccines designed to tackle the pandemic.
Isfahan member of parliament Zahra Sheikhi, a spokesperson for parliament's Health Committee, posted anti-vaccine propaganda on Twitter on Tuesday, December 8. Writing in a personal capacity, the MP accused the French president Emmanuel Macron of being "the importer of contaminated blood and the person who insulted the Prophet"; the World Health Organization of being a "promoter of abortion,” and described Bill Gates as an advocate for a reduction in world population by 15 percent through promoting Covid-19 vaccines. Sheikhi concluded that Covax is a conspiracy to reduce the world's population.
"In April 2020, Macron, Bill Gates, and the Secretary General of the World Health Organization held a meeting to accelerate the treatment of Covid-19, which resulted in the creation of an international vaccine mechanism known as Covax, overseen by the World Health Organization and the Bill Gates Foundation," another post from her said, giving a more accurate narrative of events.
Zahra Sheikhi also attacked Kianoush Jahanpour, the former spokeswoman for Iran’s Ministry of Health, and Saeed Namaki, the Minister of Health, for encouraging Iran to join the Kwax Union to make it possible for the country to secure vaccines.
The MP's remarks come at a time when, according to officials at Iran's Ministry of Health, anti-vaccine propaganda is a crime.
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