Anti-vaccine and COVID-19 denial conspiracy theorists
World Doctors Alliance
Formation
2020
Founder
Mohammad Iqbal Adil
Type
Non-profit organization
Fields
Medical conspiracy theory
The World Doctors Alliance is a pseudo-medical organization of anti-vaccine activists,
COVID-19 denialists and
conspiracy theorists which was established in May 2020 by Mohammad Iqbal Adil.[1][2][3]
The World Doctors Alliance has made various false claims regarding COVID-19 and vaccines which have been universally rejected by the legitimate medical community and described as "absurd, inarticulate, the arguments poorly formed, sentimental and fail to reference any evidence".[12][13]
Members
The World Doctors Alliance is made up of twelve academics and doctors. A number of the members are either discredited in their fields, not qualified on issues related to virology or vaccines, or have been banned from practicing medicine in certain regions.[14][15]
Founding member Mohammad Iqbal Adil was suspended from teaching medicine in the UK in June 2020 after an investigation by the
General Medical Council found he had been posting videos on social media claiming that
Covid-19 was a hoax being spread by elites to control society.[16][17]
Dolores Cahill is a former professor of immunology at
University College Dublin. She was asked to resign as vice chair of the
Innovative Medicines Initiative in June 2020 after making misleading medical claims regarding COVID-19.[18] She was later forced to resign as chair of the
Irish Freedom Party after "promising to debunk the narrative of the pandemic" in March 2021.[19] Cahill's claim that COVID-19 is hoax has been rejected by the legitimate medical community.[20]
Zac Cox, a holistic dentist, has similarly claimed COVID-19 is a hoax and compared protesting against the pandemic to be similar to the plight his grandfather experienced fighting against the Nazi regime.[21]
Psychiatrist Andrew Kaufman was described as "calmly denying reality" by
McGill University for his role in spreading misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and claiming that a COVID-19 vaccine would make humans "genetically modified organisms".[22][17] Kaufman has also rejected the existence of the viruses behind the
Common cold,
Polio and
HIV/AIDS and has said that “demon possession may actually be a factor in some mental illness”.[14]
Heiko Schoening (Germany) was arrested in August 2020 at the
Trafalgar Freedom Rally which aimed to oppose a second lockdown in the UK and oppose vaccination efforts.[23] Schoening has claimed "the pandemic is a hoax".[24]
Heinrich Fiechtner is a former political member of
Alternative for Germany, a German nationalist and right-wing populist political party.[25][circular reference] Fiechtner was expelled from the Stuttgart State Parliament in 2021 by the police after claiming that COVID-19 is a hoax.[26] He has accused those promoting the COVID-19 vaccine as being “disciple[s] of
Josef Mengele”.[14]
Scott Jensen (Minnesota politician) has claimed that COVID-19 figures have been inflated for monetary gain, a statement which
Politifact cited as a major contributor to their "Lie of the Year 2020: Coronavirus downplay and denial".[27]
Elke De Clerk is a
general practitioner. She has claimed that "we do not have a pandemic" and calls COVID-19 a "normal flu virus". Both claims have been rejected by the
World Health Organization,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the legitimate medical community.[28] De Klerk also claimed that people who take the COVID-19 vaccine will "officially become the property of Microsoft”[15] and that
COVID-19 testing PCR kits were “a kind of nasal vaccination”. De Klerk has stated she no longer practices as a doctor and is working to "create new earth".[14]
Mikael Nordfors was barred from practicing medicine in Denmark after being investigated for malpractice and suggesting
alternative medicine could be a potential cure for COVID-19.[29][17] He has also been investigated for eleven cases of treating patients with
Ozone therapy.[14]
Hilde De Smet has claimed that
face masks cause an excess of carbon-dioxide, leading to neurological damage. This claim has been rejected by the medical community.[30]
Vernon Coleman is an English
conspiracy theorist who has claimed COVID-19 is a hoax, that vaccines are dangerous and that face masks cause cancer. Such claims have been repeatedly debunked by the medical community.[31][32]
Johan Denis was suspended in January 2021 as a general practitioner for claiming COVID-19 was a hoax and for giving patients a "mask-exemption certificate" on demand.[33]
Anti-vaccine and COVID-19 denial conspiracy theorists
World Doctors Alliance
Formation
2020
Founder
Mohammad Iqbal Adil
Type
Non-profit organization
Fields
Medical conspiracy theory
The World Doctors Alliance is a pseudo-medical organization of anti-vaccine activists,
COVID-19 denialists and
conspiracy theorists which was established in May 2020 by Mohammad Iqbal Adil.[1][2][3]
The World Doctors Alliance has made various false claims regarding COVID-19 and vaccines which have been universally rejected by the legitimate medical community and described as "absurd, inarticulate, the arguments poorly formed, sentimental and fail to reference any evidence".[12][13]
Members
The World Doctors Alliance is made up of twelve academics and doctors. A number of the members are either discredited in their fields, not qualified on issues related to virology or vaccines, or have been banned from practicing medicine in certain regions.[14][15]
Founding member Mohammad Iqbal Adil was suspended from teaching medicine in the UK in June 2020 after an investigation by the
General Medical Council found he had been posting videos on social media claiming that
Covid-19 was a hoax being spread by elites to control society.[16][17]
Dolores Cahill is a former professor of immunology at
University College Dublin. She was asked to resign as vice chair of the
Innovative Medicines Initiative in June 2020 after making misleading medical claims regarding COVID-19.[18] She was later forced to resign as chair of the
Irish Freedom Party after "promising to debunk the narrative of the pandemic" in March 2021.[19] Cahill's claim that COVID-19 is hoax has been rejected by the legitimate medical community.[20]
Zac Cox, a holistic dentist, has similarly claimed COVID-19 is a hoax and compared protesting against the pandemic to be similar to the plight his grandfather experienced fighting against the Nazi regime.[21]
Psychiatrist Andrew Kaufman was described as "calmly denying reality" by
McGill University for his role in spreading misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and claiming that a COVID-19 vaccine would make humans "genetically modified organisms".[22][17] Kaufman has also rejected the existence of the viruses behind the
Common cold,
Polio and
HIV/AIDS and has said that “demon possession may actually be a factor in some mental illness”.[14]
Heiko Schoening (Germany) was arrested in August 2020 at the
Trafalgar Freedom Rally which aimed to oppose a second lockdown in the UK and oppose vaccination efforts.[23] Schoening has claimed "the pandemic is a hoax".[24]
Heinrich Fiechtner is a former political member of
Alternative for Germany, a German nationalist and right-wing populist political party.[25][circular reference] Fiechtner was expelled from the Stuttgart State Parliament in 2021 by the police after claiming that COVID-19 is a hoax.[26] He has accused those promoting the COVID-19 vaccine as being “disciple[s] of
Josef Mengele”.[14]
Scott Jensen (Minnesota politician) has claimed that COVID-19 figures have been inflated for monetary gain, a statement which
Politifact cited as a major contributor to their "Lie of the Year 2020: Coronavirus downplay and denial".[27]
Elke De Clerk is a
general practitioner. She has claimed that "we do not have a pandemic" and calls COVID-19 a "normal flu virus". Both claims have been rejected by the
World Health Organization,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the legitimate medical community.[28] De Klerk also claimed that people who take the COVID-19 vaccine will "officially become the property of Microsoft”[15] and that
COVID-19 testing PCR kits were “a kind of nasal vaccination”. De Klerk has stated she no longer practices as a doctor and is working to "create new earth".[14]
Mikael Nordfors was barred from practicing medicine in Denmark after being investigated for malpractice and suggesting
alternative medicine could be a potential cure for COVID-19.[29][17] He has also been investigated for eleven cases of treating patients with
Ozone therapy.[14]
Hilde De Smet has claimed that
face masks cause an excess of carbon-dioxide, leading to neurological damage. This claim has been rejected by the medical community.[30]
Vernon Coleman is an English
conspiracy theorist who has claimed COVID-19 is a hoax, that vaccines are dangerous and that face masks cause cancer. Such claims have been repeatedly debunked by the medical community.[31][32]
Johan Denis was suspended in January 2021 as a general practitioner for claiming COVID-19 was a hoax and for giving patients a "mask-exemption certificate" on demand.[33]