the RN reappoints the favorite anti-vax MEP

POLITICS – The conspiracy list? The president of the National Rally and party leader for the European elections Jordan Bardella took advantage of his major campaign meeting in Perpignan this Wednesday, May 1 to present, on stage, the first 35 personalities on his list.

A casting that has everything to undermine the operation “ standardization » of the Lepenist party. In addition to Malika Sorel, number 2 with comments worthy of Jean-Marie Le Pen, Fabrice Leggeri, number 3, former boss of Frontex targeted by a complaint for “ complicity in crimes against humanity” or Matthieu Valet, the number 7 former media commissioner accused of having embezzled SNCF vouchers belonging to colleagues, the National Rally has chosen to reappoint the outgoing Thierry Mariani despite his links – at least past – with Russia.

That’s not all. Another personality eligible », certainly less known to the general public, can become an embarrassing profile for the far-right party. This is Virginie Joron, the “ lawyer who plays at home when we are in Strasbourg », in the words of Jordan Bardella, this Wednesday. The MEP who appears in 16th place on her list has a unique track record.

Virginie Joron, muse of anti-vaxxers

Followed by more than 13,000 people on Instagram and more than 100,000 on background of conspiratorial innuendoes.

On the European Parliament website, we can measure the scale of this crusade. A debate on the situation in Hungary and the freezing of EU funds? His question mentions “ the giant sums paid to Pfizer-BioNtech ». A discussion on “the strategic approach to the application of Union law” ? The opportunity for the elected official to discuss the so-called “ 12,000 deaths and millions of side effects from Covid-19 vaccines ».

The European Parliament also allowed it to receive certain covid-sceptic personalities, like Alexandra Henrion Caude, ex-geneticist who became an anti-vax icon, seen in the conspiracy film Hold-up and in the processions of Florian Philippot, alongside Jean-Marie Bigard and Francis Lalanne. It was in these same premises flanked by the star-spangled banner that the person concerned received the conspiracy blog France-Soir to lead (once again) the charge against Pfizer. Or Christian Perronne, one of the leading figures of the anti-vax movement, promoter of hydroxychloroquine.

His last major fight? An exhibition in honor of “ victims of side effects » of the Covid vaccine. This was refused at the end of February by the European Parliament, because the demonstration contravenes its regulations. His interventions, committed in an institutional setting offering an illusion of officiality to this marginal discourse, are honey to the ears of the worst conspiracy-minded Telegram channels.

“Peripheral indices”

Carefully cut by him and relayed on his social networks, his videos bearing the Identity and Democracy logo (the RN group in the European Parliament) are massively shared on the French-speaking relays of the QAnon movement, such as the channel “The Human Alliance 2020” which has 25,000 subscribers. Or on “RGNR”the channel of the raw food guru and outstanding champion of medical disinformation Thierry Casasnovas, where the speech of the RN MEP was still cited in a message of December 28.

“There is always a strong collusion between the extreme right and conspiracy movements, aiming to destabilize the power in place. By accusing him of being violent towards the people, of not wanting to protect them, of imposing vaccination etc. It’s part of the same desire to play on fear, sometimes with electoral aims”explained to HuffPost Severine Falkowicz at the beginning of March, the co-author of the book At the heart of critical thinking – A short guide to thwarting manipulation (ed. Eyrolles).

Lecturer in social psychology, the researcher then pointed out “ peripheral indices » in our processing of information which can offer Virginie Joron more credibility to base her speech. “ Questioners may be influenced by an apparent “authority figure” : “ Ah look, a policy that speaks”« oh look, a European flag”. These elements impact the confidence we place in a speech, and can lead to adhering to it without questioning the ideas in depth”.

In other words, her status as an MEP illusorily reinforces the validity of her speeches, even though they are seen as dangerous by the medical community. Which is not without effect, since a proposed resolution drafted by him was the origin of the massive dissemination of fake news concerning the creation of a compensation fund for “the thousands of vaccination victims”.

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