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Rukshan Fernando (born 1984or1985), [1] also known as Real Rukshan, is a Sri Lankan-Australian videographer and wedding photographer known for his favourable coverage of the anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown movement in Australia. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Fernando was born to a Labor-voting Sri Lankan migrant couple. [1] He went to school at Dandenong, Victoria [5] and studied law at Victoria University. [5] [1] Fernando lives in Melbourne's south-east. [1]
Fernando co-founded Ferndara, a wedding photography business based in Melbourne. [6] [5] As of 2014, Fernando and his team have travelled to Sri Lanka to film weddings. [6]
In 2020, Fernando became known for creating memes mocking Premier Dan Andrews. [5] [1] He provided live coverage of the anti-lockdown protests in Melbourne; he said that he did not endorse the views of the protestors. [1] He has been viewed as a hero by supporters of Melbourne's anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown protests. [1] [3]
In 2022, Fernando travelled to New Zealand with far-right activist [7] [2] Avi Yemini. Yemini was refused entry to New Zealand on character grounds. [2] However, Fernando was allowed into New Zealand, and filmed a glowing tribute to an anti-government rally led by COVID-19 conspiracy theorist Chantelle Baker. [2]
Fernando supports former U.S. president Donald Trump [5] [2] and his false claim that the 2020 U.S. election was stolen. He is a fan of American right-wing conspiracy theorists Mike Cernovich, Jack Posobiec and Andy Ngo. [5] Fernando is a climate change denier. [5] In 2019, he promoted a conspiracy theory that U.S. politician Ilhan Omar had married her brother. [5] [8]
Fernando supported Dan Andrews when the first COVID-19 lockdown began in March 2020. Later that year, he said in an interview with Fox News personality Laura Ingraham that Victoria was becoming like "Communist China". [1] The Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun listed Fernando among the top 100 superspreaders of misinformation. [3]
Piers Richard Corbyn is a British weather forecaster, anti-vaccine activist, conspiracy theorist, and former politician. Corbyn was born in Wiltshire and raised in Shropshire wherein he attended Adams' Grammar School. He was awarded a first class BSc degree in physics from Imperial College London in 1968 and a postgraduate MSc in astrophysics from Queen Mary College, University of London, in 1981. Corbyn was a member of the Labour Party and served as a councillor in the London Borough of Southwark from 1986 to 1990. He is the elder brother of former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, leaving Labour in 2003 due to his opposition to the Iraq War.
Damien Richardson is an Australian far-right activist and former actor. Richardson is best known for his roles as Detective Matt Ryan in the crime drama City Homicide, which he played from 2007 until 2011, and as Gary Canning in the soap opera Neighbours from 2014 to 2020. He has also appeared in a variety of Australian films and television shows, including Blue Heelers, McLeod's Daughters, Rogue, Conspiracy 365, and Wentworth. From 2012, Richardson starred as Drew Greer in the Jack Irish television films and subsequent 2016 series.
Protests, demonstrations and strikes occurred around the world against national responses to the COVID-19 pandemic by governmental bodies. Some were driven by the financial hardship resulting from government measures to contain the virus, including restrictions on travel and entertainment, hitting related industries and workers hard. Protests also occurred in opposition to restrictions on people's movements, compulsory wearing of face masks, lockdowns, vaccinations and other measures. Some protests were driven by COVID-19 misinformation, conspiracy theories, far-right and other extremist groups and individuals.
There were several COVID-19 protests in New Zealand held during the period of COVID-19 restrictions from 2020 to 2022, where people protested the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, in particular the lockdown measures in place in March–May 2020, August 2020, and August–November 2021 and the later vaccine mandates. The protests have been largely condemned by members of parliament, as well as local city and regional councils. Fears were also raised about the protests increasing the spread of the virus.
William Desmond Te Kahika Jr, also known as Billy TK Jr, is a New Zealand conspiracy theorist, blues musician and former political candidate. During the 2020 New Zealand general election, Te Kahika attracted media coverage both as the leader of the fringe New Zealand Public Party and for his promulgation of conspiracy theories. Te Kahika and the Public Party opposed the New Zealand Government's lockdown restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kay Allison "Kate" Shemirani is a British conspiracy theorist, anti-vaccine activist and former nurse who lost her licence to practise in 2020 for misconduct. She is best known for promoting conspiracy theories about COVID-19, vaccinations and 5G technology. Shemirani has been described by The Jewish Chronicle as a leading figure of a movement that includes conspiracy theorists as well as far-left and far-right activists.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, numerous protests took place over the government's response.
The COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand has had far-reaching consequences on the country that went beyond the spread of the disease itself and efforts to eliminate it, including education, faith communities, Māori, mass gatherings, sports, recreation, and travel. In addition, there were several recorded cases of lockdown violations, leaks, and misinformation about the COVID-19 virus and vaccines.
Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have occurred around the world. There have been several protests against lockdowns and other restrictions introduced by the Commonwealth and state governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia since 2020. Some joining protests have also been against vaccinations, while others have also subscribed to various conspiracy theories or misinformation about COVID-19. Protests have been held in several state capitals, with most occurring in including Sydney and Melbourne. While some protests were peaceful, others ended in clashes between protesters and police. Australian police have issued fines against protesters for breaching lockdown restrictions.
The 2022 Wellington protest was an anti-mandate and anti-lockdown occupation of the grounds of Parliament House and Molesworth Street in Central Wellington during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The occupation spring boarded off the New Zealand Convoy 2022, a mass convoy of vehicles that made its way from the top of the North Island and the bottom of the South Island to Parliament starting on Waitangi Day and arriving three days later on 9 February. The occupation lasted just over three weeks. At its peak, the protest spread over a large area of Thorndon and into Pipitea with approximately 1,000 participants. Protesters blockaded areas around the parliamentary grounds with their vehicles and occupied the lawn and surrounding areas in tents. Some associated with the protests harassed bystanders, and disrupted local businesses. The protest was forcibly ended by police on 2 March 2022, and the protesters had none of their demands met by the Government.
Counterspin Media is a far-right, anti-vaccine, and conspiracy theorist New Zealand online media platform that was founded in May 2021.
The convoy to Canberra was an anti-vaccine mandate protest in Australia between late January and mid-February 2022 that was inspired by the Canadian Freedom Convoy protest. Thousands of protesters converged on the Australian capital city of Canberra, camping near the Australian Parliament, National Library and the National Press Club. As with the Canadian protest, the Canberra protest was organised through various social media platforms including Facebook, Telegram, GoFundMe, and GiveSendGo. By 13 February, most of the convoy protesters had dispersed after local authorities moved them in preparation for the Royal Canberra Show.
The Light is a self-published, monthly British far-right and conspiracy theory newspaper founded by Darren Scott Nesbitt on 27 September 2020, which claims the COVID-19 pandemic was a hoax. The paper has a sister publication, named The Irish Light, which was launched in Ireland by Gemma O'Doherty and John Waters. A free Australian paper, The Light Australia, started around June 2023 and is linked to The Light.
TJB 2021 Limited, more commonly known by its trade name Voices For Freedom (VFF), is a company with a special interest in the anti-vaccine movement in New Zealand. VFF was formed in December 2020 to oppose the New Zealand Government's COVID-19 response and vaccination rollout. Despite its non-profit appearance in communications, VFF is registered as a limited liability company and is not legally recognised as a non-profit entity.
The Freedom Party of Victoria is a right-wing micro party registered in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded and registered in 2022, by anti-vaxxer and alt-right blogger Morgan Jonas, the party ran in the 2022 Victorian state election on an anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine mandate platform, but was unsuccessful in winning any seats.
Graham John Philip is a New Zealand conspiracy theorist and convicted criminal. He was the first person in New Zealand history charged with sabotage, after he attacked New Zealand's electrical grid in an attempt to cut power to the entire North Island in 2021.
The Disinformation Project is a research group studying the effects of disinformation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand. The research group was established in 2020 to combat disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic but subsequently expanded its scope to cover other "conspiracy theory beliefs" including anti-vaccine, climate change denial, anti-immigration, the anti-gender movement, anti-Māori racism and hatred towards the LGBTQ+ community. The Disinformation Project also took an interest in monitoring neo-Nazism, far right activism, antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Died Suddenly is a 2022 American anti-vaccination film directed by Matthew Skow and executive-produced by Stew Peters, a far-right and alt-right anti-vaccine activist. It promotes false claims about COVID-19 vaccines and Great Reset conspiracy theories. The film was released on Rumble and Twitter on November 21, 2022.
Chantelle Baker is a right-wing New Zealand social media influencer and conservative activist who is the daughter of former New Conservative Party leader Leighton Baker. In 2022, she attracted domestic media attention for her involvement in the 2022 Wellington protest and for her promotion of anti-COVID vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories.
Avraham Shalom Yemini is an Australian-Israeli far-right provocateur and commentator. From 2020 onwards he has worked as the Australian correspondent for Rebel News, a Canadian far-right website. Yemini has been involved in numerous litigation, both initiated by and against him.
