M.I.A. has garnered backlash for a tweet she sent comparing alt-right figure Alex Jones’s falsehoods about the Sandy Hook shooting to celebrities “pushing” COVID-19 vaccines and suggesting the latter, too, should “pay for lying”.In a tweet shared today (October 13), the rapper and singer referenced conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who was this week ordered to pay nearly $1billion in damages after falsely claiming for years that the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School never happened. “If Alex jones pays for lying shouldn’t every celebrity pushing vaccines pay too?” she wrote.In a follow-up tweet, M.I.A.
further compared Jones’ misinformation to “Pfizer lying”, sharing a screenshot that showed both an article about Jones’ trial and a trending Reuters Fact Check article from 2021 about the effect of vaccines on COVID transmission. “Alex jones lying and Pfizer lying both trending,” she wrote, “One with penalty other without.”She continued: “If you have no critical thinking faculty, this is about as crazy as we should get before a nuclear war wipe out the human race.”If Alex jones pays for lying shouldn’t every celebrity pushing vaccines pay too ?— M.I.A. (@MIAuniverse) October 12, 2022Alex jones lying and Pfizer lying both trending .
One with penalty other without. If you have no critical thinking faculty, this is about as crazy as we should get before a nuclear war wipe out the human race.
pic.twitter.com/li0yz5qHvj— M.I.A. (@MIAuniverse) October 12, 2022Actor Elijah Wood was among those reacting to M.I.A.’s tweet, replying to the singer with an incredulous “ummmm…what?”.
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