MIQ CONSPIRACIES
As conspiracy theories flourish online, some are using misleading or false information to liken the managed isolation process to Nazi crimes. Charlie Mitchell reports.
One is on a hunger strike. Another claims to be a political prisoner. A third was described by supporters as an ‘‘MIQ survivor’’.
As growing numbers of people pass through managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facilities, a few are using the experience to fuel online conspiracy theories, indulging extreme and sometimes false claims about the process.
Two current occupants of managed isolation facilities in Christchurch have drawn an online following for their refusal to take Covid-19 tests, which spilled offline on Thursday with a protest outside the Commodore Hotel in Christchurch.
About two dozen protesters were there, some of whom held signs claiming human rights abuses were being committed inside the four-star hotel.
They were supporting one occupant who refused to take a PCR test, the method used to determine if someone has Covid-19. The woman said she would be undertaking a hunger strike until she is released. She has been in the hotel for 19 days.
Under the law, those who refuse to take the PCR test – which is administered via a swab up the nose – can be held for a maximum of 28 days. Of the 130,000 people who have gone through MIQ facilities, only a handful have consistently refused to be tested.
In videos posted online, the woman has claimed to be a sovereign citizen, who was refusing to take a PCR test over concerns about its safety and efficacy.
The PCR test is considered the goldstandard for detecting many viruses, and is highly accurate in detecting Covid-19 in ideal conditions. They are preferred over saliva tests in community testing because they are more sensitive. The nasopharyngeal swabs used are safe, and have long been used to test for other viral infections such as influenza and whooping cough. They only cause injury in extremely rare cases.
The woman, who had previous links to the conspiracy-theory driven New Zealand Public Party, said in a statement she was being held against her will. A relative protesting outside the hotel on Thursday said they were concerned about the woman’s health, but supported her protest.
‘‘I’m worried about her, absolutely.’’ Another MIQ occupant at the nearby Sudima Hotel is also refusing to take a PCR test and describes himself as a political prisoner.
During his 20 days in the facility, he has repeatedly shared misinformation about Covid-19 on social media. His wife, who has tested negative for Covid-19, had her stay extended, too.
He has not started a hunger strike, and has praised the food in the hotel.
The protestors have together filed a writ of habeas corpus to the High Court, alleging they are being illegally detained.
Their claims have tapped into a reservoir of obscure and sometimes false theories that have flourished in some corners of the internet.
While many returning New Zealanders see managed isolation as a necessary inconvenience, a small number have come to conflate the experience with crimes against humanity.
Several international figures have made false claims about the MIQ process. Among them are Alex Berenson, a former New York Times journalist who falsely described it as ‘‘indefinite confinement’’, and Fox News host Laura Ingham, who described them as ‘‘quarantine camps’’ before mocking the New Zealand accent.
Within New Zealand, an increasingly popular theory claims the facilities violate the Nuremberg Code, a set of research ethics drawn up in response to medical experiments undertaken by the Nazi regime during the Holocaust. Some take the theory further, and say those responsible for the Covid-19 response will be prosecuted in a modern-day version of the Nuremberg trials.
The Nuremberg Code has no legal basis in New Zealand and applies to human experimentation, not authorised medical tests.
During Thursday’s peaceful protest, Billy Te Kahika, the former political candidate, directed a megaphone towards the MIQ facility, baselessly claiming those working there risked criminal prosecution.
‘‘There are hundreds and hundreds of people online right now watching this protest, every one of them supporting you,’’ he said, addressing the woman hunger striking in MIQ.
Fighting Against Conspiracy Theories (FACT), a group which counters misinformation, delivered a thank-you card to MIQ staff at the hotel before the protest.
Spokesperson Jacinta O’Reilly said the group wanted to show their support for those working there.
‘‘We’d like them to know that there are a lot of people who feel completely differently and think the Government is doing a great job and want to see New Zealand stay Covid-free,’’ she said.
‘‘I’m pretty sure that 99 per cent of the people who have listened to what they [conspiracy theorists] have to say can spend a few minutes figuring out it’s a lot of bunkum.’’
After the protest, Te Kahika and his supporters were turned away from The Birdwood cafe in Beckenham.
Tiamara Williams – the former deputy leader of the New Zealand Public Party, who was travelling with Te Kahika on Thursday – went on to liken being turned away from the cafe to being ‘‘back in Apartheid South Africa’’.
They instead held a meeting at The Cup cafe in Cashmere, where Te Kahika delivered a Powerpoint presentation about communism in New Zealand.
It is likely taxpayers will foot the bill for the extra days incurred by those who refuse to take a PCR test, at a cost of thousands of dollars per person.
An MIQ spokesperson said the woman hunger striking in the Commodore Hotel would continue to have all meals delivered, and her wellbeing would be closely monitored by health staff.