An anti-vaxx paramilitary group which discussed violent insurrection via Telegram was disbanded after a newspaper exposed it

A "No Vaccine Passports" protest sticker on a Vaccine Centre billboard outside Wembley Stadium, London.

Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images

• An anti-vax paramilitary group planning a violent insurrection was disbanded after a newspaper exposed it.
• The Mail on Sunday infiltrated 'Veterans 4 Freedom,' whose members discussed attacking vaccine centers.
• The group comprised more than 200 former servicemen and servicewomen, some of whom were armed with crossbows.
• See more stories on Insider's business page.

A anti-vaxx paramilitary group in the UK whose members discussed attacks on COVID-19 vaccine centers has been disbanded after it was exposed by the Mail on Sunday newspaper.

The group "Veterans 4 Freedom" was founded by a former Royal Marine commando and comprised of more than 200 former servicemen and women opposed to vaccinations, the Mail report said.

Members of the group communicated via the encrypting messaging app Telegram, where discussions included the possible targeting of vaccine centers. One member shared the car registration plates of vaccine center employees.

Members of the group claimed it had 16 operational "cells," a secret leadership command, and discussed the purchase of lethal crossbows, the report said.

One member wrote on Telegram: "If it comes to an insurgency, the military will become enemy combatants and we'll take them out using dirty tricks. They are identifiable by wearing a uniform. We are not."

After the report was published last week, the group began to disband, the Mail reported. Some members of the group have formed a new one called the "Global Veterans Alliance," the report said.

The group's leader, who used the name Bellzaac, posted on Telegram: "I've had to pull the plug on the movement/organisation. Basically we were a peaceful group and have been labelled with being something we are not. We wanted to do this legally & lawfully."

The anti-vaccine movement in the UK has gained traction in recent months, with a protest last week that saw five police officers injured after it became violent.

Hundreds of anti-vaxx protestors marched in London on Friday, gathering outside buildings including the offices of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the body which approves vaccines for use in the UK. Members of Veterans 4 Freedom were not present, the Mail reported.

The Metropolitan Police said 10 arrests had been made after officers were confronted with "shocking scenes of violence" with "units being pushed and shoved.

Read the original article on Business Insider

from Business Insider https://ift.tt/3jIT3na