“There is an argument that it [Covid] is ethnically targeted … to attack Caucasians and black people. The people who are most immune are Jews and Chinese … We don’t know whether it was deliberately targeted or not, but there are papers out there that show the racial or ethnic differential and impact,” said Robert, who has come under fire before for his anti-vaccine stance.
The remarks made by the 69-year-old son of late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, immediately sparked outrage among his fellow Democrats.
“These are deeply troubling comments and I want to make clear that they do not represent the views of the Democratic party,” read a tweet from Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee.
US Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said RFK Jr’s remarks were “reprehensible anti-semitic and anti-Asian comments aimed at perpetuating harmful and debunked racist tropes”. “Such dangerous racism and hate have no place in America, demonstrate him to be unfit for public office, and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms,” she added.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. also condemned the comments, “The assertion that Covid was genetically engineered to spare Jewish and Chinese people is deeply offensive, and incredibly dangerous. Every aspect of these comments reflect some of the most abhorrent antisemitic conspiracy theories throughout history and contributes to today’s dangerous rise of antisemitism.”
Family distances from Bobby
Even his own family members have strongly criticised the comments.
Kerry Kennedy, president of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, blasted her brother’s remarks as “deplorable and untruthful”.
Junior’s brother, Joe Kennedy II offered a similar take. “Bobby’s comments are morally and factually wrong. They play on antisemitic myths and stoke mistrust of the Chinese. His remarks in no way reflect the words and actions of our father, Robert F. Kennedy.”
Who is RFK Junior?
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr is the 69-year-old son of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, a member of the Kennedy political dynasty who was assassinated while running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968.
- He is the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963.
- Bobby is a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2024, putting him directly in competition with Joe Biden, who is seeking a second four-year term.
- Kennedy is a long shot for the nomination, with a poll average from election data website FiveThirtyEight showing that only about 15% of Democrats support him.
Media misrepresenting facts: Robert
With controversy growing over his remarks, Robert hit out at the media for “disgusting fabrication” and misrepresenting what he had said.
Junior is set to address the GOP-led House subcommittee during a hearing on July 20 to examine “the federal government’s role in censoring Americans”. Many organisations and anti-hat groups have called for disinviting Kennedy for the hearing.
He has long railed against social media companies and the government, accusing them of colluding to censor his speech during the Covid-19 pandemic when he was suspended from multiple platforms for spreading vaccine misinformation.
Previous controversies over anti-vaccine stance
Kennedy has a history of comparing vaccines – widely credited with saving millions of lives – with the genocide of the Holocaust during Nazi Germany, comments for which he has sometimes apologised.
- His first apology for such a comparison came in 2015, after he used the word “holocaust” to describe children whom he believes were hurt by vaccines.
- In December 2021, he put out a video that showed infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci with a mustache reminiscent of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
- In an October 2021 speech to the Ron Paul Institute, he obliquely compared public health measures put in place by governments around the world to Nazi propaganda meant to scare people into abandoning critical thinking.
- In January 2022, at a Washington rally organised by his anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, Kennedy complained that people’s rights were being violated by public health measures that had been taken to reduce the number of people sickened and killed by Covid-19. “Even in Hitler’s Germany, you could cross the Alps to Switzerland. You could hide in an attic like Anne Frank did,” he said.
- After initially sticking by his remarks, Kennedy ultimately apologised.
(With inputs from agencies)