Antivaxxers targeting kids and schools with harassment and abuse

[noblegiraffe]

With the announcement that the covid vaccination will be offered to all 12-15 year olds in schools in the coming weeks, schools and children are increasingly been targeted by people who disagree with this decision.

We have: protesters approaching kids in the streets and forcing a school to lockdown (as well as reports on MN of protests outside schools and protesters coming on site to leaflet staff cars)
www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/anti-vax-protesters-descend-christleton-21558684

Headteachers reporting legal threats to their school if vaccinations go ahead www.bbc.com/news/education-58556614.amp

Hit piece in the Daily Mail claiming that kids are being vaccinated to protect teachers who have done nothing all year (as if the govt gives a shit about teachers and would lift a finger for them that wasn’t the middle one) www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-9990599/Why-jabbing-millions-kids-no-risk-Covid-simply-teachers-work.html

And I can only see it getting worse as the vaccinations get closer.

1. this decision is nothing to do with schools who really would rather have nothing to do with it. Teachers won’t be vaccinating your kids, we’ve got our own jobs to do. We won’t be coercing them or jabbing them behind your back, we won’t know which kids get the jab or not. It is nothing to do with us, leave us out of it.

2. Anyone targeting kids with banners, protests, intimidating them as they walk to school or approaching them on the street cannot claim to care about kids. They should stay the fuck away from them.

@kowari I wouldn't let my DC have the vaccine, it's not available to him anyway as an 8 year old but I don't want him to have it. Doesn't mean I would hang around outside a school harassing children and parents. It's called minding your own business and letting others make their own decisions.

@SunIsBehindGreySky

The thing is they let other political groups into schools now others are targeting them.

I am relieved my children are adults, we can consent to be lab rats to their medical experiment for ourselves, it's another thing if you are pregnant or have children

Can you clarify which political groups you mean?

Who is letting them into schools, @SunIsBehindGreySky?

[quote Waxonwaxoff0]@kowari I wouldn't let my DC have the vaccine, it's not available to him anyway as an 8 year old but I don't want him to have it. Doesn't mean I would hang around outside a school harassing children and parents. It's called minding your own business and letting others make their own decisions.[/quote]
I simply replied to a post asking why you would be concerned about what another parent was doing. Many people are concerned about the safety of children who are not their own. I don't agree with approaching children, that's not what I said.

I don’t get it.
Don’t agree with the vaccine? Then don’t get it.
Why target others?

Depressing that people do anything to push their agenda, including scaring and intimidating children that they pretend to care. If they truly cared about children, they wouldn't do this.

It’s the same type as bang on the side of police vans taking suspects to court. 15 years ago they’d be defacing paediatricians houses.

Well no @Kowari i dont think the vaccine puts my kids at risk and i want them to have it, my ds1 is 14 its his choice hes had covid but still wants the vaccine, if other people think the vaccine puts their kids at risk, they are free to refuse it, why do these people think they should influence other people?

@x2boys Well there are always risks and benefits, the JCVI found the risk-benefit balance was in favour of a minimal benefit. My DS has had covid and I'd be interested in knowing if that changes that balance, the risk of the vaccine may outweigh any benefit to him.

@noblegiraffe

I didn't think that we'd be able to find parents on Mumsnet defending strangers hanging around outside schools trying to talk to kids, but here we are.

Well I suspect some of our recent influx aren't parents.

Thats fair enough @kowari, we all have our reasons for why we think our children should have the vaccine or not, in my case my youngest child has just started at a special needs high school and some of his peers have profound and multiple learning disabilities and are on oxygen etc i would prefer both my kids to have the vaccine so they are less likely to pass it on to others more vulnerable but that doesnt give me the right to stand outside schools and tell other students and parents what to do.

My kids have decided against the vaccine but I think due to the controversy surrounding it and the potential danger these protestors pose, these vaccinations shouldn’t be done at school. A vaccine centre with a parent present seems much more appropriate. I think it’s too much responsibility to put on school staff and could be very frightening for children dealing with these people without a parent/carer present.

A vaccine centre with a parent present seems much more appropriate.
100% agree with this, it should not be done in schools.

Don't you think it should be up to a child's parents though, whether to vaccinate their child? Until the child is 16. What concerns me is not the vaccine, but the circumnavigation of parental consent. What other medical procedures will children be offered without parental consent? And I am not an antivaxxer before anyone says that. I'm vaccinated and may well choose to vaccinate my children, but I feel extremely uncomfortable with the responsibility of the choice put upon a child who is not developmentally ready to understand the issues at hand.

They'd protest outside there then and probably still schools because they want to access the children.

It's not up to schools where it is done and yet HTs are getting threatening letters and legal threats.

Yes I agree they shouldn't take place in schools.

@madmomma

Don't you think it should be up to a child's parents though, whether to vaccinate their child? Until the child is 16. What concerns me is not the vaccine, but the circumnavigation of parental consent. What other medical procedures will children be offered without parental consent? And I am not an antivaxxer before anyone says that. I'm vaccinated and may well choose to vaccinate my children, but I feel extremely uncomfortable with the responsibility of the choice put upon a child who is not developmentally ready to understand the issues at hand.

What's that got to do with the OP?

piggy forgive me if I've not understood, but I thought part of what the protesters were against was the giving of the decision to children, rather than the vaccine itsself?

Lots of vaccines already take place in schools - flu, HPV, boosters etc. There's a good mechanism in place to get it organised which means it uses medical staff efficiently in terms of time etc.

They'd protest outside there then and probably still schools because they want to access the children.

My child would be and would feel, safer with me present. Can you imagine if children get hurt if these protests turn physical? I feel so sorry for school staff, they will obviously have to stand outside of schools to try to keep kids safe, teachers don’t sign up for that. There’s not enough police to be at every school.

And if kids have to walk past protestors shouting etc, that’s going to disrupt at least firm time, first period as kids will be hyped up/ frightened etc. It’s much better it’s done away from the kids learning environment that they should regard as a safe space.

Yes maid, but a child wouldn't be given any other vaccine without a permission slip from a parent

Lots of vaccines already take place in schools - flu, HPV, boosters etc.

There’s not such strong feeling about those though. I don’t want my 12 year old having to navigate a crowd of protestors whilst going to school where she should feel safe.

@madmomma

piggy forgive me if I've not understood, but I thought part of what the protesters were against was the giving of the decision to children, rather than the vaccine itsself?

You didn't mention protesters in your post though? Just gave your opinion .. I couldn't make the link. Does all that make it OK to upset children and intimidate staff going to work?

@LiamGallagherIsHot

They'd protest outside there then and probably still schools because they want to access the children.

My child would be and would feel, safer with me present. Can you imagine if children get hurt if these protests turn physical? I feel so sorry for school staff, they will obviously have to stand outside of schools to try to keep kids safe, teachers don’t sign up for that. There’s not enough police to be at every school.

And if kids have to walk past protestors shouting etc, that’s going to disrupt at least firm time, first period as kids will be hyped up/ frightened etc. It’s much better it’s done away from the kids learning environment that they should regard as a safe space.

But the point I am making is they would still be outside the schools just to get at the parents and children.

No definitely not. I was just trying to clarify exactly what they were protesting about.

As they were today !