Councillor blasts false Covid-19 claim leaflets delivered to Haddington homes

LEAFLETS claiming that face masks and hand gel are damaging to children have been condemned by an East Lothian councillor for putting lives at risk.

Councillor Shamin Akhtar blasted fake covid claim leaflets

The hand-delivered leaflets were posted through letter boxes in Haddington on Thursday afternoon and sparked an angry reaction.

Headlined as a “Children’s Health Alert”, the double-sided communication promotes debunked claims that masks and face coverings cut off up to 20 per cent of oxygen that youngsters need and cause permanent harm.

It also alleged that hand gels could be toxic and should not be used.

However, Councillor Shamin Akhtar, education and children’s wellbeing spokesperson for the council administration, condemned the messages on the leaflet, which carries no indication on who published it or who is making the claims.

She said: “Whoever is doing this is wholly irresponsible and is placing lives in danger.

“To protect ourselves, our families, friends, neighbours, our community, and to save lives, we must adhere to the public health advice that we all have been given.”

The leaflets have no official group or organisation claiming to have produced them printed on them.

They encourage people to challenge teachers over the risk assessments carried out before asking pupils to wear masks or use hand gel.

And they carry images of an unidentified child with a rash around her mouth.

Among the sources for the claims is a quote attributed to German doctor Margareta Griesz-Brisson, the founder and medical director of the London Neurology and Pain Clinic, which featured over the summer in a video by conspiracy theorist David Icke and his son.

The quote questions the safety of face masks but has been widely discounted by medical experts as having no evidence to back it up.

The leaflets were delivered along with another leaflet promoting monthly protests outside Holyrood by a combination of anti-lockdown groups.

A spokesperson for East Lothian Council urged people to continue to follow advice from schools.

They said: “At a time when progress in tackling Covid-19 remains fragile, it remains essential that everyone follows the really important national and public health advice.”

Marie Sharp , Local Democracy Reporting Service

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