Twitter suspends anti-vaxxer who pushed the conspiracy theory that COVID-19 shots make people magnetic
- Dr Sherri Tenpenny's Twitter account, @BusyDrT, has been suspended.
- Tenpenny is a leading anti-vaxxer who recently claimed the COVID-19 vaccine makes people magnetic.
- Twitter did not immediately explain the reason for its decision.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Twitter has suspended the account of Dr Sherri Tenpenny, a prominent conspiracy theorist who falsely testified recently that the COVID-19 vaccine makes people magnetic.
As of Friday, Tenpenny's @BusyDrT account was marked "suspended," with the note saying that she violated the site's rules.
A Twitter spokesperson did not immediately respond to Insider's request for information about what prompted the move.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate, an NGO that works to counter online disinformation and hate, said in a tweet it had been campaigning for her suspension.
-Center for Countering Digital Hate (@CCDHate) July 1, 2021
Tenpenny, an osteopath, is a leading voice in the anti-vaxx movement and author of "Saying No to Vaccines." In early June she falsely claimed at an Ohio statehouse hearing that the COVID-19 vaccine was making people "magnetized."
"I'm sure you've seen the pictures all over the internet of people who have had these shots and now they're magnetized," Tenpenny said. "You can put a key on their forehead, it sticks. You can put spoons and forks all over and they can stick because now we think there is a metal piece to that."
She also falsely said the vaccine contains particles that can connect to 5G wireless technology.
The Ohio Channel
Her testimony at the Health Committee hearing, organized by Republicans to debate a bill around civil liberties and vaccines, prompted another speaker to attempt a demonstration.
A woman, identified by local media as a nurse, stood up and tried to stick a key and a bobby pin to her neck to prove the theory. They fell off.
In a recent report, the Center for Countering Digital Hate described Tenpenny as one of a group of 12 people who propagate around 65% of all vaccine disinformation. According to the center, she offers paid-for "boot camps" for anti-vaccine campaigners costing $500 a ticket, and has called the pandemic a "scamdemic."
The Twitter account for her health center, Tenpenny Integrative Medical Center, remains online, although @tenpennyimc hasn't tweeted since April 2019.
Tenpenny did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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