DISINFO: Croatia bans the use of vaccines
SUMMARY
Croatia bans the use of vaccines in its country. This was stated by President Zoran Milanovic, noting that the Croats are vaccinated enough.
According to the President, unlike American politicians who are too weak, discredited or just evil to say such a thing, he is not going to remain indifferent, as he believes that his compatriots continue to be "raped" by the Big Pharma.
RESPONSE
Disinformation about coronavirus, promoting anti-vaccine messaging. Taking things out of context, social media users have falsely suggested that Croatian President Zoran Milanovic announced the end of the country’s COVID-19 vaccination drive. Although this claim has been refuted, it continues to circulate on social media. The posts feature a video of Milanovic answering questions at a press conference on September 10 2021.
In response to a journalist’s comment that Croatia is not “sufficiently vaccinated unlike the EU average”, the President is quoted in English subtitles as saying: “I don’t care. We’re vaccinated enough and everyone knows it. We will not go more than 50%. Let them fence us with wire. They won’t do that.”
Firstly, the presidency in Croatia is a largely ceremonial role and does not have the power to halt the vaccine rollout. Secondly, the remarks have been misinterpreted. Croatian newspaper Večernji List reported on the wider context, which reveals that the President was saying that citizens could not be forced into complying with measures, such as vaccinations.
“We cannot encourage this obsessive culture of security indefinitely,” he says (quoted here). “The moment there are more vaccines than those interested in taking them, the story is over, there is nothing further. Assuming that the vaccination is effective - and it is.
Vaccination in Croatia is ongoing, 46% of the population has been vaccinated by late October 2021.
See similar cases in our database: The Council of Europe has abolished vaccination; COVID-19 vaccine will cause more deaths than COVID-19; Covid-19 vaccines are experimental.