On Twitter and Facebook of Bartosz Fiałek, a rheumatologist from Płońsk, haters are extremely active. They write (original spelling): “Doc, I do not have human blood on my hands like you and for me you are nobody, that’s an understatement”, “What doctors are afraid of the truth that you publish and delete posts? (…) You are a saleswoman. P… you are and I wish you with all my heart that you will hang for what you do ”. How does a doctor live under the fire of haters?
- Fiałek: They warn that if I do not stop presenting the facts about the COVID-19 pandemic and popularizing vaccinations, they will feed the fish in the Vistula with me. And, like the Nazis after World War II, I will be tried in the second Nuremberg trial
- Threatening messages are sent to the doctor from the so-called ghostmail, i.e. an address that disappears 10 minutes after sending. – Their authors should be punished for hate speech by means of a fast judicial path, like stadium fans in the British Isles – says Fiałek
- Denialists are people who reject scientific findings. They are vocal about arguing that vaccines are harmful, the earth is flat and inhabited by reptilians. That 5G is also evil, and planes are launching poisonous chemtrails
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
Edyta Brzozowska, MedTvoiLokony: What hate have you encountered today when we talk?
Bow. Bartosz Fiałek, specialist in the field of rheumatology, President of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region of the National Trade Union of Doctors: I just spoke live on Polsat News. Immediately after the broadcast of the program, and even during it, comments appeared on Twitter that “our favorite doc is performing” and under the picture of his TV with my image on the screen, they write that I am talking about sunbathing after the vaccine, so the sun probably burned out my brain ». The hate addressed to me is everyday and appears regardless of whether I post something on social media or speak on TV and radio. It spills out even when I am silent.
What emotions do you experience when you open your social media accounts every day?
You can say that I’m already a brother with hatred and I got used to it. I had to because when you are constantly attacked you have no choice. And although it is hard to get used to the fact that someone insults me every day, I have developed defense mechanisms. The more that a person is able to adapt to every cyclically repeated situation – no matter if it is good or bad. I have been active online for only about three years. At the beginning, of course, I was very worried about these comments, I could not sleep and from the morning I checked with what indiscriminate epithets I was offended, and whether and how my medical skills were undermined. However, over time, I learned to just ignore haters.
You can ignore death threats because you get them anyway?
Such criminal threats reach me not only in social media, haters also send them by e-mail or via SMS. They warn that if I do not stop presenting the facts about the COVID-19 pandemic and popularizing vaccinations, they will feed me the fish in the Vistula. Or that – like the Nazis and war criminals after World War II – I will be tried in the second Nuremberg trial. For now, this aggression is limited to words, but I am afraid that someone unbalanced will actually come to mind to hurt me or my colleagues.
What do the haters hate you for?
It depends. Before the pandemic, their activity mainly concerned my activities in the Polish Medical Trade Union, especially during the popular hunger strike of resident doctors in 2017. At that time, I criticized the disastrous functioning of the Polish health care system. There were voices that doctors were to blame for all evil, not for the decisions of each government in turn. It was more convenient for them to recognize that I was lazy and not working, so patients waited for doctors in long-term queues.
And the pandemic blew wind on their sails.
And how! The current pandemic and anti-vaccine hate is also more dangerous, incredibly intense. It strikes me not only as a person but also as a physician, a medical authority.
In the past, my knowledge was not questioned by anyone, now it happens notoriously. They publicly doubt what I may know about covid or vaccines if I am “only” a rheumatologist.
Does it make sense to explain to these people that rheumatology is closely related to immunology, and this in turn to the immune system, and therefore also to vaccines? Aggressive remarks that the right to practice my profession should be taken away do not surprise me anymore.
You made the anti-vaccines mad.
Because to this day I popularize knowledge about COVID-19 and comment on events related to the epidemic. Indeed, when immunization began, the anti-vaccineers kicked in remarkably. Their emotions reached a zenith and continue to this day. I realized that for the rest of my days, as long as I remained active, I would be the target of attacks. Well, unless I’m silent.
Have you considered this option?
Absolutely not, never in my life. The more that I do it socially, the soul of the social activist tells me to do so. I feel that as a doctor I have a mission, and besides, educating the society in the field of medical knowledge is my passion, I like explaining difficult things to people. And despite the fact that earlier I only encountered single attacks and insults, and now I am threatened with death, because I am the second doctor Mengele on some “black list” and some “settlement” awaits me, I will not give up my activity. I just can’t give up because someone hates me. I emphasize: in social and universal media I educate for free, and not – which often impresses me – for cash from pharmaceutical companies.
Have you tried to identify your haters, pursue them?
In our country, especially in the context of the recent scandal with leaks of the content of e-mail correspondence involving members of the government, it is practically impossible. In addition, haters write from the so-called fake accounts and when you visit their profiles, it turns out that they offend not only me, but anything else. I suppose that people frustrated with their lives breathe this hatred. They do not want to write under their own name, because they are afraid of problems, for example from their employer or the environment. And they hate because they like it.
And they can.
Of course. The more that the content that threatens me with death was sent from the so-called ghostmail, i.e. an address that disappears 10 minutes after sending. I believe that such people should be punished for hate speech through the fast track court, such as stadium fans in the British Isles. This would significantly reduce the hate phenomenon. Because criticism is one thing, death threats are another, and the latter should be immediately accounted for. However, nowadays their authors are unfortunately unpunished and hatred is growing. They make a fuss that no one can track them down for their false theories. These denialists, i.e. people who reject the findings of scientists in advance, deny facts and curse reality, are not a large group, but very loud in convincing that the earth is flat and inhabited by lizard people, i.e. reptilians, 5G is the same evil, and planes are releasing chemtrails that are toxic.
Where do haters come from?
I have a theory that it is out of ignorance. They do not understand the phenomenon, and that is followed by fear, fear and rebellion. Then aggression comes. And the result is hate. It is precisely because of the lack of health education that I will not give up disseminating medical knowledge and teaching the public, because I believe that understanding it will reduce the intensity of hateful comments. Hejt is simply a cost that I have to pay.
This may interest you:
- The doctor who deceived the world. He linked autism with vaccines
- Why Poles do not want to vaccinate? Three main reasons
- A controversial drug for alzheimer’s disease. The first patient has already admitted
The content of the medTvoiLokony website is intended to improve, not replace, the contact between the Website User and their doctor. The website is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Before following the specialist knowledge, in particular medical advice, contained on our Website, you must consult a doctor. The Administrator does not bear any consequences resulting from the use of information contained on the Website. Do you need a medical consultation or an e-prescription? Go to halodoctor.pl, where you will get online help – quickly, safely and without leaving your home.