New Zealand Protestors in Tinfoil Hats Blame Sickness on Radiation Rays

TRAFALGAR SQUARE, LONDON/ENGLAND- 26 September 2020: Protesters wearing tin foil hats at the 'We do not consent' rally

Source: JessicaGirvan/Shutterstock

Protestors wearing tinfoil hats have appeared in New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington amid ongoing demonstrations that began on February 8th in opposition to vaccine mandates. The protests attracted a hodgepodge of Kiwis with an array of complaints against the Labour government of Jacinta Ardern. Protestors have been camped out near Parliament where a small tent city has popped up.

The foil hats began to appear on February 25th after large concrete barricades were hoisted into place to help control the sprawl of the demonstrators and to keep the situation manageable. Soon after the barriers appeared, many people in the crowd began to express the belief that the cement blocks were emitting electromagnetic radiation to sicken those in attendance and break up the protest. Several demonstrators posted that they were feeling unwell and attributing their symptoms to the ‘radiation.’ One protestor, holding a device that he said measured electromagnetic fields, posted online, “Look at this one, this one's up here at 80, whatever that means I don't know, but there's something going on...there is something in this block that is emitting electromagnetic radiation. Does that mean it's a transmitter?” Brenton Hodgson, who once worked as a calibration technician and was familiar with the device, said that the EMF reading was zero electromagnetic radiation, the number the man was looking at was of magnetic flux from the steel embedded in the concrete.

Symptoms attributed to the rays supposedly coming from blocks included headaches, dizziness, fatigue, disorientation, and general aches and pains. Auckland University Health Psychologist Kate MacKrill observed that the protests are now considered a "super spreader event," making it likely that many of the symptoms being reported are from Covid. However, she also notes that there are claims on social media that people feel better once they leave parliament grounds and escape the 'radiation weapon,' only to feel unwell upon their return - a telltale indicator that some symptoms may be psychogenic.

It is also possible that the "nocebo effect" is at work. It is well-known that when someone is given an inert sugar pill and told it will have beneficial effects, patients often report feeling better through the power of positive expectation and framing. It also works in reverse. If someone ingests something that they believe could make them sick, they can begin to feel unwell. The effect is more common than many people realize. For instance, a recent study by Julia Haas of Harvard Medical School found that over two-thirds of all common side effects reported after vaccination for Covid-19, were caused by the nocebo effect.

Earlier this month, claims about being the target of a mysterious police weapon circulated among protestors at anti-mandate demonstrations in Canberra, Australia. Protestors claimed that the government was using a “microwave ray” on the gathering. Symptoms reported by those in attendance included headache, dizziness, vertigo, nausea, heat rashes, cold sores, apathy, and fatigue. It may be that they would have experienced these symptoms independent of any protest, but aside from cold sores and heat rashes, the remaining complaints are commonly reported in collective episodes of psychogenic illness.

The Power to Think Yourself Unwell

There are many recent cases of the nocebo effect in New Zealand taking the form of mass psychogenic illness. In June 2015, three paramedics were called to a bathroom at the Westfield Shopping Centre in South Auckland after a local cleaner had found a man in distress. When the paramedics arrived, they were overcome by fumes and felt nauseous and dizzy. The scene was treated as a biohazard event as more emergency personnel responded. The paramedics were taken to the hospital and soon recovered, while it was determined that the man in the bathroom had overdosed on morphine. The incident coincided with the release of a video by a terrorist group in Somalia calling for its supporters to carry out attacks on the mall chain around the world. The cleaner who had found the man was unaffected by the fumes.

In February 2016, students from Taradale High School in Hastings were participating in a swimming competition when dozens of students suddenly fell sick. Shortly after 10 a.m., one of the students became ill and vomited. Within half an hour another 20 began feeling unwell. In all, about 40 students were affected. Many felt nauseous and exhibited signs of anxiety. All of the students made a quick recovery. Pool staff who had been in the water were unaffected. A water-borne illness was ruled out due to how quickly the students were stricken. Subsequent water tests came back normal.

In September 2018, 33 children at a Carterton primary school in Wairarapa fell sick soon after a sulfur-like smell swept across the grounds. Some students reported seeing a mysterious powdery substance falling from a small plane that was seen flying near the school at the time, although police later ruled the plane out as the cause of the illnesses. Ten of the children were hospitalized but quickly recovered. Symptoms included headaches, dizziness, nausea, skin irritation, and in a small number of students—vomiting. The outbreak was eventually determined to have been triggered by a strong smell from warm mushroom compost that had been delivered near the school.