One of the three authors of a letter that calls for government lockdowns to be abandoned in favour of a herd immunity approach to Covid-19 has appeared on a radio broadcast that previously featured multiple Holocaust deniers and antisemites.
Dr Martin Kulldorff of Harvard medical school appeared on the Richie Allen Show on 6 October to discuss the letter, described as the Great Barrington declaration after the Massachusetts town where it was drawn up.
The JC had previously revealed how the Richie Allan Show previously hosted notorious antisemite Gilad Atzmon, the former KKK Grand Master David Duke in 2016 and self-described "Holocaust revisionist" Alison Chabloz in 2018.
Alex Scott-Samuel, the former chair of Liverpool Wavertree Labour Party, where he is still a member, was also revealed to have made appearances on the show, which was first broadcast on the website of leading anti-mask campaigner and conspiracy theorist David Icke.
Mr Scott-Samuel later told the JC he had not asked about the show before agreeing to be interviewed.
Dr Kulldorff drew up his anti-lockdown proposal with Dr Sunetra Gupta of Oxford University and Dr Jay Bhattacharya of Stanford University.
The letter was published by a right-leaning American thinktank, the American Institute for Economic Research.
It was backed by numerous signatories including health professionals – but some were later revealed to be homeopaths, therapists or used obviously fake names, such as Dr Johnny Bananas and Dr Person Fakename, leading to accusations that the total number exaggerated the scale of scientific support.
The letter called for those in higher-risk groups, including older people, to engage in shielding, while those in the least danger should “immediately be allowed to resume life as normal”.
During his appearance on the show, Dr Kulldorff was asked whether younger people, who were less likely to die from Covid-19, should attend places such as football stadiums and cinemas without any social distancing.
Appearing on the Richie Allen Show, he said: “Yes. Some things like washing the hands is always good, so keep doing that and if someone is sick they should stay home, but other than that live a fairly normal life,” adding that those over 60 should still be very careful.
When asked by the Guardian about his appearance on the show, Dr Kulldorff said: “As a public health professional, it is critically important to reach all segments of the population.
“I have appeared in both right (eg the Spectator) and left media (eg Jacobin) … Regarding the Richie Allen Show, I had never heard of it before they invited me.”
