Robert Kennedy Jr. has become one of the most prominent voices in the COVID-19 vaccine movement, much to the chagrin of most of his family – who called it “heartbreaking” to see him dedicate such a passion to advocating against measures. aimed at combating coronavirus.
The son and namesake of the slain Democratic presidential candidate has been opposed to vaccinations for years, but the turning point for many of his loved ones came after he claimed that Anne Frank had done better than Americans under vaccine mandates.
“The moment you are given this vaccine passport, every right you have is transformed into a privilege that depends on your obedience to arbitrary government dictates. That will make you a slave, “he said at an anti-wax rally organized by his group The Children’s Health Defense in Washington, D.C., last month.
In the same speech, he likened the Holocaust to the security measures of COVID-19 and said: “Even under Hitler Germanyyou can cross the Alps in Switzerland, you can hide in a ceiling like Anne Frank.
Robert Kennedy Jr. drew the wrath of family members after he became one of the most prominent voices in the COVID-19 vaccine movement. He was above a rally against vaccines in Washington, D.C., last month
The turning point for many of his loved ones came after he claimed that Anne Frank had done better than the Americans under the vaccine mandate, which his sister Kerry called “heartbreaking.” Both are above in 2015
Robert’s own wife, actress Cheryl Hines (right), tried to distance herself from his comments, calling them “judgmental and callous.” The two are above in 2018 at the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
Robert, who was at the funeral of his father John F. Kennedy when he was 14, has faced many scandals and controversies throughout his life.
However, his family often dealt with such issues in private. Some have spoken out against his views on vaccines in the past, but are more repulsive than before after his comments to Anne Frank.
“He was an extremely older brother,” Kerry Kennedy told New York Times in an article published on Saturday, recalling how he led her to play outside with her friends and stood up for her when they protested that she had a little girl.
“He is brilliant, he is well-read, he cares a lot, he is extremely charismatic. It has childlike buoyancy and lightness. He is a handsome man in a million different ways. And then he has that.
He tweeted on January 25, saying, “I apologize for mentioning Anne Frank, especially the families who suffered the horrors of the Holocaust,” Kennedy tweeted before doubling his stance against wax.
“My intention was to use examples of past barbarism to show the dangers of new control technologies. As far as my remarks hurt, I sincerely and deeply regret it, “he concluded.
But his relatives hurried to distance themselves from his comments. “Bobby’s lies and fear yesterday were both disgusting and destructive. I strongly condemn him for his hateful rhetoric. He doesn’t represent the views of @RFKHumanRights or our family, “Kerry tweeted last month.
Kerry Kennedy told the New York Times that she will always keep her memories of growing up with Robert. “We have much more in common than our differences over vaccines, but we are diametrically opposed on this issue. I can’t say enough about how much I love Bobby. It’s so heartbreaking. It’s so hard.
Cheryl Hines, Robert’s third wife and actress in HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” called the reference to Anne Frank “reprehensible and callous” in a tweet that came about 20 minutes after Robert’s apology.
The Kennedy family came together in 2019 to mourn 22-year-old Sirsha Kennedy Hill, who died of an accidental overdose at the Kennedy complex in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Ted Kennedy Jr. (left), Joe Kennedy Jr. and Joe Kennedy lll attend the funeral services for Saoirse Roisin Kennedy Hill at the Church of the Virgin Mary since the Victory in Centerville
Robert was at the funeral of his father, John F. Kennedy, in 1963.
“The atrocities that millions suffered during the Holocaust should never be compared to anyone or anything. His opinion is not a reflection of mine, “Hines tweeted.
“I love my brother, but I can’t help but agree with him,” said Robert’s brother Christopher J. Kennedy in a statement to the New York Times.
Friends also spoke out against Robert’s rhetoric, including writer Blake Fleetwood, who called Robert an “inspiration” and asked why he “risked his entire life” on activism by “taking on this crusade.”
“Why is he spreading his work all his life?” Fleetwood was quoted as saying by the New York Times.
And Mike Papantonio, another friend who is a lawyer and talk show host, told the news agency, “Sometimes you want to shake it up and say, ‘Oh my God, Bobby, pay attention to something else.’ But at the end of the day, he is committed to it. The jaws are locked.
Until Fox News correspondent Douglas Kennedy specifically condemned his brother, he spoke in favor of vaccinations. “I am vaccinated. “I got vaccinated as soon as I could,” he told the New York Times.
Douglas added that Robert probably has the most natural political talent not only from everyone in our family of this generation, but also from everyone I have ever met. Most of the time he is motivated to use these talents for a good cause.
Robert became an environmentalist in the early 2010s before devoting his passion to the vaccine movement. He made his comments on the Holocaust during a rally in Washington on Sunday organized by his anti-vaccine nonprofit group
His comments were widely condemned as offensive, outrageous and historically ignorant. Anne Frank was photographed in Amsterdam at the age of 12 in 1940
Robert not only fluttered his pen with his commentary on Anne Frank, but also drew the fury of White House senior health expert Dr. Anthony Fauci when he published a book in November called The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, The Great Pharmacy and the Global War Against democracy and public health. ”
Following the publication of the book, Fauci said in an interview with Yahoo News that her statements would “hurt people” and said: “It is very unfortunate because I do not think he is inherently malicious. I just think he’s a very worried person.
Robert has a past covered with infidelity, according to RFK Jr .: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Dark Side of the Dream “, written by Jerry Oppenheimer.
He allegedly cheated on his first wife, Emily Black, several times and battled heroin abuse while the two were students at the University of Virginia, sources close to him told Oppenheimer.
The couple married in 1982, and less than two years later, Robert was on his way to rehab in Rapid City, South Dakota, when he reportedly suffered an almost fatal heroin overdose on the flight there.
He was found with drugs during the flight and charged with possession of heroin and sentenced to community service.
Robert is not the only member of the Kennedy family who has struggled with addiction and depression. The family came together in 2019 to mourn 22-year-old Sirsha Kennedy Hill, who died of an accidental overdose at the Kennedy complex in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Emily stood next to Robert until he finally sobered up and the couple, who had two children together, divorced 12 years later. Before they could even finalize their divorce, Robert allegedly proposed marriage to his second wife, Mary.
During their 18-year marriage, which ended in 2010 and was followed by Mary’s suicide in 2012, Robert claims to have had an “astronomical number” of scandals and traced some in a diary leaked in New York. The York Post wrote in 2013 that his biggest flaw was his “demons of lust.”
Before she died of suicide, Mary told a close friend that she was “afraid for her life” and said that Bobby had repeatedly told her that it would be “better to die” and that she would be “much better.” easy if she commits suicide, Oppenheimer writes in his book.
Robert has become an environmentalist in charge of cleaning up the Hudson River in New York.
Robert told the New York Times in an email that his hesitancy about the vaccine began when he worked on the trial of coal-fired plants that emit toxic mercury emissions associated with brain damage.
“Women began to attend my speeches – they were mothers of children with intellectual disabilities who believed that their children were injured by a vaccine,” said Robert.
He also said that the mother of a child with autism came to his home in Cape Cod with pages of research defending conspiracy theories about the link between vaccines and autism.