Conspiracy film about vaccines grabs eyeballs

The video, which is more than two hours long, suggests the global response to Covid-19 is a plot hatched by big drug companies and governments to create a surveillance state and a submissive population.

A controversial documentary film questioning the purpose of coronavirus vaccines has gone viral in France after endorsements from politicians and celebrities, some of whom later withdrew their support.

In a study released this week in France by the think tank Fondation Jean-Jaures, 43% of French respondents said they would refuse to get a Covid-19 shot. (Screengrab)

Hold Up got more than 4 million views on Google’s YouTube and other platforms over a couple of days last week, helped along on social media by public figures including lawmakers, former first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and actor Sophie Marceau.

Suspicions over the safety and effectiveness of vaccines are widespread in France. In a study released this week by the think tank Fondation Jean-Jaures, 43% of respondents said they would refuse to get a shot - 7% more than in the US, and twice as many as in the UK.

The video, which is more than two hours long, suggests the global response to Covid-19 is a plot hatched by big drug companies and governments to create a surveillance state and a submissive population.

The film has echoes of the English-language documentary Plandemic that also went viral earlier this year.