The Irish Light: A Woman Was Harmed by a Report that Said her Son’s Immunization had Killed him.

After suing a conspiracy theory publication that erroneously claimed her kid died from a Covid vaccine, a heartbroken mother and her lawyer were the targets of a severe abuse campaign.

Online hatred from The Irish Light against Edel Campbell has been ongoing, and its fans have vowed to “execute” her attorney.

Many unfortunate deaths have been utilized by conspiracy theorists to promote false information about vaccines.

It is believed that this is the first instance of a relative filing a lawsuit.

Diego Gilsenan, Ms. Campbell’s son, and 41 other people were included in an article published by The Irish Light last year that claimed the “untested and dangerous” Covid vaccination was to blame for the deaths. Diego, who was 18 years old and unvaccinated, reportedly committed suicide in August 2021, according to information provided to the BBC.

According to Ms. Campbell’s attorney, Ciaran Mulholland, the abuse that has followed her court case has been “nothing short of shocking” and may help to explain why other relatives have chosen not to intervene.

When they witnessed the pushback against Edel Campbell, you can see why a lot of people were quite hesitant to consult a lawyer, he added.

The BBC was informed by Ms. Campbell that the Irish Light has “made my life hell” and that she is now afraid to speak out.

In order to protect Ms. Campbell, the BBC has agreed not to use a picture of her or her son for this article.

The Irish Light and its editor, Gemma O’Doherty, have frequently posted on social media over several weeks accusing Ms Campbell of telling “outrageous lies,” being “mentally unstable,” and engaging in a “massive fraud.” Extreme suicide comments are also made in relation to Ms. Campbell.

Mr. Mulholland claims that supporters of the Irish Light have threatened other employees and called his office anonymously to demand that he be killed or shot.

After the newspaper ran a photo of Ms. Campbell’s son Diego Gilsenan and other family members on the front page with the headline “Died Suddenly,” Ms. Campbell and her attorney decided to file a civil lawsuit for harassment and slander against Ms. O’Doherty.

Conspiracy theorists have commonly exploited this slogan on social media to imply that sudden deaths of children are caused by the Covid-19 vaccine.

The Irish Light asserts that the establishment is not questioning the “mysterious deaths” because “they know exactly what it is: the untested and dangerous injection they forced into the Irish people” in the piece that featured Ms. Campbell’s son

Covid vaccine-related fatalities are incredibly uncommon. Out of the more than 50 million persons who have received at least one dosage, UK statistics show 55 deaths where the vaccine was administered as the underlying reason.

According to their families, three of the other young people covered by the Irish Light died from meningitis, one was involved in a swimming pool accident, another had a head injury.

Ms. Campbell claims that before publishing, the Irish Light did not get in touch with her for comment regarding Diego. The BBC is aware that the Irish Light did not get in touch with a number of other families of the young people who were featured.

According to Mr. Mulholland, “retribution” or recompense are not the goals of the judicial proceeding. Edel Campbell’s only goal was to uphold the integrity.

Donations and the pro bono services of Ms. Campbell’s attorney have paid for her legal defense.
He informed the BBC that the legal actions were taken as a result of repeated requests to Gemma O’Doherty to take down the photographs of Diego Gilsenan failing and leading to an increase in online harassment.

The Irish Light editor is forbidden from contacting Ms. Campbell and from using or distributing the image of her kid for any purpose without getting his mother’s permission, according to a restraining order issued in July by the High Court of Dublin.

Social media users have continued to make derogatory comments against Ms. Campbell, notably through the Irish Light account on X, formerly known as Twitter, which Gemma O’Doherty has acknowledged operating.

Police received accusations of harassment from Ms. Campbell, but Mr. Mulholland denied them.

Ms. O’Doherty continues to assert that her son’s death was mysterious or evil in some way despite her denials in online writings that she had harassed Edel Cambell. She has hired a lawyer to fight the accusations made against her.

Although they are editorially independent of one another, the Irish Light and its namesake newspaper in the UK are sister publications. The UK newspaper has advocated for the killing of politicians and medical professionals, according to the BBC. It is associated with the German periodical linked to a failed coup attempt as well as the British far-right.

The Irish Light has published articles that support conspiracy theories, such as “Pfizer knew the vaccine would kill,” “Water fluoridation is lowering Irish IQ,” “Why manmade climate change is a fraud,” and “Irish to become a minority in Ireland.” These articles have been published alongside more neutral articles.
While Ms. Campbell is believed to be the first to file a lawsuit over a false claim of a vaccine fatality, the situation is similar to that of other people who fell victim to conspiracy theories.
A landmark decision against Infowars presenter Alex Jones was made in a case brought by the parents of Sandy Hook massacre victims. Manchester Arena bomb survivors are suing over allegations that the incident was staged.