MOSCOW, October 22 (RAPSI) — People engaged in public campaigning against COVID-19 vaccination must be held accountable before the law, Deputy Chair of the Civic Chamber Commission on Demography, Protection of Family, Children and Traditional Family Values Pavel Pozhigailo believes.

In the opinion of the civic activist, in the case where a person publicly, through the media, starts campaigning against vaccination, such a person violates the law. If the legislation does not envisage that such a campaigning is a violation, lawmakers need to fill the gap by adopting measures permitting to punish such people. From the point of view of the state, calls against vaccination are akin to terrorism, Pozhigailo told RAPSI.

The expert believes that in emergency situations the state has the right to take a very tough and sometimes very tough position.

Pozhigailo lamented that at present certain groups of people are beginning to employ anti-vaccination views as a means to usurp the functions of the state and even, in his mind, to start a rebellion or revolution. The civic activist alleged that the current anti-vaccination campaign is far from normally expected public reaction to the pandemic.

The Civic Chamber member also said he sees ulterior motives, like gaining personal popularity, of those engaged in the anti-vaccination campaigning.