Nicki Minaj fans have been protesting against the Covid-19 vaccine in Atlanta.
On Monday, Minaj caused uproar on social media that reverberated across the political spectrum and her own fanbase, known as the Barbz, when she shared the reason why she did not attend the 2021 Met Gala.
The event required its guests to be vaccinated, something Minaj expressed her apprehensions about, as she said she wanted to do enough research on her own.
Minaj then claimed in a tweet that her “cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine [because] his friend got it and became impotent. His testicles became swollen.”
Impotence is not listed as a potential side-effect by the NHS or the US’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites, and there is no evidence to suggest that the vaccine causes fertility problems.
UK prime minister Boris Johnson and Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, responded to the singer during Tuesday’s (14 September) Covid press conference. Whitty said Minaj should be “ashamed” for perpetuating untruths about the vaccines among her 180 million social media followers.Now, fans of Minaj have taken to the streets in Atlanta to protest the vaccine, outside of the Centers for Disease Control.
Footage shared from the protests yesterday (September 15) on social media show a number of fans with placards shouting “Nicki Minaj told the truth to me.”
You can see some images and footage of the protests here:
If she accepts, a doctor from the Biden administration will get in touch with the rapper on a call to provide a primer on how the approved Covid vaccines work, officials said.
The White House said in a statement that it has offered this kind of outreach in the past, as it is part of a public relations push to counter misinformation and mistrust surrounding the United States’ vaccine drive.
Minaj, however, appeared to have misconstrued the offer for a call as an invite to the White House after tweeting “The White House has invited me & I think it’s a step in the right direction.”
White House officials quickly clarified that they were only offering Minaj a phone call.
