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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Zara Woodcock

How Right Said Fred became UK’s most controversial band – anti-vax and anti-mask tirades

Right Said Fred have been making headlines since the start of the pandemic but it hasn't always been for the right reason.

The pop duo - consisting of Fred and Richard Fairbrass - most recently stunned fans by sharing a web video of Neo-Nazis spouting racist and anti-vax conspiracy theories.

It wasn't the only time fans were left speechless as they previously joined anti-lockdown protests and went on anti-mask rants.

They even had a page on messaging app Telegram - where they describe themselves as "two musicians with opinions that don’t fit the mainstream news media narrative".

Here are there most controversial moments...

Neo-Nazi webstream

Last week, Right Said Fred promoted a live stream that starred the leader of Patriotic Alternative - who are described as the UK's biggest fascist threat.

The I'm Too Sexy singers shared the link on Telegram to their 5,6000 fans. The link has since been deleted and a spokesperson claimed it was done in error.

In the video, Mark Collett - who leads PA and is a Holocaust denier who has praised Hitler - went on a two-hour rant about Covid vaccines and racist conspiracy theories.

He was joined on the podcast by blogger Jason Köhne, using the name No White Guilt, and US racist Dr David Duke, a former grand wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

Mark even spotted that his video was shared by the musicians and gloated about the entire situation.

Anti-Vaccine beliefs

In February 2021, Richard revealed he refused the vaccine due to his fears it wasn’t “kosher”.

Six months later, Richard was taken to the hospital after contracting Covid-19.

However, his struggles to breathe didn't change the fact he still refused to get the vaccine.

The star spent four nights in hospital to be monitored by doctors and spent the rest of the time recovering at his home following his ordeal.

Richard told MailOnline: “I’ve had a bit of Covid, it wasn't too bad. I was a little breathless, I felt very tired.

“But full credit to the NHS, they were non-judgemental and very open to how you wanted to be treated - and my treatment was just keeping my oxygen levels up for a week.”

Insisting he still won’t accept the vaccine, he went on: “I'm absolutely not going to have one now.”

The pop duo had been constantly discussing their stance on the vaccine as well as lockdown.

Anti-lockdown Protest

Towards the end of 2020, Richard and Fred joined an anti-lockdown protest in London.

They took to social media to share a snap of themselves from the demonstration but didn't receive the reaction they were hoping for.

Fans ruthlessly mocked the singers for their decision to protest against the restrictions, with some accusing the stars of supporting coronavirus conspiracy theorists.

In the snap, protesters were seen holding up signs with slogans including "A hug a day keeps the Covid away" and "The pandemic is a lie".

Another sign referenced far-right conspiracy theory QAnon and branded the WHO the "World Hoax Organisation".

A few months later, they appeared on TV to claim they weren't Covid deniers but said that their argument is really about freedom of speech.

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Anti-Mask stance

They have tweeted about being anti-mask (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images for BMI)

Richard and Fred were vocal about being anti-mask on their official Twitter page. They had tweeted: “I would like to thank everyone who is still wearing a mask.

“It saves me a great deal of time. Your mask tells me I don't need to talk to you, know you, work with you, or try to understand your mumblings.

“You are superfluous to requirements. Many thanks.”

During their interview on Sky News, they were asked why they strongly objected to wearing face masks.

The musicians state that their stance on face coverings is that people are wearing them without question, or for effect.

Richard told: "All I'm saying with masks is, if you're gonna wear one, make sure it's the right mask.

"Understand how often you need to change it or if it's got a filter, when you need to change the filter; understand where you need to wear it, under what conditions. If you want to make sure that the mask is fully effective, go on the internet and make sure that the makers of the mask are bona fide makers."

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