M.I.A. sparks controversy by saying she would 'choose death' over getting a coronavirus vaccination
26 March 2020, 12:30
The rapper also lamented being 'made to' get her son vaccinated before he started school.
M.I.A. told fans she would 'choose death' over getting a coronavirus vaccination amid the ongoing pandemic.
The 44-year-old rapper seemingly implied she was an anti-vaxxer as she expressed her controversial opinion and lamented being 'made to' get her son vaccinated before he started school.
"If I have to choose the vaccine or chip I'm gonna choose death," wrote the star, whose real name is Mathangi Arulpragasam.
"Most of science is in bed with business," she tweeted in response to a fan asking why she was against vaccinations. "Business is in bed with banks, banks are in bed with tech, techs in bed with us, we re in bed with corona. Corona is in bed with science. So on… the best is prevention."
Of her 11-year-old son Ikhyd, she wrote, "Yeah in America they made me vaccinate my child before the school admission. It was the hardest thing."
"To not have choice over this as a mother. I never wanna feel that again. He was so sick for 3 weeks then Docs had to pump him with antibiotics to reduce the fever from 3 vaxins."
"As an adult you have choice! By then you've built your immune system. You have a choice as an 'adult' wishing you all good health."
She wrote in another tweet, "Don't panic you are ok. You are not gonna die. You can make it without stressing the medical systems. Just breathe. You are going to be ok. You can make it through without jumping in the frying pan. You are fine. All the vaccines you've already had is enough to see you through."
Some of Arulpragasam's followers were left "disappointed" by the rapper's comments, with one writing, "I always admired you for being a sensible person of ideas, but your speech is completely irresponsible. It just shows how much you don't know about it, and it makes me very sad. Please, study about it and stop speaking untruths."
Another wrote, "Beyond irresponsible and reckless", while another added, "This tweet has disappointed me more than your last 2 albums."
Clearly unfazed by the backlash, M.I.A. tweeted, "Cancelling is irrelevant!"
