Former UCD Professor Dolores Cahill was among a group of conspiracy theorists who met a senior Conservative MP in London recently, it has emerged.
She was one of eight anti-vaccination campaigners who met MP for Altrincham and Sale West Graham Brady at an undisclosed location near Westminster in the UK capital on September 21st, according to The Irish Times.
One of the group claimed the purpose of the meeting was to present “evidence” to Mr Brady and call for an immediate halt to the UK's vaccination programme “as a matter of urgency”.
Mr Brady is chairman of the 1922 Committee, which represents Tory backbenchers and is often instrumental in UK government policy.
Mr Brady has served as shadow minister for Europe four times and was briefly considered for the Conservative Party leadership in 2019.
He has been a vocal critic of lockdowns as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The two-hour meeting included 16 people, including six who dialled in by video call.
Misinformation
Ms Cahill, who has pushed anti-vaccination misinformation in Ireland, was in the room with Mr Brady, The Irish Times reports.
There were a number of anti-vaccination camapginers and conspiracy theorists present.
Lawyer Anna de Buisseret who has called vaccines a “bioweapon” and Michael Yeadon, who previously worked for Pfizer and claims vaccines are part of a “mass depopulation” programme, were among those involved in the meeting.
Funeral director John O'Looney, who has claimed thousands of elderly people have been secretly euthanised during the pandemic, was also present.
Ms Cahill has spread a number of inaccurate claims about lockdowns and Covid-19 during the pandemic, including a claim that face masks lower the IQ of children.
She ceased her employment with UCD at the start of the current academic year amid controversy about her public remarks on Covid-19 and vaccinations. She had previously applied for retirement.
Ms Cahill is facing charges in Westminster Magistrates Court for her involvement in an anti-lockdown rally in Trafalgar Square a year ago.
She was one of the speakers at the rally, which culminated with 32 arrests and clashes between protesters and police.
Summons
A warrant for Ms Cahill’s arrest was issued by the court two months ago after she allegedly failed to answer a summons. However, this warrant had been withdrawn by the time of her meeting with Mr Brady.
The case is due to go ahead on November 1st.
Gardaí are currently investigating whether Ms Cahill was involved in a group which encouraged a severely ill Covid patient to leave a Co Donegal hospital last month.
Joe McCarron died after being readmitted to hospital several days later.
Neither she nor Mr Brady responded to requests for comment on Monday.
Speaking to the Times of London, Mr Brady confirmed he was at the meeting, adding that meeting someone “does not amount to an endorsement of their views”.
