Bartolomeo Pepe (3 November 1962 – 23 December 2021) was an Italian politician.
Bartolomeo Pepe | |
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Member of the Senate of the Republic of Italy | |
In office 15 March 2013 – 22 March 2018 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Naples, Italy | 3 November 1962
Died | 23 December 2021 Naples, Italy | (aged 59)
Political party | M5S (2013–2014) FdV (2015) Independent (2018–2021) |
A member of the Five Star Movement and then the Federation of the Greens, he served in the Senate of the Republic from 2013 to 2018.[1]
An avowed anti-vaxxer, Pepe vocally opposed the mandatory vaccination of schoolchildren in Italy, supported the idea of a link between vaccines and autism, and spread a number of conspiracy theories, such as the ones regarding chemtrails. After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, he called the media coverage and containment measures "ridiculous hysteria" and opposed the subsequent vaccination campaign. He died from COVID-19 on 23 December 2021, at the age of 59.[2]