Vaccine skeptics converge in D.C. to protest — and to lobby

WASHINGTON — They’re calling it a “revolution for truth.”

Dozens of activists who reject the robust science supporting vaccinations held a march and rally Friday, capped off with a speech from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. A noted and vociferous vaccine skeptic, Kennedy accused the media, drug companies, and the government of a conspiracy to cover up supposed links between vaccines and autism — an allegation that has been thoroughly discredited.

The day of demonstrations followed an intense lobbying push on Thursday. Activists held 80 meetings on Capitol Hill, many of them with staffers for members of Congress, according to Irene Pi, an organizer from Arizona. Among their goals: Push President Trump to establish a vaccine safety committee led by Kennedy.

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