The idea that sperm from men who have not received an injection against Covid-19 will soon be in high demand has its origins in conspiracy theories, which claim, without any evidence, that vaccines cause mass sterility.

Guo Wengui, whose golden exile in the United States was disrupted by his arrest in mid-March for alleged fraud, plans to organize these auctions in June on the conservative social network Gettr.

"Sperm and eggs from our fellow fighters will be auctioned on our Gettr platform between June 1 and 6," Guo said in February.

Hunted by China, where he is accused of financial fraud, the tycoon is close to Donald Trump's former adviser, Steve Bannon.

"Saving humanity"

Guo Wengui claims to have in stock nearly 6,000 eggs and "a few million sperm" from unvaccinated donors.

The new kind of auction will also include "my own sperm, of course," he said.

But his arrest may well derail his plans. The tycoon is accused of orchestrating a complex fraud to extort more than a billion dollars from thousands of people who follow him online.

A video of Chinese billionaire Miles Guo announcing an online auction of "unvaccinated sperm", on a smartphone, on March 28, 2023 in Los Angeles © Chris Delmas / AFP

Whether these auctions take place or not, they have already caused a sensation on Gettr, with fans of the billionaire seeing it as an opportunity to "save the future of humanity" or ensuring that the sperm of unvaccinated man is "the future Bitcoin".

"These auctions are based, more broadly, on false arguments that Covid vaccines have harmed fertility," John Gregory of NewsGuard told AFP.

"Vaccine misinformation authors propagate this claim, while many medical studies show that vaccines do not have a negative impact on male and female fertility."

Theses that nevertheless convinced Guo Wengui, also known as Miles Guo.

The lobby against the Chinese Communist Party that he founded with Steve Bannon, the New Federal State of China (NFSC), has also repeatedly relayed false information, calling for example vaccines "biochemical weapons".

AFP's questions to Gettr and an NFSC spokeswoman went unanswered.

The struggling platform plans to find its salvation by becoming an online marketplace for sperm from unvaccinated men, according to Rolling Stone magazine.

Ambitions greeted with skepticism internally. Gettr employees have mentioned legal restrictions on the sale of ejaculate to other countries, according to the media.

"White gold"

Guo Wengui did not specify how the liquid would be tested or shipped. But he promised to use "scientific methods" and ask for a letter from a lawyer to certify the non-vaccination of the donor.

The project is part of the so-called "pure blood" movement, which falsely claims that the Covid-19 vaccine contaminates the body.

Those who believe in it therefore avoid at all costs blood transfusions of vaccinated people -- but also their sperm, or even their breast milk.

These smoky theories have lucrative potential, which has piqued the interest of some anti-vaccine activists.

The sperm of unvaccinated men has even been dubbed "the new white gold" by an enthusiastic Gettr user.

"Unvaccinated semen available" cups and t-shirts can also be purchased on Amazon and eBay.

In February, however, the Indonesian Ministry of Health rejected the conclusions of a fake article shared on social networks, which relayed this thesis, according to AFP's digital investigation teams.

According to expert John Gregory, "these auctions are consistent with a well-known pattern, in which people who spread anti-vaccine misinformation sell products to profit from their false claims."

BURS-AC/LED/VGR

© 2023 AFP