After four years, the phrase “Arrest Bill Gates” has resurfaced as a trending topic on X (formerly Twitter), sparking intense debate online. This resurgence recalls events from 2021 when protesters gathered outside the UK headquarters of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in London, calling for the arrest of the billionaire philanthropist.
At the time, these protests were tied to widespread misinformation and conspiracy theories about Gates’ involvement in the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine initiatives. Now, the phrase’s reappearance has reignited conversations about the persistence of misinformation and its societal impact.
This article revisits the context of the 2021 protests, examines the reasons for Gates’ role as a target of conspiracies, and reflects on the broader implications of these movements in today’s digital age.
Revisiting the 2021 Protests
The phrase “Arrest Bill Gates” first gained significant traction during protests in 2021 when demonstrators convened outside the London headquarters of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. These protests were part of a broader anti-lockdown movement that criticized COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates. Videos from the time showed dozens of protesters chanting the now-infamous slogan while waving anti-vaccine flags and holding placards.
🚨 The Brits chase after Bill Gates and call him a murderer while chanting “ARREST Bill Gates!”
⚠️ The citizens of the world are uniting against the globalist elites and their New World Order agenda.
WE THE PEOPLE ARE FED UP! pic.twitter.com/cFCIegHKap
— HustleBitch (@HustleBitch_) November 29, 2024
Among the crowd, one protester carried a placard with a blown-up image of a British tabloid front page featuring former Health Secretary Matt Hancock. Hancock’s public scandal, involving a breach of COVID rules during his affair with an aide, became a symbol of perceived government hypocrisy, further fueling public anger during the pandemic.
Arrest Bill Gates is Trending
Because AntiVaxer Idiots Reign on Dead Twitter pic.twitter.com/4FwN63BiId
— Larry (@SocratesBigBird) November 29, 2024
Although the protests were largely peaceful, isolated incidents of antisocial behavior occurred, including the throwing of tennis balls at government buildings. Three individuals were arrested, and three police officers sustained minor injuries. Despite the chaotic scenes, the specific allegations against Gates were never clarified by the protesters, highlighting the nebulous nature of their claims.
Gates as a Conspiracy Magnet
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, has frequently been the subject of baseless conspiracy theories. During the pandemic, these theories ranged from accusations of microchipping people through vaccines to claims of orchestrating the pandemic for profit or population control. The Gates Foundation’s pledge of $1.75 billion to pandemic response efforts, including funding for vaccine research, ironically became the basis for some of these claims.
Bill Gates is like a vulture circling over its pray, ready to swoop in to gorge off some rich pickings. pic.twitter.com/XRj3fV03iG
— James Melville 🚜 (@JamesMelville) November 29, 2024
In an interview with Reuters in 2021, Gates expressed his surprise at being targeted alongside Dr. Anthony Fauci, the then-director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). “Nobody would have predicted that I and Fauci would be so prominent in these really evil theories,” he said. Gates dismissed the conspiracies as “strange and stupid,” noting that attempting to deny them often lent them undue credibility.
Platforms like X often allow misinformation to spread rapidly, often amplified by algorithms that prioritize engagement over accuracy. Viral trends like this not only cast a spotlight on the dangers of misinformation but also reveal how conspiracy theories can linger and resurface long after their initial emergence.
I’m sorry
Arrest Bill Gates?
Is he the one acting like he was elected and threatened to arrest people he doesn’t like ? Is he the naturalized citizen who violated his oath to this country by divulging classified information to Putin?Arrest who again? pic.twitter.com/yRyLO0Lit4
— Orwell’s Ghost (@Mister_Bluesky2) November 30, 2024
In 2021, the protesters outside the Gates Foundation HQ gained attention largely due to videos and posts shared online. Similarly, the recent trend owes much of its traction to social media users revisiting old content or rehashing debunked claims. Despite efforts by platforms to flag or remove false information, the sheer volume and velocity of online discourse make it challenging to stem the tide completely.
Is Arrest Bill Gates going to start from Brits?
People ain’t taking in more nonsense in form of donations and help https://t.co/9nNA0e9kHh pic.twitter.com/RiWm7uB2kA— MaGa World (@MaGaWorld2024) November 30, 2024
The renewed calls to “Arrest Bill Gates” also reflect deeper issues of polarization and skepticism toward global initiatives. For some, Gates represents an emblem of unchecked wealth and influence, making him an easy target for narratives about elite control. However, conflating genuine concerns about wealth inequality with baseless conspiracies distracts from meaningful discussions and solutions.
