A notorious US anti-vax group led by the nephew of former US President John Kennedy has arrived in Australia to target the parents of children now eligible for vaccination against COVID-19.

Since opening its Australian chapter, some 400,000 anti-vax flyers have apparently been distributed by the Children’s Health Defence, telling parents that vaccinating children against COVID-19 is unethical.

The group, which believes the world is witnessing the “imposition of medical fascism”, is also encouraging patients to hand their GP an edited version the letter attacking vaccines, PCR tests and Australia’s use of lockdowns, written by the COVID Medical Network last year.

The Children’s Health Defence evolved from the World Mercury Project, an anti-vaccine organisation that began in 2007, although it started making major headlines in 2016 after Robert F Kennedy Jr took over as chairman.