The Kiss of Death for Free Speech in Central Europe

Covid-19 and arbitrary restrictions on freedom of speech

Do you recall the ‘good old days’ of less than two years ago? You know, before Covid-19 was a thing? If not, let me remind you that a little less than two years ago, you could

• Afford not think about masks, irrespective of whether it was a regular one, a KN-95, a face-shield, or the like;

• Travel without thinking once about infection control measures and/or the expectation of 10 to 14 days of house arrest;

• Go to a bar, concert, museum, football match, and school/ university, etc. without showing your papers.

These days, all of the above apply to most of Europe and North America, in addition to increasing job insecurity, (impending) vaccination mandates, social distancing, incl. broken families and friendships due to differences of opinion on public health measures or the still-growing databases of adverse reactions to the various Covid-19 ‘vaccines’.

It certainly feels like a very remote, historical era—yet, it’s been less than two years.

Today’s comment recounts a few memorable steps towards this dystopian insanity masquerading as ‘new normal’. Emphasis rests on German-language Central Europe, with a concluding comment relating the cited examples to the oft-cited ‘bigger picture’.

So, let’s take a stroll down memory lane together.

In spring 2020, German independent journalist and free speech activist Ken Jebsen was attacked viciously by the mainstream media for warning of impending mandatory vaccinations with experimental biological agents. Spiegel TV then outed his true name and showed his private residence, hence Ken Jebsen’s media portal, KenFM was effectively dismantled because Jebsen left Germany. See the ‘official’ account by state broadcaster ZDF, and if you know German, see also Thomas Röper’s fact-check, which prompted ZDF to add the telling editorial statement that ‘this article reflects the facts as of 06.05.2020’.

By the end of 2020, there was a flurry of reports informing the public about impending plans to selectively ‘grant’ inalienable civic liberties based on one’s vaccination status. German mainstream news media Spiegel, on 28 December 2020, cited Interior Secretary Horst Seehofer as follows:

‘A distinction between vaccinated and non-vaccinated people is tantamount to compulsory vaccination. But I am against compulsory vaccination’, Seehofer told the newspaper Bild am Sonntag. ‘We are all in this crisis. And we should fight our way out of it together and in solidarity.’

Seehofer also rejects special rights for vaccinated people granted by private companies such as airlines or concert organisers. ‘I can only warn against this’, he told the paper. This divides society. One person's privilege is another person's disadvantage.’

His coalition partner, in the person of the SPD’s public health spokesperson Karl Lauterbach, said (in the same piece):

‘Privileges for the vaccinated are neither controllable nor well justifiable’, the medical expert told the newspapers of the Funke Mediengruppe at the weekend. ‘Incidentally, it cannot be ruled out that vaccinated people can still infect others.’

A day later, it was reported that Spain planned to introduce a register for all non-compliant citizens. By mid-January 2021, it had become quite clear that most E.U. governments were moving towards mandatory vaccination. E.U. Commission President von der Leyen argued, on 15 January 2021, that, citing ‘medical requirements’ necessitated a bloc-wide ‘vaccination certificate’, which would be rolled out before too long.

Only two days later, SPD Foreign Secretary Heiko Maas weighed in, stating, according to Spiegel:

‘Vaccinated people should be allowed to exercise their basic rights again.’ (my emphasis)

A month later, by late February 2021, Chancellor Merkel expected the E.U. vaccination passport to be deployed by the summer:

‘The political target is that this will be achieved in the next few months, I have spoken of three months.’

Asked about whether this was tantamount to ‘privileges’ or ‘advantages’ for those vaccinated against Covid-19, Merkel said:

‘Everyone has pointed out today that, given the low vaccination coverage of the population, this is not an issue at all at the moment. But you have to be prepared.’

A week later, on 1 March 2021, the E.U. Commission announced the introduction of an E.U.-wide digital vaccination passport.

The rest, as they say, is history.

In September, Italy introduced stricter rules for all working people. From 15 October 2021 onwards, as explained by RT Deutsch on 17 September 2021:

‘It is the first country to require all public and private sector workers to be vaccinated or have a negative Corona test in order to perform their jobs.’

Neighbouring France already placed 3,000 health care workers on unpaid leave for their refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19, as reported on 16 September 2021.

By 28 September 2021, Swiss International Airlines, a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, announced that all unvaccinated staff will be terminated, most likely by January or February 2022.

On 1 October 2021, Spiegel reported that up to 40,000 health care professionals would be lacking in the United Kingdom due to its Covid-19 vaccine mandate. There is more, though, as the Spiegel explains:

‘Similar to Germany, the care sector in the UK is struggling with severe staff shortages. In England, the situation is likely to worsen in a few weeks. Then the sector could have to do without up to a fifth of its employees from one day to the next in some places. According to the analysis of the news portal “National World” based on data from the English health service NHS, more than 40,000 nurses could lose their jobs because of new Corona requirements.’

There’s a common thread in all of this: if you’re in a hole, stop digging.

Also, these are all reports by mainstream media. Whatever one personally thinks about these public health measures, there’s also a free speech angle to all of this: as the above-cited example of KenFM or the more recent travails of RT Deutsch amply illustrate, pushback by the powers-that-be and their collaborators in the mainstream news media will follow. Or worse.

And before you think that I ‘enjoy’ picking on Germany, some examples from neighbouring Austria and Switzerland are in order.

In January 2021, a doctor employed by the public health authorities of the federal state of Burgenland, joined an anti-Covid measures protest in her spare time. Taking to the stage, she called on her fellow protesters not to get vaccinated. Her employer, the state government, immediately suspended her, as reported by Austrian state broadcaster ORF (here and here).

To conclude with old news from Switzerland, in early May 2020, a few hundred protestors took to the streets of Bern. As assemblies of more than five people were forbidden, police soon moved in to dispel the unauthorised protest, as reported by Swissinfo:

The police nevertheless limited themselves to checking people and issuing warnings. ‘There will also be reprimands’, announced Reto Nause, director of security for the city of Berne.

In an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency, he was ‘irritated’ by the behaviour of the demonstrators: ‘From an epidemiological point of view, my heart bleeds’ [said Nause, director of security; it is unclear whether he has had epidemiologcal training]. People had hugged each other and disregarded the regulations. He assumed that there had been new infections.

About a month later, Swiss state broadcaster SRF showed many images of ‘Black Lives Matters’ demonstrations, such as this one from Bern on 12 June 2020.

Citing ‘more than 10,000 participants’ in Zurich alone, it was reported that ‘police kept a conspicuously low profile’. A bit further down in the report, one may then learn that the demonstration had also been unauthorised:

‘The police asked those present several times in a friendly manner to “refrain from the event”, as it was forbidden according to the Covid regulations of the Federal Council. Shortly after 2 p.m., the police in Zurich then relented and declared that the demonstration would be tolerated as long as it remained peaceful.’ (my emphasis)

This is instructive, for not all extralegal protest is created—and tolerated—equal by the authorities. The lines between ‘the rule of law’ and arbitrary application of state power are becoming increasingly blurred, and this isn’t good.