Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Berlin Saturday. Photo via Reuters
The coronavirus situation has continued to be the focus of newspaper headlines worldwide, as strategies and tactics are debated to curb the spread of the disease and to help fortify citizens against it, whether through antibody treatments, drugs, or other conventional methods.
Alternative methods of controlling the disease such as those practiced by holistic doctors utilizing high dose Vitamin C, zinc supplements, and others are rarely mentioned, however.
One thing appears certain as the coronavirus situation continues to unfold: people are becoming fed up with encroaching government, medical and pharmaceutical system mandates and control, especially with the specter of highly controversial vaccination programs looming on the horizon (the United States has paid out billions in vaccine damages since a 1986 court ruling made it illegal to sue companies for damages, and COVID-19 vaccines are being fast-tracked at “warp speed” according to the Trump administration.
In Germany, where citizens are especially wary of looming government surveillance in light of the country’s history involving Nazi control and spying on citizens, the topic of coronavirus surveillance is a hot-button issue, according to a recent report from Reuters.
The desire for more personal freedom came to a crescendo this past weekend in Berlin, as thousands march in protest of what are being called “violations of people’s rights and freedoms” in the country.
Estimated 20,000 March Against Coronavirus Restrictions
German journalist Duja Hayali covers the protests in a mask. Masks were not worn by the majority of protesters.
An estimated 20,000 people (according to Berlin police) marched as part of the protests, according to a report from France24.
Protesters danced and sang, “We are free people!” to the tune of rock band Queen’s “We Will Rock,” while others marched with signs stating “We are making a noise because you are stealing our freedom!” and similar slogans, according to the Reuters report.
“Our demand is to return to democracy,” said one protester who declined to give his name.
The protests came after a rallying call from Michael Ballweg, an entrepreneur who has organized similar rallies in Stuttgart and is hoping to become mayor of the city, in the southwestern part of Germany.
A complaint was filed against Ballweg for failing to ensure that protesters wore masks and socially distanced. Mainstream politicians offered up criticism, including Saskia Esken of the Social Democrats, who called them “covidiots.”
“They not only endanger our health, they endanger our successes against the pandemic,” tweeted Esken, whose party is Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition partner.
One protester, Peter Konz, said that Germany is ignoring dissenting medical and alternative therapy opinions and is instead only allowing scientists who follow its lead to gain exposure.
All others with differing viewpoints are being silenced, he said according to the Reuters report.
“Only a few scientists around the world who follow the government’s lead are heard,” said protester Peter Konz. Those who hold different views “are silenced, censored or discredited as defenders of conspiracy theories.”
Will Protests Continue in Germany Despite Critcisms?
Following the controversial protests, many German politicians echoed Esken’s criticisms.
According to the federally funded German broadcasting network DW.com, new limitations on protests including limiting the number of people allowed to attend are now being debated.
The network also called the protests a positive for democracy, however, despite the criticisms, at a time where government and pharmaceutical mandates are being taken as the unvarnished truth and dissenters are roundly criticized and ignored.
“Despite all the justifiable anger at these seemingly incorrigible and reckless protesters, the demonstration was also a triumph both of democracy and of the rule of law in Germany,” the website’s Marcel Fürstenau wrote in an opinion piece.
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About Nick Meyer
