Current developments in Germany are deeply disturbing. More than 20k people were on the streets, demonstrating. While the majority likely are quite normal citizens, they side with right-wingers which actually breached a barrier in front of the Reichstagsgebäude. The colours Schwarz-Weiss-Rot were flying. In front of the Reichstagsgebäude. And the “concerned citizens”? They claim the anti-Coronavirus measures are destroying democracy, and all for nothing ‘because of a few deaths’.
What the actual fuck is wrong with this people is the mantra of our time.
It’s frustrating, because the obvious response of simply overwhelming and cowing them with a counter-demonstration of sane citizenry isn’t available to us because of, well, our sanity.
I’m still getting email from the US Embassy in Norway, today there is apparently a big right-wing anti-Muslim demonstration planned. The advice from the Embassy? “Keep a low profile.”
Similar thing happened in a town near my hometown. That town has a border crossing with Belarus, and whole regiment of Border Guard got infected there. One nurse from hospital in my hometown got infected too, and nearly spread the infection to the hospital. The spread was stopped by aggressive contact tracing, testing and quarantining.
This has been known since the beginning of the year, but so many places around the world refuse to protect their citizenry because of the perceived notion that personal freedoms are more important than public health.
ETA: I know I’m simply repeating something we all know, but damn, sometimes I have to rant into the ether because no one around here is listening to me.
I think that in some places personal freedoms are only an excuse. Note that for example in the US the minorities are disproportionately harmed, and that’s just what people currently in power want.
