Germany’s new strategy to combat so-called 'conspiracy theorists,' thinly veiled as a counseling service, has been denounced as ‘Orwellian.’
(LifeSiteNews) — On Thursday, the German government launched a counseling center for those affected by the “conspiracy theories” of family, friends, or colleagues.
"Conspiracy narratives go hand in hand with lies and disinformation,” said Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser in a press release announcing the “Advising Compass Conspiracy Thinking” center. “They are spread in a targeted manner to divide our society and destroy trust in independent science, in free media or democratic institutions.”
Faeser demonized “conspiracy narratives” as a potential trigger of violence, alleging that they “can lead to extremist ideologies and lead perpetrators to criminal and violent acts.”
“Anti-Semitic conspiracy narratives are spread especially often,” she added, referring to an especially fiercely targeted form of speech in post-Nazi Germany, where it has been illegal for 40 years to display Nazi symbolism, such as a Swastika, to deny the Holocaust, or to question aspects of the Holocaust narrative.
She explained that family, friends, colleagues or schoolmates may “first notice when conspiracy narratives are spread,” and claimed that since an open discussion with them may “seem impossible,” the national counseling center is an important part of the “holistic fight against extremism and disinformation.”
These statements suggest that the “counseling” in question will be used to further stymy speech in Germany, as well as potentially target those deemed to have violated hate speech laws. Just last week, an episode of 60 Minutes highlighted repressive German speech laws that have led to the arrests of citizens for in-person or online speech deemed false or “hateful,” such as “racist” cartoons or “fake quotes.”
Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus gave more specific examples of the kind of ideas that qualify as “Conspiracy theories.” According to her, such “narratives feed on the assumption that individuals or groups perceived as powerful influence important events in the world, leaving the population in the dark about their goals.”
Demonizing such an idea not only chills the public exchange of ideas, it defies historical reality, which is patterned throughout with powerful men’s plans to change society and leave the common man “in the dark” about their intentions.
Paus further elaborated that according to these harmful conspiracy theories, such men “develop special power of influence in times of social crisis, also during the Covid-19 pandemic and currently in the context of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.” In fact, it is well documented that governments exercised heightened powers during the COVID-19 outbreak, when access to public places was restricted, and citizens were coerced into taking experimental shots and wearing masks.
The world’s richest men also became richer, as many others fell into poverty or lost their businesses during COVID-19 due to lockdowns.
Paus went so far as to claim that conspiracy theories can “produce and solidify anti-democratic attitudes," failing to acknowledge that some of the most anti-democratic regimes in history have been the most diligent in suppressing speech that challenges their immoral actions.
Germany’s new thought police arm, thinly veiled as a counseling service, has been denounced as “Orwellian.”
