Freedom of thought on trial
As Canada approaches the second anniversary of the historic convoy protests in Ottawa — and a couple of weeks later, the second anniversary of the federal government suspending civil liberties by invoking the Emergencies Act — it’s good to read the words of someone who will not be silenced.
Writer and satirist C. J. Hopkins, an American resettled in Germany, was criminally charged after two tweets that criticized the German health minister and showed the cover of Hopkins’ book, “The Rise of the New Normal Reich.” The book cover displays a medical mask overlaid with a very faint swastika. Hopkins was charged with “disseminating the emblems of a National Socialist organisation.”
Three days ago, Hopkins was found not guilty (although the state may appeal). Hopkins shares his own statement of defense on Substack here: The Verdict.
Here’s an excerpt that sends shivers up one's spine:
“Not every form of totalitarianism is the same, but they share common hallmarks. Forcing people to display symbols of conformity to official ideology is a hallmark of totalitarian systems. Declaring a "state of emergency" and revoking constitutional rights for no justifiable reason is a hallmark of totalitarian systems. Banning protests against government decrees is a hallmark of totalitarian systems. Inundating the public with lies and propaganda designed to terrify people into mindless obedience is a hallmark of totalitarian systems. Segregating societies is a hallmark of totalitarian systems. Censoring dissent is a hallmark of totalitarianism. Stripping people of their jobs because they refuse to conform to official ideology is a hallmark of totalitarian systems. Fomenting mass hatred of a "scapegoat" class of people is a hallmark of totalitarianism. Demonizing critics of the official ideology is a hallmark of totalitarian systems. Instrumentalizing the law to punish dissidents and make examples of critics of the authorities is a hallmark of totalitarianism.”
These words certainly resonate for Canadians. Let’s have a look:
Symbols of conformity: These include not only masks, gloves and plastic face shields (remember those?), but less physical symbols. Observe the people you know, especially those who pride themselves on being progressive. They may no longer be sporting a mask every day, but they must still rhetorically show their ‘allegiance’ by speaking of the ‘deep trauma’ caused for local residents by the peaceful convoy protests. Of the terrible danger to public order when thousands gathered to call for freedom of choice rather than vaccine mandates. (The protestors were also much criticized and mocked for dancing in the streets, serving food, and setting up ‘bouncy castles’ for the many children who accompanied their parents.) Of the supposed threats to women, LGBTQ people and visible minorities. (Surprising, as at least half of the protestors on Parliament Hill were women, and they included distinct groups like Sikh truckers and Indigenous people.)
Declaring a state of emergency and revoking constitutional rights: Yes, as mentioned above. On the same day as the German verdict, a federal court judge found that the Canadian government was not justified in invoking the Emergencies Act to override the rule of law. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland immediately vowed to appeal the decision.
Banning protests against government decrees: as above.
Lies and propaganda: The pressure of COVID propaganda was relentless for about three years. Recently it has eased off. Yet public health agencies and hospitals have continued a stream of scary pronouncements. Today it’s “watch out for invasive strep A.” A month or two ago it was “the tripledemic is coming – be very afraid.” Every week it’s “emergency rooms overwhelmed.” The sky is falling.
Segregating societies: This began as real, actual segregation. Those who were not banned from workplaces, public places, planes, trains, gyms and events have still not really grasped that this happened. Actual segregation. Unvaccinated people were simply second-class citizens with no right to be anywhere. Now, the segregation continues in some sense, as society has divided into two camps. Those who rabidly promoted the official dogma (compulsory vaccines, mandates and punishment), and those who were on the receiving end of it, are no longer on speaking terms. Our social lives remain, to an extent, segregated.
Censoring dissent: Clearly the criminal case against Hopkins was an attempt at out-and-out state censorship. But censorship has mostly been carried out in more ‘subtle’ ways like suspending social media accounts, ‘shadow-banning’ those accounts so that no one sees their posts, ensuring Google searches turn up only approved answers and sources, and in the media, simply omitting any mention of contrary viewpoints. Thus it is that two years after the convoy protests, mainstream media have not once, anywhere, told the story of someone who participated in, supported and was given hope by the protests. Yet police report that 10,000 people came out at the height of the protests. Surely one or two of them had a story to tell. It’s unprecedented in our lifetimes, in Western democracies, that dissenters have been so completely shut out of the public/social space. Not content, governments and international agencies are busily creating “anti-misinformation” agencies and campaigns purporting to tackle what they label “hate speech” (such as criticizing COVID public health measures).
Stripping people of their jobs: This was widespread in Canada. Notably that included thousands of nurses and other health care workers. They remain ‘fired’ to this day.
Fomenting mass hatred of a scapegoat class: Let’s deny the unvaccinated health care, many were saying a couple of years ago. Let them die in the street.
Demonizing critics (and the scapegoat class): Our prime minister was especially good at this. Among other things, he said that “those people are putting us all at risk.” The unvaccinated are “misogynists and racists” standing in the way of science. “They are a small group that occupy a large space and a decision needs to be made: do we tolerate these people?” A particularly chilling act of demonization was the mass circulation of a photo purporting to show anti-mandate protestors carrying a Nazi flag as a sign of their politics. To many observers, the photos appeared to be staged. The later Emergencies Act inquiry – led by a judge with connections to Trudeau’s Liberal party – refused to hear witnesses about who actually brought the flags and took the photos.
Punishing dissidents through the law: This was much in evidence, and lest we forget, the government gleefully froze the bank accounts of some convoy protest supporters/donors.
All of these examples remain gaping wounds in our society, post-pandemic. It’s a step in the right direction for the Federal Court to agree with civil liberties organizations that the government went too far in invoking the Emergencies Act. But it’s far from enough.
To conclude, I again cite the eloquent C. J. Hopkins:
“We are, once again, at a crossroads. Not just here in Germany, but throughout the West. People went a little crazy, a little fascist, during the so-called Covid pandemic. And now, here we are. There are two roads ahead. We have to choose ... you, me, all of us. One road leads back to the rule of law, to democratic principles. The other road leads to authoritarianism, to societies where authorities rule by decree, and force, and twist the law into anything they want, and dictate what is and isn't reality, and abuse their power to silence anyone who disagrees with them.”
“That is the road to totalitarianism. We have been down that road before. Please, let's not do it again.”