Britain, Germany and the Covidiots
If someone had told you in the early months of the lockdown that there would be tens of thousands of people protesting on the streets of a major European capital by August, which city would you have chosen? I would likely have said London. The spiralling death toll, hastily shelved policy of herd immunity, the millions wasted on useless protective equipment or the breech of lockdown by the Prime Ministers closest advisor could all have motivated an angry British electorate to take to the streets in protest. Just as I couldn’t have predicted where large scale protests would happen, I wouldn’t have imagined that the focus of protests would be claims that the corona virus is a hoax or that Bill Gates, 5G and a shadowy cabal were behind it all. Many did take to the streets of London on Saturday, but their numbers paled in comparison to those seen on the streets of Berlin. Germany, in contrast to the UK, has been praised for its sensible approach to the pandemic. Yet, it has also been the location of some of the most vehement protests against lockdown measures.
The protests in Berlin and London had a lot in common. The fact they were held on the same day may be coincidence but watching footage and interviews of protesters, many of the same arguments and language were used. The symbols of the QAnon conspiracy theory, which promotes the idea that Trump is waging a secret war against establishment paedophiles, was on display in both locations. This was not the only conspiracy touted, it was like a greatest hits of all the most popular conspiracies of the last twenty years, from anti-vaxxers to those claiming a takeover by the New World Order.
The popularity of conspiracy theories among protesters and opponents of lockdown is not a surprise, the lockdown itself may be the perfect breeding ground for these ideas. Studies have shown that anxiety can be a major contributing factor in whether a person believes in conspiracy theories. As many mental health charities and experts have noted, the pandemic and the preceding lockdown have had a serious impact on people’s mental health and an increased sense of anxiety over the current moment. Other factors such as social alienation, powerlessness and fears that society may be in jeopardy are large motivators for the acceptance of these theories. Added to this is the human brain’s desire for simple narratives and explanations. All of these elements are currently in play in 2020.
Viewing these protests from the outside, it all seems like collective madness or idiocy. It’s no surprise that throughout the last month, the term “Covidioten” in Germany and “Covidiot” in the UK has repeatedly trended on Twitter. Political polarisation has increased in the UK over the last four years and a common practice has been to use labels for opponents such as “Snowflake”, “Gammon”, “Remainer” or “Brexiteer”. Germany has its divisions, but they don’t always have nifty nicknames to describe each other. The spread of the term “Covidioten” is understandable. The label expresses a level of anger among people at the seemingly selfish reaction of protesters, who in the middle of the pandemic, actively choose not to follow guidance in place to prevent the spread of the virus. The protesters prefer to call themselves Querdenken (Thinking Outside the Box) or Independent Thinkers, in a backhanded insult to those observing the lockdown. The implication that the rest of Germany are simply sheep, mindlessly following orders is clear. It is also an accusation levelled by British protesters, with demands that people “wake up”.
Obviously the Querdenken are not the only ones in Germany capable of independent thinking. It’s a nice story for them to tell themselves, but like the conspiracies they espouse, it is a flawed vision of the country. Equally, I don’t believe “Covidioten” is particularly accurate or helpful. I admit I’ve used it, but the more I have, the more I’ve seen it as an easy way to dismiss and disengage from the argument. What I saw in Germany last Saturday and the similarities with the protests in London suggest dismissing these groups as “Covidioten” is a strategic mistake.
The Querdenken movement and the London protesters are a collaboration of anti-vaxxers, hippies, esotericists and conspiracy theorists. This strange collection of beliefs could be dismissed as idiotic, if it weren’t for the fact that both groups seem more than happy to join arms with far-right movements and peddlers of far-right conspiracies. In Germany it was overt. The Querdenken have allied themselves with literal Nazis and white supremacists. The symbols were on display throughout the protest. Clearly visible in the crowds were the flags of the Identitarian movement of young white supremacists, as well as many flags of the German Empire. This is a common symbol used by the Reichsbürger movement (and other far-right groups) that deny the existence of the German Federal Republic and deal in anti-Semitism and right-wing ideology. Since the displaying of the swastika is banned in Germany, the imperial flag has been a common alternative symbol for the far-right.
The leader of the Querdenken movement, Michael Ballweg, has made insincere attempts to distance the group from their fascist supporters. First, he claimed he didn’t see any right-wingers at the protests and then he claimed that the group are not a political movement and are against political extremism of all types. None of this is convincing. I might have given the benefit of the doubt to Ballweg, if he had the courage when making his speech on Saturday, looking out over the flags of the Identitarians and Reichsbürgers, and declared that Nazis and white supremacists were not welcome. To be clear, he didn’t. This would have been a difficult move to make for Ballweg as it would have taken courage (a trait he clearly lacks) and it would have brought into sharp relief the fact that his own spokesman, Stephan Bergmann, has regularly shared racist and anti-Semitic posts on Facebook and has connections to the Reichsbürger movement.
The London protest organisers, by comparison, were much less overt about their links with the far-right. A British Union of Fascists flag was unveiled by an individual at the event, but more than that, one speaker in particular, David Icke, suggests a connection with right-wing ideology that must make any sceptic think twice about endorsing the London protesters. Again, to be clear, David Icke is an anti-Semite. There is no reading of his speeches or written work that wouldn’t leave a person with this clear understanding. From his “theory” that the world is governed by lizards (anti-semtic trope), his references to 'Rothschild Zionists' or his recent claims that Hitler was backed by Jewish financiers, covert and overt antisemitism is his trademark. Just as Michael Ballweg is clearly happy to have the support of Nazis, the organisers of the protest in London are happy to share a stage with anti-Semites.
As governments across the globe tackle the pandemic with extraordinary measures, it’s right and proper to be sceptical and to challenge their actions. I broadly agree with much the German national and state governments have done to counter the spread of the virus, but I’m still wary, especially with regards to the collection of personal data. In the UK, the confusion of Boris Johnson’s administration and its failures should be challenged, there is much that the British government has done that has confused and undermined the attempts to contain outbreaks. However, scepticism is not the same as finding simple answers in the form of conspiracy theories. This is not an explanation of the complex problems we all face. Wild claims of conspiracy and shadow governments is not grounded in reality, but I can understand it at some level. What I will never understand is why the protest organisers and protesters seem so willing to dismiss evidence and reality, but instead welcome with open arms Nazis, anti-Semites and white supremacists. Again, to be abundantly clear, you can deny you’re a Nazi, an anti-Semite or a white supremacist till you are red in the face, but when you link arms with these groups, when you feed off their depraved politics, don’t be surprised when you are in turn labelled as one of them. We must all come together to fight this pandemic, but moreover we must also stand against those who would use it to promote and recruit for their sickening ideologies.
