CJ Hopkins and the fight for freedom of speech in the EU

You'd think it worked, this time the consequence was acquittal, but it doesn't always gotta be. We can enjoy the sentence, but we should remember that this is not the end. The mainstream media does not study specified matters, although they are crucial. Hundreds of specified events in all countries of the alleged democratic West form our future, and we are not to know anything about it. Let us remember the deficiency of publicity for this crucial issue in supposedly free, independent and truthful media of the supposedly democratic European Union and Poland in particular. Freedom of speech and its dangers are not worth mentioning.

There has been proceedings against CJ Hopkins in Berlin for 8 months. He was accused of promoting Nazism and Nazi symbols, and the pretext became the cover of his book and showing it in his tweets. After a fewer months of legal struggle, CJ Hopkins was acquitted. However, it should be remembered that the first conviction was a conviction, which was a dangerous example of criminalization of opposition. You stand up against the senseless and baseless actions of the authorities and become a criminal, and they can destruct you. You don't even should be convicted. All it takes is simply a long-standing fight in a court of law that sucks out forces and money and prevents average earnings. specified an example will give possible dissidents reason to refrain from objecting. Power is right, and it must not be questioned.

Essays, columnaries and more information about the author, his work and the process can be found here:

https://substack.com/@cjhopkins

And below is the defendant's final message in my translation based on

https://consentfactory.org/2024/02/02/04/the-vertict/

I think it is. worth reading carefully more than once, due to the fact that it perfectly captures the essence of the problem. possibly my translation is besides clumsy, so the link above leads to the original.

Berlin territory Court, 23 January 2024

My name is CJ Hopkins. I am an American playwright, author and political satirist. My plays are exhibited and met with the designation of critics internationally. My political satire and comments read hundreds of thousands of people around the world. 20 years ago, I left my country due to the fascist atmosphere that prevailed in the United States at the time of the United States invasion of Iraq, an aggressive war based on the lies of my government. I emigrated to Germany and started a fresh life here in Berlin due to the fact that I believed that Germany, given its history, would be the last place on earth that would always have anything to do with any form of totalitarianism.

The gods have a unusual sense of humor. Last week, thousands of people went to the streets of all of Germany, protesting Fascism, chanting "No More Now". Many of these people spent the last 3 years, 2020–2023, uncritically following orders, parroting authoritative propaganda and demonizing anyone who dared to question the unconstitutional and authoritarian actions of the government during Covid's alleged pandemic. Many of the same people who support the laws of Palestine are now shocked that the fresh form of totalitarianism they have helped introduce is being turned against them.

And here I am, before a criminal court in Berlin, accused of spreading pro-Nazi propaganda in 2 tweets about the order to wear masks. The German authorities censored my online appearance, which damaged my reputation and my income as an author. 1 of my books was banned by Amazon in Germany. All this due to the fact that I criticized the German authorities due to the fact that I mocked 1 of their decrees due to the fact that I pointed out 1 of their lies.

Such a turn of events would be ridiculously hilarious if it wasn't so annoying. I cannot decently express how offensive it is to be forced to sit here and confirm my opposition to Fascism. For over 30 years I wrote and spoke against fascism, authoritarianism, totalitarianism, etc. Anyone can search the Internet, find my books, read reviews of my theatre plays, read my essays and find out who I am and what my political views are. The results are available in 2 or 3 minutes. And yet the German authorities accuse me of spreading prohitler propaganda. I am accused of this due to the fact that I have published 2 tweets in which I question the authoritative communicative of Covid and compare the new, emerging form of totalitarianism which he has brought to life – i.e. the alleged "new normality" – with Nazi Germany.

Let me be very clear. In these 2 tweets, as well as in my essays from 2020–2022 and in my current essays, I actually compared the emergence of this fresh form of totalitarianism with the emergence of the most celebrated form of totalitarianism of the 20th century, i.e. Nazi Germany. I made this comparison many times and analysed the similarities and differences between these 2 forms of totalitarianism. And I'll keep doing it. I will proceed to analyse and effort to explain this new, emerging form of totalitarianism, to argue it and to inform my readers about it.

The 2 tweets in question represent a swastika covered by 1 of the medical masks that everyone had to wear in public places between 2020 and 2020. That's the cover of my book. The message this graphic is carrying is clear. In Nazi Germany, swastika was a symbol of compliance with authoritative ideology. From 2020 to 2020, the masks served as a symbol of compliance with the fresh authoritative ideology. That was their goal. Their goal was to force people to comply with government decrees and authoritative narratives about Covid's pandemic, most of which, as proven today, are propaganda and lies.

The usage of masks does not affect airborne viruses. This was understood and recognized by medical experts for decades before the spring of 2020. Now it has been proven to everyone and reconfirmed by medical experts. The discipline of mask warrants did not abruptly change in March 2020. The authoritative communicative has changed. authoritative ideology has changed. authoritative “reality” has changed. Karl Lauterbach [Minister for Health, GermanyHe was absolutely right erstwhile he said, "The masks always send a signal." The signal sent from 2020 to 2020 was: “I agree, I don’t ask questions. I'm following orders."

This is not how democratic societies work. That's how totalitarian systems work.

Not all form of totalitarianism is the same, but they have common characteristics.

Forced people to show symbols of compliance with authoritative ideology is simply a characteristic feature of totalitarian systems.

The announcement of “a state of exceptional” and the deprivation of constitutional rights without a legitimate origin is simply a characteristic of totalitarian systems.

The prohibition of protests against government decrees is simply a characteristic of totalitarian systems.

Infusing society with lies and propaganda to intimidate people into mindless obedience is simply a characteristic of totalitarian systems.

The segregation of societies is simply a feature of totalitarian systems.

Censuring opposition is simply a characteristic of totalitarianism.

Depriving people of work due to the fact that they refuse to conform to authoritative ideology is simply a characteristic of totalitarian systems.

The fertilization of mass hatred of the social group chosen as a "scapegoat" is simply a characteristic of totalitarianism.

A characteristic feature of totalitarian systems is demonizing critics of authoritative ideology.

Instrumentation of law to punish dissidents and to give examples to power critics is simply a characteristic feature of totalitarianism.

I paper the appearance of all these attributes of totalitarianism in Western societies – including Germany among others – since March 2020. I'll keep doing it. I will proceed to inform readers about this new, emerging form of totalitarianism, I tried to realize it and defy it. I will compare this fresh form of totalitarianism with earlier forms of totalitarianism, specifically Nazi Germany, whenever appropriate and will contribute to our knowing of current events. This is my work as a satirist and political commentator, as well as as an author and my work as a human being.

The German authorities can punish me for that. You have the power to do this. You can make an example of me. You can punish me. You can trap me. You can ban my books. You can censor my online content, which you besides did. You can defame me and harm my income and the author's reputation, as you did. You can demonize me as a "conspiracy theorist", "anti-vaccinationist", "negative Covid", "idiot" and "extremist", as you have just done. You can get me to a criminal court and have me sit here in Germany in front of my wife, who is Jewish, and explain that I am not an anti-Semite who wants to relativize the Holocaust. You have the power to do all this.

I hope, however, that at least you will have adequate honesty to name it by name and not hide behind false accusations, that someway I support the Nazis, comparing the emergence of a fresh form of totalitarianism with the emergence of an earlier totalitarian strategy which had taken over and yet destroyed this country in the 20th century, and, by the way, murdered millions due to the fact that besides fewer Germans had the courage to argue it at the beginning. I hope that you will do it, though fair adequate that you will not pretend that you truly believe that I am spreading pro-Nazi propaganda, although you know very well that this is not what I do.

No 1 honest believes I'm doing this. No 1 honest believes that's what my tweets did in 2022. all writer who has covered my case, everyone in this courtroom, understands what this accusation is truly about. This has nothing to do with punishing people who actually spread prohitler propaganda. It is about punishing opposition and setting an example for dissidents to intimidate others and force them to stay silent.

That's not how democratic nations work. That's how totalitarian systems work.

Even more so, I hope that this court will put an end to this accusation and will apply the law fairly, not allowing it to be utilized as an excuse to punish people like me who criticise government orders, those exposing lies to government officials, people who do not deny facts that do not want to execute absurd rituals of obedience to orders who refuse to follow uncritical orders.

Because the problem here is much bigger and much more crucial than my small tweet thing.

Once again, we were at a crossroads. Not just here in Germany, but all over the West. People went a small crazy, a small fascist, during the alleged Covid pandemic. And now we're here. We have 2 roads ahead of us. We gotta choose... you, me, all of us. 1 road leads back to the regulation of law, to the principles of democracy. The second road leads to authoritarianism, to societies where authorities regulation by decrees and by force, twist the law in the way they want, dictate what is and what is not reality, and abuse their power to silence anyone who disagrees with them.

This is the way to totalitarianism. We've been this way before. Please, let's not do this again.

https://www.amazon.pl/Rise-New-Normal-Reich-2020-2021/dp/3982146429/