The Criminalization of Dissent

One of the hallmarks of totalitarian systems is the criminalization of dissent. Not just the stigmatization of dissent or the demonization of dissent, but the formal criminalization of dissent, and any other type of opposition to the official ideology of the totalitarian system. Global capitalism has been inching its way toward this step for quite some time, and now, apparently, it is ready to take it.

Germany has been leading the way. For over a year, anyone questioning or protesting the “Covid emergency measures” or the official Covid-19 narrative has been demonized by the government and the media, and, sadly, but not completely unexpectedly, the majority of the German public. And now such dissent is officially “extremism.”

Yes, that’s right, in “New Normal” Germany, if you dissent from the official state ideology, you are now officially a dangerous “extremist.” The German Intelligence agency (the “BfV”) has even invented a new category of “extremists” in order to allow themselves to legally monitor anyone suspected of being “anti-democratic and/or delegitimizing the state in a way that endangers security,” like … you know, non-violently protesting, or speaking out against, or criticizing, or satirizing, the so-called “New Normal.”

Naturally, I’m a little worried, as I have engaged in most of these “extremist” activities. My thoughtcrimes are just sitting there on the Internet waiting to be scrutinized by the BfV. They’re probably Google-translating this column right now, compiling a list of all the people reading it, and their Facebook friends and Twitter followers, and professional associates, and family members, and anyone any of the aforementioned people have potentially met with, or casually mentioned, who might have engaged in similar thoughtcrimes.

You probably think I’m joking, don’t you? I’m not joking. Not even slightly. The Federal Office for Protection of the Constitution (“Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz”) is actively monitoring anyone questioning or challenging the official “New Normal” ideology … the “Covid Deniers,” the “conspiracy theorists,” the “anti-vaxxers,” the dreaded “Querdenkers” (i.e., people who “think outside the box”), and anyone else they feel like monitoring who has refused to join the Covidian Cult. We’re now official enemies of the state, no different than any other “terrorists” … or, OK, technically, a little different.

As The New York Times reported last week (German Intelligence Puts Coronavirus Deniers Under Surveillance), “the danger from coronavirus deniers and conspiracy theorists does not fit the mold posed by the usual politically driven groups, including those on the far left and right, or by Islamic extremists.” Still, according to the German Interior Ministry, we diabolical “Covid deniers,” “conspiracy theorists,” and “anti-vaxxers” have “targeted the state itself, its leaders, businesses, the press, and globalism,” and have “attacked police officers” and “defied civil authorities.”

Moreover, back in August of 2020, in a dress rehearsal for the “Storming of the Capitol,” “Covid-denying” insurrectionists “scaled the steps of Parliament” (i.e., the Reichstag). Naturally, The Times neglects to mention that this so-called “Storming of the Reichstag” was performed by a small sub-group of protesters to whom the German authorities had granted a permit to assemble (apart from the main demonstration, which was massive and completely peaceful) on the steps of the Reichstag, which the German police had, for some reason, left totally unguarded. In light of the background of the person the German authorities issued this “Steps-of-the-Reichstag” protest permit to — a known former-NPD functionary, in other words, a neo-Nazi — well, the whole thing seemed a bit questionable to me … but what do I know? I’m just a “conspiracy theorist.”

According to Al Jazeera, the German Interior Ministry explained that these querdenking “extremists encourage supporters to ignore official orders and challenge the state monopoly on the use of force.” Seriously, can you imagine anything more dangerous? Mindlessly following orders and complying with the state’s monopoly on the use of force are the very cornerstones of modern democracy … or some sort of political system, anyway.

But, see, there I go, again “being anti-democratic” and “delegitimizing the state,” not to mention “relativizing the Holocaust” (also a criminal offense in Germany) by comparing one totalitarian system to another, as I have done repeatedly on social media, and in a column I published in November of 2020, when the parliament passed the “Infection Protection Act,” which bears no comparison whatsoever to the “Enabling Act of 1933.”

This isn’t just a German story, of course. As I reported in a column in February, The “New Normal” War on Domestic Terror is a global war, and it’s just getting started. According to a Department of Homeland Security “National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin” (and the “liberal” corporate-media propaganda machine), “democracy” remains under imminent threat from these “ideologically-motivated violent extremists with objections to the exercise of governmental authority” and other such “grievances fueled by false narratives” including “anger over Covid-19 restrictions.”

These Covid-denying “violent extremists” have apparently joined forces with the “white-supremacist, Russia-backed, Trump-loving “Putin-Nazis” that terrorized “democracy” for the past four years, and almost overthrew the US government by sauntering around inside the US Capitol Building without permission, scuffling with police, attacking furniture, and generally acting rude and unruly. No, they didn’t actually kill anyone, as the corporate media all reported they did, but trespassing in a government building and putting your feet up on politicians’ desks is pretty much exactly the same as “terrorism.”

Or whatever. It’s not like the truth actually matters, not when you are whipping up mass hysteria over imaginary “Russian assets,” “white-supremacist militias,” “Covid-denying extremists,” “anti-vax terrorists,” and “apocalyptic plagues.” When you’re rolling out a new official ideology — a pathologized-totalitarian ideology — and criminalizing all dissent, the point is not to appear to be factual. The point is just to terrorize the shit out of people.

As Hermann Goering famously explained regarding how to lead a country to war (and the principle holds true for any big transition, like the one we are experiencing currently):

“[T]he people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.”

Go back and read those quotes from the German Interior Ministry and the DHS again slowly. The message they are sending is unmistakeably clear. It might not seem all that new, but it is. Yes, they have been telling us “we are being attacked” and denouncing critics, protesters, and dissidents for twenty years (i.e., since the War on Terror was launched in 2001, and for the last four years in their War on Populism), but this is a whole new level of it … a fusion of official narratives and their respective official enemies into a singular, aggregate official narrative in which dissent will no longer be permitted.

Instead, it will be criminalized, or it will be pathologized.

Seriously, go back and read those quotes again. Global capitalist governments and their corporate media mouthpieces are telling us, in no uncertain terms, that “objection to their authority” will no longer be tolerated, nor will dissent from their official narratives. Such dissent will be deemed “dangerous” and above all “false.” It will not be engaged with or rationally debated. It will be erased from public view. There will be an inviolable, official “reality.” Any deviation from official “reality” or defiance of the “civil authorities” will be labelled “extremism,” and dealt with accordingly.

This is the essence of totalitarianism, the establishment of an inviolable official ideology and the criminalization of dissent. And that is what is happening, right now. A new official ideology is being established. Not a state ideology. A global ideology. The “New Normal” is that official ideology. Technically, it is an official post-ideology, an official “reality,” an axiomatic “fact,” which only “criminals” and “psychopaths” would deny.

I’ll be digging deeper into “New Normal” ideology and “pathologized totalitarianism” in my future columns, and … sorry, they probably won’t be very funny. For now I’ll leave you with two more quotes. The emphasis is mine, as ever.

Here’s California State Senator Richard Pan, author of an op-ed in the Washington Post: “Anti-vax extremism is akin to domestic terrorism,” quoted in the Los Angeles Times:

“These extremists have not yet been held accountable, so they continue to escalate violence against the body public … We must now summon the political will to demand that domestic terrorists face consequences for their words and actions. Our democracy and our lives depend on it … They’ve been building alliances with white supremacists, conspiracy theorists and [others] on the far right …”

And here’s Peter Hotez in Nature magazine:

“The United Nations and the highest levels of governments must take direct, even confrontational, approaches with Russia, and move to dismantle anti-vaccine groups in the United States. Efforts must expand into the realm of cyber security, law enforcement, public education and international relations. A high-level inter-agency task force reporting to the UN secretary-general could assess the full impact of anti-vaccine aggression, and propose tough, balanced measures. The task force should include experts who have tackled complex global threats such as terrorism, cyber attacks and nuclear armament, because anti-science is now approaching similar levels of peril. It is becoming increasingly clear that advancing immunization requires a counter-offensive.”

We’ll be hearing a lot more rhetoric like this as this new, more totalitarian structure of global capitalism gradually develops … probably a good idea to listen carefully, and assume the New Normals mean exactly what they say.

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CJ Hopkins
May 3, 2021
Photo: 1918 flu pandemic

DISCLAIMER: DISCLAIMER: The preceding essay is entirely the work of our in-house satirist and self-appointed political pundit, CJ Hopkins, and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Consent Factory, Inc., its staff, or any of its agents, subsidiaries, or assigns. If, for whatever inexplicable reason, you appreciate Mr. Hopkins’ work and would like to support it, please go to his Substack page, or his Patreon page, or send your contribution to his PayPal account, so that maybe he’ll stop coming around our offices trying to hit our staff up for money. Alternatively, you could purchase his satirical dystopian sci-fi novel, Zone 23, or Volume I and II of his Consent Factory Essays, or any of his subversive stage plays, which won some awards in Great Britain and Australia. If you do not appreciate Mr. Hopkins’ work and would like to write him an abusive email, feel free to contact him directly.

94 thoughts on “The Criminalization of Dissent”

    1. All govt administrations( Obama, Bush, Trump) have directed resources towards dissenters.
      Its just been increasing as the dissent increases.

      Don’t try spinning that divisive media meme re political party ideology out side “of guardian” its BS.
      As “No matter who you vote for the govt always gets in” GC

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  15. Can you imagine people being angry over lockdowns? What kind of selfish idiots won’t give up their livelihood and their children’s future for the good of Globo-cap?

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  16. The new Nazi 2.0, what’s sad is very few countries are recognizing treating it early with HQC or Ivermectim vs letting them die. What MF’s… The do nothing at all if you have it except give you a bio-weapon. I have seen dozens of reports just one HQC or Ivermectim stops this bio-weapon cold virus in its tracks… Stay safe from the Nazi’s my friend!

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  39. ‘Het coronavirus leidt ertoe dat er over de hele wereld maatregelen worden genomen die onze mensenrechten onder druk kunnen zetten’,

    Dit is een citaat van Mevrouw Laura Henderson, docent internationaal recht en mensenrechten aan de Universiteit Utrecht.

    Bovendien zegt ze:

    ‘Mensen moeten alert zijn op een argument dat vaak gebruikt wordt: er is geen alternatief. Als dat wordt gezegd, moet je je realiseren dat het een politieke truc kan zijn om maatregelen door te voeren die eigenlijk niet noodzakelijk zijn.’

    Óók de jurist Marc de Wilde, is van dezelfde mening en zegt dat “de maategelen gebruikt kunnen worden om een autoritair regime te vestigen. Meneer Marc de Wilde is hoogleraar algemene rechtsleer aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam en heeft onderzocht hoe in het verleden de uitzonderingstoestand vaak de opmaat was naar een dictatoriaal bewind. Een bekend voorbeeld: Adolf Hitlers nooddecreten aan het eind van de Weimarrepubliek, waardoor hij dictator kon worden.

    Maar ook recenter werden crisissituaties aangegrepen om ingrijpende maatregelen in te voeren. Denk aan de aanslagen van 11 september 2001, die in datzelfde jaar leidden tot de Patriot Act. Veiligheidsdiensten kregen vergaande bevoegdheden, data van mensen werden gemonitord zonder dat ze ergens van verdacht waren en grenscontroles werden strenger – maatregelen die ten koste gingen van verworvenheden als privacy, in de VS maar zeker ook daarbuiten.

    Ik ben bang dat er een proces is begonnen dat opzettelijk is gestart en nu autodynamisch is. Met logische extrapolitie kan dit proces alleen eindigen in een dictatuur.

    Als criticus van de ‘maatregelen’, die dit gevaar vanaf het begin inzag, ben ik zeker op een “zwarte lijst” van tegenstanders van het regime beland. Eigenlijk is het bijna paradoxaal. Mijn hele leven was ik nogal apolitiek en wilde eigenlijk gewoon mijn leven leiden in een zekere mate van vrede en vrijheid. Ik voel me bijna een soort “gedwongen gepolitiseerde” persoon. Soms sta ik op het punt om hysterisch te giechelen om al dat belachelijke theater dat de staat opvoert. Ik, een 62-jarige bioloog die eigenlijk alleen maar wil genieten van zijn vervroegd pensioen met zijn katten en zijn hyperactieve Afrikaanse grijze papegaai, word een soort “vijand van het volk”. Je kunt je geen vreselijkere “vijand van het volk” voorstellen dan ik als ik met mijn pantoffels door mijn appartement schuifel, het kattevoer voor mijn mini tijgers zet, mijn bloemen water geef en mijn, veelal wetenschappelijke, boeken lees.

    Het feit dat het federale bureau voor de bescherming van de grondwet in Duitsland niets beters te doen heeft dan mensen zoals ik of anderen van mijn soort te observeren, is eigenlijk een duidelijk teken van politieke paranoia, die heel typerend is voor allerlei soorten dictaturen.

    Als ze niets beters te doen hebben, vind ik het prima. Of ze zijn zo bang dat ze nú al oude mannen aan het bespioneren zijn of ze zijn gewoon gek of ze moeten ze zijn vreselijk dom.

    Ik denk dat ze dit allemaal samen zijn en dat maakt deze mensen extreem gevaarlijk

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