Following a long legal battle, Germany’s public health agency, the
Robert Koch Institute (RKI), has released the confidential protocols
that show the RKI was aware that “lockdowns cause more harm than good”
and evidence for “making masks mandatory was lacking.”
The RKI voiced concerns in 2020 that shutting down German society
could lead to increased child mortality and other negative outcomes. The
RKI experts also disagreed with the implementation of FFP2 face masks,
saying there was a lack of data to support such a measure.
“Active communication would make sense in order to make clear why the
RKI does not recommend this measure,” notes the minute regarding
implementing FFP2 mask regulations. The agency even notes in the minutes
that it would tell the public it did not support FFP2 mask regulations,
but notably, the agency never did so despite mass protests against
mandatory masks and other harsh measures.
The 2,500 pages of documents also contain a passage noting that
experts warned that lockdowns could “do more harm than good,” with
experts citing lockdowns in Africa and the negative outcomes seen there.
The documents have revealed that German politicians dramatized the
situation, contrary to the opinions of experts. This was done presumably
in order to implement coercive measures and restrict basic rights.
There are now calls to release the rest of the documents, as more than a
thousand passages are still redacted, representing a third of the total
text dating from meeting notes from the “crisis unit” taken
between February 2020 and April 2021.
The release of the documents has sent shockwaves through Germany and
led even left-wing parties, such as the Greens, to call for a
“comprehensive review” of coronavirus policy. Other parties, like the
Alternative for Germany (AfD), are calling for more action, including a
commission investigation.
Politicians are urging the RKI to lift the redactions and make all
findings available to the public, and further court proceedings are
pending. In the meantime, debate continues to rage, with the #RKIFiles tag on X already generating 45,000 posts.
An example of just a couple of posts shows the anger many Germans still feel towards the coronavirus-era policies put in place.
“The Bavarian state government tortured children with masks until
spring 2022 — even in physical education classes. Not because there was
scientific evidence for it, but because Markus Söder liked the role of
coronavirus hardliner. #RKIFiles,” wrote one X user.
Another showed video of police brutalizing protesters demonstrating against Covid-19 measures, writing:
“It’s good that the RKI protocols are included in the broader
discussion! But there can be no such thing as cheap forgiveness. With
the coronavirus, 2/3 of Germans became massively aggressive against 1/3.
The handcuffs must click on the main criminals.”
Gut, dass die #RKIProtokolle in die breitere Diskussion gelangen!
Aber billiges Verzeihen darf es nicht geben.
Bei Corona sind 2/3 der Deutschen gegen 1/3 massiv übergriffig geworden.
Bei den Hauptverbrechern müssen die Handschellen klicken!#RKIFiles pic.twitter.com/Eo8lKTWVko— SIGGI (@SiegmundFrei) March 25, 2024
Virologist reacts to report
Virologist Klaus Stöhr, once the WHO pandemic commissioner, said the
revealed protocols once again show that the “risk assessment was not
based on data.” According to Stöhr, “his hair stood on end when it came
to (Germany’s) pandemic plan.”
Stöhr also commented on the fact that the RKI protocols uncovered
that experts were telling the government that there is little data to
support widespread mask adoption for the public.
“And the fact that what was known about FFP2 masks was completely
ignored is just two small building blocks.” There was “a lot more data
available where it was seen that the work was not based on evidence,” he
said.
The scientist referred to “curfews, border closures, 2G/3G (areas
restricted based on vaccination status), and the side effects of
lockdowns” as further examples of this. Stöhr noted that “these are all
things that were known – including that the vaccines could not halt the
spread of the virus.” He said that the vaccines could not end the
pandemic, and it was “clear from the beginning that the vaccine couldn’t
do that.”
He is now calling for a commission or review process to avoid the
mistakes made by the government during the Covid-19 era in the future.
Virologist Hendrik Streeck, who was appointed to the RKI expert
council, also stated: “I’m very surprised that entire pages about
vaccinations, for example, were blacked out,” he said to Welt. “And I
wonder what it says, why the public shouldn’t see it.”
Lauterbach in panic mode?
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) reacted with horror to
the findings in the report. As federal health minister during a
significant portion of the pandemic, he has often been the top target of
criticism from those opposed to Germany’s Covid-19 policies.
“Enlightenment is good, but we must not allow conspiracy theories to
arise on social media through the interference of foreign governments,”
he wrote on the X platform. Why he referred to “foreign governments”
remained unclear, but when cornered, left-wing politicians often resort
to claims of “foreign interference” and “Russia.”
Despite calls for a review of policy, Lauterbach is desperate to
avoid this outcome and is also openly rejecting a commission, as the AfD
and BSW parties are calling for.
Lauterbach claims this would only benefit “a small group of
politicians, but also people who perhaps represent radical ideas in
other areas.” He claims they would use the findings “to politicize
against the state.”
Some from the Greens also resorted to claims of “foreign influence” following the release of the RKI protocols.
Green health politician Janosch Dahmen, one of the most aggressive
supporters of extreme Covid-19 policies, said: “It seems to me that the
virulent spread of such untruthful rumors is also the result of the
influence of foreign intelligence services on our society against the
background of Russia’s war against Ukraine, to further divide and render
politics incapable of action.”
The AfD, FDP and BSW want an investigation
The AfD, Free Democrats and BSW parties all want a more thorough investigation than a simple “review.”
“The public has a right to know what really happened back then,” said
the health policy spokesman for the AfD parliamentary group, Martin
Sichert, regarding the redactions still in the report. He appealed to
the other parliamentary groups: “Take a look at the protocols of the RKI
crisis team and set up a coronavirus investigation committee with us.”
Even the FDP, which is in a governing coalition with the ruling
government, is calling for a more thorough investigation. FDP
vice-president Wolfgang Kubicki announced that he would “work to ensure
that the entire basis for decision-making at this time becomes public.”
He also said it is becoming increasingly clear “that the Robert Koch
Institute for Health Policy served as a scientific façade for former
Minister Jens Spahn and probably also Karl Lauterbach.”
Some Greens are conciliatory
Some left-wing politicians believe some kind of review is necessary to improve “social cohesion.”
“It would be good for social cohesion if there were a review of
coronavirus policy with a little distance,” said the Green parliamentary
group’s legal policy spokesperson, Helge Limburg, to Welt newspaper.
“This could be a commission of inquiry, a commission of experts, or
another form of debate that signals to people: We are not simply
brushing aside the drastic measures of that time.”
Health and budget politician Paula Piechotta said: “Almost exactly
four years after the first pandemic measures were introduced in Germany,
it is now overdue to address the mistakes of pandemic policy in a wide
range of areas, from health and education to financial policy, in a
transparent and timely manner for everyone.”
Her party colleague, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, also said a
review of the coronavirus era was necessary but was short on specifics.
“We should now initiate a phase in which we reflect on the difficult
pandemic period with all its effects,” he told the Bild newspaper. The
German government at the time had to make far-reaching decisions quickly
in an unprecedented situation during the pandemic.
“Certainly mistakes were made, but it would also have been a mistake
not to make a decision,” he continued. “I think we should have the
courage to learn the lessons, review processes, and evaluate the
impact.”
In retrospect, it is fair to ask “whether the advisory bodies for
politicians really covered the diversity of perspectives in science,”
said Green MP Dieter Janecek. “For example, some encroachments on
fundamental rights were certainly questionable: Unvaccinated people were
not allowed into restaurants or swimming pools, even though it was
already clear that the vaccine did not prevent transmission. Children
and young people were unduly disadvantaged.”
Source: Remix News
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Author: Planet Today
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