New information campaign against Coronavirus conspiracy theories

Conspiracy theories and fake news are flourishing among many critics of the Coronavirus safety measures. the Berlin State Agency for Civic Education and the Amadeu Antonio Foundation are now countering this with a new information campaign.

Publication answers 20 questions about Coronavirus policies

In a publication entitled "Civil Liberties and Conspiracy Narratives in Times of Crisis", 20 questions related to the Coronavirus policies are answered. The questions deal with topics such as fundamental civil rights, legal bases for their temporary restriction or the role of government and parliaments in the pandemic. Other topics include the belief in conspiracy theories, freedom of speech, and the contribution of science to the pandemic.

The free publication, which is also available online, explains how, in the midst of a global pandemic, policymakers must make difficult trade-offs between the protection of citizens' and the protection of individual liberties. "The political decisions resulting from this balancing process seem to evoke or reinforce feelings of powerlessness and loss of control, as well as a general distrust of the mechanisms of liberal democracy, among a segment of society," the State Agency and the Amadeu Antonio Foundation explained.

Publikation ist kostenlos erhältlich

Manche Menschen fühlten sich ohnmächtig und überfordert, andere flüchteten sich in die vermeintliche Einfachheit von Verschwörungserzählungen, heißt es. Und eine laut auftretende Minderheit versuche, allgemeinen Unmut über andauernde Zumutungen dieser Gesundheitskrise im Sinne demokratiefeindlicher Motive zu instrumentalisieren. Hier wolle man ein zusätzliches Informationsangebot schaffen.