In Germany, Vaccine Fears Spark Conspiracy Theories

Unlike in some EU countries, in Germany it has always been up to the individual whether they want to get a recommended vaccine. Under the recent Infection Protection Act, however, the Health Ministry can now require “threatened sections of the population” to get certain vaccinations, if the federal states all agree. A law requiring children in day care centers and schools to be fully vaccinated against measles has been in force since March.

Fear of Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccine
Vaccine opponents have pointed to this precedent when speaking out against a potential coronavirus vaccine, currently in development around the world. Health Minister Jens Spahn has said Germany won’t need a law, if people immunize themselves voluntarily.

Presumably, many Germans are hoping for an eventual vaccine, even if it takes until 2021 or longer. But there is no data on whether the public would actually be prepared to get the shot, which has prompted Ken Jebsen, a former radio presenter popular among conspiracy theorists, to suspect that vaccine obligation will be introduced “through the back door.”

Jebsen’s views have attracted the attention of his regular readers. But some people who come to the anti-vaccine protests might not be right-wing or believe in conspiracy theories; they could just be into homeopathy or anthroposophy, said Beate Küpper, a social psychologist at the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences. A feeling of insecurity and the need for information, a particularly potent combination at the moment, could lead to “many people finding their way onto such platforms by mistake — and then getting stuck,” she said.

Increasing Anti-Semitism, Anti-Democracy at Protests
Opposition to a coronavirus vaccination is “definitely one of the key messages” on protesters’ placards, said Jan Rathje. Demonstrators are afraid they could be “forced to be vaccinated without having a say in the matter,” he said, though he added that it was difficult to know how many people in these groups were actually anti-vaccination activists.

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which is keeping an eye on the protests, has noted an increase in right-wing extremists in attendance, as well as growing anti-Semitic and anti-democratic symbols and slogans.

Küpper isn’t surprised, pointing out that German society is particularly tense and inflamed right now. In February, a 43-year-old German man, radicalized by conspiracy theories, shot dead nine people with immigrant backgrounds in the Frankfurt suburb of Hanau. Küpper said the process of coming to terms with that tragic event was overtaken by the pandemic. “Unfortunately, when it comes to conspiracy theories and hatred, we’re simply continuing where we left off,” she said.

This article is published courtesy of the Deutsche Welle (DW).