German left-wing Interior Minister Nancy Faeser is intent on cracking down on what she describes as “fake news,” and has set up a citizens’ forum that has recommended punishing individuals who spread “disinformation.”
The initiative to silence free speech in the name of preventing “disinformation” seems more like the work of an authoritarian regime than a democratic government—but seeing how the left-liberal ‘traffic light’ coalition of Germany has attempted to silence opposition journalists and rewarded media outlets that have spread fake news, the new proposals should come as no surprise.
The so-called “Forum against Fakes—Together for a Strong Democracy” project was set up by the interior ministry to develop recommendations on how to deal with “disinformation.” According to the ministry’s website, around 424,000 people submitted their ideas to the project online.
The final report was handed over to Nancy Faeser on Thursday, September 12th. One of the most startling recommendations, writes news website Apollo News, supported by 91% of the so-called Citizens’ Assembly, is to examine how the “spread of disinformation” could be prosecuted or sanctioned. According to the report, handing out punishments would discourage others from disseminating false news.
It concludes:
Disinformation on the internet is a threat to democracy, as it can undermine citizens’ trust in politics, public discourse and state institutions.
It does not, however, elaborate on what constitutes “disinformation,” which means anyone whose political opinions are frowned upon by the liberal political establishment could become the target of the police and the law. As Apollo News observes:
If the plans were to be implemented, there would de facto be a kind of truth authority that decides what is right and what is wrong.
If such a law were to be enacted, it is questionable how it could be implemented in accordance with the freedom of expression enshrined in the German constitution.
Nancy Faeser said her ministry would “analyse the recommendations and examine the extent to which they can be incorporated into the ministry’s further work in this area.”
The minister warned that
when it comes to measures against disinformation, it is about nothing less than protecting our democracy. Foreign states, especially Russia, are using disinformation and propaganda to undermine the public’s trust in our democratic system and its institutions. Thousands of false reports, manipulated images and misleading clips can be found online.
Faeser also said freedom of speech is of “high value” to the constitution, and that she “would never interfere” with it—an interesting choice of words from the minister who tried and failed to ban the right-wing Compact magazine for “inciting hatred” and “aggressively propagating the toppling of the political order”; i.e., harbouring views critical of the government.
On the other hand, the state, through its various ministries and agencies, funds the left-wing Correctiv website, even though it has proven to actually spread false information about the opposition anti-globalist Alternative für Deutschland party. All these actions only undermine the credibility of government claims to protect freedom of speech.
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