demonstrations against the Corona-restrictions are currently in place in the world, for example, in the pandemic particularly affected France or in the United States, where the Virus still takes every day thousands of deaths. In Germany, however, will be protested, although it came with a blue eye through the crisis – and it is in a Phase in which the most massive restrictions loosened already have been. What is the reason?
“The Protest does not come from Nothing,”
“It was predictable that the displeasure of some of the citizens increases with the duration of the restrictions,” says Axel Salheiser in an interview with FOCUS Online. The sociologist from the Institute for democracy and civil society, observed in the corona of a crisis for weeks, a steady increase in the list of followers of system-critical channels in social media. Under the guise of democracy-a defence of the regime would try to beat, so deliberately insecure people for their purpose. “The Protest does not come from Nothing,” says Salheiser. “He was at the beginning of the crisis exist, only latent, for the broad masses of the invisible.”
It is typical for the protest movements of all kinds, that a certain Level of indignation needs to be exceeded to the people to participate in a motivated and mobilized, could be. In the case of the current Corona-Demos Salheiser attaches mainly to the dispute between the Federal government and the countries about the pace of the return of the Lockdown importance. “This has led to great resentment and Protest over the critical threshold may appear.”
“population longs for normality,”
a striking characteristic of the Corona-protests is that the group of protesters, as well as their goals are still very heterogeneous. The protesters, concerned, Conservative, young parents, esotericist, but also right-wing populists, opponents and conspiracy theorists mix. “Here is also a General Protest against the policy, and democracy in the case of mixing with,” says Chemnitz, a political scientist and extremism researcher Tom man joke to FOCUS Online. Man joke sees Parallels to previous protest movements like Pegida or the Anti-asylum protests. “The so-called ‘refugee crisis’ or, now, the corona of a crisis are nothing more than catalysts. You bring a basic social cleavage for expression.“
so Far, the Corona Demos are, however, a marginal phenomenon. The vast majority of the population still supports the continuation of the containment measures, and adheres to the recommendations of the authorities. But the approval is dwindling, as recent surveys by the Federal Institute for risk assessment (BfR) show. Therefore, only two-thirds of citizens believe that the prohibition of Contact is appropriate – in March, it was still 92 per cent. “The population is longing for a piece of normality,” says BfR President Andreas Hensel the results.
people no longer feel the Virus as a dangerous
more and more people will struggle with the continuation of the Corona-restrictions and demonstrations to the part provocative on distance rules and mask duty omitted, returns a sociologist, Salheiser to a change in the individual risk perception of the citizens. “Many people do not see the Corona as as dangerous as it is presented to the Public and the security measures and the restrictions of public life, therefore, covered for.”
sociologists speak in this context from the so-called prevention paradox. The assumption is Just because Germany has to fight the pandemic successfully, the mortality rate is relatively low and the feared bottlenecks in the intensive care units in the absence of, perceived by some people, the Virus is now no longer as a threat. Recently, a Top virologist Christian Drosten warned against a second wave of Infection, when the people would play the risk down: “you do not understand, why their shops have to close. You only look at what is happening here – not the Situation in other countries, for example in New York or Spain.“
“Fears of a food Protest”
Germany’s limited view of some of the citizens standing in direct connection with the emerging protest argues that the Freiburg political scientist Michael Wehner to FOCUS Online. “If there had been from German hospitals similar images such as in France or Italy, would the Protest is likely to be less radical in accordance with the Motto: Fears of a food Protest.” That the demonstrators citizens can not go to the high phase of the lock downs, but it is only now on the road, is for the political scientists is only logical. “Only if it is foreseeable that the hazard potential is low, the car people out of cover, and articulate your criticism,” said Wehner.
The further development of the Corona-protests will of the case numbers and thus once again possible limitations depend. “A hot summer without bathrooms, a beer garden, artificial lakes, an isolated and caged family life without childcare centres and schools would have led to a radicalization of the protests,” said Wehner. All the more important for the policy to explain the existing measures and to contribute to the discussions and to make the tightrope walk between individual fundamental rights and freedoms and the protection of the state actions transparent.
“Many do not even know what they were protesting” to explain
Better, why restrictive measures are, in spite of an improvement in the Situation, could strengthen the confidence of the protesters in the course of the government, also believes extremism researchers man joke. “However, this is a Sisyphus task and the fundamental critics, conspiracy theorists and Radical, the government can do in the short term, little bit.” Man joke assumes that the current Demonstration is a means – remain up in the long term, however, small, socially homogeneous, but it is also likely to be more radical in their orientation.
in order To avoid it to the extent that, should politics and society are now working together and collectively remember what is left to us, unlike many other countries in the past few weeks, saves. “We should appeal to the empathy and reason of those protest participants who are not ideologically fixed that way,” asks sociologist Salheiser. For many, the run in Berlin, Stuttgart or Munich in these days, would simply just want to Express your diffuse resentment over the serious Situation. “I believe that many do not even know what they are protesting – and why”.
The FOCUS of Online In the
