Germany: Satirical ‘Close Everything’ Campaign Against Pandemic Measures Causes Reactions

The satire campaign of the measures against the pandemic, in which famous German actors take part, has provoked serious reactions. THE campaign, under the title – hashtag # seal everything (“Close everything”) was adopted by the movement coronavirus negatives and now its protagonists are receiving harsh criticism, even threats, reports APE.

The campaign, which launched last week on social media, includes about 50 videos in which the actors satirically comment on “Emergency brake” passed last week and provides for strict restraint measures when the number of cases exceeds a certain limit.

According to the actors themselves, the comments should be clearly seen as satire, but the campaign has divided even the country’s artistic circles. Some comment on it as “Bad taste”, while the deniers of Covid-19 welcomed it with enthusiasm and now use the material to support their views.

One of the central figures of the campaign is Ulrich Tucur, star of one of the most famous series of German television, but also of the Oscar-winning film “The lifes’ of the others”. Mr Tucur appears to be calling on the government to close all businesses, instead of trying to identify which ones are “essential”. Even the supermarkets must be closed, so that, as he says, “not only our souls are hungry”. Only when we are all dead will we be saved from the virus, he says. “Dear government, I’m afraid I’m not afraid anymore. “Please make me scared again”, he says in his own video Volker Bruch, known for his involvement in the ARD series «Babylon Berlin».

“What is this; “A campaign on how to make cynicism great again?”, Commented the actor Christian Ullman, condemning the initiative of his colleagues, while the Haike Makats, which participated in, among other things, Hollywood productions «Resident Evil», «Love Actually» και «Book Thief», withdrew its involvement in the campaign, separating its position from “any far-right ideology”.

The campaign sparked a wave of reactions on social media, with users posting videos of hospital intensive care units and highly critical comments. Actress Meret Becker, according to her brother in BILD, even received threats against her life.

The leader of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) and candidate for Chancellor of the Christian Union (CDU / CSU), Armin Lassett, however, refused when asked to condemn the campaign, recalling that in Germany freedom of expression applies, although, as he said, he does not agree with its content. In addition, he expressed the view that this action could not be considered “right” and that none of the participants was a supporter of the Alternative for Germany (AfD).

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