National Security
When fear takes over
How fear can take controll of people, when they are faced by the public, angry for being lied to.
Max Huber
Die Lupe Nr. 47/2022, 20.11.2022
We were protecting the public from the dangers of nuclear weapons. Its as simple as that. We will do what we have to do to ensure the security of our country.
– Minister of Defence, Kasala Gri 19.11.2022
It was the early morning of the 18th. We were all powered by several cups of coffee working on the newest issue, when the PA system rang a bell. It wasn’t long after that we were all standing outside the building, whilst our offices were being turned upside down. Women and men in police uniforms checked every single piece of paper. Even our shopping list for our New Year’s Eve festival was checked for materials “(potentially) dangerous for the national security.”
Although there were around 50 police officers, every important paper went through the hands of one person: GSA Huber. He is the central figure in this fiasco of an investigation. His right-hand-man, the minister of defence, who still thinks that it was right to lie to the public, is keen on holding on to power, at all costs. He is even ready to attack the highest right of the press: the freedom of the press.
In the last couple of days, the political establishment has tried to silence us, it has tried to muzzle us. They have failed. After practically everything was confiscated, our wonderful employees were ready to work from home and to pursue their stories independently. We have managed to print a new issue regardless of the search.
But why was the search conducted?
A couple of days ago, our article about the government lying to the public for decades caused an uproar in the political arena. Panic took over. Fearing the reaction of the public, the state tried to stop the information flow about nuclear weapons. They failed. Then, fear took over. They went after us, those who revealed the truth. This is what happens when fear takes over. They go after those who reveal the truth.
We journalists have a codex. The most important one is: “Truthfulness and respect for human dignity.” We have committed ourselves to reporting the truth. The state is currently trying to suppress us.
We will fight against it, because the right to say the truth is one we are not ready to give up.