Closing Democracies - Clamping down on Academic Freedom, on Truth telling and on Citizen Participation

A chilling Timeline with Germany leading the way

An informational opinion piece to be filed under REFERENCE

Image Source: https://thehinduchronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/gagging-speech.jpg

In August 2017, the editor of the Hindu Chronicle, Ravi Shanker Kapoor had this to say about the state of democracy in India at the time, a lament that sounds eerily familiar to Canadians today…

…people’s representatives are not free men and women; they are the chattel of party bosses who can herd them anywhere they deem fit…Technically, in the parliamentary form of democracy, the executive is responsible to the legislature; in practice, though, it is the other way around. Parliamentarians and Members of Legislative Assembly have to obey the diktats of their respective party leaderships. Democracy stands on its head: while lawmakers are directly elected by the people and thus should be answerable to them (the people), in practice they become answerable to, indeed servants of, party managers. And servants, like slaves and sheep, can be herded or shepherded around as per the convenience and requirements of apparatchiks.

What is really depressing is that the taming of people’s representatives, and therefore the undermining of democracy, has been going on for decades… (Source: You Call this Freedom?)

Not only are elected representatives being “tamed” to no longer stand up for democratic principles, the general population seems unaware of how five popular “social commandments” have been “taming” the population and are leading to the progressive closure of democracy within once democratic countries.

Topping the list of the 14 Principles of Democracy published by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) is the Participation of Citizens. Public debate and peaceful protests are seen as crucial for ensuring people that are informed when it comes time to mark a ballot. (The fact that this Civil Liberties Union counts democracy-killing foundations among its backers is being left aside here — other than to quickly refer to one censorship initiative their connections have engaged in to ensure people were NOT informed about a certain life or death topic….)

Whether in the universities and colleges, via restrictions on academic freedom; or at work via regulatory committees clamping down on alleged speech offences; or within society at large, via a reshaping of citizen viewpoints through private interest groups, mass media messaging, etc. or in the courtrooms where adherence to policy trumps justice, the core foundation of democracy — authentic and informed citizen participation — is being weakened and democracies are being closed down.

Replacing Truth with other Priorities

Some universities still give lip services to mottos derived from this Biblical text written by St. Paul to a church congregation in Phillipi, an ancient city in Macedonia.

Image Source: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/80/d8/84/80d884c2c661f4cb6fde0b1bf358721e.jpg

For example, the University of Alberta regularly reminds the public that it stands for “Whatever things are TRUE” (QUAECUMQUE VERA).

And yet, as Ontario lawyer Lisa Miron has been pointing out in her book outlining the tyranny of workplace speech committees, TRUTH is no longer the ultimate criterion. Instead, the willingness of academics and other professionals to accept current dogma in their field, or even transnational tropes around matters outside of the topic at hand, is what seems to matter most these days.

High on that list is a new commandment: THOU SHALT NOT OFFEND!

We are being told not to use common expressions like:

• So and so is “the black sheep of the family.” OR someone was “blacklisted”

• So and so is “colourblind”

• helping one’s “elderly uncle”

• this policy was “grandfathered in”

It appears that any statements using words that can also double as referring to personal characteristics or social standing are now deemed forbidden by those eager to police speech. We are to watch our words carefully while speaking or writing. We are to train others to also see these words as “problematic” and support victims of thoughtless word use.

(Editorial opinion added here) Children no longer learn the classic playground chant: “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words, they cannot hurt me” to let a taunting bully know there is no point in using insults to ridicule another. Instead of making endless lists of “forbidden” expressions, one could be teaching others to differentiate between those who truly have hostile intentions toward another human being, and those who simply rely on clichés in their speech. One could focus on building understanding between those of different social standings and personal characteristics as a means of countering potential hostility. One could embrace unifying commonalities and give less attention to differentiation. Instead, our society has been busy feeding into the nastiness by engaging in “speech policing.” As some providing parenting advice point out, this can foster “victim thinking”. Life will be unfair, yet holding on to a victim mindset is not helpful. When employers or others in a position of authority penalize people because of the words they use, we slip closer to authoritarianism.

Another new commandment seems to be: THOU SHALT NOT CRITICIZE!

So even if what one has to say is TRUE, if one believes in HONESTY and JUSTICE, if one feels compelled to STOP INJUSTICE by speaking out, if what one has to say can OFFEND anyone and/or has the potential to DISRUPT polices already in place and/or CHALLENGES the authority of those in leadership, one is being “DISRUPTIVE” and should somehow be “CANCELLED”.

The introduction to the book Disrupting the University states:

At universities, professors are increasingly being dismissed or demoted from high positions for allegedly disruptive behaviors. But when is a professor disruptive? In the media, you read about unpopular statements, false attitudes, bullying or abuse of power. But that is only part of the story. This book looks at the structures behind the cases and shows that the dismissals repeatedly affect certain groups of people. Instead of performance orientation, a 'right to certification' is gaining ground. Instead of academic freedom, there is increasing pressure to conduct research only in line with certain political ideologies. Based on their empirical surveys, Heike Egner and Anke Uhlenwinkel present worrying findings and remind us of the once seemingly unshakeable principles of free research and free teaching at our universities. Among other things, the authors have examined the questions of which groups of people were primarily affected by the dismissals, what accusations were made against them, what the respective course of proceedings was, and what role the media played. The findings unearthed in the process are disturbing, for the facts suggest that not only has there been a sharp increase in the number of professors who have been prematurely removed from university service against their will, but that qualitatively questionable developments have also been observed. Those affected seem to belong particularly often to certain sociological groups whose members are presumed to have been able to pursue a career in academia only through extraordinary personal effort and talent, to feel committed to the ethos of achievement, and to be particularly attached to the traditional, Humboldtian understanding of academia.

Next, there is: THOU SHALT RESPOND TO QUESTIONS WITH OUR FAVOURED RESPONSES

Since 2020, potential nursing students at the University of Alberta are required to meet this requirement:

Situational Judgement Test Requirement (Effective Fall 2020 admission onward): Applicants are required to complete a situational judgement test and submit the results when submitting an application for admission. An applicant’s situational judgement test score is a selection factor that is considered in the admission decision process. (Source)

Similarly, students wishing to be future teachers are also being required to participate in the screening test described as follows:

The Casper test is a 90-110 minute online, open-response situational judgment test. It is a standardized online assessment of non-cognitive skills, interpersonal characteristics, and personal values and priorities that we believe are important for successful students and graduates of our program. The Casper test measures aspects of your social intelligence and professionalism, such as ethics, empathy, problem-solving and collaboration. (Source)

Sample situations are found here. It is unclear how screeners respond to student answers that deviate from the “desired” responses and if screening out people with unique, unexpected, divergent approaches to problem-solving is good for society.

And yet another commandment of our time: THOU SHALT NEVER TRY TO SEEK UNDERSTANDING FOR “the Other Side” OF A CONFLICT in which our society is currently engaged

Don’t you dare explain to a defender of Ukraine who eagerly supports Russia-bashing that the conflict between those two nations did NOT simply start with an “unprovoked” attack by Russia on Ukraine, and that Ukraine and its Western allies are strongly to blame for their actions leading to and sustaining this conflict.

Likewise, exploding open the popular narrative of October 7 as the start of the current Israel/Hamas War can result in you being labeled an “Anti-Semite” or a “terrorist sympathizer”. Advocating for the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to put financial pressure on the state of Israel to follow international law and end what are seen as human rights abuses against Palestinians is now defined as “antisemitic”. Similar critiques are not levelled against advocates for sanctions against other countries.

As the definition of what constitutes “anti-Semitism” is expanded to include historical explanation of documented events, Canadian professors and politicians are facing reprimands and censoring for simply teaching what is in their course syllabi. In our issue from November 27, 2024 we at Canadian Shareable News reported the following:

A politician and a professor both spoke at the NATO Counter-Summit in Montreal of being censored for sharing counter narrative views. Alex Tyrrell lost his opportunity to run for the leadership of the federal Green Party when he said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands for the denuclearization, “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine are “reasonable,” and called on Western governments to stop sending weapons to the country and opt for negotiations instead. Hamilton ON professor Kevin Mackay shared stories from students and faculty at various Canadian academic institutions who experienced bad faith attacks when discussing academic critiques of Western foreign policy. He believes academia should “strive for truth seeking and truth speaking” and wants to work with anyone seeking to oppose imperialism. This led him to co-found Canadian Academics for a Just Foreign Policy (CAJFP). See the event poster to see who else was involved in launching this organization. https://justforeignpolicy.ca/event/canadian-academics-for-a-just-foreign-policy-launch-event-and-webinar/ Tyrrell & Mackay speak at the 22:30 & 57 minute mark here: www.facebook.com/CanadaPeaceJustice/videos/587396620481625.(Source: page 2 of Vol. 1 - Issue 36 of Canadian Shareable News)

We also profiled this tireless justice warrior in that same issue.

Past recipient of the Global Peace & Humanitarian Award ON Tamara Lorincz has a 20+ year history as a scholar of and activist for peace in Canada. She has “organized many national campaigns related to peace, disarmament, nonviolence and the Women, Peace & Security (WPS) agenda and related to environment and climate justice across Canada.” globalphawards.org/volunteer/tamara-lorincz/ As a PhD candidate focussing on Global Governance, she is no stranger to controversial subjects like the military’s impacts on the environment and climate change, the intersection of security and peace, gender and international relations, resistance to NATO, and more. In October she was detained at an airport in connection with a trip to Russia. Her stance on cutting weapons supply to Ukraine is in contradiction to NATO policy and is also likely considered problematic for Canadian authorities. www.thecanadafiles.com/articles/csis-detained-interrogated-phd-candidate-for-visiting-russia Lorincz recently wrote a chapter on the ties between NATO, Canada and Israel. hamiltoncoalitiontostopthewar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/NATO-connections-to-Israel.pdf See p. 6 for a related story — concerns that the IHRA definition can restrict critique of Israeli foreign policy.

Indeed, as the definition of antisemitism is expanded by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and as more and more well-intentioned organizations adopt the associated Canadian Handbook with its lengthy list of “illustrative examples”, we are seeing more reports of “increasing anti-semitism” in the country. An inflated test tool could be leading to inflated results and to more silencing within the the academic comunity. (See this excerpt from CSNews Issue 36 for details.)

Germany, which was the WWII poster child for government/corporate collusion, is now once again doubling down on freely speaking journalists.

In particular, Thomas Röper’s blog “Anti-Spiegel” and Alina Lipp’s Telegram channel “News from Russia” have been targeted by the German government for “Dissemination of systematic misinformation”.

Swiss reporter Peter Haenseler writes:

I have never heard of any misinformation on these channels. Obviously, the EU’s justification of “systematic misinformation” is merely an unsubstantiated – and probably inaccurate – claim. What is true, however, is that the opinions expressed by Lipp and Röper are by no means consistent with the EU’s narrative.

If you want to read systematic misinformation, as a Swiss citizen I would refer you to Switzerland’s leading media outlet, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ). In our article “Resist the beginnings! – Propaganda of the NZZ” from December 2022, we analyzed an editorial by editor-in-chief Eric Gujer and proved that the NZZ spreads misinformation. Incidentally, the NZZ was not sanctioned because it faithfully promotes the EU narrative… (Source)

Sanctions against Thomas Röper include the barring of travel across EU member nation borders and the confiscation of his financial assets, without any legal means of reversing this action. When Alina Lipp completed her degree in environmental sustainability, she moved from Germany, where she was living with her mother, to Crimea, where her Russian father was living. She began noting the disconnect between Western media reports about the goings on in the Donbas region of Ukraine and what she was noting on the ground. As reported in the Netherlands: “In her infamous video she uploaded to her Telegram channel, Lipp alleged that the Donbas citizens had been “thankful that Russia finally did something,” she said.“Finally, the people here have been liberated from the terror that they’ve been experiencing for the last eight years,” under continuous shellings by Ukrainian national army, Lipp added.”

Listeners who valued the perspective Lipp was able to provide began sending donations to support her work as an independent journalist. This money, along with money in both her parents’ accounts, has been seized. Recently, Lipp is cited as saying: “the German authorities only allow journalists to publish one-sided or specific remarks, there is no freedom of speech at all, and anyone who violates the "rules" will be punished by law. In the eyes of the Germans, supporting Russia's special military operations has become a "criminal act".” Another report states: “The German prosecutor's office brought criminal charges against the journalist but did not allow her to participate in the hearing, saying it would "jeopardize the purpose of the investigation" and “[Lepp] could face a hefty fine or three years in prison.”

And finally, THOU SHALT N O T GO WHERE THE OPEN UNFETTERED EVIDENCE LEADS

We see this each time someone who truly follows the science is shadow-banned, demoted or otherwise penalized by those with a vested interest in leading the population (and thus the profits) in another direction.

In other words, “it’s not a free world.”

Timeline of Closing Democracies

Here are examples of subverting the rule of law, targeting key individuals for arbitrary detention and controlling the press, examples of both governmental and popular terrorism.

2008

Dr. Naomi Wolf outlined the ten steps democratic societies pass through on their way to becoming fascist dictatorships. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_America:_Letter_of_Warning_to_a_Young_Patriot

BY 2021 Dr. Naomi Wolf found that Western societies were reaching Step 10. nexusnewsfeed.com/article/human-rights/naomi-wolf-we-ve-reached-step-ten-of-the-10-steps-to-fascism/

The word fascism traditionally has meant, as defined by Mussolini, Hitler, Franco and others, total control and domination by Big Government and Big Business, institutionalized suppression of dissent and civil liberties, media censorship, constant government and media panic-mongering, and 24/7 surveillance. (Source)

Following the lead of Dr. Naomi Wolf, the US based Organic Consumers Association now states:

Over the years we have identified Monsanto, Bill Gates, corporate agribusiness, Big Food, Big Technology, Big Pharma and others as the “Biotechnocrats” that stand in our way and threaten the health and welfare of our planet.

For decades these Biotechnocrats, both Democrats and Republicans, have sought to dominate and control our public policies, food choices, and foreign policy. They rely upon indentured scientists and media to support their public image as they play God and biological Russian Roulette by genetically engineering food, crops, viruses, bacteria, and vaccines; and by building bioweapons—essentially GMO, nano-sized, synbio weapons of mass destruction.

We never used the word “Biofascism” to describe our political system up until now, feeling this would have been hyperbolic… Starting today, however, we feel that it’s appropriate to begin to use the term “Biofascism,” popularized recently by noted political scientist and author Naomi Wolf.

February 4, 2020

The US Office of the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services

“determined pursuant to his authority under section 564 of the FD&C Act that there is a public health emergency that has a significant potential to affect national security or the health and security of United States citizens living abroad and that involves a novel (new) coronavirus (nCoV) first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China in 2019 (2019-nCoV)”

Also included in the declaration, references to

an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) authorizing (1) the emergency use of an unapproved drug, an unapproved or uncleared device, or an unlicensed biological product; or (2) an unapproved use of an approved drug, approved or cleared device, or licensed biological product. (Source)

(Editor’s personal question: would an emergency use authorization have been granted that early if no “biological product” had been in existence yet?”)

Also on February 4, 2020

On Feb 4, 2020 - AstraZeneca and other pharma companies participating in the DOD Pandemic Preparedness consortium received a phone call from the DOD saying that “novel covid virus posed national security threat”. This explains why PREP Act declaration in the US was made retroactive to Feb 4. The US Government organized itself for war, but lied to the public that it was a zoonotic virus and a healthcare event. Anyone who suggested otherwise was heavily censored and surveilled online, including me. They continue to pretend it was/is a natural virus evolution to this day. It appears that the DOD initiated the covid plandemic and did not tell Trump until after. Jeffrey Tucker at Brownstone has a very good hypothesis on how that likely occurred. Trump made a U-turn on his position on lock down between March 9 and 11. However, he is on video getting surprised by Mike Pompeo’s “live exercise” comment on March 20, 2020.

Source: Retired US pharmaceutical executive Sasha Latypova, writing here:

Audio recording leaked from AstraZeneca: Covid was classified a national security threat by the US Government/DOD on February 4, 2020.

Sasha Latypova and Debbie Lerman are not the only reputable critic to refer to SARS-CoV-2 and the associated mRNA injections as bioweapons. So also does US anthrax specialist and emergency physician deprived of her licence to practice Dr. Meryl Nass, and so did international law expert Francis Boyle, J.D., Ph.D. before his recent passing.

March 2, 2020

Operation LASER, the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) response to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, began Mar. 2, 2020, with the activation of Contingency Plan LASER, a preparedness posture for responding to pandemics of influenza-like diseases across the globe…During OP LASER, the CAF established a 24,000-person response force capable of supporting domestic operations and requests for assistance from provincial authorities. CAF support during OP LASER included assisting the Public Health Agency of Canada with warehouse management of personal protective equipment (PPE), contact tracing for Public Health Ontario, providing care to citizens in long-term care (LTC) facilities and providing essential support to relief efforts in individual municipalities and communities (Source as referenced in the Canada Section of the COVID Dossier by Sasha Latypova and Debbie Lerman)

(To hear more questions around possible prior knowledge, misleading messaging, coincidental timing, with reference to the Canadian timeline, please view the May 28 interview of the two authors of this Dossier with members of the STOP C-293 Committee found here.)

October 2020

Ulrike Guérot is one of Germany’s most prominent, most respected public scholars, political scientists and leading voices on European integration. She has “become one of Germany’s most vilified figures — dismissed from her university post, smeared across the media, ostracised by the academic establishment and even labeled an enemy of the state.”

Based in Rome, Thomas Fazi describes himself as a journalist, writer, translator and socialist. His expose on Ulrike Guérot includes these crucial paragraphs:

Guérot’s fall from grace began in October 2020, when she began publicly criticising the pandemic measures, the growing climate of ideological conformity and the alarming narrowing of acceptable opinion that accompanied it — a context in which anyone who questioned Covid policy was swiftly met with hostility by the political and media establishment.

From Guérot’s liberal-progressive perspective — perhaps a touch naïve — she was merely upholding Habermasian principles of open discourse: the belief that public opinion should emerge from the power of the better argument. At first, not even she fully realised the extent of the authoritarian “new normal” ushered in by the pandemic — or that, by questioning the pandemic restrictions and warning of democratic backsliding, she had crossed an invisible red line. Almost overnight, her public persona shifted in the eyes of institutions, the media and large swathes of the public — from celebrated thinker to “problematic figure”.

Enemy of the state: the political persecution of Ulrike Guérot

This trajectory from REVERED to REVILED like that of Ulrike Guérot is familiar to many of the “Free Speech Titans” listed in Lisa Miron’s recent book “World on Mute” And to the individuals highlighted under the Heading of Homegrown Heroes in past issues of CSNews. (See the bottom of this post).

April 2021

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) published a declaration stating that physicians may not prescribe treatments such as ivermectin, vitamin D, zinc or hydroxychloroquin for covid; may not provide medical “exemptions” notes for the experimental injections, except in the most extreme circumstances; or make any statements that were not in agreement with the mandates of Public Health regarding all things to do with COVID-19 and the associated vaccine products.

June 2021

“In medicine, there is a sacrosanct principle before any drug or treatment or intervention is administered to the public - it is the principle of INFORMED consent.”

In 2021, when Saskatchewan professor of surgery Dr. Francis Christian shared his concerns around the LACK of freely available information allowing parents to truly give INFORMED consent regarding COVID-19 vaccines, he may not have guessed what would follow. Remaining ever respectful in his tone, and following his conscience over administrative policy, Dr. Christian tried to educate the officials who suspended him from his academic roles. www.bitchute.com/video/WCjZWoxfDcHm. The suspension was followed, in March of 2024, by a termination of his contract. www.jccf.ca/court_cases/professor-terminated-after-advocating-for-principle-of-informed-consent

Dr. Christian has also testified to the National Citizens Inquiry and asks difficult questions of fellow medical professionals. nationalcitizensinquiry.ca/witness/dr-francis-christian/ & rumble.com/v2h6lu4-dr.-francis-christian-with-some-hard-questions.html. Now in retirement, Dr. Christian shares thoughtful essays with the public. Topics range from the light-hearted (taking breaks from the internet) to the hard hitting (the rise in persecution of Christians globally). francischristian.substack.com/ (Source: CSNews 07/24/2024)

August 2021

Having obtained legal opinion that the CPSO was overstepping its legal authority, ON emergency room physician Dr. Mark Trozzi began handing out vaccine exemption certificates to patients deemed particularly at risk of adverse events following possible injection of the COVID-19 vaccine products. Dr. Trozzi then took a one year leave of absence from his practice in order to better understand the mechanism of action of both the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the genetic injections being marketed as COVID-19 vaccines. (Source)

Fall, 2021

Dr. Julie Ponesse, an ON ethics professor, insisted that her university proceed ethically in the face of rushed and unproven COVID-19 mandates. This cost her her job. Dr. Ponesse’s story is chronicled by the UK PANDA organization: www.julieponesse.com/2023/05/08/the-deafening-silencing-of-dr-julie-ponesse and at least one of her speeches was reposted in the US. forloveofgodandcountry.com/2021/11/16/dr-julie-ponesse-delivers-remarkable-speech-do-not-give-up-your-rights/

March 2022

Soon before Ontario’s employment COVID-19 vaccination mandates were to be lifted on May 1, certain Ontario universities felt compelled to go through with firing those academic staff who had not yet complied.

One of these was Michael Palmer, MD, Professor in the Chemistry Department at the University of Waterloo. He explains:

That came to an end when I refused to be injected any of the the so-called COVID “vaccines”, which in my considered opinion are unnecessary, ineffective, and toxic. For the time being, I’m therefore prematurely retired, and I’m taking a bit of time to think about what to do next.

The title of Dr. Palmer’s website “Helpful Heresies” points at the degree to which critical and independently minded thinkers were vilified for “being disruptive”, for “not doing the line” or “following the narrative”. Some of the topics on Dr. Palmer’s Free Books page lead to further contemplation. For example: What if everything we have been told about the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was incorrect? Should thoughtful thinkers be kept from asking questions that push the boundaries of a certain narrative?

July 1, 2022

Université Laval professor Patrick Provost’s job was to teach about micro RNA until in 2022 he was accused of spreading misinformation and was suspended without pay. "I was just doing what I was hired to do," he said. "I had some concerns about something, I searched the literature and I prepared a speech, delivered it to the public. Being censored for doing what I've been trained to do — and hired to do — well, it's hard to believe.” David Robinson, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, says professors should be disciplined only for comments that amount to incompetence or that violate legal limits to speech, such as libel laws."We have to have a high tolerance for academic freedom and diversity of viewpoints," he said. Now, in 2024 the university completely cut its ties to Dr. Provost. https://brownstone.org/articles/the-service-of-dissent/. https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2024/04/26/un-professeur-controverse-a-luniversite-laval-congedie (Source: CSNews 05/13/2024, p. 2)

August 2022

CJ Hopkins, American playwright and satirist living in Germany posted two tweets featuring the cover of his recent book and referencing the German health minister at the time. This lead to lengthy court proceedings which ended up in January 2024 with an acquittal in what CJ Hopkins refers to as a “show trial for thoughtcrimes in criminal court…The real story here is not about me; it’s about the criminalization of dissent…”

The Verdict

Hear him speak with independent US based investigative journalist Kim Iveson here.

September 2022

A number of “fact-checking” sites report that those they claimed were spreading misinformation have been filing retaliatory lawsuits and Freedom of Information requests. Internet censorship whistleblower Reclaim the Net reports particularly on cases involving geoengineering research. In particular, a suit was filed by Dane Wigington after his documentary “The Dimming,” which was “fact-checked” and found to be ‘filled with conspiracy theories”. Social media companies use the results of such “fact-checking” sites like Climate Feedback to limit the visibility of information being shared. The lawsuit was dismissed. (Source)

December 2022

After Dr. Mark Trozzi returned from his sabbatical, he filled in for another physician. Immediately, his license to practice medicine was suspended and revoked a week later. This was then presented him with a charge of nearly one hundred thousand dollars to be paid to the Ontario medical college. (Source)

June 9, 2023

The hearing by the CPSO agains Dr. Mark Trozzi commenced. (Source) It ended with a permanent revocation in January 2024. Dr. Trozzi then chose to file an appeal.

Unrepentant CPSO Revokes Dr Trozzi's License

June 29, 2023

Dr. Heinrich Habig, a practicing doctor of naturopathic medicine in Recklinghausen (Germany) was sentenced by the 12th Criminal Chamber of the Regional Court of Bochum (Landgericht) under the presiding judge Petra Breywisch-Lepping to two years and ten months imprisonment without parole. The crime? Providing COVID-19 vaccine certificates to patients without injecting them for medical/ethical reasons. Learn more about this conscientious physician in this post or (in this analysis of the case written in German).

NOTE: the German alternative, independent media platform: AUF UF1 – Alternatives Unabhängiges Fernsehen, Kanal 1 has developed a documentary interview series featuring 14 of Germany’s “dissident doctors” including Dr. Heinrich Habig, Dr. Bodo Schiffmann and Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi.

October 15, 2023

THE IMPRISONMENT OF DR. REINER FUELLMICH, (plaintiff’s lead attorney in the VW Diesel Scandal; lead of the German Corona Investigative Committee, lead of a new pro-democracy political party Die Basis) Government documents from August 2021 described him as: “a potential threat to public security and the democratic order of the Federal Republic of Germany. Due to his public statements, political ambitions and the mobilization of a significant following, a detailed assessment of his actions and the resulting influence on the social climate is necessary.”elsaiselsa.substack.com/cp/146769842. See also https://totalityofevidence.com/dr-reiner-fuellmich/ as well as this update from April 2025.

Scandal In Germany: Update On The Shocking Persecution of Dr. Reiner Füllmich

(On April 24, 2025, Reiner Fuellmich was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison on charges of embezzlement. On May 13, he posted his account of the events leading up to his incarceration here. As of May 26, 2025, Reiner Fuellmich has been moved to another prison.)

July 17, 2024

THE POLICE RAID ON & CLOSING OF a critical magazine in Germany truthsummit.substack.com/p/dark-days-in-germany-ever-darker

July 22, 2024

Former US professor in computational biology James Lyons-Weiler, BA, MS, PhD, and founder of the journal “Science, Public Health Policy, and the Law” announced an expanded relaunch of the journal as follows:

I foresee a future in which studies, papers, and other correspondences within the pages of this journal secure – forevermore – a forum that not only tolerates but that importantly celebrates both dissenting viewpoints and rational discourse. Independent science means independent.

With the relaunch of this journal, narrative-enforcing “science” is dead. Long live rational, empirical science.

October 2024

The Canadian Covid Care Alliance released a podcast illustrating how due to pharmaceutical company interference, health care is “under siege.” This was made evident in “the manner in which COVID-19 and the declared pandemic ushered in dramatic changes to Canadian health care and to Canadian patients’ rights. Underlying some of these changes was the unprecedented and pervasive influence, wielded by the pharmaceutical industry, upon public health decision making and policy. This influence affected multiple stages of medical treatment--from clinical trials, through the regulatory approval process, to marketing, and doctors’ treatment recommendations--and has ultimately threatened both the right to provide and the right to receive consent-based personalized healthcare in Canada.” www.canadiancovidcarealliance.org/featured/ccca-podcast-ep-5-canadian-health-care-under-siege/ (Source: CSNews 29/07/2024)

May 2025

While it is bad practice to vent an uninformed and emotional opinion in the heat of the moment, especially on social media, we now have a case of someone having done just that in Britain and being sentenced to over 2 1/2 years in prison.

Aghast at the news of the senseless knife stabbing of twelve 6-11 year old girls and two adults in a dance studio in Southport UK, that also resulted in the death of three victims, childminder Lucy Connolly turned to her X/Twitter account. She shared her emotional reaction: “I feel physically sick knowing what these families will now have to endure” and added in a call for "mass deportation now" which mentioned "set fire to all the... hotels [housing asylum seekers]... for all I care". The post included the sentence: “While you’re at it, take the treacherous government and politicians with them.” Three and a half hours later she deleted the post, yet in that short time it was reposted 940 times and viewed 310,000 times.

Court documents reveal that during the police interview “She said that her own child had died in horrendous circumstances and that the stabbings of the children in Southport had put her into a rage. She said she felt hatred about the incident and the circumstances, not about race. She said she had taken the post down because she realised it was wrong. Later in the interview she said her tweets were not racial and she had no intention to cause hate or racial issues.”

Despite having removed the tweet in less than four hours, Lucy Connoly has been sentenced to 31 months in prison for the offence of “19 Publishing or distributing written material (1) A person who publishes or distributes written material which is threatening, abusive or insulting is guilty of an offence if – (a) he intends thereby to stir up racial hatred, or (b) having regard to all the circumstances racial hatred is likely to be stirred up thereby.” Members of the Free Speech Union which has stepped up to support Ms. Connonly, point at the disproportionality of the punishment to the crime.

May 2025

Here in Canada, many professionals are STILL involved in lawsuits or other court proceedings related to their attempts to speak out and engage in ethical actions, instead of letting harmful state and corporate diktats cause preventable harm:

Dr. Chris Shaw (UBC neuroscientist, who is warning of long-term effects of mRNA injections on the neurological system)

Dr. David Speicher (currently an independent molecular virologist writing here. Influential in sparking the international David Declaration)

Dr. Sonja Kustka (family physician with over 43 years of service, facing license suspension or revocation. Featured on page 2 here.)

Dr. Mark Trozzi (ON emergency physician referenced earlier in this post)

Dr. Charles Hoffe (BC Family physician near the end of a lengthy & costly legal battle re: his desire to get a true risk/benefit ratio for COVID-19 injections. See his testimony here)

Dr. Rochagne Kilian (ON family physician, also facing licence suspension. See more here)

Dr. Chris Shoemaker (ON family physician, also disallowed from practising medicine, passionate advocate for children and the vaccine injured, including himself. Hear his recent testimony on UK adverse events statistics for children here)

Randy Hillier (former elected provincial representative in Ontario, sanctioned by his party for his critical stance on lockdowns and mandates. Current focus mostly on court battles. Has had multiple charges reversed. Still seeking to fight off 10 charges in provincial court for organising opposition to mandates at rallies throughout the province. Follow his writing and links to interviews here.)

MORE EXAMPLES OF ERODING ACADEMIC FREEDOM & THOSE SEEKING TO DEFEND RELATED DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES

Dr. Anthony Hall, former University of Lethbridge professor of Globalization Studies and Native Studies has plenty of lived experiences around the weakening of democracies through the silencing of speech, ideas and research initiatives. Search “Academic Freedom” on his substack for posts on the topic.

And finally, in his academic essay referenced alongside of his book review in an earlier post, Quebec social scientist Luc Lelièvre reminds us of the need for a vigilant defence of democratic values:

If courts cannot be relied upon to uphold fundamental freedoms, then academic and legal institutions must be subjected to increased scrutiny. The defense of free thought requires a concerted effort to reinforce democratic principles (Mucchielli 2023), ensuring that neither academic nor legal structures become complicit in eroding civil liberties.

Moreover, the case of organizations like the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) exemplifies how the erosion of free speech transcends academia, embedding itself within broader power structures. This calls for an expanded understanding of censorship that includes the accountability of power elites. (Ji 2025)

As scholars, we must not only advocate for academic freedom but also for a comprehensive scrutiny of how state and non-state actors manipulate discourse and influence. The fight for an open intellectual climate is inherently tied to the battle against such manipulations, demanding that we extend our critique and action beyond the university walls to challenge any system that seeks to control thought and suppress dissent. This interconnected struggle highlights the need for a vigilant defense of democratic values, where transparency, accountability, and the right to question are not just academic ideals but societal imperatives.

(Editor’s Note:)

So far, we at Canadian Shareable News have referenced nearly 40 courageous people making use of their right to freedom of speech, expression and research, under the column heading “Homegrown Heroes”.

Journalists are invited to reach out to these stalwart individuals to learn about their lived experiences. The numbers refer to previous issues which can be searched here.)

Alexander, Michael (ON lawyer) #34; Bachouchi, Kamil (ON student) #19; Blaise, Gloria (QB health law specialist) # 21; Braun, Maggie Hope (ON public advocate) #9; Bridle, Dr. Byram (ON Professor of Immunology) #5; Brinton, Rickcola (NS Judge) #18; Bussey, Barry W. (ON lawyer) #28; Carbert, Chris (AB contractor) #13; Chan, Glenn (ON vax-injury advocate) #33; Choujounian, Sarah (ON nurse) #11; Christian, Dr. Francis (SK Professor of Surgery) #27; Dickson, David (AB ret. forensics investigator) #25; Givogue, André (federal government employee) #39; Gonek, Natasha (AB Medical Examiner) #12; Grus, Helen (ON Detective) #1 & #10; Hartman, Dan (ON Father of C-19 vax casualty) #4; Hill, Greg, former pilot, #22; Hillier, Randy (former ON Member of the Provincial Parliament) #7; Hoffe, Dr. Charles (BC physician) #2; Kilian, Dr. Rochagné (ON physician) #3; Kustka, Dr. Sonja (ON physician) # 38; Makis, Dr. William (AB oncologist) #30; McKinnis, Leah (SK nurse) #16; Lorincz, Tamara (ON peace scholar & activist) #36; Nakatsu, Susie & Kanji (ON Vitamin D advocates) #23; Olienick, Tony (AB entrepreneur) #13; Pirie, Kellie-Lynn (BC advocate for acceptance, not transitioning) #32; Pollock, Kayla (ON vaccine injury victim) #15; Ponesse, Dr. Julie (former ON ethics professor) #31; Posa, Alexa (youth leader, journalist) #6; Provost, Patrick (QB professor) #8; Rilkoff, Svetlana (BC nurse) # 35; Rude, Sergeant Michael #20; Sakomoto, Carrie (AB vax injury advocate) #26; Sattler, Matt, former pilot) # 22); Schroeder, Cassandra (ON student) #19; Stone, Dr. Jackie (in Memoriam) #29; Trozzi, Dr. Mark (former ON ER physician) #34; Vossen, Leigh (ON student) #19; Watteel, Dr. Regina (ON statistician) #17.

“A really efficient totalitarian state would be one in which the all-powerful executive of political bosses and their army of managers control a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced, because they love their servitude.” - Aldous Huxley

“The greatest tyrannies are always perpetrated in the name of the noblest causes” – Thomas Paine