May they rest in peace

Do you remember the fall of 2020? That was four years ago now. The incidence figures rose as temperatures fell. There seemed to be no alternative to Merkel's announced November lockdown. The only media criticism of this plan was that the coercive measures taken were too lax and too late. After all, you have to get ahead of the wave. Hardliners were booming and achieved the highest popularity ratings. Unfortunately, political resistance came almost exclusively from the AfD. I say "unfortunately" because this allowed any criticism to be labeled "right-wing extremist". This method still works today. Keyword contact guilt.

It is not important what is said. What is important is who says it. 

The pragmatist in me came to this sad realization in autumn 2020 at the latest. So I specifically looked for critics of the measures who, even with the greatest imagination, did not fit into either of the two defamation categories of Nazi or conspiracy theorist. In addition, they had to be people with power and media reach. To my astonishment, I realized that there were surprisingly few of them. Nevertheless, I found what I was looking for.

Thomas Oppermann [1]. He comes from the governing SPD party. He is unsuspicious and has integrity. As Vice President of the German Bundestag, he chaired the debates. So he's a familiar face. People listen to an Oppermann. He also makes it into high-reach media. Whether in Der Spiegel [2] or in the SPD party magazine Vorwärts [3] - Thomas Oppermann criticized the policies of his own governing party with increasing severity. Political decisions of enormous importance should finally be made in parliament again and not in some back room. That was his courageous core message. Perhaps Oppermann could afford this courage because he was at the end of his political career. After the 2021 Bundestag elections, he wanted to enjoy his well-earned retirement and devote himself to other things [4]. Incidentally, it wasn't just coronavirus politics. Oppermann also no longer agreed with other currents in his SPD. Among other things, he campaigned for a "progressive, controlled migration policy". His lifelong dream was actually to be Minister of the Interior. Oh well. A year later, the choice fell on Oppermann's opponent, the party's left-winger Nancy Faeser. I don't know what Oppermann really thought and felt. I only know that he was unable to enjoy his pension from 2021 as planned. Thomas Oppermann died on October 25, 2020 at the age of 66 after collapsing before a live interview for the ZDF program "Berlin direkt". Suddenly and unexpectedly. Cause of death unclear. May he rest in peace.

Power and media reach? Mario Ohoven [5] also had both as President of the German Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (BVMW). Bazooka or not - it was the SMEs, especially the small businesses, for which the lockdowns threatened their existence. Not selling anything for a few months and then opening up again? This world may exist in the mind of the current Minister of Economic Affairs, but not in reality. So on October 22, 2020, Ohoven announced that he would take legal action in the event of another lockdown. On 29 October 2020, Ohoven vehemently criticized the German government statement that attempted to justify the second lockdown. Ohoven announced that he would initiate a review of the measures and, if necessary, appeal to the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe. Another lockdown would be the "death blow for the economy" [6]. Mario Ohoven died on October 31, 2020. He drove his Bentley into the crash barrier on a Saturday lunchtime and died on the spot [7]. Cause of death: accident without external influence. May Mario Ohoven rest in peace.

I confess that I was shocked by these deaths at the end of October 2020. I was so shocked because I had followed Oppermann and Ohoven's statements in the three weeks before their deaths with burning interest. When my shock had subsided, I continued to search for the few people with power who could not be discredited and silenced. And I found what I was looking for. Franz J. Klein was one such person.

In addition to the BVMW, Dehoga [8], the German Federal Association of Hotels and Restaurants, is the most powerful lobbying association in Germany for the interests of this industry. Hamburg's Dehoga boss Franz J. Klein has indeed campaigned against lockdowns several times in the media [9] and with heart and soul. The November lockdown came into force on November 2 and was tightened in December, as expected. Much to the delight of Team Vorsicht, but not so much to the delight of hoteliers and restaurant operators who had to file for insolvency. Back to Franz J. Klein. He was not only involved in the media. Like Ohoven, he wanted to take legal action against lockdowns, curfews and the legality of the many mandatory political ordinances. This did not happen. On November 23, 2020, Dehoga announced in a press release that its boss Franz J. Klein had died suddenly and unexpectedly two days earlier, on the Saturday of November 21, 2020. All of the German gazettes reported this news in a matter-of-fact way [10]. Little or nothing was known about the cause of death. What is certain is that Franz J. Klein had been confirmed in office at a general meeting just two weeks earlier. May he rest in peace.

Conspiracy theories! You believe in conspiracy theories! I encountered this angry reaction in my private life when I soberly compiled facts about the deaths of Thomas Oppermann, Mario Ohoven and Franz J. Klein four years ago. I am against that. I want to believe that these three people died of natural causes. That would make my world a little bit healthier.

Besides, I'm not really a fan of obituaries. I'm not a fan of leaving a heartfelt RIP in the world's social forums. This has become too inflationary for me and, in my observation, often serves my own political interests. Hashtag saytheirnames? Not with me. Unless no one else does it.

I noticed that hardly any German politicians remembered Thomas Oppermann on the anniversary of his death. I find that strange. May he, like Mario Ohoven and Franz J. Klein, rest in peace.