German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s words about Ukraine and the coronavirus were greeted with whistles and shouts by the public gathered in Essen, Germany, the media have reported.
The meeting at which Scholz spoke was timed to coincide with the start of the German Social Democratic Party’s election campaign in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Part of the crowd responded to the chancellor’s speech by shouting and whistling, reported Kolnische Rundschau.
The shouting and whistling grew louder after Scholz’s statement about Germany’s solidarity with Ukrainian refugees, as well as Berlin’s health work “throughout the coronavirus pandemic”. The publication calls the protesters “alleged covid dissidents”. In response, Scholz advised the disgruntled to “shout quietly”. He said: ‘This is what we are fighting for, what the citizens of Ukraine are fighting for – to be able to speak their minds without fear.
“So I don’t accept the evil cynicism of the people saying that you can’t express your opinion on this topic here. That is a lie! Look back at the dictatorships of this world, then you will understand what it means,” he said.
Siegfried Russwurm, president of the German Federal Association of Industry (BDI), warned of the fatal consequences of an energy embargo from Russia on the industry. German government adviser Lamia Messari-Becker warned of the risk of catastrophe in the German economy if Russian gas supplies are cut off.
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