CORONAVIRUS : THE SOCIAL SCOURGE

P . SAUNDERS

The world is in a state of crisis the likes of which has not been seen since the end of the Second World War. Yet, the true dangers of the current coronavirus pandemic are far more subtle, far-reaching and more worryingly, already beginning to manifest. This is not about some newlydiscovered symptom or some long-term effect of the disease, nor actually is it anything about the virus itself. Rather, it is about the phenomenon that its rapid spread has caused in many of the countries that are being hit the hardest, including ours, which may have a larger political impact than appears probable at this point. In similar fashion to Europe, the internet is saturated with the coronavirus, making escapism considerably difficult. The vault of well-meaning but foolish things that people are saying about the virus, which I may be contributing to, are ten a penny, and frankly quite dull. The least that can be said is that there are large variety of different reactions to the lockdown of daily life, from the productive, (learning a new skill or language) to the idiotic (panic buying or shaving one’s head). Throughout this discourse there is one malicious group rubbing their hands together with glee. Eco-fascists. This fringe group of Neo-Nazis

are so well-reasoned and sensible that their ideology can best be compared to that of the villain from ‘Kingsman' - a comedy/action film. The gist is that humans are a virus on the Earth, and that in order to save the world, people must die through genocide or other means. As is the case with any Nazi worth their salt, they also hate multiculturalism and have a hearty affinity for white supremacy. They disseminate their hateful views through posts intended to be heartwarming, talking about how the air is clearing and the environment is improving due to the restrictions imposed to deal with the crisis. They are the first overlooked danger of the pandemic. “Maybe this is what we needed,” they claim, “After all, the greatest threat to life itself is too much life.” Their forked silver tongues attempt to poison people’s minds with rhetoric celebrating the deaths of thousands. And, perfectly on cue, Donald Trump came in to add more fuel to the fire of fascism. His constant reference to the virus as the “Chinese virus”, and his

scapegoating of all other nations, reinforces the points that eco-fascists make about anyone who accepts multiculturalism as being an enemy of humanity, and that we should stop contact with all of Asia since it is their fault and may happen again. It is the nature of Neo-Nazis, fascists and the Alt-Right to obfuscate their truly vile ideology with appeals to “common sense” and the “greater good.” We cannot listen to these disgusting human beings, nor should you allow such claims to go unchallenged. Make no mistake, people are dying. This is not the time to celebrate. We are not better off with people dead. We are not better off isolating our countries and

permanently closing borders. The coronavirus crisis could be the turning point the world needs to finally fix its dreadful response to the still ongoing climate crisis, but mass deaths or genocide are not the way to do it.

Secondly, as already established, the entire world is in a state of panic. Entire countries are going into total lockdown, thousands of people are dying daily and stock markets are tumbling. It would hardly be unfair to call this a state of emergency. Yes, the human race will survive this virus and yes, it may seem that we are simply waiting indoors until we can walk back into the world just as we left it. The truth is that the world we will inherit will have changed. Here is the second danger - the most imminent and the most tangible. Authoritarianism. Look at one of the most recent measures passed in the UK. The police now have the authority to break up gatherings of more than two people. Obviously, if this power had been granted in any other situation, it would set off alarm bells ringing in our brains, but given the gravity of the current situation, it is appropriate. This seems to be the reaction throughout the world, such as in Italy, where the military has been called in to maintain the quarantine. Regardless, this is an emergency measure. How can it be denounced as the dawn of a dictatorship? Looking at countless examples from history, short-term emergency measures almost always end up as the exact opposite, and become a fixture of a new system. In fact, this kind of backdoor permission is the single most effective way of establishing unpopular reform. In danger, short-term security takes priority over long-term

accountability. Emergencies do not overrule normal political reform, they streamline it. While the risk of a police state forming, from this one measure is rather low, laws are made by with a precedent, and there are many other controversial corners being cut in migration laws, council support and healthcare. When the emergency measures are finally no longer necessary, does that actually mean that they will be repealed? If we want the answer to be no, we must not forget what life was like before the lockdown, nor can we be passive in our response. We cannot afford to lose the memory of individual liberty, as each small concession we give up is one small victory for an ill-intentioned government. Even if you trust Boris Johnson to not have ambitions of demagoguery, the power to use the police to dispel private gatherings could be an invaluable tool in any would-be tyrant’s arsenal. Again, I do not wish to overstate the issue, nor distract from the fact that these measures are required in such a dramatic time, but we cannot allow ourselves to ignore potentially life-altering decisions being made right now.

I understand that I could be providing a message of hope in what is, to be quite honest, a very scary time. There is a lot to be hopeful for, whether the promise of societal progress or predicted grades instead of agonising exams. But we must remember that once the dust settles, we will be living in a world irreversibly changed by the current events. Will that change be for the better? No matter your age, your voice has power and you can make a difference, so long as you ward off cynicism and remain vigilant of the hidden dangers.