So, this has been up for 40 minutes and I'm getting flooded with emails expressing support. I'm going to have to pin a blanket THANK YOU up here at the top of the comments, because I'm not going to be able to write back to everyone. Please know that I am reading your emails, and your replies here, and they are making cry. Please don't tell anyone about that. I have an image as a cynical political satirist to maintain. Seriously, though, my heartfelt thanks to all of you! (Also, if you send me an email, please do not include attachments. I delete such emails with extreme prejudice.)
7:45 CET - I'm really overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and support ... thank you! Also, I know some people are having trouble with international bank transfers because their banks want my home address, which I can't share publicly. I'm working on a solution to that. I'll keep you posted here, and update the original post when I get something worked out.
“The @CJ Hopkins case is the equivalent of the Assange case for satirists. If Germany succeeds in imposing this Sophie’s choice of a 60-day incarceration or 3,600 euros fine for TWO BLOODY TWEETS, that is the end of satire as we know it—at least in Germany and other countries that have weaponized ‘hate’ speech laws against those courageous enough to expose the authoritarian practices of their governments. For daring to draw valid historical comparisons with present-day policies and trying to STOP the advance of fascism, CJ is being charged with furthering ‘the aims of a former National Socialist Organization.’
“We must stand with CJ just as we must stand for Assange (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/ode-to-a-whistleblower) as their persecution is not only about the vilification of innocents for daring to speak out but threatens the future of satire, journalism, and free speech for all human beings on this increasingly tyrannical planet.”
#IStandWithCJ
——
CJ, I know when I asked you about this when it first came up, you felt creating graphics for sharing on social media was a bit much for you :-) Are you okay with using the #IStandWithCJ hashtag?
Also, you may want to consider setting up a Ko-fi account (https://ko-fi.com) for donations. They don’t take any fees, although Stripe takes its usual cut. Since Substack already uses Stripe, it may be a better option than PayPal, where you risk unpersoning like happened to me last year (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/i/71065626/paypal-unpersoned-me).
Is it time to consider an ongoing "legal defense fund", administered by someone we trust (like Catherine Austin Fitts) to fund this case and any important subsequent cases, as required? CJ may be the first but he is unlikely to be the last. Anyone who is willing to follow the legal process all the way through for any free speech, medical or other non-compliance issue should be backed all the way.
I keep asking the question, what is our Plan B? What do we do when our respective countries require Substack to crack down on free speech. It WILL happen, but do we have a contingency? Are we willing to organise pro-actively for what probably comes next? A fighting fund would be a good start.
CJ - I support very few things financially - but this situation irks me. Obviously I don't know you personally, but your writings have been integral to my understanding of the world these past few years.
This certainly feels like a friend of mine is being unjustly treated and a donation to support your battles will be sent...
I won't sign up for PayPal (for some reason it is requiring me to sign up...for other payments through them for various suppliers I use, I've simply been able to do so with my credit card without having to actually sign up...not sure if that is a setting you could change?)...also the only option on the substack subscription for additional funding is double the annual and not any amount we choose.
Also, if anyone can suggest/has access to Jeff Childers over at the Coffee and Covid substack to do a multiplier for CJ, that would be fantastic!
I just subscribed to your substack to help you fight the anti-Nazi neo-Nazis that are out for your head "pour encourager les autres". We are all "les autres" now, and your willingness to fight this fight not only for yourself but for the rest of us is both admirable and encouraging to those of us out here in Kafkaville. May God bless you and sustain you in this fight.
Just sent you a small direct transfer via my Wise account. My first donation since the Canadian truckers, which, unfortunately, they were not allowed to receive (in the name of freedom and democracy, I'm sure). We've got your back, CJ.
Hi CJ. Since I am currently subscribed, I just increased the amount thru substack and it worked. I also would suggest perhaps Give Send Go, not the woke Go Fund Me where people donating to Canadian truckers discovered their censorship. Don't really know how it works, since you're in Germany but possibly worth an investigation.
Even though I do not know you personally, much of your writing does speak to me. I am sure we have our differences (which we could learnedly or not so learnedly debate) but much of our core thoughts would intersect. And isn't that how human discourse should function without recriminations, judgment or cancel-culturing? Unfortunately, that's not the current climate. We're heading for that dystopian Orwellian world that most probably over 90% of the population would not want if they could see the end result. I am constantly amazed at the total lack of understanding people have of the consequences of their world views. But then it has probably been that way throughout history.
It is painful to see this all playing out. The injustices are piling up faster than we can react to them. Our representatives are failing us regardless of where we live. Money, power and control are the be-all and end-all. And the workers of the world are threatened with their livelihoods if they resist. But then, changing jobs in a free country has always been a right. Now, I am not sure.
I hope to meet you some day and have that drink, preferably drinks. Love the beer and wine there. My best to you
I would like to donate, but I boycott PayPal (because they censor free speech). I don't want to do an annual subscription but instead just donate a one-time amount to you. Can you possibly set that up in your "upgrade to paid" options? Or could you set up a "Buy Me A Coffee" where I can periodically donate? Good luck, C.J. I look forward to donating to your future "get out of Germany" fund as well.
I share your posts where I can, which is limited because one finds oneself in a sea of ignoramuses, nonintrrested, dissent haters or just insifference(!), that's not to mention the nonsympatjy if not apathy, even caustic sarcastic antipathy of exactly the Jewish liberal Dem or just TDS set I left behind. But finances or not, THIS Ami in Berlin and his Berliner wife stand 100% with and behind you. €50,- are going out today to your fund. Gott stehe Dir bei.
I hereby pledge 100 euros. I am 'enjoying' a small but steady pension, at least as long as those blasted CBDC's woin't go into effect. I'll make the payment by Sept 1st.
We met all to briefly in Berlin, but it was worth it nonetheless.
"N.B. If the balance of my Legal Defense Fund somehow ends up exceeding my legal costs at the end of the day, the surplus will be reallocated to my “Get the Hell out of Germany” Fund."
Finally. Get the **** out of Germany now, before it's too late. How sad for you personally, and how revolting to watch the Germans make the same mistakes they made almost a century ago.
"Of course, there’s a chance I could prevail, but, the way things are going, it seems pretty clear that the German authorities are determined to make an example of me, the rule of law be damned."
Duh. Funny how quickly the self-proclaimed Defenders Of Human Rights jettison Muh Rule Of Law that they so claim to treasure.
For that matter, swastikas aplenty can be found among the neonazi paramilitaries fighting for the Kiev regime, but Germany pays these swastikas no mind. To be fair, they recently did have to remind these Stalwart Defenders Of European Values that they weren't supposed to display their nazi regalia openly while on training with the Bundeswehr.
The level of irony of the charges is beyond my ability to satirize, but that's your shtick and I'm glad you're shticking to it. I'm sure your readers understand the irony. Sadly, it's all part of the New Normal. I was hoping for this post, as I was wanting to assist in some fashion. It's great that Matt and company are willing to cover the fine, though I hope you beat the rap in the end. My reason for helping is personal: I have family in Germany, and I like visiting them, and I want Germany to be a place I don't mind visiting. They'll likely be there for many more years, so this is also for them. Your willingness to take the fight to the State warrants all the help it can get. I will do what little I can to support your defense and/or relocation fund.
So, this has been up for 40 minutes and I'm getting flooded with emails expressing support. I'm going to have to pin a blanket THANK YOU up here at the top of the comments, because I'm not going to be able to write back to everyone. Please know that I am reading your emails, and your replies here, and they are making cry. Please don't tell anyone about that. I have an image as a cynical political satirist to maintain. Seriously, though, my heartfelt thanks to all of you! (Also, if you send me an email, please do not include attachments. I delete such emails with extreme prejudice.)
7:45 CET - I'm really overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and support ... thank you! Also, I know some people are having trouble with international bank transfers because their banks want my home address, which I can't share publicly. I'm working on a solution to that. I'll keep you posted here, and update the original post when I get something worked out.
As I wrote in my Note (https://substack.com/@margaretannaalice/note/c-38899653) about this travesty:
“The @CJ Hopkins case is the equivalent of the Assange case for satirists. If Germany succeeds in imposing this Sophie’s choice of a 60-day incarceration or 3,600 euros fine for TWO BLOODY TWEETS, that is the end of satire as we know it—at least in Germany and other countries that have weaponized ‘hate’ speech laws against those courageous enough to expose the authoritarian practices of their governments. For daring to draw valid historical comparisons with present-day policies and trying to STOP the advance of fascism, CJ is being charged with furthering ‘the aims of a former National Socialist Organization.’
“Anyone who has read even a single column by CJ knows the opposite is emphatically the case, as is made crystal-clear in my Dissident Dialogues interview (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/dissident-dialogues-cj-hopkins) with him from last year.
“I have written repeatedly about the weaponization of the ‘anti-semite’ label to silence dissidents because it is such a danger to those seeking to expose totalitarianism and has been used to crush innocents like poor Clemens Arvay (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/requiem-for-a-smear-victim-clemens) and threaten credible scientific voices like Prof. Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/profiles-in-courage-prof-dr-sucharit).
“We must stand with CJ just as we must stand for Assange (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/ode-to-a-whistleblower) as their persecution is not only about the vilification of innocents for daring to speak out but threatens the future of satire, journalism, and free speech for all human beings on this increasingly tyrannical planet.”
#IStandWithCJ
——
CJ, I know when I asked you about this when it first came up, you felt creating graphics for sharing on social media was a bit much for you :-) Are you okay with using the #IStandWithCJ hashtag?
Also, you may want to consider setting up a Ko-fi account (https://ko-fi.com) for donations. They don’t take any fees, although Stripe takes its usual cut. Since Substack already uses Stripe, it may be a better option than PayPal, where you risk unpersoning like happened to me last year (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/i/71065626/paypal-unpersoned-me).
P.S. Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag :-)
Just signed up as a paid subscriber. Let's all support independent journalists like CJ!
Is it time to consider an ongoing "legal defense fund", administered by someone we trust (like Catherine Austin Fitts) to fund this case and any important subsequent cases, as required? CJ may be the first but he is unlikely to be the last. Anyone who is willing to follow the legal process all the way through for any free speech, medical or other non-compliance issue should be backed all the way.
I keep asking the question, what is our Plan B? What do we do when our respective countries require Substack to crack down on free speech. It WILL happen, but do we have a contingency? Are we willing to organise pro-actively for what probably comes next? A fighting fund would be a good start.
Though I cannot donate, I have requested to Kontrafunk radio that they do a Reportage on your case!
CJ - I support very few things financially - but this situation irks me. Obviously I don't know you personally, but your writings have been integral to my understanding of the world these past few years.
This certainly feels like a friend of mine is being unjustly treated and a donation to support your battles will be sent...
I won't sign up for PayPal (for some reason it is requiring me to sign up...for other payments through them for various suppliers I use, I've simply been able to do so with my credit card without having to actually sign up...not sure if that is a setting you could change?)...also the only option on the substack subscription for additional funding is double the annual and not any amount we choose.
Also, if anyone can suggest/has access to Jeff Childers over at the Coffee and Covid substack to do a multiplier for CJ, that would be fantastic!
I just subscribed to your substack to help you fight the anti-Nazi neo-Nazis that are out for your head "pour encourager les autres". We are all "les autres" now, and your willingness to fight this fight not only for yourself but for the rest of us is both admirable and encouraging to those of us out here in Kafkaville. May God bless you and sustain you in this fight.
Just sent you a small direct transfer via my Wise account. My first donation since the Canadian truckers, which, unfortunately, they were not allowed to receive (in the name of freedom and democracy, I'm sure). We've got your back, CJ.
Hi CJ. Since I am currently subscribed, I just increased the amount thru substack and it worked. I also would suggest perhaps Give Send Go, not the woke Go Fund Me where people donating to Canadian truckers discovered their censorship. Don't really know how it works, since you're in Germany but possibly worth an investigation.
Even though I do not know you personally, much of your writing does speak to me. I am sure we have our differences (which we could learnedly or not so learnedly debate) but much of our core thoughts would intersect. And isn't that how human discourse should function without recriminations, judgment or cancel-culturing? Unfortunately, that's not the current climate. We're heading for that dystopian Orwellian world that most probably over 90% of the population would not want if they could see the end result. I am constantly amazed at the total lack of understanding people have of the consequences of their world views. But then it has probably been that way throughout history.
It is painful to see this all playing out. The injustices are piling up faster than we can react to them. Our representatives are failing us regardless of where we live. Money, power and control are the be-all and end-all. And the workers of the world are threatened with their livelihoods if they resist. But then, changing jobs in a free country has always been a right. Now, I am not sure.
I hope to meet you some day and have that drink, preferably drinks. Love the beer and wine there. My best to you
Trust me. You trial will be over before we have access to the Gestapo files from the Landesarchiv NRW. So you, as the (the follwoing IS sarcasm!) sodded feregnor that you are, will feell the full brunt of the German legal system. Whereas someone like Günter Hellwing, head of the Gestapo in Marseille, responsible for the death of thousands and the destruction of the old city center of Marseille, after WWII head of the Kriminalpolizei in Mühlheim an der Ruhr, sentenced to death in absentia in 1954 by military tribunal in Marseille, member of the Landtag in NRW and in 1958 member of the federal committee of the SPD, can be sure that his membership files to the Gestapo will be blocked from public view until 2036! And no, the part about Günter Hellwing is not a joke. See here: https://www.archive.nrw.de/archivsuche?link=VERZEICHUNGSEINHEIT-Vz_e779ed00-0145-4a5e-803f-faff7f959ff9 (also here: https://archive.org/details/nrw-archiv-gestapo-akten-gesperrt-bis-2036) but also here: https://www.landtag.nrw.de/home/der-landtag/abgeordnete-und--fraktionen/die-abgeordneten/ehemalige-abgeordnete/abgeordnetendetail.html?k=00452
I would like to donate, but I boycott PayPal (because they censor free speech). I don't want to do an annual subscription but instead just donate a one-time amount to you. Can you possibly set that up in your "upgrade to paid" options? Or could you set up a "Buy Me A Coffee" where I can periodically donate? Good luck, C.J. I look forward to donating to your future "get out of Germany" fund as well.
I share your posts where I can, which is limited because one finds oneself in a sea of ignoramuses, nonintrrested, dissent haters or just insifference(!), that's not to mention the nonsympatjy if not apathy, even caustic sarcastic antipathy of exactly the Jewish liberal Dem or just TDS set I left behind. But finances or not, THIS Ami in Berlin and his Berliner wife stand 100% with and behind you. €50,- are going out today to your fund. Gott stehe Dir bei.
Hallo CJ, or Christopher,
I hereby pledge 100 euros. I am 'enjoying' a small but steady pension, at least as long as those blasted CBDC's woin't go into effect. I'll make the payment by Sept 1st.
We met all to briefly in Berlin, but it was worth it nonetheless.
Pim
"N.B. If the balance of my Legal Defense Fund somehow ends up exceeding my legal costs at the end of the day, the surplus will be reallocated to my “Get the Hell out of Germany” Fund."
Finally. Get the **** out of Germany now, before it's too late. How sad for you personally, and how revolting to watch the Germans make the same mistakes they made almost a century ago.
"Of course, there’s a chance I could prevail, but, the way things are going, it seems pretty clear that the German authorities are determined to make an example of me, the rule of law be damned."
Duh. Funny how quickly the self-proclaimed Defenders Of Human Rights jettison Muh Rule Of Law that they so claim to treasure.
For that matter, swastikas aplenty can be found among the neonazi paramilitaries fighting for the Kiev regime, but Germany pays these swastikas no mind. To be fair, they recently did have to remind these Stalwart Defenders Of European Values that they weren't supposed to display their nazi regalia openly while on training with the Bundeswehr.
The level of irony of the charges is beyond my ability to satirize, but that's your shtick and I'm glad you're shticking to it. I'm sure your readers understand the irony. Sadly, it's all part of the New Normal. I was hoping for this post, as I was wanting to assist in some fashion. It's great that Matt and company are willing to cover the fine, though I hope you beat the rap in the end. My reason for helping is personal: I have family in Germany, and I like visiting them, and I want Germany to be a place I don't mind visiting. They'll likely be there for many more years, so this is also for them. Your willingness to take the fight to the State warrants all the help it can get. I will do what little I can to support your defense and/or relocation fund.