Stichting Trustfonds Rijksakademie

Corona Rebels, [48:28 min], 2020, film stills, Since spring 2020, more and more people with different political backgrounds have been demonstrating every week against the official sanctions to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The “Corona Rebels”, for example, consider themselves defenders of civil liberty and reject masks and compulsory vaccinations. Instead, they trust in the healing powers of nature and alternative medicine. As a form of protest they use meditation, which they see as an alternative to escalation. From the very beginning, not only esoterics and fans of Jesus, Gandhi and Mandela have been present at their rallies, but also conspiracy ideologists and right-wing extremists. The German imperial war flag is waving beside the rainbow flag; hippies in colourful robes dance barefoot next to black dressed neo-Nazis. What does concern for oneself, freedom and social responsibility mean to them? What unites them, what drives them, how do they organise themselves? Who are they allying themselves with? How democratic are they, what kind of political system do they want? And what role do QAnon and the “Reichsbürger” movement play?

• Zauri Matikashvili
• 2020