While living on a potato farm in South Australia, I became friends with Frisa, who owned a small label maker that she used to create name tags for all her belongings. I was impressed by the convenience of the device and decided to buy it for myself. I had the idea to use it to print out my thoughts about the tyrannical nature of Covid and CBDC and display them in various locations around Adelaide. When I finally had the opportunity to put up my printed words and slogans during my holiday, I was surprised to find that the city was already covered in stickers with the signature of “White Rose” and an invitation to join the group. The group had already amassed over 10,000 members at that time and was known for anonymously distributing stickers through mail to resist the oppressive nature of Covid propaganda. Although I had originally just wanted to have fun and express my thoughts, I realized that I was not alone in my desire to speak out against lies and injustice, especially in a city like Adelaide with a diverse student population from all over the world.
The oppressive nature of the government’s response to Covid has been evident to me. At the time, governments around the world had become authoritarian and did not allow for any opposing views on the matter of Covid, whether through academic papers or social media. In fact, those who held opposing views were often labeled as ignorant, stupid, antivaxx, or conspiracy theorists. As a result of this lack of space for opposing views in mainstream media, people have taken to expressing their views in other ways, such as through street gatherings, stickers, and murals.
This White Rose group is inspired by the original White Rose group, which was a group of German students and their philosophy professor who resisted the Nazi regime through non-violent means in the early 1940s. They distributed leaflets calling for active opposition to the Nazis and their policies and also conducted public acts of resistance, such as writing anti-Nazi slogans on buildings and distributing leaflets at the University of Munich. Despite their efforts, the group was arrested and brought before the People’s Court in Berlin, where they received death sentences. It was not until after the war that their efforts were recognized and praised.
The members of the current White Rose group are motivated by the desire to resist tyranny and the “Banality of Evil,” in which people blindly follow orders without considering their moral implications. This includes simple actions such as staying at home and getting vaccinated, as well as more extreme actions such as committing various violence in the name of public safety, much like 1940s Germany. I personally believe that it was important for someone to speak out against tyranny, even if it means facing consequences.
An interesting discovery I made was finding stickers that supported the government and mocked the White Rose stickers. It was humorous to see that some people have become so compliant that they felt the need to fight back against stickers on the street.
I’m going to share a link below, but I want to make it clear that I am not encouraging anyone to vandalize the city. My intention is simply to nurture the spirit of resistance and fight against deception especially in the time of chaos.
The White Rose Telegram: https://t.me/JoinTheWhiteRose
References:
Scholl, Inge, and Arthur R. Schultz. The White Rose: Munich, 1942–1943. Illustrated ed. Paperback, June 15, 1983.
“The White Rose.” Holocaust Research Project, Holocaust Research Project, http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/revolt/whiterose.html.
“The White Rose: Nonviolent Resistance in Nazi Germany.” The History Place, The History Place, 8 July 2013, web.archive.org/web/20130807021833/http://www.historyplace.com/pointsofview/white-rose4.htm.
Vires in Numeris 