As shown in my previous article here, the supposed French ‘Pfizer Law’, which social media got so excited about last week, makes no mention whatsoever of mRNA vaccines and could certainly not be used, under any reasonable interpretation of the text, to criminalise criticism of them. But this is not to say that it has nothing to do with the COVID-19 response and the criminalisation of medical dissent. It has everything to do with the latter. But the actual target of the law is not vaccine criticism, but rather the touting of alternative therapies, as personified by Didier Raoult, the specialist in infectious diseases from Marseille who famously promoted the off-label use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19.
The law is, if anything, an ‘anti-Raoult law’.
This was evident in the debates in the French National Assembly which preceded the vote on the legislation. Thus, Olivier Véran, who was the French Minister of Health from 2020 to 2022, during the official course of the COVID-19 pandemic, took the opportunity to launch into a tirade against Raoult, denouncing him as a “guru” and a “charlatan” and insisting that “the misuse of hydroxychloroquine has taken far more lives than it has saved”. Véran recently returned to the National Assembly as a deputy following a cabinet reshuffle.
Véran also did indeed make a link with vaccination. Alluding to Marseille’s central La Canebière boulevard, he asked, “How many sick people in France will refuse a protective vaccine because they are locked in their false beliefs by the ambiguous statements of the charlatan of La Canebière?” This recalls the original context in which the off-label use of drugs like hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin first became an issue, since if effective treatment for COVID-19 were available and acknowledged, after all, no emergency or ‘conditional’ authorisation of experimental vaccines against it would have been needed.
But note Veran’s reference to people who are already sick. This reflects the wording of the relevant section of the legislation, which, as discussed and reproduced in my previous article, refers to persons already “suffering from a medical condition” and hence has no relevance to vaccination of healthy people against potential disease.
But why would someone who is already sick need the protection of a vaccine? Véran’s formulation appears to allude to the most common current recommendations for the use of COVID-19 vaccines in Europe, i.e. strictly for ‘at-risk’ populations like the elderly or persons who are immunocompromised due precisely to an existing medical condition.
This is in fact the only conceivable circumstance under which, given the wording of the legislation, someone might indeed incur criminal liability by advising against, for instance, vaccination against COVID-19: namely, if the advice is given to someone who is already suffering from a different illness and for whom, according to “the current state of medical knowledge”, not being protected against COVID-19 could have serious consequences.
But since there are many who appear to be determined to somehow salvage the original false reports on the so-called ‘Pfizer law’, let it be noted that even in this circumstance there would be nothing to prevent a medical practitioner or anyone else from still advising against the use of a specifically mRNA vaccine. Non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, like Novavax and Valneva, are also now available in the EU.
Véran’s use of the term “guru” to refer to Raoult is particularly significant and by no means accidental. As likewise discussed in my previous article, the legislation in question is in fact devoted to “sectarian tendencies”, but its effect is precisely to extend the notion of a “sect” to non-religious contexts.
Thus, the law is commonly presented as an initiative of Sabrina Agresti-Roubache, a sub-ministerial member of the French Government, and Agresti-Roubache has coined the expression “gurus 2.0” to describe the phenomenon it is supposed to combat. “More and more small groups and ‘gurus 2.0’ are federating real communities of followers online,” she warned in her speech to the National Assembly the day before the vote.
Agresti-Roubache would again take the floor the next day, after Véran’s speech, but she would say nothing about Raoult. And then it was the turn of Marine Le Pen of the opposition National Rally (the former National Front), who would vigorously defend him. “So, let’s talks about Professor Raoult,” she began. “Tell me: weren’t there some ministers who were treated by Dr. Raoult? … Wasn’t there a President of the Republic who went to pay homage to Professor Raoult? And now you’re dragging him in the mud.”
What member of the Government was Le Pen referring to? Well, believe it or not, none other than the Sub-Minister for Citizenship Sabrina Agresti-Roubache! In March 2020, Agresti-Roubache fell sick with Covid and was treated by Raoult with hydroxychloroquine. Agresti-Roubache, who is from Marseille, was still a private citizen at the time. She credited Raoult’s treatment with making her symptoms disappear virtually overnight!
A contemporaneous interview with Agresti-Roubache on the topic can be found here. Three weeks later, French President Emmanuel Macron would make a surprise visit to Raoult at the professor’s hospital in Marseille, afterwards describing him as a “great scientist”.
Robert Kogon is the pen name of a widely-published journalist covering European affairs. Subscribe to his Substack and find him on Bluesky.
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“Knave can’t see Queens because of Queen”.
Reminds me of that headline about “Queen in brawl at [Crystal] Palace”! In all honesty though, the footballing authorities have long been a bunch of numpties. People can’t drink alcohol within site of the pitch at matches (though if they go into the club bar or watch the same match in a pub, it’s alright). I’ll just say this decision on cancelling should have been left up to individual clubs, or possibly leagues. It does seem heavy handed that even very junior leagues have to cancel games. It also seems odd that horse racing went ahead as usual today. Were the St. Leger’s Classic being disrespectful? Hardly likely.
So far as I’m concerned, segregation should be ended at football matches, and all-seating requirements abolished in line with other sports, and anyone who causes serious problems should be locked up. We can’t be living in fear of ruddy hooligans, and segregation should not be something for a civilised society. If football supporters were treated like civilised people, perhaps they might behave in a more civilised way.
Totally agree. Idiotic.
And of course she was a big fan of horse racing. The last thing she would want to happen is for the races to stop; it’s good that they carried on.
This is just another example of over-arching control from the state and institutions.
Respect comes from inside the individual, like responsibiity. It is not created or imposed from outside. If people wish to show respect, they should be left alone to do it in whatever way that they think fit.
Yep, football is for the commoners and they must bow and pay their respects in the way they are told. It is these very people that the elites fear the most – the dirty masses coming together and seeing through all their bullshit. They MUST be reminded of who they are and who is in charge; they know that without that authority power will be back in the hands of the people.
What about all those people who rely on football matches to make a living: the pie men, sandwich makers, the breweries?
What about those who get a little income top-up when matches are on: the casual club staff like stewards, the taxi drivers, café owners, the pubs?
Some people almost live for their weekend football yet it was allegedly taken away in order, allegedly, to show a mark of respect to a 96 year old dead woman!
Do me a favour. Even if the instruction to cancel came from the footballing authorities let’s not pretend that some leaning wasn’t carried out from government “representatives.” A deliberate decision to inflict further miseries on working people and basically to rile them. Obviously it has riled Toby and I fully understand why even though I have negligible interest in the game. Other sports were allowed to proceed but not the footy.
Why?
Are we seriously expected to believe that footballing authorities don’t talk to other sporting bodies?
More rubbing the noses of the working people in the dirt:
Just look you plebs, we can even take away your weekly circus. Doubtless, shortly to be followed by their daily bread.
Am I being over the top? Maybe but these days I wouldn’t put ANYTHING past TPTB.
Evil barstewards.
Football was cancelled for the same reason that Footvall was one of the first places where pro-Ukraine, anti-Russia propaganda appeared – almost within hours of the Russian invasion, the place where ludicrous “anti-racism” rituals take place, the place where pro LGBT propaganda is displayed.
Football is very much an instrument of the establishment. It is a powerful instrument of communication and manipulation.
Football has the claws of the establishment elites deeply sunk into its skin and is used for whatever purpose is required.
On this occasion, the plebs need to be persuaded of the awesome power of the monarchy, in case anyone is thinking this is a good time to pursue republican ideals.
Don’t forget BLM [inc] (not to be mistaken with anti-racism, i.e: ‘Respect’ in the footie world) which to this day is still pandered to with this imported display of kneeling. “The crowd boos”. “Oh, it’s normal – they’re just a bunch of white supremo racists.” Er, no!!! They’re anti-Marxist grifters making money off the suffering of an ethnic group – and spending their ill-gotten gains on million dollar exclusive properties and claiming it as.. “a space for Black folks to share their gifts with the world and hone their crafts”. Yeah ok, whatever.)
Oh forgive me. I missed your “anti-racism” ritual mention. Was distracted and didn’t see anything other than the big caps letter acronym.
Pretty sure one would not have approved of this decision.
The last 3 stages of the Cycling Tour of Britain were cancelled too! I was well miffed…
Relating to priorities following the death of an elderly relative. A fair number of years ago, a Welsh family lost a beloved Grandma on the Wednesday before the Ireland v Wales 5 Nations match in Dublin. As the family all had tickets, Grandma included, they decided to go to the match as that would be the most fitting way of honouring Grandma’s memory.
Apparently Grandma would have been furious if the tickets had been wasted!!!
Ever come face to face with an irate Welsh Grandma? I do not recommend it!
The decision by the PL and EFL was very quickly announced. I think they probably wanted to be ‘ahead on the virtue signalling’, and didn’t appreciate that they would be on their own (pretty much).
One thing they can decree, please, is for the ‘taking of the knee to be ended. We have already witnessed the disgusting spectacle of a minutes silence for Prince Phillip, a man who faithfully served this nation for 70 plus years, being followed by players taking the knee for a dead drug addict and criminal from 4000 miles away. Please, not for our beloved Queen. Black arm band, silence, belt out ‘God save the King’ and get on with the game.
https://youtu.be/uHqgvWivkyY
I wonder if this Next Tuesday Warrior had anything to do with cancelling the footy?
It was just another way for “the Elites” to signal their superiority and their fear/disdain of “the lower orders.”
It’ll probably get called a mistake, like every one of the countless other major assaults on our traditions/normality over the last few years.
Once again you mistake incompetence and mistakenness for a deliberately malevolent act by the football authorities who take their orders from elsewhere. For reasons which are obvious to many, football high ups do not wish the fans to experience any sense of unity, national pride, togetherness. Rather the promotion of division and uber wokery is their only mantra. Consider how quickly the footie was used to aid and abet the lockdown nonsense, QR codes for little kids going to play in their Sunday leagues. They had the plan long before we had the sniffles: discuss.