Alexander Tschugguel, a renowned Austrian Catholic activist and founder of St. Boniface Institute, said: "The more people resist right now, the more people stop joining this whole madness, the better it is for us."
Austria entered a nationwide lockdown on Monday, November 22, that could last for three weeks as the government announced its plan to order all eligible Austrians aged 12 and up to get vaccinated by February 1, 2022, or face fines or imprisonment.
There are still around two million Austrians who choose not to get vaccinated – a significant number for a country with a population of only nine million. (Related: Chancellor says Austria lockdown imminent as COVID-19 cases surge, despite mass vaccinations.)
The alpine nation imposed a lockdown on unvaccinated citizens a week earlier, forbidding them to attend "nonessential" public venues. However, the measure showed no effect on the spread of the virus. As COVID cases continue to rise, even harsher measures were implemented – measures that are previously unimaginable in democracies.
Tschugguel described the experience as being a "second-class citizen." While the situation itself was unusual, he found a good side to it, saying that the common challenge brought people together.
"I found out that I'm not the only one. My whole circle of friends, lots of people from my family,?my best friends, their families and so on, are all on our side –?[including] the ones who are vaccinated. As this is such an outrageous terror?which is being pushed on us,?many people understand that it is wrong," he said.
Tschugguel also noted that for a couple of weeks, unvaccinated people were banned from attending most public places to the point that even buying Christmas presents became a problem. He stated that unvaccinated individuals were only allowed to go buy "essential things."
The rules were being enforced by the police, whose manpower has significantly expanded to ensure that the unvaccinated are not violating lockdown rules. Moreover, the fines are incredibly high for those who broke lockdown rules.
Old fines were at €500 ($562.2), but the government increased it to €1,500 (1,686.6). Given that the average income in Austria is less than €2,000 ($2,248.8), most cannot afford to pay such exorbitant fees.
"This is about one average monthly income for a normal working man –?that's obviously before paying rent and so on, so it’s not affordable for [most] people," Tschugguel noted.
The measure would also violate the country's constitution, but Tschugguel believes the establishment will "work its way around the Constitution a little bit."
He also cited a case where the European Court of Human Rights ruled earlier this year that legally enforced vaccinations are a "necessary measure" in a democratic society and are in the best interest of everyone.
Tschugguel said that this ruling could be used by elites as a legal framework for the COVID-19 vaccination mandates.
When asked about his opposition to COVID vaccines, Tschugguel said that it was unacceptable for him to take them because of their connection to abortions.
"That is something I do not want to ignore here, and I know that many people who do not fight the anti-abortion fight do not really understand this argument, but if you [are aware of] the whole industry behind it,?you can’t support a?medication, a vaccine, which is based on this terrible children-killing industry; it’s not possible," he said.
He added that vaccines don't work in the way they are usually promised, citing safety issues – especially the proven link between the vaccines and heart issues that can be fatal in younger people.
Read more about the COVID-19 vaccine issues in Austria and elsewhere at Pandemic.news.
Sources include: