Measures against the COVID-19 in Australia: the freedom sacrificed on the health altar?(TO ANALYSE)

Drastic confinements, hi-tech surveillance, violent repression: anxious to adapt to the "new world order", the Australian authorities have taken unique restrictive measures in the world.Without moving Western Chancellery.

"We are a proud liberal democracy.We believe in a world order which fights for freedom ": during its address by videoconference before the general assembly of the UN on September 25, the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison launched in a vibrant plea on the wayof which his country would respect "the rights and freedoms of individuals", and would bear "the dignity and freedom of expression of everyone".A speech after all without surprise on the part of a leader of a Western democracy, but who in the current circumstances takes on a singular dimension, as he comes to face violently on the wall of reality.

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Since the start of the health crisis, Australia, which has targeted a “zero covid” strategy, has constantly had draconian restrictive measures, among the most severe - if not the most severe -in the world.Its containment policy, decided at the level of states, is so unique: the capital Canberra or the city of Alice Springs were thus confined after the discovery...a single positive case.Melbourne, the second most populous city in the country, has been on the way to becoming the most confined city in the world since the start of the epidemic.When the restrictions will be lifted on October 26 if the date is not extended by then, the inhabitants of Melbourne will have spent almost nine months locked up at their home.

Drastic measures applied in an oppressive atmosphere, regularly fueled by the authorities.In Sydney for example, the army was deployed at the end of July to enforce a confinement increasingly criticized by the population.The objective, according to the Minister of Police of the State David Elliott, is to put in step a small minority of inhabitants who think that "the rules do not apply to them".A way of justifying scenes which could also seem surrealist, such as arrest with great fanfare at the end of August of "the number 1 health enemy", an individual to whom he was accused of having refused to isolate himself after a testpositive.

In this research of absolute health security, the authorities have been to initiate ubiquitous recommendations, in particular to avoid conversations as possible."If it is in human nature to engage the conversation with others, to be friendly, it is unfortunately not the time to do it.So even if you meet your neighbor in the shopping center, do not engage the conversation.Now is the time to minimize your interactions with others, ”explained the Health of Health of New South Wales at the end of July, Kerry Chan.The Prime Minister of the State of Victoria for his part announced on August 16 the prohibition to withdraw his mask to have a drink outside: "There will be no mask withdrawal to consume alcohol outdoors,You will no longer be able to remove your mask to drink a cocktail in a public garden or on the way to the tour of the pubs.»»»»

Quarantine camps, facial recognition application

Beyond these unique measures within Western democracies, Australia also stands out for the restrictions put in place on the movements of its international nationals or inside the country.On the one hand, Canberra has simply prohibited its citizens from leaving the territory, with rare exceptions. D'autre part, les Australiens qui rentrent au pays en provenance de l’étranger ou qui voyagent entre différents Etats australiens classifiés en «zone rouge»»»», doivent se soumettre à une quarantaine de 14 jours.If it is normally carried out at the hotel, the city of Darwin was the first to make a camp available that the Australians in the region can favor for this purpose, for 2,500 dollars.

To read the first testimonies published in the Australian mainstream press, the idea of being locked up in a camp rather than in a hotel room would have been well accepted."You can go out to walk 20 minutes a day. Il faut juste garder le masque et une distance de 1,5 mètre avec les gens autour de vous»»»», se réjouissait ainsi une jeune femme, visiblement peu troublée par le fait de disposer d'un temps de promenade plus court que dans la plupart des établissements pénitentiaires.

But on social networks, all testimonies are not as laudatory."The police came to see this woman opposite.Because it was about five seconds between the sips of the tea she was drinking, and she removed her mask.[...] C'est assez intense»»»», racontait pour sa part un jeune homme en se filmant à l'intérieur d'un camp.

Be that as it may, the idea has since been emulated and, a sign that the government does not intend to give up this option in the near future, similar camps are currently under construction in different places in the country, such as Towoomba, or near Melbourne."The forty in a hotel has done a good job but the risk is not low, it is not an environment at zero risk.He has never been and will never be. Des arguments très forts ont été avancés en faveur d'une alternative semblable à celle de Howard spring[à Darwin] – une installation de quarantaine spécialement conçue pour les personnes les plus à risque»»»», déclarait à ce propos en juin James Merlino, vice-Premier ministre de l'Etat de Victoria.

In the State of Australia-Meridional, another project has been set up for the respect of the quarantine, with the vocation of extending to the rest of the country if he is considered a success.Travelers can perform their quarantine at home provided, however, download an application that combines facial recognition and geolocation.The authorities send them SMS at hours - and frequencies - random, following which they have 15 minutes to take a photo of their face where they are supposed to pass their quarantine.If they do not, the police are notified and come to carry out a check. «Nous utilisons[l'application] juste pour vérifier que les gens sont là où ils ont dit qu'ils allaient être pendant la quarantaine à domicile»»»», assurait fin août le Premier ministre de l'Etat Steven Marshall, qui considère que les citoyens devraient être «fiers»»»» de participer à ce projet pilote.

Contestation repression

In this deleterious climate, the whole population does not accept to see individual liberties melt like snow in the sun.Shy at the start of the epidemic, the dispute movements have grown for several weeks.Between people ready to defend their freedoms and the government's close to the government in its health security policy, the situation has inevitably become explosive.

Despite the prohibition of demonstrations, the threat of substantial fines (11,000 Australian dollars) for individuals who call for gatherings on social networks, the arrest of a pregnant woman and then the condemnation of aMan at eight months in prison for this same reason, mobilizations have multiplied, giving rise to more and more frequently at clashes of confrontation.

This is the case in Melbourne, one of the neuralgic centers of the protest - whether against the vaccination obligation in the building sector or the repeated confinements - where many clashes between police and protesters have broken out.With these occasions to say the least, disturbing scenes that have been filmed and widely shared on social networks.

On September 20, for example, a policeman violently pushed a septuagenarian, whose head hit the bitumen, before spraying her with pepper when she found herself on the ground.In a laconic reaction, a police spokesperson simply said he was aware of the incident. «La police s'attendait à une situation très volatile ce week-end et avait vivement conseillé aux gens de s'abstenir de participer aux protestations»»»», a-t-elle déclaré par ailleurs, précisant que six policiers avaient été blessés lors de cette manifestation.

A few days later, on September 23, a man who was calmly chatted with the police was violently planned on the ground by a policeman who came behind his back."We can hear his face hitting the ground. Il était inconscient, il y avait du sang et de l'urine partout»»»», a assuré un témoin, qui a ajouté que cela n'avait pas empêché les policiers de le menotter. Là encore, la police de Victoria a déclaré être au courant de l'incident, qui fait «l'objet d'une enquête»»»» et dont «les circonstances exactes restent à déterminer»»»».

Beyond a questionable use of force by the police in demonstrations, it is also the zeal of the police on the fringes of the mobilizations that challenge.This is how adolescents were violently apprehended for not having worn the mask.

There is also the case of a lady of a certain age arrested in early September when she was simply sitting on a public bench, without mask. «Pour quels motifs suis-je en état d'arrestation ? C'est illégal»»»», peut-on l'entendre dire sur une vidéo diffusée sur les réseaux sociaux.

The reaction of the Victoria police spokesperson, who said he was aware of the incident, had once again been laconic: "Without more details on this incident, such as the time, the date,The place and details of the police officers involved, we are unable to provide other comments.»»»» «D'une manière générale, le fait de ne pas fournir votre nom et vos coordonnées à la police lorsqu'elle pense que vous avez commis ou êtes sur le point de commettre une infraction constitue une infraction»»»», avait toutefois justifié la porte-parole.

The disturbing silence of Western Chancellery

Consequently, a question arises: do these actions respond to a health imperative, do they actually go in the direction of the protection of the health of citizens in the face of the epidemic?

For MP Craig Kelly, leader of the Australian Unified Party of which he is the only representative in Parliament, the answer is clearly no: "The Victoria police are out of control.She acts like a militia, not as a police force.»»»»

But Craig Kelly is very lonely in his criticism of government on the national scene. Le principal parti d'opposition, le Parti travailliste, est en effet aligné sur le Parti libéral de Scott Morrison dans la réprobation du mouvement de contestation des restrictions, régulièrement accusé d'être influencé par les théories dites «complotistes»»»» ou de flirter avec les idées «d'extrême droite»»»».

Questioned by a journalist from the American media CBS on September 26, who wanted to know if the decline in freedoms was a medical necessity, Prime Minister Scott Morrison also considered that the policy of his government had saved lives, and thatSo she was justified."If we had the same mortality rate as the only OECD nations, on average, more than 30,000 additional Australians would have died. Nous avons donc pris des mesures pour sauver des vies»»»», a-t-il assuré, alors que l'Australie a un bilan officiel de 1 256 morts attribués au Covid-19 (dont 174 en dessous de 70 ans) depuis le début de l'épidémie. Il a, au passage, noté que l'Australie et les Etats-Unis étaient des «sociétés différentes»»»», et que Canberra avait eu une approche «pragmatique»»»».

On the side of the Western Chancellery, usually so quick to denounce the non-compliance with the values that she likes to defend in the four corners of the planet, the denunciations of the Australian method are hardly more numerous.However, we dare not imagine what would have been their reaction if these events took place elsewhere in the world, in the off chance in Russia.

Aux Etats-Unis, seuls une poignée de républicains ont élevé la voix, demandant à «faire payer»»»» au gouvernement Morrison ses «flagrantes violations des droits de l'Homme»»»»."What happened in this former colonial outpatient is neither normal nor acceptable. En effet, le gouvernement australien et son appareil sécuritaire ont ouvertement violé les droits les plus fondamentaux de ses citoyens»»»», a ainsi dénoncé le journaliste britannique Ben Kew dans le média conservateur floridien El American, une opinionnotamment partagée par le groupe Republican for national renewal.

The governor of Florida Ron Desantis, who opposed certain restrictive measures of the Biden administration to the principle of freedom, also criticized in very strong terms the situation in Australia, which is said to be "not a free country "»»»."In fact, I wonder why we would still have the same diplomatic relations when they do this.Is Australia freer than Communist China at the moment?I do not know. Le fait même que ce soit une question vous indique que quelque chose a dramatiquement déraillé avec certaines de ces mesures»»»», a-t-il récemment lancé.

But on the side of the Washington Federal Government, silence is in order to put the strategy adopted by Canberra, in full renewal of the Australian-American alliance in the Indo-Pacific region.

En France, en dépit de l'«humiliation»»»» subie dans l'affaire des sous-marins, la problématique est sensiblement la même et Paris ne s'engage pas plus que Washington sur la remise en question de cette stratégie au nom de la défense de certaines valeurs, comme la liberté.

In the land of lights, some of the most restrictive measures set up by Australia even seem to find a certain echo with the political class.Thus in an information report published last July, three French senators delivered their lines of reflection on the responses to be provided in times of crisis: electronic bracelet to control respect for quarantine via control of the state ofHealth via connected objects, frequentations or even transactions, the range of measures envisaged has enough to make Canberra blush.

Si face à la polémique suscitée par le texte les auteurs du rapports se sont empressés de souligner qu'il ne s'agissait que d'un «travail de prospective»»»» et non d'un projet de loi, il n'en demeure pas moins que l'existence même de ce texte montre sans l'ombre d'un doute que ces mesures sont parties intégrantes de la réflexion.

Restrictions of freedom that are there to last?

Noting a recent decrease in the number of cases of COVID-19, the Australian government has just announced a relaxation of restrictions."We can ensure that Australians can go ahead and are not hampered by the rigorous restrictions with which we had to live. Elles ont une date limite de péremption»»»», a ainsi tenté de rassurer le Premier ministre Scott Morrison, le 26 septembre. Il a expliqué que le gouvernement souhaitait «offrir»»»» aux Australiens le retour à leur vie normale à Noël, si le taux de vaccination atteigne les 80% d'ici là.

But for the liberal leader, a return to normal life does not mean a return to life before. Même si les confinements sont levés, certaines restrictions «de bon sens»»»» resteront selon lui en vigueur, comme le port du masque ou le pass sanitaire au motif que les Australiens doivent apprendre à «vivre avec le virus»»»» : «Vous savez, il arrive un moment où vous devez juste passer à autre chose et l'accepter.»»»" Double speech ?

Jouant sur le même registre de l'ambiguïté, le Premier ministre de l'Etat de Nouvelle-Galles du Sud Gladys Berejiklian a présenté le 27 septembre son «plan pour la liberté»»»», avec la levée à la mi-octobre d'un confinement qui dure depuis plus de trois mois.Pubs, restaurants and shops will then be able to reopen...But only to vaccinated customers.The others, according to it, will have to wait until December and a vaccination rate of 90%: "If you want to be able to make a meal with friends and welcome people in your home, you must get vaccinated.»»»"Gladys Berejiklian is not hidden from it," the life of non -vaccinated people will be indefinitely very difficult "»»».

As requested at the federal level, the authorities of the State do not intend with these reopening leave aside the digital monitoring tools. «Nous examinerons à quoi ressemble le traçage des cas contacts dans le nouvel ordre mondial»»»», confiait à ce propos début septembre la médecin en chef de la Nouvelle Galles du Sud, reprenant cette expression très connotée déjà utilisée par le ministre de la Santé de cet Etat au début de l'épidémie, lorsqu'il avait expliqué qu'il était nécessaire de «s'adapter au nouvel ordre mondial»»»».

Freedom yes...But under surveillance and on condition of carrying a mask, having a health pass and being vaccinated against the COVVI-19.Would the Australian example be the crying testimony of the collapse of one of the founding pillars of Western democracies?

Frédéric Aigouy

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