In what represents a breakthrough for public debate in Germany, the chairman of the Social Democrats’ parliamentary group, Rolf Mützenich, in remarks at the party’s special Debate Convention on Nov. 5, mentioned the “terror list” of the Ukraine Center for Combating Disinformation (CCD) which the Kiev regime had included him among the 70-odd names of “info terrorists.” That fact had been known to the government and the party already months ago, but a veil of silence covered it over. Mützenich’s remarks compelled the media now to mention the existence of that blacklist, and compelled the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to instantly issue an angry official denial that there was no “terror list” and that Mützenich was not under investigation or being harassed for anti-Ukrainian activities. It did not come as a surprise, that, the Germany’s ARD television tried to play down the CCD’s role, reporting on the one hand that it is subordinate to Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) and is thus a government agency, adding on the other hand that “however, it cannot issue sanctions against individuals. It currently accuses more than 90 representatives of politics, media, academia, and entertainment of spreading narratives consistent with Russian propaganda. They are all on the now well-known list”—when did the ARD ever report it before?—”but it is currently unavailable.” (The latest list seems to have been removed as of this weekend.) ARD took the side of the Kiev regime, reporting that Ukraine sees itself in an information war, as CCD and NSDC say—and it is trying to win it. The “Center for Combating Disinformation” is just one “countermeasure.”
ARD, in fact no German media reports outside EIRNS, does not report statements such as CCD director Andriy Shapovalov on July 14, the date of CCD’s first list, in which he called those named as Russian propagandists “terrorists,” who should be prosecuted. A March 28, 2022 CCD document stated outright, “Information terrorism is a crime against humanity,” and proceeds to describe its function as part of the NSDC: “Pursuant to this, it is obligatory to designate a list of individuals sponsoring information terrorism.” The “private” information war list on the Myrotvorets site, which exchanges data with NSDC/CCD, publishes the private information of those named on its list. In April 2015 a Ukrainian member of parliament and two journalists on that list were murdered. Their names are still on the list, but with the word “Liquidated” in red slashed across their photos. On Aug. 20, 2022, Russian journalist Darya Dugina was killed when her car blew up in downtown Moscow. (https://larouchepub.com/graphics/2022/4934/lg/dugina_darya_Myrotvorets_list.jpg )
This certainly is not the end of the affair, since Mützenich has been a longtime personal ally of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, having intervened several times already in public against aggressive pro-Ukrainian/anti-Russian and Chancellor-critical statements from the warhawk Greens. He just did so again on Nov. 4, in an interview with Deutschlandfunk public radio, defending Scholz’s visit to China against Green critics as a “window of opportunity” for such a visit, which had to be utilized. As Mützenich said, in recent months Scholz and Party leader and Chinese President Xi Jinping had already had several video calls, but the German Chancellor thinks that there was an urgent need for direct exchange, including in view of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
In the interview Mützenich then lashed out against the Greens’ Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock who stated her opposition to Scholz’s trip to China and reminded him of the coalition agreement which envisions new restrictive guidelines for China policies. Mützenich called Baerbock’s remarks “rude” and “unprecedented.” Dressing down the Green politician this way, is also unprecedented for the coalition government which Social Democrat Scholz has with the Greens.
