ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the Covid conspiracy theories that emerged in the German-speaking countries. Since Austrian and Swiss conspiracy theorists mostly rely on German websites and alternative news channels (and since most polls have been conducted in Germany), the focus of the chapter will be on Germany. In a first step, I show how these conspiracy theories emerged during February and March 2020 and discuss why most conspiracy theorists in these countries believe that the virus is quite harmless or does not exist. In addition, I demonstrate that most German Covid conspiracy theories are not new. Instead, the pandemic is usually imagined as the latest strategies in a plot that has been going on for a considerable time. In a second step, I will discuss the development of the protest movement Querdenken that has been staging demonstrations since late spring 2020 (first against the restrictions in general, then against making vaccinations obligatory). I show that conspiracy theories are the kit that holds the movement together and discuss how proponents of the far right and populist politicians are trying to exploit the protests for their purposes. By way of conclusion, I address the often alarmist reactions that these highly visible conspiracy theories have sparked. I discuss how the German discourse is heavily influenced by the memory of the Third Reich and how this makes it at times difficult to react to the challenge the protests pose appropriately.
