‘The New Normal Reich’ with C.J. Hopkins

In a 49-minute episode of The Gold Report, award-winning playwright, novelist, and political satirist C.J. Hopkins joins Dr. Simone Gold to talk about his legal ordeal in Germany, where he was prosecuted for allegedly disseminating pro-Nazi propaganda after tweeting the satirical cover of his book The Rise of the New Normal Reich. The cover, which mimicked Nazi imagery to criticize authoritarian COVID-19 measures, led to Amazon Germany banning his book Fear and Loathing in the New Normal Reich, as well as a long legal battle. Hopkins was initially acquitted, then convicted upon the state’s appeal, and his case is now pending before Germany’s Supreme Court.

Hopkins and Gold show how the selective enforcement of hate speech laws is a hallmark of modern tyranny, turning lawful dissent into a criminal act. They warn of a global drift toward “pathologized totalitarianism,” which portrays political opponents as mentally unwell or dangerous people. They discuss the way public health emergencies, especially during COVID, became a powerful vehicle for controlling populations under the guise of safety by drawing parallels between Germany’s strict post-WWII speech laws and the U.S. government’s growing tendency to weaponize legal systems against dissenters. It’s time to take small, courageous steps to resist censorship and authoritarian overreach.