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SPIEGEL: Mr. Strobl, the demos of “lateral thinkers” are worrying politics and the police. Are Corona’s critics a case for the protection of the constitution?
Thomas Strobl: The security authorities have “lateral thinkers” on their radar. A toxic mix is amalgamating: Reich citizens, right-wing extremists, and conspiracy theorists try to infiltrate the demos to use for their own ends. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution must and does monitor it.
SPIEGEL: Conspiracy theorists and crown deniers often join forces on social media and spread false information. Can you do something about it?
Strobl: Just as the fundamental right to freedom of assembly is protected, so is freedom of expression. You can spread any nonsense, you can criticize the government. Of course, the Internet is not a loophole. The penal code applies. If crimes are committed online, that is a case for our security authorities.
SPIEGEL: They want stubborn quarantine objectors to be forcibly detained. What should such measures bring?
Strobl: It is about protecting the general public from people who voluntarily agree to infect others with a life-threatening disease. I’m not interested in decent people who go to the quarantined glass waste container to get something, but stubborn and unreasonable quarantine breakers. There is a clear legal position for this, the Infection Protection Act. I want us to take the law seriously and enforce it. The state should not stand aside with a shrug of the shoulders. That we could jeopardize the acceptance of the population’s measures. And I’m glad that we in state government have now agreed to put these dangerous people, not crowds, but individual, inconsiderate and certainly dangerous people, in a closed hospital.
SPIEGEL: But these are isolated cases. Have you ever had hard figures on how many infected citizens actually refuse to quarantine?
Strobl: Yes, this is not a mass phenomenon. But local authorities tell us that these dangerous objectors exist in many places. We have to answer the question: what to do with them? Stubborn quarantine breakers must be separated. Where exactly should be determined now. The Minister of Social Affairs will now give a quick reply.
SPIEGEL: The Corona application is widely considered ineffective. Do you use the application yourself?
Strobl: Of course. Since it has existed.
SPIEGEL: Could it be more effective if data protection is relaxed?
Strobl: The application is a first step, but it has weaknesses. That there, for example, does not work from the beginning in our neighboring countries, it was bad. We have open borders. Fortunately, this deficiency has been largely remedied. If we do 150 percent data protection, but don’t exhaust digital possibilities, that’s not good for infection protection. I don’t want the South Korean conditions, but certain changes are needed. The application needs to be improved. In restaurants, for example, we might keep lists for ourselves if people voluntarily sign up using the app. Then you can make people’s lives easier.
SPIEGEL: Keyword open borders: In March they were closed due to the location of Corona. So you were one of the drivers. Can the time come when the borders have to be closed again?
Strobl: Nobody in Europe wants to close the borders again. It was very difficult for us to convince the Europeans in spring. Of course, it was right and necessary to protect human life. In any case, I do not see this measure at this time because our situation is different from that of spring, and we should do everything possible to ensure that border closures are not necessary again.
