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June 13, 2021 - Epoch Times
10:58
Many in Scientific Community Fell Into Communist China's Trap—Laura Harth on Wuhan Lab Leak Theory
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The Wuhan lab leak theory, this is something that has basically been verboten for the past year.
If you talked about it, you were some sort of tinfoil hat conspiracy theorist.
So how is this viewed in Europe and by media in Europe, this Wuhan lab leak theory that has completely shifted in North America?
Well, I think in general when you think about Europe, the European Union in particular, obviously not the UK anymore.
The UK is quite ahead of the European Union, but usually what we see is you have the US charting a new course, a new understanding, then you have the UK following shortly and then the EU will finally catch up, but it takes a bit more time.
So I think it's been two weeks now that, for example, in Italy, it's okay-ish to talk about this and some media are talking about it and giving some attention.
But exactly as you said, even a month ago, you know, you were crazy if you talked about this.
And I mean, I do agree.
I think we're all serious people.
I don't like conspiracy theories.
So I think we always have to be very prudent and, you know, follow the science, not come up with crazy theories.
The issue was never allowed to be discussed, right?
Even within the scientific communities.
I mean, the few people that did, I've been following, for example, Jamie Metzl for quite a while since last year, just because he makes sense to me.
You know, this was not a crazy guy talking about conspiracy theories.
This was just a guy saying, okay, there's a scientific principle, which is called Occam's razor.
So we need to look at every single option and probably, you know, what is the most simple explanation is that it actually accidentally leaked from this lab.
That would be the most logical explanation.
So obviously he said, and this is over a year ago, that doesn't mean that that's what happened, but it does mean it's something that at least needs to be discussed and investigated, right?
I think we need to keep working, obviously aware of the fact that the CCP is never going to give us the truth.
They're never going to give us the access necessary to really be sure.
And this is, if you want, in a way very similar, for example, to how they are dealing with the Uyghur issue, the Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang.
Their favorite course of defense is, well, you are not here.
You are not able to verify.
All your reports are based on, you know, hearsay or fake testimonies or presupposition.
And on the other hand, obviously, we have our friendly friends, journalists and politicians and whoever that are here and that are, you know, painting a very rosy picture of what's actually going on.
And so, again, we see this double strategy Which makes it very hard, obviously, for people, I think, who try to do a serious job.
And I think there's so many researchers out there trying to do a serious job, whether it's on Xinjiang, on Tibet, on COVID. And their work is basically being made almost impossible.
And I think the worst thing is when people from within the scientific community use the kind of strategies that the CCP has put in place to discredit those people as not being serious.
Because I think These people themselves are the first to say, look, these are the issues we have.
These are the limits, the limitations being put on our research.
So obviously, you know, there are some issues there.
But the fact that people are falling into the trap of what the CCP strategy is, I think is the most baffling of all.
I think for over a year, many of us, me, I was scared, you know, to even utter the theory.
Because as soon as you would have uttered it, even as just, you know, this is a possible thing, can we discuss it, please?
What are the issues?
You would be discredited, and that meant that a lot of the rest of what you were doing would be discredited as well.
So that's a kind of censorship, a very effective show of censorship by the Chinese Communist Party and their foreign votes.
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It's really astounding and And I think COVID is just one example.
Of course, the idea—I think the CCP really hates serious consideration of the idea that it could have escaped from the Wuhan lab because it wants to paint itself as this benevolent success case in the whole COVID-19 pandemic, debacle, whatever you want to call it.
There's so many other areas where I think it's employing exactly the same strategy it seems to have employed with coronavirus.
Yeah, exactly.
I mean, the censorship is complete and the allergy of the Chinese Communist Party to any kind of criticism, any kind of critical question is huge.
I mean, going back to where we started, if you see that they are Asking providers to shut down websites that are not even accessible in China.
I don't know how much reach these kind of websites really have.
How they are going after individuals, researchers, insulting them just maybe because they expressed an opinion that the CCP does not like.
I find it hallucinating at times because it shows how scared they are really of any possible criticism.
And I think abroad, but it also shows how scared they are inside.
Because obviously, I think one of the things that we have seen that has moved the Chinese people, let's say the majority, you know, those, well, not the majority, but just happy few that do actually live a pretty good life as long as obviously they respect the rules of the Chinese Communist Party.
But one of the things that has moved them in the past are this kind of social issues, right?
Health issues, environmental issues.
So obviously, if the thesis of the lab leak would be confirmed, that might potentially be disastrous for Beijing, right?
And it's unfortunate, actually, because, I mean, over the past year, I think none of us had ever learned anything about these gain-of-function experiments that have not only been going on in China, but, you know, they've been, especially in the US, they've been going on for quite a long time.
There were some investigations, there were some Questions being raised and I think it's very interesting.
I campaign a lot on the right to know as well as a new human right that we need to affirm and actually learning about what these labs have been doing all over the world and what the dangers are because these kind of leaks have happened in the US as well.
They've happened in other countries and obviously it's bad anywhere but the worst thing you can do is try and cover it up.
And so it's been an interesting exercise, but unfortunately I think it also shows how from the SARS, when was the SARS pandemic?
2003, does that sound right?
Yeah, 2003, that sounds right.
I think it also shows you how the regime has actually worsened.
Because obviously at the time of SARS, they did not deal with it in an ideal way.
But there was more openness.
Whereas, you know, some 15 years later, we see that it's really closed down even more.
And so I think they're very afraid of what might come out.
And obviously, if it would come out that it was a lab leak, so much more, how was this lab operating?
Why, again, were the international agreements with France, for example, not respected?
Why were the reports from the U.S. on the security issues, not followed up better.
I mean, it opens a box of Pandora, really.
What are the links with the People's Liberation Army?
You know, it kind of goes in depth into what this regime is.
What is it doing?
And how does it operate?
Again, I don't want to go as far, definitely not to, you know, there's people saying, oh, maybe they did it on purpose.
I don't believe they would do such a thing.
I mean, I can't fathom they would do such a thing on purpose, right?
But it shows the danger of such a regime for the whole world, you know?
And sometimes it's weird because people find it so easy to accept that the North Korean regime If they would have access to certain weapons, that this would be a danger to the world, right?
People recognize usually that if Iran had access to nuclear weapons, that would be a danger to the world.
Yet, how is it that the CCP somehow is an exception and that it is acceptable for this regime to have access to this whole range of technologies, to be developing this whole range of technologies without anyone being allowed to ask questions?
And I think that's a fundamental thing that we need to clarify.
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