It all starts with a book written by ex-New York Times reporter Alex Berenson – who is known in the United States as one of the strongest opponents of containment measures. He has just published a short 22-page compendium, entitled “Unreported Trhuth about COVID-19 and Lockdowns”. This brings together official statistics from many countries and draws on “serious” sources to “offer clear, concise and measured answers to some of the most important questions around the coronavirus”.
Elon Musk Rescue Containment Critic
In particular, according to the author “How are the deaths of COVID counted?” How many Americans are likely to die in the worst-case scenario? What evidence is there that containment works to reduce the spread of the disease? Are masks effective in reducing spread? Why did the hospitalization forecasts turn out to be wrong? Are children at serious risk? What is the impact of confinement on mental health? “, As can be read on the back cover.
And the author adds: “whether you are skeptical of media panic or just starting to wonder why the apocalypse planned for March and April did not take place, this guide will give you the most factual information, reliable, and impeccably sourced you need. ” The first volume of the book was to be published this Friday. However, everything did not go as planned since Alex Berenson saw the publication of his book initially refused by Amazon.
The platform informed him of his decision via a short email. Amazon explains that the book “does not comply with [Amazon’s] rules. Consequently, we will not offer your book for sale ”. The message goes on to add: “Due to the changing nature of information around the COVID-19 virus, we are redirecting our customers to official health sources for the virus. Please consider removing all references to COVID-19 from this book. “
Amazon repairs its “error” in the process
The reason obviously did not satisfy the author who was moved by it on Twitter. A post quickly noticed by Elon Musk himself. He gives him strong support in a series of tweets. Elon believes that Amazon’s decision is “insane”, and ends up launching a few tweets later “it’s time to dismantle Amazon. Monopolies are wrong! “. A few hours later, miracle: the firm of Jeff Bezos was confused with an apology, and ensures that the censorship of the book was a mistake. It has since been available in paper and Kindle versions.
Elon Musk’s support for critics of containment measures is nothing new. It must be said that the entrepreneur did not really appreciate the containment set up in California where his main Tesla factory is located. And especially the red tape to lift these restrictive measures and return to a normal production rate as quickly as possible. Elon Musk then decided to reopen his factory in defiance of California containment measures.
In fact, he had received the unlikely support of the American president. As the risk of a second wave of epidemic infections looms, Elon Musk already seems to have chosen sides. At a minimum, it will be that of freedom of expression. What do you think of Elon Musk’s latest release on the subject? Share your opinion in the comments.
Today @amazon refused to publish my booklet about the coronavirus because it “did not comply” with their (undisclosed) guidelines. This is outrageous censorship from a company that has gained hugely from lockdowns – and dominates the US book market, especially with stores closed! pic.twitter.com/eQYI9CMhUX
— Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) June 4, 2020