Resistance

GERMAR RUDOLF, RESISTANCE IS OBLIGATORYthentic, however, is the following quote of Frederick the Great, whichgoes into the same direction: 274“You need to know that the least of peasants, and what is evenmore, the beggar is just as much a human being as is his majesty,and he has to find justice by that fact that all humans are equal beforethe law; it may be a prince suing the peasant or vice versa, thenthe prince will be equal to the peasant before the law: and in suchaffairs it has to be proceeded purely by justice with no regard to theperson. The justice councils in all provinces have to only complywith this. And wherever they do not go straight forward with justicewithout regard of person or class and put aside natural justness,they shall get in trouble with his royal majesty. A legal councilwhich exercises injustices is more dangerous and worse than a gangof thieves; one can protect oneself against those, but nobody canprotect himself against rogues who use the robes of justice to carryout their vicious passions; they are worse than the biggest scoundrelsin the world and deserve double punishment.”And if you look into the German Penal Code, the maximum sentenceI face here due to alleged incitement of the masses is five years imprisonment,whereas the maximum punishment for false imprisonment byan official is ten years. Here you have Frederick’s double punishment!For the last personality I want to quote here I go back once more toSocrates, who was also the first I have quoted. Socrates had blisteringlycriticized the warfare of the generals of democratic Athens againstSparta and had consequently been indicted for high treason. In his defensespeech, before he had to drink the famous cup of hemlock, hestated the following, among other things: 275“I am the gadfly that God has attached to this city […], and allday long and in all places I am always fastening upon you, arousingand persuading and reproaching you. You would not readily findanother like me, and therefore I should advise you to spare me… Ifyou strike at me, […] and rashly put me to death, then you will remainasleep for the rest of your lives, unless God in his care sendsyou another gadfly.”274 Bruno Frank, Friedrich der Große als Mensch im Spiegel seiner Briefe, Deutsche Buch-Gemeinschaft, Berlin 1926, p. 99.275 Apologia, Sec. 30e/3la; quoted acc. to Karl R. Popper, The Open Society…, op. cit. (note 70),vol. 1, p. 194.214