Peter Mertens: ‘The TV channels are playing a dangerous game’ – Belgium

The opposition is barely discussed in this corona crisis, according to research by the University of Antwerp that scrutinized the newsreels of VRT and VTM. It makes Peter Mertens (PVDA) angry, he says The Sunday: ‘That is unworthy even of a democracy. What do our channels want? That we all follow the great leader? ‘

According to the Antwerp research, the opposition only gets 2 percent of the speaking time during the crisis, while that is normally about 10 to 15 percent. ‘I am shocked by the investigation,’ says Mertens. ‘We were the second winner of the election. We are a thriving party. This is also evident from the polls. And yet we are rarely heard. That’s a shame. ‘

What would Mertens say if he got more speaking time? ‘[Ik zou] suing the inequality. This virus is not a democratic virus, as the other parties claim. It’s a class virus. (on a roll) Those who don’t have a garden will be hit harder than those who live in a villa. The shelf filler is hit harder than the CEO. The poor are hit harder than the rich. We are the only party to sue that. Moreover, we are lagging behind the facts. We are completely dependent on pharmaceutical multinationals for the solution. That is not a good policy. ‘

How it should be done? ‘Cancel the patents. That would make all the difference. That would mean that other companies would also have access to the formula to make the vaccine. If we want to beat the virus, we have to vaccinate the entire planet, you know. Otherwise, we will leave the door open for new variants. ‘

According to the Antwerp research, the opposition only gets 2 percent of the speaking time during the crisis, while that is normally about 10 to 15 percent. ‘I am shocked by the investigation,’ says Mertens. ‘We were the second winner of the election. We are a thriving party. This is also evident from the polls. And yet we are rarely heard. That’s a shame. ‘ What would Mertens say if he got more speaking time? ‘[Ik zou] suing the inequality. This virus is not a democratic virus, as the other parties claim. It’s a class virus. (on track) Those who don’t have a garden will be hit harder than those who live in a villa. The shelf filler is hit harder than the CEO. The poor are hit harder than the rich. We are the only party to sue that. Moreover, we are lagging behind the facts. We are completely dependent on pharmaceutical multinationals for the solution. That is not a good policy. ‘How should it be done? ‘Cancel the patents. That would make all the difference. That would mean that other companies would also have access to the formula to make the vaccine. If we want to beat the virus, we have to vaccinate the entire planet, you know. Otherwise, we will leave the door open for new variants. ‘

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