A European Citizens’ Initiative to Protect All Life on Earth
A Summary
Written and researched for Safe Tech International by Sean Carney, 14 June 2022.
Inspirational ECI coordinator, biologist Pernille Schriver, with a prestigious team of experts, volunteers and specialists is driving the hugely important European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), “Stay Connected but Protected.”
The ECI is a tool for citizens to shape policy in the EU. Since 2012 it has allowed European citizens greater participation in democracy. The “Stay Connected but Protected” initiative developed by Schriver and the ECI team is to help solve problems with the 5G technology. It’s an incredible opportunity for Europe to exercise democracy to deal with a persistent contemporary issue of high significance. The ECI must gain one million signatures from at least 7 member states before the EU Commission and Parliament will act.
See: https://signstop5g.eu/en#problems
Mindful of the powerful commitments to the project from all over Europe, Schriver stresses the merits of inclusivity and teamwork. The contributions of all the integrated members has been critically important for developing a robust ECI.
The title “coordinator” for Pernille’s role in the ECI is quite apropos as the ECI has evolved out of a collaborative effort from 27 EU countries working together and hashing things out. Discussions extended months as each country shared their viewpoints. At times perspectives were quite controversial, but through deep listening and compromise, in the end, agreements were reached.
Since 2019 Schriver has witnessed the project evolve. Emerging from a conference in Mendriso, Switzerland, it evolved into 23 finalised ECI proposals. Launched in March 2022, the eagerly awaited “Stay Connected but Protected” ECI finally arrived for all EU citizens.
Every effort has been made to create accessibility and encourage participation. With the ECI’s website translated into all EU languages, participation is optimised, and the fundamental issues are clearly stated. The ECI’s highly accessible and graphically engaging website can be viewed here: https://signstop5g.eu/en
Schriver observes that the ECI has made great progress through the endeavours of “seven organiser countries. Some of the people that have really been enthusiastic and have done such an amazing job are Petra from Slovakia, Kamil from Czech, Charlotte from Denmark, Corriëlle and Rob from the Netherlands and Elisabeth from Germany.” Schriver adds, “I hope we will reach 1 million [signatures]. We will then have the opportunity to stand face-to-face with the EU Commission and Parliament so that both are forced to act.”
Working against the clock, but immensely positive about the outcome, Schriver invites Europeans to share in responding to the problems of the 5G roll out. This ECI empowers EU citizens to become informed and to participate in promoting the Initiative by distributing information. It’s fun, and anyone can print the wonderfully branded informative posters, stickers and even T-shirts by downloading the ready-to-go designs here: https://signstop5g.eu/en/campaign/material
The ECI could be a “Swiss Army Knife” of Democracy
The ECI was inspired by political tools employed in Switzerland to enable direct democracy. As we know, Switzerland doesn’t belong to the European Union but is admired for an ethically sound response to the roll out of 5G. Along with Slovenia and Belgium, Switzerland took the lead in prioritising public health and the environment during the European 5G roll out by invoking the Precautionary Principle. These countries haven’t been comfortable with the completely experimental nature of the 5G technology and have acted to protect to the public and the environment.
5G is characterised by novel electronically modulated pulsed electromagnetic fields, adding millimetre waves to the mixture with unpredictable consequences. Beam forming methods are propagating these toxic electromagnetic interactions in our environment. We’ve witnessed an unprecedented legislative drive in many countries to advance the extraordinary densification of transmitters and infrastructure 5G networks require.
The ECI has arrived as increasing numbers of citizens are becoming aware of 5G’s experimental nature and realise that the basis of the roll out is implied consent. EU citizens have rights and they do not have to consent. People around the world are saying “We do not consent.”
Our health, or indeed our human rights, pale into insignificance as Big Tech lobbies our governments. 5G has not been proven safe and it is a scandal to be rolling the technology out. 5G is such a grand ethical problem with implications beyond the much-publicised controversy concerning public health. Both lawyers and scientists have risen to challenge the roll out on many fronts the US, UK, and Europe in recent years. Claimants in legal battles over 5G are convinced government agencies are misleading the public over safety.
The will to defend and protect human rights and health is vital. The ECI is a Swiss Army Knife of democracy and invites everyone to play a part to make the EU safer and fairer for all. The Initiative has high-profile support from the scientific community, which includes Lennart Hardell and more than 400 other scientists and medical doctors (including 80 professors) endorsing the EU Appeal for a moratorium on 5G. They would surely concur that the public is being misinformed about the risks from 5G.
Prestigious international support of the ECI by an array of scientists and organisations is an invaluable show of high-profile solidarity. By adding their own important signatures to the ECI, citizens in the EU can align with these very powerful voices and join a vast community that strives to protect all citizens.
Evolving the ECI through Teamwork and Education
I asked Schriver about ways the ECI educates citizens. “We share, almost every day, our new posts drawing attention to the ECI. We promote the 23 proposals from informative new angles and share empowering new insights on social media throughout the EU. Through tireless work we receive signatures and at the same time educate and inspire the citizens, which is important.”
Raising awareness of the complex and overlapping issues arising from the 5G roll out is a cornerstone of the ECI. There is still much confusion about 5G. Developing an initiative to resolve them constitutes a genuine celebration of the ECI and why it was created. “Stay Connected but Protected” conforms to the values of the European Union, the European Commission, and European Council. The issues cut across all of society leaving some EU citizens more vulnerable than others. The ECI empowers citizens. Everyone’s voice, and signature, is equally vital.
Europeans for Safe Connections
The ECI brings citizens together from all walks of life to protect life on earth with their powerful signatures. To this end, the diverse ECI networks consolidate new connections and expertise into impactful subnetworks to realise the goal of necessary legislative changes. Schriver described some of the organisations being developed through the ECI that are geared towards protecting public health:
“We are currently creating an umbrella organisation called Europeans for Safe Connections to network in Europe. Countries that aren’t part of the EU can also join it. The organisation is concerned with EMFs (Electro Magnetic Fields) and the side-effects, including dirty electricity issues, EHS (Electro-hypersensitivity), and so on. Working together we’ll make a positive lobbying structure that works in the interests of all citizens for a brighter future in Europe and beyond.”
With many countries already challenging the legal basis of the 5G roll out, particularly on health grounds, it’s a momentous initiative to be involved in and enthusiastically supported.
You can read some of the ECI’s wonderful letters of support here: https://signstop5g.eu/en/supporters
A Movement for Safer Connectivity That Grows Stronger Every Day
Ardently campaigning with the wider European community Schriver strongly believes Europe has hope because the ECI is so well structured and supported. From the beginning the ECI became more united as “many of the supporting groups in the Stop 5G ECI wanted to build a European alliance – in order to facilitate a broad co-operation that could influence the EU and local legislators.” Schriver favours this strong unity, “We network with organisations within the EU developing an increasingly finely meshed network extending out from the EU and connected with the rest of the world.”
https://signstop5g.eu/en/campaign/history-and-background
Citizens will influence regulations to be fairer and healthier for all. This is important because the EU is being relentlessly targeted by Big Tech lobbying the Parliament and influencing the legislative mechanisms. This is what accelerates 5G digital transformation and stimulates 5G investments. At the same time the financial clout of Big Tech influences the media. This has undoubtedly shaped public perception of 5G and health, and of 5G campaigning. By supporting the ECI, EU citizens can access balanced information, claim back power, and actively heal the 5G schism. We do have other choices and should not be dictated to or deceived. Citizens are not alone and are not wrong to question Big Tech or politicians. Not everyone can or wants to live with wireless technology. It is important to know we have a chance to be “connected but protected.”
Democracy is facing significant challenges in the 21st century in great part due to our attitudes around technology. The Internet of Things (IoT) will be pushed further in 2022 and is favoured by the EU Parliament. We’d expect a lot of lobbying from Big Tech interests, and the usual NGO suspects, to keep EU citizens on board with everything from 5G Corridors to WHO’s Digital ID goals. It will require nuanced campaigning and ingenuity to put critically important 5G issues centre stage in public consciousness.
The ECI is on the right timeline to make some urgent changes. Humanity is at a crossroads, and in Europe the “Stay Protected but Connected” goals could prove instrumental in challenging lingering public misconceptions about 5G’s issues. There is an information war to win and the 5G controversy has caused deep schisms in society that must be transformed into a constructive unity around the vital issues. The whole of the EU must be willing to rise to the challenges. According to Schriver, “We are starting a people’s movement that grows bigger every day.” The road to success involves integrating this multilateral momentum across all EU borders.
Confidence and Consciousness
Why are Schriver and the ECI team so confident that “Stay Connected but Protected” will elicit significant changes in public consciousness and legislation when 5G often appears to be a such “taboo” subject for discussion?
Schriver writes, “Even though the EU does not mention 5G upfront, we are doing our best to inform everyone we can and push for changes in many of the sub-topics that 5G is part of. Recently we were aligning our messages with World Oceans Day, World EHS Day, etc. We use press releases from the ECI in our communication with lawmakers and politicians. We’ve now seen lawyers unite and legal cases concerning 5G are growing. So even if we do not reach 1 million signatures as planned, we have already won in many ways.”
The evolution of the ECI and the 5G issues facing EU citizens have afforded Schriver and the ECI team vital networks and constructive support systems likely to last well beyond the ECI under discussion. With an evolving strategy that encourages open dialogue while advancing public education, Schriver strongly encourages EU citizens to take charge of the 5G issue. Through the signstop5G.eu website, citizens can connect to many vital 5G issues relating to health, privacy, and automated cars to saving Europe’s pollinators, and they can have their say as well as form new and innovative supportive networks.
See here: https://signstop5g.eu/en/news
It’s The Right Time
Most countries in the EU still haven’t adopted the Precautionary Principle, despite all the risks. Even countries such as Italy at the forefront of 5G activism haven’t sufficiently accepted the risks to protect Italian citizens. All of this is very concerning, especially after the EU Parliament’s publication of “The Health Impacts of 5G,” authored by Dr Fiorella Belpoggi of Italy’s Ramazzini Institute. The publication confirmed the science that showed 5G frequencies caused infertility in men and many other health problems that still have not stopped the roll out of 5G in Europe.
The unreported aspects of the technology, such as the environmental impacts, the erosion of privacy through increasing AI surveillance, and the incremental health effects of rising electromagnetic pollution on the electrosensitive communities and on us all, will eventually surface and be mainstreamed. However, it would be far more prudent for this to happen sooner rather than later, for our health and continued freedoms.
It is the right time to speak up and make history. The 5G agenda is full-throttle and closing in. We need refreshing approaches and decisive action to tackle the tricky balance of issues. The ECI’s combination of grass roots ethical action entwining with Parliamentary mechanisms represents a powerful opportunity for EU citizens and sets an inspirational precedent for 5G awareness movements across the world.
You can show your support today and make your own vital contribution. A million signatures would be really something. And it’s not just about changing Europe. There is a wider reaching ethical imperative. As the website says, “Stay Protected but Connected” is about the “protection of all life on earth.”
A webinar featuring the ECI will take place on July 17th, 2022 at 6:00 pm UK time. Pernille Schriver of the 5G-ECI, will be featured. Other guests will be announced.
For a deeper dive into the ECI and specific 5G issues pertinent to the EU you can access the longer version of A European Citizens’ Initiative to Protect All Life on Earth here:
https://safetechinternational.org/a-european-citizens-initiative-to-protect-all-life-on-earth/
Source: Safe Tech International
