Reader’s links for September 10 – 2016

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In order to preserve the flow of conversation about various posted items, and also in order to make it easier for visitors to find the list of related links being shared by other readers, regulars and interested parties in one place, each day a post is automatically created at a minute past midnight ET.

This way, under the various posts of the day, conversation can take place without as much ‘noise’ on the various links and articles and ideas in the main posts and all the news links being submitted can be seen under these auto-posts by clicking on the comments-link right below these ones.

Thank you all for those that take the effort to assist this site in keeping the public informed. Below, typically people can find the latest enemy propaganda, news items of related materials from multiple countries and languages, op-eds from many excellent sites who write on our topics, geopolitics and immigration issues and so on.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

88 Replies to “Reader’s links for September 10 – 2016”

  1. ‘In the past it was Jews, and today it is refugees’ (DW, Sep 10, 2016)
    http://www.dw.com/en/in-the-past-it-was-jews-and-today-it-is-refugees/a-19542117

    “Support for the Alternative for Germany is growing despite the scandals involving leading AfD figures. That is typical for the right, the political scientist Hajo Funke tells DW.

    DW: Professor Funke, Alternative for Germany (AfD) is growing and flourishing, yet it is constantly discrediting itself through internal party quarrels. Why is the AfD immune to its own scandals?
    Funke: That is not unusual for right-wing populist parties. They just want to win, no matter what.

    The core of right-wing populism is not: We represent the people in terms of a definition. We have solutions, although we don’t actually have any. We attack anyone we have identified as an enemy – like Islam, migrants, or in the past it was Jews and today it is refugees. It goes hand in hand with untenable chaos. There is no direction or specific platform except the identification of enemies. The climax of the AfD party congress was this message: Islam is our enemy, no ifs or buts. The party even says that Islam is immune to learning and AfD has no interest in enlightening the religion. That means they need Islam purely as an enemy to target. This type of logic will destroy community spirit in the long run.

    The party now holds seats in European Parliament and nine state governments in Germany. How long will the boom continue?

    One can say that CSU (Christian Social Union) has been systematically right-wing populist for a year and a day. (Party Chairman Horst) Seehofer has inspired the rise of the AfD. As long as his actions are not countered by the CDU (Christian Democrats), then we continue to have a one-two pass between the AfD leaders and Seehofer. Sometimes Seehofer will call in Hungarian Prime Minister Orban for endorsement. That creates a double threat of a dismissive and migrant-hostile populism.

    What kind of ideological and intellectual background do AfD leaders have?
    I would argue that the dynamic core, if you recall the party congress, is shaped by the radical wing. That means that one can see it in the fact that the party association from Saarland was not expelled for its contacts with right-wing extremists – the radical wing is obstinate. That means they are fighting for an ethnically pure German nation. Anyone who appears moderate is, to a certain extent, forced out of this dynamic center.

    Officially, there are chairmen or people who serve in other management positions, but, as a party of movement, what happens in the dynamic agitation is much more important. And then we have von Höcke’s racist speeches, which I have analyzed in 20 pages based on quotes. And then we see it at the party congress. The delegates were thrilled when someone from the state of Thuringia said “there are people with whom we can seek dialogue as Muslims.” But that was booed. That means the party congress was in such an aggressive mood that any form of subtlety was ignored.

    The focus of the new shift to the right is Islamophobia. Does AfD want to restrict religious freedom and thus violate the constitution?

    The way you express it is, of course, unconstitutional. Then the party will reach its limits in the Federal Constitutional Court. If it went that far, the AfD would cause an escalation that would substantially threaten peaceful coexistence.

    Polls have found that a stable 15 percent has stood behind the AfD for a long time. Have the established parties completely lost touch with parts of the population?

    Yes, 15 percent has a weak relationship with them, to put it politely. Parties are obligated to analyze the motives of voters, and often these motives are disappointment and political alienation, which result in not voting. This “not-going-to-vote-anymore” then has obvious reasons.

    For example, there is often a lack of social programs for regions, villages or the rural population. Too much has been centralized, as in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. There, regional reforms that have been implemented force a person to drive 60 kilometers (35 miles) to be given an advanced health care directive. Something like that incites anger at grassroots level. Then it is addressed by the AfD.

    Hans-Joachim “Hajo” Funke is a German political scientist and retired professor. Between 1993 and 2010, he taught at the Institute of Political Science at the Freie Universität Berlin. He is considered to be one of the leading researchers in the field of right-wing extremism in Germany. His latest study, mainly about the AfD, is titled “On Enraged Citizens and Arsonists.””

    • Poverty among the elderly in Germany skyrockets (DW, Sep 10, 2016)
      http://www.dw.com/en/poverty-among-the-elderly-in-germany-skyrockets/a-19542060

      “The number of older Germans living on meager means has increased 25 percent in ten years, a report says. The opposition Left party says the government isn’t doing enough for some of the nation’s most vulnerable people.

      German media reported on Saturday that some 5.6 million residents over 55 were living in poverty or affected by social marginalization. This is a stark increase – nearly 25 percent – from a decade ago, when the number stood at 4.5 million…”

  2. Ikea killer brutally beaten in Swedish prison (thelocal, Sep 10, 2016)
    http://www.thelocal.se/20160910/ikea-killer-assaulted-in-prison

    “The asylum seeker who stabbed two people to death at a branch of IKEA in Sweden last year has been brutally beaten at the prison where he was serving his life sentence.

    Abraham Ukbagabir, an asylum seeker from Eritrea, was discovered by guards doubled up in pain in the cell where the assault took place on August 29.

    Once the door was opened he collapsed into the corridor outside and lay on the floor, “in the fetal position using his hands to protect his face,” according to prison documents seen by the Expressen newspaper.

    Ukbagabir in August last year stabbed a 55-year-old woman and her 27-year-old son to death at the branch of IKEA in Västerås, west of Stockholm, later telling a court that the attacks had been intended to revenge Sweden, after the country’s migration agency turned down his asylum application…”

  3. Football supporters riot with asylum seekers in Linz (thelocal, Sep 10, 2016)
    http://www.thelocal.at/20160910/football-supporter-riot-with-asylum-seekers-in-linz

    “Police in the Austrian city of Linz reported on an affray between a group of asylum seekers and another group consisting of football supporters in the early hours of Saturday morning.

    The football supporters from Linzer-Athletik-Sport-Klub — also known as LASK — fought against a mixed group of Syrian and Afghan asylum seekers at 1 a.m.

    Around 20 men were involved. According to police, several police units were needed to quell the disturbance.

    Despite separating the groups, police said that the groups fought again around 2:30 a.m. Two men were subsequently arrested.

    According to a police spokesman, the reason for the fight was unclear.”

  4. Great British values could be KILLED OFF ‘through fear of being racist and PC councils’ (express, Sep 11, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/709424/British-Values-union-jack-society-segregation-community-racism-political-correctness

    “CHRISTMAS and other great British traditions could crumble in the wake of community segregation and political correctness, leading to the breakdown of UK society, the nation’s integration tsar has claimed.

    A scathing Government report will claim British traditions and values could be lost if officials do not do more to raise concerns and assert national values.

    The dossier will also claim that council officials, MPs and public bodies are too scared of being seen as ‘racist’ to address issues of segregation head on while standing up for British ideals.

    The report has been spearheaded by Dame Louise Casey, the integration tsar appointed by David Cameron and Theresa May to tackle problems like racism, extremism and community segregation in the UK.

    She said: “I have become convinced that it is only the upholding of our core British laws, cultures, values and traditions that will offer us the route map through the different and complex challenge of creating a cohesive society.”

    Dame Louise criticised councils for being scared of seeming ‘racist’ by promoting British traditions – highlighting one instance where an “incredibly well-meaning white manager” put up a “festive tree” in a community centre so as not to offend his Asian and Muslim colleagues by calling it a Christmas tree.

    She said: “What offence did he think he was causing?

    “What did we ever think would be offensive about celebrating Christmas with a tree?”

    But Dame Louise claims this kind of attitude led officials to ignore the Rochdale child sex grooming gang who preyed on girls as young as 13.

    She said: “The council and police were in denial about what was happening in their town.”

    “That was a tragic failure on so many levels, not least for the victims who weren’t heard or whose abuse could have been prevented.”

    The integration grandee went on to claim that it is up to politicians to address the problem head on and not shy away from debate over fears of causing offence and being branded as bigoted.

    She added: “It is easy to say the easy things, to make excuses.

    “It’s tougher to tell the truth and find the solutions.

    “It is not racist to say that the pace and rate of immigration has created a lot of change in Britain and for some people that feels too much.

    “Or that when a large number of people from a different ethnic or religious background suddenly move into an area that it can be unsettling for those already resident there; or that when a school has a large religious minority population, it can change its character quite quickly.

    “Not talking about this and the issues that arise from it only creates more tensions.”

    She also hit out at Sharia courts in British Muslim communities, saying that UK citizens must be held under the same laws which are “specifically intended to help define how we live together”.

    She added: “One set of laws democratically decided and with the intention that they are upheld by every community in the land, new or old.

    “We need to be much bolder in not just celebrating our history, heritage and culture, but standing up for our democratically decided upon laws of the land and standing up to those that undermine them.””

  5. No idea if this is relevant, but, for the sake of thoroughness:

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-bound-westjet-flight-lands-safely-in-iceland-after-emergency-1.3756688

    An Edmonton-bound WestJet flight from London, England, has landed safely in Iceland after being diverted due to a “potential mechanical issue,” the airline said Saturday.

    The flight, number WS27, left London’s Gatwick airport at around 11:45 a.m. local time after a delay, and was scheduled to arrive in Edmonton just before 1 p.m.

    Pilots reported an emergency just over two hours into the flight, and the Boeing 767 was thought to be dumping fuel as it circled over the Atlantic Ocean near Keflavik International Airport, near Reykjavik, Iceland.

    WestJet spokeswoman Lauren Stewart said the plane’s crew detected a “potential mechanical issue,” but did not specify what that issue was.

  6. Dog-lovers beware – according to newspeak, you are committing a hate-crime by owning (and thus providing a safe harbour for) a dog.

    Because as we all know, Allah (and his messengers) are terrified of dogs in general and black dogs in particular:

    http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/man-charged-with-committing-a-terrorist-act-and-attempted-murder-in-sydney-20160910-grdlh8.html

    A 59-year-old man walking his dog in Sydney’s west on Saturday afternoon was allegedly stabbed multiple times by a man inspired by Islamic State.

    Police charged 22-year-old Ihsas Khan with committing a terrorist attack and attempted murder following the random stabbing attack in Ohlfsen Road, Minto, just after 4pm.

  7. Washington expressed outrage on Friday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu characterized as “outrageous” the world’s apparent acquiescence in the Palestinian demand for a future state without Jews.

    While Israel has nearly two million Arabs living inside its borders, the Palestinian leadership “actually demands a Palestinian state with one pre-condition: no Jews,” Netanyahu said in a video released by his office.

    “There’s a phrase for that,” Netanyahu said. “It’s called ethnic cleansing. And this demand is outrageous.”

    http://m.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Netanyahus-ethnic-cleansing-video-sparks-US-criticism-467356#article=7783N0UwMTU4NEJBRkNBRTEyM0I3NDkzRjk3NjkzRDZEM0Q=

  8. Once, I was offered a ride in a Mig-3. All I could do was to cling to my dad’s leg and scream…I was 14 months old at the time.

    But, I remember it as if it were today: those bloody loud jets are just that beautiful!!!

    https://www.rt.com/news/341259-russia-spy-plane-usa/

    A Russian Air Force MiG-31 jet intercepted a US spy plane near Kamchatka in Russia’s Far East last week, flying within 15 meters of the aircraft. Washington downplayed the incident, saying it was carried out in a “safe and professional” manner.
    The MiG-31 (NATO code name Foxhound) is a Soviet-design supersonic interceptor, the world’s fastest aircraft in service today. It got to within 15 meters of a US surveillance plane, which was flying in international airspace near the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

    “On April 21, a US Navy P-8 Maritime Patrol reconnaissance aircraft flying a routine mission in international airspace was intercepted by a MiG-31 Russian jet in the vicinity of the Kamchatka Peninsula,” Cmdr. Dave Benham, a spokesman for the Pacific Command, told the Washington Free Beacon.

  9. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/afghan-president-ghani-warns-pakistan-says-open-wagah-border-lose-transit-route-central-asia-1580651

    Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday (9 September) warned Islamabad that he would close the Afghan transit route for Pakistani exports to Central Asia if his country’s traders were not allowed to use Lahore’s Wagah border for trade with India.

    Speaking during a conference with the UK’s special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Owen Jenkins in Kabul, Ghani said, “Afghanistan is no more a landlocked country as it has many transit routes for the import and export of goods.” He added that Kabul had always made efforts to boost cooperation in the state and wanted Pakistan and other regional countries to remove all technical problems that prove hindrance in economic development.

    More from IBTimes UK
    After 15 years, why aren’t we asking about Iran’s role in 9/11?
    US forces failed to rescue abducted American University of Afghanistan professors, says report
    Samia Shahid sent chilling text to friend revealing fears she ‘would not come back alive’
    “Pakistan has always shut its routes on Afghanistan’s fresh fruit, causing loss of millions of dollars to our traders,” the Afghan president said.

    The statements came amid ongoing tensions between the two neighbours over several issues including Pakistan’s new mechanism at its Torkham border that necessitates every Afghan to carry passport and visa for crossing the border.

  10. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/37316643

    Although the eyes of the world were watching, it was a protest that seems to have gone largely unnoticed by much of the globe.

    Most of the vast international TV audience for the Paralympic Games opening ceremony seem to have been unaware that Iran used the occasion to make a subtle symbolic dig at Saudi Arabia, over the deaths of hundreds of pilgrims during last year’s Hajj.

    Iran blames Saudi authorities for a fatal stampede at Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, on 24 September last year. Estimates of the death toll vary, with most agreeing that more than 2,000 pilgrims were killed – many of them Iranians – though official Saudi figures put the total at 769.

    Tensions between the two countries have spiked again in recent days after Iran criticised Saudi Arabia for barring Iranians from attending the annual pilgrimage there this year, and Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti, Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh, dismissed Iranians as “not Muslims”. His remark came in response to a comment by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accusing Saudi Arabia of “murdering” the dead pilgrims, who were of various nationalities.

    Xan: {OK – this is TOTALLY random, but…. Isn’t it interesting, that ‘Mina’ and ‘Mena’ sound identical when pronounced out loud? OK – it’s getting late and I should not post comments after taking serious antihistamine meds (it’s ragweed season here)….but still, it’s a fun co-incidence. I totally LOVE conspiracy theories. If anyone can possibly come up with one linking these – oh, that would be just so delicious!!!}

  11. http://www.christianpost.com/news/muslim-radicals-attack-200-christians-indonesian-church-harass-priest-reading-bible-169273/

    Islamic radicals attacked 200 Christians at a Catholic mass in Indonesia, including children, and forced a priest to flee the church after he was threatened by the mob who harassed him as he read the Bible during a memorial service.

    AsiaNews reported on Wednesday that the incident occurred earlier this week at the church of St. Peter Purwosari, near Surakarta in Central Java, where 200 Christians had gathered to celebrate mass 1,000 days after the death of one of their loved ones.

    Usually such commemorations are held at the house of a family member, but this time village elders gave permission for the gathering to take place at a public facility, due to the large number of people. Several non-Catholics, including the village chief, were also in attendance.

    Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/muslim-radicals-attack-200-christians-indonesian-church-harass-priest-reading-bible-169273/#FVG6T18go41Xbuyz.99

    Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/muslim-radicals-attack-200-christians-indonesian-church-harass-priest-reading-bible-169273/#vZlvOZb65OoeOJ1X.99

    Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/muslim-radicals-attack-200-christians-indonesian-church-harass-priest-reading-bible-169273/#5O0kWLgx6dc4xCJC.99

  12. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3781642/Police-searching-Muslim-terror-gang-s-car-meat-cleaver-kaffir-carved-handle-court-told.html?

    Police searching a car linked to an alleged Muslim terror gang found a meat cleaver with the word ‘kaffir’ – meaning unbeliever – carved on the handle, a court heard today.

    They also recovered guns and bullets in a bag found in the car, the court was told.

    Four men appeared in court today charged with plotting to commit a terrorist act in Britain.

    Naweed Ali, 28, Khobaib Hussain, 24, both of Sparkhill, Birmingham, Mohibur Rahman, 31, and Tahir Aziz, 37, both of Stoke on Trent were charged on Thursday.

  13. http://www.christiansinpakistan.com/sudan-four-christians-put-on-trial-for-underlining-christian-persecution/

    Those put on trial include Peter Jasek, a Czech aid worker, Rev Hassan Abduraheem Kodi Taour and Rev Kuwa Shamal, Sudanese pastors from the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan and Abdulmonem Abdumawla Issa Abdumawla, a Darfuri student. They have been accused of carrying out intelligence activities and dispensing material support to rebels forces.

    Also Read: Chinese Christians detained for protesting against church demolition get released in an unexpected move

    It was reported that the prosecution presented photos and videos before the court, which he claimed showed Jasek in the Nuba mountains with a US medial relief agency. There are large numbers of Christians living in these mountains. What is more the prosecutor argued that the US medical relief agency had an intention to interview civilians that it believed had been tortured.

    During the case hearing, many western diplomats were present in the court as they heard the case against the Christians. In case they are proved guilty and convicted, they are likely to be handed down capital punishment.