Reader’s Links, May 27, 2018

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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

79 Replies to “Reader’s Links, May 27, 2018”

    • Greece: Kurdish refugees attacked at Lesbos’ Moria camp

      Tensions remain high at the Moria refugee camp in Lesbos on Saturday, following Friday’s violent clashes between Arab and Kurdish asylum seekers.

      Greek authorities allegedly confirmed the information about confrontations between Arab and Kurdish migrants, at the same time they refuted reports claiming that at least three Kurds had been killed and dozens injured in Friday’s attack.

      In the wake of Friday’s conflict, hundreds of Kurds are believed to have left the camp to another location for security reasons.

    • UPDATED: Ten Syrian Kurds in critical condition after attack at refugee camp in Greece

      MORIA, Greece (Kurdistan 24) – Syrian and Iraqi Arab refugees attacked several families on Friday afternoon in a refugee camp in Moria on the eastern Aegean island of Lesbos, leaving several Syrian Kurdish refugees severely injured, according to a representative.

      The Representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Greece, Sarbast Mohammed, told Kurdistan 24 that no Kurds had died in clashes that erupted this weekend in a Greek refugee camp. He did, however, confirm that ten were critically injured, all of whom are from Afrin, Kobani, and Sulaimani.

      He mentioned that 72 people, in total, were injured in the clashes and that Greek authorities had arrested three ethnically Arab suspects.

      “Two of them are from Syria’s Deir Ez-Zor province, named Abu Ayisha and Abu Fatima. However, the third one is a Sunni Arab from Iraq,” the Kurdish representative said, stating they banded together against the Kurdish refugees and sparked a conflict.

      Mohammed also suggested that many refugees in the camp inherited a similar ideology to that of the Islamic State (IS).

      Eyewitnesses previously told Kurdistan 24 that four Syrian Kurds in the camp had been killed in the clashes.

      “Syrian and Iraqi Arab refugees in the camp attacked Kurdish families driven by sectarian and ethnic hatred against the Kurds and killed four people. Among them were my cousins Izzat Tarbush and Kaniwar Tarbush as well as Ahmad and Kaniwar from Afrin,” Moro Tarbush, a Syrian Kurdish refugee living in the aforementioned camp, said.

      He added that several others were injured in the clashes and claimed that Greek authorities in the camp did not interfere.

      According to Tarbush, the attackers used sticks and metal bars to severely beat a 60-year-old man, breaking his legs and feet.

      Afterward, some of the injured people were loaded by other camp residents onto stretchers made of blankets and transported to medical clinics available in nearby towns. Others were given first-aid by ambulance crews dispatched to the scene.

      Riot police arrived later and restored order in the camp, but tensions remained for hours.

      http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/3d3fad06-33bd-4f72-995f-9b67efa85457

  1. Fire started by rioting inmates in Iraqi jail kills 7 (abcnews, May 27, 2018)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/fire-started-rioting-inmates-iraqi-jail-kills-55462844

    “The local government of a Kurdish province in northern Iraq says seven inmates have died of asphyxia in a fire started as part of a prison riot instigated to cover a foiled breakout attempt.

    It said in a statement Saturday that another 12 inmates were being treated for smoke inhalation.

    The riot was led by a convict sentenced to death on terrorism-related charges, it added. The riot began when he assaulted one of the guards. He and other inmates then tried to control the facility, located in Duhok province.

    Prisons in Iraq have been bursting at the seams following the detention of thousands of Islamic militants during nearly three years of war against the Islamic State group. Iraq declared victory over IS in December.”

    • New bout of heavy fighting in Yemen kills dozens (abcnews, May 26, 2018)
      https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/bout-heavy-fighting-yemen-kills-dozens-55468382

      “Yemeni officials and witnesses say heavy fighting between pro-government forces and Shiite rebels in recent days has killed more than 150 people.

      Government forces have been trying to seize rebel-held areas along the western coast, while an allied Saudi-led coalition has been targeting the rebels with airstrikes in the northwestern Saada province.

      Security officials say a Saudi-led airstrike in the capital, Sanaa, killed four civilians on Saturday and wounded 10.

      The officials spoke Sunday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, while the witnesses did so for fear of reprisals.

      The coalition has been battling the Iran-allied rebels, known as Houthis, since March 2015 in a war that has killed more than 10,000 people. The Houthis control much of northern Yemen, including Sanaa.”

  2. Pakistan police kill 6 linked to bomb attack (abcnews, May 26, 2018)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pakistan-police-kill-linked-bomb-attack-55467394

    “Police in Pakistan say they have killed six “terrorists” behind a bomb attack in the eastern city of Lahore last year.

    Police spokesman Salim Khan says counterterrorism police ambushed the suspected militants early Sunday as they were traveling on motorcycles near the city of Gujrat, setting off a shootout in which three of the men escaped.

    He says they were members of the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar group and were behind a bombing in Lahore last year that killed 26 people, including nine police. He says police seized weapons and explosive vests from the scene of the raid.

    Islamic extremists in Pakistan have carried out scores of attacks in recent years, mainly targeting security forces and religious minorities.”

  3. Russia says 4 of its soldiers have been killed in Syria (abcnews, May 26, 2018)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russia-soldiers-killed-syria-55468383

    “The Russian Defense Ministry says four of its soldiers have been killed in a clash with “terrorists” in northeastern Syria.

    The ministry said Sunday that the dead were military advisers attached to a Syrian army unit in the Deir el-Zour region.

    In a statement reported by Russian news agencies, the ministry said “two Russian military advisers, who controlled fire of the Syrian battery, died at the scene.” It says five others were wounded, two of whom died in a Russian military hospital.

    The ministry said 43 insurgents were killed in the nighttime battle.

    Russia has provided crucial military support to President Bashar Assad’s forces, helping them to roll back mainstream rebels as well as the Islamic State group. Russia and Syria both refer to the armed opposition as “terrorists.””

  4. Taliban suicide bombing kills 2 soldiers in Afghanistan (abcnews, May 26, 2018)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/taliban-suicide-bombing-kills-soldiers-afghanistan-55467286

    “A suicide car bomber struck Afghan troops outside an army base in the southern Helmand province on Sunday, killing at least two of them in an attack claimed by the Taliban.

    Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the governor of Helmand, said four other soldiers were wounded in the attack in the Nad Ali district. He said the large explosion could be heard from far away, and that the toll could rise.

    A district official said the toll was far higher, with 17 soldiers killed and 21 wounded. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media, said the bomber struck as a convoy of troops was leaving the base.

    The Taliban, who control several districts in Helmand, claimed the attack.

    Elsewhere in Afghanistan, the head of security for a bank branch in the southern Uruzgan province opened fire inside the bank, killing four people and wounding two before being arrested, said Dost Mohammad Nayab, spokesman for the provincial governor. He said the motive of the attack was not known.”

  5. French Shopkeeper Prosecuted for Asking Woman To Remove Islamic Chador (breitbart, May 27, 2018)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/05/27/french-shopkeeper-suspended-sentence-asking-woman-remove-chador/

    “A French tobacconist in the commune of Albi has been handed down a three-month conditional sentence and a €3,000 fine after asking a Muslim woman wearing a chador to remove it from her head to identify herself.

    Tobacconist Marie P. requested that Muslim Anaïs R. remove the part of the chador covering her head claiming that the shop had a strict policy stating that no one was allowed wear a helmet or a hood in the shop, Le Figaro reports.

    “Since I’m new here, I thought I would do what she asked,” Anaïs R. said and added that she explained to the shopkeeper that due to the fact her face was visible she was not in violation of the French law banning the full-face Islamic veil, and that Marie P.’s request was against the law.

    Anaïs R. then picked up the package she was at the shop to collect and later brought charges of “discrimination on the grounds of religion and refusal of a good or service in a public place or to prohibit access,” against Marie P. with the aid of the French Collective against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) organisation.

    Marie P. was arrested by police a week after the incident and was also brought up on three other charges from three separate women whom she had also told to remove their Islamic headgear.

    Earlier this week the Albi court found her guilty of discrimination, handing her a three-month conditional sentence and a €3,000 fine.

    The case is yet another conflict between French secular values and the religious practices of Muslims…”

    • No, it’s the MB demonstrating its political power over the French people and their secular justice system.

  6. Police Seek ‘Asian’ Man After Teen Suffers ‘Horrific’ Alleyway Rape in Small English Village (breitbart, May 27, 2018)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/05/27/attack-english-village-alley-rape/

    “Police have launched a manhunt for an ‘Asian’ man after a teenager in a small Buckinghamshire village was raped in an alleyway.

    The victim was standing in an alleyway in Hazlemere, an English village known to date back more than 800 years, at around 8 p.m. on March 15th when a stranger grabbed her and proceeded to rape her, police said.

    Appealing for information from the public on Friday, Thames Valley Police released an e-fit of the attacker, described as “an Asian man, around thirty to forty-year-old, short and of large build, with a tattoo on his forearm.”

    Investigating officer Detective Constable David Mitchell of Force CID based at High Wycombe said: “We have been conducting a thorough investigation into this horrific offence and the victim is being supported by specially trained officers.

    “As part of this investigation, today we are releasing an E-fit of the offender and would ask anyone who recognises him or someone matching his description to please come forward and call 101…”

  7. Where Islam flourishes despite being half-underground (economist, May 27, 2018)
    https://www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/05/27/where-islam-flourishes-despite-being-half-underground

    “ON A baking-hot Friday afternoon in the dusty Athenian district of Neos Kosmos, a cheerful assortment of (mostly male) worshippers greet one another in Arabic, Greek and other languages, and enter a nondescript building in a side-street. They descend a steep set of stairs, perform their ablutions, and make their way into a large undergound space, pleasantly carpeted, but with ventilation pipes half-hiding the low ceiling. Soon the imam is leading them in prayer and prostration, and pronouncing a khutba or sermon. Despite the makeshift premises, this has the feeling of a well-organised and confident community. Worshippers include sportsmen from well-known clubs and businessmen using nearby hotels.

    This slice of Athenian reality is a reminder that, although theory and practice are both words with Greek roots, they do not always march in step in this part of the world. In constitutional theory, Greece is a country whose prevailing religion, followed by an overwhelming majority, is Orthodox Christianity. With an important exception (the region adjacent to the land border with Turkey), most of the country’s Muslims were transferred to Turkey under an agreed Christian-Muslim population exchange in 1923. There are two small historic mosques in the oldest part of Athens, but they have not been used for regular worship since Ottoman times.

    The real situation, however, is different. In the region around Athens and its port of Piraeus, the de facto Muslim population is thought to be several hundred thousand, but its precise size is anyone’s guess. They range from well-established families of Arab origin from Egypt and the Levant whose first generation arrived in the 1970 to very recent migrants from Afghanistan, South Asia and west Africa.

    On the face of things, that makes all the more urgent a project to which successive Greek governments have been committed since 1980: the construction of an “official mosque” which would signal the state’s recognition that the world’s second-largest religion flourishes in its capital. After going through many permutations, an effort to build a mosque in downtown Athens with state funds looks fairly close to completion. Yet the final stages seem to slip further and further into the future. In what could be the last bureaucratic stage, or yet another delaying tactic, the authorities have invited the public to comment on the details of a draft decree which lays down the mosque’s management structure, giving the state a controlling interest.

    Greece’s left-leaning government, led by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, seems genuinely keen to press ahead with the opening of a grand new place of Islamic worship, for which a construction contract was signed in October 2016. Yiannis Amanatides, the deputy foreign minister, has repeatedly said that the project’s completion with state funds will bring an end to an anomaly (the absence of formal recognition for Islam in Athens) which has caused some awkwardness in Hellenic relations with Muslim countries. The project does not involve building from scratch; a former naval premises in the grimy district of Votanikos is being refitted. The specifications call for a place of Islamic worship for 350 men and 50 women. Some dilapidated structures around the building will be removed to make way for other Muslim facilities.

    Various impediments, including legal challenges and protests by ultra-rightist groups, seemed to have been overcome as the necessary laws were voted through parliament in 2016 and early 2017. But one big political problem remains: opposition from the conservative nationalist party, known as Independent Greeks or ANEL, which shares power with the ruling leftists of the Syriza movement. The parliamentarians of ANEL have voted against the laws and amendments authorising the mosque, and leaders of the Athenian Muslim community say they doubt whether the official mosque will be formally opened as long as ANEL is a junior partner in government.

    That leaves the great majority of the region’s Muslims operating in the legal grey area of informal worship spaces, often in basements, converted garages or modest apartments which are technically just private homes. A senior government official says the intention is to regularise these places of prayer by inviting them to apply for licences as religious premises, on the same terms as are offered to any other religious community. There should be no problem, according to the official, as long as the communities respect building and safety regulations. Six such licences have been issued to Muslim groups so far, including the one in Neos Kosmos. Here again, theory and practice may diverge. Some Athenian Muslims are prepared to give this process a chance; others say they are pessimistic about obtaining many licences as long as the Greek Orthodox church retains a de facto veto on the allocation of space for religious purposes.

    Naim El-Ghandour, the Egyptian-born president of the Muslim Association of Greece, says he has repeatedly made the case that the Hellenic state’s interest would be served by giving Islam the legal status it merits. Already, he says, long-established Muslims like himself have a mutually beneficial relationship with the authorities. The police appreciate the job done by community leaders who keep an eye on any sign of extremism popping up in the city’s fast-mutating Muslim scene. But as new cohorts of Muslims grow up in Athens, undergoing Greek education and military service, they are less likely in his view to be content with living in legal limbo. As Mr Ghandour puts it: “The second generation is beginning to ask, why? I’m a Greek subject, an alumnus of Greek schools, I have no other country…but when I pray I have to go a basement, while my neighbour can go to a church.”

    All that might sound logical, but Greece is a country where informal arrangements, with all their pros and cons, can continue almost indefinitely when the price of changing them looks too high.”

  8. Joshua Holt, American jailed in Venezuela, arrives in U.S.

    WASHINGTON — Joshua Holt, who traveled to Venezuela from Utah in 2016 to marry a Spanish-speaking Mormon woman but soon found himself jailed and later branded the CIA’s top spy in Latin America, has been set free by the anti-American Maduro government.

    He says he was “overwhelmed with gratitude.”

    Holt and his wife, Thamara Caleno, arrived Saturday evening at Washington Dulles International Airport for a tearful reunion with his parents, Laurie and Jason Holt. A few hours later President Trump welcomed them to the White House, saying it was a “very tough ordeal.” He said Holt had been through more than “most people could endure.”
    cbsn-fusion-joshua-holt-utah-man-jailed-in-venezuela-released-thumbnail-1578103-640×360.jpg

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joshua-holt-american-held-hostage-in-venezuela-arrives-in-washington-live-updates/

  9. Erdogan calls on Turks to convert dollar, euros into lira

    ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called on Turks on Saturday to convert their dollar and euro savings into lira, as he sought to bolster the ailing currency which has lost some 20 percent of its value against the U.S. currency this year.

    My brothers who have dollars or euros under their pillow. Go and convert your money into lira. We will thwart this game together,” Erdogan said at a rally in the eastern city of Erzurum ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections on June 24.

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-currency/erdogan-calls-on-turks-to-convert-dollar-euros-into-lira-idUSKCN1IR0F7
    \
    Richard: Erdogan wants the semi-hard currencies in government hands to try and prop up the lira.

  10. Seven injured in massive blaze at German theme park

    Frankfurt am Main (AFP) – Seven firefighters were injured in efforts to put out a massive blaze at Germany’s largest amusement park, police said Sunday, as it reopened to visitors despite extensive damage to some areas.

    The fire at Europa-Park started early Saturday evening in a storage facility before engulfing the Pirates of Batavia boat ride, completely destroying the attraction.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/seven-injured-massive-blaze-german-theme-park-104929519.html

  11. German nationalists march in Berlin, face counter-protests

    BERLIN (AP) — Supporters of the nationalist Alternative for Germany party marched through central Berlin to protest against Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government Sunday, while a heavy police presence kept the marchers away from a raft of counter-demonstrations.

    Police said several thousand people turned out for the demonstration organized by Alternative for Germany, known by its German acronym AfD. A variety of counter-demonstrations attracted several thousand participants each, police said.

    The AfD event opened with German flags, placards such as “No Islam in Germany” and chants of “Merkel must go” at Berlin’s central train station. The party’s supporters marched from the rally toward the landmark Brandenburg Gate.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/german-nationalists-plan-berlin-march-face-counter-protests-101833167.html

    • Germany: AfD Berlin march draws thousands in counter-protest

      Thousands of Alternative for Germany (AfD) supporters have assembled in front of Berlin Central train station on Sunday where they are supposed to march on Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.

      Multiple counter-rallies one in particular forming in front of Berlin’s Reichstag Building are speculated to draw thousands marching under the banner of “Stop hatred, stop the AfD.”

      After the 2017 federal elections, the far-right AfD secured 94 seats in the German parliament, becoming the third largest grouping and largest opposition party to Angela Merkel’s coalition government.

    • Germany: Thousands take to Berlin streets against AfD demo

      Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the Alternative for Germany (AfD) demonstration in Berlin on Sunday, reportedly vastly outnumbering AfD supporters.

      Local media estimated the number of pro and anti AfD protesters at 25,000.

      Supporters of the AfD reached their destination at the Brandenburg Gate, but were met by counter protesters on all sides. Riot police stood in guard between the two sides. At least one counter protester was detained with no further information on what grounds.

      According to German media, more than 2,000 police officers were deployed including K9 units and police officers on horses.

    • Germany: Berlin techno clubs take on AfD in groovy counter-demo

      Techno lovers and activists marched and partied in Berlin on Sunday against a rally organised by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

      SOT, Malina, Activist (German): “I come to the streets because the AfD became very popular in Germany, and we have to protect ourselves and fear that it could become bigger, because some structures in Germany are changing. And the more protest, the better, because so the people that are apolitical maybe will understand that many people are against the AfD, and that is cool and fun.”

      • Those commie flags don’t look so warm, friendly, and tolerant to a large proportion of German citizens.
        They look stupid, naive, and dangerous. Your compatriots will explain the facts of life to you. If necessary, by any means.

  12. France’s far left leads protests against Macron reforms

    PARIS (Reuters) – France’s main far left party, the hardline CGT trade union and some 80 other organizations on Saturday led several thousand people in street protests across the country against President Emmanuel Macron’s reforms of the public sector.

    Organizers hoped that the protests would grow further into a groundswell of opposition to Macron’s reform of France’s public service and some state enterprises such as the heavily indebted national railway company SNCF.

    Union officials and the police gave widely different figures for the turnout. CGT said 80,000 people participated in the protest in Paris, and 250,000 came out nationwide. The police, however, said the protest drew 21,000 in Paris.

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-reform-protests/frances-far-left-leads-protests-against-macron-reforms-idUSKCN1IR0G3

  13. CNN obfuscates border shooting, instead of reporting what happened in plain English
    By J.E. Dyer May 27, 2018

    We’ve seen the media doing this for a long time in their coverage of Israel and attacks by terrorists.

    CNN has perpetrated a classic instance of the genre in its reporting on the shooting of a migrant at the Texas border with Mexico on Wednesday, 23 May.

    The headline reads:

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2018/05/27/cnn-obfuscates-border-shooting-instead-of-reporting-what-happened-in-plain-english/

  14. They’re fired! Trump just made it easier to get rid of rotten federal employees
    By Daily Caller News Foundation May 26, 2018

    President Donald Trump issued three executive orders Friday to prevent unions from protecting government employees who don’t perform in their jobs.

    Critics say Trump is stripping unions of their power by changing how federal agencies approach collective bargaining agreements, but the administration says the goal is to protect taxpayers from overspending on labor.

    “By holding poor performers accountable, reforming the use of taxpayer-funded union time, and focusing negotiations on issues that matter, we are advancing our efforts to elevate the federal workforce,” Jeff T.H. Pon, Director of the Office of Personnel Management, said.

    Each of the three executive orders address a part of federal labor practices that conservatives have criticized for years. The first reinforces the government’s commitment to merit-based employment by directing agency heads to make swifter firing decisions based on the individual’s record, not standards of “progressive discipline.” It also directs departments to share an employee’s disciplinary records with other agencies, a practice that is currently prohibited.

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2018/05/26/theyre-fired-trump-just-made-it-easier-to-fire-rotten-federal-employees/

  15. Pakistan: Jamiat supporters clash with police in Peshawar amid FATA/KP merger vote

    Members of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) party clashed with police outside the Khyber Paktunkhwa (KP) Assembly in Peshawar, amid protests against the union of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with the Khyber Paktunkhwa administrative province.

    Protesters burned tires and attempted to block the PK parliament entrance before being cleared by baton-charging police.

    Five people were reportedly injured in clashes which saw protesters throwing stones at riot police. Up to 20 people have reportedly been detained.

    The JUI-F has been opposing the merger and demanding a referendum to search for the consensus of tribal communities on the issue. Protesters have accused the bill to be dictated by foreign interests.

    Despite the protests, the KP parliament managed to approve the KP-FATA merger bill with two-thirds majority.

    • They’ll never tame the Tribal Areas.
      If the government stopped sniping at Kashmir, the Sindh Province would become the focus of breakaway insurgency.
      Like Yemen, Pakistan simply doesn’t hang together as a country.

  16. Police are seeking drive-by shooters who sprayed a house in Cheetham Hill, an area of Manchester with an “entrenched criminal culture” and the site of several anti-terror raids.
    Two-men on a “moped-style motorbike” opened fire on a terraced house on Galsworthy Avenue around 12.40 a.m. on Friday morning in what is believed to be a “targeted attack”, the Manchester Evening News reports.

    “It’s still early in our investigation, and we are working to establish the full circumstances of the incident, but it appears this was a targeted attack,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Richard Ennis.

    “While we carry out enquiries, patrols have been increased in the area, and I’d ask anyone with concerns to speak to these officers directly.

    “You can help us find the people responsible for this by sharing any information, no matter how small, if you saw something suspicious in the early hours of this morning.”

    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/05/27/gun-free-britain-drive-by-shooters-spray-house-multicultural-manchester/

  17. Italian PM-designate Giuseppe Conte has given up his bid to form a government amid reports the country’s president vetoed his choice of economy minister.

    The decision was announced after a meeting between the two men.

    Mr Conte, a political novice, was chosen by two populist parties in an attempt to end 11 weeks of political deadlock.

    Italy has been without a government since elections on 4 March, because no political group could form a majority.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44275010?intlink_from_url=http://www.bbc.com/news/topics/crr7mlg0d2wt/italy&link_location=live-reporting-story

    • BREITBART – Sabotage: Italian President Blocks Eurosceptic Coalition Govt, Populist Leader Calls for Impeachment

      Italian President Sergio Mattarella announced his rejection of Italy’s populist coalition government Sunday evening in what is being billed as one of the worst days in Italian political history.

      Mattarella’s move is being widely interpreted as a rejection not only of the government but of the national will as expressed in democratic elections, and massive demonstrations are expected Monday. The Italian president was reportedly under heavy pressure from Brussels, Berlin, and other centres of European power to abort the eurosceptic government, which they viewed as a threat to European stability.

      In the March 4th national elections, Italians voted overwhelmingly for anti-establishment parties, with the Five-Star Movement taking the largest share, followed by the eurosceptic and anti-mass immigration League.

      Since neither party had the necessary parliamentary seats to form a government, the leaders of the two groups — Five-Star’s Luigi Di Maio and League’s Matteo Salvini — worked together to form a coalition government, working through their differences and hammering out a 58-page unified political program last week.

      According to Italian law, the President of the Republic, who in ordinary circumstances has little executive power, takes on a decisive role in the formation of a new government, and has the authority to confirm or reject the appointment of cabinet ministers.

      Breitbart News former executive chairman Stephen K. Bannon, who is currently in Rome, had been invited by the Center for American Studies to give a public address on Italy’s historic populist moment Monday afternoon, but organizers cancelled the event Sunday night out of fear of riots.

      Event organizers told Breitbart News that within an hour after announcing Bannon’s talk, hundreds of requests poured in to attend the conference, along with numerous petitions from national and international media outlets to cover it.

      On Sunday, Bannon met with Armando Siri, the mastermind behind the coalition’s economic reform program, centred on a 15 per cent flat tax designed to replace Italy’s Byzantine fiscal code and significantly curb the tax evasion that is rife in the country. Siri said that the flat tax was expected to jump-start the Italian economy with projected GDP growth of 3 per cent in the first year.

      In recent days, the populist coalition had acceded to all of President Mattarella’s requests to be able to launch the new government and the president had accepted the nomination of Giuseppe Conte, a relatively unknown university professor, as prime minister.

      Earlier on Sunday, the leaders of the two parties delivered their final list of ministry appointments to Mattarella, including the controversial choice for economy minister of Paolo Savona, an accomplished economist who has expressed reservations regarding a gradual erosion of national sovereignty to the European Union over time.

      While it appeared that Mattarella would have no choice but to confirm the elected government, in the end he decided against it, underscoring his opposition to the coalition’s choice of economy minister and his fears that the new government would end by pulling the country out of the Europe Union’s common currency, the euro.

      Even among critics of the new government, the president’s move is being broadly condemned as a rejection of the democratic process for ideological ends and a demonstration of preference for European Union interests over those of the nation.

      http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/05/27/sabotage-italian-president-blocks-eurosceptic-coalition-govt-populist-leader-impeachment/

  18. Swift Injustice: The Case of Tommy Robinson

    by Bruce Bawer
    May 27, 2018 at 5:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12378/tommy-robinson-injustice

    The very first time I set foot in London, back in my early twenties, I kicked up into an adrenaline high that lasted for the entire week of my visit. Never, in later years, did any other place ever have such an impact on me — not Paris, not Rome. Yes, Rome was a cradle of Western civilization, and Paris a hub of Western culture — but Britain was the place where the values of the Anglosphere, above all a dedication to freedom, had fully taken form. Without Britain, there would have been no U.S. Declaration of Independence, Constitution, or Bill of Rights.

    In recent years, alas, Britain has deviated from its commitment to liberty. Foreign critics of Islam, such as the American scholar Robert Spencer, and for a time, even the Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders have been barred from the country. Now, at least one prominent native critic of Islam, Tommy Robinson, has been repeatedly harassed by the police, railroaded by the courts, and left unprotected by prison officials who have allowed Muslim inmates to beat him senseless. Clearly, British authorities view Robinson as a troublemaker and would like nothing more than to see him give up his fight, leave the country (as Ayaan Hirsi Ali left the Netherlands), or get killed by a jihadist (as happened to the Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh).

  19. Parliamentary Questions on the Arrest of Tommy Robinson

    by Geert Wilders, Marie-Fleur Agema and Raymond de Roon
    May 27, 2018 at 3:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12376/wilders-tommy-robinson-arrest

    Written questions by Geert Wilders, Marie-Fleur Agema and Raymond de Roon, Members of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands belonging to the Party for Freedom (PVV), submitted to the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs about the arrest of British activist and Islam critic Tommy Robinson:

    1) Have you heard about the arrest of British activist and Islam critic Tommy Robinson for “breaching the peace,” while he was covering a trial of Islamic rapists, and that he was within a few hours convicted to 13 months imprisonment? What do you think of this madness?

    2) Do you realize that, if the said Islam critic has to spend his jail sentence among Islamic criminals, this may cost him his life? What is your opinion of this?

    3) Does, according to you, freedom of speech also apply to Islam critics in the EU and are you willing to immediately voice your dissatisfaction about this violation of freedom of speech by the United Kingdom to your British colleague and demand his attention for the personal safety of the person involved? If not, why not?

    4) Do you and your colleagues in the EU realize that you cannot silence the dissatisfaction in society about Islamization by prosecuting or arresting Islam critics, and that a large segment of the population will at a certain time no longer accept
    this and turn against you and your colleagues?

    5) Can you answer these questions before Tuesday, May 29, 11 am?

  20. Frankfurt am Main (AFP) – Seven firefighters were injured in efforts to put out a massive blaze at Germany’s largest amusement park, police said Sunday, as it reopened to visitors despite extensive damage to some areas.

    The fire at Europa-Park started early Saturday evening in a storage facility before engulfing the Pirates of Batavia boat ride, completely destroying the attraction.

    Related Searches
    Theme Park ReviewMagic Springs Theme ParkSilverwood Theme ParkLegoland Florida Theme ParkAmusement And Theme Park
    It took some 250 firefighters until the next morning to extinguish the inferno, which sent huge columns of black smoke into the air.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/seven-injured-massive-blaze-german-theme-park-104929519.html

  21. Assange wants to testify, why now?
    Assange has announced that he wishes to testify to Congress regarding Russia, and even specifically mentions wanting to clear things up with representative Adam Schiff. To date no party involved in the Russia investigation has attempted to interview Julian assange of wikileaks. This is very odd given that wikileaks has been accused of obtaining the emails released during the campaign from a Russian hack of the DNC. From an outside perspective, if any investigation wanted to be taken seriously they would start with interviewing Assange, but I fear that we all know why no one has sought out an interview with the wikileaks founder.

    Assange willingness to testify could potentially flip the entire situation on its head. Wikileaks has long held that they did not receive the emails from Russia. In fact, Julian in an interview with Sean Hannity seemed to nod that it could have been a certain dnc staffer, that I won’t mention by name (don’t want to get a visit from the DNC fixers, let’s get it out of the way I am not suicidal so if I wind up dead with 2 shots to the back of my head it was Hillary).

    http://www.theredwavepolitics.com/2018/05/assange-wants-to-testify-why-now.html?m=1

  22. Spain: Migrants descend on Barcelona against ‘institutional racism’

    Hundreds of people marched through the streets of Barcelona, Sunday, demanding the repeal of the current immigration law and protesting against what they claim to be ‘institutional racism.’

    SOT, Victoria, ‘Tancada Migrante’ group member (Spanish): “We are fighting against the institutional racism because we consider that all the governments enforce laws that are unfair to the people that are here to make a living.”

    SOT, Victoria, ‘Tancada Migrante’ group member (Spanish): “What we are doing is challenging the political parties, the institutions and all the groups that consider themselves anti-racist to take a stance in writing in regards to our demands. Because words go with the wind, and there are people that are here for more than ten years, [who are deemed] illegal and are prevented from working because their activities are also considered illegal.”

  23. Tickets Available!
    HOW TO DESTROY A MAJOR CITY: One Week After Passing Massive Head Tax, Seattle Democrats Consider Huge Property Tax Increase

    One week after passing a head tax on major businesses located in Seattle, including Amazon, Microsoft and Starbucks, the Seattle City Council is now considering an enormous property tax on the people who work at those businesses. According to Q13 FOX, King County homeowners already saw a bump of 17% in their property taxes in 2017, but City Council members want property taxes increased even more:

    Council members Lorena Gonzalez and Rob Johnson are sponsoring the measure, which states the council wants to lift the limit on regular property taxes in order to levy additional taxes. … In 2014, Seattle voters approved a $58 million levy allowing low-income kids to go to preschool for free. Since 2015, the city says the program has allowed affordable or free preschool to 850 families. Now the city wants to send hundreds more to preschool. Mayor Jenny Durkan’s Office is also pushing to send high school graduates to community college for free.

    https://www.dailywire.com/news/30981/how-destroy-major-city-one-week-after-passing-ben-shapiro

  24. Paris In Migrant Crisis As Thousands Set Up Camp, But Left-Wing Mayor BLOCKS Removal.

    Paris in migrant crisis as 2,500 set up camp but left-wing mayor BLOCKS removal

    A NEW Jungle style migrant camp is developing on the streets of Paris with thousands of people now sleeping rough across the city. But the 2,500 migrants now living in squalor on the streets of the French capital might not be removed because the left-wing city mayor refuses to agree to a government plan to clear the camp, Interior minister Gérard Collomb said.

    By Romina McGuinness, The Express, May 24, 2018:

    https://gellerreport.com/2018/05/paris-migrant-camps.html/

  25. Swedish police warn lots of rapes will happen this summer and advise women not to go out
    By Pamela Geller – on May 26, 2018

    After two rape attempts in Östersund this weekend, the police urged women not to go out late. They also issued a warning that “much like this” will happen this summer, Fria Tider reports.

    Two similar rape attempts took place this weekend, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Police explained the same offender could be involved: A 175cm tall man, of about 25 years, dark haired and darkly dressed.

    Police investigator Suss Braunerhielm said in an interview with P4 Jämtland: “This summer, more like this will happen, I think” she added that women “should be alert and preferably not go out late”.

    She added that people should accept the new situation and that they should take precautionary measures:

    “Do not change your life but be vigilant, absolutely. Feel free to talk to your mobile phone, get in touch with someone familiar, preferably do not go late. Then we can probably accept that it’s simple,” Braunerhielm said.

    Today, Max Olsson, a Local Police Area Manager, says he disagrees with the statements made by Braunerhielm after the weekend’s events in Östersund.

    “I think she meant something different in that interview. We can see that there is a lot more activity outdoors when it’s warm outside. There is nothing specifically we warn women about, while being out in the evenings and late nights,” Olsson told P4 Jämtland.

    P4 has asked Suss Braunerhielm for a new comment but without results.

    https://gellerreport.com/2018/05/sweden-rape-hell.html/

  26. French interior minister Gerard Collomb has announced that the large makeshift migrant camps around Paris will be cleared in the very near future and slammed left-wing mayor Anne Hidalgo, calling on her to take action.
    The French interior minister made his comments earlier this week in order to tackle the growing number of migrants sleeping in makeshift tent camps around the city, BFMTV reports.

    Collomb and the interior ministry released a statement indicating that the migrant camps would be evacuated soon — but also called on left-wing Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo to do more to stop the camps from forming so that the evacuations do not become a cyclical process.

    “This situation will be repeated indefinitely if measures are not taken by the local authorities to prevent the encampments from rebuilding,” Collomb said.

    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/05/27/french-interior-minister-announces-imminent-evacuation-of-paris-migrant-camps/

  27. CBC – Canada’s border crisis: Trump or Trudeau to blame?

    A flow of asylum seekers are walking across the border from the U.S. What’s driving it? Trudeau’s #WelcomeToCanada tweet? Or Trump’s immigration policies?

    The CBC’s Wendy Mesley speaks with Toronto Mayor John Tory about the pressure on Toronto’s homeless shelters and the need for housing for asylum seekers.

  28. Leaked Documents from UAE Jails Reveal Harrowing Torture of Female Inmates (tasnimnews, May 27, 2018)
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2018/05/27/1736242/leaked-documents-from-uae-jails-reveal-harrowing-torture-of-female-inmates

    “TEHRAN (Tasnim) – In a series of letters and audio recordings obtained by the Arab Organization for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR), female prisoners in Abu Dhabi have complained of torture, degrading conditions of detention, and endemic racism in the United Arab Emirates’ prison system…”

  29. Terror groups take their battle to social media (saudigazette, May 27, 2018)
    http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/535698/SAUDI-ARABIA/Terror-groups-take-their-battle-to-social-media

    “Terrorist organizations use social networking sites to spread venomous messages and mobilize support. They promote deviated thoughts and ideas through Internet websites in order to mislead common people and recruit them.

    Experts have emphasized the enormity of the issue and called for concerted efforts to counter this social media campaign by terrorist groups. They have also called for enacting strict rules and regulations to stop this cyber warfare making use of modern information technology.

    Malik Al-Dossari, an expert in cybersecurity and researcher in information security, stressed the need to prevent misuse of cyber space to spread extremist views and ideologies by adopting modern technology and enlightening the public on the threat posed by terrorist sites.

    “We should know that there is a strong extremist presence on the social networking sites. We should advise university and school students to use social networking sites carefully and positively with a patriotic spirit to counter extremist views,” he told Al-Madina Arabic daily.

    He called for a strong and effective strategy to defeat terrorists and extremists who use social networking sites as their new battleground. “We have to highlight the damages caused by terrorists and extremists to the humanity in general and Muslims in particular,” he added.

    Al-Dossari urged the authorities to follow websites of extremist groups closely and block them as quickly as possible. “We should enlighten the public that extremists make use of social media to spread their dangerous ideas and recruit militants,” he added.

    He advised the authorities to create a group of social media experts to counter extremist websites in a professional manner. “We should also set out a comprehensive strategy to combat extremism through social media,” he added.

    Dr. Musaed Al-Jubairy, a legal consultant, highlighted the threat posed by extremist ideologies that set the stage for terrorism. “Saudi Arabia has enacted laws to prevent cybercrimes but they do not incriminate promotion of extremism, hatred and racism through social media,” he explained.

    He stressed the need to make changes in the law to prevent extremists from spreading their venomous ideas. “We should impose strict punishment on such criminals.”

    Nasser Al-Dubyani, a psychologist, said extremist and terrorist groups exploit poverty, free time and ignorance to recruit militants. “People who do not have sound thinking, adamant in their views and have no control over themselves are more vulnerable,” he said.

    He also pointed that individuals who do not follow rules and regulations and social norms, give greater importance to self-esteem, possess superficial views and thoughts and show enmity toward others without any reason are likely to fall victim of extremist groups.

    Dr. Abdullah Al-Maimouni, a lecturer at Taibah University and imam and khateeb of Khandaq Mosque, said extremists could be found in all communities and among followers of different religious faiths. “Islam asks its followers to shun all kinds of extremism,” he added.

    “The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, has banned extremism even in worship as well as in faith. There is a special chapter in the Hadith book of Bukhari enlisting the sayings of the Prophet that oppose religious extremism,” he pointed out.”

  30. Frontex ist eine Schlepperorganisation (Frontex is organization for tugging the [migrant] boats)

    Vice Chancellor and FPÖ leader Heinz Christian Strache on Wednesday was for the first time in Brussels as a member of the Government , he participated in the Council for Sport Ministers. During the subsequent press event, however, the focus was on well-known topics such as refugees, asylum and border patrol. The vice-chancellor was especially critical of Frontex.

    The current remit of the European border agency, Frontex, is “anything but a border guard”, but rather “it is a modern-day towboat ,” Strache said with regard to the rescues of refugees in the Mediterranean.

    The people were virtually intercepted off the coast of North Africa and then brought to Europe, criticized the vice-chancellor. In doing so, he also argues that the Federal Government’s budget proposal does not provide any additional funds for sending Austrian forces to the external border of the EU – because border protection is thus not guaranteed. Frontex should be newly set up, Strache demands.

    Indeed, it is required that Frontex will rescue shipwrecked migrants and take them to the nearest port, where they can apply for asylum. Recently there has been an increase in the number of incoming refugees in Greece, Spain and Italy. Many countries are completely overwhelmed by the enormous influx of newcomers.

    External border protection has the highest priority
    During the Austrian EU Presidency, the protection of the European external borders will have top priority, said Strache. This also includes that Austria acts against an compulsory distribution of asylants. The vice-chancellor sees the future Italian government as another ally.
    The Germans however are for a distribution of refugees. Strache said a quota system would not work in practice because refugees would simply move on to the land of their choice.The problem can only be solved by closing the external borders. “Europe has so far failed on this issue, judges Strache

    ÖVP criticism of Straches’ Frontex statement
    The statements of the Vice-Chancellor on the European border protection agency Frontex caused criticism and incomprehension of ÖVP members in the European Parliament. They accused Strache of Thursday’s ignorance on EU issues. “Not so, Mr. Strache!”, Said about ÖVP delegation leader Othmar Karas in a release. “The statements are contentless, undifferentiated and contradict the policy of the Austrian Federal Government. It seems that Mr Strache knows neither the decision-making mechanisms in the EU nor the proposals of the European Commission to strengthen the Border Agency. ”
    For the OeVP deputy Heinz Becker Strache’s comments on Frontex are “mystery”, because reinforced EU border guards have long been the first of the demands of the Austrian government to stop illegal immigration via the Mediterranean. “Right now criticizing Frontex, where the new EU budget foresees the massive increase of Frontex from 1500 to 10,000 men, seems to me not wise.” The goal must be a powerful, equipped with the latest technology, including drones EU border and Coast Guard to support those states that have not yet managed border protection.
    http://www.krone.at/1712684

  31. Knives are too sharp and filing them down is solution to soaring violent crime, judge says

    A judge has proposed a nationwide programme to file down the points of kitchen knives as a solution to the country’s soaring knife crime epidemic.

    Last week in his valedictory address, retiring Luton Crown Court Judge Nic Madge spoke of his concern that carrying a knife had become routine in some circles and called on the Government to ban the sale of large pointed kitchen knives.

    Latest figures show stabbing deaths among teenagers and young adults have reached the highest level for eight years, and knife crime overall rose 22 per cent in 2017.
    In the past two months, he said, there have been 77 knife-related incidents in Bedfordshire, including three killings.
    Judge Madge told the assembled judges, barristers and court staff: “These offences often seem motiveless – one boy was stabbed because he had an argument a couple of years before at his junior school.”

    He said laws designed to reduce the availability of weapons to young would-be offenders had had “almost no effect”, since the vast majority had merely taken knives from a cutlery drawer.

    He said: “A few of the blades carried by youths are so called ‘Rambo knives’ or samurai swords. They though are a very small minority.

    “The reason why these measures have little effect is that the vast majority of knives carried by youths are ordinary kitchen knives. Every kitchen contains lethal knives which are potential murder weapons.
    Accordingly, it is very easy for any youth who wants to obtain a knife to take it from the kitchen drawer in his home or in the home of one of his friends.”

    As a result – said the judge – the most common knife a youth will take out is eight to ten inches, long and pointed, from his mother’s cutlery tray.

    He asked: “But why we do need eight-inch or ten-inch kitchen knives with points?

    “Butchers and fishmongers do, but how often, if at all, does a domestic chef use the point of an eight-inch or ten-inch knife? Rarely, if at all.”

    “Acknowledging that any blade could cause injury, the judge pointed out “slash wounds are rarely fatal.”

    So, he said: “I would urge all those with any role in relation to knives – manufacturers, shops, the police, local authorities, the government – to consider preventing the sale of long pointed knives, except in rare, defined, circumstances, and replacing such knives with rounded ends.

    “It might even be that the police could organise a programme whereby the owners of kitchen knives, which have been properly and lawfully bought for culinary purposes, could be taken somewhere to be modified, with the points being ground down into rounded ends,” he said.
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/05/27/knives-sharp-filing-solution-soaring-violent-crime-judge-says/