Contributor’s links for May 21, 2019

Daily Links Post graphic

Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.

This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.

So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.

This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.

About Eeyore

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

158 Replies to “Contributor’s links for May 21, 2019”

  1. Dangerous Red Francis Calls for Global Governance to Battle Climate Change

    Dangerous Catholic leader Pope Francis called for a new global governance to battle climate change junk science during his address to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences in early May.

    Red Pope Francis frequently speaks out on the controversial issue of global warming. In 2017 he told climate “skeptics” history will judge you.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/dangerous-red-francis-calls-for-global-governance-to-battle-climate-change/?utm_source=TGPemail&utm_medium=email&utm_content=subscriber_id:553016019&utm_campaign=Auto%20Send%20from%20The%20Gateway%20Pundit%20on%20May%2021,%202019%20at%2011:06:06%20AM

  2. Violent Far Left Protester Acquitted After Hitting KATU Cameraman in Head With Wooden Pallet

    A jury in Portland (of course) has delivered not guilty verdicts in the case of an anti-ICE protester who was up on charges of assault and harassment after hitting a KATU news cameraman with a wooden pallet during last summer’s Occupy ICE protest encampment.

    Despite multiple witnesses and the cameraman recording during the incident, a jury of six ruled that the actions of protester Danialle Inez James did not constitute assault or harassment, essentially saying that it’s legal for protesters to order members out of public areas and then physically attack the members of the media for being in public areas.

    The Oregonian reports:

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/violent-protester-acquitted-after-hitting-katu-cameraman-in-head-with-wooden-fence-post/?utm_source=TGPemail&utm_medium=email&utm_content=subscriber_id:553016019&utm_campaign=Auto%20Send%20from%20The%20Gateway%20Pundit%20on%20May%2021,%202019%20at%2011:06:06%20AM

    • from not-an-attorney-me: is this a circuit court?

      Worthwhile to note: six-person jury; stupid claim of intention; inept tally of expenses; apparent lack of expert witness on subject of concussion
      https://oregoncivpro.com/orcp-56-trial-by-jury/ a jury in circuit court shall consist of six persons if the amount in controversy is less than $10,000.
      https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2019/05/jury-acquits-ice-protester-accused-of-assaulting-portland-news-cameraman.html
      Upon hearing the six-person jury’s verdict Thursday, James sobbed and embraced a crowd of supporters. “Those (expletives) tried to pin me,” she said. “Not guilty. Not guilty. Thank you!”

      A KOIN-6 cameraman, who had been standing next to Maynard, said he saw James intentionally swing the gate into Maynard.

      Defense attorney Karen Mockrin told jurors that both cameramen were “lying.”
      “Whatever happened, that’s not it,” Mockrin said. “That’s ridiculous.” Mockrin asked jurors why Maynard would keep working and recording the protest if he had been hurt. “Is there any indication that he’s dizzy while he’s filming?” Mockrin said. “He kept going for one hour and 42 minutes. … I guess that’s just how dedicated a reporter he is.”
      The prosecutor said Maynard’s symptoms worsened over time to the point that he went to urgent care and then later to the emergency room. Maynard said he rested over the weekend that immediately followed and on the third day he was cleared to return to light duty at work.

    • The Gateway headline is libelous, isn’t it? “Violent Far Left Protester Acquitted After Hitting KATU Cameraman in Head With Wooden Pallet” The author knows that the jury determined that Ms James did not hit Mr. Maynard. I sincerely hope that Ms James will consider bringing a civil action against the editor who created the headline, the article author, and the publisher. One hopes that a jury trial takes place in the state in which published.
      the
      https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/violent-protester-acquitted-after-hitting-katu-cameraman-in-head-with-wooden-fence-post/
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gateway_Pundit
      http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/missouri-defamation-law An action for libel or slander that is first published in Missouri must be commenced within two years. The privilege fails only when the report is not a fair and accurate account of the proceedings.

  3. the gateway pundit – Pelosi Calls for Special Meeting at 9AM Wednesday on Trump Impeachment (Video)

    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for a special meeting on Wednesday morning to push for Trump impeachment.

    Democrats don’t like Trump so they think he should be impeached.

    The meeting comes after Republican Justin Amash pushed for Trump’s impeachment this past weekend.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/breaking-pelosi-calls-for-special-meeting-at-9am-wednesday-on-trump-impeachment/

    • CNN – Special counsel’s team hesitant about Mueller testifying publicly

  4. Goofy Far Left Obama-Appointed Judge Who Ruled Trump Must Turn Over Financial Records to House Dems Was Obama-Biden Donor

    U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta upheld a congressional subpoena seeking President Trump’s financial data from his former accounting firm Mazars USA.

    Mehta’s ruling means Mazars must comply with a subpoena issued by House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings for eight years of Trump’s financial records.

    Judge Mehta pushed back on Trump’s lawyer’s argument that Congress has no authority to investigate whether Trump broke the law before he became president.

    The Stalinesque move by the House Democrats is a witch hunt to continue their harassment of the Republican president.

    President Trump said on Monday he will appeal Judge Mehta’s decision to uphold a Democrat subpoena seeking his financial records from his former accounting Mazars USA.

    Now this…
    Not only was goofy Judge Mehta appointed by Obama he was also an Obama-Biden Donor.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/goofy-far-left-obama-appointed-judge-who-ruled-trump-must-turn-over-financial-records-to-house-dems-was-obama-biden-donor/?utm_source=TGPemail&utm_medium=email&utm_content=subscriber_id:553016019&utm_campaign=Auto%20Send%20from%20The%20Gateway%20Pundit%20on%20May%2021,%202019%20at%2003:06:06%20PM

  5. REPORT: Donald Trump Jr. Weighing a Run for NYC Mayor

    Donald Trump Jr. is reportedly weighing a run against Bill de Blasio to become New York City’s next mayor.

    According to a report from Page Six, “drums are beating that Donald Jr. would like to run for mayor.”

    “We are not talking some parched sod in Iowa, where the corn is as high as a Democrat’s eye. Kiddies, mother is saying friends are saying he is saying he’d like to run for mayor of New York City,” the gossip column’s report asserted.

    Trump Jr. is wildly popular among the president’s base.

    Earlier this month, de Blasio announced that he will be running for president in the Democratic primary. He was the 24th candidate to announce.

    President Trump ripped de Blasio as the ‘worst mayor’ in the United States in a video following his announcement that he is running for president.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/donald-trump-jr-weighing-a-run-for-nyc-mayor/?utm_source=TGPemail&utm_medium=email&utm_content=subscriber_id:553016019&utm_campaign=Auto%20Send%20from%20The%20Gateway%20Pundit%20on%20May%2021,%202019%20at%2003:06:06%20PM

  6. ‘Suck My D**k’: US Fast Food Worker Rants at Muslim Customer (VIDEO) (sputniknews, May 21, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/viral/201905221075211687-us-fast-food-worker-rants-muslim-customer/

    “…. “I am utterly appalled by this ugly display of anti-Muslim bigotry and ignorance,” Faizan Syed, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Missouri, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Taco Bell needs to take this incident seriously, apologize to the customer and immediately implement cultural competency training for all of their staff.”….”

  7. Putin, Merkel, Macron Confirm Commitment to Cooperate With Iran – Kremlin (sputniknews, May 21, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201905211075209012-putin-merkel-macron-commitment-cooperate-iran/

    ” Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday during a phone conversation reaffirmed their support for mutually-beneficial economic cooperation with Iran and stressed importance of preserving the Iran nuclear deal, the Kremlin said in a statement.

    “During the discussion of the situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program, the importance of preserving this agreement, which is a key factor in maintaining international stability and security, was noted. Russia, France and Germany reaffirmed their commitment to further mutually beneficial cooperation with Iran in trade and economy,” the statement said….”

  8. Terror Chemical Attack Plotted in Syria’s Idlib, Aleppo – Russian MoD (sputniknews, May 21, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201905211075208831-terrorists-syria-chemica-attack-provocation/

    “Terrorists in Syria are planning chemical attacks in the Idlib deescalation zone, as well as in the west of the Aleppo province, the head of the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation said on Tuesday.

    “The militants plan to stage such provocations in the village of Jarjanaz, as well as in the town of Saraqib, where a group of children and adults — refugees from the southern provinces of Syria — have already been gathered. Similar preparations are underway in the west of Aleppo province”, Maj. Gen. Viktor Kupchishin said at a daily briefing.

    Kupchishin added that terrorists operating in the Idlib de-escalation zone possess a significant amount of poisonous substances with which they fill munitions to use in staged provocations aimed at accusing the Syrian army of “chemical attacks” against the civilian population.

    Militants from the Nusra Front terrorist group on Tuesday attempted to attack Syrian army positions using tanks and vehicles filled with explosives, the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation said.

    “On 21 May 2019, militants of illegal armed groups under the leadership of the Nusra Front terrorist group attempted to attack the positions of government forces in the al-Habit, Kafr Nabudah and Kafr-Zeita area [in the Hama province] with the use of tanks and vehicles filled with explosives”, head of the center, Kupchishin noted…”

  9. Social Media Erupts as Pakistani Cleric Calls Dollar Hoarding a Grave Sin (sputniknews, May 21, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/asia/201905211075202369-pak-cleric-dollar-hoarding-sin/

    “A spike in the exchange rate was seen after Pakistan inked a three-year deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $6 billion bailout package. Last week, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan ordered action against dealers and companies selling American dollars at higher rates.

    New Delhi (Sputnik): Pakistani Islamic scholar Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani has described buying and hoarding dollars with a hope of value appreciation as a grave sin, amounting to disloyalty to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

    Mufti Mohammad Taqi, belonging to the Darul Uloom Korangi seminary, recently survived an assassination attempt in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi in March 2019. Having served as a judge at the federal Sharia court, he advises eight Pakistani banks on Islamic banking.

    There were some who found the mufti’s views a bit too much to stomach.

    One Twitter, users rued that the mufti refuses to criticise the government, which is responsible for the devaluation of the Pakistani rupee vis-a-vis the US dollar.

    There were also those who took the words of the Islamic scholar with reverence.”

    According to the mufti, people engaging in hoarding are cursed by Allah.

  10. Richard: While most of the guns will be plastic there are more and more 3D printers that print metal. What is most interesting is that this is the end of gun control in all nations, the authoritarian types will fight against this major blow to their power but technology is a two edged sword, it allows the big governments to track people but it also allows people to fight back.

    3D-printed guns are back, and this time they are unstoppable

    A decentralised network of gun-printing advocates is mobilising online, they’re anonymously sharing blueprints, advice and building a community. There’s no easy way they can be halted
    https://www.wired.co.uk/article/3d-printed-guns-blueprints

  11. Students clash with police during anti-government protest in Algeria

    Students scuffled with police during protests in Algiers on Tuesday held to call for the removal from office of officials from the previous administration, and for the postponement of the country’s presidential election, planned for July 4.

    Carrying the Algerian flag and chanting slogans, protesters reportedly demanded the establishment of a transitional authority to review the country’s constitution and ensure free and fair elections.

    On Monday, Algerian army Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaid Salah, reaffirmed his commitment to holding the presidential election on July 4, stressing that it could help Algeria avoid prolonging the current political crisis.

    The protests began on February 16, shortly after then-President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced he was running for re-election.

    Bouteflika resigned on April 2, following months of pressure from protesters and the military; however, the protests continued.

    Protesters now want to sweep away the remnants of Boutieflika’s inner circle and make sure the old guard cannot hand-pick a new president.

  12. DUTCH KING SURPRISES HAGUE NEIGHBORHOOD TO JOIN RAMADAN MEAL

    King Willem-Alexander joined an Iftar in the multicultural Transvaal district in The Hague on Thursday night – to the great surprise of the other attendees. Iftar is the evening meal with which Muslims break their daily fast at sunset during Ramadan.

    The community center on Mandelaplein had enough food to also feed the King, even though the assembled local residents had no idea that he would be joining them, AD reports. The King’s visit was a well kept secret, because Willem-Alexander did not want the residents to feel weird about his presence at their self-organized party. And that seems to have worked. The initial excited surprise soon changed into relaxed togetherness, according to the newspaper.

    Residents of all faiths and backgrounds were invited to the Iftar. Being connected to each other and your environment is an important part of Ramadan, and is heavily invested in at the community center throughout the year. The King joined four different tables, chatting with the residents and community center workers about their neighborhood, the meaning of the community center and the activities there.

    Youth worker Nadir Abdel Moumen was getting ready to break the fast when suddenly he was sitting next to the King. “Yes, it was initially a matter of searching for conversation topics”, he said to AD. “Should it be chic? Or politics? It ended with the King telling about the areas in Morocco he has visited.” Willem-Alexander also told him that this was his first Iftar. “So we helped with his hazing.”

    Cansu Alkurt took a while to recover from suddenly sitting next to the King, she said to the newspaper. “I never thought I would meet the king and now he comes to me. Really bizarre”, the pedagogical employee of the local pre-school said. She spoke to the King about the importance of language for children and their parents. “The King gives the impression that it does not matter that we are migrants. It makes you feel important that he comes here to our community center
    =====================================
    https://twitter.com/KraaijeveldM/status/1129123437019049984

    ====================================
    https://nltimes.nl/2019/05/17/dutch-king-surprises-hague-neighborhood-join-ramadan-meal

  13. Militants Who Plotted Terror Surrounded in House in Western Russia – Report (sputniknews, May 21, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/russia/201905221075213910-russia-terrorists-operation/

    “Russia’s National Antiterrorism Committee said Wednesday that outlaws had been located in one of the residential buildings in the Russian Vladimirskiy region.

    According to the National Antiterrorism Committee, the authorities have launched a special counter-terrorism operation in the city of Kolchugino.

    “A counterterrorist operation is being carried out in Vladimir region… the militants who were planning to commit the terrorist attack are blocked in a private house by the law enforcers”, the statement said.

    The town of Kolchugino has about 45,000 residents.

    DETAILS TO FOLLOW”

  14. Netherlands arrests suspected Syrian Al Nusra Front commander (thedefensepost, May 21, 2019)
    https://thedefensepost.com/2019/05/21/netherlands-arrests-suspected-al-nusra-front-commander/

    “Dutch police on Tuesday arrested a Syrian man suspected of committing war crimes as a commander of Al-Nusra Front, prosecutors said.

    The 47-year-old man, identified only by his nom de guerre Abu Khuder, was detained in Kapelle in the southwestern Netherlands, the Dutch federal prosecutor said on May 21.

    “The man is accused of participating in the armed struggle as a commander of a terrorist Jabhat al-Nusra battalion,” the prosecutor said in a statement, using another name for the Nusra Front.

    It said he was held “on suspicion of committing war crimes and terrorist crimes in Syria,” adding that he had fought in a battalion known as Ghuraba’a Mohassan (Strangers of Mohassan).

    The man has lived in the Netherlands since 2014 and was granted a temporary asylum permit, the statement said.

    Police searched the suspect’s house and recovered documents, a computer and a smartphone, it said, adding that he was due to appear in court on Friday.

    He was arrested based on information provided by German police, where six homes belonging to suspected members of the same battalion were raided, it added.

    German police “provided witness testimonies against the suspect,” the Dutch prosecutor said.

    Al-Nusra Front was allied to al-Qaeda but now says it has no ties to foreign groups. Under a new name, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, it now dominates the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance, which holds administrative control of the Syrian city of Idlib.

    The arrest of the Syrian comes as the Netherlands grapples with the problem of what to do with home-grown radicals who went to fight in Syria.

    At least 315 people left the Netherlands since the start of Syria’s civil war in 2011 to join jihadist groups, according to Dutch media reports quoting official figures.

    Around 85 have been killed in the fighting and 55 have returned.

    The issue was highlighted in March when the Dutch husband of a British-born teenager who fled to join Islamic State said he wanted her to live with him in the Netherlands along with their child…”

  15. Turkey Orders Arrest of 249 Foreign Ministry Personnel over Gulen Links (aawsat, May 21, 2019)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1732591/turkey-orders-arrest-249-foreign-ministry-personnel-over-gulen-links

    “Turkish authorities ordered the arrest of 249 foreign ministry personnel over suspected links to the network of US-based Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of orchestrating an attempted coup on July 15, 2016.

    The Ankara chief prosecutor’s office said it ordered the arrest of the 249 personnel after investigations found that they had committed irregularities in the foreign ministry’s past entrance exams.

    It said 78 suspects had been detained so far in operations across 43 provinces and that police were seeking the rest. They are believed to have used ByLock, an encrypted cellphone app used for texting, that the authorities assume was a means of communication among Gulen Movement members before and during the attempted coup.

    Authorities have carried out regular operations against the alleged followers of Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999. Gulen denies he was behind the failed coup.

    More than 77,000 people have been jailed pending trial, while some 175,000 civil servants, military personnel and others have been sacked or suspended from their jobs as part of the post-coup purges…”

  16. Afghan War: Hope for Exit, No Hope for Peace

    by Lawrence A. Franklin
    May 21, 2019 at 4:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14250/afghan-war-peace
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    In his State of the Union address on February 5, U.S. President Donald Trump said that his administration was “holding constructive talks with a number of Afghan groups, including the Taliban… [in order] to be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counter-terrorism.”

    Trump continued, “We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement — but we do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace.”

    On April 26, following a meeting in Moscow on the status of the Afghan “peace process,” representatives of the U.S., China, and Russia released the following joint statement:

  17. Hamas and Islamic Jihad are Terrorist Organizations and Should be Treated as Such

    by Guy Millière
    May 21, 2019 at 5:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14247/hamas-islamic-jihad-terrorist-organizations

    On May 5 and 6, 700 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israeli territory in less than 48 hours. It was the most intensive rocket offensive on Israel to date. Four people were killed: three Israelis and one Palestinian Arab worker. One of the Israelis was hit in his car by an anti-tank missile. The Israeli military retaliated and resumed targeted killings. One was to a Hamas member, Hamed al-Khoudary, considered responsible for the transfer of Iranian funds to the armed factions in Gaza. On May 6, a spokesman from Islamic Jihad and Hamas announced a ceasefire and said they had got “what they wanted”.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a short statement: “We struck a powerful blow against Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The campaign is not finished, and it will require patience and careful judgment. We’re prepared for its continuation”.

    Various Israeli politicians, including members of the parties negotiating to be in the new governing coalition Netanyahu is building, said that the reprisals had been insufficient.

    “The ceasefire, in the circumstances it was reached under, has no gains for Israel”, noted Likud MK Gideon Saar. “The time between each round of violent attacks against Israel and its citizens is shrinking, and terror organizations in Gaza are strengthening. The fighting hasn’t been ended, just pushed off.”

  18. Canada Moves to Ban Christians From Demonstrating in Public Under New “Anti-Hate” Proposal
    By Pamela Geller – on May 20, 2019

    Dark times in Canada. “Anti-hate” – who decides what’s good and what’s forbidden? Terror tied groups like CAIR? Freedom of speech is the foundation of a free society. Without it, a tyrant can wreak havoc unopposed, while his opponents are silenced.

    Putting up with being offended is essential in a pluralistic society in which people differ on basic truths. If a group will not bear being offended without resorting to violence, that group will rule unopposed while everyone else lives in fear, while other groups curtail their activities to appease the violent group. This results in the violent group being able to tyrannize the others.

    https://gellerreport.com/2019/05/canada-criminalize-christianity.html/

    • Communist nations always outlaw all religions except for Marxism. This law should cause the people from Eastern Europe and China to have nightmares about living in another communist nation.

  19. Bahrain Uncovers Cyber Network to Destabilize Its Security (aawsat, May 21, 2019)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1733216/bahrain-uncovers-cyber-network-destabilize-its-security

    “Bahraini authorities said Monday they have tracked a network of destabilizing electronic accounts operated in several countries and targeting its security.

    It said the accounts are run from Qatar, Iran, Iraq, and a number of European countries.

    The network, run by wanted fugitives, is implementing a “systematic plan” to harm Bahrain’s image and its people.

    It was established by Yousuf al-Muhafaza and Hassan Abdulnaby, who reside in Germany and Australia.

    Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa ordered concerned security bodies to follow up the case and put an end to it.

    “We are fully convinced that our vivacious national fabric is our first line of defense for the cohesion of our internal front, thanks to its steadfast ability to repel all forms of violence and extremism and thwart any attempts to provoke strife by staying away from the misuse of social media,” the King said.

    He stressed that social media should be used for the good of the country and its people and must be a tool for construction, not destruction.

    “We have directed in this regard the competent security services to put a strict end to this misuse since there is no place among us for those who break the law.”

    Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa stressed Monday that he will deal firmly with all what stirs sedition and strife.

    He strongly condemned the misguided attempts by some websites and electronic accounts in social media to incite sedition via accounts and tweets aimed at undermining the firmness of the social fabric.

    He said these acts are plotted by enemies inside and abroad, praising the efforts exerted by the cohesive Bahraini society in thwarting these biased schemes.

    Prince Khalifa also stressed that the ministry of interior is intensively handling and intensifying monitoring and follow-up and resolute and deterrent measures that ensure limiting e-accounts that are harmful to Bahraini social security and prevent them from continuing to achieve their malicious targets.”

  20. Security forces apprehend 26 terror suspects in Ramadan (saudigazette, May 21, 2019)
    http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/566854/SAUDI-ARABIA/Security-forces-apprehend-26-terror-suspects-in-Ramadan

    “Security forces have nabbed 26 terror suspects during the first 10 days of Ramadan, according to the Presidency of the State Security.

    The presidency said those arrested include 14 Saudis, five Yemenis, two Sri Lankans and two Syrians. Besides, one suspect is each from Pakistan, the Philippines and India.

    The presidency said four suspects — one each from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Syria — were apprehended on the first day of Ramadan (May 6). On the third day of the fasting month (May 8) another Saudi was caught and on the fourth day (May 9) three Yemenis and a Syrian were nabbed.

    The presidency said an Indian and a Yemeni were caught of the fifth day of Ramadan (May 10) while six suspects were caught next day. They were four Saudis and one each from India and Sri Lanka.

    On the seventh day of the fasting month two Saudis were caught while on the ninth a Saudi and a Filipino were caught. Five suspects, all Saudis, were arrested the following day.”

  21. Saudi Arabia calls on UN to boost international efforts to criminalize hatred (saudigazette, May 21, 2019)
    http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/566903/SAUDI-ARABIA/Saudi-Arabia-calls-on-UN-to-boost-international-efforts-to-criminalize-hatred

    “Saudi Arabia has announced that pertinent authorities are currently studying a new draft regulation to criminalize racism and hatred, prohibiting the formation of organizations of racist nature or supporting racial discrimination, prohibition of attacks against places of worship, or contempt of religions or desecration of sanctities, spreading hatred, belittling or discriminating against individuals or groups, or destroying historical symbols, Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

    This came in a speech delivered by the head of the Saudi delegation, Advisor at the Ministry of Interior and Director General of Legal Affairs and International Cooperation in the Ministry, Dr. Abdullah Bin Fakhri Al-Ansari, before the 28th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice held at the United Nations Center on in Vienna.

    The draft regulation aims to protect the social fabric from the dangers of discrimination between members of the society and its segments, in rights and duties, on the basis of race, tribe, region or sect, or on the basis of ideological and political classifications.

    The Kingdom has stressed that intolerance based on ideology and race has emerged as a major threat to global peace and security, noting that Islam and Muslims in many countries have been subjected to deliberate campaigns of distortion based on reports confirming that during the past few years hatred and intolerance against Islam show a disturbing trend with its growing frequency.”

  22. Europe ‘criminalising’ humanitarian workers for helping migrants   (memo, May 21, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190521-europe-criminalising-humanitarian-workers-for-helping-migrants/

    “Hundreds of Europeans, including priests nominated for the Nobel Prize, a football player, fire fighters and ex-soldiers are being “criminalised” for helping migrants, a new report by OpenDemocracy has found.

    The intimidation of ordinary citizens of Europe is said to be the result of the rise of far-right groups in Europe; some of whom have made their assault on migrants the main platform of their campaign.

    The report, based on a database complied by OpenDemocracy, found that “countries across Europe have criminalised acts that facilitate illegal immigration”. While some laws are said to be intended to deter human smugglers they are also being used to target “humanitarian actors, including search and rescue boat crews and volunteer lifeguards”.

    As many as 250 people across 14 countries have been arrested, according to the report. They have been charged or are being investigated under a range of laws passed over the last five years for supporting migrants. Penalties for breaching these laws, which activists have described as “criminalising solidarity”, include the threat of prison and fines.

    The number of people being criminalised for their humanitarian work is said to have “risen sharply in the last 18 months, particularly in Italy and France, where far-right parties are in power at national and local levels.”

    Their crime is alleged to be nothing more than providing food, shelter, transport, or other support to migrants without legal papers.

    In addition to Italy and France, the UK, Germany, Iceland, Spain and Sweden were all listed in the report as having arrested or charged people last year for disrupting deportations.

    Groups campaigning for the rights of migrants expressed disbelief over the findings of the report. “OpenDemocracy’s database captures not only the most shocking cases of criminalisation, but also so many insidious cases of intimidation and harassment on many other grounds,” said Thomas Huddleston, research coordinator at the Migration Policy Group think-tank in Brussels.

    According to Huddleston: “Europe’s main civil society groups and researchers are working together to dig into this database in order to demand action after the elections from the new European Commission and Parliament.”

    In one of the most recent examples of the effort to criminalise humanitarian groups, Italy’s right-wing government introduced plans to fine NGO boats up to €5,500 per rescued migrants. Aid groups denounced the plan spearheaded by the far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, as a “declaration of war against the NGOs who are saving lives at sea”.

    Yesterday Salvini threatened legal action following the rescue of 47 migrants by a humanitarian aid ship that defied the far-right politician and landed on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa with migrants from the coast of Libya.”

  23. U.S. says signs Syria may be using chemical weapons, warns of quick response (reuters, May 21, 2019)
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-security-usa-chemicalweapons/u-s-says-signs-syria-may-be-using-chemical-weapons-warns-of-quick-response-idUSKCN1SR2I3

    “The United States sees signs the Syrian government may be using chemical weapons, including an alleged chlorine attack on Sunday in northwest Syria, the State Department said on Tuesday, warning that Washington and its allies would respond “quickly and appropriately” if this were proven.

    “Unfortunately, we continue to see signs that the Assad regime may be renewing its use of chemical weapons, including an alleged chlorine attack in northwest Syria on the morning of May 19,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.

    “We are still gathering information on this incident, but we repeat our warning that if the Assad regime uses chemical weapons, the United States and our allies will respond quickly and appropriately,” she said.

    Ortagus said the alleged attack was part of a violent campaign by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces violating a ceasefire that has protected several million civilians in the greater Idlib area…”

  24. Half of American adults expect war with Iran ‘within next few years’: Reuters/Ipsos poll (reuters, May 21, 2019)
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-poll/half-of-american-adults-expect-war-with-iran-within-next-few-years-reuters-ipsos-poll-idUSKCN1SR27K

    “Half of all Americans believe that the United States will go to war with Iran “within the next few years,” according to a Reuters/Ipsos public opinion poll released on Tuesday amid increased tensions between the two countries.

    While Americans are more concerned about Iran as a security threat to the United States now than they were last year, few would be in favor of a pre-emptive attack on the Iranian military. But if Iran attacked U.S. military forces first, four out of five believed the United States should respond militarily in a full or limited way, the May 17-20 poll showed.

    Historically tense relations between Washington and Tehran worsened in May after U.S. President Donald Trump hardened his anti-Iran stance and restored all sanctions on Iranian oil exports following his decision a year ago to pull the United States out of a 2015 international nuclear accord with Tehran.

    The United States moved an aircraft carrier and forces to the Gulf region in response to intelligence that Iran may be plotting against U.S. interests, an assertion Iran denies.

    Nearly half – 49% – of all Americans disapprove of how Republican Trump is handling relations with Iran, the poll found, with 31% saying they strongly disapprove. Overall, 39% approve of Trump’s policy.

    The survey showed that 51% of adults felt that the United States and Iran would go to war within the next few years, up 8 percentage points from a similar poll published last June. In this year’s poll, Democrats and Republicans were both more likely to see Iran as a threat and to say war was likely.

    Iran was characterized by 53% of adults in the United States as either a “serious” or “imminent” threat, up 6 percentage points from a similar poll from last July. In comparison, 58% of Americans characterized North Korea as a threat and 51% characterized Russia as a threat.

    Despite their concerns, 60% of Americans said the United States should not conduct a pre-emptive attack on the Iranian military, while 12% advocate for striking first.

    If Iran attacked, however, 79% said that the U.S. military should retaliate: 40% favored a limited response with airstrikes, while 39% favored a full invasion.

    Both the United States and Iran have said they do not want war, although there have been bellicose statements from both…”

  25. Moroccan Police Arrest Malian National Linked to Human Trafficking Operation (moroccoworldnews, May 21, 2019)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/05/273749/moroccan-police-irregular-migration-human-trafficking/

    “Police in Asilah, northern Morocco arrested a Malian national suspected of facilitating irregular migration and human trafficking operations.

    The police arrested the 35-year old suspect when they raided three apartments on Sunday to arrest 39- sub-Saharan irregular migrants, who were intending to reach Spain by sea.

    The police kept the suspect in custody for further investigation relating to another main suspect identified by Morocco’s police.

    The operation comes after a similar arrest was made on Saturday in Rabat, where Moroccan law enforcement arrested a sub-Saharan woman for her alleged involvement in an irregular migration network.

    The suspect was also arrested for selling unlicensed alcohol.

    Search operations resulted in the seizure of 360 liters of contraband alcoholic beverages, as well as several passports belonging to citizens from sub-Saharan countries.”

  26. EP might become more right-wing and anti-Turkey: Experts (hurriyetdailynews, May 21, 2019)
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ep-might-become-more-right-wing-and-anti-turkey-experts-143595

    “A significant rise of European right-wing parties will only worsen an already stagnated relationship between European Union and Turkey, according to Nilgün Ar?san, director of the Center of European Union Studies at the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV).

    The influence of parties such as Hungarian Fidesz, German Alternative für Deutschland and Italian Lega Nord has already affected issues like visa liberation and the Customs Union Modernization negatively between the EU and Turkey, Ar?san said.

    Far-right European parties are projected to only gain more power in this year’s election, according to European Election Stats.

    “The right-wing extremists are rejecting Turkey on identity and value politics, so even if Turkey fulfills all the conditions demanded by the EU, in a parliament where the right-wings have power, Turkey will not become a member,” she said.

    According to Amanda Paul, an expert on Turkey at the independent Brussels-based think tank European Policy Centre, an increasing number of nationalistic right-wing representatives in the new EP will not change the Turkish relations with the EU drastically.

    With the EU recently calling for an official suspension of Turkey’s accession process with the EU, the parliament sitting from the last election in 2014 has had a particularly strong position in criticizing Turkey.

    “But, obviously, this new EP will probably be more opposed to Turkish accession to the previous one, even though they can’t really do more now than they have already done with the suspension of the accession process,” said Paul.

    EU-Turkish relations stagnated

    President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has recently reiterated that Turkey would continue to seek full membership and rejected the idea of a partnership.

    Turkey and the EU already have a de facto partnership, including cooperation on the refugee crisis, counter-terrorism measures and the customs union, according to her.

    Amanda Paul states that it is clear that EU as a whole does not want Turkey to be a member – and probably didn’t want Turkey as a member, when Turkey initially started the accession process.

    Ayselin Y?ld?z, associate professor of the international relations department at Ya?ar University, has concerns about the discourse by European parliamentarians on migration and border control issues.

    The EU should emphasize the importance of protecting EU’s founding values like rule of law, respecting minorities’ rights and democracy, which are now in a crisis in many EU member states, according to her.

    “By using migration as a securitizing issue, the EU is damaging those values rather than making them more respected. The founding values of the EU are in crisis, and the EP is a crucial institution in saving those values,” she said.

    Amanda Paul agrees that there should be more solidarity between the member states regarding the migration issue. Some members of the EP are at the moment looking out for their own interests or of the parties, they represent, and it needs to change.

    “They need to start working together and have one position on this,” she said.”

  27. Migrant bites cop’s finger off (ansa, may 21, 2019)
    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/05/21/migrant-bites-cops-finger-off_330d14bf-bee1-43f3-b265-20b34794614e.html

    “A 23-year-old Nigerian undocumented Migrant bit a policeman’s finger off to stop him identifying him in Turin on Tuesday.

    The man, already known to police, but off the tip of the cop’s ring finger.

    Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he was following the case and the migrant could be deported.”

  28. F-16C Fighting Falcon Fighter under Su-57 disguise

    Nellis Air Force Base crew repaint their F-16C Fighting Falcon fighter into the latest 5th generation Russian fighter jet Su-57 with a slogan ‘The GHOST is here! Be afraid!’

  29. CBC – Security, control over personal data outlined in Canada’s new digital charter

    Protecting people’s privacy and giving them control over personal data were some of the key elements outlined in the government’s new digital charter which will overhaul Canada’s laws governing the internet.

  30. Syrian Daesh Fighters Could Turn Iraq Into Terrorist Breeding Ground – UN Envoy (sputniknews, May 22, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201905221075215865-syria-iraq-returning-fighters-risks/

    “A new generation of Daesh fighters might emerge in Iraq if the issue of returning terrorists from Syria is not appropriately managed, UN Special Representative for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert told the Security Council.

    “The return of thousands and thousands of people, Iraqis and non-Iraqis, raises not only significant security and capacity concerns, but also urgent human rights and humanitarian protection concerns. If we do not manage this adequately, we risk creating a new breeding ground for the next generation of terrorists”, Hennis-Plasschaert said on Tuesday.

    Hennis-Plasschaert stressed that addressing the problem of returning terrorists and their families is a matter of international importance, and, by maintaining “strategic distance” regarding their nationals, some states risk creating both regional and global security threats…”

  31. Trump to Start Declassify Deep State Documents Including ‘Bucket 5’ in Next 7-8 Days

  32. German Socialist Party Youth Wing Threatens Nationalists with Baseball Bat in Facebook Post (breitbart, May 21, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/05/21/german-socialist-party-youth-wing-threaten-nationalists-baseball-bat-new-poster/

    “In the latest example of threatening political behaviour sweeping Europe, a youth branch of the left-wing German SPD (Social Democrat Party) has posted a picture of a member wearing a hoody bearing the European Union flag on while holding a baseball bat with a caption threatening nationalists…”

  33. Deutsche Pravda – Right-wing populists and the EU – The ennemy in Brussels

    ( 42 min 25 )

    2019 looks to be a good year for right-wing populists in Europe.

    Be it Italy, France, Hungary, Poland or Germany, many European countries are experiencing a shift to the right.

    Right-wing populists are expected to make significant gains in the European Parliament elections this spring.

    Right-leaning party representatives have an agenda: they want to dismantle to the European Union.

    Guido Reil of Germany’s AfD party believes the best way to do that is by going to Brussels.

    “It is easier to destroy something from the inside than from the outside.”

    Joseph Sauvage, a cafe owner in Denain in northern France, backs Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National party, because he doesn’t want to see people in Denain abandoned. “When the factories closed, the small shops closed. There is nothing here, economically speaking. No work. It’s also changed politically. It used to be communist. But that changed with the end of opportunities for the working class.”

    His view of migration has also changed. “Immigrants are entitled to the same social benefits without ever having worked here.”

    Like Joseph Sauvage, Luca Davide, a member of Italy’s Northern League party, says he’s had enough of living in a run-down block in a small city full of foreigners. “We don’t need drug dealers, we don’t need illegals! We just want to live here in peace and safety.”

    In early February 2018, a right-wing supporter targeted Africans in a drive-by shooting rampage. According to Northern League leader Matteo Salvini, the EU shares “moral responsibility” for the act because it “filled the country with illegal foreigners.”

    Messages like these are met with support. Evidence of just how a state’s society and institutions change when right-wing populists come to power is evident in Hungary. Many judges, organizations that support refugees or human rights, scientists, and journalists speak of massive restrictions in Orban’s “illiberal democracy”. But a lot of young Hungarians starting to push back.

    • Deutsche Pravda – Russia’s support for EU opponents

      ( 12 min 30 )

      For some time, concerns have been growing in Germany and other European Union states that Moscow is clandestinely trying to influence elections and other processes. With the European elections coming up, the issue has taken on a new urgency.

      Deutsche Welle and France 24 looked into this issue in a joint investigative report. The trail led through several European cities and revealed that Moscow does, in fact, maintain closer connections to right-wing groups in the West than previously thought.

      Far-right parties have even received loans from banks with ties to the Kremlin.

      Indications are that a right-wing activist from Germany is promoting Russian interests in a number of countries.

      A French ex-soldier is said of have fought alongside pro-Kremlin separatists and then returned home to join the yellow-vest protests.

      All this points to the possibility that Moscow could be purposely stirring up unrest and supporting far-right groups in European Union countries, especially if these groups follow anti-democratic agendas.

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