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.
France: 9 children among returned citizens who fled Syria (abcnews, Jun 11, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/france-children-returned-citizens-fled-syria-63635973
“A dozen French citizens – nine of them children – who fled the Syria-Iraq war zone have been transferred back to France.
Two French officials said the children and “three jihadis” were discreetly brought to Paris on Tuesday after being arrested in Turkey.
The officials were confirming a report on French television channel BFMTV. They requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.
French intelligence investigators were questioning the adults, who included the children’s father and one mother.
The officials provided neither the children’s ages nor where they were taken.
The transfers followed the repatriation to Europe of 12 French and two Dutch orphans handed over Sunday by Kurdish authorities in Syria.
France and other European nations are concerned over battle-hardened returnees from territory once controlled by the Islamic State group.”
Libyan coast guard intercepts 60 Europe-bound migrants (abcnews, Jun 11, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/libyan-coast-guard-intercepts-60-europe-bound-migrants-63630114
“Libya’s coast guard says it has intercepted at least 60 Europe-bound migrants, including a woman, off the country’s Mediterranean coast.
Spokesman Ayoub Gassim said Tuesday that a rubber boat carrying the migrants — overwhelmingly identified as African nationals but including five from Bangladesh — was intercepted a day before at sea near the city of Khoms, around 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of the capital, Tripoli.
He says the migrants were given humanitarian and medical aid before being taken to a refugee camp in Tripoli.
Libya became a major conduit for African migrants and refugees fleeing to Europe after the 2011 uprising that ousted and killed longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi. Local authorities have stepped up efforts to stem the flow of migrants, with European assistance.”
Richard: Was this one of the people who was mentioned in the emails from Hillary’s home server?
Report: Murdered Half Brother of Kim Jong-Un Was A CIA Informant
Kim Jong Nam, the murdered half brother of North Korea Dictator Kim Jong-Un, has been revealed as having been a probable CIA informant. As The Daily Caller reports:
The revelations potentially shed new light on the motive for his February 2017 assassination in Malaysia.
Read more at http://americanupdate.com/articles/report-murdered-half-brother-of-kim-jong-un-was-a-cia-informant#BkE0tO7CeK3SrcCK.99
George Soros remaking criminal justice system:
https://youtu.be/RVWIGoTSt20
Priorities: UK intel and ‘Russia-Trump’ versus ‘Hezbollah’ in 2015
By J.E. Dyer June 11, 2019
This one will be short and – well, sour, to be honest.
The Washington Examiner reported 10 June on an article on Sunday from the UK Telegraph, which outlined previously undisclosed information about the activities of Hezbollah in Britain in 2015. According to the Telegraph, “just months” after the nuclear “deal” with Iran was announced – an event that occurred in July 2015 – London police raided properties associated with Hezbollah in the UK and found “thousands of disposable ice packs filled ammonium nitrate.”
Ammonium nitrate is the substance Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols used to manufacture the truck bomb that destroyed the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing 168 people and injuring many more.
The London discovery was not a one-off. Hezbollah was stockpiling ammonium nitrate in multiple locations in preparation for a global terror campaign. “Similar ice-pack explosives,” says the Examiner, “have been discovered by authorities in Thailand and in Cyprus.”
https://libertyunyielding.com/2019/06/11/priorities-uk-intel-and-russia-trump-versus-hezbollah-in-2015/
This one is worrying for several reasons, but mainly because of the statement Hezbollah was stockpiling ammonium nitrate in multiple locations in preparation for a global terror campaign..
WhileAccording to the Texas Rangers there is a Hezbollah training camp withing 50 miles of the Texas Mexico border. Hezbollah has stated/bragged that there are 10,000 of their “Commandos” in the US. While doubt that there are 10,000 Hezbollah terrorists in the US it is possible. The number is important because of the amount of damage that they can do, think about how much damage that could be done if between 500 and 2000 terrorists make terror attacks around the world on the same day. Coordinating such and attack would be difficult but it could be doe, and what if they succeed in not only the original major attacks but can carry out some follow up attacks a few days to a few weeks after the original attack.
Plenty in Canada too.
Maybe more than here.
“Multiple Blasts Rock Sweden Hours After Train Station Bomb Scare”
by Dan Lyman – June 11, 2019
https://europe.infowars.com/multiple-blasts-rock-malmo-sweden-hours-after-bomb-scare-at-train-station/
“Grand Torino – Sanity4Sweden: Ireland, Sweden, Multiculturalism, Future, Responsibility” Sanity 4 Sweden – Published on June 10, 2019
(Richard: The journalist is right, they purpose of the law suits isn’t to win and make money (although they would like that) it is about suing so many times the Baker is broke and can’t defend himself any longer. The left wants to scare people so they won’t publicly oppose any thing the left wants.)
SCOTUS needs to stop state persecution of thrice-sued Colorado baker
David Harsanyi, Federalsit June 10, 2019
[Ed. – Jack Phillips has been sued for a third time, by a transgender attorney who has also been the lawyer for the “church” of Satan in yet another suit against Phillips. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission has made this inevitable by basically acting as the agent of vindictive “activists.” Such government commissions will always become the agents of vengeful “activism,” which is why we shouldn’t have them in the first place.]
https://libertyunyielding.com/2019/06/10/scotus-needs-to-stop-state-persecution-of-thrice-sued-colorado-baker/
Until The Supreme Court Acts, Christians Will Be Punished For Thought Crimes
Courts can’t stop the corrosion of liberalism, but they can stop state-sponsored attacks on individuals.
David Harsanyi
By David Harsanyi
June 10, 2019
If a long Struggle Session couldn’t break Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cake Shop, I doubt another frivolous lawsuit will do the trick.
Then again, the campaign to destroy Phillips’s business was never merely about punishing a single man for refusing to submit to prevailing leftist orthodoxy. It was also a warning to all would-be apostates that thought crimes could lead to fiscal ruin, public denunciation, and endless harassment. In that sense, the prosecution has probably already paid off.
Courts won’t put to rest the cultural debate over social issues. But it’s worth noting that it wasn’t howling protesters but the state-empowered Colorado Civil Rights Commission that attempted to destroy Phillips’s business when he refused to design a specialty cake for David Mullins and Charlie Craig’s gay wedding ceremony in 2012—before gay marriage was even legalized in Colorado or recognized by federal courts.
Even today, after getting it wrong for so long, mainstream news outlets like to report that Phillips refused “to bake a wedding cake” or denied a gay couple “service.” Phillips, however, didn’t query his customers about their sexual preferences or their preferred pronouns, nor did he bar anyone from purchasing any products made in his shop, a place of public accommodation. No, Colorado had attempted to compel a citizen to say something he didn’t believe.
https://thefederalist.com/2019/06/10/supreme-court-acts-christians-will-punished-thought-crimes/#.XP6lZHY91Uo.twitter
“Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Shot In Back Of The Head While On Line At Jack In The Box” Weasel Zippers via Fox News – June 11, 2019
https://www.weaselzippers.us/423097-los-angeles-county-sheriffs-deputy-shot-in-back-of-the-head-while-on-line-at-jack-in-the-box/
#36 Why North Korea Needs China | Robert Kelly | China Unscripted
Turkey’s New Violent Political Culture
by Burak Bekdil
June 11, 2019 at 5:00 am
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14306/turkey-politics-violence
In most civilized countries, citizens go to the ballot box on election day — be it parliamentary, presidential or municipal — cast their votes, go home to watch news reporting the results and go to work the next day, some happy, some disappointed, to live in peace until the elections. Not in Turkey, where any political race looks more like warfare than simple democratic competition.
One reason is the dominance of identity politics in the country that has its roots deep in the 1950s, when Turkey evolved into multi-party politics. The fighting between “us” and “them” goes on since then. At the heart of the matter is a culture that programs most less-educated masses (and in Turkey average schooling is 6.5 years) into a) converting the “other” and, if that is not possible, b) physically hurting the “other.” A deep societal polarization since President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002 has widened to frightening levels.
None of the incidents that opposition journalists are facing today is a coincidence. In September 2015, for instance, an angry group of AKP fans attacked the editorial headquarters of Hürriyet, Turkey’s largest newspaper, at that time an opposition media company. Smashing the building’s windows with sticks and stones, the crowd chanted: “Allah-u aqbar” (“God is great!”) as if they were in a religious war. In fact, they thought they were in one because Hürriyet at that time was a secular newspaper critical of Erdo?an. For a long time, security forces watched the incidents with only one police team. The crowd took down the flag of the Do?an Group (which then owned Hürriyet) and burned it. After repeated demands, extra police were dispatched. The AKP Istanbul deputy and the head of the AKP youth branch, Abdürrahim Boynukal?n, was in the crowd. He announced on his Twitter account, “We are protesting false news in front of Hürriyet and we are reciting the Quran for our martyrs.” It was a jihad: attacking a newspaper…
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14306/turkey-politics-violence
Greece: Is the Left-Wing Government Interfering in the Electoral Process?
by Maria Polizoidou
June 11, 2019 at 4:00 am
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14361/greece-election-interference
The local elections held in Greece on May 26 cast doubt on the integrity of the powers-that-be in Athens, and raise questions about how fair the upcoming national elections, scheduled for July 7, will be.
During the lead-up to the local elections, suspicion had been rampant that the left-wing Syriza-led government was going to try to manipulate the outcome.
As Lefteris Avgenakis — secretary of the opposition New Democracy party — told SKAI TV on May 16:
The following day, on May 17, 2019, New Democracy President Kyriakos Mitsotakis attempted to distance himself from his party secretary’s statement, apparently to prevent possible delegitimization of what would become a victory for his conservative party. Mitsotakis insisted in an interview with Star TV that there “is no such issue” of potential ballot fraud. However, he added, “We urge the New Democrats to monitor the ballot boxes to help safeguard the electoral process.”
Mitsotakis’s caveat indicated that he did not believe his own protestations. After all, if he had not suspected that the government might interfere with the electoral process, why would he “urge” his party members and supporters to protect that process?
Bye-bye pork, hello halal. Well, not really, but what a terrible coincidence that the rise of Islam sees an epic disease infecting pigs.
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-biggest-animal-disease-outbreak-weve-ever-had-on-the-planet-has-already-killed-millions-and-there-is-no-way-to-stop-it
Switzerland: Macron calls for rethinking of neoliberalism, warns of looming ‘time of war’
French President Emmanuel Macron took a stand against globalisation and neoliberalism in a speech at the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) 108th conference in Geneva on Tuesday, calling for the world to collectively rethink capitalism saying the world was “sleepwalking” into a time of war “like in ’19 and ’44.”
“Something is broken in the structure of this capitalism, we must face up to it, when it increasingly benefits a few but leads to territorial imbalances which are fracturing all of our democracies,” he said, in a one hour speech that drew a standing ovation. “When the people, regardless of their class, do not find their share of progress, they cannot adhere to a political regime as it is. That’s what’s happening in our democracies. That’s why some find authoritarianism so attractive.”
He said of authoritarians, “They say, ‘Democracy doesn’t protect you against this mad capitalism’s inequalities. We will protect you. We’ll close borders, build walls, withdraw from multilateral projects. The others are weak. They talk a big game but don’t get any results.’ Our failures are feeding extremism,” making a passing reference to US President Donald Trump among other ‘populist’ world leaders.
“As in ’19 and in ’44, I think, today, we are at the dawn of a time of war, if we’re not careful. That war is here, in our democracies. It’s the profound crisis we are living through. We can choose to sleepwalk into it,” he warned. “We must consider, indeed, that the values we’ve been living by for so many decades have been perverted to their core.”
The French president described his own speech as a “crypto-Marxist speech,” saying he’d be criticised for “giving crypto-Marxist speeches at the [UN General] Assembly or at the ILO, but at home you move forward with your same reforms.”
He also echoed almost word-for-word rhetoric by prominent anti-Macron Yellow Vest protesters, specifically calling to “put humanity back at the heart of” the economy, a sentiment often repeated by Yellow Vest leader Jerome Rodriguez among others.
Macron was speaking at the 108th International Labour Conference, after months of unrest in France, where hundreds of thousands of anti-government protesters have been taking to the streets every Saturday since November 2018. His party came in second behind the far-right National Rally at the European Parliamentary elections in May.
+ comments on the YT page
All spoken like a true pot calling the kettle black. Disgusting. Crony capitalism is the problem, not capitalism. This man has no clue where wealth is created, nor that everyone sees him as a crony.
MEMRI – Iranian-Canadians at Toronto Quds Day Rally: Canada Is a Racist Colonialist Project Like Israel
The Annual Walk for Al-Quds was held in Toronto, Canada on May 31, 2019. Nasim Agari, who was born in Tehran, told an interviewer that she does not consider herself to be Canadian because Canada is a “white-supremacist, colonialist, racist project” much like Israel.
Agari describes herself as a poet and an artist, and she is currently studying human rights and equity studies at York University.
Hussein Mujtahdi, a student at the Islamic Seminary in Qom, Iran, said that more countries will join in solidarity with the Palestinians and that Israel will “certainly” be destroyed within 25 years because “injustice and all oppressors are doomed.”
The interviews were uploaded to YouTube.
The rally was also attended by Canadian Imam Zafar Bangash, who delivered brief remarks and who regularly attends similar events.
With immigrants like this who needs to worry about threats external to the country?
This is exquisitely terrible.
Too many shitte enemies in Canada. A beachead as bad as Venezuela.
JIMMY KIMMEL EXPOSED!! #VoxAdpocalypse
Quebec man sentenced to 30 days in jail for inciting hatred against Muslims
A Terrebonne man has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for of inciting hatred against Muslims.
Pierre Dion, 49, was found guilty last May of the crime after he published two videos of himself praising the killer of the Quebec City mosque attack and urging Canadians to “kick Muslims out of the country.” Six men were killed in the shooting on Jan. 29, 2017.
Dion posted the videos on the two-year anniversary of the attack and was arrested two days later.
The sentence handed down to Dion by Quebec court Judge Gilles Garneau in Laval Tuesday went beyond the Crown’s recommendations.
The Crown had recommended a sentence of community service while the defence had suggested 18 months of probation, strict restrictions on internet usage and a $1,500 donation to a Muslim organization.
Garneau said he opted for a stricter sentence to send a message of dissuasion to the community.
https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebec-man-sentenced-to-30-days-in-jail-for-inciting-hatred-against-muslims-1.4461866
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Man who praised Quebec mosque shooter in online videos gets 30 days in jail
LAVAL, QUE.—A Quebec man who was found guilty last May of inciting hatred against Muslims has been sentenced to 30 days in jail.
The sentence handed to Pierre Dion of Terrebonne, Que., Tuesday went beyond what the Crown had recommended.
Quebec court Judge Gilles Garneau sentenced the 49-year-old man today at the courthouse in Laval, opting for a stricter sentence to send a message of dissuasion to the community.
Dion published two videos of himself this year on Jan. 28 and 29 — the two-year anniversary of an attack on a Quebec City mosque that left six dead.
In the videos he praised the convicted killer and urged Canadians to “kick Muslims out of the country.” He was arrested two days later.
The Crown had recommended a sentence of community service while the defence had suggested 18 months of probation, strict restrictions on internet usage and a $1,500 donation to a Muslim organization.
Garneau instead ordered incarceration to be served one day a week beginning June 21.
When the verdict came down on May 22, Garneau said there wasn’t any doubt to him the accused’s remarks were directed at an identifiable group as indicated in Criminal Code provisions covering hate speech — in this case, Muslims.
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2019/06/11/man-who-praised-quebec-mosque-shooter-in-online-videos-gets-30-days-in-jail.html
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Guilty of inciting hate online, Terrebonne man sentenced to 30 days in jail
The judge decided the prosecution’s suggestion of community work wouldn’t suffice for the man who posted videos praising the Quebec City mosque shooter.
A 49-year-old Terrebonne man was sentenced to a 30-day jail term on Tuesday after being found guilty of inciting hate online.
Quebec Court judge Gilles Garneau’s sentence was more severe than that sought by the Crown in the case, a decision that sends a strong message to the public.
Pierre Dion posted two videos on Jan. 28 and Jan. 29, two years after an attack on a Quebec City mosque left six persons dead and many others wounded.
In the videos, Dion praises the killer and invites Canadians to “get Muslims out of the country.”
Dion was arrested two days after the videos were posted.
The prosecution had sought a sentence of community work while the defence had argued for 18 months probation, restrictions on internet use and a $1,500 donation paid to a Muslim association.
However the court chose a 30-day jail term, which will be served one day a week beginning June 21.
In handing down his sentence, Judge Garneau noted that Dion’s words targeted a specific group and that in doing so he had violated the law.
Dion, who has had previous run-ins with the law for similar offences, insulted journalists attending the hearing.
https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/guilty-of-inciting-hate-online-terrebonne-man-sentenced-to-30-days-in-jail
GIANT Hong Kong Protest Could Change Everything | China Uncensored
Exposed: Slave Labor, Torture in Communist China
Vox Adpocalypse Call For Censorship BACKFIRED Against The Left
Yemen Civil War: Why Is the US Involved? | America Uncovered
He’s taking 0bamanoid fake news as credible. Why would he trust MSM coverage of Yemen and SA any more than their China “news”?
– That Yemen is uniquely bloody.
Human Rights Watch says so?...... Sure. Like Israel steals tardish baby organs.
– That Saudi Arabia is ‘where that Wapoo journalist was dismembered’ [he was no journalist, it was a Qatar-Turk disinfo op, etc.]
Ex-general behind Jakarta assassination plot: Police (straitstimes, Jun 11, 2019)
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/ex-general-behind-jakarta-assassination-plot-police
“Retired Indonesian army general Kivlan Zen was behind the plot to assassinate four senior state officials, as well as a high-profile pollster, during the riots in Jakarta last month, said the police yesterday…”
Iran to Boost Production of Fighter Jets: Defense Minister (tasnimnews, Jun 11, 2019)
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2019/06/11/2029837/iran-to-boost-production-of-fighter-jets-defense-minister
“Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami hailed domestic experts’ efforts to boost the country’s self-sufficiency in the military sector and said this year, the Defense Ministry plans to manufacture more homegrown ‘Kowsar’ fighter jets…”
Iran, Afghanistan Ink Nuclear Cooperation Deal (tasnimnews, Jun 11, 2019)
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2019/06/11/2029690/iran-afghanistan-ink-nuclear-cooperation-deal
“Iran and Afghanistan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote cooperation in the nuclear energy industry.
In a meeting in Tehran, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi and Director General of Afghanistan Atomic Energy High Commission Tahir Shaaran signed the MoU on nuclear cooperation between the two neighbors.
Heading a ranking delegation from the Afghan nuclear organization, Shaaran was in Iran to get acquainted with the country’s nuclear capabilities and enhance mutual cooperation in various fields of the nuclear energy industry.
The Afghan delegation’s visit to Iran was made in coordination with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
According to the agreement, Iran and Afghanistan will work together in diverse areas of the nuclear industry, such as providing capacities for the manpower and employing nuclear energy in the health sector and agriculture.
Iran and Afghanistan launched talks on a “comprehensive strategic partnership” document in June 2017 as part of efforts to boost bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries in diverse areas.
In the negotiations, a 35-strong delegation of Afghan deputy ministers and other high-ranking Afghan officials comprising five committees weighed plans for closer cooperation with Iran in various fields, including security, defense, economy, culture, and education.”
#36 Why North Korea Needs China | Robert Kelly | China Unscripted
Germany: 3 Mosques Suffer Assaults in 2 Days (tasnimnews, Jun 11, 2019)
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2019/06/11/2029932/germany-3-mosques-suffer-assaults-in-2-days
“TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Three mosques in Germany have suffered assaults over the past two days, a local Turkish Muslim community leader said on Tuesday.
At the Eyup Sultan Mosque in Kamen, North Rhine-Westphalia, a right-wing group desecrated the mosque walls with hateful graffiti such as “get out,” said Mustafa Kose, the top official in Kamen from the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), Anadolu Agency reported.
In the city of Hessen, central Germany, vandals threw rocks at the Kassel Central Mosque.
Finally, at a mosque in Bremen, northwestern Germany, a copy of the holy Quran was set on fire.
“There is a fear in our congregations, and religious officials, they’re considering locking the doors of the mosque during prayer time,” Kose said.
Saying that police are investigating the attacks, he added that the attackers should be arrested as soon as possible.
The attacks take place amid Islamophobic groups gaining more political power in Europe, as well as deadly assaults on mosques in Western countries, including the New Zealand attack this March which took 51 lives.”
Three-Year Imprisonment for ‘Returnees From Libya’ in Egypt (aawsat, Jun 11, 2019)
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1762531/three-year-imprisonment-%E2%80%98returnees-libya%E2%80%99-egypt
“An Egyptian court sentenced Monday two convicts to three-year imprisonment in the “Returnees from Libya” case.
They were convicted of involvement in acts of violence and terrorism outside Egyptian territory and planning to target facilities inside the country.
Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Mohammed Farouk and Ashraf al-Sayyed to three years in prison and awarded them criminal costs…”
Straight Pride World Wide
Turkey Acquits ISIS Militant Who Recruited Fighters in Syria, Iraq (aawsat, Jun 11, 2019)
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1762566/turkey-acquits-isis-militant-who-recruited-fighters-syria-iraq
“A Turkish court acquitted an ISIS militant who was twice accused of belonging to the terror organization.
Coskun Demir, aka Abu Hanzala, a 27-year-old resident of Turkey’s eastern province of Erzurum, is part of a radical cell and has helped many Turks to join al-Qaeda and ISIS organizations and other extremist armed groups in Iraq and Syria.
According to security sources, Demir is currently in pre-trial detention.
According to investigations, Demir had been in contact with another Turkish terrorist, Abu Bakr, who Turkish authorities say was the mastermind of ISIS attacks inside Turkey.
Evidence also showed that Demir was in contact with a Turkish man known as Mohammed Selev, who is wanted on charges of belonging to ISIS.
In his testimony before the court on May 30, 2018, Demir admitted to supporting ISIS through social media sites and defended his position in seeking to overthrow the secular regime in Turkey.
Turkish authorities arrested him in November 2017 for his activities with ISIS, and he was charged on December 21 but was later released pending trial.
He was arrested again in May 2018 on similar charges, and a second indictment was filed against him on June 13, 2018. Police found dozens of extremist books while searching his home.
During the trial, which ended on November 22, 2018, the new prosecutor, Mustafa Sava?, who took over the case asked the court to acquit Demir of all charges.
The Supreme Criminal Court of Erzurum unanimously decided to acquit Demir, saying he had the right to exercise freedom of expression.
According to reports based on official statistics, the majority of suspects officially arrested on charges of association with al-Qaeda and ISIS in Turkey were quickly released by court proceedings, and the number of successful convictions remained very low in the Turkish criminal justice system due to the political environment lax.
The number of foreign fighters arrested in Turkey, among those passing from its borders to reach Syria and Iraq, has reportedly risen from only eight in 2014 to 499 in 2015.”
Russia, Syria report: 1.8m Syrian refugees have returned home (memo, Jun 11, 2019)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190611-russia-syria-report-1-8m-syrian-refugees-have-returned-home/
“Around 1.8 million Syrian refugees from surrounding and foreign countries have returned to their homes and respective areas in Syria, a joint statement by the Russian and Syrian coordinating headquarters revealed yesterday.
The “organised mass return of Syrian refuges to their places of permanent residence or temporary accommodation centres has been resolved. As of today, about 1.8 million Syrian citizens have already returned to their homes,” the statement reported…”
UAE scheme to influence US foreign policy uncovered (memo, Jun 11, 2019)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190611-uae-scheme-to-influence-us-foreign-policy-uncovered/
“The United Arab Emirates (UAE) enlisted a businessman to spy on the White House as part of a scheme to gain influence over President Donald Trump’s foreign policy in the Middle East. Details of the scheme, involving the Emirati businesses and wealthy Trump donors were uncovered by the Intercept, yesterday, exposing the extent to which Trump’s connections with the tiny Gulf state have been exploited by leaders in Abu Dhabi.
Former Emirati pilot turned businessman, Rashid Al-Malik, is at the centre of the Emirati plot, which has drawn the attention of the FBI. Al Malik was interviewed by members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s team concerning his role in what is said to be “an illegal influence scheme”.
According to the Intercept, “US intelligence community has concluded that al-Malik served as a paid intelligence source for the UAE throughout 2017.” His cover as a businessman was used to get him access to Trump’s inner circle.
Before returning to the UAE following his questioning by Mueller’s team over foreign interference in US elections, Al-Malik reported to Abu Dhabi’s intelligence service about aspects of the Trump administration’s Middle East policy. It’s reported that the “National Intelligence Service of the UAE gave Al-Malik a code name and paid him tens of thousands of dollars a month to gather information, a role for which his investment business would have provided a convenient cover.”
Al-Malik reported back to his senior handlers in the UAE on various topics including: attitudes within the Trump administration toward the Muslim Brotherhood; US efforts to mediate the ongoing feud between Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar as well as meetings between senior US officials and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
Al-Maliki’s attorney denied that his client, who was honoured by the UAE Embassy in Washington for scholastic achievement, was in the spying business. However a person with knowledge of UAE intelligence operations interviewed by the Intercept said that Al-Malik was likely enlisted as a spy “because he has pre-existing access, a natural role”.
It’s thought that Al-Malik was an ideal candidate to serve as a spy for the UAE. The small Gulf state is known to have used businesspeople and wealthy citizens with personal relationships with its royal families as assets to carry out secret intelligence-gathering missions for the government.
While there is no direct evidence to indicate that Al-Maliki had played a role in swaying US foreign policy, there is no dispute over the fact that Trump has aligned the US with the UAE and its larger Gulf neighbour, Saudi Arabia, on all major issues. Trump, against the advice of his senior staff, backed the blockade of Qatar initiated by the UAE; he toed the Saudi line on the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, despite outrage from members of the Congress; pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal and most recently circumvented lawmakers to continue selling arms to his Gulf allies.”
Garbage sourced on garbage.
The Intercept is a far-left, antisemitic piece of garbage funded by Iranian billionaire, Pierre Omidyar. Dirty on a global scale, probably more dangerous than Soros. And a lot younger.
A few times I have posted a scan from Asange’s book, When Google met Wikileaks. In it, he details other billionaires who are wrecking the world. Not the least of which is an Iraqi arms and oil dealer, who bought Obama his new 12 bedroom base of operations (Al-Qeada in Arabic) in DC and bought the Labour party for Corbyn. If you search the site for Assange or When Google met Wikileaks you should find the scan of that page
A Newsweek link refers to that piece, though the link to it is dead:
https://www.newsweek.com/assange-google-not-what-it-seems-279447
Drops lots of names, big names.
Why is Putin expending such effort on behalf of Assange? Every snow-job article traces back to one Russian mouthpiece or another. The sheer volume is intriguing.
https://wikileaks.org/wiki/Nadhmi_Auchi
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https://vladtepesblog.com/wp-content/uploads//2017/03/UK-labour-party-book-scan.jpg
ty, Martin!
Tunisia denies rescued refugees access to its ports (memo, Jun 11, 2019)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190611-tunisia-denies-rescued-refugees-access-to-its-ports/
“A ship carrying 75 refugees has been in stranded in international waters near Tunisia for 11 days after authorities refused to allow it to dock.
The Tunisian Red Crescent said on Sunday that an Egyptian tugboat rescued 75 migrants in Tunisia’s territorial waters, but it is still stranded 25 kilometres from Zarzis, after authorities refused to allow it to come ashore.
The Red Crescent’s office in Zarzis provided initial aid and medical care to the migrants, some of whom have medical conditions.
The French news agency AFP cited a Tunisian Interior Ministry official as saying that the migrants wanted to be taken to a European country.
On 31 May, the Egyptian tugboat Maridive 601, which services oil platforms between Tunisia and Italy rescued 75 migrants who were on board a boat with a broken engine.”
Lebanon sees migrant domestic workers as ‘less than human’ – filmmaker (memo, Jun 11, 2019)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190611-lebanon-sees-migrant-domestic-workers-as-less-than-human-filmmaker/
“Migrant domestic workers are seen as less than human in Lebanon, the director of a new film that exposes widespread abuse of such women said ahead of a screening in Beirut on Tuesday.
“Shouting Without a Listener” follows three Ethiopian women who arrive in Beirut to work as live-in housekeepers under Lebanon’s kafala sponsorship system, which binds them to one employer and prevents them from travelling.
The story, which was written by an Ethiopian former domestic worker turned campaigner and is based on real events, depicts the physical, verbal and psychological abuse the women face – and the difficulty of obtaining justice.
“The abuse is not a secret,” director Elie Berbary told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
It’s widely known amongst Lebanese, but not spoken about. This is an issue in our society. Most people don’t care. They don’t see their (employees) as humans, as equals.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have blamed the kafala system, which exists in many parts of the Middle East, for the abuse of migrant workers, who they say are vulnerable to exploitation because they cannot change jobs.
A migrant worker dies from “non-natural causes” every week in Lebanon according to Human Rights Watch, with suicide among the leading causes of death.
The criticism has led to some nations reforming the system and in March, Lebanon’s new minister for labour Camille Abousleiman set up a committee to look at the system.
“Whether we should focus on revisiting in the current system, or eliminate it all together … it’s all on the table,” said the ministry in an email.
Ethiopians make up the biggest group of migrant workers in Lebanon, according to government data, yet Barbary said it was rare for an Ethiopian to go public about the problems they faced…”
US envoy slams Muslim world for not condemning China’s mass-incarceration of Uighurs (alaraby, Jun 11, 2019)
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/6/11/us-envoy-slams-muslim-world-for-not-condemning-china
“The US envoy on religious liberty has slammed the Islamic world for not condemning China’s ongoing mass incarceration of Uighur Muslims.
Sam Brownback, ambassador at large for international religious freedom, said he is “disappointed” by the response of majority-Muslim states, The Guardian reported.
Brownback said the states were perhaps wary to bring attention to their own rights record…”
Mental illness affects a fifth of people living in war zones (reuters, Jun 11, 2019)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-mental-conflict/mental-illness-affects-a-fifth-of-people-living-in-war-zones-idUSKCN1TC2U4
“LONDON (Reuters) – One in five people in war zones has depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, with many suffering severe forms of these mental illnesses.
The findings highlight the long-term impact of war-induced crises in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, the UN’s health agency said, and the numbers are significantly higher than in peacetime populations, where around one in 14 people has a mental illness…”
Sudan militia kill 9 people in Darfur village: doctors (gulfnews, Jun 11, 2019)
https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/sudan-militia-kill-9-people-in-darfur-village-doctors-1.1560285027144
“A Sudanese militia has shot dead nine people in a village of the war-torn region of Darfur, a doctors committee linked to the country’s protest movement said Tuesday.
The “massacre” was carried out on Monday by the Janjaweed in Al Dalij in Central Darfur state, the committee said on its Facebook page.
The Janjaweed, a militia accused by rights groups of widespread abuses in the Darfur region, have been absorbed in Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.”
UAE and Germany: 47 years of fruitful cooperation and strategic partnership (gulfnews, Jun 11, 2019)
https://gulfnews.com/uae/uae-and-germany-47-years-of-fruitful-cooperation-and-strategic-partnership-1.1560244788204
“Abu Dhabi: Since the UAE and the Federal Republic of Germany established diplomatic relations in 1972, 47 years ago, the two countries have developed a strategic partnership built on cooperation and mutual respect that serves to consolidate stability in the region and promote international peace and security.
Over the years, there have been numerous exchanges of visits between leaders of the two countries that have reflected the continuous growth and development of bilateral relations and continuous coordination on common political issues.
Germany is characterised by its economic diversity and the quality of the services as well as its strong trade relations both with its European Union neighbours and globally.
The UAE is also an important commercial and financial centre in its region and the world. It seeks today to build a diversified knowledge-based economy with an ideal environment for the attracting of foreign investment, with an open market, stability and a modern system of legislation, as well as the values of coexistence, tolerance, and acceptance of others.
The United Arab Emirates is the top Arab trading partner of Germany, while Germany is the largest European trading partner of the UAE, which accounts for about 22% of all Arab-German trade.
Non-oil trade between the two countries, from 2010 to 2017, witnessed a total growth of 60 percent, reaching about US$13.45 billion in 2017.
Hundreds of German companies operate in the UAE today, as well as 14,000 German citizens living in the country and contributing to its development process.
Direct weekly flights between the UAE and German cities are growing steadily, increasing the number of visitors from Germany to the UAE to more than 500,000 visitors a year.
Also, Germany will have a significant participation in the Expo 2020 Dubai, where the total cost of its pavilion at the international exhibition is about 50 million Euros and covers an area of 4500 square metres. The pavilion will be one of the largest pavilions of countries participating in the international event and provides visitors with a journey of knowledge towards sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai’s visitors will have a unique experience in the “Campus Germany” pavilion. The pavilion will feature a “modular” design in a campus consisting of separate units intersecting in a spacious lobby with a theater and restaurant, creating a stunning artistic representation of the main concept of the pavilion.
Designed to be a destination for knowledge, research, and communication, the pavilion will provide an interactive, tailor-made experience for each visitor while reviewing the latest German innovations in various fields of technology and science.
Germany is one of the most important strategic partners of the UAE in the field of health and therapeutic tourism as the two countries seek to boost bilateral relations in various fields, including deepening cooperation between the UAE Health and Prevention Ministry and the German Federal Ministry of Health.
On the political front, the two friendly countries agree on a number of important international issues. In Yemen, for example, they stress the importance of moving ahead with the implementation of the Stockholm Agreement and supporting the UN efforts to reach a political solution. The two countries also agreed on the importance of delivering humanitarian assistance to Yemen without obstacles in accordance with the principles of international law.
In terms of humanitarian work, the two friendly countries also share a common interest in enhancing the role of humanitarian assistance as a cornerstone of their foreign policies. For several years, the UAE has been the world’s largest donor of humanitarian and development aid comparing to its national income, also Germany is one of the largest international donors.
The UAE and Germany look forward to further developing their distinguished relations and strategic partnership in all fields as well as working together to consolidate stability and peace in the region and the world at large.”
Cost of war against terror glossed over (tribune, Jun 11, 2019)
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1989650/2-cost-war-terror-glossed/
“ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has omitted the cost of war against terrorism in its flagship official publication and also shied away from disclosing the current situation of poverty during its first year of rule.
The Economic Survey of Pakistan 2018-19 that Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh unveiled during a press conference on Monday did not carry the chapter of cost of war against terrorism.
Dr Shaikh told The Express Tribune, “There are no more significant losses because of terrorism in Pakistan.”
However, the government has once again disclosed the terms of the Chinese loans in the survey that it had dropped from the official publication a few months ago.
Pakistan Economic Survey – Not a rosy picture
China Development Bank has provided $2.23 billion worth of commercial loans on six-month floating Shanghai Interbank Bank Offered Rate plus 2.5 per cent, which at the current rate translated into over 5.5 per cent.
The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China gave $300 million on six-month London Interbank Offered Rate plus 2.75 per cent, according to the new survey report.
But the biggest surprise was the exclusion of the cost of war chapter. A similar attempt had also been made in the past due to the pressure from the United States, but subsequently the then government had decided to publish the chapter.
In the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2017-18, the PML-N government had reported that Pakistan’s cumulative losses from war on terrorism mounted up to $126.8 billion. There was a downward trajectory in the yearly additional losses because of marked improvement in the overall security situation.
Despite sustaining huge financial losses and rendering numerous sacrifices, the US has remained reluctant to acknowledge the country’s contributions and accused its non-NATO ally of deceit.
After 9/11, Pakistan had started including the cost of terrorism in its annual economic performance presentations as the country heavily suffered on account of loss of lives, economic opportunities and damages to infrastructure.
The cost of war on terrorism used to be worked out by an inter-ministerial committee, having representation of ministries of finance, interior, foreign affairs and a Joint Ministerial Group. This time the joint ministerial committee did not hold a meeting.
Govt mulls tax levy on middlemen’s income
Compared with $126 billion previously published losses, an independent economist claimed that Pakistan’s economy sustained a colossal loss of $252 billion owing to the US-led war against terrorism, which was nearly eight times more than the financial assistance given by Washington to Islamabad.
The $252 billion price has been estimated by economist Dr Hafiz Pasha in his book titled ‘Growth and Inequality –Agenda for Reforms’.
The PTI government has also dropped a chapter on poverty, which is feared to have increased during the last almost one year due to official policies.
In the Economic Survey 2017-18, the PML-N government published the poverty statistics of fiscal year 2015-16.
The survey showed that 10.8 million people were lifted out of extreme poverty. Four out of every 10 Pakistanis were officially considered poor — as against three out of every 10 Pakistanis who were considered poor four years ago.
In absolute terms, 50.4 million were recognised as poor against the earlier figure of 60.2 million in the last survey report.
The percentage of people living below poverty line declined from 29.5% in 2013-14 to 24.3% in 2015-16, according to the previous survey.
The government also did not give fresh estimates of unemployment and reported 5.8 per cent unemployment rate for fiscal year 2017-18, which was the last year of the PML-N government.
The new survey mentioned that according to Labour Force Survey 2017-18, the unemployment rate decreased to 5.8 per cent. Overall crude participation rate decreased from 32.3 per cent in 2014-15 to 31.7 per cent in 2017-18.”
China’s hemorrhaging money into Pakistan.
heheheheheheTurkish VP warns world against FETÖ (hdn, Jun 11, 2019)
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-vp-warns-world-against-feto-144088
“Turkey’s vice president on June 10 warned the international community against the deceptive victimization campaign by FETÖ, the group behind a defeated 2016 coup in Turkey.
“The perception of victimization and image which FETÖ terrorists try to create is very deceptive,” Fuat Oktay told a high-level session at an International Labor Organization (ILO) summit in Geneva.
Oktay said some structures tied to FETÖ established themselves as trade and civil servant unions before the “heinous coup attempt.”
“In order to fight this, it is very crucial to know the working methods of this criminal organization, which tried to overthrow the elected government and president and the constitutional order in Turkey and left behind 251 innocent citizens killed, and wounded more than 2,000,” he explained.
Oktay said the closure of such institutions “should not be allowed to be used to exploit Turkey on international platforms.”
He also called on the international community to approach “impartially” the termination of labor contracts of FETÖ members who have infiltrated public institutions.
“Judicial processes continue in the independent and impartial judiciary, and international institutions should respect its decisions,” he said.
FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the deadly, defeated coup of July 15, 2016.
Turkey also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
Arrest warrants out for 56
In the meantime, Turkish prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 56 people with suspected links to FETÖ.
Prosecutors in Turkey’s southern province of Adana issued the warrants as part of a probe of the new training structure of FETÖ, according to sources who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
Turkish security forces raided six private education institutions in the city- allegedly opened as an alternative to the closed institutions managed by the organization.
Out of the 56 suspects, 25 people, including women, were detained within the scope of the operation.”
Turkish Cyprus pledges ‘retaliation’ in gas row (hdn, Jun 11, 2019)
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-to-retaliate-against-greek-cyprus-plan-to-arrest-its-drilling-personnel-144082
“Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Ak?nc? has called on the Greek Cypriot administration to avoid moves that would raise tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, pledging retaliation. Ak?nc? was referring to unilateral moves by Greek Cypriot to search for gas off the divided island.
“We have told the Greek Cyprus administration ‘Let’s establish a joint commission for cooperation.’ But, unfortunately, they did not approach establishing a committee or planning this issue together and have continued their unilateral action. We have told them, ‘If this [unilateral gas search] is done this way, you leave no choice to Turkish Cyprus and Turkey to act in the same way,’” Ak?nc? said on June 11 during a ceremony in the Turkish Cyprus city of Kyrenia (“Girne” in Turkish).
“We have told them [the Greek Cyprus administration], ‘If you are doing [a gas] search, we’ll similarly do so, and we are. We have told them, ‘If you come to the drilling stage, we will also come to that stage, and we will also drill,’ and now we are that point,” he said.
“The richness in the Eastern Mediterranean belong to all of us, and this is accepted. But when the issue comes to drilling, we come across with a Greek side that says, ‘Here is our area of sovereignty,” Ak?nc? said.
Ak?nc?’s comments followed reports that the Greek Cypriot administration issued an international arrest warrant for 25 people including the personnel of the Turkish drillship, Fatih, and officials from companies cooperating with the state-run Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO).
The drillship Fatih launched its offshore drilling operations on May 3 in an area located 75 kilometers (around 41 nautical miles) off the western coast of the island.
“The Eastern Mediterranean can come to be a lake of peace, a peace basin. Everyone would benefit from this. We do not want a politics of tension, a politics of conflict. We want peace and reconciliation, but I am saying all these with the determination of protecting our rights,” Ak?nc? said.
Turkey ‘to continue drilling activities’
Meanwhile, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez said on June 11 that the drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea region will continue, and legal and political measures were taken with the relevant ministries for preventing third-party interference that ignores Turkey’s international sovereignty.
Dönmez said in a statement that Turkey will not allow any violations of the rights of the Turkish Cyprus and Cypriot Turks.
“We will continue our efforts to achieve regional peace by distributing the riches of Cyprus Island and the Mediterranean in a fair manner,” Dönmez said.
“Our extensive and long-term exploration and drilling activities in the region will resume as planned without making concessions to our legitimate rights on license areas,” he said.
“The drillship Yavuz will also begin its operations in the region where the preparations are completed,” the minister also said.
Dönmez said that the Greek Cypriot administration’s attitude lacks legal ground.
“Our activities in licensed and legal areas will continue without any delay despite the statements of the Greek Cypriots and the threats of so-called arrest warrants for our drilling ship Fatih’s crew.”
“Turkey never surrenders to any threats, and it never will,” Dönmez added.”
Turkey condemns “nonbinding” US Congress resolution (hdn, Jun 11, 2019)
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-condemns-nonbinding-u-s-congress-resolution-144092
“Turkey on June 11 slammed a resolution approved by the U.S. Congress on the nature of allied ties between Turkey and the United States.
“The bill passed through the U.S. House of Representatives on June 10 does not comply with the rooted amity and alliance relations of Turkey and the U.S. It is not possible to accept the unfair and groundless claims of the bill about Turkey’s foreign policy and judicial system,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement.
It is an “unacceptable” decision, the ministry’s statement stressed, adding that using such a “menacing tone” is inadmissible.
“As we emphasize every time, the best way to allay the different point of views between allies goes through dialogue and respect for the countries’ sovereign decisions,” the statement underlined.
The U.S. resolution is “nonbinding,” according to the Ministry.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill on June 10 with the purpose of “expressing concern for the U.S.-Turkey alliance.”
The bill underlined the importance of the allegiance between the United States and Turkey, given Turkey’s NATO alliance, and condemned the latter for its decision to buy Russian S-400 air and missile defense systems.
The U.S. government has offered Turkey a “strong, capable and NATO-interoperable” defense system in accord with Turkey’s requirements, the bill wrote.
It also condemned Turkey’s decision to purchase S-400 missiles, saying this “endangers the integrity of U.S.-Turkey alliance and undermines NATO.”
If Turkey does not halt the S-400 purchase, the United States will terminate Turkey’s participation in the F-35 industrial program and will implement sanctions through Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), the bill’s resolution stressed.
Tensions between the United States and Turkey have reached a fever pitch in recent months with Ankara set to begin receiving the advanced Russian surface-to-air missile system in July.
U.S. officials advised Turkey to buy the U.S. Patriot missile system rather than the S-400 system, arguing that the Russian-made system would be incompatible with NATO systems and expose the F-35 to possible Russian subterfuge.
But Turkey has emphasized that the S-400 would not be integrated into NATO operability and would not pose a threat to the alliance.
Ankara said that it was Washington’s initial refusal to sell the Patriot missile system that led it to seek other offers, adding that Russia offered a better deal that included technology transfers.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an said on June 4 that the United States had yet to give Turkey an “offer as good as the S-400s.””
Football: Iceland beat Turkey 2-1 in EURO 2020 quals (aa, Jun 11, 2019)
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/sports/football-iceland-beat-turkey-2-1-in-euro-2020-quals/1501637
Council of Europe sounds alarm on racism (ansamed, Jun 11, 2019)
http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/politics/2019/06/11/council-of-europe-sounds-alarm-on-racism_4dbd4dc8-6b34-40ec-903c-636a28b9438b.html
“The Council of Europe’s Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) released its annual report on Tuesday, in which it said racist hate speech and xenophobic populism continued to make their mark on the contemporary political climate in Europe in 2018.
“Growing public anxiety about economic, geopolitical and technological changes was exploited by those scapegoating migrants and minorities, in particular populist politicians aiming at dividing societies along national ethnic or religious lines,” the report said. “Not only were such views expressed by fringe politicians, but they increasingly gained footing within mainstream political parties and national governments, which remained a major concern for ECRI,” it said.”
EU migrant crisis: UN warns of ‘sea of blood’ unless rescue vessels deployed (express, Jun 11, 2019)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1139251/eu-migrant-crisis-Mediterranean-united-nations-un-europe-rescue
“THE RISK of migrants and refugees drowning in the Mediterranean will rise significantly if more rescue vessels are not deployed soon, as thousands are people are preparing to leave war-torn Libya, the UN warned on Sunday.
From the more than one million refugees and migrants who entered the bloc in 2015, sea arrivals plummeted to 141,500 in 2018, according to the UN. But the crisis is far from over.
“If we do not intervene soon, there will be a sea of blood,” Carlotta Sami, spokeswoman for the UN’s Refugee Agency, said, according to the Guardian. “We are witnessing a sharp increase in departures. Obviously, migrants have no say in how or when to leave. The traffickers make that decision for them.
“They couldn’t care less if the people arrive dead or alive,” she continued, adding that migrant boats departing from the north African coast are “overflowing with people”.
Scores of EU-bound migrants are reportedly gearing up to leave Libya by boat as the war-hit country suffers devastating floods. But the lack of humanitarian ships patrolling the Mediterranean will put their lives at risk, Mrs Sami said.
Out of the 10 rescue vessels that were active across the Mediterranean in recent years, only one – run by the German charity SeaWatch – remains.
Roughly 350 people have died making the perilous sea crossing from north Africa to the EU so far this year, according to UN data.
Anti-immigration policies introduced by the Maltese and Italian governments have driven the sharp decrease in rescue missions.
Italy’s far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has taken a notably tough stance against humanitarian rescue operations, accusing them of colluding with migrant smugglers in Libya who pack migrants into flimsy boats.
Mr Salvini’s position has created numerous standoffs with fellow European Union nations and humanitarian groups. But the populist government in Rome has tightened its immigration rules and barred rescue ships from entering Italian ports, despite the criticism.
From the more than one million refugees and migrants who made it to the bloc at the height of the crisis in 2015, sea arrivals dropped to 141,500 people last year, according to the UN.
But while the number of migrants reaching EU shores is falling, the bloc remains deeply divided over how to handle migration and refugees.
A group of international lawyers said last week that EU states should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity over the migrant sea deaths.
The Paris-based lawyers handed the International Criminal Court (ICI) a 245-page file which they said provided “enough evidence implicating the EU and member state officials and agents with crimes against humanity committed in pursuant to EU migration policies in the Mediterranean and Libya” since 2014.
More than 12,000 people have drowned at sea in the Mediterranean since the beginning of the EU migrant crisis in 2014.
The lawyers also slammed the bloc’s “deterrence-based migration policy, intended to sacrifice the lives of migrants in distress at sea”.
“Instead of immediately rescuing and bringing … the civilian population in distress at sea to safety, the EU has facilitated the death of thousands by drowning, before introducing a comprehensive system of forced deportations to concentration camp-like detention facilities,” lawyer Juan Branco told AFP.
In their report, the lawyers singled out the likes of France, Germany and Italy, which are all ICC states and all back a hardening of the EU’s immigration and asylum rules.”
UN warns of ‘sea of blood’…
Well, that’s where “rivers of blood” eventually flow.
Don’t say you weren’t warned.
France 24 Italy’s Salvini tightening laws against migrant ships
The populist Italian government is stepping up a crackdown against migrant ships and assaults on police with a tough new decree led by Interior Minister Matteo Salvini.
The 18-article decree brings in fines of up to 50,000 euros ($57,000) for the captain, owner and operator of a vessel “entering Italian territorial waters without authorisation”, Salvini told reporters Tuesday after a cabinet meeting.
Although charity vessels which rescue thousands of migrants are not mentioned they would be hit, with Salvini saying repeat offences would see vessels impounded.
Also under the decree, which still has to go before parliament where the coalition government holds a comfortable majority, penalties will be increased for assault against members of the security forces.
These include four years in jail for using baseball bats, sticks or fireworks against security forces.
Demonstrators who hide their faces to avoid being identified face up to three years in prison and fines of up to 6,000 euros under the decree.
Salvini, who is also deputy prime minister and leads the powerful right-wing League party in the coalition, has seen his popularity soar in the last year with a hard line against migrants which has included closing ports to rescue vessels.
More than 12,000 people have died since 2014 trying to flee Libya to Europe by what the UN refugee agency calls the “world’s deadliest sea crossing”.
https://www.france24.com/en/20190611-italys-salvini-tightening-laws-against-migrant-ships
=======================================================
Deutsche Welle- Italy to fine NGOs who rescue migrants at sea
Italian government has decided to impose stiff fines on rescuers who bring migrants into port without authorization. It also gave the interior ministry, led by Matteo Salvini, power to demand the payment.
A decree adopted by the Italian government on Tuesday would force non-governmental organizations to pay between €10,000 and €50,000 ($11,327 – $56,638) for transporting rescued migrants to Italian ports.
Rescuers who repeatedly dock without authorization risk having their vessel permanently impounded. The fines would be payable by the captain, the operator and the owner of the rescue ship.
The Italian government is composed of the left-wing populist 5-Star Movement and right-wing populist League Party. The League leader Matteo Salvini, who also serves as the interior minister, has been spearheading an effort to clamp down on illegal immigration.
Delayed decree
The adoption of the decree has been delayed due to criticism from the United Nations and the office of the Italian president. Following the cabinet session on Tuesday, however, Salvini praised it as a “step forward the security of this country.” The populist leader also said he was “absolutely sure about the fact that it is compliant” with all national and international laws.
The decree allows police to investigate possible migrant trafficking operations by going undercover. It also makes it easier to eavesdrop electronically on suspected people smugglers. Other sections of the decree impose stricter punishments on rioters and violent football fans.
Additionally, the decree gives Salvini’s ministry the power to order the NGOs to pay the fines, which was previously the area of the transport and infrastructure ministries.
Salvini has pushed through several anti-migrant decrees since becoming interior minister a year ago, including one in December which ended humanitarian protection for migrants who do not qualify for refugee status. Earlier this week, Salvini blasted three judges who opposed his hardline policies.
Risking life at sea
Rome is struggling to cope with some 500,000 illegal imigrants on Italian territory, in addition to 180,000 refugees and asylum seekers whose status has not yet been decided. Italian authorities can take an average of 19 months to respond to the application, according to the British Guardian newspaper.
Since 2014, over 600,000 irregular migrants have made the dangerous journey across the central Mediterranean to reach Italy, fleeing war and poverty in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Thousands more died while attempting the trip.
For many illegal immigrants, the only option is to pay to people smugglers for passage in unseaworthy boats and risk sea wreck and drowning. The UNHCR and IOM recently said that 1,940 people have reached Italy from north Africa since the beginning of 2019, and almost 350 have died en route – putting the death rate for those crossing at more than 15%. The number of new arrivals has dropped off in recent years.
With official search-and-rescue missions canceled, the burden of assisting the shipwrecled migrants falls on rescue NGOs. Italian coastguard estimates the NGOs had brought in some 30,000 people per year since 2014.
https://www.dw.com/en/italy-to-fine-ngos-who-rescue-migrants-at-sea/a-49143481
======================================================
reuters – Italy targets migrant rescue ships in emergency decree
ROME (Reuters) – Italy passed an emergency decree on Tuesday that limits the entry of ships into its territorial waters, a move aimed at curbing the activity of migrant rescue boats operated by charities.
The cabinet approved the measure two weeks after the anti-immigrant League triumphed in European parliamentary elections, increasing the clout of its leader Matteo Salvini who campaigned hard on security and migration issues.
Under the decree, boats entering Italian waters in violation of international law or ignoring the orders of Italian authorities can be fined from 10,000 euros ($11,313) to 50,000 euros. In the case of repeated violations, boats can be seized.
“I think we have approved a step forward for the security of this country,” Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Salvini told a news conference after the cabinet meeting.
The decree was watered down after President Sergio Mattarella and rights groups expressed alarm.
Draft versions, seen by Reuters, explicitly referred to boats bringing migrants to Italy’s ports, which have been repeatedly closed to charity rescuers since Salvini took office a year ago. The final version makes no direct reference to migrant rescue boats.
Last month United Nations human rights experts wrote to Italy saying the draft decree was an attempt to criminalize search and rescue operations carried out by humanitarian groups.
Salvini has repeatedly accused charity rescuers of being complicit with people smugglers and already tightened migration rules in November, with a bill clamping down on asylum rights.
NGOs have denied any wrongdoing but most of them have stopped operating in the Mediterranean due to Italy’s closure of its ports and repeated investigations by prosecutors.
The decision to close ports has caused several stand-offs between Salvini and NGOs, but on June 7 the interior ministry allowed a cargo ship with more than 50 migrants on board to dock, after the Italian church said it would house them.
Migrant arrivals to Italy have plummeted since Salvini took office, with 2,144 crossing the Mediterranean so far this year, according to official data, down 85% on the same period in 2018 and down 96% on 2017.
https://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKCN1TC2BB-OCATP
Meadows: The FBI knew the dossier wasn’t credible
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Tucker: John Dean has nothing to do with Robert Mueller
Gaetz: Mueller’s team was attuned to the media’s perception of their work
Nadler says Mueller will testify before the end of summer; reaction from House Judiciary Committee member Rep. Matt Gaetz.
Tom Fitton on Christopher Steele’s relationship with the State Department
Judicial Watch obtains new emails exposing Steele contracts; Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton explains the details.
Sara Carter: FBI Outsourced Spying on Trump Campaign to UK, Italy and Australia