Reader’s Links for December 6, 2019

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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

101 Replies to “Reader’s Links for December 6, 2019”

  1. Sweden Accused of Doctoring Student Performance Rating to Obscure Migration-Related Problems (sputniknews, Dec 6, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/society/201912061077498346-sweden-accused-of-doctoring-student-performance-rating-to-obscure-migration-related-problems/

    “While Sweden’s own education authorities have admitted that foreign-born pupils tend to average lower results, Sweden leads the recent international student assessment programme in terms of the percent of students whose results were disregarded, ostensibly due to the newcomers’ poor command of the country’s native language.

    According to the newly-published results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which tests 15-year-olds’ scholastic success in reading, mathematics and science in 79 countries around the globe, Sweden has upped its performance from “well below average” to “above average”.

    While the Swedish National Agency for Education’s Director General Peter Fredriksson interpreted the data from PISA 2018 as a confirmation that “students, teachers and principals are doing a good job”, a closer look at the survey’s data indicates that Sweden actually leads the entire survey in terms of the number of students whose exam results were disregarded due to poor knowledge of the native tongue, in this case Swedish, which has sparked accusations of data tampering.

    The test results of wholly 11.1 percent of Sweden’s 15-year-old were removed from the survey, up from 5.7 in 2016 and the highest of all the 79 participant countries who have an average percentage of exclusions of 4.0 percent. Admittedly, poor language skills due to immigration are the main reason for it.

    “There is reason to believe that the increased rate of exclusion between 2015 and 2018 is mainly due to an increased proportion of students with limited command of the Swedish language. This is due to the migration flows that caused the great refugee crisis in 2015 and which is visible in the statistics of new arrivals in Swedish schools”, the Swedish National Agency for Education wrote in its report.

    The report authors noted that Sweden stressed that foreign-background pupils, whose share has increased due to high immigration, tend to perform worse than students born in Sweden.

    “Since foreign-born pupils with a foreign background tend to average lower results, an increased proportion will have a negative impact on the national average,” the report said.

    Without the demographic change, the positive education trend could have been much more pronounced, national broadcaster SVT reported.

    The idea that Sweden may have been doctoring its records to make them look better sparked outrage.

    “The former alliance parties love to take the honour for Sweden moving up a little in the PISA survey. Do you also take credit for the fact that 11% of Sweden’s 15-year-olds do not master the Swedish language? The National Agency for Education says it depends on the large immigration”, journalist Mira Aksoy tweeted.

    ?“According to PISA’s own rules, a maximum of 5% of the students may be excluded from the survey. How Sweden has managed to exempt 11% should be a matter for journalists to investigate,” advocate and Moderate Party politician Henrik Sundström tweeted.

    ?“The government is drumming is chest, as the PISA survey shows that Swedish students are getting better. But over 11% of the students were not even allowed to participate, as they haven’t mastered the Swedish language. There we have the explanation for the ‘improvement’,” blogger Projekt Morpheus tweeted.

    ?Tweet: “Fantastic employment figures. How did you manage to achieve then? Oh, we merely removed the 11 percent that stand farthest from the labour market.”

    ?Between PISA 2009 and 2018, the proportion of students with a foreign background increased from 12 to 20 percent, and the OECD itself estimated that Sweden’s improvement would have been even greater if the pupils’ demographic profile had not changed, according to the newspaper Dagens Samhälle.”

  2. The Eritrean, that a few Month ago pushed a Mother and her 8 year old Son, the boy died, in front of a oncoming Train in Frankfurt/Main, and tried to push also other People onto the Tracks, has been sentenced.
    The Sentence is a “Politically Correct” one, namely MANSLAUGHTER.
    In my Opinion, such judgments can only be described as “Judicial Killings”.

  3. “Jailing him, the Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, warned him his video could contribute to a future attack on Muslims.

    ‘It has been a multi-racial and multi-faith island for thousands of years and will continue to be so,’ he said.

    ‘We have to live together in harmony because otherwise mayhem follows. I think you are a bit of a sad loner, but you have to go to prison.'”
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7760243/Student-jailed-18-months-calling-Muslims-wiped-face-earth.html

    “York and North Yorkshire is a safe place to live and work, and I want communities to be reassured that North Yorkshire Police will always take positive action against people who are threatening towards others because of their race or religion.”

    Safe for women:
    https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2019-05-14/debates/349FA275-CB65-45C0-87C7-EE16D1FD1B0A/GroomingGangs

    Be draped or be raped.

  9. THE DOCUMENT THAT REVEALS THE REMARKABLE TACTICS OF TRANS LOBBYISTS
    To print document – 65 pages – https://www.iglyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IGLYO_v3-1.pdf
    The document is the work of Dentons, which says it is the world’s biggest law firm; the Thomson Reuters Foundation, an arm of the old media giant that appears dedicated to identity politics of various sorts…In short, this is a handbook for lobbying groups that want to remove parental consent over significant aspects of children’s lives. A handbook written by an international law firm and backed by one of the world’s biggest charitable foundations. And how do the authors suggest that legal change be accomplished? I think the advice is worth quoting at length, because this is the first time I’ve actually seen this put down in writing in a public forum. And because I think anyone with any interest in how policy is made and how politics works should pay attention. I’m not going to tell you what I think of the report, or the agenda it sets out. I’m not going to pass comment on it or its authors. I’m just going to try to summarise its nature and contents. A major international law firm has helped write a lobbying manual for people who want to change the law to prevent parents having the final say about significant changes in the status of their own children. That manual advises those lobbying for that change to hide their plans behind a ‘veil’ and to make sure that neither the media nor the wider public know much about the changes affecting children that they are seeking to make. Because if the public find out about those changes, they might well object to them. I’m going to conclude with an observation I’ve made here before, but which I think bears repeating in the context of that report and the things it might tell people about other aspects of the trans issue: no policy made in the shadows can survive in sunlight. James Kirkup
    https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2019/12/the-document-that-reveals-the-remarkable-tactics-of-trans-lobbyists/
    +
    A TYRANNICAL MINORITY & SILENT MAJORITY
    Is it surprising that activists rely on the ignorance of the media and general public to push their agenda? Not really, when you consider how obviously dangerous and wrong that agenda is. But there’s more to it. As is most often the case, the success of a tyrannical minority depends on the cowardice of the majority. Not on their action, but on our inaction. Conversations with doctors, teachers, policymakers, and legislators can be discouraging, as some admit that they know what is going on and that they find it deeply troubling, but they vow to “stay out of it.” After all, it doesn’t affect them or their families. (Yet.) When I ask them to help with a story, even on background, they often say things such as, “This is not my fight,” or, “It’ll blow over eventually,” or, “I have my reputation to think about.” A charitable interpretation is that such people are simply ignorant of the scale of the problem. As is often the case, the corruption of our social institutions does not occur solely on account of a tyrannical minority. Rather, this minority is aided and abetted by a silent majority who cling to comfort and distraction as others suffer in plain sight. But our excuses are wearing thin. This isn’t a fringe issue. This isn’t going away by itself. And people in positions of influence, having fallen asleep, risk waking up from this nightmare in a world they don’t recognize. Madeleine Kearns
    https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/12/transgender-movement-tyrannical-minority-silent-majority/

  10. BILL WARNER: OUR TIMID INTELLECTUALS
    video – 6 minutes 2 seconds
    Since the attack on the World Trade Towers we have seen many experts arise who are not professors. Why? The simple answer is that the professors are too timid to do their job and speak the truth about Islam. Others have to do their work for them. Bill Warner

  11. TOTALITARIANS WORKING TO CRUSH HOMESCHOOLING IN AMERICA
    Parental rights and educational freedom are among the most basic rights and responsibilities granted by God to His human creatures. But today, totalitarians who think they know better are preparing to wage war on those human rights, even in the United States. Humanity must resist. In America, thanks to its traditions of Christianity and respect for God-given individual liberty, as well as the foresight of the nation’s Founding Fathers, it will take time for these autocratic efforts to bear fruit. However, to preserve their fundamental freedoms, Americans must urgently get involved in the fight. Alex Newman
    https://freedomproject.com/the-newman-report/1272-totalitarians-working-to-crush-homeschooling-in-america

  16. Jeffrey’s New Mexico Ranch was the Clinton’s Favorite Secluded Getaway
    8,595 views
    •Dec 5, 2019
    1.9K

  18. EXCLUSIVE: Hunter Biden will now have to hand over FIVE YEARS of financial records – including his time at Ukrainian oil company – and his baby mama has to disclose her stripper tips at DC club where the two met

    Hunter Biden will have to tell the judge in his paternity case exactly how many hundreds of thousands of dollars he made by controversially sitting on the board of an Ukrainian oil company, DailyMail.com can disclose.

    And Lunden Roberts, the woman who claims the son of former vice-president Joe Biden is the father of her 16-month-old child will have to reveal how much she made in tips as a stripper at the Mpire Club in Washington, D.C., where the two met.

    Originally Judge Don McSpadden, who is presiding over the court in Batesville, Arkansas, had only asked for three years’ records.

    But now he says he needs five years of records before making a decision on how much the former vice-president’s son should pay to support his child.
    ADVERTISING

    On Tuesday, McSpadden sent out a blunt letter to attorneys in the case — including the one that Biden fired minutes before a hearing on Monday.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7756347/Hunter-Biden-hand-FIVE-YEARS-financial-records-baby-mama-disclose-tips.html

  19. Trump Rightly Connects Brazilian Trade Dispute to Currency Challenge
    Our nation’s farmers and manufacturers urgently need help in a tight, global economy, as this opinion piece asserts

    Wall Street didn’t enjoy President Donald Trump’s announcement earlier this week that he’ll impose tariffs on steel imports from Brazil and Argentina.

    But America’s farmers and manufacturers cheered.

    That’s because both sectors have long faced unfairly subsidized import competition — particularly from countries that benefit from devalued currencies. They’re pleased to see a U.S. president actually going to bat for them.

    The president deserves credit for connecting the dots on a longstanding trade problem, in
    my view.

    It’s a problem that many pundits tend to overlook — that the U.S. dollar has become fundamentally overvalued and is making U.S. exports more expensive in global markets.

    https://www.lifezette.com/2019/12/trump-rightly-connects-brazilian-trade-dispute-to-currency-challenge/?utm_source=home-special-contributors

  20. Illegal gold flowing through Miami is a ‘direct threat’ to U.S. national security, Rubio says

    WASHINGTON

    At a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing Thursday, Sen. Marco Rubio called illegal gold mining in Latin America a “direct threat” to U.S. national security that has become “far more lucrative than drug trafficking” — and noted that billions of dollars worth of the illicit precious metal is entering American consumer markets through Miami.

    “There is a major human toll if we do not get control of this problem,” said Rubio, citing a cornucopia of evils unleashed by illegal mining including human trafficking, corruption, disease, mercury poisoning, drug smuggling, widespread deforestation in the Amazon basin and the enrichment of powerful criminal groups and rogue governments like Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela.

    But American consumers are scooping up gold with little awareness of where it comes from or who gets hurt. The metal is used not only by the jewelry industry but also in electronics such as smartphones and tablets. Rubio said 58 percent of imported U.S. gold comes from Latin America. Miami International Airport, the closest U.S. port to Latin America, has long been the nation’s leading gateway of gold.

    Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article238048869.html#storylink=cpy

    https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article238048869.html

  21. Russia, Israel and Saudi Arabia: Jeffrey Epstein ‘Found a Niche — Blackmailing American and Other Political Figures’ For Foreign Powers, According to His Ex-Spy Handler

    Shameless pedophile Jeffrey Epstein inherited his espionage business from ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, whose father British media magnate Robert Maxwell, was a super spy for Israel’s Mossad. Here, in another excerpt from the newly released book “Epstein: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” former Israeli spy Ari Ben-Menashe tells how Epstein ran a complex intelligence operation.

    https://medium.com/@dylanhoward/russia-israel-and-saudi-arabia-jeffrey-epstein-found-a-niche-blackmailing-american-and-other-d3499f4f60dd

  23. Usman Khan: London Bridge attacker’s body to be buried in Pakistan

    Officials at Islamabad International Airport in Pakistan confirmed to Sky News that the 28-year-old’s body arrived on Friday.

    The body of Usman Khan, who killed two people in a terrorist attack in London Bridge, has been released by the City of London coroner and has been flown to Pakistan.

    Officials at Islamabad International Airport confirmed to Sky News that the 28-year-old’s body had been flown out from the UK on a passenger plane on Thursday afternoon and arrived in Pakistan on Friday morning.

    A cousin told Sky News that Khan’s parents and other close family members would bury the convicted terrorist in their home village in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

    The cousin added that the parents wanted to keep the burial “low key” and that “they don’t want to bury him in the UK” because they were “scared”.

    Sky News can confirm that a pre-burial ritual known as a Janaza took place in a Birmingham mosque before the body was flown to Pakistan.

    Members of the community in Cobridge, Stoke, who know the large Khan family were shocked to hear of Khan’s attack in London Bridge a week ago. Many didn’t want his burial to take place at the local Ghausia Masjid despite the close ties with Khan’s family.

    Members of Khan’s family in Stoke told Sky News that he “was a nice guy and very gentle” but they said growing up “he got into the wrong crowds and was clearly radicalised”.

    A close family friend said that after he was released from prison in December 2018 on license, Khan had no connection with the community in Stoke and very little contact with his family.

    They said many of his friends and family “disowned” him because of the terror offences he was sentenced for in 2012.

    A cousin said “he went on his own path” and the family were “genuinely shocked when this [the attack] happened”.

    In a statement released on Tuesday night through the Metropolitan Police, the Khan family said: “We are saddened and shocked by what Usman has done.

    “We totally condemn his actions and we wish to express our condolences to the families of the victims that have died and wish a speedy recovery to all of the injured.

    “We would like to request privacy for our family at this difficult time.”

    https://news.sky.com/story/usman-khan-london-bridge-attackers-body-to-be-buried-in-pakistan-11879397

    London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan’s body flown to Pakistan for village burial

    Usman Khan’s parents didn’t want their terrorist son to be buried in the UK because they were “scared”, a cousin has said a week after the extremist killed Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones

    The body of the London Bridge terrorist who killed two young Cambridge graduates has been flown to Pakistan for a burial ceremony.

    Usman Khan’s parents were “scared” to bury him in the UK and have opted for it to be “low key”, a cousin claims.

    The 28-year-old will instead be buried in his family’s ancestral village in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir after a pre-burial ritual known as a Janaza took place in a Birmingham mosque

    The convicted extremist fatally stabbed Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, while attending a conference hosted by the Learning Together prisoner rehabilitation programme last Friday.

    Armed with two kitchen knives and a fake suicide vest, Khan was chased out of Fishmongers’ Hall and tackled by a group of heroes before he was shot dead by armed police.

    Khan’s body was released by the City of London coroner this week.

    Officials at Islamabad International Airport told Sky News that Khan’s body had arrived on a passenger flight which departed the UK on Thursday afternoon.

    The plane landed on Friday morning.

    Khan’s parents and other close family members are planning to bury the killer in their home village, a cousin added.

    The cousin said Khan’s parents want a “low key” burial and they didn’t want to bury him in the UK because they were “scared”.

    Meanwhile, the last of three people who survived the attack has been discharged from hospital.

    Dr Vin Diwakar, medical director for the NHS in London, said: “All three people taken to hospital following Friday’s attack at London Bridge are recovering well and the final patient has been discharged home.

    “I would like to thank all our wonderful NHS staff for the care given to those who were hurt.

    “Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of those who sadly lost their lives and all those who have been impacted.

    “NHS mental health advice and support is available for anyone affected by these events.

    “In the first instance, call NHS 111 and look at the NHS website, with specialist services available if needed.

    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/london-bridge-terrorist-usman-khans-21039077

  26. Unknown Assailants Attack US Military Base in Syria’s Southeast – Reports (sputniknews, Dec 6, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201912061077502761-unknown-assailants-attack-us-military-base-in-syrias-southeast—reports/

    “A US military base at al-Omar oil field in the southeastern Syrian province of Deir Ez-Zor was attacked by unknown assailants on Friday, Al-Ikhbariya broadcaster reported.

    The attack coincided with the arrival of trucks with military equipment at the base, according to the broadcaster. US soldiers reportedly responded with shelling and stun grenades.

    US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said earlier in the week that US troops in northeastern Syria had finished re-manoeuvring as needed and that the total number of troops on the ground would remain at around 600.

    The movement of US forces has been causing much uncertainty in Syria since US President Donald Trump abruptly announced a withdrawal of troops in early October. The pullout was never complete, however, with the troops eventually setting up a camp at Syrian oil fields controlled by allied Kurds, claiming to ensure that resources were not taken by Daesh*.

    Trump, while at the NATO Summit this week, credited US forces with protecting the oil from falling back into the hands of terrorists.

    *Daesh [ISIS, ISIL, Islamic State] – a terrorist group banned in Russia and a number of other countries”

  27. US Pledges $15 Mln for Info on Commander of Iranian Guard Corps’ Elite Unit (sputniknews, Dec 6, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/world/201912061077504219-us-irgc-commander-reward/

    “In April, the United States officially designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization.

    US State Department has offered a $15 million reward for information about Abdul Reza Shahlai, one of the commanders of the Quds Force, an elite unit in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

    US special representative on Iran Brian Hook told reporters on Thursday that the bounty is for any info on Shahlai’s financial activities, networks and associates rather than for his death or capture.

    According to him, the reward also pertains to information which could disrupt “IRGC operations.”

    Hook claimed that Shahlai has a “long history of attacks against Americans and our allies globally,” adding that the Quds commander planned “multiple assassinations of coalition forces in Iraq.”

    The US envoy accused Shahlai of providing “weapons and explosives to violent Shia extremist groups,” and funding a 2011 plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the US Adel al-Jubeir.

    On top of that, Hook asserted that Shahlai was behind the 20 January, 2007 attack on the Karbala provincial headquarters in Iraq, in which five US soldiers were killed and three more wounded…”

  29. europravda – Far right Vox party strikes a chord with disenchanted Spaniards

    ( 8 min )

    The city of Parla, south of Madrid, is a traditional left wing stronghold. Vox champions national unity while promising to halt illegal immigration and political corruption. Here that message struck a chord.

  30. London murders 2019: Violent killings in capital at highest level in a decade as death toll surpasses 2018 figure (telegaraph, Dec 5, 2019)
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/05/london-murders-2019-violent-killings-capital-highest-level-decade/

    “The number of violent deaths on the streets of London this year has surpassed the 2018 figure after the 133rd person of 2019 was killed in the capital.

    On Thursday, a man believed to be in his 20s was stabbed to death in Clarence Mews, Hackney. Police were called at 2.01pm, but he died in the street at 2.33pm.

    His death means this year has now become the bloodiest since 2008 when 154 homicides – which covers murder and manslaughter – were recorded in London.

    In 2002 there was a spike in violent deaths with 221 recorded in London. From 2002 onward, the figure had been steadily decreasing and in 2014 the number was as low as 94.

    But since then, violent killing on the streets of the capital have…”

  31. Omani student stabbed to death by robbers collapsed under Christmas tree near Harrods during 12 hours of bloodshed in London (telegraph, Dec 6, 2019)
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/06/omani-student-stabbed-death-robbers-collapsed-christmas-tree/

    “An Omani student believed to have been targeted by robbers for his Rolex watch collapsed under a Christmas tree after being fatally stabbed near Harrods, as London’s knife crime crisis saw three men killed in just 12 hours.

    Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Araimi, 26, and his friend were seen frantically running from the world famous luxury department store in Knightsbridge, west London, at around midnight on Friday morning, leaving a trail of blood.

    They are understood to have dined at a nearby restaurant and been set upon by two men after leaving.

    Mr Al Araimi was found unconscious with a stab wound to his back at the foot of a Christmas tree in Hans Crescent, and died at the scene. His friend is being treated in hospital for non life-threatening injuries.

    The murder came in the middle of a 12-hour period of bloodshed in the capital.

    Exauce Ngimbi, 22, was killed in Hackney, east London, at around 2.30pm on Thursday following an altercation. A 14-year-old boy is among four people who have been arrested over the murder.

    A young man, who detectives believe is 20-year-old Crosslom Davis, was pronounced dead just after 3.30am on Friday in Deptford, south east London.

    England footballer Jadon Sancho, 19, led tributes to the drill rapper online. Referring to him by his stage name, the Borussia Dortmund winger tweeted a picture of Davis with the caption: “Rest up bis”.

    Jeffrey Warnock, 49, an artist from the US on holiday in London, was returning home from a night out with his girlfriend when he saw Mr Al Araimi and his friend running down Basil Street towards Hans Crescent.

    Mr Warnock told The Telegraph: “We saw one of them fall over under the Christmas tree on Hans Crescent. The base of the tree has a white box under it and we saw blood smeared across it.

    “The guy with him who called the ambulance looked like he had been stabbed in the stomach.”

    He added: “It was a little scary because we had considered going to Harvey Nichols for dinner and we would have taken the same route as them.”

    There have so far been 135 violent deaths in London this year – the highest death toll in a decade.

    Describing the murder near Harrods, Chief Inspector Andy Partridge said: “They were approached by two males on Basil Street, at the junction with Pavillion Road. It was here that the two male suspects confronted the victims.

    “We believe that the victims were approached in order to steal property from them and were attacked during that encounter.”

    Harrods remained open on Friday but three nearby roads were cordoned off as forensic officers scoured the scene for evidence. A white tent was erected in front of the Christmas tree.”

  32. Matteo Salvini boycotts Nutella because its uses Turkish hazelnuts (telegraph, Dec 6, 2019)
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/06/matteo-salvini-boycotts-nutella-uses-turkish-hazelnuts/

    “Matteo Salvini has taken his brand of nativism to new levels by declaring that he no longer eats Nutella because it is made with too many hazelnuts from Turkey.

    The leader of the Italian opposition often makes a point in homely social media posts of extolling the delights of Italian food, posting photos of himself lifting a glass of Tuscan red or tucking into a pizza.

    The message is in keeping with his rallying cry of “Italians first”, an appeal to nationalist sentiment that has made his League party the most popular in the country with more than 30% of voter support.

    On Friday, he said he was no longer a fan of the sticky chocolate spread, which is made by the Italian company Ferrero, after learning that it contained hazelnuts imported from Turkey.

    Some Turkish nuts are used because Italian growers cannot satisfy all of Ferrero’s needs but the breakfast spread does contain home-grown hazel nuts as well.

    “I found out that Nutella uses Turkish nuts and I prefer to help companies that use Italian products. I prefer to eat Italian and help Italian farmers because they need help,” the leader of the hard-Right League said at a rally in the northern city of Ravenna after a woman in the crowd suggested he eat a Nutella sandwich to keep his energy up.

    His anti-Nutella declaration was criticised by Stefano Buffagni, the deputy industry minister, who said: “He’s nuts. His attack on one of Italy’s best known and most widely sold products, Nutella, is proof of that. Ferrero is a leading company in Italy that gives jobs to thousands of people,” said Mr Buffagni, from the Five Star Movement, which governs in coalition with the centre-Left Democratic Party.

    “It’s true that Turkish hazelnuts are used. But a quarter of the hazelnuts come from Italy, which is unable to satisfy the demand for this product”.

    Matteo Renzi, former prime minister and now head of a small centre-Left breakaway party, said it was absurd that Mr Salvini was targeting Nutella at a time when the country is debating the future of Nato, next year’s national budget, job losses at Alitalia and the threatened closure of a huge steel plant in the south. “He says these things to try to appear closer to the people,” he said.

    Mr Salvini is in full campaign mode, hoping to wrest the northern Emilia-Romagna region from the centre-Left in elections next month.”

  33. Armed Miami Man Kills AK-47 Wielding Thug: “I’m Not Going to Go Out Like a Punk”

    Police are calling the incident a case of self-defense.
    Armed Miami Man Kills AK-47 Wielding Thug: “I’m Not Going to Go Out Like a Punk”

    Police are calling the incident a case of self-defense.

    An armed Miami man shot and killed an AK-47 wielding bandit in an incident that Miami police are calling self defense.

    60-year old Donovan Stewart was surprised to be awakened by a sharp knock on the door of the van of which he was living at 3 AM Monday morning. His girlfriend and He opened the door to find a AK-rifle wielding stranger who was threatening to rob him.

    Stewart explained his quick reaction in a video interview with CBS 4 News. Stewart forced the thug’s rifle to the side, drawing his Glock semi-automatic pistol and firing into the armed thug’s chest.

    https://bigleaguepolitics.com/armed-miami-man-kills-ak-47-wielding-thug-im-not-going-to-go-out-like-a-punk/

  34. Japan Rejects Order From Pope Francis That They Must Accept More Third-World Refugees

    Japanese people are angry that the Pope wants to destroy their society.

    Pope Francis’ order to Japan that they must take refugees from the third-world has prompted considerable backlash from Japanese people who do not want to see their culture destroyed by unwanted foreigners.

    “In a special way, I ask you to extend the hand of friendship to those who come here, often after great sufferings, seeking refuge in your country,” Pope Francis said to an audience of 900 during his recent visit to Japan.

    “Indeed, a small group of refugees is present with us here, and your kindness to them will show that they are not strangers. Not in the least, for you regard them as brothers and sisters,” he added.

    https://bigleaguepolitics.com/japan-rejects-order-from-pope-francis-that-they-must-accept-more-third-world-refugees/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email

  37. Study: Conservative Students Feel Unable to Express Views at UK Universities (breitbart, Dec 6, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/12/06/conservative-students-feel-unable-express-views-uk-universities-study/

    “A study has found that a majority of conservative students feel unable to express their political opinions at university.

    Researchers at King’s College London’s Policy Institute asked 2,000 students their thoughts on free speech on campus. Fifty-nine per cent of Conservative-voting young Britons said they were reluctant to express their views at university.

    They showed far greater reluctance than those on the left of the political spectrum, with just 37 per cent of Liberal Democrat and 36 per cent of Labour student voters expressing the same hesitation. Green party supporters were the most confident expressing their political views, with just 32 per cent expressing any reluctance to do so.

    Overall, one-quarter say they feel unable to express their views because they are scared of disagreeing with their peers, according to the research published on Thursday.

    However, the students also revealed that they think freedom of expression is more at risk in broader society than at university: 22 per cent of students believe freedom of speech is under threat at their institutions, but over half (51 per cent) think it is at risk in British society.

    The sample was compared to answers from 2,000 members of the general public, with both groups finding some commonality. The vast majority of students (81 per cent) and the public (78 per cent) say that freedom of speech is now more critical than ever. Nearly two-thirds of both parties (64 per cent of students and 60 per cent of the general public) also think that young people today are less accepting of offensive or challenging speech than young generations of the past.

    The findings come after centre-right think tank Policy Exchange found last month that the majority of Leave-supporting students feel unable to express their support for Brexit on campus. The report also warned that “academic freedom is being significantly violated” at British institution due to “forms of political discrimination” and a “culture of conformity”.

    However, Policy Exchange also found that there was a reason for optimism, with there being a “noteworthy constituency of students who support free speech”.

    One of the study’s co-authors, Professor Eric Kaufmann, told media last month that the success of cancel culture at British universities was not down to a majority comprised of average students, but a loud and organised minority of activists.

    Discussing the example of Oxford Brookes University cancelling a speech by feminist artist Rachel Ara after she was branded “transphobic”, Professor Kaufmann said the move was not “democratic at all”.

    “It’s a set of very highly-networked, radical trans-activist students and their allies who are able to network and martial pressure on the university and then the university has capitulated and agreed to cancel this event. I think the majority of students and faculty are simply not involved in this,” the academic said.

    In February, the Conservative government announced some measures to protect freedom of expression on campus. However, Professor Kaufmann cast doubt on whether universities will follow through with the policy as there are “simply fewer activists” interested in protecting free speech over “the emotional safety agenda”.

    “People will agree with academic freedom in the abstract, but where there is a contest between that and the feelings of students, emotional safety will take precedence in many cases. It’s about correcting this imbalance and institutionalising more protections for academic freedom,” the Birkbeck College professor said.”

  38. Macron’s France to Create National ‘Anti-Hate’ Office (breitbart, Dec 6, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/12/06/macrons-france-to-create-national-anti-hate-office/

    “French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has announced the formation of a National Anti-Hate Office.

    The announcement of the new office, which will be part of the paramilitary gendarmes, comes after 107 graves were desecrated at the Jewish cemetery in Westhoffen this week, with swastikas were painted on many of the gravestones, Le Figaro reports.

    Castaner said the new office would investigate the incident at the Jewish cemetery but would also look into acts against Muslims and Christians that fell within the jurisdiction of the gendarmes.

    “It will also be responsible for supporting all actors in all territories, to make the link with the police, justice, so that the perpetrators of these despicable acts are condemned,” he added.

    France already has an office that specialises in hate crimes, the Central Office to Fight Against Crimes Against Humanity, Genocide, and War Crimes (OCLCH), and, according to Le Figaro, many are wondering what will be different about the new gendarme office.

    Hate crimes have been just a small part of the scope of the OCLCH, which is generally tasked with investigating serious international crimes.

    Francis Kalifat, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) welcomed the new office, saying, “it’s been months, maybe years, that I keep saying hate — whether it’s antisemitism, racism, homophobia, or even sexism — gangrene French society and we must take radical measures.”

    “The announcement of the creation of a national office specifically dedicated to the fight against hatred can only be welcomed positively,” he added.

    France has seen a surge in antisemitic attacks in recent years, with a report claiming that antisemitic incidents had increased by 73 per cent in 2018 alone.

    Many Jews in some areas of France have been forced to move elsewhere due to harassment and attacks as well.

    Anti-Christian attacks, especially church attacks, have also become increasingly frequent, with some estimating there to be at least three attacks per day.”

  39. Diane Abbott’s Privately-educated Son Charged with Biting Police Officer (breitbart, Dec 6, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/12/05/diane-abbotts-privately-educated-son-charged-biting-police-officer/

    “James Abbott-Thompson, son of Labour Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott, has been charged over an incident in which police officers were allegedly bitten and spat on.

    The incident is said to have taken place at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) building on King Charles Street in Westminster, London.

    Abbott-Thompson, whose mother will have particular responsibility for law and order, national security, and immigration if her party leader and alleged former lover Jeremy Corbyn becomes Prime Minister following the British elections in December, previously worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and was posted to the British embassy in Rome until June 2019.

    He is accused of striking and spitting at one police officer and biting another on the thumb some time after arriving at the King Charles Street building and asking to speak to an individual who was not available.

    The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have confirmed that Abbott-Thompson will appear at the City of London Magistrates’ Court in February 2020 in connection with the incident…”

  40. Court Hears Victim of Alleged ‘Asian’ Groomers ‘Passed Around Like Meat’, School Did Nothing (breitbart, Dec 6, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/12/05/court-hears-victim-of-alleged-asian-groomers-passed-around-like-meat-school-did-nothing/

    “Teachers did nothing while a girl was “passed around like meat” from the age of 12 by an alleged “Asian” grooming gang in Telford, a court has heard.

    “I lost count of how many men I was forced to have sex with,” the unnamed victim said of her alleged abuse at the hands of a so-called grooming gang, which according to prosecutors took place in the early 2000s.

    Birmingham Crown Court heard she was “repeatedly raped on a dirty mattress above a takeaway and forced to perform sex acts in a churchyard”, according to a BBC court report.

    She said she was sold to so many men over two years of “hell” that she “lost count” of them.

    She also said she was “called names” by school bullies who would mime “actions, with their hand, hand by their mouth” to simulate sex act acts after the abuse became known — but that her school did not intervene despite being aware of the problem.

    “Teachers heard people saying these things and not one teacher pulled me to the side and asked me if things were all right,” she said.

    Accused ringleader Tanveer Ahmed is not standing trial for the alleged abuse because he has been deported to Pakitan for “unrelated offences”, jurors heard, but five other men — who all deny guilt — are being prosecuted.

    33-year-old Mohammed Ali Sultan, formerly of Telford, is accused of one count of rape and four counts of indecent assault. He has previously been convicted of “similar offences against young girls”.

    35-year-old Nazam Akhtar, of Victoria Avenue, Wellington, is accused of raping the alleged victim in a lane while he was with Mohammed Ali Sultan and another defendant, Amjad Hussain, and to have “urinated on her in an act of humiliation”, according to the BBC.

    38-year-old Amjad Hussain, of Acacia Drive, Leegomery, mentioned above, is accused of having forced the alleged victim to perform oral sex in a churchyard on two separate occasions.

    35-year-old Shafiq Younas, of Regent Street, Wellington, is accused of forcing the alleged victim to perform oral sex at the same location.

    37-year-old Mohammad Rizwan, of Mafeking Road, Telford, is accused of two counts of indecent assault.

    The trial continues.”

  41. (Richard: The left which feel free to break any law they want are screaming because conservatives are starting to fight back. Yesterday at the VA one Med Tech doing blood draw said that when the Dems start trying to take our guns it is going to hit the fan big time.)

    Virginia Sheriff Says He’ll Deputize Thousands of Citizens to Protect Their Gun Rights

    Following the change of control of Virginia’s legislature from red to blue, Democrats have been rushing to file gun control bills to be voted on and sent to an eager governor and signed into law. The bills include everything from an “assault weapons” ban to mandatory waiting periods to a red flag law to outright confiscation.

    In response, counties across the state have been declaring themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries and pledging not to enforce rights-infringing laws the legislature and Governor Coonman seem sure to put in place.

    https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/virginia-sherriff-says-hell-deputize-thousands-to-protect-their-gun-rights/?utm_source=wideopen&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wideopen&utm_content=%5B%5Brssitem_title%5D%5D

  42. Demonstrators besiege Pakistan newspaper 2nd time in a week (abcnews, Dec 6, 2019)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/demonstrators-besiege-pakistan-newspaper-2nd-time-week-67544141

    “Dozens of protesters briefly besieged the office of a well-known independent newspaper in Islamabad, chanting slogans against the editor and staff and setting fire to copies of the paper before fleeing.

    Friday’s protest was the second incident this week at the offices of the English-language Dawn newspaper. It comes a day after journalists and rights activists rallied in support of the paper and criticized an earlier anti-newspaper protest.

    The protesters Tuesday had also besieged the newspaper’s building, demanding that editor Zaffar Abbas and publisher Hameed Haroon be hanged for reporting that the London Bridge attacker was of “Pakistani origin.”

    Abbas went on Twitter to condemn what he says was yet another orchestrated demonstration against the paper. He said police were alerted and he was seeking protection for the staff and building.

    It was unclear exactly who was behind the protests and authorities have made no arrests in connection with the increasing threats to the newspaper. Dawn has a history of bitter relations with the country’s powerful military.”

  43. Police: Al-Shabab extremists kill 8 on bus in northern Kenya (abcnews, Dec 6, 2019)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/police-al-shabab-extremists-kill-bus-northern-kenya-67548144

    “Police in Kenya say suspected al-Shabab extremists have stopped a bus in the north near Somalia and killed eight passengers, all of them non-Muslims.

    A police report seen by The Associated Press on Friday says an unknown number of extremists stopped the bus and singled out non-locals. It says preliminary reports show the majority of those killed were police officers returning to their stations in Elwak and Mandera.

    The Somalia-based al-Shabab has claimed responsibility. The al-Qaida-linked extremist group has vowed retribution on Kenya for sending troops to Somalia to fight it.

    In one of the worst attacks inside Kenya, al-Shabab in 2014 hijacked a bus traveling through Mandera County and killed 28 non-Muslims on board.”

  44. 15 killed in Iraqi capital as assailants fire live rounds (abcnews, Dec 6, 2019)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iraq-cleric-calls-premier-foreign-influence-67542952

    “Gunmen in cars opened fire Friday in Baghdad’s Khilani Square. leaving at least 15 people dead and 60 wounded, Iraqi security and medical officials said. At least two of the dead were policemen.

    Protesters fearing for their lives ran from the plaza to nearby Tahrir Square and mosques to take cover. It wasn’t immediately clear who did the shooting.

    The attack came as anti-government demonstrators occupied parts of Jumhuriya, Sinak and Ahar bridges in a standoff with security forces. All the bridges lead to or near the heavily-fortified Green Zone, the seat of Iraq’s government.

    “We are under live fire now with electric power cut, the wounded and martyrs are here and the bullets were fired in Sinak Bridge,” said one protester, who did not give their name for fear of retaliation.

    The attack came a day after a string of suspicious stabbing incidents targeting demonstrators left at least 13 wounded in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of Iraq’s leaderless protest movement.

    Those attacks by unknown perpetrators occurred as demonstrators supporting political parties and Iran-backed militias withdrew from the Square . The incidents Thursday fueled paranoia among protesters, who immediately implemented self security measures to uncover saboteurs within the square.

    At least 400 people have died since the leaderless uprising shook Iraq on Oct. 1, with thousands of Iraqis taking to the streets in Baghdad and the predominantly Shiite southern Iraq decrying corruption, poor services, lack of jobs and calling for an end to the political system that was imposed after the 2003 U.S. invasion.

    Security forces dispersed crowds with live fire, tear gas and sonic bombs, leading to fatalities. Pressure from the protests, now in its third month, lead to the resignation of Abdul-Mahdi last week following al-Sistani calling for parliament to withdraw its support for his government.

    Earlier, Iraq’s highest Shiite religious authority called for the formation of a new government within the allotted deadline, and without foreign interference, as the clock ticks down on lawmakers to select a new premier following the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi last week.

    Thousands of anti-government protesters from across southern Iraq had joined demonstrators in Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the protest movement in the capital, hours after the sermon, according to security officials.

    “We hope the head of the new government and it’s members are chosen within the constitutional deadline and according to the aspirations of the people and away from outside influence,” the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said in his weekly Friday sermon in the holy city of Najaf. The sermon is always delivered by a representative.

    He added that the Shiite religious establishment would not take part in the government formation process.

    Parliament had 15 days since his stepping down was formally recognized by lawmakers last Sunday to name a new nominee, per the constitution.

    Since the U.S. invasion of 2003, government formation in Iraq has been based on brokering consensus among political factions and their foreign allies, primarily the U.S. and Iran. President Barham Salih launched talks immediately after Abdul-Mahdi’s resignation by making rounds with different political blocs. Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force and the architect of its regional security apparatus, also came to Baghdad to meet with key officials.

    Lawmakers made headway in passing a key reform bill to change the membership of Iraq’s controversial Independent High Electoral Commission, the body tasked with overseeing polls, in a session Thursday night. Anti-government protesters consider IHEC a corrupt and partisan institution and its commissioners working in favor of political parties. The new law seeks to select commissioners primarily from the judiciary.

    Protesters are also calling for early elections and reforms to have a greater influence in electing their representatives.

    Al-Sistani, Iraq’s most powerful religious figure who’s opinion holds sway over Iraqis, also said peaceful protesters should increase their ranks and push out saboteurs, while respecting the role of the “indispensable” security forces.

    Following the sermon, thousands of protesters traveled to Baghdad from across southern Iraqi provinces and marched on Tahrir Square, including from Dhi Qar, Diwanieh, Karbala, Najaf, Babylon and Missan, security officials said, chanting the slogan “Sistani, we are his soldiers.”

    Security officials requested anonymity in line with regulations.”

  45. 83-Year-Old Iowa Man Who Confronted Quid-Pro-Joe Biden at Iowa Event Later Told Fellow Democrat to “Stick It Up Your A$$” When Told to Leave

    The 83 year old Iowa man who was challenged to doing pushups by Joe Biden was later challenged by another man. This time the 83-year-old asked the other man to step outside after telling him “Stick it up your a$$, fella”!

    Joe Biden harassed a man in Iowa yesterday after being asked about his son Hunter –

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/12/83-year-old-iowa-man-who-confronted-quid-pro-joe-biden-at-iowa-event-later-told-fellow-democrat-to-stick-it-up-your-a-when-told-to-leave/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=daily

  47. A BIT OF LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL OF ISLAM

    ”Arabs are losing faith in religious parties and leaders

    Religious zeal is also falling in the region, particularly among the young”

    (BAROMETER CHARTS)

    “NO TO RELIGION or sect,” cry the protesters in Iraq. “No to Islam, no to Christianity, revolt for the nation,” echo those in Lebanon. Across the Arab world people are turning against religious political parties and the clerics who helped bring them to power. Many appear to be giving up on Islam, too.

    These trends are reflected in new data from Arab Barometer, a pollster that surveys Arab countries. Across the region the share of people expressing much trust in political parties, most of which have a religious tint, has fallen by well over a third since 2011, to 15%. (The share of Iraqis who say they do not trust parties at all rose from 51% to 78%.) The decline in trust for Islamist parties is similarly dramatic…

    https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/12/05/arabs-are-losing-faith-in-religious-parties-and-leaders