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.
Based on the number of times I’ve been wrong vis-a-vis the electing of Donald Trump I would not rule out the possibility of Bernie Sanders becoming President #46, and that would be very bad, but there might be a silver lining. President Bernie will fuck up the economy and everything else in America so badly that they will never ever want to hear the word “Socialism” again. Picture the stock market suddenly dropping to historic lows while consumer confidence withers and unemployment skyrockets, terrorist attacks increasing and crime going through the ceiling, GDP dropping to record lows. It’ll be fucking great!
Oh, didn’t I mention that Bernie Sanders is a complete phony who doesn’t know the Middle East from Baffin Island and couldn’t administer a Cool-Aid stand if his life depended on it? Bernie Sanders is a useless dilettante who has everybody fooled for some reason. I’m not kidding, he knows nothing. A vote for Bernie is a bullet in Uncle Sam’s kneecap…
And yes, they will blame the Republicans when it happens and President Pense will have to deal with that in 2024.
What you are describing would be the lesser things that would happen if Bernie is elected.
Does Sanders heart want presidential stress? Would VP Ocasio become Pres?
AOC isn’t old enough to be President, that means she can’t be VP, the Constitution says you have to be 35 years old.
Sanders Wins Big in Nevada Caucuses
The ‘Identity of Self’
Is an old hand
To deal to the kids
When they don’t understand.
Stealing their ‘Rocks’
Three Demons command
Mo’, Marx and Gay
Are the current quicksand.
Now always famished
More ‘Prey’ they demand
Placated by converts
Who submit in their land.
Off on a cruise
With more victims planned
Distracted by tinsel
The ships of the damned.
“NEW- Adults Only Cruise Line
Topless optional deck
We think this is going to be a hot new product for people like you.”
https://www.theswingercruise.com/virgin-voyages-sexy-sailors/
This is first-rate, Perfect!
Cruise ships are safe-spaces for norovirus. Coronovirus too, apparently. This one sounds good for STDs.
Coronavirus challenges $45 billion cruise industry
The cruise industry has previously faced and recovered from health outbreaks before, including norovirus and chickenpox.…
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/coronavirus-challenges-45-billion-cruise-industry-n1140711?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
“The cruise industry is really resilient and I don’t expect we’ll be talking about this in 2022,” she said.
At Least 16 Turkish Servicemen Die in Clashes in Libya’s Tripoli – Reports (sputniknews, Feb 23, 2020)
https://sputniknews.com/africa/202002231078386645-at-least-16-turkish-servicemen-die-in-clashes-in-libyas-tripoli—reports/
“Sixteen members of the Turkish armed forces and more than 100 Syrian mercenaries have died fighting in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, the Sky News Arabia TV channel reported on Sunday, citing sources in the Libyan National Army (LNA).
According to the channel’s Twitter, 16 Turkish military men and over 100 Syrian mercenaries have died in Tripoli clashes.
Earlier in the week, the LNA commander, Khalifa Haftar, said that the rival Government of National Accord (GNA) used the current ceasefire to deploy Syrian mercenaries to Libya. Meanwhile, the Turkish forces arrived in Libya earlier this year under an agreement between the GNA and Ankara.
In January, the international conference on Libya took place in the German capital, counting Russia, the United States, the European Union, Turkey and Egypt among its participants. The sides agreed on a ceasefire and non-involvement of third parties in the conflict…”
Study: Two-Thirds of Coronavirus Cases from China Undetected Worldwide (breitbart, Feb 23, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/02/22/study-two-thirds-of-coronavirus-cases-from-china-undetected-worldwide/
Coronavirus: Police Raids Across Moscow to Track Down Chinese Nationals (breitbart, Feb 23, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/02/23/coronavirus-police-raids-across-moscow-track-down-chinese-nationals/
Italy: Lockdowns Fail to Stop Surge in Coronavirus Cases (breitbart, Feb 23, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/02/23/italy-lockdowns-fail-stop-surge-coronavirus-cases/
France: Muslim on Trial for Beating Wife, Daughters for Not Wearing Hijab (breitbart, Feb 23, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/02/23/france-muslim-on-trial-for-beating-wife-daughters-for-not-wearing-hijab/
“A 35-year-old Muslim man in the commune of Cavaillon is facing trial after being accused of domestically abusing his wife and daughters who refused to wear an Islamic veil.
The man, who defines himself as a traditionalist Muslim, is said to have become enraged after his daughters refused to wear a hijab and did not engage in their homework that they received from the Quranic school they attended, Le Dauphine reports.
The mother testified that to police that the 35-year-old had beaten both her and her daughters repeatedly with various weapons including belts, sticks, and electrical cables.
Investigators say that the man may be charged with sexual offences as well.
The 35-year-old was arrested by French police the day after the mother reported the abuse to investigators . He has disputed the statements of the mother, which were backed up by the couple’s children.
The case comes just weeks after a court in Sweden sentenced an Iraqi asylum seeker to eight years in prison for beating his daughters and his wife with a kebab spit because they refused to wear the Islamic veil.
The investigation, which was labelled a case of honour crime, also revealed that the man, who came with his family to Sweden in 2006, refused to let his wife leave the house except to take the garbage outside.
A similar case also took place in Sweden in 2018, when a 19-year-old was charged with beating his 14-year-old sister with a baseball bat because she refused to wear the veil.
Another 2018 case in Germany involving the wearing of the Islamic headscarf turned deadly when a bogus Afghan asylum seeker murdered his German girlfriend because she refused to wear the garment and convert to Islam.
18-year-old Ahmad G. was arrested in the town of Flensburg with a friend of the victim claiming that the asylum seeker had always been jealous and started fights when she refused to wear the headscarf.”
Migrants Vastly Overrepresented in Norway Crime Stats (breitbart, Feb 23, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/02/23/migrants-vastly-overrepresented-in-norway-crime-stats/
“Figures from Statistics Norway show that migrants are vastly overrepresented in crimes, with younger migrants especially involved in violent crime and abuse in Oslo.
The figures were highlighted by Progressive Party members Sylvi Listhaug and Jon Helgheim, who revealed that young immigrant men from Somalia commit violent crime at a rate of 419 per 1,000 compared to 34 per 1,000 for native Norwegians.
The pair refute claims to the contrary made by NGOs, researchers, and others, stating that statistics in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden show that migrants are far overrepresented in violent crime even when factors such as gender, age, social status, and employment status are taken into consideration, Verdens Gang reports.
“The reason we are criticised is that it is troublesome for politicians, activists, researchers, and commentators to be awakened by unpleasant facts when they have intensely tried to close both eyes and ears long enough,” the pair wrote.
The authors went on to describe the situation with migrant crime rates in Sweden, claiming that politicians and experts have “accepted that one should not talk about the problems because it can be stigmatising”.
“Now the situation in Sweden is completely out of control with hundreds of car fires, hundreds of school fires, over a hundred bomb attacks, open street executions, and coordinated attacks with automatic weapons, bombs, and grenades,” they said.
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has rejected claims that migration has anything to do with the surge in violent gang crime sweeping the country.
However, a recent report by Swedish newspaper Expressen revealed that all of the leaders of gangs committing violence in Stockholm were from migrant backgrounds.
The op-ed by the Progressive Party politicians also comes just under a year after Norwegian media reported that 70 per cent of the violent crime in Oslo was committed by immigrants, who make up just 33 per cent of the overall population.”
73 Per Cent of Swedish Population Growth Driven By Mass Migration (breitbart, Feb 23, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/02/23/73-per-cent-of-swedish-population-growth-driven-by-mass-migration/
“The Swedish population increased by nearly 100,000 in 2019 according to Statistics Sweden, with 73 per cent of the growth coming from mass migration.
A total of 97,404 people were added to the Swedish population, more of whom were men (53,376) than women (44,028). The figures were announced by Statistics Sweden in a press release this week.
Sweden is a country with a population of only a little over ten million, but has seen massive population growth over the last decade of over one million people, with the largest year of growth occurring during the height of the migrant crisis in 2016.
While Syrians were the largest single nationality of immigrants in 2016 at 32 per cent of all non-Swedish immigrants, they have now declined to just five per cent of all immigrants in 2019, with Indians and Afghani nationals now having a higher share of immigrant arrivals.
Pakistani migrants arriving in Sweden saw the largest growth at 24.7 per cent, followed by Eritreans.
Emigration, or people leaving Sweden, has also increased by 1.8 per cent to a total of 47,718 people.
According to a report by Statistics Sweden released last October, record levels of mass migration have led to around 20 per cent of the Swedish population having a foreign background.
The massive influx of new arrivals has led to many problems for municipal governments due to rising welfare and social costs paired along with the fact that many migrants are unable or unwilling to enter the labour force.
Earlier this month, the municipality of Filipstad announced it may have to raise local taxes by as much as ten per cent in order to be able to keep local services afloat.
The rapid influx of migrants has also led to issues around integration, with the majority of preschools in Ronneby seeing a majority of children not speaking Swedish as a first language. In one school most speak Arabic instead.”
RT – Tommy Robinson brings his ‘Rape of Britain’ lecture to Russia
( 28 min 15 )
With the left claiming that it has become a vehicle co-opted by the right to spread hate, and the right deriding the left as sinister, snowflake censors, just what are the boundaries of free speech?
To discuss this, Oksana is joined by Tommy Robinson, British activist.
SKY NEWS Diane Abbott: End online anonymity
( 16 min 13 )
Labour’s Diane Abbott says social media platforms should have the names and addresses of its users.
She also explains why she’s backing Rebecca Long-Bailey in the Labour leadership contest, describing her as a “supporter of the movement”.
And Sophy Ridge asks whether the Home Office is institutionally racist.
Another person who wants the government to hold lists of “politically reliable” people as well as lists of those who will be shipped to the re-education camps. The later are usually about 24% of the population.
I’ll bet this woman absolutely hates white British people and will make every effort to see that they are driven into the minority and then persecuted in redress for all the terrible things that their kind has done, from colonialism to global warming to slavery to racial prejudice to injustice to racism and to AIDS. They are dreaming of a “Haitian Mutiny” and of being free, free at last…
Lula Da Silva and Pope Francis discuss social inequality, economy and environmental issues
( 1 min 38 )
+ comments on the YT page
Watters’ Words: It’s a tough time to be a Democrat
Bulgaria: Far-right activists” banned torchlight parade met with counter-protest
Less than 200 far-right activists gathered for a torchlight ceremony in Sofia on Saturday, after a top court upheld a ban on their annual procession honouring Bulgarian general Hristo Lukov, who led a pro-Nazi organisation. The gathering was met with a counter-protest, earlier in the day.
The counter-demonstrators took the streets of the Bulgarian capital with banners and signs, while chanting “Sofia is not a fascist town” and “International solidarity, fight the fascists.”
Far-right groups from across Europe reportedly joined in on the restricted torchlight ceremony that took place by the house of the pro-Nazi general, where he was assassinated in 1943.
The activists lit up torches and red flares, and placed a wreath next to a portrait of Lukov, in lieu of the usual march.
The Sofia municipality has banned the ‘Lukov March’ repeatedly in the recent years. However, the prohibition had been overturned by the Supreme Court, until this year.
Deaths, infection of novel coronavirus rising outside China
String of countries locking their doors to travelers from S. Korea
President Moon raises COVID-19 alert level to “serious”
5 deaths and total number of confirmed patients in S. Korea at 602
Deaths, infection of novel coronavirus rising outside China
U.S. CENTCOM: Iran ramps up smuggling of arms
How to protect yourself from coronavirus, experts explain
Coronavirus cases surge in Italy and South Korea | DW News
The British and their Tea
PICS – SWEDEN – STOCKHOLM
1.-
https://varlamov.ru/3801354.html
2.-
https://varlamov.ru/3800549.html
GNA Offers US Right to Build Libya Base to Contain Russia – Report (sputniknews, Feb 23, 2020)
https://sputniknews.com/military/202002231078386717-gna-offers-us-right-to-build-libya-base-to-contain-russia–report/
“Libya, which was thrust into a violent, nine-year-long civil war in the aftermath of a militia uprising backed by NATO airstrikes in 2011, has returned to the forefront of international attention in recent weeks as major powers increase support for the two factions vying for control of the oil-rich nation.
The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord “wouldn’t mind” if the United States set up a base in the country with the express purpose of confronting and containing Russia, interior minister Fathi Bashagha has said.
“Libya is important in the Mediterranean: it has oil wealth and a 1,900-kilometre coast and ports which allow Russia to view it as the gate to Africa,” the minister, representing one of the two competing Libyan governments, told Bloomberg in an interview on Saturday.
“If the US asks for a base, as the Libyan government we wouldn’t mind – for fighting terrorism, organized crime and keeping foreign countries that intervene at a distance. An American base would lead to stability,” Bashagha added.
Saying that Tripoli wasn’t in the loop about US plans to redeploy forces on the African continent, Bashagha said he “hoped” that the redeployment “includes Libya so it doesn’t leave space that Russia can exploit.”…”
Hell NO!
thanks anyway~Associated Press- Muslim chaplain’s work increases with Islamophobia
( 3 min 37 )
For Muslim clergy in America, the stresses of being a faith leader are often magnified by awareness that their communities face prejudice and suspicion.
Adeel Zeb encountered anti-Muslim sentiment head-on while serving as Islamic chaplain at Duke University in 2015.
The school invited Muslim students to give their call to prayer from the bell tower of the campus chapel, only to withdraw the invitation – citing safety concerns – amid a backlash that included death threats and outraged criticism from prominent Christian figures such as evangelist Franklin Graham.
Zeb, now chaplain at the five-college Claremont Colleges network in California, described a motivating factor in his decision to leave Duke University: “The job opened up in California and I thought it would be more accepting to diversity and Muslims and people of color. And so that was one of the main drivers to come here.”
At Claremont, Zeb ministers to about 300 Muslim students on multiple campuses, striving to keep up with their political and cultural interests.
Zeb says, “When you’re a Muslim chaplain, you have to do with a lot more emotional labor, right? Because of what’s happening politically, I’m having to do extra work that I wouldn’t have to do if I was a different faith. I have to do more diversity consultings (sic), more sensitivity trainings, more explanations, more advocacy for different kinds of foods on campus and halal meat and so forth.
So in addition to the regular job description, I have more elements that I have to implement into my short time during the workday.”
Some Muslim students on campus feel Zeb’s presence enhanced their experience. Malak Afaneh, a 20-year old student from Chicago, said, “I remember freshman year. I went through a lot of struggles where I was like, is this school right for me? You know, like, I wear a hijab. I’m really afraid of the way I’m perceived, all these things. And Adeel did a really good job to connect with the community, to make me feel welcomed from my very first week on campus.”
Other students, like Tariq Razi, a 22-year old student from Orange County, California, enrolled in the college in part because Zeb is the Muslim chaplain there: “When I was deciding which school I wanted to go to him being here was one of the reasons why I chose to come to Pomona .”
Though trying at times, Zeb says the challenges he and other Muslim chaplains face is part of what makes the work rewarding: “We’re highly aware and conscious of the fact that people are striving for meaning and spirituality that may have had bad experiences or heard of bad experiences that been covered in various outlets regarding spiritual leaders and clergy members.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lv1G0LNCnA&feature=em-lsp
Deutsche Pravda – Foreigners in their own country: Racial bias in Germany
( 9 min 49 )
“It’s not taken for granted that I’m part of this society. I have to somehow earn it. I have to prove that I am especially German by what I do and how I behave.”
This is what it feels like to be born and raised in Germany but to have your German identity questioned because you have foreign roots.
After the shootings in Hanau and Halle, Germany is debating right-wing extremism and its effects, but what about everyday racial bias?
+ comments on the YT page
europravda – Tough border control awaits migrants attempting to reach EU from Bosnia
Bloomberg-founded gun control group spending $8 million in Texas to elect Pro Gun Control candidates
“CRINGE: Bloomberg Crowd Surfs”
Michael Moore – February 21, 2020
europravda – Thousands rally in Hanau against ‘barbaric ideology’ of white supremacy
+ comments on the YT page
Germany: Thousands march in memory of shooting victims in Hanau
Thousands of people marched through the streets of Hanau on Sunday, to protest against right-wing extremism and racism in the wake of the deadly Hanau shooting.
Demonstrators could be seen holding Turkish flags and banners reading “together against terror and anti-muslim racism” as they marched through Kessel and Heumarkt, districts of Hanau.
A speaker on stage addressed the crowd saying “We came here today to mourn together and to remember the victims of the terror attack. The last few days have not been easy for us. Such a terrorist act in Germany leaving 9 victims, has torn our lives.”
He added, “For us, our world, a piece of our home collapsed. They were not Turkish, Bosnian, Afghans or Romanians who were stripped from us, they were nine citizens of Hanau, children of this society. We lost our children, our siblings.”
Germany: Hundreds march against racism in Hamburg after Hanau shooting
Hundreds of activists across various movements and parties marched in Hamburg on Saturday, to protest against right-wing extremism and racism in the wake of the deadly Hanau shooting.
“The important thing is to stick together, it is important that the deceased are not forgotten and it is important that politicians finally learn to deal with victims sensibly. This is important,” said one activist at the demonstration.
According to police, around 500 participants first gathered on Hachmannplatz in front of Hamburg main train station to pay tribute to the victims of the shooting that took place earlier this week. The rally was kicked off with one a minutes silence for the victims.
Later, participants of the demonstration marched through the central streets of Hamburg carrying banners and placards denouncing right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and radical extremism, that is believed to be behind the attack that killed 10 people.
Thousands of people took to the streets on Saturday in several German cities, including 3,000 in Hanau, protesting against right-wing groups and racism.
Three Migrants from Yemen Apprehended in Human Smuggling Op off California Coast (breitbart, Feb 22, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/border/2020/02/22/three-migrants-from-yemen-apprehended-in-human-smuggling-op-off-california-coast/
“San Diego Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended eight migrants including three men from Yemen during a failed human smuggling attempt off the California coast.
During the early morning hours of February 21, the Joint Harbor Operations Center notified Border Patrol agents about a suspicious boat approaching U.S. waters. Border Patrol agents operating surveillance equipment located the boat in the dense fog, according to information obtained from San Diego Sector Border Patrol officials.
Agents arrived in the area and found the small boat beached north of the Coronado State Beach, officials reported. As they approached, the agents observed eight people jumping out of the boat and running to avoid apprehension.
The agents pursued the migrants and apprehended five almost immediately. A search of the immediate area led to the apprehension of the other three, the statement reports.
Agents conducted immigration interviews and identified three of the men as Yemeni nationals. The other five came to the U.S. from Mexico, officials stated.
Border Patrol officials reported the eight men ranged in age from 19 to 36. They were all illegally present in the United States.
“The collaboration and effectiveness of our maritime partnerships is well illustrated by this smuggling incident,” San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Aaron M. Heitke said in a written statement. “Additionally, inclement weather conditions and approaching storms increase the dangers of maritime smuggling at sea.”
The sector chief added, “This was an outstanding collaborative effort with all of our partners from the Regional Coordinating Mechanism (ReCoM).”
A few days earlier, Agents patrolling near Mission Bay observed suspicious behavior on a Cabin Cruiser fishing boat at the Ski Beach launch ramp, Breitbart Texas reported. The agents approached the boat and conducted an immigration interview with the 15 people involved in the operation.
During the interviews, the agents determined ten of the passengers were illegally present in the United States. Further investigation revealed six of the people were human smugglers attempting to move the other nine migrants into the U.S. via their watercraft.
On February 3, another maritime human smuggling incident ended tragically when one of the seven migrants died after their boat capsized. Another migrant was listed in grave condition at a local hospital.
“We are saddened by the loss of life,” Chief Heitke stated. “The smuggling of humans puts its victims in dangerous and harsh conditions and maritime smuggling is especially dangerous, as we saw in this incident.””
Surveillance includes Navy working w Joint Harbor Patrol
Photo of smuggling boat.
https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/cbp-arrests-three-yemeni-nationals-arriving-in-san-diego-by-boat
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8034545/Woman-savagely-beaten-Birmingham-coronavirus-rage-attack.html
Classic reporting that misses what was really going on here.
Massachusetts City Passes Law Advising Police Not To Arrest Illegal Immigrants For Driving Without A License
Massachusetts City Passes Law Advising Police Not To Arrest Illegal Immigrants For Driving Without A License
Avatar by Aleister February 22, 2020 278 Comments
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The city of Cambridge, Massachusetts just passed a new law which seems to give illegal immigrants more rights than American citizens.
Under the new law, the city’s police are advised not to arrest illegal immigrants who are caught driving without a license.
The city is doing this specifically to shield illegals from ICE.
FOX 25 in Boston reports:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/02/massachusetts-city-passes-law-advising-police-not-to-arrest-illegal-immigrants-for-driving-without-a-license/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=weekend
Not just another Mass. city –
That’s the People’s Republic of Cambridge!
(Which nonetheless does have nooks and crannies that are safe. Like the Abigail Adams Society and the 02138 section of Mt. Auburn Cemetery.)
State Department Employee in Japan Ignored President Trump’s Orders and Allowed Americans with Coronavirus to Fly Back to the US
President Trump is reportedly furious after a State Department underling in Japan ignored the President’s orders and allowed Americans, sick with the coronavirus, to return to the US from Japan. Ian Brownlee, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Consular Affairs, appears to feel he was right in overriding the President’s directives.
Ian Brownlee, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Consular Affairs, in Japan has worked in the State Department for years.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/02/state-department-employee-in-japan-ignored-president-trumps-orders-and-allowed-americans-with-coronavirus-to-fly-back-to-the-us/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=weekend
I detect Russian collusion
Russians have far more sense than these bozos.
Pope Francis: Populists’ Anti-Immigration Policies Disseminate ‘Fear and Hatred’, Resemble Nazi Rhetoric (breitbart, Feb 23, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2020/02/23/pope-francis-populists-anti-immigration-policies-disseminate-fear-and-hatred-resemble-nazi-rhetoric/
“Pope Francis said that policies proposed by populist politicians to curb mass migration only serve to stoke hatred and fuel fear, comparing them to Nazi rhetoric on Sunday.
In an address to a gathering organized by the Italian bishops’ conference in the southern Italian city of Bari, the pope connected dots between war, international migration, and climate change, three key issues of his pontificate.
Francis underscored the plight of “all who are fleeing war or who have left their homelands in search of a humanly dignified life,” while urging European nations not to close their borders to them.
“The number of these brothers and sisters – forced to abandon their loved ones and their lands, and to face conditions of extreme insecurity – has risen as a result of spreading conflicts and increasingly dramatic environmental and climatic conditions,” he said.
“While countries experiencing this flow of migrants and countries to which they travel are affected by this, so too are the governments and Churches of the migrants’ countries of origin, which, with the departure of so many young people, witness the impoverishment of their own future,” he added.
In this context, the pope had harsh words for populist politicians such as Italy’s Matteo Salvini who have characterized recent mass migration into Europe as an “invasion.”
“Fear is leading to a sense that we need to defend ourselves against what is depicted in demagogic terms as an invasion,” Francis said. “The rhetoric of the clash of civilizations merely serves to justify violence and to nurture hatred.”
The pontiff said it is “unthinkable” to try to address the problem of immigration by erecting walls.
“I grow fearful when I hear certain speeches by some leaders of the new forms of populism; it reminds me of speeches that disseminated fear and hatred back in the thirties of the last century,” he said, in reference to the rise of Fascism and National Socialism.
The Mediterranean “is the sea of intermingling,” Francis said. “Notions of racial purity have no future.”
“The message of intermingling has much to tell us,” he said. “To be part of the Mediterranean region is a source extraordinary potential: may we not allow a spirit of nationalism to spread the opposite view, namely, that those states less accessible and geographically more isolated should be privileged.”
“As I said, it is unthinkable that this process of acceptance and dignified integration can be accomplished by building walls,” he continued. “When we do so, we cut ourselves off from the richness brought by others, which always represents an opportunity for growth.”
Efforts to resist international migration “stand in the way of the unification of the human family, which despite many challenges, continues to advance,” he said.
The pope also referenced recent comparisons of biblical figures and Jesus himself to migrants and refugees.
“Last week, an artist from Turin sent me a little wood-burned picture of the flight to Egypt with Saint Joseph, not the peaceful Saint Joseph we are used to seeing on holy cards, but Saint Joseph in the guise of a Syrian refugee bearing a child on his shoulders,” Francis said. “It portrayed the pain and the bitter tragedy of the Child Jesus on the flight to Egypt. The same thing that is happening today.””
He needs quality time right now with his flock in Lombardy. They need him.
Berlin Freezes Rent as Population Boom Creates Housing Shortage, Cost Spike (breitbart, Feb 23, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/02/23/berlin-freezes-rent-population-boom-creates-housing-shortage-price-spike/
“Berlin is freezing the rents of 1.5 million apartments for the next five years starting this Sunday in a controversial move to control the exploding costs that have forced many to move outside Germany’s capital city.
Berlin is the first German city to influence the rental prices so directly and the law has been both celebrated as a step toward more fairness by its supporters and ripped apart as a socialist method by critics.
“It is correct that Berlin tries to stop the spiralling rent costs,” Ulrich Ropertz, the head of the German Tenants Association, told German news agency dpa. “The federal legislature has missed the opportunity to pass effective measures in recent years.”
Only a minority of Berliners own their homes or apartments – as in the rest of the country, the majority of people traditionally rent their homes.
The German capital had been a low-rent mecca after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 opened the gates to the economically depressed former communist east of the city.
That gave rise to an influx of artists and others seeking a more bohemian way of life. However, in recent years, rents have skyrocketed in the city of more than 3.7 million inhabitants, pushing middle-class families from Berlin’s central residential neighbourhoods like Mitte or Prenzlauer Berg to the outskirts. Even traditionally working-class and immigrant neighbourhoods like Neukoelln or Kreuzberg have become so gentrified that long-time tenants can no longer afford the rising rents.
In addition there is an overall housing shortage in Berlin, which makes it even more difficult for newcomers or those who get pushed out of their homes due to the rent spike to find new, affordable living accommodations.
The rent freeze is supposed to keep rents for apartments that were built before 2014 at the current level for the next five years. Critics have pointed out that the rent freeze will keep landlords from investing any money into much-needed renovations of homes, because they cannot raise the rent afterward.
Tenants, who think their rent is over-priced, have been encouraged by pro-tenant organizations to ask their landlords for a reduction in rent. However, the controversial law has been taken to court by its opponents and some experts have warned tenants to keep all the extra money that they may now be saving on the side, in case the rent freeze is eventually overturned in court.
The rent freeze, which was implemented by Berlin’s left-leaning coalition government, has been strongly criticized by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s more conservative Christian Democrats, who are in the opposition in Berlin’s city-state government.
In a statement Sunday, the Berlin faction of the Christian Democrats wrote that, “the law is not a solution for the continuing housing shortage … The freeze does not help anybody if, in the end, saved rent has to possibly be paid back.””
DAILY MAIL – Saudi officials call for the arrest of a female rapper after she released an ‘insulting’ music video referring to women from Mecca as ‘sugar candy’
Video was released by Saudi rapper Asayel Slay but has been branded ‘insulting’
Calls women from holy city ‘powerful and beautiful’ and calls them ‘sugar candy’
Prince Khalid bin Faisal of Mecca said it offends the customs and traditions of the people of Mecca
[…]On Thursday, Mecca regional authorities said in a Tweet that the governor had issued orders that Ayasel and the video production team be prosecuted, according to Aljazeera.
‘Prince Khalid bin Faisal of Mecca has ordered the arrest of those responsible for the Bint Mecca rap song, which offends the customs and traditions of the people of Mecca and contradicts the identity and traditions of its esteemed population,’ the tweet said.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8035389/Saudi-officials-call-arrest-female-rapper.html
Young Male Voters Back Swedish Populist Party, But Far Left Have Females (breitbart, Feb 23, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/02/23/young-male-voters-back-swedish-populist-party-but-far-left-have-females/
“The populist Sweden Democrats (SD) are the most popular party with male voters aged 18 to 29 according to a new poll — but female voters are largely on the opposite side of the political spectrum.
The SD is the most popular party in the Novus poll, followed by the Centre-Right Moderate Party. Combined with the conservative Christian Democrats (KD) the three right-leaning parties make up over 60 per cent of the male vote, SVT reports.
The female vote, on the other hand, shows the most popular party in that age bracket is the far-left Left Party, followed by the Social Democrats and the Centre Party. The SD and the Moderates make up just 27 per cent of the total female vote.
Jenny Madestam, a political scientist at Södertörn University, commented on the results of the poll saying both sexes value such things as an investment in welfare — but greatly differ on issues like migration.
Sofia Lannerfors, a student at Sjölins Gymnasium, told the Swedish broadcaster that she thought many young men turned to right-wing parties because they felt feminism was linked to the hatred of men, which she said was untrue.
According to Johanna Strömstedt of the SD, more and more young women are becoming involved in her party but explained it was harder for girls as many, including herself, become excluded from groups of friends over their political views.
The Sweden Democrats have topped several polls in recent months, including January poll in which their leader, Jimmie Åkesson, tied with Christian Democrat leader Ebba Busch Thor for first place in a poll on confidence in their leadership.
While the SD are growing more and more popular in Sweden, some former allies like Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage have become disillusioned with the party.
In January, shortly before Brexit Day, Farage slammed the populist party over their U-turn on wanting to leave the European Union, saying they had become corrupted by “champagne and nice lunches.””
BBC – GERMANY – Hamburg election: Merkel party ‘slumps as Greens surge’
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party has suffered its worst-ever result in regional elections in the city-state of Hamburg, exit polls suggest.
The conservative CDU is suffering a leadership crisis after party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced her resignation earlier this month.
The Greens made big gains, while the centre-left SPD is set to remain the largest party.
The far-right AfD may fail to win any seats, if it polls less than 5%.
The party is currently represented in all 16 German state legislatures and in some parts of the country polls in double digits.
The vote comes days after a racist gunman killed nine people in shisha bars in the western city of Hanau.
‘Bitter day’ for CDU
The result, if confirmed by actual vote figures, will most likely lead to a continuation of the red-green coalition in the left-leaning northern port city.
The Christian Democrats (CDU) seemed likely to slip into third place with little more than 11%.
Party general secretary Paul Ziemiak said it was a “bitter day”, and acknowledged that Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer’s resignation announcement following a scandal in the eastern state of Thuringia had damaged the party.
The CDU there caused consternation by voting with the AfD to elect a regional leader, a move Ms Merkel described as “unforgiveable” and against the CDU’s values.
The AfD has grown in popularity in recent years but has been condemned for its extreme views on immigration, freedom of speech and the press.
Meanwhile Greensnational co-leader Robert Habeck told German TV the projected result – a doubling of the party’s vote to more than 25% – was a great success.
“We have a very challenging situation for democracy in Germany, and the CDU is tied up in its own problems… It will be up to us to give the land direction and trust,” he said.
The party may have benefited from the presence of climate activist Greta Thunberg, who joined thousands of people in a demonstration in the city on Friday.
The Social Democrats (SPD) – Mrs Merkel’s coalition partner at national level – were projected to poll about 38%, down about seven percentage points from the 2015 election but enough for incumbent Mayor Peter Tschentscher to hold onto power.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51608459
Sanders Wins Big in Nevada Caucuses
Priti Patel’s Reign of Terror
Police Take Away Elderly Man For Not Wearing a Face Mask in Beijing
1,773 views
•Feb 22, 2020
AUSTRALIA – Brisbane stabber was on counter terror list, police reveal
The man shot dead by police after stabbing a young tourist in Brisbane’s CBD this morning was on a counter terror watch list, police have revealed.
The 25-year-old was born in Afghanistan but had been living in Australia and was known to police, but detectives say at this stage they are not treating his actions as a terror attack.
The man, whose name has not yet been released, was shot by police after he stabbed an overseas tourist with a knife on Mary Street around 10am today.
The 26-year-old male victim was walking down Mary Street with a woman, at 10am when they were approached by the man, who they say was “behaving strangely”.
He stopped in front of them and said nothing as he pulled a knife out of his bag, police say.
The pair fled, with the woman making it back to their hotel room.
However, the attacker chased the man, and hit him in the face, breaking his nose and injuring his lip before stabbing him in the back.
Police say he was trying to run when he was stabbed.
“The male, the victim then turned to run away further. He then felt in his back something sharp, which we now believe he was stabbed,” Detective Superintendent Tony Fleming told reporters.
Det Supt. Fleming says officers were alerted to the stabbing over their radio, prompting a police car to drive down Mary Street to confront the attacker.
They shot him after he approached them with a knife.
“It will be alleged that the male person has confronted police, he has been armed with a knife and police have discharged their firearms,” Det Supt Fleming said.
“They attempted to provide assistance to that man but he has subsequently died.”
Police believe the attacker had two knifes on him during the incident, and that he acted alone.
Det Sup Int Fleming said the attacker was known to police and said a wide ranging investigation would take place, including looking at potential terrorism related motives.
Police are watching CCTV and examining the car the attacker travelled in to the city.
However, they said they don’t believe there is any ongoing risk to the public.
“All the information to us at the moment was that this person was acting alone, came into the city alone, did those actions alone – but we just don’t take anything for granted,” Det Supt. Supt Fleming, said.
“We don’t know the motivation for this attack today but obviously we treat it very seriously.
“Tragically a man has died, but it is my understanding that what police were confronted with today was a life-threatening situation and I’m very pleased that they are alive.”
The victim was taken to Royal Brisbane Hospital, where he received stitches for his stab wound.
He has now been released and is being interviewed by police.
A guest of the Westin Hotel told AAP she heard several gunshots, but thought they were fireworks.
“I came outside and I saw someone lying on the ground and (police) were performing CPR,” the guest told AAP.
Investigators from the Ethical Standards Command, the coroner and the Crime and Corruption Commission Queensland attended the scene as part of investigations into the incident.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/brisbane-stabber-was-on-counter-terror-list-police-reveal/ar-BB10hlXW
Boris is Going to Take a Hatchet to the Media
Iran, Austria Ink Deal to Boost Art, Cultural Cooperation
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/02/23/2209575/iran-austria-ink-deal-to-boost-art-cultural-cooperation
“High-ranking officials from Iran and Austria signed an agreement to boost cooperation between the two sides in various fields of art and culture…”
President Urges EU to Defy US Sanctions on Iran
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/02/23/2209503/president-urges-eu-to-defy-us-sanctions-on-iran
“Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on the European countries to stand against the American measures and sanctions against the Islamic Republic, which he slammed as an act of terrorism…”
Arab Coalition Carries out Operation to Destroy Houthi Capabilities to Assemble Ballistic Missiles
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2145561/arab-coalition-carries-out-operation-destroy-houthi-capabilities-assemble
“The Saudi-led Arab coalition announced on Sunday that it has carried out a sophisticated operation to destroy the Iran-backed Houthi militias’ capabilities to store and assemble Iranian ballistic missiles and drones in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said the operation was in retaliation to the militias’ firing on Friday of a ballistic missile against Saudi Arabia and that was aimed at civilian targets.
The Houthi-held Sanaa has become a platform for the militias’ missile and drone attacks against cities and civilians, he stated.
The operation struck storage locations in Faj Attan, al-Amad and Jabal al-Nahdein.
Malki said the operation was in line with international humanitarian law. The coalition took all necessary measures to protect civilians.
The coalition joint command will confront any threat and the terrorists will be held accountable for their barbaric attacks, he vowed.”
Syria’s Kurds Renew Appeal for Aid to Judge Militants
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2145916/syrias-kurds-renew-appeal-aid-judge-militants
“Syria’s Kurds on Sunday renewed their appeal for international aid to put on trial thousands of captured members of ISIS, including Western nationals.
Almost a year since the March 2019 fall of the last ISIS bastion in Syria, the victorious US-backed and Kurdish-led forces still hold about 12,000 suspected ISIS members in the country’s northeast.
Most of them are Syrian or Iraqi nationals but their ranks include between 2,500 and 3,000 nationals from around 50 other countries.
In the face of Western hesitation to repatriate their own nationals, the Kurds have resigned themselves to having to put those detained on trial in Syria.
The semi-autonomous Kurdish authorities “need international cooperation”, Fener al-Kait, a foreign affairs official, said in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli.
“We need a lot, at the judicial and technical levels,” he told Agence France Presse, adding that several countries were expected to come forward with assistance “in a month or two”, without identifying them.
Kait on Sunday met with a parliamentary delegation from Belgium, 15 of whose nationals are held by the Kurds, while more than 60 Belgian women and children remain in camps for suspected ISIS family members.”
AQAP Confirms Rimi’s Death, Appoints Successor
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2145926/aqap-confirms-rimi%E2%80%99s-death-appoints-successor
“Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula on Sunday confirmed that its leader Qassim al-Rimi was killed, and announced his successor, the SITE monitor said, weeks after the US revealed it had “eliminated” him.
The announcement came in an audio speech delivered by AQAP official Hamid bin Hamoud al-Tamimi, said SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant networks worldwide.
In his speech, Tamimi spoke at length about Rimi, and stated that Khalid bin Umar Batarfi is the new leader of AQAP, it said.
SITE said that Batarfi has appeared in many AQAP videos over the past several years and seemed to be Rimi’s deputy and group spokesman.
President Donald Trump announced Rimi’s death earlier this month, saying the US had “conducted a counterterrorism operation in Yemen” that eliminated him.
“Under Rimi, AQAP committed unconscionable violence against civilians in Yemen and sought to conduct and inspire numerous attacks against the United States and our forces,” Trump said at the time.
“His death further degrades AQAP and the global Al-Qaeda movement, and it brings us closer to eliminating the threats these groups pose to our national security.””
France stands by Greece in maritime row with Turkey: Report
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/french-minister-says-paris-stands-greece-over-maritime-row-turkey-report
“France will stand by Greece and Cyprus, supporting both in their disputes with Turkey over maritime zones in the Mediterranean, French Defence Minister Florence Parly was quoted as saying in a Greek newspaper on Sunday.
Greece and Turkey are at odds over a host of issues ranging from mineral rights in the Aegean Sea to ethnically split Cyprus.
Tensions are also running high because of Turkish drilling off Cyprus, and the European Union has prepared sanctions against Turkey in response.
“France intends to stand by Greece and help it to confront multiple tensions in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean,” Parly told To Vima newspaper in an interview.
She said French President Emmanuel Macron was clear when he met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in late January that Paris and Athens were set to strengthen their defence cooperation.
A Greek navy frigate is already escorting French aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle in its operations in the Mediterranean, Reuters reported.
“France supports Greece and Cyprus on the issue of respecting their sovereignty in maritime zones and condemns, together with its European partners, Turkey’s lack of respect of these fundamental rules,” Parly told the paper.
‘This accord… does not have any legal value’
Athens has been angered by an accord between Libya and Turkey, signed on 27 November, that maps out a sea boundary between the two countries close to the Greek island of Crete, calling the accord a blatant violation of international law.
Turkey and the internationally recognised government of Libya signed the accord defining their boundaries and a deal on expanded security and military cooperation, a step Ankara said was protecting its rights.
Greece has called the accord absurd because it ignores the presence of Crete between the coasts of Turkey and Libya.
Parly said the accord between Turkey and Libya is a cause of high concern.
“This accord sets the interests and security of the area in danger. It does not have any legal value and is not in line with international law,” Parly told the paper.”