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.
Islamic charity which described Qassim Soleimani as ‘great martyr’ given official warning by watchdog (telegraph, Jun 19, 2020)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/19/islamic-charity-described-qassim-soleimani-great-martyr-given/
“A UK-registered Islamic charity which described an Iranian general assassinated by the US military as a “great martyr” has been dealt an official warning by the sector watchdog.
The Islamic Centre of England (ICE) praised Qassim Soleimani, who was killed in a drone strike, on its website and hosted a vigil for him at its headquarters in north London earlier this year.
Soleimani was the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and is credited with masterminding the spread of Iranian influence across the Middle East, giving military and financial support to Hezbollah in Lebanon and to President Assad’s forces in Syria. The US accused him of plotting global terrorism.
The ICE has now been issued a warning by the Charity Commission, who have ordered it to review the content on its website and “ensure appropriate consideration is given and risk…”
“Dark To Light: Spygate Exposed With Svetlana Lokhova”
Tracy Beanz – June 19, 2020
https://uncoverdc.com/category/podcast/dark-to-light-podcast/
Podcast – Stitcher
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/dark-to-light-with-frank-beanz/e/71647041?autoplay=true
Svetlana Lokhova – YT
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO942CP-5-etPB5UosIuYGQ/videos
“The Deep State Takedown of General Mike Flynn: Dennis Prager interviews Svetlana Lokhova” Svetlana Lokhova – November 8, 2019
Four men are arrested over murder plot after customer, 21, was shot in the leg while queuing at McDonald’s drive-through (dailymail, Jun 20, 2020)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8442545/Four-men-arrested-murder-plot-customer-21-shot-leg-McDonalds.html
Last night the Police raided a joint.
My neighbors knew of a local Speak Easy of regulars. They sat six feet apart enjoying a drink. Across the bar people were openly smoking legal substances for the first time in years.
They reminded me of a once great country: you paid your money and you made your choice. Having your own car insurance: you wore a seat belt or not. Having your own medical insurance: you ate unhealthily or not.
Just to be be human again.
But wherever governments get into the act of forced insurance payments to themselves, they then force behavior to maximise their own incomes and minimize their outgoings. Goodbye to your life and an existence on a plantation to eventually those where only the useful can exist.
https://youtu.be/hQvsf2MUKRQ
Populations that receive Welfare, become Entitled and then their children become an Army who hate them, their rage put to willing-slavery for a utopia for islamoCommunists..
And if you can’t create them from a stiff-necked breed, you invite them by their millions to destroy their host culture.
On this night, the kneeling-policemen found only those there celebrating their solidarity with capitalism and ingenuity, of an owner having simply invited their personal guests to a birthday party. A Socialist they said, had reported this danger to them, though not earlier in the week about the Black Lives Matter Marches (because that would have been a Hate Crime).
“Happiness is illegal, grievance is not!”
“You inventing something new-that’s a lie, envy is not!”
Caring Social Distancing is unlawful, antisocial distancing is not.
If diseased, one group would remain stoic in their own beds, the other immediately cram every hospital corridor as victims.
Community freedom vs Marxism’s rival gangs within an open prison.
The night the Kneelers came.
GBS/BLM: “Sir or Madam, now will you be kind enough to justify your existence? If you can’t justify your existence…
…then, clearly we cannot use the big organisations of our Society for the purpose of keeping you alive.”
When governments take over the control of Welfare, then
simply, by instantly removing it, they will kill a dissident.
Because they also excommunicate them and remove their employment at the same time.
And no one can start at the bottom, taken in and off the streets with bed and food in kind, because of their Minimum Wage.
Killing with kindness. Communism. And it never is.
Belgium: Migrant Mayor Demands Belgians Remove Statues of Former King (breitbart, Jun 20, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/06/20/belgium-migrant-mayor-demands-belgians-remove-statues-former-king/
French Human Rights Commission: ‘Decolonise Minds’ to End Discrimination (breitbart, Jun 20, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/06/20/french-human-rights-group-decolonise-minds-end-discrimination/
“The French National Consultative Commission for Human Rights (CNCDH) has released a report claiming French people need to “decolonise” their minds to end discrimination against black people.
The Commission handed the report to French prime minister Edouard Philippe earlier this week and included a list of recommendations to combat racism, xenophobia, and discrimination.
The report claims that France’s black community and Jewish community have the “best image” in the minds of the general public in France. But, paradoxically, it also said black people are “exposed daily to offensive prejudices and discrimination”.
“Beyond offences, it is at the same time a history, a culture, and a set of prejudices which are at the root of anti-black racism,” the CNCDH said, Le Point reports.
“Like the struggle for equality between women and men, the fight against racism towards the black minority requires an awareness of the phenomenon by society as a whole, a decolonisation of minds,” the commission added.
According to Le Point, the report was created before the current Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests that have erupted in France in the aftermath of the death of American citizen George Floyd.
While protesters in France have expressed solidarity with those in the United States, the French protests have centred around the case of Adama Traoré, a black man who died in French police custody in July 2016.
An initial protest in Paris saw at least 20,000 gather — in violation of France’s coronavirus lockdown measures — to protest against alleged police brutality. The protests later turned violent as rioters lit electric scooters and garbage bins on fire and attacked a police station in the diverse Paris suburb of Clichy.
Black Lives Matter and their allies, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom, have demanded statues of various figures be taken down as part of their movement.
Some statues in the United Kingdom have already been removed by the authorities, and there are plans to remove one of Cecil Rhodes at Oxford University. But Emmanuel Macron has rejected taking down any memorials in France.
“The republic will not erase any trace, or any name, from its history… it will not take down any statue,” the French president said.”
European Parliament
TEXTS ADOPTED
Provisional edition
The Anti-racism protests following the death of George Floyd
European Parliament resolution of 19 June 2020 on the anti-racism protests following the death of George Floyd (2020/2685(RSP)
[…]
1. Affirms that Black Lives Matter;
2. Strongly condemns the appalling death of George Floyd in the US, as well as similar
killings elsewhere in the world; expresses its condolences to his relatives and friends,
and those of other victims; urges the authorities to investigate this and similar cases
thoroughly and bring those responsible to justice;
3. Strongly condemns all forms of racism, hate and violence, as well as any physical or
verbal attacks targeting people of a particular racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief,
and nationality, in both the public and private spheres; recalls that there is no place for
racism and discrimination in our societies; asks that the Commission, the European
Council and the Council take a strong and decisive stand against racism, violence and
injustice in Europe;
4. Calls on the Government and authorities of the United States to take decisive steps to
address the structural racism and inequalities in the country, as reflected in police
brutality; condemns the police crackdowns on peaceful US protesters and journalists, and strongly regrets the US President’s threat to deploy the US Army;
5. Supports the recent massive protests in European capitals and cities all around the world against racism and discrimination following the death of George Floyd; highlights the protesters’ call to take a stand against oppression and structural racism in Europe; expresses solidarity, respect and support for the peaceful protests, and believes that our societies need to put an end to structural racism and inequalities; recalls the right to peaceful protest of each individual as enshrined in international treaties; condemns the individual violent incidents that occurred;
6. Condemns white supremacism in all its forms, including the use of slogans that aim to undermine or detract from the Black Lives Matter movement and dilute its significance;
7. Condemns the episodes of looting, arson, vandalism and destruction of public and
private property caused by some violent demonstrators; denounces the extremist and
anti-democratic forces which purposely misuse the peaceful protests to aggravate the
conflicts with the intention of spreading disorder and anarchy;
8. Calls on all leaders and citizens to refrain from backsliding in values, and to reinforce
the promotion of human rights, democracy, equality before the law and a free and
independent media; condemns statements and actions by leaders that risk undermining
these values and enlarging divisions within our societies; notes that these values are
common to the foundations of both the EU and the US, and to our transatlantic
cooperation; underlines the importance of closer interparliamentary cooperation through the Transatlantic Legislators’ Dialogue, in order to exchange views and best practices during their upcoming meeting, and identify legal means of combating structural racism and protecting human rights;
9. Calls for closer multilateral cooperation to combat racism and discrimination; calls on
the Commissionto liaise closely with international actors such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the UN, the African Union and the
Council of Europe, as well as other international partners, in order to combat racism at an international level; welcomes the request of 54 African countries for an urgent debate at the UN Human Rights Council to be held on 17 June 2020 on the ‘current racially inspired human rights violations, systemic racism, police brutality and the violence against peaceful protests’;
10. Calls for the EU institutions, bodies and agencies and the Member States to strongly and publicly denounce the disproportionate use of force and racist tendencies in law
enforcement whenever it occurs, in the EU, in the US and around the world;
11. Considers that the fight against racism is a horizontal issue and that it should be taken into account in all areas of Union policy; recalls that all citizens should be entitled to protection from these inequities, both as individuals and as a group, including positive measures for the promotion and the full and equal enjoyment of their rights;
12. Recalls the adoption on 26 March 2019 of its resolution on the fundamental rights of
people with African descent, and calls urgently for the EU and the Member States to
implement it;
13. Is deeply concerned about the reported cases of right-wing extremism in security forces that have been brought to light in recent years in the EU1 ;
14. Calls for the EU institutions and the Member States to officially acknowledge past
injustices and crimes against humanity committed against black people, people of
colour and Roma; declares slavery a crime against humanity and calls for 2 December
to be designated the European Day commemorating the Abolition of the Slave Trade;
encourages the Member States to make the history of black people, people of colour and Roma part of their school curricula;
15. Reiterates the crucial role of education in deconstructing prejudices and stereotypes,
promoting tolerance, understanding and diversity, and highlights that education is a key tool to end structural discrimination and racism in our societies;
16. Calls on the Member States to denounce and refrain from racist and Afrophobic
traditions, such as the black face practice;
17. Invites the EU leaders to organise a European Anti-Racism Summit on combating structural discrimination in Europe in the near future; urges the Commission to come forward with a comprehensive strategy against racism and discrimination and an EU framework for national action plans against racism with a dedicated component on fighting against these phenomena in the law enforcement services, while taking an intersectional approach; urges the Council to set up a dedicated Council configuration for equality; calls for the EU institutions to establish an interinstitutional task force to fight racism and discrimination at EU level;
18. Calls on the Member States to promote anti-discrimination policies in all areas and to develop national action plans against racism that address areas such as education, housing, health, employment, policing, social services, the justice system and political participation and representation, in close cooperation with civil society and the communities concerned;
19. Requests that all anti-discrimination policies have an intersectional and gender approach in order to tackle multiple discrimination;
20. Urges the Member States to step up measures to increase diversity within police forces and to establish frameworks for dialogue and cooperation between police and communities;
21. Urgently calls for the combating of discrimination on all grounds in the EU and calls, therefore, for the Council to immediately unblock and conclude the negotiations on the Horizontal Directive on non-discrimination that has been blocked since the Commission proposed it in 2008;
22. Condemns all types of incidents of hate crime and hate speech, both offline and online, that occur in the EU on a daily basis, and recalls that racist and xenophobic speech is not covered by the freedom of expression;
23. Insists that the Member States implement and properly enforce Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA of 28 November 2008 on combating certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law, notably by investigating the bias motive for crimes based on race, national or ethnic origin, and by ensuring that racist hate crimes are recorded, investigated, prosecuted and sanctioned; further calls on the Commission to review and revise, where appropriate, the Framework Decision and its implementation, and to take action against Member States that do not fully implement it;
24. Reminds Member States that independent police complaints mechanisms should be established to lead investigations into cases of police misconduct and abuse; underlines that democratic policing requires that the police be accountable for their actions before the law, the public authorities and the entire public they serve; believes that the key requirement for accountability is the maintenance of effective and efficient oversight instruments;
25. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to take steps towards the collection of further data disaggregated by race and ethnic origin (as defined by the EU Racial Equality Directive) that are voluntary and anonymous; considers that, if data on ethnic discrimination and hate crime were to be collected, this should be for the sole purpose of identifying the roots of and to combat racism and discriminatory discourse and acts, in accordance with the relevant national legal frameworks and EU data protection legislation;
26. Notes that the Commission will come forward with the first of its annual Rule of Law reports, with a limited scope; reiterates the European Parliament’s calls for a comprehensive mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, which should include monitoring of the state of affairs regarding racism and discrimination in all EU Member States;
27. Condemns racial and ethnic profiling used by police and law enforcement authorities, and considers that police and law enforcement forces must have an exemplary record on anti-racism and anti-discrimination; calls for the EU and the Member States to develop policies and measures to tackle discrimination and to end racial or ethnic profiling in all forms in criminal law enforcement, counter-terrorism measures and immigration controls; stresses, in particular, that the new technologies to be used by law enforcement authorities must be designed and used in such a way that they do not create risks of discrimination for racial and ethnic minorities; proposes action to strengthen the training of members of police and law enforcement forces on strategies to fight against racism and discrimination, and to prevent, identify and respond to racial profiling; calls on the Member States not to leave cases of police brutality and abuses unpunished, and to properly investigate, prosecute and sanction them;
28. Condemns the use of violent and disproportionate interventions by State authorities; encourages the relevant authorities to ensure transparent, impartial, independent and effective investigation when the use of disproportionate force is suspected or has been alleged; recalls that law enforcement agencies must always be held accountable for the fulfilment of their duties and their compliance with the relevant legal and operational frameworks, in particular the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials;
29. Calls on the Member States to ensure that the use of force by law enforcement authorities is always lawful, proportionate, necessary and the last resort, and that it preserves human life and physical integrity; notes that the excessive use of force against crowds contravenes the principle of proportionality;
30. Recalls the right of citizens to record scenes of police violence that can be used as evidence and that people should never be threatened by the police or the responsible authority when recording nor obliged to destroy evidence or be deprived of their goods in order to prevent them from giving testimony;
31. Asks the Commission to create an independent expert group tasked with developing an EU Code of Police Ethics that provides a set of principles and guidelines for the objectives, performance, oversight and control of the police in democratic societies governed by the rule of law, which can also help police actors in their daily work to properly enforce the prohibition on racism, discrimination and ethnic profiling;
32. Emphasises that a free press is a fundamental pillar of any democracy; notes the important role of journalists and photojournalists in reporting cases of disproportionate violence, and condemns all instances in which they have been deliberately targeted;
33. Calls on the relevant EU agencies, including the FRA, the European Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) and the European Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPOL), within their respective mandates, to step up their efforts in combating racism and discrimination;
34. Calls for a serious funding commitment in the next MFF to fight racism and
discrimination across the EU; deplores the fact that the proposed amount for the heading ‘Justice, Rights and Values’ was decreased significantly in the revised multiannual financial framework proposals of the Commission; calls on the Commission to effectively respond to the concern about the increasingly shrinking space for independent civil society in some Member States; recalls the importance of ensuring adequate funding to support activities of civil society actors working on anti-racism and discriminations;;
35. Stresses that entities that engage in discriminatory activities against racialised communities, or take decisions or implement measures to this effect, should not be eligible for funding through the Union’s budget;
36. Condemns the fact that extremist and xenophobic political forces worldwide are increasingly resorting to the distortion of historical, statistical and scientific facts and employ symbolism and rhetoric that echo aspects of totalitarian propaganda, including racism, anti-Semitism and hatred towards minorities;
37. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative for the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the United Nations, US President Donald Trump and his administration, and the US Congress.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2020-0173_EN.pdf
GAZA Artist carves sand sculpture for World Refugee Day
Sand sculptor Rana Ramlawi carves a new artwork in her home in Gaza City to commemorate World Refugee Day, a day dedicated by the United Nations General Assembly to raise awareness on the situation of refugees throughout the world.
World Refugee Day 2020 – UN Chief message
António Guterres (UN Secretary-General) on World Refugee Day 2020
On World Refugee Day, every action counts: UNHCR chief
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi salutes the fortitude of refugees (…) many of whom have stepped up to contribute to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic
VOA – World Refugee Day Highlights Contributions, Challenges During Pandemic
… recognition of refugees’ struggles and contributions held against backdrop of COVID-19
World Refugee Day: How One Gay Man Escaped Anti-LGBTQ Violence in Chechnya
… heartbreaking, inspiring
… fleeing violence and conflict from some of the most dangerous places in the world.
… One of those people was Amin, who we helped escape to Toronto,”
( 8 min 27 )
Protesters gather in Glasgow to ‘send positive anti-racist message on World Refugee Day’
Organisers said the Glasgow Says No to Racism event is aimed at “sending a positive anti-racist message from Glasgow’s George Square to the world on World Refugee Day”.
Supporters include Stand Up To Racism, Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees, Positive Action in Housing, Afghan Human Rights Foundation and unions.
[…]Loyalists and members of a far-right group announced online on Friday night that they plan to head to the square to “protect statues”.
On Friday night, Police Scotland, Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf and the head of Glasgow City Council called on the public not to gather at the location.
Welcoming All: LSC Immigrant and Refugee team celebrate World Refugee Day
The Immigrant and Refugee team at the LSC office in Raleigh created this video as a show of appreciation to everyone who has supported its efforts in the community as they work to make Raleigh the most welcoming place for newcomers as possible!
Beautiful Song dedicated to Refugees
Music is a powerful tool in storytelling, especially for Somali Community
In an effort to commemorate WorldRefugeeDay, Yurub Genyo and Mahad Galin Hore, dedicated a powerful song for Refugees, Asylum seekers and other displaced populations.
The song highlights their plight, resilience and potential.
Greece: people gather in Athens in support of migrants on World Refugee Day
Hundreds of people gather in Athens to show their support for migrants and refugees on World Refugee Day, one of several events organised in the Greek capital to send a message of solidarity around the world.
The policy of Greece’s conservative government, which was voted in nearly a year ago, is to make the country a “less attractive” destination to migrants.
There are around 120,000 of them in the country today.
JUNE 20th 2020 – PARIS –
JUNE 16th 2020 – PARIS –
“Victim Culture is Destroying the West – Michael Ramsden”
The Liberty Hound – June 17, 2020
German Special Forces Solider Sacked for Alleged Islamist Sympathies (breitbart, Jun 20, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/06/20/german-special-forces-solider-sacked-for-alleged-islamist-sympathies/
“A member of Germany’s Special Forces Command (KSK) has been sacked after the soldier in question was alleged to have sympathies with radical Islamic extremism.
The German Military Counter-intelligence Service (MAD) labelled the solider as an Islamic extremist last year, placing him in the “red category” for those recognised as extremists. After being subjected to a military disciplinary procedure he was removed from his role in the armed forces earlier this year.
The details of the soldier’s sacking have only just emerged in German media. According to a report from newspaper Die Welt, the KSK has had problems with at least 14 soldiers with extremist sympathies in 2019 alone.
Eight of those singled out by MAD were far-right extremists, four were Islamic extremists and two were so-called “Reich Citizens” — a group who deny the legitimacy of the German constitution and the Federal Republic of Germany as a whole.
The number of extremists in the KSK was in 2019 was double that of the previous year, which saw four right-wing extremists and three Islamic extremists identified by counterintelligence officials.
The German special forces are not the only branch of the German state to have problems with infiltration of Islamic extremists in recent years.
In November of 2016, an officer of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany’s domestic security agency, was arrested after it was revealed that the 51-year-old not only had sympathies for Islamic extremism but had plotted a bomb attack against the agency.”
The man was initially hired to monitor the radical Islamist scene in Germany but used his position to attempt to recruit radicals into the agency and carry out attacks. He was finally caught after trying to recruit a man who, unbeknownst to him, was a fellow BfV agent.
SEATTLE – Homicide Investigation Inside Protest Area
Written by Public Affairs on June 20, 2020 9:59 am
Homicide detectives are investigating following a fatal shooting that occurred early Saturday morning at 10th Avenue and East Pine Street. One man was declared deceased at the hospital and another male is being treated for life-threatening injuries.
On June 20th, at approximately 2:30 AM, East Precinct officers responded to a report of shots fired in Cal Anderson Park. This is inside the area referred to as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP). Officers attempted to locate a shooting victim but were met by a violent crowd that prevented officers safe access to the victims. Officers were later informed that the victims, both males, had been transported to Harborview Medical Center by CHOP medics.
Officers responded to Harborview and were informed that one of the victims, a 19-year-old male, had died from injuries. The other victim, also a male, unknown age, remains in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The suspect or suspect(s) fled and are still at large. There is no description at this time.
Homicide detectives responded and are conducting a thorough investigation, despite the challenges presented by the circumstances.
Anyone with information about this shooting, or who may have video, is asked to contact the Seattle Police Department’s Violent Crime tip line at (206) 233-5000.
This remains an active and on-going homicide investigation. This post will be updated as additional information becomes available.
https://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2020/06/20/homicide-investigation-inside-protest-area/
CHAZ Shooting: BLM Leader calls For REVOLUTION AND VIOLENT REPRISALS
Muhammad Ali’s Son Believes His Dad Would Have Seen BLM Protesters as ‘Devils’ (sputniknews, Jun 20, 2020)
https://sputniknews.com/world/202006201079674712-egypts-president-tells-troops-to-be-ready-to-fight-abroad/
“The legendary heavyweight boxer and anti-war/civil rights activist was an outspoken proponent of racial equality, but also famously distanced himself from all forms of bigotry, whether by white or by black Americans, by splitting with the Nation of Islam.
Muhammad Ali Jr says his father would have hated Black Lives Matter and the violent protests which have gripped America in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer.
“My father would have said, ‘they ain’t nothing but devils’. My father said ‘all lives matter’. I don’t think he’d agree,” Ali Jr, the boxing legend’s only biological son, told the New York Post.
Calling BLM “racist” and divisive, Ali Jr insisted that “everybody’s life matters,” and that “God loves everyone – he never singled anyone out.”
“It’s a racial statement,” he said of the movement’s name. “It’s pitting black people against everyone else. It starts racial things to happen; I hate that,” he said.
Ali Jr also blasted violent protesters, saying that while peaceful protests were fine, “don’t bust up s***, don’t trash the place.” He suggested that while the white Minneapolis police officer’s killing of George Floyd was wrong, many people don’t “realize there was more footage than what they showed. The guy resisted arrest, the officer was doing his job, but he used the wrong tactic.”
The boxing legend’s son defended cops in general, emphasizing that “not all the police are bad,” and that there’s “just a few” who are. “There’s a handful of police that are crooked, they should be locked up.” He added that he personally had “never had a bad scene with a cop. They’ve always been nice and protect me. I don’t have a problem with them.”
Floyd, 46, died in police custody of heart failure after officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while he lay face down in custody with his hands behind his back. The incident was filmed, and Chauvin’s actions, combined with the Minneapolis Police Department’s failure to immediately reprimand him and his fellow officers, sparked nationwide protests across the US which in some places turned into riots, with over 22 people killed so far and over 11,000 others arrested.
‘Democrats Don’t Care’
Commenting on the Democratic Party’s efforts to cash in politically on the Floyd protests, Ali Jr. claimed that Trump’s opponents were the real “racists.”
“I think Trump’s a good president. My father would have supported him. Trump’s not a racist, he’s for all the people. Democrats are the ones who are racist and not for everybody…Democrats don’t give a s*** about anybody. Hillary Clinton doesn’t give a s***; she’s trying not to get locked up,” he insisted.
Ali Jr. noted that he believed Trump has been a “much better” president than both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, because he was “the only one to do what he said he would do” after being elected.
He also agreed with Trump’s labeling of Antifa as a terrorist organization, suggesting “they’re no different from Muslim terrorists” and “should all get what they deserve” and be ‘taken out’.
Boxing legend Muhammad Ali won his first Heavyweight Champion of the World title in 1964. In 1967, he famously refused to be drafted into the US Army during the Vietnam War, stating that he had no obligation to fight for a country that discriminated against African-Americans. He associated with other civil rights movement leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr and the Black Panthers, throughout the 1960s. His protest against the war led him to be stripped of his titles and to be temporarily banned from the sport of boxing, and nearly landed him five years in jail. At the same time, while rejecting white supremacy, Ali also eventually rejected Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam’s black supremacist teachings after leaving that organization in the mid-1970s.
Ali Jr. isn’t the only of Ali’s children to be critical of Black Lives Matter. In 2016, his daughter Laila Ali said she couldn’t support the group online because “all lives matter” and she doesn’t “like to make people feel separate.””
First Lenin statue erected in West Germany following legal battle
Ruptly is live as the first statue of former Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin is unveiled in the West German industrial city of Gelsenkirchen on Saturday, June 20.
The unveiling comes following a heated dispute between the Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany (MLPD) and the city authorities, which had previously tried to ban the statue, an attempt which was overturned in court.
Statues of Lenin were once present right across the former German Democratic Republic (GDR), but this is believed to be the first one ever to be erected in Germany’s west.
The original date was set for March 14 this year, coinciding with Lenin’s 150th birthday and the 38th anniversary of the founding of the MLPD, but was postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Spain: Public billboards compare Trump to Hitler and Mussolini in Oleiros
The small town of Oleiros in La Coruna put up an image of US President Donald Trump next to WWII dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, as seen on Thursday.
The electronic billboard, run by Oleiros town hall, can be seen depicting Trump next to Hitler and Mussolini with the legend “A New Monster.”
“The screens of the Oleiros town hall are here to inform. They are not ads from companies they are municipal screens. Which are in the streets to inform the neighbours about local, national or even international life,” explained Angel Garcia Seoane, mayor of Oilers and the mind behind the billboards, adding that as a politician he feels it is his duty to take a stand on political affairs.
Garcia Seoane said that the politics surrounding the action the US president integrate racism and cause “a lot of damage around the world ” and that the people of his town need to be informed.
“I denounce this ugly beast who is a lot like Hitler and Mussolini,” he added.
This is not the first time the electronic billboards of Oleiros have been used as a political platform. Back in 2004, the same billboards were denouncing former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s policies, calling him a murderer, causing indignation in the Israeli embassy in Spain.
Billboard comparing Trump to Mussolini and Hitler with legend reading (Galician): “A New Monster.”
SOT, Angel Garcia Seoane, Mayor of Oleiros (Spanish): “The screens of the Oleiros town hall are here to inform. They are not ads from companies they are municipal screens. Which are in the streets to inform the neighbours about local, national or even international life. I am a politician, I am not here only to do roads or cultural work, but also to do a job in defence of society with an ideology. I am not hijacking the politics, I am in politics to do things for the citizens.”
SOT, Angel Garcia Seoane, Mayor of Oleiros (Spanish): “When someone attacks the world like the president of the United States is doing. And since we need to investigate the origins of all pandemics, and I know who is creating this pandemic. The racism in that country that is caused by him and all the damage that he is doing around the world. All the damage that he does in Africa in Asia and in Latin America by persecuting the democratic governments. Well, since I am a politician, I denounce this ugly beast who is a lot like Hitler and Mussolini. You only need to see their features to agree with what I am saying.”
Czech Republic: Black Hitler on magazine cover sparks controversy
A Czech weekly magazine sparked controversy with its cover page depicting Adolf Hitler as a black man. Footage filmed in Prague on Friday shows the ‘Reflex’ publication at a newspaper kiosk.
The black Hitler on the cover and the ‘Black Lives matter’ slogan lied to criticism from human rights activists and a Facebook ban for the magazine’s editor-in-chief.
A smaller text on the cover said: “Shall we kneel before all criminals who claim they want to improve society?”
The issue was published in the wake of worldwide protests triggered by last month’s killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
=====================================
http://www.fdesouche.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AA56EC05-C214-4B7C-8E18-6D8F6F3E38B7.jpeg
===================================
FRANCE – DIJON – After clashes involving Chechen community, [ ARAB ] protesters ask for resignation of local official
Egyptian president says Libyan city Sirte a ‘red line’ (abcnews, Jun 20, 2020)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/egyptian-president-libyan-city-sirte-red-line-71362206
“Egypt’s president Saturday warned that an attempt by Turkey-backed forces in Libya to attack the strategic city of Sirte would cross a “red line” and trigger a direct Egyptian military intervention into the conflict.
Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, in televised comments, said Egypt could intervene in neighboring Libya with the intention of protecting its western border with the oil-rich country, and to bring stability, including establishing conditions for a cease-fire, to Libya.
El-Sissi warned that any attack on Sirte or the inland Jufra air base by forces loyal to the U.N.-supported but weak government in Tripoli would amount to crossing a “red line.”
“Let’s stop at this (current) front line and start negotiations to reach a political solution to the Libyan crisis,” he said.
Calls seeking comment from a spokesman for the Tripoli-based government went unanswered. But Mohammed Ammry Zayed, a member of the presidential council, an advisory body for the U.N.-supported government, said they reject el-Sissi’s comments as a “continuity of the war against Libya’s people.”
El-Sissi spoke while inspecting Egypt’s air force and commando units stationed in the Sidi Barrani air base in the country’s western region along the porous desert border with Libya.
He said Egypt is ready to provide arms and training for Libyan tribes to “defend their country.” He told tribal representatives attending his speech that if Egypt were to intervene, its forces would advance with tribal leaders at the vanguard.
El-Sissi’s strong comments come after Libyan fighters allied with the Tripoli-based government earlier this month advanced toward Sirte, a move that ignored an Egyptian initiative, backed by the east-Libya camp, to stop fighting and embark on peace talks.
Taking Sirte would open the gate for the Tripoli-allied militias to advance even farther eastward, to potentially seize control of vital oil installations, terminals and oil fields that tribes allied with Hifter shut down earlier this year, cutting off Libya’s major source of income…”
“UPDATE — Three dead, multiple victims stabbed at BLM protest in UK — Islamic Terror Attack”
by Kane – June 20, 2020
https://www.citizenfreepress.com/breaking/breaking-graphic-video-multiple-people-stabbed-at-blm-protest-in-uk/
“BREAKING (GRAPHIC): Multiple people reported stabbed. Some reports of fatalities in vicinity of a Black Lives Matter protest in Reading, UK”
Raheem Kassam – June 20, 2020 – Twitter
https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/1274429010576117761
==================================
https://twitter.com/TheJoshuaTurner/status/1274435461579182081
====================================
https://twitter.com/BasedPoland/status/1274433295426748417
=====================================
DAILY MAIL – Counter-terrorism police storm a flat after a frenzied stabbing spree by a ‘Libyan’ man, 25, on middle-aged men drinking in a Reading park left three dead and another three seriously injured before attacker was rugby-tackled by hero lone policeman
Incident took place in Forbury Gardens in Reading’s town centre on Saturday
Video posted on social media showed four wounded people lying on grass
They were being treated and one seen being given CPR by police officers
Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was ‘deeply concerned’ by the incident
PM Boris Johnson branded attack ‘appalling’ and thanked emergency services
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8443319/Multiple-people-reportedly-stabbed-Reading-park-police-air-ambulance-rush-scene.html
Sky news – ‘Terror incident’ in Reading: What we know so far
( 7 min 58 )
[... not a single shocking word...]“Chilling new message from founder of Black Lives Matter…”
by Kane – June 20, 2020
https://www.citizenfreepress.com/breaking/exclusive-chilling-new-message-from-founder-of-black-lives-matter/
“We Are Trained Marxists” – Patrisse Cullors, Co-Founder, #BlackLivesMatter
Martin Iles – June 19, 2020
“Video resurfaces in which Black Lives Matter founder says group’s creators are ‘trained Marxists'”
By Daniel Payne – Last Updated: June 10, 2020 – 4:54pm
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/video-resurfaces-which-black-lives-matter-founder-says-groups-creators-are-trained
Embedded Video:
“A Short History of Black Lives Matter”
The Real News Network – July 22, 2015
“The Trayvon Hoax: Unmasking the Witness Fraud that Divided America – film”
Joel Gilbert – April 26, 2020
Enemies Afraid of Iran’s Missile Power: Defense Minister
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/06/20/2289431/enemies-afraid-of-iran-s-missile-power-defense-minister
“Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami highlighted the country’s great progress in the military industries, saying the enemies are frightened of the Islamic Republic’s missile capabilities…”
Iran’s Currency Hits Lowest Value Ever against the Dollar
https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2344541/irans-currency-hits-lowest-value-ever-against-dollar
“Iran’s currency has dropped to its lowest value ever at 190,000 rial for each dollar amid severe US sanctions against the country.
The Iranian currency has tumbled from a rate of 32,000 rials to $1 at the time of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
The rial unexpectedly rallied after President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the nuclear deal and reimpose crippling trade sanctions over two years ago.
US sanctions have caused Iran’s oil exports, the country’s main source of income, to fall sharply.
Last week, Senior Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri said that Iran’s oil revenues have plummeted to $8 billion from $100 billion in 2011.
Iran recently sent five tankers with at least $45.5 million worth of gasoline and similar products to Venezuela.
It was a way to bring money into its cash-starved Iran and put its own pressure on the US, which under Trump has pursued maximalist campaigns against both nations.”
US to Release Convicted Hezbollah Financier
https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2344501/us-release-convicted-hezbollah-financier
“The United States will release convicted Hezbollah financier Kassim Tajideen three years into his five-year sentence due to his poor health and risks of COVID-19 infection inside the prison, according to court documents, reported AFP.
On May 28, Washington Federal District Court Judge Reggie Walton granted Tajideen’s emergency request for compassionate release, which said his age and “serious health conditions” leave him particularly vulnerable as the coronavirus spread through the US prison system.
The decision could see Tajideen, 64, return back to Lebanon as early as July.
According to a June 11 court filing by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he was released from the federal prison in Cumberland, Maryland after a two-week coronavirus quarantine and moved to a county detention center while awaiting departure.
“At this time, a charter flight to Lebanon has been scheduled for July 2020 and Mr. Tajideen is on the manifest,” ICE said in a court filing.
Tajideen’s release and deportation has stirred speculation that it is the US response to Lebanon’s release in March of Amer al-Fakhoury, a naturalized US citizen and former member of a pro-Israel militia said to have presided over torture of thousands of detainees while he was a warden at the notorious Khiam prison.
Fakhoury’s release was explained by his suffering from late-stage cancer and the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
But Tajideen’s US lawyer William Taylor rejected the suggestion that it was a swap.
“This was a straight-up compassionate release, you can see that from the papers,” Taylor said in an email. “Had nothing to do with Fakhoury.”
A wealthy businessman with companies that stretched from Lebanon across central and west Africa and into Belgium, Tajideen was deemed a “specially designated global terrorist” by the United States in 2009 for allegedly providing tens of millions of dollars and other support to Hezbollah.
He was arrested in Morocco in March 2017 and extradited to the United States, where he was charged with violating US sanctions by providing financial support to a “designated terrorist organization.”
His arrest was seen as a major coup by US investigators, who have stepped up their targeting of Hezbollah’s worldwide network of financial resources.
He was charged with multiple counts of violating US terrorism sanctions regulations as well as money laundering.
In December 2018 he pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and was sentence to 60 months in prison.
He also forfeited $50 million that was seized by US officials.
His sentence included time already served in prison, and coupled with a possible “good behavior” recommendation, he was eligible for release in June 2021.”
“”Just aim for the leg,” Joe Biden says.”
Michelle Malkin – June 17, 2020 – Twitter
https://twitter.com/michellemalkin/status/1273410418472439812
Reports: Iranian Dissident Wounded in Stabbing in the Netherlands
https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2345036/reports-iranian-dissident-wounded-stabbing-netherlands
“An Iranian dissident was seriously injured in a knife attack in the northern Dutch city of Leeuwarden, a local newspaper reported on Saturday, citing the victim’s family.
The man, who was named by the Leeuwarden Courant newspaper as Sadegh Zarza, fled Iran in the 1980s and currently serves on the board of a Dutch organization that is critical of Tehran.
Police in the city confirmed that a 64-year-old man was stabbed on Friday and said a 38-year-old suspect who lives in Rotterdam had been arrested at the scene. The newspaper said the suspect was an Iranian national.
“We see that several videos of this incident are being circulated on social media,” police said in a statement, according to Reuters. “We ask you not to re-share them.”
The man was stabbed repeatedly and suffered serious injuries, but is expected to recover.
In January 2019, the European Union ordered sanctions against Iran after France, Denmark and the Netherlands said Tehran had plotted attacks in Europe, including political killings of Iranians living in the Netherlands in 2015 and 2017.
Tehran denied any involvement in the alleged attacks.”
Muslim males have ‘highest’ Covid-19 mortality rates in England and Wales
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/muslim-men-record-highest-death-rate-covid-19-england-and-wales
“Muslim males in England and Wales have the highest death rates from Covid-19 of all religious groups, according to data released by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Figures released by the ONS on Friday showed that during the first few months of the coronavirus outbreak, the mortality rate among Muslim males was 198.9 deaths per 100,000 people, and 98.2 deaths per 100,000 for females.
In contrast, those identifying with “no religion” – based on responses to the 2011 Census – had the lowest death rate, with 80.7 deaths per 100,000 males and 47.9 deaths per 100,000 females.
The figures, which cover deaths in England and Wales between 2 March and 15 May, reflect those of other investigations…”
Turkey says Haftar forces must leave key city of Sirte for Libya ceasefire
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-says-haftar-forces-must-leave-key-city-sirte-libya-ceasefire
“Turkey said on Saturday that Khalifa Haftar’s forces in Libya need to withdraw from the strategic city of Sirte for a ceasefire agreement to be reached.
Ankara’s support for the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli has turned the tide in the conflict in Libya, which has been mired in fighting between rival groups since a 2011 uprising toppled Muammar Gaddafi.
Haftar, a former Gaddafi army commander who is supported by Egypt, has been battling to take the capital Tripoli since last year.
Ibrahim Kalin, the Turkish presidential spokesman, said Turkey supports the GNA position that Sirte and Al-Jufra should be evacuated by Haftar’s LNA forces for a “sustainable ceasefire.”
“It should be a sustainable ceasefire, meaning that the other side, the LNA (Libyan National Army), should not be in a position to launch another attack on the legitimate Libyan government any time it wants,” Kalin told AFP in an interview in Istanbul.
On Egypt, Kalin said Ankara understands Cairo’s “legitimate” security concerns over the Egyptian-Libyan border, but supporting Haftar is a “wrong policy”.
“They should support the GNA, they should support a Libyan-led political process.”
Meanwhile, on Saturday Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered his army to be ready to carry out any mission inside or outside the country amid tensions over regional rival Turkey’s intervention in neighbouring Libya, Reuters reported…”
Three dead in stabbing attack in English town of Reading: reports
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-security/three-dead-in-stabbing-attack-in-english-town-of-reading-reports-idUSKBN23R0U9
“Several people were stabbed on Saturday in the southern English town of Reading and media reports said three people had died.
Sky News said police were treating the incident as terrorism-related.
Two people were rushed to a hospital in the area, a spokeswoman for the hospital said.
Police said they arrested a man at the scene. They did not confirm whether anybody had died.
The BBC and the Telegraph newspaper said three people had been killed…”
International drug lord arrested in Dubai
https://gulfnews.com/uae/international-drug-lord-arrested-in-dubai-1.72153424
“An international drug lord linked to several violent crimes in Belgium been arrested in Dubai, according to European media.
Nordin EH, 32, is said to be the mastermind of an international cocaine trafficking ring.
An official comment from Dubai Police was not readily available but public prosecutors in Belgium’s second biggest city Antwerp confirmed the news in a statement on Thursday.
Nordin is believed to have ordered a string of grenade attacks against his rivals in Belgium while he was in Dubai, according to Brussels Times. In recent years several grenade attacks have been carried out in Antwerp during clashes with rival drugs gangs although it remains unclear if Nordin could be linked to all of these attacks.
The Antwerp court is set to issue a request for his extradition to Belgium.”
Sisi says any Egyptian intervention in Libya now has international legitimacy
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/372562/Egypt/Politics-/Sisi-says-any-Egyptian-intervention-in-Libya-now-h.aspx
“Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Saturday that any direct Egyptian intervention in Libya would have international legitimacy at this point.
The president made the statement in a televised speech while inspecting Egypt’s Western Military Zone accompanied by the heads and elders of Libyan tribes, Egyptian Minister of Defence and General Commander of the Armed Forces Mohamed Zaki, Chief-of-Staff Mohamed Farid, as well as leaders of the main branches of the Egyptian Armed Forces.
El-Sisi explained that any intervention in Libya by Egyptian forces “would be led by the Libyan tribes,” and stressed that “we only aspire for stability in Libya.”
He emphasised that Egypt has no ambitions in Libya, and only wishes to restore security and stability in the country.
“We will not be invaders… we only want a stable, safe and developed Libya.”
“We call on the Libyan parties to respect the current lines and start negotiations,” El-Sisi said, adding that “Libya’s Sirte and Al-Jufra are considered the red line for Egyptian national security.”
The president said that Egypt has called for a comprehensive settlement in Libya that involves the elimination of terrorist militias and has participated in Libya-related international conferences and supported crisis-resolution efforts.
El-Sisi pointed out that the Libyan-Libyan Cairo Declaration initiative came in line with international accords and efforts to resolve the Libyan crisis.
The Cairo Declaration is a new joint political initiative announced earlier this month by El-Sisi, commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar, and Libya’s parliament speaker Aguila Saleh to resolve the Libyan crisis and end the armed conflict in the Arab country.
The initiative, which has been welcomed by various foreign and Arab countries, mandates an intra-Libyan resolution as a basis for resolving the country’s conflict under resolutions by the UN and past efforts in Paris, Rome, Abu Dhabi, and most recently in Berlin.
During his speech on Saturday, El-Sisi warned against illegal foreign interference in Libya, which he said not only worsens the security situation in Libya, but also affects regional and international security.
“These external parties are working to violate the sovereignty of Arab countries, do not want stability in the region, and contribute to the movement of terrorists,” the president said.
A representative of the Libyan tribes called upon President El-Sisi to protect Libya, saying, “On behalf of the Libyan tribes, we strongly request that you protect Libya and preserve its sovereignty and wealth for the benefit of the Libyan people.”
El-Sisi responded to the call and said that Egypt “is ready to support the Libyan brothers upon request,” and expressed Egypt’s readiness to train and arm the Libyan tribal youth under the supervision of leaders of the Libyan tribes.
Earlier in his speech, the president stressed that it has become imperative for the Egyptian Armed Forces to be ready in light of the instability that prevails in the region.
“I appreciate and value the efforts of the Armed Forces in protecting the western gate,” he said.
During his inspection tour of Egypt’s Western Military Zone, El-Sisi said that the Egyptian army is one of the strongest in the region, and that it is a wise army that protects, not threatens.
The Egyptian military is the ninth most powerful in the world, according to the Global Firepower Index’s 2020 military strength ranking.
“Our army is able to protect Egypt’s national security,” the president said, “inside and outside the borders of the homeland.””
Humanitarian Concerns Escalate Over Refugees in MENA Amid Pandemic
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/06/306428/humanitarian-concerns-escalate-over-refugees-in-mena-amid-pandemic/
“The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has highlighted growing concerns over migrants, refugees, and internally displaced people in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA).
In a report published on June 19, the humanitarian organization indicates that displaced people are falling through the cracks and facing an increase in stigmatization as the COVID-19 crisis rolls on.
“We know that stigma as well as misinformation could prevent potentially infected people from seeking care – and this needs to be taken just as seriously as the virus itself,” said Dr. Hossam Elsharkawi, head of the IFRC for the MENA region.
The organizations list discrimination, language barriers, and legal status as relevant challenges that can prevent people from exercising prevention measures and accessing health information…”
From the South: Senegalese Migration to Morocco
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/06/306324/from-the-south-senegalese-migration-to-morocco/
World Refugee Day: Understanding the Depths of Global Displacement
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/06/306422/world-refugee-day-understanding-the-depths-of-global-displacement/
“…Sparked by the aftermath of World War I and the plight of people who fled their homelands, the UN summoned its member states to clarify the rights of refugees and obligations to support them. In 1951, the UNHCR defined the term “refugee” and provided a legal framework that outlines the need for states to protect anyone facing serious threats to their life or freedom.
Now considered customary international law, the rights contained in the 1951 convention and 1967 protocol include: “The right not to be expelled (except under certain and strictly defined conditions), the right not to be punished for illegal entry into the territory of a contracting State, the right to work, the right to housing, the right to education, the right to public relief and assistance, the right to freedom of religion, the right to access the courts, the right to freedom of movement within the territory, and the right to be issued identity and travel documents.”
Additionally, refugees are protected from refoulement and are entitled to other host country rights….”
Turkey hits 700 targets in Claw-Tiger Operation: Minister
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-hits-700-targets-in-claw-tiger-operation-minister-155839
“Turkey has hit over 700 targets of the YPG/PKK terror organization so far as part of its Claw-Tiger Operation in northern Iraq, the country’s national defense minister said on June 20.
In an inspection of the regional operation center with high-level military officials, Hulusi Akar said some 150 caves had been destroyed and large amounts of ammunition seized, along with more than 160 improvised explosive devices eradicated.
Earlier on June 19, the ministry said that the Turkish Armed Forces had neutralized four terrorists as part of the operation.
Turkish authorities use the term “neutralized” to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.
Turkey’s Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle were launched this week against PKK.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.
Turkish soldier succumbs to injuries
Meanwhile, one Turkish soldier was killed in the area of Operation Claw-Tiger in northern Iraq, Turkey’s National Defense Ministry said on June 19.
In a statement, the ministry said that the soldier had been wounded in a clash with terrorists on Friday and later succumbed to his injuries in a hospital.
Akar expressed his condolences on the ministry’s Twitter account, sharing a photo of Turkish infantryman Ömer Kahya.”
Turkey rejects UN group’s claims on activities in Libya
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/politics/turkey-rejects-un-groups-claims-on-activities-in-libya/1883948
“Turkey has rejected “unfounded” allegations by the UN Human Rights Special Procedures.
“We reject the unfounded and unfortunate allegations in the press release of the UN Human Rights Special Procedures,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a statement.
Aksoy said Turkey, extending its support to the internationally recognized Libyan government upon its request and pursuant to UN resolutions, emphasized from the very beginning that there was no military solution to the conflict in Libya.
“In this context, Turkey spares no effort to ensure a lasting and sustainable ceasefire and to reinvigorate the political solution process under the auspices of the UN.”
“We have serious reservations about the aim of this statement made without consulting with Turkey and based on some accusations whose accuracy, objectivity and source are questionable,” he said.
“The UN Human Rights Special Procedures is supposed to conduct its studies transparently and by considering the views of all parties instead of making biased and misleading public statements,” Aksoy added.
He asserted that “at this period when serious war crimes against innocent civilians,” and discoveries of mass graves in Tarhuna province after it was recently liberated from Haftar’s militias, it would be “more appropriate if the UN Human Rights Special Rapporteurs investigate primarily the crimes against humanity committed by militia and mercenaries loyal to putschist and pirate Khalifa Haftar instead of making speculative allegations.”
The report alleged that Turkey has engaged in large-scale recruitment efforts and the transfer of Syrian fighters to take part in hostilities in support of the government.
“These fighters were recruited through armed factions affiliated with the Syrian National Army that have been accused of serious human rights abuses in Syria,” alleged Chris Kwaja, who chairs the UN Working Group.
It also claimed that thousands of Syrian men, including boys under 18 years, have reportedly been sent to Libya via Turkey in recent months.
“We are concerned that these children come from an extremely vulnerable social and economic situation and are being exploited for the purpose of recruitment as mercenaries,” Kwaja said.”
India: Pakistani drone shot down in Jammu and Kashmir
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/india-pakistani-drone-shot-down-in-jammu-and-kashmir/1883981
“India’s border security forces on Saturday announced that they had shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) belonging to Pakistan at an outpost in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Border Security Force (BSF) shot down the Pakistani Hexa copter drone allegedly carrying an assortment of arms at the Pansar border outpost in Kathua district.
“Alert troops of BSF shot down a Pakistani Hexa copter drone carrying 01 M4 carbine machine (US Made), 02 filled magazines (60 Rds), 07 Chinese grenades,” the BSF said in a statement on Twitter.
The aircraft was spotted by a BSF patrol at in the vicinity of the border outpost Pansar around 5.10 a.m. (2340GMT), the Press Trust of India reported, citing an official, adding that they subsequently downed the craft 250 meters (820 feet) inside Indian territory.
The BSF has released images of what it said were pieces of the drone. An investigation has been launched to find out to who the consignment was to be delivered, the official said.”
Dozens of migrants rescued off Italy’s Lampedusa
https://www.thelocal.it/20200620/dozens-of-migrants-rescued-off-italys-lampedusa
“A leftist Italian collective said Friday it had rescued dozens of migrants off Italy’s island of Lampedusa after neither Italian nor Maltese authorities stepped in.
The Mediterranea group said it picked up 67 people with its Mare Ionio vessel after their boat got into difficulty some 40 nautical miles (70km) off Lampedusa…”
Germany: Quarantined housing block residents attack police
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-quarantined-housing-block-residents-attack-police/a-53885044
“Around 120 people are thought to be infected at the block of flats in the city of Göttingen. Angry at being kept inside, residents threw stones, tires and a computer, before being forced back with tear gas.
Clashes broke out on Saturday between residents of a housing complex in the central German city of Göttingen and the police, injuring several officers, local police said.
Around 120 people from the large block of flats are thought to be infected with the novel coronavirus prompting officials on Thursday to order all 700 residents into a fresh localized lockdown.
The disturbances broke out around midday on Saturday, according to the spokesperson for the police in the state of Lower Saxony.
The official added that angry residents threw stones, tires and a computer at police out of windows of the complex. They also set objects on fire.
Several residents then attempted to break down the fence that had been erected by city authorities.
Police used tear gas to force back the angry residents, according to the Hessische Niedersächsische Allgemeine (HNA) newspaper, citing eyewitnesses.
A blank was also fired from a pistol inside the complex, known as Groner Landstraße, according to HNA.
One month lockdown
The entire complex has now been ordered to remain in lockdown until June 25.
City officials stipulated that the residents must remain inside to prevent further spread of the virus. The decision has been denounced by politicians and residents because of the state of the run-down complex.
“People live in the most adverse conditions in this building. The conditions in the dwelling have been known for years,” Green party politician Thomas Harms was cited as saying by HNA.
More than 200 children and teenagers are housed in precarious conditions there, reported the news agency DPA, citing Göttingen authorities.
The city began follow-up testing on Saturday afternoon of residents who initially tested negative for the virus, according to a city representative.
The outbreak is one of several to hit large German housing complexes.
DW reported on a virus cluster that broke out in May in the Iduna housing complex, also located outside Göttingen’s city center – just over a kilometer from the latest outbreak.”
World Refugee Day: German foreign minister calls for greater protections for refugees
https://www.dw.com/en/world-refugee-day-german-foreign-minister-calls-for-greater-protections-for-refugees/a-53882296
“On World Refugee Day, Germany’s foreign minister has called for increased protection of refugees. The number of people displaced by war and conflict is nearly equal to the population of Germany…”
Strongman Kadyrov backs Chechens involved in unrest in France
https://www.thelocal.fr/20200620/strongman-kadyrov-backs-chechens-involved-in-unrest-in-france
“Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov on Friday backed compatriots involved in clashes in French city Dijon this month, saying they were protecting one of their own because police failed to act…”
German professor on the Next Generation EU proposal: It is an attempt to corrupt national democracies
https://rmx.news/article/article/german-professor-on-the-next-generation-eu-proposal-it-is-an-attempt-to-corrupt-national-democracies
“The proposal referred to as Next Generation EU amounts to an attempt by Brussels bureaucrats to corrupt democratic states in Europe, said Professor of Public Finance at the Technical University of Berlin Markus Kerber in an interview with the weekly Echo24.
“Basically, the proposal suggests that many countries will borrow a lot of money. And because this money is to be returned in thirty years and the repayment phase will not begin until 2028, I consciously call it an attempt by the bureaucracy in Brussels to corrupt national democracies,” he said in an interview with Echo24.
It’s a kind of corruption, according to Kerber, to telling national governments, “here you have the money and you can spend it immediately. It will be paid off later.” That’s an offer that few member state governments would be able to resist, receiving significant amounts of funding that can be used to spend on pet projects for voters to win re-election.
That is why we see the strongest support for the proposal coming from Italy, France, and Spain, he said, because it offers the governments of these highly indebted countries completely new political possibilities.
However, the money will have to be repaid to Brussels over the next thirty years. Kerber stressed that Czechs should know that in this proposal, Czech fiscal policy is sacrificed on the altar of the EU. More specifically, on the altar of the southern wing of the eurozone, he warned.
According to the proposal, member states would repay the amount according to their share of EU GDP, not according to the share they have drawn from the recovery fund. Kerber argues that most people do not realize this fact.
“In any case, the member states will first have to increase their contributions, at least double today’s budget. That’s a huge leap. There will be more problems with that,” he said.
He noted that Poland, for example, has been promised €64 billion but will later have to contribute much more to the EU budget. Until now, Poland was a net recipient, but it would become a net contributor.
Moreover, there is a joint liability guarantee for the fund, even though it is formally prohibited. Czechia would also be liable for the debtors, together with Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and Austria. That is because the Czech Republic maintains stability both fiscally and politically, he added.
But even then, that will not be enough to repay these bonds, which is why European taxes are needed.
“Here it is sold in such a way that we want to tax the bad ones – energy corporations, CO2 emitters, internet giants. And we will give this money to the supposedly good ones, for example in the so-called sustainable fields. It will be an institutional leap and, in my opinion, it will mark the end of the EU in its current form,” Kerber said.
He then expressed hope that Czechs will show their true independence when voting on the matter.
“All national parliaments in the EU will vote on this plan. But the tough opposition, in this case, must come from central and eastern Europe. That’s why I’m so obsessed with Prague. Prague is rather a small city in size, but it has a great symbolic weight. You should get one of your deputies to go to the Constitutional Court. That would be extremely important. I bet on the opposition of the Czechs. I bet on the Czech nation, on its independence,” he said.”
Trump torches media coverage of West Point ramp walk in fiery rant at rally
Sky news – Coronavirus contagion fears for hajj pilgrimage
Saudi Arabia is experiencing a second wave of COVID-19 but officials are still keen to go ahead with Hajj.