Reader’s Links for June 21, 2020

Daily Links Post graphic

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

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

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

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

About Eeyore

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

71 Replies to “Reader’s Links for June 21, 2020”

  1. BREITBART – Social Media Elites Furious After Donald Trump Says Coronavirus Called ‘Kung-Flu’

    President Donald Trump angered celebrities, leftists, and reporters after he said during a campaign rally on Saturday that some people called the coronavirus the “Kung-flu.”

    “Its a disease without question has more names than any disease in history,” Trump said. “I could name Kung-Flu, I could name nineteen different names.”

    Trump spoke about the coronavirus during a campaign rally in Tulsa on Saturday night.

    That angered many verified users on Twitter who quickly condemned the term as racist and appeared furious that President Trump used it.

    The term became widely known after CBS reporter Weijia Jiang said that someone in the White House called the coronavirus the “Kung-Flu” to her face.

    The president also repeated the phrase “Chinese virus” to describe the coronavirus, reminding the audience that it came from China.

    ==================================================
    twitter – Weijia Jiang @weijia

    UPDATE: At his rally in Tulsa just now, President Trump referred to #Coronavirus as the “Kung-Flu”.

    This morning a White House official referred to #Coronavirus as the “Kung-Flu” to my face.

    Makes me wonder what they’re calling it behind my back.

    https://twitter.com/weijia/status/1274502161544683520

    ===================================================
    twitter – Jared Yates Sexton @JYSexton

    Trump just called coronavirus “kung-flu” in an obvious moment of racism.

    https://twitter.com/JYSexton/status/1274501666314870784

    ==============================================
    more :

    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/06/20/social-media-elites-furious-after-donald-trump-says-coronavirus-called-kung-flu/

    ==============================================

    Trump calls the coronavirus the ‘kung flu’

    • It was a great rally. The type of rally we hope for where he speaks unscripted, words from his heart, like sitting at a breakfast table and having a funny conversation. He’s truly a man of the common folk and we love him that way.

      • But Cuomo Calls it the “European Virus”

        Discover the Networks
        Andrew Cuomo – Last update: June 21, 2020

        Excerpt:

        Cuomo Calls Coronavirus, Which Started in China, the “European Virus”

        In late April 2010, Cuomo said: “The virus that came to New York did not come from China. It came from Europe.” To buttress his claim, he cited research, conducted by NYU Langone Health, which found that approximately 13,000 flights from Europe had landed in New York and New Jersey between January and March, carrying more than 2.2 million people. “We closed the front door with the China travel ban, which was right, but we left the back door open,” he said, referring to the fact that President Trump’s ban on travel from Europe was not announced until March 12. Cuomo’s purpose in making this statement, was to set the stage for a Democrat Party strategy that would relentlessly blame Trump for having failed to cut off travel from Europe sooner than he did.

        Advancing this theme further during his daily press conference on May 11, 2020, Cuomo referred to the Chinese-origin coronavirus as “the European virus attack.”
        https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individuals/andrew-cuomo/

        Last Daily Coronavirus Briefing
        “New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo holds a briefing on the coronavirus outbreak — 6/18/2020”
        CNBC Television – June 18, 2020

    • Germany: Heavy police presence in Stuttgart amid night of riots and looting

      Police were deployed in Stuttgart on Sunday, amid a night of riots and looting, as several hundred people who were travelling in small groups took to the streets.

      Several police officers were injured in riots that lasted several hours. People were throwing stones, resulting in damaged police vehicles and broken shop windows, as well as looting.

      The situation was under control around 3 a.m. local time. Police have not made a statement yet about the nature of the unrest.

    • Germany: Civil protection organisation THW called in after riots devastate central Stuttgart

      Germany’s Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) was called in to support local authorities asses and clean up the damage done to Stuttgart’s city centre on Sunday, after overnight riots left several police officers injured and storefronts destroyed.

      THW members were see surveying damage done to storefronts as shards of shattered glass lay strewn about the ground.

      Deputy local representative THW OV-Stuttgart Patrick Holuba explained that “we were alarmed by Stuttgart police at 04:00am at night that in the centre of Stuttgart there were heated clashes and several smashed windows as a result, which we should now close.”

      Ahmed, a resident of Stuttgart, said that riots went on for up to five hours, adding that “the people here were, I don’t know, protesting, doing whatever they wanted.”

      “There were police everywhere, completely full, every shadow was completely full of police, helicopters above, it was really sick,” he added.

      Several police officers were injured in riots that lasted several hours. People were throwing stones, resulting in damaged police vehicles and broken shop windows, as well as looting.

      The situation was under control around 3 a.m. local time. Police have not made a statement yet about the nature of the unrest.

  2. In the UK, it is Father’s Day – and there is an atomic movement that wails in anguish before satiated with Bastard* Lives Matter, and Pride is restored. For it is easier to battle with the world, than battle with ourselves. The unexamined life needs pain and distraction to make the truth go away, and then the soothing pleasure of stealing a gift, for heaven to beis temporarily restored until the next time unfairness comes their way – which is a lot.

    The whore complains and rewards their lowest beast to serve her, and she looks contemptuously at those trudging to churches holding memories in their hands. Congregations that briefly come alive after their mass hysterias of recrimimations and pleadings before The Cross. A finger placed into the flame and then into cold water – just like everybody else. A ritual addiction.

    Children that never become their father’s father, to know and love their god within themselves.

    Forever fighting Evil for the Good they received, into their hands that they did not earn. Holding on, as life itself.

    Unnowing that if you do not resist evil, and let go of your pride, you will be free.
    https://youtu.be/IpJmpClJi4E

    *Someone not raised by a father: “Father’s Day is so offensive to same-sex parents and single mothers. Stop the #Patriarchy”.
    https://wrrv.com/heres-why-some-women-want-fathers-day-to-be-banned/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

  3. Three Militants Killed in Encounter with Security Forces in Kashmir’s Capital City (sputniknews, Jun 21, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/india/202006211079678590-three-militants-killed-in-encounter-with-security-forces-in-kashmirs-capital-city/

    “Indian security forces had stepped up anti-militancy operations in Kashmir during the lockdown since 25 March. According to Kashmir police, 31 militants were killed in encounters during the month of June alone in operations in south Kashmir’s twin districts of Shopian and Pulwama.

    Three militants were killed in a gun battle with security forces in Srinagar, the capital of Indian Kashmir, on Sunday morning. Police said, during a search operation in the Zadibal area, that the militants had opened fire on the search party. According to Kashmir police, the search operation is still going on and further details have yet to arrive…”

  4. World War 3: Indian survivors give horrifying account of Chinese ‘death squads’ (express, Jun 21, 2020)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1298536/China-vs-India-news-world-war-3-Himalayan-border-Xi-Jinping-CCP-Narendra-Modi-BJP

    “INDIAN survivors have reported Chinese “death squads” who hunted down and killed Indian soldiers in deadly border clashes earlier this week.

    The two sides fought for eight hours in the Galwan Valley. According to the Sun, Indian soldiers have claimed the enemy was armed with spiked clubs, iron rods and batons wrapped in barbed wire. An Indian officer told News18: “Even unarmed men who fled into the hillsides were hunted down and killed.

    “The dead include men who jumped into the Galwan river in a desperate effort to escape.”

    Officials have reported Chinese “death squads”.

    News18 reported over 100 Indian injuries from the Monday clash.

    Reports claim 23 Indians died with 43 total casualties on the Chinese side, but it is unclear how many are injuries and how many are deaths.

    The clash began after Indian forces led by Colonel Bikumalla Santosh Babu dismantled a Chinese position.

    It is thought Chinese commanders agreed to leave, but fighting broke out as Indians entered.

    Colonel Babu was killed in the fighting.

    Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, the BJP MP for the area, has said: “We don’t want soldiers of our country lose lives repeatedly.

    “We don’t want any disturbances to lives of the civilians living along the border. ”

    Indian protestors have burnt pictures of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi has insisted New Delhi is ready to hit back.

    Mr Modi said the death of his soldiers “will not be in vain”.

    The disputed Himalayan border led to the 1962 Sino-Indian war.

    Fighting took place in high altitudes.

    The war lasted for a month and ended in a Chinese victory.

    Smaller clashes have occurred since as both sides kept forward positions.

    As this took place in the aftermath of the Sino-Soviet split, India received backing from the USSR with supplies.

    In the aftermath of the war, Pakistan, who also have border disputes with India, improved their relations with Beijing.

    Islamabad and Beijing have a close military alliance.

    China backs Pakistan on the Kashmir dispute.

    The two nations also have bilateral trade ties.”

  5. Reading terror suspect is a Libyan asylum seeker called Khairi Saadallah: Police arrest 25-year-old accused of randomly stabbing three people to death in park and injuring three others before being tackled by hero police (dailymail, Jun 21, 2020)
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8444409/Terror-attack-Reading-Suspect-Libyan-asylum-seeker-released-prison.html

    “The terror suspect accused of stabbing three people to death and injuring three others in an attack in Reading is a 25-year-old ‘Libyan asylum seeker’ called Khairi Saadallah.

    The suspect’s identity was revealed as counter-terrorism police declared yesterday’s attack a ‘terrorist incident’.

    Counter-terrorism police will take over the investigation after the frenzied knife attack in Forbury Gardens, in the centre of Reading, Berkshire.

    It comes after witnesses said a knifeman targeted and stabbed people ‘at random’ before being ‘rugby-tackled’ to the ground by one unarmed police officer.

    One witness said the attacker pulled a knife and ‘shouted some unintelligible words’ before trying to stab people in the packed park, which was said to be filled with families and young children at the time.

    The witness said he saw the attacker stab three men ‘in the neck and under the arms’ before turning around and running at others.

    Last night counter-terrorism officers were were called in to help detectives following the attack, which police said at first was not thought to be terrorism-related, and carried out a controlled explosion at the suspect’s home address.

    But this morning Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon, Senior National Coordinator for the Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) network, announced the attack is to be declared a ‘terrorist incident’. They will take over the investigation from Thames Valley Police.

    Police are considering mental health to be a major factor, according to security sources, the Press Association reports.

    It come as today footage emerged which shows a man being detained by officers in the middle of a street following the frenzied stabbing attack in the park, which took place around 7pm yesterday.

    Witnesses said the attacker targeted a group of middle-aged men ‘sitting drinking beer’ and systematically stabbed them ‘in the neck and under the arms’.

    The injured victims were last night understood to be in a critical condition at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

    The suspect, 25, was arrested at the scene by a hero lone police sergeant who rugby-tackled him to the floor….”

    • UK: Neighbours describe Reading knife attack suspect Khaira Saadalah

      After three people died and three more were seriously injured after stabbings in a park at Forbury Gardens in Reading on Saturday, the suspected knife attacker was named as Khairi Saadallah on Sunday.

      In footage captured at the suspected attackers Basingstoke Road housing estate, neighbours described the scene after police raided the building and described their neighbour as perhaps having mental health problems.

      “It was really early in the morning (When I saw him),” said Adam, the boyfriend of one of Mr. Saadallah’s neighbours. “He just seemed his normal self, we said hello and that was it really.”

      Adam went on to say of their encounter just a matter of hours before the attack.

      When asked if Mr. Saadallah had been seen behaving strangely before, Adam shared a story regarding the suspected murderer. “Yeah, he’s kicked off before here, a while ago, he smashed and threw his telly off the balcony, that was like a year ago,” explained Adam.

      Adam was also quizzed on whether he believed Mr. Saadallah, who had recently been released from prison, may have had mental health problems. “I think so. I do believe that, yeah. I do believe he might have that. He used to have a key worker or something, he’s definitely not right in the head,” stated Adam.

      Adam’s girlfriend, who lives in the same housing estate as the attacker also shared a similar opinion.

      “He was alright, we never had any problems with him,” explained Mr. Saadallah’s neighbour. “He’s not the full ticket, that’s all I know. He was in and out of prison,” she went on to say.

      The 25-year-old was arrested at the scene, on suspicion of murder. Preliminary reports suggested that the incident was not terror-related. However, on Sunday morning local police declared that the stabbing attack was being treated as a “terrorist incident”. Counter-terrorism police will now be taking over the investigation, announced Thames Valley Police in a statement on Sunday morning.

  6. Sadiq Khan admits he has ‘not been providing proper leadership’ as Mayor of London because of bouts of ‘loneliness’ during lockdown as he opens up on his mental health ‘struggle’ (dailymail, Jun 21, 2020)
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8444121/Sadiq-Khan-admits-not-providing-proper-leadership-Mayor-London.html

    “Sadiq Khan admitted he has failed to provide ‘proper leadership’ as he opens up about how lockdown has affected his mental health.

    The London Mayor said that he was used to stressful situations, but the past 10 or 11 weeks had been ‘the hardest of [his] professional life, in relation to the loneliness’.

    ‘I’ve found it really tough,’ he said in a interview with The Times. ‘So, for eight weeks I didn’t leave, literally, my home and Tooting Common. That’s it. I thrive on company, on being out and about. And I was struggling.’

    When asked if it had affected his mental health, Mr Khan said: ‘I’ve got no doubt it did. In the sense of just feeling a bit down. There are days when I’m not providing proper leadership. I definitely … I felt fragile.’

    The interviewer said that when she met the London Mayor in City Hall he had been checking whether his trousers still fit for the occasion – which was only the third time he had put them on in 11 weeks.

    Mr Khan added: ‘Being a leader is lonely. And I’ve struggled. I also realised I should feel confident talking about it. I shouldn’t feel that I’ve got to be this alpha male who demonstrates his virility by being superhuman. I’ve got to be honest because, you know, I have struggled.’

    When asked if he had cried, Mr Khan admitted he was ‘a cried’ who could ‘cry in a film’.

    There had been several times where he had been sad and ‘quite tearful’, he says, and many times where he had felt frustrated and angry. He said he felt angriest that the prime minister had not invited him, in his role of mayor, to Cobra meetings.

    Mr Khan was not invited to a meeting until March 16, even though he had written to the health secretary asking to be involved in Covid planning in February. The Mayor said he had no doubt they were keeping him in the dark on purpose.

    Speaking on the environmental opportunity the crisis offers the capital, Mr Khan said that, although it was an ‘awful, awful’ virus that led to lockdown, there is a potential silver lining in the possibility of converting Londoners to greener forms of transport like walking and cycling.

    On the topic of the protests that have erupted across the world following the killing of George Floyd in America, Mr Khan said he endorsed Black Lives Matter, and he likely would have joined the demonstrations had it not been for coronavirus.

    Mr Khan said when he saw police officers at Black Lives Matter protests kneeling in solidarity, he was ‘proud that they had the confidence to express their feelings without worrying about being disciplined’.

    It comes after Mr Khan announced he would slash his own pay by 10 per cent as he warned coronavirus has caused a £500million hole in London’s finances.

    On Wednesday the mayor revealed he is reducing his salary by more than £15,000 as he threatened cuts to police, fire services and the Tube unless the government bails the capital out.

    Concerns have been mounting about the impact of lockdown on the economy, with fears GDP will plunge by a third this quarter as the UK endures the worst recession in 300 years.

    Mr Khan has been heavily criticised for slow progress in getting transport services in the capital to full levels, with images of workers packed in to carriages.

    The government has already offered a £1.6billion injection to shore up Transport for London, while slamming the ‘pre-existing poor condition’ of its finances.

    But Mr Khan said the GLA, in common with other authorities across the country, faces a £493million budget shortfall over the next two years, due to loss of business rates and council tax income from coronavirus.

    There have also been costs to ‘support Londoners during the pandemic’, he insisted.

    He suggested the shortfall will undermine the government’s efforts to recruit 20,000 new police officers across the UK and overhaul the London Fire Brigade after Grenfell.

    Mr Khan is currently paid £152,000 a year, and his decision to take a cut could heap pressure on ministers to follow suit. Politicians in New Zealand have taken a temporary cut.

    The mayor’s 15 direct political appointments will also have pay freezes.

    Mr Khan claimed London’s finances were in ‘great shape’ before the pandemic – something hotly disputed by his critics – but have been ‘devastated’.

    He said: ‘Londoners did the right thing to tackle Covid-19 by following the rules, staying at home and helping to save lives. But now the Government is punishing them with a new era of austerity.

    ‘TfL’s fares income has dropped by more than 90 per cent and local business rates and council tax income has fallen off a cliff.

    ‘This is the worst possible time for a return to austerity – just when we need to invest in London’s recovery.

    ‘Unless Ministers act, the current number of police officers will need to be reduced and it will be impossible to tackle youth violence or make the changes to the London Fire Brigade that are desperately needed after the awful Grenfell Tower tragedy.

    ‘I didn’t enter politics to administer government austerity, and I will do everything in my power to persuade ministers not to force another era of austerity on local and regional government.

    ‘Whatever happens I will protect the frontline services that Londoners depend on as much as possible – and it’s only right that I should volunteer for an immediate pay cut in these extremely difficult circumstances and continue not to take any pension contributions.

    ‘In addition, I have taken the decision to freeze the salaries of my political appointments at City Hall.’ “

  7. Drug check in Germany sparks attacks on police, vandalism (abcnews, Jun 21, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/drug-check-germany-sparks-attacks-police-vandalism-71370420

    “Police in the German city of Stuttgart said Sunday that 20 people were arrested and four police officers injured after a check for drugs sparked attacks on officers and police vehicles and widespread vandalism of stores in the city center. Police said several hundred people were involved.

    The disturbance started as an apparent reaction to a police search for drugs as groups of people partied outside late Saturday and early Sunday in a central park. People then attacked storefronts in a nearby shopping street, according to German public television reports, tearing up paving stones and smashing store windows.

    Cellphone video purporting to be of the events circulated widely in social media. Police asked witnesses to upload videos that could provide evidence to assist the investigation.

    Stuttgart police said 200 officers responded to the incident and four were injured. They said they were investigating to get a clearer picture of what happened and said they would provide more information later Sunday.”

  8. Pakistani military: 2 soldiers killed in militant attack (abcnews, Jun 21, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pakistani-military-soldiers-killed-militant-attack-71370454

    “Suspected militants ambushed a Pakistani army vehicle in a former Taliban and al-Qaida stronghold near the Afghanistan border, triggering a shootout that killed two soldiers, the army said Sunday.

    It said two soldiers were also wounded in Saturday night’s attack near the border village of Ghariom in North Waziristan and that troops retaliated and killed one of the attackers in an ensuing exchange of fire.

    the army provided no further details and only said troops later cleared a nearby militant compound in North Waziristan, a former tribal region that had served as a militant base until recent years when the Pakistani military said its successive operations there had cleared the area of the Taliban.

    The latest attack came as authorities prepared to reopen a key border crossing with neighboring Afghanistan to allow trade.

    Trucks carrying fruits, vegetables and other items will start crossing the Ghulam Khan border in North Waziristan district on Monday.”

  9. Slovenia police find 22 migrants hidden in tanker trucks (abcnews, Jun 21, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/slovenia-police-find-22-migrants-hidden-tanker-trucks-71370555

    “Police in Slovenia say they discovered 22 migrants hiding in two food-grade tanker trucks.

    The migrants were found inside the trucks on Saturday at the border with Croatia, police said. The trucks had Serbian license plates.

    Slovenian police said the people inside the tanks could have suffocated. They were from Bangladesh, India, Turkey and Syria, police said.

    Officers first discovered 13 people in one truck at the border before searching another belonging to the same company, where they found nine more.

    Thousands of migrants have been stuck in the Balkans while seeking ways to move toward Western Europe. They often rely on people smugglers to get them over borders illegally.”

  10. PARIS – ISLAMIC STATE BUTCHER released after two years in pre-trial detention, DISAPPEARS.

    Terrorism: the strange escape of the alleged Daesh executioner released by the courts last month

    Ahmed Hamdane Mahmoud, 35, has been indicted on charges of “terrorist murders” and “war crimes” since his arrest in Lisieux, Calvados, on 5 March 2018. According to the Iraqi authorities, he was the administrator for the Islamic State (IS) group in the Samarra region and participated in the horrific massacre of 1,700 Shiite soldiers in Tikrit.

    (…)

    After two years of pre-trial detention in Fleury-Mérogis (Essonne), this Iraqi refugee was released in mid-May with the ban on leaving France. This decision is extremely rare in light of the serious charges against him, but one that testifies to the trial and error of justice in this nebulous case.

    Two weeks later, another twist. According to our information, Ahmed Hamdane disappears. While he has just found accommodation in the Paris region, he does not show up for a summons to the police station as required by his judicial review. He abandons his mobile phone, which continues to broadcast near Paris.

    http://www.leparisien.fr
    https://www.fdesouche.com/1391125-terrorisme-letrange-fuite-du-suppose-bourreau-de-daech-mis-en-examen-en-france

  11. Plans for German People by the Merkelstani Junta;

    Whether statements against asylum policy or the Corona emergency in social networks – from the government’s point of view, this is of course hate and agitation on the Internet.
    And there will be more jail for this in the future, in case of doubt already for a like.
    This is at least one law that the Bundestag passed this week.
    In this issue of Die Woche COMPACT you can find out how far the restriction of freedom of expression will go in the future.

    https://youtu.be/cZ1osxhKQlM

    • “The internet, our greatest tool of emancipation, has been transformed into the most dangerous facilitator of totalitarianism we have ever seen.
      The internet is a threat to human civilization.”
      >Julian Assange<

  12. Plurality of French Say ‘Anti-White’ Racism is a Problem in France (breitbart, Jun 21, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/06/21/plurality-of-french-say-anti-white-racism-is-a-problem-in-france/

    “A survey released this week shows that 47 per cent of the French public believe in the existence of “anti-white” racism in the wake of several Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests.

    The poll, which was conducted by the firm Ifop, showed a significantly smaller 36 per cent of the public, believe that anti-white racism does not exist, with another 17 per cent said they had no opinion on the issue.

    Following the death of George Floyd in the United States, and the subsequent protests and riots there, France saw its own share of Black Lives Matter demonstrations against alleged incidents of police brutality.

    The Ifop poll revealed that while 42 per cent of the public said they “want to support” demonstrations against police violence, but 46 per cent said they trust the police. Only twenty-two per cent said police inspired “worry” in them, with a mere seven per cent saying they felt “hostility” towards officers, L’Express reports.

    The results also revealed a distinct divide between different age groups in their views of the police, with older people being for more trusting of officers than younger people.

    The subject of anti-white racism emerged last weekend during a BLM protest when members of the anti-mass migration activist youth group Generation Identitaire unfurled a banner as a counter-protest to the BLM demonstration saying “Justice for victims of anti-white crimes.”

    A video of the identitarian action uploaded to social media appeared to show members of the BLM demonstration shout the phrase “dirty Jews” at the youth activists.

    Along with believing in anti-white racism, around a quarter of French also believe in the theory of the “Great Replacement” coined by French writer Renaud Camus, which states mass migration is being used to replace native peoples in Europe for various reasons, such as economic growth.”

  13. UK: Thousands rally in London”s Hyde Park to celebrate BLM and LGBT movement

    Thousands of LGBT activists joined a Black Lives Matter protest in London on Saturday, with protesters marching across the city to Hyde Park.

    Members of the black queer community were protesting against inequality, racism and homophobia, in the wake of several demonstrations in the UK and worldwide.

    “If you have a movement that says ‘Black lives matter’ then that must mean all black lives matter. Black trans lives, black homosexual lives, cisgender heterosexual black lives, black children, black adults, black non-binary individuals. Everyone needs to be represented by the same umbrella,” said a protester.

    It was the fourth consecutive weekend of protests in London, as anti-racism actions continue following the death of 46-year old George Floyd at the hands of police in the US last month.

    • AG Barr discusses the latest in Durham probe and John Bolton’s book | Part 2

  14. CBC – Reparations for anti-Black racism in Canada — where to begin

    Many are unaware of the extent of slavery in Canada, which existed for more than 200 years.

    Michele Johnson, a professor in the department of history at York University, says reparations could begin to address ongoing systemic racism.

  15. I don’t know what happened but the computer problem has been fixed. For now at least

  16. Sky News Australia – ‘Embarrassing’ for Twitter banning ‘someone like myself’: Hopkins

    Columnist Katie Hopkins questions “how much longer can conservatives sit and be censored” after the commentator received a permanent ban from Twitter for a tweet she made in response to a threat against her.

    The social media giant said the move was designed “to keep Twitter safe” according to a spokesperson.

    It also read that the account has been permanently suspended for breaching “violations of our hateful conduct policy”.

    “I used the phrase hung like a baboon in response to a threat of a sexual nature of violence against me,” Ms Hopkins told Sky News

    “It’s actually a line from Rowan Atkinson’s Black Adder.
    “I have been banned from Twitter for life because I used the phrase hung like a baboon, and that’s the truth in black and white.

    “There’s no coming back from this, for Twitter, it’s embarrassing that they have banned someone like myself for using hung like a baboon.”

  17. CHINA – Annual dog meat festival goes ahead despite coronavirus

    Sky News has gained access to footage of dogs for sale for meat in China

    • Inside China’s brutal dog meat trade where 10 million dogs a year are killed, cooked and eaten

  18. GULF NEWS – How deviant minds distort a great religion

    Islamic organisations must be forceful in condemning violence done in the name of faith

    Islam, a religion faithfully followed by more than one and a half billion people across the globe has come under severe attack in the last decade or so, giving rise to the current anxiety aptly named Islamophobia on the lips of many.

    Unfortunately, the dangers of extremism in recent years has led many outsiders to perceive Islam as a hateful religion. The Islam of peace became an Islam of compulsion in the minds and acts of some who craftily manipulated religious mores with their own sets of beliefs which had little to do with the religion.

    An American recently wrote to me asking, ‘How can we be called to join the faith of Islam, when so much of hurtful actions happen in the name of this religion? How can an outsider believe in the compassion of Islam and its teachings, when almost every day we read about dogmatic practices, of militants claiming to be Muslims and blowing innocent people everywhere?’

    Such extremism has been denounced by many writers in the past. But rarely by persons who have studied the Quran and its teachings and who could have said with religious authority that this or that interpretation was not acceptable and as such condemned it.

    Key religious leaders, Islamic Institutions and organisations have begun to understand the threat of Islamophobia and have come out and publicly denounced acts of terrorism by bandanna-draped terrorists shouting Allahu akbar. But such announcements were few and far in between then. The absence of such clear and repeated statements nourished an underlying feeling that religious authorities are not unhappy with an extreme interpretation of the script. By their silence, they came off as condoning such vile acts.

    This absence of clear positioning made dialogue between the cultures very difficult, and had led to a great misunderstanding of the true meaning of Islam. If we have something that we denounce on both sides, then we should jointly state it again and again, and with each case renew our bond for better understanding of faiths and cultures.

    Subjugation of personal rights

    Indeed, if one looks around at the abominable acts carried out in the name of Islam today, one would not be short of material. In many parts of the world, criminals are shielding themselves behind this religion to mask their wicked intent. Such forceful acts often disguise the quest for power and the subjugation of personal rights, something intolerable in Islam. Acts that threaten Islam through deviant practices by Muslims are far more dangerous than threats from other quarters.

    But what seems disturbing is the lukewarm universal concern and rejection by established Islamic religious institutions and figures of such twisted practices and values, and a public denouncement that is carried far and wide to indicate their disagreement and displeasure.

    Take the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the second largest inter-governmental organisation after the United Nations. It has a membership of 57 Islamic countries spread over four continents. For years it had been promoting its opposition to violence through press releases and such. In recent times, however, they have begun to hold a more aggressive role in enjoining religious leaders of other faiths and searching for solutions arising from religious conflicts.

    An Islamic institution in Egypt, one of over a thousand years old, and an established centre for great scholars of Islam was not vocal enough to discredit terrorism. Many accused it of not taking the lead in publicly calling for the preservation of rights of those who suffer under the hands of deviants employing a twisted ideology. It too is changing today.

    In Saudi Arabia acts of terrorism are repeatedly denounced through fatwas and edicts, and public condemnation of extremism carried out by Muslims. Saudi Ulema began to take the lead in denouncing each and every vile act committed in the guise of Islam regardless of its location. But there is much more to do.

    Clerics who deliver the Friday sermon at mosques have a duty to broadcast the message of rejection of such extremist acts. This grass roots approach works best in towns and villages, and its value should not be underscored.

    The Islamic faith is being abused (through aberrant practices) by some who claim to be Muslims. Islamophobia is real. It is essential that the right message goes out loud and clear through established Islamic organisations and institutions who must publicly denounce such acts regardless where they occur.

    https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/how-deviant-minds-distort-a-great-religion-1.72135076

  19. Yemeni Army Artillery Destroys 16 Houthi Units in Nihm District
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2346166/yemeni-army-artillery-destroys-16-houthi-units-nihm-district

    “Yemeni artillery destroyed 16 Houthi militant units that were deployed to join militia formations in Nihm district, east of Sanaa.

    This coincided with Arab Coalition fighter jets taking out Houthi reinforcements and military equipment in the Najd al-Atiq area of the same district.

    Houthi militant units are usually made up of a vehicle transporting six militiamen in addition to the driver and two front seat passengers.

    Meanwhile, Yemeni army forces, backed by the Arab Coalition, succeeded in liberating a number of positions east of al-Hazim district in the northern al-Jawf governorate, military sources reported.

    Sources said that Yemeni army units launched a wide-ranging attack in al-Jawf governorate on Friday and have succeeded in regaining a number of positions at the Jadafer and Aqshaa frontlines in al-Hazim district.

    “Dozens of Houthis were killed and injured during the confrontations, while the Arab Coalition fighter jets targeted Houthi heavy military equipment and reinforcements,” sources said.

    The Sixth Military Area Spokesman Rabee al-Qurashi, for his part, confirmed the capture of a number of Houthi leaderships during al-Jawf battles.

    “Convoys are filled with dozens of corpses. Over twenty Houthis, among whom were top-tier leaders, were captured,” Qurashi said in a tweet on Saturday.

    In Nihm district, Yemeni troops, backed by pro-government popular forces, launched a sweeping attack on Saturday that targeted Houthi locations in Najd al-Atiq.

    “The heroes of the national army and the resistance fought against the coup militias from the early morning hours until Saturday noon,” an official military source said, stressing that Houthis incurred heavy losses both in lives and equipment.

    The source added that the attack was accompanied by Arab Coalition airstrikes that targeted militia positions and reinforcements in Najd al-Atiq. Airstrikes destroyed a truck and a number of Houthi military equipment.”

  20. UN Reports 12 Deliberate Attacks Against Afghan Healthcare Personnel
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2346356/un-reports-12-deliberate-attacks-against-afghan-healthcare-personnel

    “The United Nations on Sunday released a special report expressing concerns over what it called recent “deliberate attacks” against healthcare workers and facilities in Afghanistan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, said it documented 12 incidents of deliberate acts of violence between March 11 to May 23.

    The report said eight of the incidents were carried out by Taliban insurgents while three incidents were attributed to Afghan security forces. The most horrific attack, on a maternity ward last month at a Kabul hospital that killed 24 people, remains unsolved.

    “At a time when an urgent humanitarian response was required to protect every life in Afghanistan, both the Taliban and Afghan national security forces carried out deliberate acts of violence that undermined healthcare operations,” said Deborah Lyons, the Secretary-General´s Special Representative for Afghanistan, and head of UNAMA. “There is no excuse for such actions; the safety and well-being of the civilian population must be a priority.”

    Afghanistan has 28,833 confirmed coronavirus cases with 581 deaths. Though international aid organizations monitoring the pandemic´s spread in the country say the numbers are much higher because of a lack of access and testing capabilities.

    Following the attack on the Kabul maternity hospital, Doctors Without Borders decided last week to end its operations in Kabul. The international charity, also known by its French acronym MSF, said it would keep its other programs in Afghanistan running, but did not go into details.

    The attack at the maternity hospital set off an hours-long shootout with Afghan police and also left more than a dozen people wounded. The hospital in Dashti Barchi, a mostly Shiite neighborhood, was the Geneva-based group´s only project in the Afghan capital.

    The Taliban promptly denied involvement in the May 12 attack, whose victims included two infants, nurses, and several young mothers. The United States said it bore all the hallmarks of the ISIS group´s affiliate in Afghanistan and that the attack targeted the country´s minority Shiites in a neighborhood of Kabul that ISIS militants have repeatedly attacked in the past.

    The UN report emphasized that deliberate acts of violence against healthcare facilities, including hospitals and related personnel, are prohibited under international humanitarian law and constitute war crimes.

    “Perpetrating targeted attacks on healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when health resources are already stretched and of critical importance to the civilian population, is particularly reprehensible,” said Fiona Frazer, UNAMA Chief of Human Rights.”

  21. Black Lives Matter founder admits org’s creators are ‘trained Marxists,’ BLM’s goal is to ‘get Trump out’

    The Black Lives Matter co-founder has a leftist agenda to get President Trump out of office

    The Black Lives Matter organization continues to expand and holds more influence now more than ever. BLM, which was originally founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, now has a global network of more than 40 chapters.

    https://www.theblaze.com/news/black-lives-matter-founder-marxist-trump?utm_source=theblaze-dailyAM&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily-Newsletter__AM%202020-06-21&utm_term=TheBlaze%20Daily%20AM%20-%20last%20270%20days

  22. Saudi Arabia, UAE support Egypt’s comments on Libya
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200621-saudi-arabia-uae-support-egypts-comments-on-libya/

    “Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday supported Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s statements on Libya, Anadolu Agency reports.

    “Saudi Arabia stands by and supports Egypt on the right to protect its borders and people,” Saudi Arabia official news agency said in a statement.

    Additionally, the Foreign Ministry of the UAE said it supports all actions by Egypt to ensure its stability and security…”

  23. Libyan army: Al-Sisi’s remarks a ‘war declaration’
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200621-libyan-army-al-sisis-remarks-a-war-declaration/

    “The Libyan army on Saturday denounced remarks of the Egyptian president, who said Sirte and Jufra in Libya are “a red line,” calling it “a clear declaration of war and a blatant interference” in Libyan affairs, Anadolu Agency reports.

    This came in a statement by Abdel-Hadi Darah, a military spokesman of Path of Victory operation.

    “[Abdel] al-Sisi’s statements that Sirte and Jufra are a red line, according to his description, is a blatant interference in our country’s affairs, and we consider it a clear declaration of a war on Libya,” Darah said.

    “Our heroic forces are determined to complete the journey and liberate the entire region from terrorist militias [loyal to warlord Khalifa Haftar], their mercenaries as well as their supporters,” he added.

    In a TV speech in the Egyptian city of Matrouh near the Libyan borders on Saturday, al-Sisi alluded to the possibility of sending the country’s “external military missions if required,” saying that “any direct intervention in Libya has already become legitimate internationally.”…”

  24. Libyan parliament denounces Egyptian leader’s comments
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200621-libyan-parliament-denounces-egyptian-leaders-comments/

    “The Libyan parliament called on the government to be at full readiness against “aggression” from Egypt, denouncing recent comments by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi that his army could intervene in the war-torn country, Anadolu Agency reports.

    In a recent statement, Libyan lawmakers asked authorities to take seriously recent threats by al-Sisi and to review all possible courses of action to respond in the “suitable time and place.”

    The statement on Saturday said al-Sisi’s comments, which alluded to the possibility of sending an external military mission to Libya, amounted to “a direct threat of use of force against our state.”

    “Libya didn’t pose a threat to Egypt’s security, but rather the Egyptian regime contributed to the aggression on Libya’s sovereignty and interfered with its safety and integrity of its territories,” its said.

    It also condemned al-Sisi for saying the Libyan army was a “terrorist militia,” underlining that the country’s military fought against terrorism under the internationally-recognized Libyan government.

    Al-Sisi’s threat is violation to the international law, as well as Libya’s sovereignty, it added.

    In a TV speech in the Egyptian city of Matrouh near the Libyan border on Saturday, al-Sisi suggested that Cairo could launch “external military missions” into Libya “if required,” saying that “any direct intervention in Libya has already become legitimate internationally.”

    Al-Sisi told his army to “be prepared to carry out any mission here within our borders, or if necessary outside our borders.”…”

  25. Tripoli government to boycott Arab League Libya talks
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200621-tripoli-government-to-boycott-arab-league-libya-talks/

    “Libya’s United Nations (UN) recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) will boycott Arab League talks on the conflict next week, i24 reports.

    Libya’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Taher Siala has told the bloc’s executive council that this planned meeting would “deepen the rift” between Arab governments on the issue.

    The talks, which will be held during video conference due to coronavirus fears, was urgently requested by Egypt; an ally of warlord General Khalifa Haftar, who is based in Eastern Libya.

    Siala claimed that there was no consultation with the GNA on the talks, and expressed concern that the video conference format of the planning meeting was an inappropriate forum for addressing the issues surrounding the brutal conflict….”

  26. “Reading stabbing attack suspect Khairi Saadallah known to MI5 – sources”
    BBC – June 21, 2020
    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53129046

    “BREAKING NEWS: Reading Park Stabbings | Eye Witness Told Everything about the Incident | Must Watch”
    The Beginning – June 21, 2020

  27. Algeria says soldier killed in clash with armed Islamists
    https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/6/21/algeria-says-soldier-killed-in-clash-with-armed-islamists

    “An Algerian soldier was killed during a clash with armed Islamists in the central region of Ain Defla, the defence ministry said Sunday, adding that an operation was still underway.

    An army detachment clashed with “an armed terrorist group”, during an ambush on Saturday in the Gaadet Lahdjar area, in the prefecture of Ain Defla, killing corporal Mostafa Znanda, the ministry said in a statement.

    Algerian authorities use the term “terrorist” to describe armed Islamists who have been active in the country since the early 1990s.

    Security measures have been taken to seal and search the area and pursue the “criminals”, the ministry added…”

  28. Qatar: Canadian employees could lose their jobs if they leave the country
    https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/qatar/qatar-canadian-employees-could-lose-their-jobs-if-they-leave-the-country-1.72159777

    “Canadian employees at a college campus in Qatar feel trapped in the country, which has the highest per capita rate of COVID-19 infections in the world, because of a new directive from the college president, CBC News reported yesterday.

    The College of the North Atlantic is a public college in Newfoundland and Labrador that operates a campus in the Mideast country of Qatar.

    As the country deals with an outbreak of the virus, registering more than 1,000 new cases per day in a country of 2.8 million people, employees were told on Tuesday they could lose their jobs if they return home for the blazing hot summer.

    Several employees spoke to CBC News on the condition of anonymity, fearing job loss or reprisal from the Qatari government, which contracts CNA to operate the campus.

    “Living in a country that has, for weeks, had the highest per capita number of positive COVID cases in the world is extremely stressful, and several CNA-Q employees are anxious to leave for summer,” one employee wrote in an email late Thursday night.

    In a brief statement on Friday afternoon, CNA confirmed that employees should travel at their own risk, and could be terminated if they do not make it back to the country on time.

    “CNA-Q employees who decide to leave Qatar and do not return to work at CNA-Q when required may have their employment agreement terminated,” a spokesperson said.

    The college is owned by the state, and has 650 employees and 4,500 students. The majority of the staff are Canadian, and many are seconded from positions with CNA in Newfoundland and Labrador. While the workers on secondment are represented by a union on home turf, their union protections do not extend to Qatar.

    According to all the employees who spoke with CBC News, they were initially discouraged from leaving the country when the pandemic began, but were not threatened with any measures against them.

    The campus closed down and instructors finished the term with online classes.

    Scorching heat, surging disease

    Most employees go home in the summer, to avoid temperatures often reaching 40 C. When the term drew to a close, college administration told them they could face the possibility of having to take unpaid leave if they were unable to get back in to Qatar when the school year starts.

    On Tuesday, a letter was sent to all staff from CNA president Elizabeth Kidd, written as a frequently asked questions document.

    Answering a question about leaving Qatar, Kidd bolded a section that states:

    “If you make the decision to leave the country and do not or cannot return to work when expected, your employment agreement may be terminated.”

    Qatar has yet to finalise its rules for foreigners returning to the country. Canadians have been told they will have to book a room at a designated quarantine hotel for 14 days when they return. The hotel room has to be booked before they can leave the country, but those hotels are currently available only for citizens of Qatar.

    If and when it becomes available to Canadians, the cost will run about $5,000 for the 14-day quarantine period.

    “We have perfectly good housing in Qatar, where we could quarantine,” one employee said. “It is beyond unfortunate that College of the North Atlantic would now add to that stress by threatening to fire us if we don’t come back here.”

    On top of the confusion and fears about COVID-19, Kidd’s letter also told instructors they would have to return to the classroom in September and that distance learning is not an option.

    “Accommodations will not be made for remote work or teaching from outside Qatar,” Kidd wrote. “If you choose to travel, you should plan accordingly.”

    One instructor who spoke with CBC News said they couldn’t understand the rationale behind it, given they’d just finished the semester by distance and thought it worked fine.”

  29. 23,000 Filipino workers displaced in Saudi Arabia
    https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/23000-filipino-workers-displaced-in-saudi-arabia-1.72168926

    “More than 23,000 Filipino workers are now displaced in Saudi Arabia, including some who were seen on video scavenging for food at a supermarket, the Philippine Overseas Labour Office (POLO) reported.

    “We have actually recorded 26,000 but we have already sent home 2,700 of them through special and chartered flights. As of now, there are 5,090 who have exit visas,” said Riyadh-based labour attaché Nasser Mustafa in a virtual interview before the weekend.

    Among the 23,000 displaced workers, Mustafa said, are the 400 workers of an aluminium company, a few of whom were seen on video looking for food at the supermarket.

    He added that the POLO is negotiating to repatriate 200 of these workers as the others opted to stay in Saudi and look for jobs in other companies.

    “Only 200 OFWs expressed their desire to return home. Their employer is offering a job, but they don’t want to work with the company anymore,” Mustafa noted.

    While the displaced workers are being provided with food allowance, he said this is not enough. The food distribution, he added, was also stopped after 16 of their personnel got infected with COVID-19.

    Mustafa said they have provided food assistance to about a thousand displaced OFWs as well as cash assistance to over 3,000.”

  30. Turkey rejects US body’s accusations on anti-terror ops
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-rejects-us-bodys-accusations-on-anti-terror-ops-155861

    “Turkey on June 21 rejected recent claims by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Ankara’s anti-terror operations in northern Iraq.

    Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a statement that it was “shameful” that the USCIRF criticized Turkey’s fight against terrorism and became an “instrument” in the propaganda of the PKK terror group.

    Aksoy accused the USCIRF of ignoring the oppression perpetrated by the PKK in Iraq and YPG/PKK in Syria against the region’s people, including Kurds who did not embrace its separatist policy and terrorist methods.

    In the statement, he said thousands of Yazidis were unable to return to their homes in Sinjar, northwestern Iran because of the PKK that lodged itself in the region under the pretext of fighting the ISIL terror group.

    Underlining that so-called human rights defenders have so far ignored these facts, it said Turkey did not accept the USCIRF’s claims that have distorted the truth.

    The USCIRF on June 12 alleged that Turkey targeted fragile areas in northern Iraq particularly threatening to Yazidi families attempting to return to their homes in the town of Sinjar.

    Turkey’s Operations Claw-Eagle and Claw-Tiger were launched earlier last week to ensure the safety of the Turkish people and borders by neutralizing the threat of the PKK and other terrorist groups.

    In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.”

  31. Turkey prevents 96 terror attacks in first half of 2020
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-prevents-96-terror-attacks-in-first-half-of-2020-155881

    “Turkish security forces prevented a total of 96 terror attacks and arrested 54 terror suspects in the first half of the year.

    Intelligence activities and the efforts of law enforcement teams bore fruit with a total of 99 terrorist activities, including 93 by the YPG/PKK, two by leftist groups and one by ISIL, having been stopped.

    According to figures from security sources obtained by Anadolu Agency, 54 suspects, including 42 from the YPG/PKK, 10 from Daesh and two from left-wing terror groups, were arrested during the operations.

    As part of the operations, police seized dozens of explosives across the country.

    In 2019, Turkish security forces hindered a total of 328 terror attacks, with 299 from the YPG/PKK, 18 from ISIL and 11 from leftist terror organizations.

    Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize ISIL as a terror group in 2013.

    The country has since been attacked by ISIL terrorists numerous times, including in 10 suicide bombings, seven bombings and four armed attacks which killed 315 people and injured hundreds.

    In response, Turkey launched military and police operations at home and abroad to prevent further terror attacks.

    In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.”

  32. Sweden: 18,000 Asylum Seekers from 2015 Now Given EU Citizenship (breitbart, Jun 21, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/06/21/sweden-18000-asylum-seekers-from-2015-now-given-eu-citizenship/

    “Over 18,000 people who came to Sweden during the height of the 2015 migrant crisis have been granted Swedish citizenship — and by extension EU citizenship — since being initially accepted for asylum status.

    The Swedish migration board has revealed that a total of 18,420 people who came to the country in 2015 as asylum seekers are now Swedish citizens, granting full citizenship rights including the right to Free Movement around the EU — including Britain, until the end of the 2020 transition period — and the right to vote.

    Around 60 per cent of them come from Syria, followed by Afghan nationals and so-called stateless individuals.

    The vast majority of the cases, some 88 per cent, involved migrants claimed to be children, according to a report from news website Nyheter Idag — possibly due to the fact that children are able to receive citizenship quicker than adults, with a child needing to reside in the country only three years to be eligible for citizenship, or two years if they were previously stateless.

    The residency requirements to apply for citizenship for adults are somewhat longer, at five years, but those with refugee status or those who were stateless beforehand have to wait for a shorter period of four years.

    The statistics come a week after the migration board revealed that 60 per cent of the 163,000 asylum seekers who came to the country in 2015 had been granted permanent residency permits, a total of 98,000 people.

    Mikael Ribbenvik, Director General of the Migration Board commented on the statistics, saying: “Since many people were granted residence permits during those years, this results in increases in applications for family reunification. And then, about five years later, there will also be an increase in the number of citizenship cases.”

    Over the last decade, Sweden has granted around 1.2 million residency permits with family reunification making up around a quarter of all the permits granted, followed by asylum claims.

    The country has seen a demographic shift as a result of mass migration, which now drives the country’s population growth.

    The Scandinavian country’s total population is only around 10 million.”