Reader’s Links for June 24, 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

114 Replies to “Reader’s Links for June 24, 2020”

    • DAY OF RAGE Wednesday, July 1, 2020

      Hosted by Palestinian Youth Movement, Arab Palestine Association of Ontario, Campuses for Palestine, Comprehensive Care, Community, and Culture Program and Toronto BDS Network.

      Palestine Youth Movement Statement – Day of RAGE – No to Annexation

      “On July 1st, 2020 at 6-8 pm, the State of so-called Israel is set to begin the formal annexation of 30% of the West Bank. The West Bank has been occupied since 1967 and the settlements that exist there already are illegal by international law. These further encroachments of Palestinian land are unacceptable. Annexation is nothing new in Occupied Palestine; the entire Zionist project has depended on land and resource theft, the displacement of the indigenous Palestinians, military accusation, imprisonment, and colonial violence. The continued Expansions of Jewish-only settlements on occupied land, the US embassy move to Jerusalem, the so-called “Deal of the Century” and formation of annexation are the latest manifestations of Zionist colonial rule.

      AS PALESTINIANS IN THE DISPORA, WE STAND FIRMLY AGAINST THE CONTINUED ZIONIST ANNEXATION OF OUR LANDS.

      WE ARE OUTRAGED AT ZIONIST COLONIAL EXPANSION AND VIOLENCE. WE HAVE NO TRUST IN SETTLER-COLONIAL STATES OF CANADA AND THE US TO BE “HONEST BROKERS” OF PEACE. WE MUST TAKE LEADERSHIP IN OUR NATIONAL LIBERATION”. WE WILL RETURN.

      PLease come out to support this Palestinian and Youth-led demonstration of Rage and Repression”.

      Yes by all means go out on the Canadian streets and show the bleeding hearts of Canada how wonderful diversity is. COVID 19 has not been that much of a strain on Canadians, by all means come out and show us how firmly YOU stand, what YOU demand, how outraged YOU are and PLEASE speed up your return to your nation, your further encroachments of Canadian land and hate are Unacceptable.

  1. Fake Noose: Cops Hunt for Pull Ropes, Pinatas and Swing Sets

    White leftists are starting to see nooses everywhere.

    Like the Maytag repairman, things are so quiet that the FBI doesn’t have much to do these days.

    That’s why fifteen FBI Special Agents were urgently dispatched to the Talladega Superspeedway to conduct an investigation of the pull rope in Garage Number 4.

    The pull rope in Garage Number 4, was probably much the same as the pull ropes in all the other garages, but last week, old number four had been assigned to Bubba Wallace, a NASCAR driver who wore an, “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirt and painted “Black Lives Matter” on his car. And so, 15, count ‘em, Feds were dispatched to investigate the provenance of the pull rope in Garage Number 4.

    After “a thorough review of the facts and evidence surrounding this event”, the 15 FBI Special Agents determined that the rope was not a noose and had been there since October 2019.

    To paraphrase, Churchill, never was so little owed to so many for a reason so stupid it’s beyond belief.

    Those 15 Special Agents might have been put to better use investigating the Birmingham riots at the beginning of the month when mobs tore down a statue of Charles Linn, a Finnish immigrant and prominent local businessman, who had also served as a Confederate sea captain, attacked the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors monument in Linn Park, and vandalized the Hugo L. Black United States Courthouse and Robert S. Vance Federal Building. Black, aside from being FDR’s progressive Supreme Court justice, was also a Klansman, but the mobs don’t know any history that isn’t in Howard Zinn.

    https://cms.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/06/fake-noose-cops-hunt-pull-ropes-pinatas-and-swing-daniel-greenfield

  2. Minnesota State Rep: Antifa and Muslim Groups Plan to ‘Police Minneapolis Under Muslim Rule’

    It would have sounded farfetched just weeks ago. It doesn’t anymore.
    June 24, 2020
    Robert Spencer

    As the city of Minneapolis moves to dismantle its police force, Minnesota state Rep. Steve Green on Tuesday stated the obvious that virtually everyone else has been tiptoeing around and pretending isn’t there: “What you’re looking at, in my humble opinion, is communism moving into Minneapolis and St. Paul.” And not just Communism, but the Leftist/Islamic alliance. Green asserted that Antifa and Muslim organizations plan to “police Minneapolis under Muslim rule.” Those who scoff at such a notion simply aren’t paying attention to recent developments.

    The Minneapolis City Council voted two weeks ago to abolish the city’s police force. Its plans beyond that have so far been sketchy, but something is going to have to be put in place as an alternative to the police. The New York Times noted that “many have called for relying more on self-policing by the community, in the way attendees often do at events like music festivals, with the police stepping in only when a true emergency arises. Some cited as an example how, in the days after the killing of Mr. Floyd, teams made up of dozens of members of the American Indian Movement patrolled streets and directed traffic in the Little Earth housing community in Minneapolis.”

    If members of the local community end up policing Minneapolis, what might that look like? Back in 2016, a series of Minneapolis Muslims in man-on-the-street interviews stated matter-of-factly that they preferred Islamic law over American law. We have seen Sharia patrols in Germany, Britain, and even New York City, where the Muslim Community Patrol (MCP) is decked out in uniforms that strong resemble New York Police Department uniforms, and drives cars carefully designed to look like NYPD cars, to enforce “fundamentals of the Sharia.”

    https://cms.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/06/minnesota-state-rep-antifa-and-muslim-groups-plan-robert-spencer

  3. Muslim Group Run by Broward Deputy Sheriff Calls for End of Police

    CAIR operative Nezar Hamze is a threat to his fellows in law enforcement.

    The call for “no cops” was heard loudly throughout a rally held, last month, in Downtown Miami, Florida. This was not unlike many other rallies that were taking place around the nation, at the same time, protests in the name of George Floyd, a black male who lost his life while being detained by police. However, this particular rally was co-sponsored by a group headed by a Deputy Sheriff. The group is a radical Muslim outfit, the South Florida Muslim Federation (SFMF), and its and its leader Nezar Hamze’s actions are helping to endanger members of law enforcement.

    Nezar Jason Hamze’s hire as a Deputy Sheriff by the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) was and still is a matter of controversy. All three of the BSO Majors who had evaluated Hamze, during the hiring process, had unanimously recommended Hamze not be hired. Hamze was found to be lying on his polygraph exam about the “use of” and “buying illegal drugs.” More than that, Hamze, at the time, was a representative for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization with foundational and financial ties to Hamas.

    Today, Hamze is the Executive Director of the South Florida Muslim Federation or SoFlo Muslims, an umbrella organization for South Florida’s many Islamic extremist groups and terror-tied mosques. One member mosque, Masjid Jamaat Al-Mumineen (MJAM), currently contains on its official website a book library filled with texts promoting female genital mutilation, death punishments for homosexuals, stoning of women, and hatred of Jews, Christians and Hindus. One MJAM text, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, states, “[B]eware of the Jews, your enemies… [D]o not be deceived by them, for they are liars, treacherous and disbelievers… [T]hey are the enemies of Islam and its people, may Allah curse them.”

    https://cms.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/06/muslim-group-run-broward-deputy-sheriff-calls-end-joe-kaufman

  4. Michael Flynn wins: Federal appeals court rules district judge must drop charges against him

    A huge win for Michael Flynn and the Justice Department

    A federal court on Wednesday ordered U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan to immediately dismiss the criminal charges against Michael Flynn.

    The ruling was a significant victory for the Justice Department, which took the unusual move last month to dismiss charges against Flynn, who had pleaded guilty to lying to FBI investigators.

    Sullivan, however, refused to grant the Justice Department’s request, and instead sought to determine whether the request was politically motivated. Sullivan even took the highly unusual step of inviting outside counsel — former U.S. District Judge John Gleeson — to argue against the Justice Department.

    https://www.theblaze.com/news/appeals-court-michael-flynn-drop-charges?utm_source=theblaze-breaking&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200624Trending-MichaelFlynnAppealsCourt&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%20TheBlaze%20Breaking%20News

  5. Rayshard Brooks case not about Taser, but about black people ‘killed by police officers,’ DA claims

    ‘This case has very little to do with a Taser’

    Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard claimed Tuesday that the death of Rayshard Brooks has “little do to” with the Taser that Brooks stole from an Atlanta police officer.

    Speaking with CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Tuesday, Howard said the argument that Brooks was in possession of a deadly weapon is “nonsense.”

    “I think it’s simply a diversion from the real facts. This case has very little to do with a Taser,” Howard said. “And I think some of the earlier presentations brought a Taser into the whole equation and I don’t think the Taser fits in.”

    https://www.theblaze.com/news/rayshard-brooks-not-about-taser?utm_source=theblaze-breaking&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200624Trending-MichaelFlynnAppealsCourt&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%20TheBlaze%20Breaking%20News

    (Richard: He is now changing his line of attack because he is on record saying a taser is lethal, his new line is closer to the truth. He just wants to put a white cop in the pen for shooting a black man, the facts don’t matter to him. His charging the police officer is a racist attack by someone who hates whites.)

  6. Opinion: The Movement to Destroy a Nation

    Nation-wide protests weeks after George Floyd’s murder turned into a movement to destroy a nation. Parading as an attack on racial injustice, the movement has turned into an obliteration of history. This week that devastation set its eyes on faith.

    Less than one week ago, protesters rekindled the call for removing confederate statues. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, in a show of solidarity with the protest mob, removed two portraits of former House speakers who were part of the Confederacy.

    From there, the momentum quickly shifted to anyone whose statue is seen as offensive, who may have held racist or politically incorrect views of another era, or who may (or may not) have owned slaves or supported slavery at any time.

    Never mind that the qualifiers of what constitutes “offensive” is blurred; the momentum of eradicating history is ruled by emotion, not reason.

    https://clarionproject.org/the-movement-to-destroy-a-nation/?utm_source=Clarion+Project+Newsletter&utm_campaign=48e8adad69-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_06_24_01_59&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_60abb35148-48e8adad69-5908801&mc_cid=48e8adad69&mc_eid=65230079c6

  7. ‘Blue Flu’ as Atlanta Police Walk Out. Will Other Pushbacks Follow?

    Last week reports trickled in on Wednesday of Atlanta police synchronizing a refusal to come into work or calling out sick, dubbing the event a “Blue Flu.” The walkouts are suspected to be a response to the murder charge assigned to a fellow officer following the killing of Rayshard Brooks before an investigation was concluded.

    Last week reports trickled in on Wednesday of Atlanta police synchronizing a refusal to come into work or calling out sick, dubbing the event a “Blue Flu.” The walkouts are suspected to be a response to the murder charge assigned to a fellow officer following the killing of Rayshard Brooks before an investigation was concluded.

    https://clarionproject.org/blue-flu-as-atlanta-police-walk-out-will-other-pushbacks-follow/?utm_source=Clarion+Project+Newsletter&utm_campaign=48e8adad69-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_06_24_01_59&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_60abb35148-48e8adad69-5908801&mc_cid=48e8adad69&mc_eid=65230079c6

    • If the Dem politicians aren’t careful this will turn into a return to full tribalism including local militias in every town and neighborhood in the cities. These militias will also act a vigilante groups when crime occurs.

      The Dems are starting a war they can’t win and one that will require many decades to recover from. The lefts stopping the teaching of history makes it easier to tear the nation apart but it also makes it easier for the people to forget what happens when the good people of the towns get mad enough and scared enough to take their safety into their own hands.

  8. WATCH: MN Police Union Boss: We’ve Been Barred From Viewing Body Cam Footage In George Floyd Case, ‘Administration Broke Our Policy’

    Lt. Bob Kroll, president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, said Tuesday during an interview with CBS’ Gayle King that the administration has violated policy by refusing to allow the union leaders to view body camera footage involved with the George Floyd arrest.

    Floyd, who is black, died on May 25, following an arrest where an officer held his knee on the neck of the 46-year-old for over eight minutes. The social media footage, surfaced online and sparked nationwide protests and riots.

    https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-mn-police-union-boss-weve-been-barred-from-viewing-body-cam-footage-in-george-floyd-case-administration-broke-our-policy?itm_source=parsely-api?utm_source=cnemail&utm_medium=email&utm_content=062420-news&utm_campaign=position7

    (Richard: Is there something on the video that might change people’s minds? If there is nothing like that on the body cam video why was policy violated and the video made secret? Given the actions and attitude of the Dems in other cases does this video still exist?)

  9. Strzok Notes Reveal Obama Directed Flynn Investigation, Biden Raised Logan Act Violation (breitbart, Jun 24, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/06/24/strzok-notes-reveal-obama-directed-flynn-investigation-biden-raised-logan-act-violation/

    “Handwritten notes taken by former FBI agent Peter Strzok revealed that President Barack Obama directed the FBI to continue investigating Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Michael Flynn just weeks before he was to become President Trump’s national security adviser, in a meeting during which Vice President Joe Biden suggested that Flynn violated the Logan Act.

    Up until now, it had been unclear exactly how involved Obama was in the FBI investigation of Trump’s national security adviser.

    Strzok’s notes are believed to have been taken on January 4, 2017, the apparent date of a White House Oval Office meeting with Obama, Biden, FBI Director James Comey, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, and National Security Adviser Susan Rice.

    The notes show, according to a court filing, that those officials discussed transcripts of Flynn’s private calls with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak and how to proceed against Flynn.

    Obama himself directed that “the right people” investigate Flynn.

    The notes also show that Biden raised the prospect that Flynn committed a violation of the Logan Act — an obscure 1799 law that prohibited private citizens from conducting diplomacy on behalf of the U.S. and has never been successfully prosecuted in court.

    The filing noted that the potential Logan Act violation “became an admitted pretext to investigate General Flynn.”

    Previously released court documents revealed that the FBI had been moving to close its investigation of Flynn until Strzok personally intervened, on the basis that Flynn had calls with Kislyak.

    Rice had memorialized the Oval Office meeting in an email to herself on the last day of the Obama administration. According to her email, the meeting took place on January 5, 2017, but the recent filing shows that it may have taken place on January 4, 2017, instead.”

  10. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made one strange comment about race that no one could believe

    Joe Biden’s Presidential campaign has struggled to build enthusiasm among the voting blocs Democrats need to win back not just the White House, but also the Senate.

    Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes tried to rectify that situation.

    But it ended in embarrassment as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made one strange comment about race that no one could believe.

    https://patriotpulse.net/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-made-one-strange-comment-about-race-that-no-one-could-believe/

  11. Iran’s Uranium Enrichment Program: Approaching Breakout

    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Iran continues to insist that its nuclear program is designed for peaceful purposes despite all evidence of its military nature. This evidence includes the IAEA’s recent findings regarding Tehran’s progress in the field of uranium enrichment. Given Iran’s current uranium holdings and enrichment capabilities, it can theoretically break out from its NPT commitment and develop its first nuclear bomb within four months.

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General issued a report on June 5, 2020 that is worded to deflate Iran’s renunciation of its signing of the JCPOA nuclear agreement. The report notes Tehran’s announcement on January 5 that its nuclear program is no longer “subject to any restrictions in the operational sphere,” but also notes that it claims a willingness to “continue to cooperate with the agency as in the past.”

    Be that as it may, the report is hardly reassuring.

    https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/iran-uranium-enrichment-program/

  12. Dump China: Time to End Beijing’s Pernicious Tech Empire

    by Gordon G. Chang
    June 24, 2020 at 5:00 am

    “China,” some say, “is largely a land of rule-bound rote learners.” The Chinese try but rarely make breakthroughs on their own. Moreover, ruler Xi Jinping, who demands that his regime dominate the technologies of the world, is fast eliminating the one essential ingredient of innovation: freedom. Totalitarianism promotes obedience, a quality not particularly helpful for developing the technologies of tomorrow.

    Yet despite everything, Xi’s China has still managed to become a technology leader in critical fields, such as quantum communications and 5G wireless communications. The Chinese, because of their success, are now racing to own the technologies of this century.

    China also has weaknesses. Its economy is failing, and the regime, through especially provocative actions, is losing the support of the international community. The country’s window of vulnerability, however, is only a few years at most. So this is the time for the world to act.

    Thinker David Goldman persuasively argues that it does not matter whether the Chinese people can innovate. Their regime has put together all the elements needed to dominate technology.

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16148/end-china-tech-empire

    • David Goldman calls himself “Spengler” in print.
      He’s an expert on Asia who’s also a prominent Zionist.
      Very much interested in demography economics. Highly recommended.

  13. DAILY MAIL EXCLUSIVE: Burnley fan who chartered plane to fly White Lives Matter banner over Etihad stadium is SACKED from engineering firm where he worked as he defiantly says: ‘I’m not racist, I’d do it all again’

    Jake Hepple was dismissed from his job as a welder by Paradigm Precision today
    24-year-old from Colne, near Burnley, had insisted to MailOnline: ‘I’m not racist’
    He said police visited him on Tuesday to say he would not face criminal charges
    He said the police offered him protection should he or his family face any threats
    Said the backlash to stunt was ‘a total overreaction’ and ‘blown out of proportion’

    The Burnley football fan behind the White Lives Matter banner above the Etihad stadium has been sacked from his job at an engineering firm.

    Jake Hepple, 24, was dismissed from his role as a welder at Lancashire-based Paradigm Precision this afternoon, with the company saying it ‘did not condone or tolerate racism in any form’.

    It came as Mr Hepple used an interview with MailOnline to announce he did not regret the stunt, and tried to excuse his use of the word P*** online by saying he sometimes gets ‘a bit coked up and uses offensive language’.

    He said: ‘I’m not racist. I know people are trying to make out to be one but I’m not. I’ve got lots of Black and Asian friends and this banner was actually inspired by the Black Lives Movement.

    ‘We were not trying to offend the movement or black people. I believe that it’s also important to acknowledge that white lives matter too. That’s all we were trying to say.’

    Mr Hepple, who has been given a lifetime ban from Burnley FC, had already been warned he was facing the sack, and said in response: ‘My employer, the club and so many other people have completely overreacted to what’s happened.’

    His girlfriend Megan Rambadt, 21, has also faced criticism for some of her racist social media posts and been suspended from her job as a beautician.

    The football fan said police visited him at home on Tuesday night to tell him he would not face criminal charges. He said they also offered him protection should he or his family face threats in the future as a result of the banner.

    He added: ‘The police told me that I haven’t committed any crime and haven’t done anything wrong.

    ‘In fact, they asked me if I was OK and wanted any protection, just in case people try to target me.

    ‘I don’t understand why I’m being treated like a criminal and believe that there has been a total over reaction to what happened. Everything has been blown out of proportion, it’s ridiculous.’

    Mr Hepple claimed responsibility for the pre-match stunt on Monday and wrote on Facebook: ‘I’d like to take this time to apologise… to absolutely f***ing nobody!’

    The Suicide Squad, a group of far-right Burnley fans, are believed to have crowdfunded for the flight and its message ‘White Lives Matter Burnley’.

    Mr Hepple said 60 people contributed towards the banner and the hire of the plane, which cost £600 in total.

    He said organisers had offers of money from ‘hundreds’ of people who were willing to support the ‘white lives matter cause.’

    Among those also believed to be behind the banner is multiple convicted football hooligan Mark Hamer, 37.

    Last night his father George, 66, said: ‘I’d heard that it was Mark who had organised it but it’s nothing to do with me.’

    The plane flew over the stadium just after Manchester City and Burnley FC players had taken the knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

    Mr Hepple, who lives at home with his mother Jill and stepfather Dave, said he only became involved after the Reading attack on Saturday.

    He continued: ‘The idea for it came from a football pal of mine. He wanted to make the point that not just Black Lives Matter but so do white ones and all other ones.

    ‘I supported the idea and believe that it needed to be said. I still do. Then the attack happened in Reading and I thought I have to get more involved with the banner.

    ‘I was angry that white people had been killed and nobody was making a fuss about that.’

    He drove to Manchester on Monday with two friends and they positioned themselves on a bridge close to the Etihad at 7.30pm, waiting for the plane to fly past.

    Mr Hepple said: ‘We agreed that me and a friend would live stream it on Facebook as it flew over the ground.

    ‘But as it came over my mate hit the wrong button and only my video was broadcast. And that’s why I’m getting all the stick.’

    But he insisted: ‘I stand by this banner and what it says 100 per cent. I’m not sorry at all and I’m not ashamed of what I’ve done.’

    Mr Hepple’s girlfriend Megan Rambadt, 21, also faced criticism for some of her racist social media posts and has been suspended from her job as a beautician.

    He said: ‘She hasn’t stopped crying. Everybody is making her out to be a nasty, racist monster but she’s not like that at all.

    ‘She’s been suspended from her job and is really upset at what’s happened. She knew about the banner and supported it but like me, she wasn’t expecting this reaction.’

    Lancashire Police yesterday confirmed Mr Hepple, who has posted in support of the EDL and has been pictured with its former leader, Tommy Robinson, had not been found to have committed a criminal offence.

    Chief superintendent Russ Procter said: ‘Lancashire Constabulary has been in liaison with Greater Manchester Police, the Aviation Authority and the Crown Prosecution Service regards the ‘White Lives Matter’ banner that was flown over the Etihad Stadium.

    ‘After assessing all the information available surrounding this incident we have concluded that there are no criminal offences that have been disclosed at this time.

    ‘We will continue to work with our partners at the football club and within the local authority.’

    Blackpool Airport, which was used by the plane, announced it had suspended all banner towing operations ‘with immediate effect’ and said it ‘did not condone’ the message.

    Mr Hepple posted an image of the plane on Facebook on Monday and wrote: ‘I’d like to take this time to apologise… to absolutely f***ing nobody!

    • ‘It’s now apparently racist to say White Lives Matter, the day after three white people got murdered in a park in Reading, but all we’ve seen on the TV is Black Lives Matter after George Floyd got murdered. What a mad world we live in.’

      His stunt led to outrage and has been widely condemned, with Burnley captain Ben Mee saying he was ‘shamed and embarrassed’.

      Speaking after the match, which his side lost 5-0, he noted the Burnley players had heard ‘whispers’ something may have been planned.

      The company that operated the plane, Air Ads, is based in Stockport and flies from Blackpool Airport.

      But it emerged yesterday the airport had suspended flights operated by the company pending an investigation.

      One of its former directors, Alan Elliott, was fined £2,000 in 2017 for flying 400ft from Goodison Park after being paid by an Everton fan to display a sign emblazoned with ‘Thank you Mr Kenwright’ in support of the club chairman.

      Under the Air Navigation Order 2009, aircraft are not allowed to fly over a congested area at a height lower than 1,000ft within a 600-yard radius of the highest obstacle.

      It appears that threshold was not crossed during the stunt – meaning the flight itself was not a crime.

      A former pilot at Blackpool Airport claimed they knew the pilot at Air Ads and confirmed the firm used to be run by Alan Elliot, who died a few weeks ago.

      The pilot, who did not wish to be named, told Sky News the banners are made to order and the flights cost around £700, with pilots taking around £100 per flight.

      He added: ‘We would assume whoever paid for the banner would get done for it.’

      Air Ads Ltd has been involved in several other high-profile publicity stunts, including flying a banner over Burnley’s Turf Moor stadium reading ‘Go Clarets’ for a local newspaper and advertising a marriage proposal.

      Alan Elliott, who was involved in the Everton incident, died on May 3 this year, according to his family. His son, Alan Mark Elliott, is still listed as a director. MailOnline contacted the company for comment.

      Bob Stinger, one of the pilots associated with Air Ads, denied being at the controls on Monday night but declined to comment further.

      Burnley captain Ben Mee said he was ‘shamed and embarrassed’ of the stunt, and revealed that his players had heard ‘whispers’ that something may have been planned.

      ‘I am ashamed and embarrassed that a small number of our fans have decided to fly that around the stadium,’ he said. ‘It is not what we are about.

      ‘They have missed what we are trying to achieve. These people need to come into the 21st century and educate themselves. They don’t represent what we are about, the club is about, the players are about and the majority of fans are about.

      ‘I’ve heard it is a small number that have arranged this and I hope it doesn’t happen again. I don’t want to associate it with my club. I don’t want to see this in the game.

      ‘It is not right. We totally condemn it. These people can learn and be taught what Black Lives Matter is trying to achieve.’

      Richard Moriarty, Chief Executive of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said:

      ‘I condemn the actions of those responsible for the banner flown over the Etihad Stadium.

      ‘We will always support the police and other relevant authorities to investigate any reports of inappropriate or illegal activities, providing whatever assistance we can.’

      Blackpool Airport said: ‘The decision to fly the banner was taken entirely by the banner flying company without the knowledge or approval of the airport or Blackpool Council.

      ‘Due to the nature of the activity, banners are not checked before take-off and the content is at the operator’s discretion.

      ‘Following an emergency review this morning, Blackpool Airport will suspend all banner towing operations at the airport with immediate effect and we would suggest that other airports should also consider this approach in light of what has happened at Blackpool.’

      Shocked viewers took to social media to express their anger at the stunt.

      MailOnline columnist Piers Morgan tweeted: ‘A plane flew over the Etihad stadium tonight with this banner saying ‘White Lives Matter Burnley’. So depressing.’

      Pundit and former England footballer Lineker added: ‘I’m sure @BurnleyOfficial will condemn this s***housery.’

      Rachel Riley commented: ‘Anyone fancy a crowdfunder to get these idiots a tattoo to mark their brave and clever stunt. I reckon ‘Man City 5 – Burnley 0′ would be perfect.’

      Comedian Omid Djalli said: ‘Brilliant Ben Mee being on it ASAP. The Black Lives Matter movement is everyone against racism and discrimination towards all minorities.

      ‘Burnley FC have apologised for an idiotic minority who want a race war. Well done the Premier League for keeping on highlighting injustice.

      ‘If someone is chartering a plane to fly a banner like that over a football match, it proves definitively that there are racists out there literally with more money than sense.’

      In response to the distasteful stunt, other Burnley fans have started a Go Fund Me page raising money for the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, set up in memory of the black teenager after he was killed in a racist attack in 1993.

      Organiser of the Go Fund Me, Lee Briggs, 33, a lifelong Clarets supporter, said he felt embarrassed by his club being associated with the banner’s ‘racist language’.

      Sports commentator Sam Lee tweeted: ‘There’s a plane flying over the Etihad that says ‘White Lives Matter – Burnley’. F***ing hell, what an absolute embarrassment. Absolute disgrace.’

      Players have been taking to their knees throughout the Premier League in a sign of support in the fight against inequality and injustice which was adopted by sports stars in 2016 after NFL player Colin Kaepernick knelt during the US national anthem.

      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8454627/Burnley-fan-White-Lives-Matter-banner-reveals-60-people-organised-stunt.html

      Burnley manager Sean Dyche on plane stunt: It’s unacceptable

  14. “Where are the Visible and Audible Women in the Muslim Community?”

    by Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff
    June 24, 2020 at 4:00 am

    Fatma Akay-Türker, until June 16 spokeswoman for women’s affairs of the Islamic Faith Community of Austria (IGGÖ), has stepped down with a statement:

    Resignation!!

    Ladies and Gentlemen,

    I would like to inform you that I have resigned from my position in the Shura Council at the IGGÖ as well as my job as Islamic religious education teacher.

    Therefore, I declare that I have no connection whatsoever to any institution, organization or political establishment.

    Respectfully,
    Dr. Fatma AKAY-TÜRKER

    IGGÖ has always been proud of their female participation with women serving as chairpersons in local faith communities in the Austrian provinces of Vorarlberg and Burgenland. Yet, given that Akay-Türker, until her resignation, served as the only woman on the highest board of the IGGÖ, her unexpected move raised some eyebrows among the Muslim community. Notably, the non-governmental organization “Muslimische Jugend Österreich” (Muslim Youth of Austria) asked in a press release:

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16142/visible-muslim-women

  15. Twitter Adds Warning to Trump’s Post on Protesters’ Attempt to Set Up DC Autonomous Zone

    Twitter on Tuesday has once again placed a label on one of President Donald Trump posts for violating its policies, claiming that his statement on protestors who are attempting to set up an autonomous zone in the District of Columbia present “a threat of harm against an identifiable group.”

    “We’ve placed a public interest notice on this Tweet for violating our policy against abusive behavior, specifically, the presence of a threat of harm against an identifiable group,” Twitter said in a statement.

    The company noted that the president’s post will remain on the online platform due to its “relevance to ongoing public conversation” but will limit the ability for users to engage with the post.

    “People will be able to Retweet with Comment, but not Like, Reply, or Retweet it,” the statement said.

    The post in question was posted on Tuesday morning by the president who was weighing in on an attempt by protesters to set up an autonomous zone—dubbed the “Black House Autonomous Zone”—in the nation’s capital on Monday night. Demonstrators at Lafayette Park attempted to cordon off an area with barricades to mark the zone and topple a statue of former U.S. President Andrew Jackson before police officers came to disperse them.

    On the same night, the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church was also vandalized with black spray-paint spelling out the letters “BHAZ”—an acronym for the so-called “Black House Autonomous Zone.”

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/twitter-adds-warning-to-trumps-post-on-protesters-attempt-to-set-up-dc-autonomous-zone_3399088.html?ref=brief_BreakingNews&__sta=vhg.hhksexIJ_fmb%7CQHV&__stm_medium=email&__stm_source=smartech

  16. Burkina Army Says It Has Destroyed Two Jihadist ‘Bases’
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/06/24/burkina-destroyed-jihadist-bases/

    “Burkina Faso’s security forces said on Tuesday they had destroyed two jihadist bases in the north and east of the country and arrested two suspects near the border with the Ivory Coast.

    A gendarmerie unit on Saturday “dismantled a terrorist base” near the eastern town of Tanwalbougou, the armed forces chief of staff said in a weekly bulletin.

    In a separate operation in the north of the country, Burkinabe troops in the five-nation G5 Sahel force, supported by a company of soldiers from Niger, destroyed a terrorist base on Saturday in a drilling zone 40 kilometers from Oursi, it said. Eight motorbikes, phones, and other equipment were seized.

    Meanwhile, two “suspects” were picked up in a joint operation with Ivorian forces to secure the two countries’ 550-kilometer (340-mile) border, it said. The operation “considerably disrupted armed groups in the area,” the statement said.

    The arrests near Alidougou on Saturday were made not far from where around 10 Ivorian soldiers were killed in a jihadist attack on a frontier post on June 11.

    Ivory Coast said Monday it had captured the leader of the raid and arrested a “very large” number of his subordinates.

    That attack was carried out by the Group to Support Islam and Muslims, an organization linked to Al-Qaeda, according to a source in Burkina Faso.

    Security analysts have long worried that a jihadist revolt in the Sahel that began in Mali in 2012 is spreading towards coastal states on the Gulf of Guinea.

    Burkina Faso has been the scene of jihadist attacks since 2015. The north and east of the country are the regions most affected by jihadist violence which has claimed nearly 1,000 lives and forced 860,000 people from their homes over the past five years.

    Jihadist violence, often intertwined with inter-communal violence, resulted in 4,000 deaths in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso in 2019, according to the UN.”

  17. Iran’s Top Security Official Slams E3 for Adopting Anti-Iran Resolution
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/06/24/2292702/iran-s-top-security-official-slams-e3-for-adopting-anti-iran-resolution

    “Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani slammed the UK, France, and Germany — the European parties to the 2015 Iran deal — for playing into the hands of Washington and helping adopt an anti-Iranian resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency…”

  18. Turkish Soldier Killed After Coming Under Fire From Across Border With Iran
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2351521/turkish-soldier-killed-after-coming-under-fire-across-border-iran

    “One Turkish soldier was killed and two others were wounded in southeast Turkey as they came under fire from the Iranian side of the border, Turkey’s Defence Ministry said on Wednesday in a statement that did not say who had shot at its soldiers.

    The soldiers were conducting reconnaissance and surveillance mission at the border town of Yuksekova in Turkey’s southeastern province of Hakkari, the ministry said.

    Turkey has been fighting against the Kurdish militant group PKK along its borders with Syria and Iraq for several decades.”

  19. Turkey Arrests Four French Spies
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2351631/turkey-arrests-four-french-spies

    “Ankara has upped tensions with Paris and arrested four Turkish nationals, one of whom had previously worked in the French consulate in Istanbul, on charges of “forming a spy cell for France”.

    According to the pro-government Sabah daily, Metin Ozdemir, a former employee of the French consulate’s security service told police he had gathered intelligence for the French intelligence service, the DGSE.

    The report says the suspects used fake ID cards purportedly belonging to agents of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and claimed that they were collecting information on ISIS and similar terrorist groups.

    In 2013, Özdemir met a person codenamed Bruno, who had close ties with the French intelligence service, the General Directorate for External Security. Bruno reportedly told Özdemir he could help him pursue his goal of becoming a legionnaire but Özdemir would have to collect some information first.

    According to his own testimony, Özdemir gathered information on 120 people – including imams – and conveyed it to French authorities.

    Later on, he contacted two more people with ties to French intelligence and started receiving orders from those two “case officers.”

    Identifying the officers as Virginia and Sebastian, Özdemir said that he did not know what their surnames were, they communicated over payphones and he was well aware that he was conducting espionage.

    According to his testimony, Özdemir was ordered to spy on conservative-leaning foundations in Istanbul’s Fatih, Bayrampa?a, Esenyurt, Zeytinburnu, Üsküdar, Ümraniye and Ba?ak?ehir districts, and was also threatened by the French when he tried to quit.

    He threatened them back, saying he would leave France in a difficult position if he were to confess.

    Correspondence between Özdemir and his handlers sheds light on the exchange of threats. In one email, an unnamed superior of Virginia told Özdemir that they risked themselves to protect him and reminded him how well they paid him.

    The news came as tensions between Turkey and France have increased over their different positions on Libya and a recent incident between their naval warships in the Mediterranean.”

  20. UAE training Syria regime intelligence agents, providing aid to Damascus
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200624-uae-training-syria-regime-intelligence-agents-providing-aid-to-damascus/

    “The United Arab Emirates has been found to be training Syrian military intelligence officers and providing aid to the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad, a report by the French-language site Orient XXI has revealed.

    Emirati officials are providing training to Syrian intelligence officers – 31 of whom are non-commissioned officers and eight of whom are information and communication systems engineers – in the logistics, technical and scientific fields. Support has also been provided by the Emirati officers to the general staff of the Syrian Arab Army, with five Syrian pilots having been allowed to train at the UAE’s Khalifa Bin Zayed military academy…”

  21. Hezbollah working to destroy Lebanon’s banking system, will face new sanctions: US official
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200624-hezbollah-working-to-destroy-lebanons-banking-system-will-face-new-sanctions-us-official/

    “Hezbollah is working to destroy Lebanon’s banking system and will face new sanctions on its “activities”, a senior US official said yesterday, Al-Arabiya reports.

    In an interview with Lebanese daily Al-Hadeel, David Schenker, the US’ assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, said: “What Hezbollah is doing is a complete threat to Lebanon… when Lebanon cannot afford any other crisis, in addition to the financial crisis” the country is facing.

    Schenker added Hezbollah will face a new set of sanctions targeting the organisations “activities” and its allies, saying: “Yes, there will be sanctions… related to combating Hezbollah’s activities.”

    The senior US official also claimed America has not prevented dollars from entering the country but attributed the severe months long shortage to Hezbollah’s activities, including smuggling and tax evasion.

    The Iranian-backed Shia militia has long been believed to be money laundering and is thought to smuggle goods, including drugs, and cash over the border into Syria and out of the country via Lebanon’s ports…”

  22. Sudan repels Ethiopian border attack
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200624-sudan-repels-ethiopian-border-attack/

    “Sudan repelled an Ethopian cross-border attack on Sunday, Anadolu Agency reported.

    Governor of Sudan’s eastern Gadaref province, Major General Nasr Al-Deen Abd Al-Qayyum, said armed forces had “successfully fended off an attack by Ethiopian forces” on Sunday, reporting no fatalities.

    The hostilities follow failed talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan over Addis Ababa’s plans to fill the reservoir at its new Renaissance Dam with water from the River Nile, a move that Sudan and Egypt fear would significantly reduce the river’s flow and affect both countries’ economies and energy needs.

    Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry warned on Monday that if the United Nations Security Council intervention to resolve the dispute is not successful, his country would take “explicit and clear” action about its position.”

  23. UN ‘alarmed’ by continued military mobilisation in Libya
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200624-un-alarmed-by-continued-military-mobilisation-in-libya/

    “The “last thing that Libya needs right now is more fighting,” the spokesman for the United Nations secretary general told journalists in a press briefing.

    In response to a question by journalists about Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s hints at a possible Egyptian military intervention in the country, Stephane Dujarric said that the UN is “alarmed by the continued military mobilisation in central Libya, particularly in Sirte, the transfer of weapons from abroad, the continued recruitment of mercenaries,” which he described as “flagrant violations of the arms embargo.”

    Dujarric stressed that it is “important for none of the parties to do anything that would make the situation worse.”…”

  24. Saudi Arabia executes longest-serving prisoner
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200624-saudi-arabia-executes-longest-serving-prisoner/

    “Saudi Arabia has executed its longest-serving prisoner on death row, the UAE-based Erem News reported.

    Hadi Bin Saud Bin Kadma’s execution came in fulfilment to the Islamic Sharia-based Qisas (retaliation in kind) for an incident that dates back to 1992, when he had a fight with one of his cousins and they stabbed each other, resulting in his cousin’s death. Bin Kadma said at the time that he tried to rescue the victim by taking him to the closest medical clinic.

    The Governor of Asir, Turki Bin Talal, and a number of tribal leaders visited the victim’s family shortly before the execution to plead with them to pardon Bin Kadma. But all such attempts ended in failure.

    In April it was revealed that Saudi had carried out its 800th execution under the five-year reign of King Salman Bin Abdulaziz.”

  25. Europe urged to ‘demonstrate commitment to justice’ and bring ‘stateless’ citizens home
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200624-europe-urged-to-demonstrate-commitment-to-justice-and-bring-stateless-citizens-home/

    “European governments have been urged by a counterterrorism group to “demonstrate their commitment to justice” by reconsidering their stance on the repatriation of citizens who left their countries to join Daesh. The call was made by the Soufan Centre in an effort “to break the cycle” of extremism and radicalisation.

    The Soufan Centre is a “leading national security and counterterrorism” organisation, headed by former FBI agent Ali Soufan. It claims in its latest report that homegrown extremists pose a greater threat to national security than that posed by terrorists jailed in Syria and Iraq if repatriated.

    Leaving imprisoned Daesh fighters and children born into the group ”stateless”, it argues, almost guarantees that these individuals will have no other option but to consider themselves citizens of the self-declared Islamic State…”

  26. Greece: Government orders Muslim prayer hall to close near Athens
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200624-greece-government-orders-muslim-prayer-hall-to-close-near-athens/

    “Greece has ordered one of the oldest Muslim prayer halls in the greater Athens area to shut down, the Muslim Association of Greece reported in a press release.

    The Education and Religious Affairs Ministry reportedly said the facility lacks a license to operate and gave it 15-days notice to clear the premises in Piraeus, a port city just 12 kilometres from the Athens city centre.

    “We are sad to announce that we received a closure order for one of the oldest prayer halls of the capital…without any chance of negotiating with the ministry,” said the Muslim Association of Greece in a press release.

    The Al Andalus prayer hall has been operating since 1989, according to the association, the International Quran News Agency reported.

    The Turkish Muslim minority in Greece has complained that ability to practice their religion has been stifled; including the right to choose their own religiou clerics and the administrators of Muslim endowments (waqfs), rather than ones appointed by the state.

    Turkish authorities believes the Turkish minority living in Greece’s Western Thrace region continues to face systematic discrimination and obstacles due to their cultural, ethnic and religious identity, a Balkan expert from Turkish presidential office told MEMO.

    “The government has a policy to turn the mosque into a museum. The Fethiye Mosque in Athens, built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1458, is currently being used as an exhibition hall. The city’s Tzisdaraki Mosque has also been repurposed as a ceramics museum.” the expert stated.

    According to a report published by Daily Sabah, Athens is the only capital in Europe without an official mosque.”

  27. US Department: Morocco’s Counterterrorism Efforts Mitigate Risk of Terrorism
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/06/306791/us-department-moroccos-counterterrorism-efforts-mitigate-risk-of-terrorism/

    “The US State Department issued on June 24 its 2019 annual Country Report on Terrorism for Morocco, extolling the North African country’s counterterrorism strategy.

    The agency continues to see Morocco’s counterterrorism strategy as a solid mechanism to mitigate the risk of terrorism in the region.

    Morocco’s counterterrorism efforts, according to the report, doubled the number of related arrests last year, compared to 2018.

    The US State Department acknowledged that Morocco continues to face “sporadic” terror threats from independent ISIS-inspired cells.

    Like the US, Morocco has been stressing that the fight against terrorism is a long-term project…”

  28. Turkish Coast Guard rescues 45 asylum seekers
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkish-coast-guard-rescues-45-asylum-seekers/1888928

    “The Turkish Coast Guard rescued 45 asylum seekers, who were pushed back by Greek forces into Turkish territorial waters, said security sources on Wednesday.

    The asylum seekers initially set off for the Greek island of Lesbos from the coast of Ayvacik district of Turkey’s northwestern Canakkale province.

    Their rubber raft was pushed back to Turkish territorial waters by the Greek Coast Guard, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

    The asylum seekers, who were rescued off Igdeli Burnu, were referred to the police station in Ayvacik district.

    Turkey has been one of the main routes for asylum seekers wanting to reach Europe, especially since Syria’s 2011 civil war.

    It hosts nearly four million Syrians, more than any other country in the world.”

  29. Austria: Turks react to pro-PKK demonstration
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/austria-turks-react-to-pro-pkk-demonstration/1889093

    “Turkish nationals living in Vienna reacted Wednesday to a demonstration held by sympathizers of the PKK terror group.

    A brawl erupted after the two sides exchanged words in an area of Vienna where Turks and other foreign nationals reside.

    According to a report by the Heute daily, police officer Markus Dittrich said one person was arrested.

    Dittrich said security forces stepped in following the brawl, which lasted about two hours.”

  30. Coronavirus: 28 migrants test positive on quarantine ship off Sicily
    https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2020/06/24/coronavirus-28-migrants-test-positive-on-the-moby-zaza_e18f37b3-c665-4d5f-b4aa-3fc4e8d3c0a7.html

    “A total of 28 rescued migrants have tested positive for the coronavirus on the Moby Zazà quarantine ship, which is off the Sicilian port of Porto Empedocle.

    The COVID-19.-positive migrants were among people rescued in international waters by the Sea Watch NGO and then transferred to the Moby Zazà.

    Swabs were conducted on 209 asylum seekers on the ship on Tuesday.

    Late on Tuesday it emerged that one of the migrants who boarded the Sea Watch vessel had been taken to Caltanissetta’s Sant’Elia hospital.

    It was initially suspected to be a case of tuberculosis but the result of a swab subsequently showed otherwise”

  31. German police bust family gang living ‘luxorious’ life
    https://www.thelocal.de/20200624/german-police-bust-family-gang-living-luxorious-life

    “Eight members of the same family have been arrested in France and Germany on suspicion of carrying out burglaries of elderly people and fraudulently claiming social benefits, police said Wednesday.

    “According to the latest investigations, the suspects lived a luxurious life at the expense of senior citizens and other victims,” said Klaus-Stephan Becker, head of the criminal police unit in the city of Cologne, according to a statement.

    Police suspect a total of 29 people aged between 17 and 84, but have so far arrested only eight, including six women.

    The arrests took place in Cologne, as well as in the town of Rödermark in the state of Hesse, and in Bondy near Paris.

    One group in the family specialised in burgling elderly people and operated throughout Germany, while another was focused on fraudulently claiming social benefits, the statement said.

    Others specialised in investing the stolen money in real estate, among other things.

    Investigators seized five properties worth an estimated 2.4 million euros, as well as luxury items such as cars and watches.

    Due to the complexity of the case, the investigation has been entrusted to a department of the Cologne public prosecutor’s office specialising in family gang crime, according to the statement.”

  32. FBI Director Wray: Biggest terrorist threat is ‘homegrown violent extremists’

    FBI Director Christopher Wray sits down with Bret Baier for an exclusive interview touching on China, President Trump, and domestic unrest.

  33. Tucker: The people pulling down statues are idiots

    The angry children you’re watching set fire to Wendy’s, topple statues and scream at you on TV are truly and utterly stupid.

    There’s probably never been a dumber group gathered in one place in all of American history.

  34. europravda – Twitter explains why not all Trump’s misleading tweets are flagged

    On Tuesday, Twitter issued a warning label on the US President’s tweet for violating the company’s policy against abusive behaviour.