Reader’s Links for June 26, 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

123 Replies to “Reader’s Links for June 26, 2020”

  1. Chaos erupts in Milwaukee during search for missing girls: Unruly mob hurls bricks at police officers, burns down home, shoots 2 teens

    https://www.theblaze.com/news/chaos-milwaukee-missing-girls-mob

    Note: article poorly written, here is a tl;dr.
    Two girls, aged 13 and 15 went missing, police search included notorious sex trafficking place. People there took exception, a mob formed and set a little old lady’s house on fire, threw bricks etc at police, shot into the crowd and so on.

  2. “No justice, no booty!” was one of the rallying cries during a PDX Stripper Strike protest on Wednesday afternoon.

    About 100 people gathered for the event, which marched along Southeast Stark Avenue in the Montavilla neighborhood past two strip clubs, Club 205 and The Venue Gentlemen’s Club.

    At least two of the protesters walked a mile and a half in platform stiletto heels.

    Cat Hollis, lead coordinator with the Haymarket Pole Collective, which works to implement anti-discrimination policies in the adult industry, delivered letters of demands to both clubs. The protesters want all Portland clubs to provide cultural sensitivity training for employees and offer more equitable scheduling for dancers of color.

    https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2020/06/portland-strippers-march-for-equal-scheduling-of-black-dancers.html

  3. Jihadists Abduct 10 Aid Workers in Niger: NGO
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/06/26/jihadists-niger-abduct-aid-workers/

    “Armed jihadists abducted 10 humanitarian workers as they were distributing food in a village in southwestern Niger, their NGO said Thursday.

    The assailants drove into the village aboard motorbikes on Wednesday afternoon and told the victims to follow them, said Kadidiatou Harouna of the Action and Impact Programme in the Sahel (APIS) aid group.

    It was the first such hostage-taking of aid workers in the Tillaberi region, where motorbikes have been ordered off the roads since January, she told AFP, adding that the gunmen made off with two APIS 4x4s. She said APIS, a partner of the UN World Food Programme, had worked in the region near the borders with Burkina Faso and Mali “without problems” in the past year.

    A German aid worker and an Italian priest were abducted in the region in 2018…”

  4. Turkey Court Sentences 121 to Life in Coup Trial
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2355581/turkey-court-sentences-121-life-coup-trial

    “A Turkish court on Friday handed down life sentences to 121 people for taking part in the 2016 attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, state media reported.

    The court in Ankara sentenced 86 suspects to “aggravated” life imprisonment for “attempting to violate the constitution” while 35 individuals were given life sentences for the same crime, the official Anadolu news agency said.

    An aggravated life sentence has tougher terms of detention. It was brought in to replace the death penalty which Turkey abolished in 2004 as part of its drive to join the EU.

    A total of 245 suspects were on trial in the case related to events at the Gendarmerie General Command on the night of July 15, 2016 in the Turkish capital, AFP reported.

    Another suspect, former colonel Erkan Oktem, was given nine aggravated life sentences for “wilful murder”, Anadolu said.

    The failed coup left 248 people dead, excluding 24 putschists killed that night.

    Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul last week said 15 coup-related trials continued out of a total of 289 in what is the biggest legal process in Turkey’s modern history.

    After a three-month break because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, trials in Turkey resumed this month including the main coup trial focused on events at an air base in Ankara seen as the putschists’ hub.

    That trial began in 2017 and is expected to be completed soon.

    Turkey says US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen ordered the failed coup, a claim he strongly denies.

    Tens of thousands of people have been arrested over alleged links to Gulen, while over 100,000 have been sacked or suspended from the public sector due to similar suspicions.”

  5. ‘We shouldn’t settle for crumbs’: Palestinian Americans stage virtual walkout of Biden meeting
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestinian-americans-stage-virtual-walkout-joe-biden-call

    “Several high-profile Palestinian-American activists and organisers staged a virtual walkout of a meeting with an adviser to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in early June over the campaign’s approach to Palestine, Middle East Eye can reveal.

    The walkout on 3 June took place minutes into the meeting, following a heated exchange between Amer Zahr, a well-known Palestinian activist and Farooq Mitha, Biden’s Muslim outreach manager, in which Zahr accused the campaign of not taking the Palestinian issue seriously…”

  6. Libya defence minister to Sisi: Nothing will stop our progress towards Sirte
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200626-libya-defence-minister-to-sisi-nothing-will-stop-our-progress-towards-sirte/

    “The Ministry of Defence of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) said it will continue in its moves to recapture the eastern city of Sirte from the forces of renegade General Khalifa Haftar despite the warning of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi that the city represents a “red line” for his country.

    “No red lines can hinder the progress of our forces’ advancing towards Sirte,” said Salah Al-Din Al–Namroush, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defence, in an interview published by the Anadolu Agency yesterday.

    Al–Namroush stressed that the GNA’s objective is to defeat Haftar’s Libyan National Army and take control of the entire city located 450 kilometres east of the capital Tripoli…”

  7. France: Prosecutors ask for extradition of ousted Tunisian President’s brother in law
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200626-france-prosecutors-ask-for-extradition-of-ousted-tunisian-presidents-brother-in-law/

    “The Public Prosecution of the Court of Appeal in Aix-en-Provence, France, asked judges today to issue an opinion in favour of the extradition of Belhassen Trabelsi, the brother-in-law of ousted Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Trabelsi was convicted in absentia by a court in Tunisia on charges of abuse of power and money laundering…”

  8. Belgium calls for sanctions against Israel if it annexes West Bank
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200626-belgium-calls-for-sanctions-against-israel-if-it-annexes-west-bank/

    “The Belgian parliament today passed a resolution urging the government to call on the European Union to impose sanctions against Israel if it proceeds with its plan to annex large swaths of the occupied West Bank.

    The measure “concerning Israel’s annexation of occupied territories in Palestine”, passed in the 150-member House of Representatives with 101 affirmative votes, 39 abstentions and zero votes against it.

    The body was also due to vote on a motion calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state but this was delayed after it was sent back to the foreign affairs committee for further debate…”

  9. UAE, Greece discuss strengthening military cooperation
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200626-uae-greece-discuss-strengthening-military-cooperation/

    “Defence ministers from the UAE and Greece have discussed increasing military cooperation amid shared security concerns, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).

    Yesterday it was reported that Emirati Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Mohammed Bin Ahmed Al-Bowardi, shared a video call with his Greek counterpart, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, in which they spoke on the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic and unifying efforts to contain its spread.

    They also discussed ways to enhance joint defence and military cooperation in the best interests of the two countries, the agency said. In doing so, they reviewed a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern.

    Both the UAE and Greece oppose Turkey’s involvement in the Eastern Mediterranean region, in particular Ankara’s support for the internationally-recognised Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) based in the capital Tripoli. The UAE is one of the chief backers of the rival government concentrated in the country’s east, while Greece expelled its Libyan ambassador last year over the agreement struck between Ankara and Tripoli over the establishment of an exclusive economic zone.

    Following the UAE’s restoring of relations with the Syrian government, in May Athens appointed a former ambassador to Russia and Syria as Special Envoy for Syrian Affairs. Greece’s Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias earlier this month expressed the country’s intention to reopen the embassies in Damascus and Tripoli “as soon as conditions allow”.

    According to Greek City Times, Greece and Israel are also set to establish an International Flight Training Centre in Kalamata, provision of these services will be extended to pilots from the UAE and other air forces.

    Diplomatic relations between the UAE and Greece began in 1976. The Greek Embassy first opened in 1989 in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, while the UAE opened its embassy in Athens in November 2008.”

  10. Russia offered Afghan militants bounties to kill U.S. troops: NY Times
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-russia/russia-offered-afghan-militants-bounties-to-kill-u-s-troops-ny-times-idUSKBN23X2RT

    “U.S. intelligence has concluded that the Russian military offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan to kill American troops and other coalition forces, the New York Times reported on Friday.

    Citing officials briefed on the matter, the Times said the United States determined months ago that a Russian military intelligence unit linked to assassination attempts in Europe had offered rewards for successful attacks last year.

    Islamist militants, or armed criminal elements closely associated with them, are believed to have collected some bounty money, the newspaper said.

    The White House, the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined requests from Reuters for comment on the Times report.

    President Donald Trump has been briefed on the intelligence finding, the Times said. It said the White House has yet to authorize any steps against Russia in response to the bounties.

    Of the 20 Americans killed in combat in 2019, the Times said, it was not clear which deaths were under suspicion.

    After nearly 20 years of fighting the Taliban, the United States is looking for a way to extricate itself from Afghanistan and to achieve peace between the U.S.-backed government and the militant group, which controls swathes of the country.

    On Feb. 29, the United States and the Taliban struck a deal that called for a phased U.S. troop withdrawal.

    U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan is down to nearly 8,600, well ahead of a schedule agreed with the Taliban, in part because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, U.S. and NATO officials said in late May.”

  11. Morocco Orders 24 of Boeing’s Latest Configuration Attack Helicopters
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/06/306931/morocco-orders-24-of-boeings-latest-configuration-attack-helicopters/

    “Morocco is set to acquire 24 of Boeing’s latest configuration attack helicopters. Following a recently signed contract, the country will be the 17th state in the world to own the latest Boeing AH-64E Apache.

    “This is another step forward in our long partnership with the Kingdom of Morocco,” said Jeff Shockey, vice president, Global Sales and Marketing, Boeing Defense, Space & Security and Government Services…”

  12. Turkey criticizes US over terrorism report for ‘neglecting’ coup attempt by FETÖ
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-criticizes-us-over-terrorism-report-for-neglecting-coup-attempt-by-feto-156035

    “The Turkish Foreign Ministry has criticized the “Country Reports on Terrorism 2019” of the U.S. State Department for “being negligent” regarding the role of FETÖ in a July 2016 coup attempt.

    “It is noticeable that the terrorist nature of FETÖ is being questioned and legitimate measures we have taken in our fight against FETÖ are criticized as it is used to be as in previous years,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy said in a written statement on June 25.

    “This situation is proof of the continuation of the U.S.’s negligent attitude regarding the heinous coup attempt of 15th July. The myriad of evidence presented in relation to this treacherous terrorist organization is overlooked once again,” he stated.

    This attitude demonstrates that there is a “reluctance to comprehend” Turkey’s fight against FETÖ, said the statement, recalling the group was behind the coup attempt of 15 July that killed 251 citizens. “The measures mentioned in the report are those taken legally by our country against FETÖ,” said Aksoy.

    On the other hand, the spokesperson said Turkey’s fight against ISIL and its efforts with respect to the prevention of the movements of the Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) are reflected and the continuation of PKK’s terrorist attacks towards internal and external interests of the country is emphasized in the report.

    However, the report “attempts to conceal the fact that YPG is the same terrorist organization as PKK, by indicating that our country views YPG as the Syrian arm of PKK,” said Aksoy.

    “This approach amounts to the abstention of explicitly emphasizing the terrorist identity of the YPG, and moreover confirms the cooperation between the USA and this terrorist organization,” read the statement.

    “The USA needs to realize that cooperating with a terrorist organization while countering another is not right,” he noted.”

  13. Ankara responds to US concerns on Hagia Sophia
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ankara-responds-to-us-concerns-on-hagia-sophia-156039

    “Turkey has responded to the United States’ envoy for religious freedom, Sam Brownback, who called on the Turkish government to maintain the status of the Hagia Sophia as a museum and stressed that it is an active contributor to the preservation of 18 world heritage sites.

    “Hagia Sophia is Fatih Sultan Mehmet’s endowment. Any decision on its use is our domestic affair. Turkey is an active contributor to the preservation of our 18 world heritage sites,” deputy Foreign Minister Yavuz Selim K?ran said on Twitter on June 26 in response to Brownback’s earlier Twitter message…”

  14. 3 PKK terrorists ‘neutralized’ in SE Turkey
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/3-pkk-terrorists-neutralized-in-se-turkey/1891571

    “Turkish security sources “neutralized” three PKK terrorists in southeastern Hakkari province, the Interior Ministry said Friday.

    The terrorists were neutralized in the Kavakli region of Hakkari in a joint air-backed anti-terror operation carried out by Turkish police and gendarmerie forces, according to a statement that said the operation is ongoing.

    Turkish authorities often use “neutralized” in statements to imply terrorists in question surrendered, were killed or captured.

    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 many women, children and infants.”

  15. Turkey: 44 arrested over links to PKK terror group
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-44-arrested-over-links-to-pkk-terror-group/1891064

    “A total of 44 suspects were arrested in Turkey on Friday over their alleged links to the PKK terror group, including former mayors from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

    The arrests were made following security forces’ raids in the provinces of Diyarbakir, Istanbul, Izmir, Batman, and Sanliurfa after judicial authorities issued arrest warrants for 64 suspects.

    The warrants were issued in line with an investigation launched by prosecutors in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir based on the names listed in organization-related documents of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), a group linked to the terrorist PKK.

    Among those arrested were Mehmet Demir and Naside Toprak, suspended HDP mayors, and other HDP provincial and district officials.

    The HDP has also been accused by Turkey’s government of links to the PKK.

    Security forces are seeking the remaining suspects.

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

  16. The EU’s leadership is too white, claim two black MEPs
    https://rmx.news/article/article/the-eu-leadership-is-too-white-claim-two-black-meps

    “There are too many white European Commissioners and MEPs, two MEPs of African descent complained as they called for new legislation that would take into account the racial and ethnic origin of EU representatives.

    Alice Bah Kuhnke, a Swedish MEP and Vice-President of the European Greens, and Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, a German MEP from the same faction, shared their complaints on the EUobserver, claiming they had encountered racism from the European Parliament’s security guards.

    Kuhnke and Herzberger-Fofana say it is time for change and a real fight against “systematic racism”.

    “Racism is something we have both personally experienced in our lives. The European Union is not an exception to the problem. We have both been stopped on several occasions by security personnel in the European Parliament asking us what business we had on the premises. None of our white colleagues have reported such experiences,” they claim.

    Furthermore, the two MEPs believe that attacks on “non-whites” are common in Europe, as is police violence and institutionalized racism. In this context, they referred to the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, which has reportedly found that one in three people with an African background has experienced discrimination based on racism.

    The two MEPs’ claims come as three white gay males were killed by a Libyan refugee in London this week in addition to the hundreds of white Europeans killed in Islamic terrorist attacks across the European continent. There have also been attacks targeting white people based on their race, including in Belgium and the United Kingdom.

    The MEPs believe that more should be done to combat racism against people of color.

    “Only 15 out of 27 EU member states have dedicated action plans and strategies to combat racism and ethnic discrimination and the European Union still lacks a framework for a strategy to combat all forms of racism,” complain Kuhnke and Herzberger-Fofana, adding that there has been an increase in right-wing extremism and attacks related to this phenomenon.

    Not enough diversity at the top in Europe?
    The two MEPs find it shameful that there is so little “ethnic diversity” in the European institutions.

    “We are supposed to reflect the people we represent – not only in the European Parliament but across the institutions – and we have failed,” they wrote.

    They complain that only three percent of MEPs are people of color and that, so far, no European Commissioner has been a person of color. However, in the article, the authors stated that there are 15 million people with an African background in Europe. The EU has a total population of approximately 446 million, which would mean that three percent of “people of color” MEPs is proportional to their numbers in the general European population.

    Nevertheless, the two MEPs consider these figures to be the result of institutionalized racism and discrimination.

    “The diversity and inclusion strategy of the European Commission needs to be updated to include consideration of racial/ethnic origin and it must be implemented across all of our institutions,” says Kuhnke with Herzberger-Fofana, further criticizing that the EU does not have legislation on discrimination outside of the workplace and The Directive on Equal Treatment has been blocked in the council since 2008.

    Push to recognize ‘systemic racism’ in the European Union
    Herzberger-Fofana has allegedly obtained 121 signatures from colleagues in four political factions calling for the European Commission to recognize and condemn the existence of systematic racism and police violence in the European Union.

    Kuhnke also intends to address the issue of racism with Germany which currently presides over the Council of the European Union as she wants to enforce anti-discrimination legislation as soon as possible. Furthermore, she wants the EU to support protests against U.S. President Donald Trump and what she says is racism against African Americans.

    However, that is not all the two MEPs are demanding.

    They would also like the European Commission to request the Fundamental Rights Agency and Europol to investigate police brutality in the EU’s member states.

    “The collection of data in such studies must be disaggregated by racial and/or ethnic origin (as defined by the EU race directive) so that we can understand the true scope of the problem and develop relevant ways of addressing it,” they wrote.

    However, some EU countries do not make separate statistics based on origin or race, either because they consider this approach to be racist or have no reason to do so.

    In conclusion, the MEPs say that “white and predominantly male” leaders of European countries must use their positions and their “privilege” to put systemic racism and what the MEPs claim is the resulting socioeconomic inequality at the top of the political agenda.

    “Equally, if [European Commission] President Ursula von der Leyen is serious about having a Europe that ‘leaves no one behind’, we need concrete European legislation to address these issues, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis that has reinforced existing inequalities,” they concluded.

    And their statement seems to be popular with Ursula von der Leyen who wrote on her Twitter that “we need to talk about racism and we need to act.””

  17. Newt Gingrich says 2020 is ‘the most important election since Lincoln’

    Fox News contributor Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House says he “truly thinks it would be a catopstrophic election out come if Biden, Pelosi and Schumer were in charge of America.”