Reader’s Links for October 23, 2020

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

122 Replies to “Reader’s Links for October 23, 2020”

  1. Israel Aerospace to lease drone to EU coast guard
    https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israel-aerospace-to-lease-drone-to-eu-coast-guard-1001346405
    The agreement includes maritime patrols by the Heron UAV, flight equipment and maintenance over four years.
    Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) (TASE: ARSP.B1) will lease a Maritime Heron RPAS unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to the EU Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) for maritime surveillance services off Greece, Italy and Malta.
    IAI and its partner Airbus won the tender, which is worth an estimated $20 million to IAI. The agreement includes maritime patrols, flight equipment and maintenance over four years. The deal follows a trial off Crete in 2018, IDF and other operations, which have proven the UAV’s effectiveness.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAI_Heron

    Question from an EU MP(?)
    https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2020-000833_EN.html
    Frontex has initiated a new EU call for tenders (2) , which ended on 13 December 2019.

    1. Which companies took part in this tender?

    2. What are the criteria regarding human rights compliance associated with this tender?

  2. Russia’s security service prevents Moscow terror attack

    Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has reported that it thwarted a terrorist attack in the Moscow area.
    The would-be bomber was apprehended before he had a chance to carry out his plan to blow up a government building.

    According to the FSB, the unnamed young man, a native of Central Asia, was trying to join a terrorist faction in the Middle East. This conclusion was made based on a history of messages with known terrorists, along with a video of him swearing allegiance to them.

    Footage from the special operation also shows multiple cellphones, a revolver and the flag of the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorist group being removed from the man’s apartment.

    • Information Operation Episode 3 – Rich Higgins of ‘The Memo’
      CD Media – October 14, 2020

  3. Group of Pakistanis Arrested After Trying to Run Over French Officer at Israeli Embassy
    https://www.eutimes.net/2020/10/group-of-pakistanis-arrested-after-trying-to-run-over-french-officer-at-israeli-embassy/
    A group of suspects of Pakistani origin have been arrested after attempting to hit a French police officer with their car outside the Israeli embassy in
    Paris, according to reports.
    Seven male and female suspects who claim to be from London – at least two of whom are minors – are being investigated in connection with the incident,
    which unfolded on Monday night.
    Two luxury cars with fake license plates reportedly pulled up in front of the Israeli embassy at approximately 7 p.m.
    The vehicles’ occupants yelled threats at officers guarding the facility before one of drivers drove a vehicle directly at a policeman.
    “They suddenly deviated from their direction of travel and rushed towards the officer, who narrowly escaped,” an investigative source told the Daily
    Mail.
    The suspects fled the scene but were later captured while “prowling” near Elysée Palace, current home to French President Emmanuel Macron.
    “They were finally spotted during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. On board the two cars were three people each,”
    20 Minutes reports.
    “A seventh person was arrested in the evening. These four men and three women all claim to have been born in London.”
    Authorities believe the group may have been planning a ‘hit-and-run’ attack.
    They are now being investigated for attempted murder of a person in public authority and could face life in prison if convicted.

  4. ‘Go home to your own country!‘: Two women arrested for apparent racially aggravated knife attack near Paris’ Eiffel Tower
    https://www.rt.com/news/504091-muslim-women-stabbed-eiffel-tower-attack/
    Two Muslim women were seriously injured in an apparent racially motivated attack near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The two female suspects arrested over the incident have been charged with attempted murder.
    The victims, identified as French women with an Algerian background, were walking in a group of five adults and four children when they were approached by two dogs off their leashes. When they asked the owners to restrain the animals, they were attacked in a vicious assault.
    The women were stabbed repeatedly by two other women of “European appearance,” who reportedly shouted “dirty Arabs” and “Go home to your own country” during the attack.
    One victim was stabbed six times, suffering a punctured lung and injuries to her hands which required surgical intervention.
    Two bystanders intervened and reportedly restrained one of the attackers until police arrived. The second suspect was arrested shortly after. The attack took place on Sunday night but police declined to release a statement until Tuesday.
    The horrific incident comes just one week after the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty, 47, in a terrorist attack which shocked the country and exacerbated existing tensions within French society.
    Paty was decapitated outside the Bois-d’Aulne school in the north of Paris, where he taught French and geography, by Russian-born 18-year-old Abdullakh Anzarov, in apparent response to the showing of depictions of the Prophet Mohammed to children.
    France’s Muslim community, made up of some five million people, says it has experienced a rising tide of Islamophobia in the wake of the incident, which sparked mass protests in the French capital and a government clampdown on mosques and a variety of Muslim organizations.

  5. US Drone Strike Kills 17 Jihadists in NW Syria Near Turkish Border
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/10/23/us-drone-strike-syria/

    “The US army said Thursday it carried out a drone strike against Al-Qaeda leaders in northwestern Syria near the Turkish border, killing 17 jihadists, according to a war monitor.

    The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said five civilians were also among those killed.

    “US Forces conducted a strike against a group of Al-Qaeda in Syria (AQ-S) senior leaders meeting near Idlib, Syria,” said Major Beth Riordan, the spokeswoman for United States Central Command (CENTCOM).

    “The removal of these AQ-S leaders will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and carry out global attacks threatening US citizens, our partners and innocent civilians,” Riordan said in a statement.

    She did not specify the number of deaths from the strike.

    But the Britain-based Observatory said the operation, which targeted a dinner meeting of jihadists in the village of Jakara in the Salqin area, killed at least 17 jihadists including 11 leaders.

    The village lies in Syria’s last major rebel bastion of Idlib, which is dominated by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, led by a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, and its rebel allies.

    But other jihadist groups, including the rival Al-Qaeda-linked Hurras al-Deen faction, are also present in the area.

    Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said that five non-Syrian jihadists were among those killed, but their nationalities were not immediately known.

    “They had been invited to dinner in a tent on a farm in Jakara,” he said.

    “It was a meeting of leaders opposed to HTS and who reject the Russia-Turkish deals” that led to a fragile truce in Idlib, he said. “Some were close to Hurras al-Deen.”

    A March agreement between rebel backer Ankara and government ally Moscow halted a deadly offensive by government forces against the region of some three million people.

    A US-led coalition is present in the east of the country, where its airstrikes have backed Kurdish-led forces battling remnants of the Islamic State group.

    Thursday’s strike came after it emerged that the 18-year-old who killed a school teacher in France last week for showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in class had been in contact with a Russian-speaking jihadist in Syria.

    A source close to the case said the identity of the Russian-speaking jihadist was not yet known, but French newspaper Le Parisien claimed the person’s IP address was traced to Idlib.

    After a string of military victories backed by key ally Russia, the Syrian government has regained control of around 70 percent of the country, the Observatory says.

    The war, which broke out after the bloody suppression of anti-government protests in 2011, has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions from their homes.”

  6. Iran Sanctions US Ambassador to Iraq over Gen. Soleimani’s Assassination
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/10/23/2375210/iran-sanctions-us-ambassador-to-iraq-over-gen-soleimani-s-assassination

    “Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said the Islamic Republic has sanctioned US Ambassador to Iraq Matthew Tueller over his involvement in the assassination of top Iranian commander Lt. General Qassem Soleimani and many more acts of terror against the Islamic Republic.

    “US Amb. to Iraq, Matthew Tueller, has had a central role in coordinating terrorist acts in Iraq & beyond, in criminal assassination of Gen. Soleimani & in advancing sanx agst our ppl. Today, Iran designated him & two other officials involved,” Khatibzadeh said in a tweet on Friday.

    According to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Friday, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Baghdad Steven Fagin and Rob Waller, who assumed charge of US Consulate General Erbil on July 1, 2020, have also been sanctioned by Iran for their role in “organizing, funding, directing and carrying out terror acts” as well as supporting terrorist groups, including Daesh, against the interests of the Iranian government and people.

    The statement added that the text of the “Law on Countering the Violation of Human Rights and Adventurous and Terrorist Activities of the United States in the Region” passed by the Iranian Parliament on August 13, 2017, has clearly and precisely mentioned the legal consequences of adding the names of natural and legal persons to Iran’s sanctions list.

    US President Donald Trump ordered a fatal drone strike on General Soleimani’s vehicle upon his arrival in Baghdad International Airport on January 3 at the invitation of the Iraqi government.

    The attack also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), as well as eight other Iranian and Iraqi people.

    The two commanders were highly popular because of the key role they played in eliminating the US-sponsored Daesh terrorist group in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.”

  7. ITALY – Naples EXPLODES as residents fight police over new COVID lockdown – ‘Out of control!’

    VIOLENCE exploded in Naples, Italy, on Friday as thousands protested against new coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

    The Campania region, which includes Naples, announced it would go into lockdown on Friday as the number of COVID-19 cases soared.

    Demonstrators threw flares and other missiles at police who responded with tear gas.

    There were unconfirmed reports protestors stormed local government offices.

    Jakub Wondreys posted a video of the disorder on Twitter with the caption: “Big anti-regional government COVID-19 restrictions protests are happening right now in Naples, Italy.

    “The situation seems to be out of control, thousands of people in the streets fighting with police, also stormed the regional government offices.”

    Footage posted on social media showed thousands of demonstrators, many wearing masks to protect against coronavirus, marching through the city.

    Many were chanting “freedom, freedom, freedom” during their procession.

    RadioSavana, which has been covering the protests, tweeted: “All of Naples in revolt!

    “The population is mass protesting against the lockdown.

    “At 11.00 pm the curfew order is triggered, the images are live: civil disobedience in progress.”

    They later added: “Protests also underway in Salerno, Nocera and other cities of Campania.”

    The number of COVID-19 cases in Italy has risen seven-fold since the beginning of October.

    Vincenzo De Luca, President of the Campania region, has ordered a night-time curfew and the closing of schools.

    On Facebook he posted: “Current data on the contagion make any kind of partial measure ineffective. It is necessary to close everything, except for those businesses that produce and transport essential goods.

    “We need to make one last effort to get things under control. We need to shut everything down for a month, for 40 days.”

    https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1351703/Coronavirus-news-Naples-police-Napoli-riot-COVID-19-lockdown-Italy-Italian-ont

  8. Estonia Imposes Sanctions on Hezbollah Members
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2582006/estonia-imposes-sanctions-hezbollah-members

    “The Estonian government imposed on Thursday sanctions in response to terrorist acts of Hezbollah militant group, according to a report published by “Estonian World”.

    “Hezbollah poses a considerable threat to international – and thereby Estonian – security. With this step, Estonia stands by the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and Lithuania as well as other countries who have concluded that Hezbollah uses terrorist means and constitutes a threat to the security of many states,” the Estonian foreign minister, Urmas Reinsalu, said in a statement.

    The prohibition of entry applies to Hezbollah affiliates about whom there is information or there are reasonable grounds to believe that their activity supports terrorism and who therefore pose a threat to the Estonian as well as international security, the foreign ministry said.

    The detailed list of persons subject to Estonia’s sanctions will be determined by the foreign ministry.

    Hezbollah has been designated as a terrorist group by the United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Japan, and many other countries.”

  9. Arab Coalition Destroys Houthis Drones Targeting Saudi Arabia
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2582331/arab-coalition-destroys-houthis-drones-targeting-saudi-arabia

    “The Saudi-led Arab coalition intercepted and downed on Friday two armed drones that were fired by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen towards Saudi Arabia.

    Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said the aircraft were deliberately fired by the Houthis against civilian locations in southern regions of the Kingdom.”

  10. Turkey and Greece agree to call off war games: Nato chief
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-greece-war-games-eastern-mediterranean-gas

    “Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday that Greece and Turkey agreed to cancel military exercises scheduled for next week, in a further sign of easing tensions between the two Nato allies and historic rivals.

    “Both Greece and Turkey have decided to cancel military exercises which were planned for next week,” Stoltenberg told reporters after chairing a virtual meeting of Nato defence ministers, where the two countries made the announcement.

    “These are steps in the right direction. They help to reduce the risks of incidents and accidents.”

    The neighbours are at loggerheads over energy drilling and maritime rights in the eastern Mediterranean and overlapping views on the extent of their continental shelves. The defence pact has set up a hotline to head off accidental clashes…”

  11. Kuwaiti patient hacks off part of Egypt doctors’ tongue
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201023-kuwaiti-patient-hacks-off-part-of-egypt-doctors-tongue/

    “A Kuwaiti patient attending an ear examination being carried out by an Egyptian doctor cut out part of her tongue in a brutal attack, reports the New Arab.kuwait

    During the check-up at the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital the patient began to verbally and physically abuse the doctor.

    Head of Egypt’s labour representation office in Kuwait confirmed that the incident had taken place.

    Activists have said that racism against foreign workers in the Gulf state is rampant. In July, a video of a Kuwaiti man hitting an Egyptian cashier circulated online.

    In the video, a woman standing behind the man tries to stop him but he pushes her away and slaps Tarek Ahsour three times.

    It was reported at the time that Ashour wanted to make an official complaint but that security officials discouraged him from doing so.

    Afterwards, he wrote on social media about the Egyptians who had “shamed him” for not responding.

    In May, Snapchat influencer Reem Al-Shammari called Egyptian workers in Kuwait “servants.”

    “We don’t like Egyptians, because they’re the dirtiest group. I won’t say all but 90 per cent of them are filthy.”

    “We pay you to serve us, why can’t you understand that?” she asked.

    Earlier this year there were calls for the expulsion and deportation of Egyptian workers in Kuwait.

    A Kuwaiti artist called for Egyptians to be thrown into the desert, saying that her country should not have to bankroll medical care for Egyptians who have contracted coronavirus.

    The two governments enjoy close relations. In 2019, Kuwait and Egypt signed three framework agreements worth $1.086 billion whilst Kuwait’s prime minister has praised Egypt for being an “essential pillar for the security and stability of the Arab world.”

    At the beginning of this month Kuwait sent three Egyptian opposition figures who called for protests against Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi back to Egypt, where they will almost certainly be tortured, on alleged charges of “incitement to chaos and calls for protests through social media.””

  12. Syria: Mufti of Damascus assassinated in car bombing
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201023-syria-mufti-of-damascus-assassinated-in-car-bombing/

    “Sheikh Muhammad Adnan Al-Afiouni, the senior Sunni Muslim mufti of Damascus province was killed in a roadside bombing yesterday which is believed to have been a targeted assassination.

    The explosion happened in the town of Qudsaya, west of the Syrian capital. The mufti was initially reported to have been wounded but was declared dead soon after.

    According to Syrian state news agency SANA, “Al-Afiouni was martyred on Thursday evening in a terrorist blast that targeted his car.” It described him as one of the most prominent scholars of Syria and the Islamic world.

    Syria’s Ministry of Religious Endowments also referred to Al-Afiouni’s death as a terrorist act. No group has yet claimed responsibility…”

  13. Turkish burger rebranded as ‘Greek’ in Saudi Arabia
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201023-turkish-burger-rebranded-as-greek-in-saudi-arabia/

    “Following calls for businesses in Saudi Arabia to boycott Turkish products amid deteriorating ties between the two countries, a fast food chain has announced that it has rebranded its Turkish burger as “Greek”, and also reduced the price.

    Herfy’s launched the Turkish burger back in 2016 “in order to develop and diversify its menu of meals and constantly innovate new products to suit all tastes.” It was promoted with an Ottoman-style fez over a black moustache.

    However, there has been growing pressure on Saudi businesses to boycott Turkish and Turkey-related products. Although the move is reportedly unofficial, some retail outlets are displaying signs urging customers not to buy Turkish goods.

    According to the Daily Sabah, Danube Supermarkets, Tamimi Markets, Othaim Markets and Panda Retail Company have all issued statements announcing that they will stop carrying Turkish goods once existing stocks are sold off.

    On Sunday, Herfy’s official Twitter account stated that it endorsed the Boycott Turkish Products campaign. The company described this as, “Our duty towards our great homeland.”

    Riyadh and Ankara have drifted apart over the past few years due to ideological and geopolitical differences…”

  14. Moria Camp migrants now living in worse conditions, says Oxfam
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201023-moria-camp-migrants-now-living-in-worse-conditions-says-oxfam/

    “Thousands of migrants who fled from Moria Camp in Greece when it burned down in September are now facing the winter in even worse conditions, Oxfam and the Greek Council for Refugees have warned. The conditions in the new Kara Tepe Camp, where nearly 7,500 of Moria’s 13,000 former residents have been sheltering for the past six weeks, “are abysmal”.

    Thousands of refugees moved to the temporary camp last month after they were made homeless when a series of fires razed Moria camp on 8 September. Aid workers have said Moria, which had a capacity for less than 3,000 people but housed an estimated 13,000, was a “time bomb that finally exploded.”

    However, Oxfam and the Greek Council for Refugees have now said that the Kara Tepe Camp has “inadequate shelter, hardly any running water, limited healthcare services, and no access to legal aid.” Oxfam’s EU migration expert, Raphael Shilhav, has condemned the Greek authorities’ decision to build a temporary camp on the island of Lesbos, calling their response to the Moria fires “pitiful”.

    The authorities, said Shilhav, have “opted for another dismal camp at the external borders, trapping people in a spiral of destitution and misery. When Moria burnt down, we heard strong statements from EU decision-makers saying, ‘No more Morias’. But the new camp is rightly dubbed Moria 2.0.”

    Both organisations are calling for residents of Kara Tepe, which is built on the site of a former coastal military firing range, to be relocated to proper accommodation on the Greek mainland and in other EU countries…”

  15. US talks with Armenia, Azerbaijan fail to reach pact
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201023-us-talks-with-armenia-azerbaijan-fail-to-reach-pact/

    “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s separate discussions at the State Department with his counterparts from Armenia and Azerbaijan on Friday failed to produce an agreement to halt the ongoing fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, Anadolu Agency reports.

    The State Department said in a statement shortly after Pompeo met with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov that during the discussions the top US diplomat “emphasized the need to end the violence and protect civilians,” but did not announce an agreement.

    “The Secretary also stressed the importance of the sides entering substantive negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to resolve the conflict based on the Helsinki Final Act principles of the non-use or threat of force, territorial integrity, and the equal rights and self-determination of peoples,” spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.

    The OSCE Minsk Group refers to a trilateral organization co-chaired by France, the US and Russia that was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

    Pompeo later said that during his meetings he discussed “critical steps to halt the violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict” without specifying.

    “Both must implement a ceasefire and return to substantive negotiations,” he said on Twitter.

    Asked earlier this week if the US would broker a ceasefire during Friday’s talks, Pompeo demurred, saying “it’s a complicated situation on the ground. It’s a complicated diplomatic situation.”

    Fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, also called Upper Karabakh, began Sept. 27. Hundreds of people have died in the ensuing conflict.

    Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied the region, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.

    Four UN Security Council and two UN General Assembly resolutions demand the withdrawal of occupying forces.

    World powers, including Russia, France, and the US, have called for a new and lasting cease-fire. Turkey, meanwhile, has supported Baku’s right to self-defense and demanded the withdrawal of Armenia’s occupying forces.”

  16. Morocco Arrests 5 for Irregular Migration, Human Trafficking
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/10/323513/morocco-arrests-5-for-irregular-migration-human-trafficking/

    “Police in the city of Guelmim, in southern Morocco, arrested on Friday five individuals aged between 17 and 37 for their alleged involvement in irregular migration and human trafficking.

    Security services arrested the first suspect, an assistant driver of a public transport bus, at the northern entrance of the city.

    The bus was coming from a city in the north of Morocco, a statement from the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) said.

    A search of the bus enabled police to seize an inflatable boat and several poles and wooden planks.

    DGSN said the materials were “intended for a criminal network active in the organization of illegal migration.”

    Investigations and research in cooperation with Royal Gendarmerie enabled security services to arrest four other suspects, including a minor…”

  17. Islamophobia in France: Hashtag Calling for Boycott of French Products Goes Viral
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/10/323468/islamophobia-in-france-hashtag-calling-for-boycott-of-french-products-goes-viral/

    “Arabs across the world are using social networks to condemn the Islamophobia campaign in France that has followed the October 16 beheading of French teacher Samuel Paty, with many Twitter users calling for a boycott of French products.

    Crises in France are mounting following the murder of Paty in Paris by an 18-year-old student from Chechnya.

    The murder caused anger and sparked a wave of Islamophobia, with France vowing strict measures to fight “radical Islam.”

    As part of what the Collective Against Islamophobia in France is calling a politicized crackdown, France shuttered a mosque a few days ago. It had reportedly shared an online video condemning the teacher for displaying caricatures of the prophet Muhammad during a class on freedom of expression.

    The murder took place weeks after Charlie Hebdo once again shared controversial satiral caricatures of the prophet.

    The reprint of the caricatures stirred backlash among Muslim communities. President Emmanuel Macron, however, backed the magazine and vowed measures against what he called “Islamic separatism.”

    Macron also angered Muslim communities when he said Islam is “in crisis” across the world.

    In response, Muslims launched a virtual campaign to condemn France’s approach against Islam.

    Calls to boycott French products have gone viral on Twitter in recent days.

    Twitter users are using several hashtags, including “Prophet Muhammad is a red line,” “France insults Prophet Muhammad,” and “Boycott French products” to condemn the Islamophobia campaign in the European country.

    Some Twitter users are also sharing photos of the French products that Muslims should avoid purchasing.

    The list includes luxury brands such as Cartier, Dior, Chanel, Nina Ricci, Givenchy, Lacoste, and others.

    Twitter users are also calling on Muslims to boycott French food products, including popular dairy products such as La Vache Qui Rit (The Laughing Cow), Kiri, and President.

    The boycott list also includes French car manufacturer Renault, hotel company Sofitel, and cigarette brand Gauloises.

    “Terrorists in suits. Bloody mouth @EmmanuelMacron. Words full of hate, grudge, violence and terrorism. How many innocents will be victims of such hateful policy against Muslims,” one Twitter user said.

    Another condemned the anti-Islam insults and satirical comments rapidly on the rise in France.

    “Stop making fun of our Islamic religion, we are proud of our prophet Muhammad peace be upon him taught us the true meaning of humanity and how to respect other religions even if we disagree with them.”

    Kuwaiti news outlet Al Majliss wrote on its Twitter that Kuwaitis have already started to boycott French products.

    The news outlet shared a photo of a supermarket shelf empty with a banner saying “Boycott of French products.””

  18. Turkish envoy slams US senator over remarks
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-envoy-slams-us-senator-over-remarks-159376

    “Turkey’s U.S. envoy slammed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Oct. 22 over his remarks on social media against Ankara, saying the lawmaker was acting out of self-interest.

    Serdar K?l?ç told the lawmaker to look into the actions of the YPG/PKK, which is the U.S.’s local partner in Syria.

    “If you are really concerned about human rights abuses in the region, you better look into your partner’s action in Rakka and their terrorist attacks in Turkey&Syria,” he wrote.

    Schumer said he wanted to take action against Turkey, “but Republicans refused so they can keep moving forward to rip healthcare from millions.”

    Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).

    In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is its Syrian offshoot.”

  19. Turkish-German man suspected behind attacks on Berlin’s renowned museums
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-german-man-suspected-behind-attacks-on-berlins-renowned-museums-159369

    “German police and museum officials reported that vandals have damaged more than 70 artworks and artifacts at some of Berlin’s most renowned museums, including the Pergamon Museum and the Neues Museum.

    The instigator of the attacks is thought to be Attila Hildmann, a Turkish-German “activist” and “conspiracy theorist” who once had railed against government measures to contain the coronavirus.

    Valuable paintings, stone sculptures and sarcophagi at three institutions on the German capital’s UNESCO-listed Museum Island were sprayed with an “oily liquid”, leaving visible stains, as a result of the attacks.

    The site is also home to precious artifacts including a legendary bust of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti and Babylon’s Ishtar Gate, but no damage was reported to these artifacts.

    Berlin police believe the vandalism occurred on Oct. 3, Germany Unity Day, during opening hours at the museums.

    Police said they initially decided not to go public about the incident out of “tactical considerations related to the investigation,” but local media broke the story on Oct. 21.

    German media called it “one of the biggest attacks on art and antiquities in German post-war history”.

    The media also noted that the Pergamon Museum has in recent months been targeted by conspiracy theorists.

    Several German journalists said that Hildmann could have incited the attacks by pointing to alleged screenshots of his social media posts, which have since been deleted.

    Through the internet, Hildmann had claimed the museum held the “throne of Satan” and was the center of a “global satanist and corona criminal scene” where “they sacrifice humans at night and abuse children.”

    Raised by a German family and stands out as a well-known chef, Hildmann is known for his vegan recipes in the Anatolian cuisine concept in Turkey.”

  20. ‘EU complicit in Greece’s refugee pushbacks’
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/-eu-complicit-in-greece-s-refugee-pushbacks-/2017064

    “The EU border agency Frontex has been complicit in Greece’s illegal practices against refugees in the Aegean Sea, German weekly Der Spiegel reported on Friday.

    “Breaking the law has become an everyday occurrence at Europe’s borders, and the EU is allowing it to happen,” the weekly said in an investigative report, based on internal official documents, satellite photos, and interviews with witnesses.

    Greek border guards have long been accused by human rights groups of deliberately abandoning and pushing back refugees at sea.

    Der Spiegel published documents showing that Frontex units also observed and even backed these practices in recent months, in violation of international law.

    “[Our] research proves for the first time that Frontex officials know about the Greek border guards’ illegal practices — and that the agency itself is at times involved in the pushbacks,” the weekly reported.

    The German weekly documented at least six incidents showing Frontex units were involved in pushbacks near the islands of Lesbos and Samos between April 28 and Aug. 19

    While the border agency was required to rescue refugees in overcrowded inflatable boats, Frontex vessels patrolling the area passed them at high speed, creating dangerous waves to force them to return to Turkish shores.

    An aircraft belonging to Frontex was also documented passing over refugees who were seeking help at sea, but the border agency sent no one to rescue them.

    Der Spiegel’s investigative reporting was also backed by Lighthouse Reports, Bellingcat, German public broadcaster ARD, and Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi.”

  21. Turkey rescues 232 migrants in Aegean Sea
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/nations/turkey/2020/10/23/turkey-rescues-232-migrants-in-aegean-sea_6fc81f08-39b7-4197-add2-333793365f3f.html

    “The Turkish Coast Guard on Friday rescued 232 migrants and refugees having problems at sea who were trying to reach Greek islands.

    The largest operation, according to security sources cited by Anadolu, was off the Marmaris coast where 121 people were rescued on vessels drifting, most of whom Syrian nationals, including women and children.

    Another 76 were recused off Data and near the Bodrum coast.

    According to the authorities in Ankara, the migrants had been pushed back by the Greek Coast Guard.

    All have been transferred to identification and reception centers.”

  22. Leftist intellectuals participate in terrorism, warns French education minister
    https://rmx.news/article/article/leftist-intellectuals-participate-in-terrorism-warns-french-education-minister

    “In an interview with Europe 1 radio station, Minister of National Education Jean-Michel Blanquer accused the French intellectual left of being co-responsible for terrorism, blaming them of being a part of Islamo-leftism.

    According to Blanquer, Islamo-leftism “causes destruction” in many of the schools in the country.

    He said this in response to an attack on history teacher Samuel Paty, who was murdered for doing a lesson freedom of expression which involved him showing the cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad that sparked the terrorist attack on the editorial board of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in 2015, which led to murder of 11 people.

    According to Blanquer, there is a form of “intellectual participation in terrorism” in France today.

    “Our society was too open to these currents of thought and their representatives,” said the Minister of Education.

    Blanquer did not hesitate to be specific, naming, for example, the National Union of Students of France (UNEF), the country’s largest university student union, as one that “succumbed to this kind of thing.” He also pointed out that the neo-communist movement La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) of former presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon has its share of the responsibility.

    “You have people in your ranks who are from this current and who make it very clear,” Blanquer told Mélenchon.

    Already last week, Blanquer’s colleague, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, accused Mélenchon of the same thing.

    “I do not understand why a party like yours, which has long condemned the opiate of the masses (religion), is now associated with Islamo-leftism, which is destroying the republic,” said Darmanin to Mélenchon.

    In some earlier protests, representatives of the movement marched with well-known Islamists. If Mélenchon decides to run for president again in 2022, it is necessary to keep in mind that with 11 percent of support, he maintains the strongest position among the left.

    Although it is not clear who used the term Islamo-leftism first, according to the 2017 France24 article, it was a French philosopher and political scientist Pierre-André Taguieff. Taguieff was referring to the alliance between the extreme left in the West and Islamists. A few years later, philosopher Pascal Bruckner used this term to characterize the connection between the atheist far left and radical Islamists.

    In the Europe 1 interview, Minister of Education Blanquer also returned to incidents related to the topic of secularism in education. On Monday, in Toulouse, just three days after the teacher’s beheading near Paris, a student insulted his teacher again and threatened him after he raised the issue of a Muslim headscarf in a civic education class on equality between women and men. The student is now being investigated by authorities.

    “This is not an isolated incident. The reporting system we have set up has allowed us to identify over 900 cases of this kind in the last school year,” Blanquer explained, adding that it was a “social phenomenon.”

    Although Blanquer is condemning figures like Mélenchon, teachers have also spoken out against the current government, claiming it has offered no support to teachers dealing with integration problems in their classrooms and that radicalism is taking root early in the French public school system.

    In recent weeks, the government of President Emmanuel Macron has visibly changed rhetoric towards radical Islam, which has been spreading rapidly in France for years, but has shown little willingness in the past to take on the issue. Macron now sees his reelection chances under threat from a wave of terror attacks that have shocked France.

    Before the forthcoming presidential elections in 2022, Macron needs to define himself against the left and take the votes from the right to succeed. According to the latest polls, the chairwoman of the National Rally (FN), Marine Le Pen, is now one percentage point ahead of Macron when it comes to election support.”

  23. Sweden: Syrian national who raped 12-year-old girl in a public toilet sentenced to gender talks; avoids deportation and jail time
    https://rmx.news/article/article/sweden-syrian-national-who-raped-12-year-old-girl-in-a-public-toilet-sentenced-to-gender-talks-avoids-deportation-and-jail-time

    “A young Syrian man has managed to avoid deportation and jail time after being convicted by a Swedish court of raping a 12-year-old girl inside a public toilet in the city of Borås.

    The Borås District Court earlier this week sentenced Mustafa, aged 18, to ‘youth care’ meetings, which introduce offenders to subjects on gender, societal norms and emotions, for the rape of a 12-year-old in February of this year, Nyheter Idag reports.

    Prior to the rape, Mustafa and the young girl had first contacted each other on the popular social media app Snapchat — a messaging app that lets users exchange pictures and videos that disappear after they’re viewed. According statements read during court proceedings, Mustafa had first contacted the young girl, claiming that he wanted a “friend with whom he could practice his Swedish”.

    The two first met one another on Feb. 27 at a playground in Annelundsparken, in Borås, where he promptly took the young girl to a public toilet before raping her.

    During an interview with police, the young victim recounted how the Syrian man had ripped off her pants, overpowered her, and raped her. The perpetrator, however, denied ever having been inside the toilet. He also claimed to have been ignorant of the girl’s real age. However, based on the information that was obtained from the chat history between him and the young girl, the district court knew Mustafa’s claim to be false.

    According to documents obtained by that the conservative Swedish news outlet, Mustafa had first come to Sweden via Greece during the height of the migrant crisis in 2015-2016.

    The court, after convicting Mustafa of child rape and sexual harassment, handed him an extraordinarily light sentence – 150 hours of youth care, which involves ten conversations over three months where relationships, gender norms, emotions, the “Pyramid of Violence”, and other topics are discussed.

    “An opinion obtained from the social services shows that Mustafa has a special need for care and that he has agreed to the youth contract comprising ten conversation meetings that the social services have proposed. Against this background, the district court considers that the most appropriate sanction is the proposed youth care,” the district court wrote.

    The Syrian migrant had been previously known to authorities for prior convictions, including one for filming a man in the shower and uploading the video to Snapchat.

    Earlier this week, two Syrian migrants who were convicted of a serious crime, and like Mustafa, also avoided deportation and jail time. The two were a part of a trio of Syrian men who were convicted of assault and hate crimes after they brutally beat a gay couple who had been holding hands at Gothenburg Central Station. Despite having prior criminal records, two of the three perpetrators managed to avoid having to spend any time inside of a jail cell, and were not handed deportation orders by the judge, Remix News reported.

    Also, earlier this week, on Monday Oct. 19, Sweden’s Ångermanland District Court sentenced Sudanese national Abubaker Mohamad Awad to life in prison for the murder of 19-year-old Tommie Lindhn and rape of a young female.

    The issue of migrant crime in Sweden has become a major political topic, with the country experiencing a substantial increase in serious violent offenses, including gangland murders and bombings in recent years. Data shows that migrants are also overrepresented in sexual assault crimes in Sweden.”

  24. IN THE SERIES ” NOTHING TO DO WITH …”

    Mosquées : un prêche en hommage à Samuel Paty

    Le Conseil français du culte musulman (CFCM) a proposé aux imams de lire un texte dans leur prêche aujourd’hui en hommage à Samuel Paty, mais aussi pour dénoncer la radicalisation et le terrorisme.

    Dès les premiers mots du prêche, Tareq Oubrou, l’imam de Bordeaux, a condamné le meurtre de Samuel Paty. Il a ensuite défendu la laïcité et la liberté d’expression.

    L’imam a soigneusement choisi chacun de ses mots, tenant à rappeler que la violence n’était pas une réponse à la caricature.

    A Paris, il était également important de rattacher le prêche à l’actualité. L’imam Abderrahim Saci espère que le meurtre de Samuel Paty ne causera pas d’amalgame et qu’il permettra au contraire de favoriser le vivre ensemble entre tous les Français.

  25. Turkish Radio & Television – Decoded: France Muslim ‘Savages’

    What happens when elected officials use colonial-era language to describe nine per cent of the population?

    Find out on Decoded as we ask why members of French President Emmanuel Macron’s government are calling minorities ‘savages’.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLqZVtxRqiM

  26. CNN – Dr. Fauci responds to President Trump’s latest attack

    CNN’s Erin Burnett asked Dr. Anthony Fauci if President Donald Trump was trying to get him to quit by attempting to disparage him, calling him a Democrat to supporters.