Reader’s Links for November 9, 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

81 Replies to “Reader’s Links for November 9, 2020”

  1. Wisconsin Election Commission Might Have Violated State Law By Allowing Clerks To ‘Fix’ Ballots, Report Says

    “The statute is very, very clear. If an absentee ballot does not have a witness address on it, it’s not valid.”
    By Hank Berrien

    Nov 8, 2020 DailyWire.com

    A new report points out that an executive branch agency called the Wisconsin Election Commission allowed local county election clerks to “fix” ballots by filling in missing addresses for witnesses, and that might have violated a Wisconsin law requiring ballots to have a witness address to be validated.

    Wisconsin Statute 6.87(6d) states unequivocally, “If a certificate is missing the address of a witness, the ballot may not be counted.”

    https://www.dailywire.com/news/wisconsin-election-commission-might-have-violated-state-law-by-allowing-clerks-to-fix-ballots-report-says?itm_source=parsely-api?utm_source=cnemail&utm_medium=email&utm_content=110920-news&utm_campaign=position1

  2. James O’Keefe Releases Video Exposing Ballot Destruction in Pennsylvania, Immediately Gets Censored by Twitter

    Big Tech does not want this exposed.

    Tech
    James O’Keefe Releases Video Exposing Ballot Destruction in Pennsylvania, Immediately Gets Censored by Twitter

    Big Tech does not want this exposed.

    Published 1 day ago

    on Nov 8, 2020

    By Shane Trejo
    take our poll – story continues below

    VOTE NOW: Did Kyle Rittenhouse act in self defense when he shot three BLM rioters?

    Share Tweet Flip Print

    Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe has been censored again by Twitter shortly after releasing a video of a whistleblower attesting to voter irregularities in Pennsylvania. The video can still be accessed on Facebook at the present time.

    The video pertains to spoiled ballots being handled in an unlawful manner with their destruction by Pennsylvania elections workers against protocol. Pennsylvania Board of Elections Director Tom Freitag confirmed in the video that the law was not followed.

    https://bigleaguepolitics.com/james-okeefe-releases-video-exposing-ballot-destruction-in-pennsylvania-immediately-gets-censored-by-twitter/

  3. US Imposes Syria-Related Sanctions on Individuals, Entities
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2615526/us-imposes-syria-related-sanctions-individuals-entities

    “The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on officials, entities and individuals it accused of providing support to Syrian president Bashar Assad as Washington continued to impose sanctions aimed at cutting off funds for Assad’s government.

    The action, which also targeted the Syrian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, marks another round of sanctions in Washington’s bid to push Assad’s government back to United Nations-led negotiations and broker an end to the country’s nearly decade-long war.

    The US Treasury Department in a statement said it slapped sanctions on Syrian military officials, members of the parliament, government of Syria entities, as well as on Syrian and Lebanese people it accused of attempting to revive Syria’s petroleum industry.

    “The Treasury Department is determined to continue to apply economic pressure on the Assad regime and its supporters for the repression conducted by the regime,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement.

    This action is the Treasury Department’s fifth round of Syria-related actions since the provisions of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 (Caesar Act) came into full effect.

    “Today’s action complements the international effort to compel the Assad regime to cease the war it is waging against its own people and reinforces the US government’s continued effort to achieve a peaceful, political resolution of the Syrian conflict in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254,” read a Treasury statement.

    Monday’s sanctions targeted Arfada Petroleum Private Joint Stock Company (Arfada) and Sallizar Shipping SAL (Sallizar), two companies based in Syria and Lebanon, respectively, that have entered into substantial contracts with the government of Syria to develop the Syrian oil sector.

    It designated Hussam al-Qaterji, a Syrian businessman and 33 percent shareholder of Arfada. Qaterji is known as the godfather of the regime’s oil and wheat trade with ISIS. Beginning in 2014, Qaterji started brokering oil and wheat trade deals between the Assad regime and ISIS. He has been a member of parliament for the government-controlled area of Aleppo since 2016.

    The Treasury also designated Kamal al-Madani and Tariq Al-Madani, two of the four founders of Sallizar.

    It also targeted General Ghassan Jaoudat Ismail, the head of the designated Syrian Air Force Intelligence (SAFI). Ismail has served as the head of SAFI since 2019, previously serving as the Deputy Director and in charge of SAFI’s mission branch, which manages SAFI’s elite troops in cooperation with the special operations branch, who play a key role in the repression conducted by the Syrian regime.

    It designated Brigadier General Nasr Al-Ali, the head of the designated Political Security Directorate (PSD). Al-Ali has served as the head of PSD since July 2019. Prior to being named to this position, Al-Ali headed PSD branches in Aleppo and Daraa.

    A crackdown by Assad on protesters in 2011 led to war, with Iran and Russia backing the government and the United States supporting the opposition.

    Millions of people have fled Syria and millions more have been internally displaced.

    Syria has been under US and European Union sanctions that have frozen the assets of the state and hundreds of companies and individuals. Washington already bans exports to Syria and investment there by Americans, as well as transactions involving oil and hydrocarbon products.”

  4. Saudi-US ties based on mutual respect, profitable partnership
    https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/600115/SAUDI-ARABIA/Saudi-US-ties-based-on-mutual-respect-profitable-partnership

    “Twenty four hours after the announcement of the victory of Joe Biden and his deputy Kamala Harris in the US presidential elections on Saturday evening, the Saudi leadership reaffirmed its resolve to continue joint cooperation between the two friendly countries.

    In cables of congratulations sent to the US president-elect and his deputy, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman hailed the distinguished historic relations between the two friendly countries and peoples that everyone seeks to strengthen and develop in all fields. The bilateral relations between Riyadh and Washington dating back to 1931 are built on mutual respect and cooperation as well as on common interests and have a special place for both sides.

    The first ties, which were based on investment in energy and security alliance, were established decades ago while the current relations are focusing on furthering the development and working on a more robust and diversified partnership by investing in the technical, technological, and military sectors.

    The common goal is to achieve a bright future and a secure society in both countries and all activities revolve around this. Observers who spoke to Okaz/Saudi Gazette on Monday confirmed that the relationship between the two countries is rooted in historical depth and a strong strategic alliance, regardless of the internal rotation of power in the United States.

    The Saudi-US Strategic Dialogue, held on Oct. 14, represented the close partnership between the two countries and their determination to move forward in the framework of a permanent strategic partnership that supports bilateral relations in various fields.”

  5. Alleged victims of torture target US assets of Libya’s Khalifa Haftar in lawsuit
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-lawsuits-target-assets-libyas-khalifa-haftar

    “New details have emerged surrounding US federal lawsuits filed in multiple jurisdictions against Libya’s eastern commander Khalifa Haftar by families of alleged victims of torture and extrajudicial killings, The Wall Street Journal has reported.

    The newspaper reported on Monday that the plaintiffs are targeting US assets worth millions of dollars owned by Haftar and his family as compensation for his alleged involvement in war crimes.

    Most of the 17 Haftar-linked properties targeted are owned by limited liability companies (LLC) controlled by his son Okba Haftar, the WSJ reported.

    The LLC with the largest number of properties is Eastfield Holdings, with around 10 properties worth about $4.5m, according to the WSJ.

    One property, a 5,600 square-foot house in Great Falls, Fairfax County, is valued at nearly $2.5m, according to state business licenses and property records, while public records also list a condo in Falls Church, Virginia as well as a three-bedroom ranch in the same state.

    As recently as July, Haftar’s son reportedly purchased a $700,000 horse farm in the small town of Boyce, Virginia, which has a population of 589 people, according to a 2010 census.

    The plaintiffs’ lawyers are also targeting a pedigree Arabian show horse that has competed in international competitions in France and the United Arab Emirates.

    The horse’s registered name is “Saddam Kh. Belgasim Omer”, a combination of the names of Haftar’s sons Saddam and Belgasim, according to a public database of horse ownership.

    The key arguments that lawyers are pushing rest on Haftar’s long-time residency in the US and ownership of assets there, two facts which prosecutors say are sufficient grounds for granting Virginia state jurisdiction over Haftar’s alleged war crimes in Libya.

    After Haftar failed in a coup attempt against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 1987, he arrived in the US with his family – including his sons Khalid and Saddam – and eventually became an American citizen.

    After more than two decades in the US, Haftar returned to Libya when Gaddafi was ousted and killed in a Nato-backed uprising…”

  6. France: 4 Turkish, Algerian children ‘terrorised’ by armed police
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201109-france-4-turkish-algerian-children-terrorised-by-armed-police/

    “Four children were “terrorised” by armed French police on Thursday on allegations they were “justifying terrorism” by voicing concerns over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him), Anadolu Agency reported.

    The group of ten-year-olds, three of Turkish descent and one of Algerian descent, were taken to a police station in the south eastern French city of Albertville, after armed security forces raided their houses.

    Servet Yildirim, the French-Turkish father of one of the children was quoted by Anadolu Agency as saying: “[the police] clearly wanted to terrorise us”.

    Ten armed policemen arrived at the family’s home before 7am last Thursday and aggressively roused the inhabitants by knocking on the door, according to Yildirim.

    The heavily armed policemen searched the house, taking pictures of wall hangings and decorations.

    Yildirim, his wife, and daughter were later taken to the local police station where they were questioned on their religious identity and beliefs for at least two hours.

    Yildirim said: “Police asked us: ‘Do you pray? Do you go to the mosque? Do your children go to the mosque? Do they get religious education at the mosque?'”

    The family was also asked their opinions on the rising tensions between French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

    Yildirim explained he was asked: “‘What do you think about the debate between [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan and [French President Emmanuel] Macron? They asked us questions like: ‘What’s your political opinion of Turkey?'”

    The raid took place because Yildirim’s daughter had voiced concerns over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) in class.

    The ten-year-old told the Anadolu Agency she was asked by her teacher what she thought about the muder of Samuel Paty, who was beheaded by a teenager after he showed caricatures of the Islamic prophet to his students.

    The girl was quoted as saying: “I told her that I was sorry that he’s dead, but nothing would have happened if he hadn’t shown the cartoons… My teacher just responded. ‘Okay, I understand’, and that was it.”

    Despite his daughter’s comments, however, Yildirim told Anadolu Agency that she knows nothing about the incident as the family do not discuss such topics at home.

    The raid comes only days after students in France returned to school amid the coronavirus pandemic. Schools marked their return by holding a minute’s silence in memory of Samuel Paty.”

  7. Iran: US plans sanctions for violence against protesters
    https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/iran-us-plans-sanctions-for-violence-against-protesters-1.1604966868210

    “The United States is expected to impose sanctions as early as next week on Iranians involved in a violent crackdown against anti-government demonstrations in Iran a year ago, three sources familiar with the matter said on Monday.

    The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the sanctions announcement was timed to the one-year anniversary of the crackdown.

    One source said next week’s designations would be a major action covering multiple individuals as well as several dozen Iranian entities.

    Neither the State Department nor the Iranian mission to the United Nations immediately responded to a request for comment on the sanctions likely to be imposed next week.

    Citing three Iranian Interior Ministry officials, Reuters previously reported about 1,500 people were killed during less than two weeks of unrest that started on November 15, 2019. The toll included at least 17 teenagers and about 400 women as well as members of the Iranian security forces and police.

    Iran’s Interior Ministry has said around 225 people were killed during the protests, which erupted after state media announced that petrol prices would rise by as much as 200 per cent and the revenue would be used to help needy families.”

  8. Taliban Destroys 600 Meters of Ghazni Highway
    https://www.khaama.com/taliban-destroys-600-meters-of-asphalt-on-ghazni-highway-987897/

    “Taliban insurgents destroyed a 600-meters stretch of the Ghazni-Paktika highway in Andar district of southern Ghazni province on Sunday, officials said.

    A spokesman for the Ghazni governor, Wahidullah Jumazada, told Khaama Press that the Taliban had destroyed the 600 meters Ghazni-Paktika highway in the Khan-e-Baba area of ??Andar district two days ago.

    He added that the Taliban had destroyed the road with tractors, making it difficult for the people of Ghazni and Paktika to trek.

    Jumazada said, this is not the first time the Taliban had damaged public facilities, but that they had previously destroyed seven kilometers of the Ghazni-Paktika highway through machinery.

    The Taliban have not yet commented on their hostility against the highway.”

  9. EU shall get rid of ‘strategic blindness’ about Turkey: Erdo?an
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/eu-shall-get-rid-of-strategic-blindness-about-turkey-erdogan-159878

    “President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has criticized the European Union for its “language of blackmail” against Turkey on the issues of the eastern Mediterranean and said the block needs to get rid of “strategic blindness.”

    “We hope that the European Union will get rid of the strategic blindness that drives Turkey away from it as soon as possible,” he said addressing the 12th Ambassadors’ Conference on Nov. 9.

    “It must now be understood that the language of threat, blackmail is of no use,” he stated.

    “We could not consent ignorance to our country, which carries the burden of every development in the eastern Mediterranean when it comes to natural resources,” Erdo?an said, noting that Ankara acted patient and cold-blooded on the eastern Mediterranean issue despite the “provocations” of Greece and South Cyprus.

    Turkey acted with the self-confidence of being right and did not run away from the negotiation table on the issue, the president stated.

    “Our proposal for the eastern Mediterranean Conference is the manifestation of our will to solve the problem through dialogue,” he said.

    The natural gas reserve of 405 billion cubic meters that was discovered in the Black Sea has further strengthened Turkey’s will on this issue, Erdo?an said, noting that he hopes that they will receive good news from the drilling activities in the eastern Mediterranean.

    Elaborating on the recent developments on the issue of the ceasefire in Libya, Erdo?an said Turkey’s intervention had a very serious contribution to the prospects for a political solution in the country. “We will continue to stand by the Libyan people in every field.”

    Erdo?an also said they cannot understand why the deported foreign fighters by Turkey can freely move in Western countries.

    “There is no value in questioning our attitude by those, who did not express the slightest sorrow for our dozens of teachers that were martyred by the PKK terrorism and those who host the leaders of the YPG on red carpets in the palaces,” he stated.

    Multicentricity tendency and regionalization are gaining importance in international relations, he said.

    “We are at a crossroads where the political and economic arena are being reshaped, where new regional alliances are being established and where supply chains are being re-shared. At this critical juncture, the extent of benefits that Turkey will use will depend on the steps that it takes nowadays. We are determined not to give our country and nation any disappointments,” Erdo?an stated.”

  10. 2 terrorists ‘neutralized’ in eastern Turkey
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/2-terrorists-neutralized-in-eastern-turkey/2037245

    “Turkish security forces “neutralized” at least two terrorists in eastern Van province, the Interior Ministry said Monday.

    As part of Operation Yildirim-10, the armed terrorists were targeted in an air-backed operation by the provincial gendarmerie command in the rural areas of Mt. Tendurek in Caldiran district, a ministry statement said.

    The terrorists’ affiliation was not mentioned, but the PKK terror group has been active in the region.

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

    This summer, Turkey launched a series of security operations to neutralize terrorists believed to be hiding in east and southeast.

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

  11. Rescued migrants say battered by Bulgarian police
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/rescued-migrants-say-battered-by-bulgarian-police/2037441

    “Turkish gendarmerie on Monday held nine irregular migrants in the northwestern province of Kirklareli from Iraq and Syria.

    The migrants said they were battered by Bulgarian police officers and sent off to Turkey.

    They said that after crossing the border they were held by the Bulgarian police, who took their valuables and left them on the Turkish side of the border.

    They received a health check in a hospital and were transferred to a repatriation center.”

  12. Migrants: Libyan coast guards take back 119 people – IOM
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2020/11/09/migrants-libyan-coast-guards-take-back-119-people-iom_4cff1471-3174-4d97-92e5-f486e69ebb6b.html

    “The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Libya has tweeted that, ”last night, 119 migrants, including women and children, were intercepted and taken back to Libya by coast guards”. The organization added that, ”while IOM personnel were at the point of landing to provide emergency assistance, we stress that Libya must not be considered a safe port”.

    ”So far this year, over 10,000 men, women and children who tried to flee the country were repatriated, facing detention, exploitation and abuse”, tweeted IOM-UN Migration spokesperson Safa Msehli, referring to this latest episode.”

  13. Hateful imams brainwash Muslims, and France must take action, says Former Czech ambassador to Paris:
    https://rmx.news/article/article/hateful-imams-brainwash-muslims-and-france-must-take-action-says-former-czech-ambassador-to-paris

    “While French soldiers and police have been patrolling churches after a recent series of attacks and President Emmanuel Macron has called Islamic extremism an enemy of France, in some Muslim countries, there are demonstrations against Macron, France, and cartoons of Prophet Muhammad.

    In an interview with Aktuáln?.cz, the former Czech ambassador to Paris, Petr Janyška, described the situation in France, explaining that the government is trying to limit the influx of imams from abroad because they are often behind the radicalization of young French Muslims.

    Although France has been an immigrant country par excellence for over a hundred years, currently, there are unprecedented issues, Janyšek claims.

    “There are no major problems with any ethnic minority, whether it is the Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodians, or Indians. The only obvious issue is with radical Islam,” said the former ambassador.

    “Radical Islam is gaining a foothold among a faction of the young generation with parents and grandparents who came from Muslim-Arab countries in the past. They mostly live in bad social conditions, in large families often without a father, they do not have a good education, and they live in the suburbs of large cities,” Janyška said. “Unemployment also affects them. Adding to the problems is the drug trade, which flourishes in the suburbs and brings those men more income than if they went to work

    As the former ambassador to Paris pointed, radical Islam is being brought from outside to France — and Western Europe in general — by imams.

    “They often arrive to spread the political ideology of Islamism. None of the countries they come from is a democracy, on the contrary. They are all authoritarian conservative regimes, sometimes even theocracies, where religion stands above the state. And they bring to France ideas completely different from those for which the country stands. They do not recognize the equality of women, the secular state, and they want to enforce Islamic law. The ideas of democracy are foreign to them,” he added.

    Janyška then warned against “the imams who are trying to draw the young generation into a false identity.”

    As an example, he cited a young Chechen who murdered a history professor Samuel Paty. The attacker came to France as a child with his parents, fleeing the war in Chechnya at the time. France granted them asylum and very likely saved their lives.

    “And someone brainwashed the young man to such an extent that he wanted to fight and kill in the name of Islam,” Janyška said, adding that the Chechen had been looking for a target for a long time, thus, anyone could have become his victim.

    “Young men like him live in an atmosphere of religious-ideological fanaticism, and external influences, including the imams, play a big role in that,” he explained.

    France is a secular state where religion is a private matter that does not belong to politics, state structures, or schools, Janyška pointed out.

    “If you have a statue of Buddha or the Virgin Mary at home, it’s your business. But Islamism is incompatible with this concept because it has political ambitions, it operates as a tool of political manipulation,” Janyška believes.

    “It is no coincidence that the murderer who killed in the cathedral of Nice came from abroad and was not a French citizen. He was sent there, perhaps as a message. Islamism is interested in undermining France as a country of democracy from within, and causing chaos there,” concluded Janyška.”

  14. 57% of young Muslims in France believe that Sharia law is superior to French law
    https://rmx.news/article/article/57-of-young-muslims-in-france-believe-that-sharia-law-is-superior-to-french-law

    “According to a new study from the prestigious Ifop polling institute, a majority of Muslims under 25 believe that Sharia is superior to the law of the French Republic.

    French magazine Valuers Actuelles reported on the study, which was conducted on behalf of the Comité Laïcité République, which highlights the growing gap between Muslims and other French people regarding their relationship to secularism.

    Currently, 57 percent (10 percent more than in 2016) of French Muslims in the under-25 age category believe Sharia comes before the French Republic’s law while barely 15 percent of Catholics believe that the rules of their religion should come before French law.

    Likewise, two in three Muslims are opposed to the idea that teachers can show caricatures of religious figures to their students, while 75 percent of French people and even 80 percent of Catholics are in favor of doing so.

    The same is true for the vast majority of the questions asked in the survey. Each time, the opinion of Muslims was diametrically different from the answers of non-Muslim French respondents, giving the impression of two communities that have little in common.

    For example, 75 percent of Muslims are also strongly in favor of wearing conspicuous religious symbols, whether it concerns parents accompanying a school trip, university students, private-sector employees, or public service employees. However, Catholics, as well as non-believers, are fiercely opposed to it.

    In the case of teaching Arabic and mother tongues in public schools, 82 percent of Muslims are in favor of it, while 18 percent of Catholics and 32 percent of non-believers are against it.

    Furthermore, barely 58 percent of Muslims were in favor of signing a declaration of following the values of the Republic when receiving public subsidies. On the other hand, 85 percent of non-believers, as well as 92 percent of Catholics, are in favor of this idea.

    When it comes to specific hours for women in municipal swimming pools, 81 percent of Muslims would agree with it, against 16 percent of Catholics and 24 percent of non-believers, who disagree.

    As for the appointment of an observatory body which would oversee the influence of religious fundamentalists in society, only 35 percent of Muslims approve compared to 76 percent of Catholics and 77 percent of non-believers.

    The Ifop study shows that more than ever, Muslims — and not just Islamists — seem to aspire to a lifestyle radically opposed to that of other French people.

    “Today, some tend to present Islamist terrorists as ‘lone wolves’, fundamentalists whose literal and radical view of the Quran is not at all representative of the point of view of Muslims. Nevertheless, this survey shows that a significant fraction of Muslim youth shares with these Islamists the idea that the laws decreed by their religion must take precedence over French law,” pointed out François Kraus, director of the Ifop institute.

    And the Islamic terrorist attacks that have shaken France in recent weeks have not changed this trend.

    “Ultimately, opinions on the major secular laws and the relationship to secularism are fairly rigid. The attack did little to change things,” Kraus added.

    The gap between Muslims and the rest of the French, however, is not the only worrying factor in this poll. Indeed, for each question asked, the study showed that young people, no matter what their faith is, are less defensive of secularism than their elders.

    Only 58 percent of those under 25 are in favor of the right of teachers to show caricatures of religious figures to teach freedom of expression compared to 79 percent of those over the age of 35. Likewise, 53 percent of people in the first group are in favor of wearing religious symbols by parents accompanying a school trip, against barely 19 percent of those over 35.

    Kraus sees this as an “Americanization” of values.

    “Religion is seen today by young people as part of identity, like skin color, and therefore cannot be criticized in the same way as political opinion, for example. We are witnessing the triumph of the notion of respect over the freedom to criticize the religious values ??of others,” he explained.”

  15. Austria: Crowds march against extremism in Vienna

    “…right-wing “islamistic” terror attack in Vienna last week…”

    “….jihadists should have a chance to integrate in our society …”

    “…. all religions are peaceful … ”

  16. MI Lawsuit: Unsealed ballots all for Dems; presser on voter irregularities; China silent on election

  17. EU mulls Europe-wide ‘imam training’ body to crack down on ‘ideology of hatred’ (RT, Nov 10, 2020)
    https://www.rt.com/news/506237-eu-imam-training-body-ideology/

    “Brussels needs to set up a new institute to train imams and curb the spread of Islamic extremism across Europe, said European Council head Charles Michel, calling for a new crackdown on glorifying terrorism online as well.

    “To fight the ideology of hatred, we need to set up as soon as possible a European institute to train imams in Europe,” Michel, who chairs the council of 27 EU heads of government, said on Twitter on Monday.

    He was visiting Vienna in the wake of the November 2 terrorist attack that saw a jihadist kill four people before being shot by police.

    Michel did not reveal the details of what he called a “concrete proposal,” but said that “several proposals are on the table” already, adding that he hopes something will be adopted “by the end of the year.”

    The European Council head also said that those spreading messages glorifying terrorism on the internet should not do so with impunity and any such content should be promptly deleted.

    The Vienna attacker had pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) and announced his attack on Instagram.

    Earlier reports suggested that the EU governments sought access to encrypted messages following the recent wave of terrorist attacks in France and Austria. The initiative, however, sparked fears of greater state surveillance over law-abiding people, as well as concerns about creating potential backdoors for hackers and intelligence services that could then access private communications.

    Michel made his remarks during a visit to the Austrian capital aimed at demonstrating solidarity with the Austrian people and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who was praised by the European Council head for his response to what he called “an extremely difficult situation.”

    “Terrorist attacks are aimed at destroying lives … but also at undermining the values of the European project,” Michel said. “But we will not give in.”

    The attacker was identified as 20-year-old Kujtim Fejzulai, an ethnic Albanian from North Macedonia who had deceived the authorities about being a terrorist sympathizer by enrolling in a government ‘deradicalization’ program.”

  18. CBC – Canada preparing for COVID-19 vaccine rollout

    The federal government has taken a very aggressive vaccine buying approach and has already bought millions of doses of Pfizer’s vaccine with the hope it works.

    And governments are already planning how to distribute vaccines when they’re available, including who will go first.