Reader’s Links for February 16, 2021

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

95 Replies to “Reader’s Links for February 16, 2021”

  1. Curfew must be scrapped immediately, court rules
    https://nltimes.nl/2021/02/16/curfew-must-scrapped-immediately-court-rules
    The coronavirus curfew implemented on January 23 must be scrapped with immediate effect, the court in The Hague ruled on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by protest group Viruswaarheid, NOS and NU.nl report.

    The government implemented the curfew based on an emergency law, which states that the cabinet can introduce rules in an emergency without consultation with parliament and the Senate. But according to the court, the curfew was not for an emergency “as is the case with a dyke break”. The fact that there was no emergency situation is apparent from the fact that the introduction of the curfew was discussed before it was introduced, the court said.

    The curfew was labeled a “controversial” measure. As the Rutte III government is an outgoing cabinet, after it resigned in the childcare allowance scandal, it must leave controversial matters to the next cabinet, or pass it through parliament before implementation. The curfew was therefore debated and voted on in parliament before it was introduced.

    Because the measure was discussed in advance, there was no question of “super urgency”, which is required for the use of the emergency law with which the curfew was implemented, a spokesperson for the court said to NU.nl. The law in question is the Extraordinary Powers of Civil Authority Act. The curfew must be scrapped immediately, though the government can still appeal against the ruling.

    “The judge took into account that there is a pandemic, that there is a virus that also mutates, and the great pressure on healthcare. It is a time of great worries and difficult decisions. But measures too, and especially far-reaching ones like the curfew, must be well based on law,” the spokesperson said.

  2. ‘Sadiq must go’ London mayor sparks fury after splurging £100k of YOUR cash on woke agenda (express, Feb 16, 2021)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1398218/sadiq-khan-news-London-latest-BLM-Black-Lives-matter-violence-reduction-4front-project

    “SADIQ KHAN has been called to resign following the release of data which showed the Mayor’s office paid £100,000 to a group which blockaded a police station last year.

    According to the data, the Mayor’s Violence Reduction Unit Community Seed Fund made two payments to the 4Front Project in 2018/19 and 2019/20. The group was created in 2012 in order to tackle youth violence but became publicised after they organised a protest outside a North-West London police station following the arrest of a young man last year. The 14-year-old boy was held on suspicion of possessing cannabis in Colindale, which led to the arrest of three people following a protest outside the station.

    Approximately 40 people assembled outside the police station where they obstructed a police van.

    Prior to this incident, the project was given £50,000 in 2019/20 and a further £46,042 the year before, an FOI from Guido Fawkes discovered.

    Commenting on the payment of money to the group, former Brexit Party MEP and chairman of Unlocked media Ben Habib told Express the mayor “must go”.

    He said: “It is not just that Sadiq Khan is not doing his job, he actually holds London in contempt.

    “He vocally supported BLM when they broke lockdown with their protest last summer; a protest in which they defaced our national heroes.

    “If that was not bad enough they also defaced the Cenotaph, a memorial to those that sacrificed their lives for this country.

    “Now we discover he has been using public money, £100,000 no less, to support 4Front Project, an entity which blockaded a police station last year.

    “This revelation comes hard on the heels of him launching a committee comprising a number of his ilk looking to bring down the statues of our great and good and change street names.

    “The cost of this? A cool £250,000. The man is in gross dereliction of duty and a threat to London.

    “All the while TFL is failing and crime rates rising. Sadiq must go.”

    Fellow former Brexit Party and Unlocked editorial director Martin Daubney added: “Sadiq Khan splurging £100,000 on taxpayer money on the 4Front Project not only proves that he hates the police but he also hates our history.

    “He is a disgrace to his position and he needs to be voted out.”

    The director of 4Front Temi Mwale claimed the project had initially attempted to de-escalate tensions during the protest last year.

    The project director also claimed the protest was against the police’s stop and search powers.

    She said at the time: “We tried to de-escalate the situation, I actually think it was going well.

    “But at some point, someone decided it would be appropriate to send four, five huge vans full of hundreds of you, to start dragging community workers across the floor.”

    The latest news comes as Mr Khan unveiled London’s Landmark commission on diversity in the public where statues, monuments and street names will be reviewed.

    A panel of 15 people has been brought in to improve the capital’s diversity, the Mayor announced last week.

    Despite criticism, the commission claimed it has not been created to preside over the removal of statues.

    Panellist and 27-year-old art historian Aindrea Emelife said: “It’s not just about taking down statues, it’s about creating new commissions that will inspire generations.

    “And that is what I’m most excited about.”

    The group also includes actor Riz Ahmed and social activist Toyin Agbetu who interrupted a service for the Queen in 2017.

    During the service, to mark the 200th anniversary of abolishing the slave trade, Mr Agbetu called on the Queen to apologise.

    A spokesperson for the Mayor of London told Express.co.uk: “Sadiq is doing everything in his power to tackle violent crime in our city.

    “He has been clear that means being tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime, which is why it’s vital that community groups are properly funded – they are in the best position to intervene at a critical moment in a young person’s life and understand the importance of listening to and working with those affected by violence.

    “Funding from the Mayor’s Violence Reduction Unit is helping respected grassroots projects across the capital deliver long-term solutions that tackle the underlying causes of violent crime and give young people the positive spaces, role models and opportunities they deserve.””

  3. London bloodbath: Horror as man stabbed to death in Camden knife attack on Highgate Road (express, Feb 16, 2021)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1398314/London-crime-news-man-killed-camden-highgate-road-metropolitan-police-ambulance-ont

    “A MAN has been stabbed to death in a knife attack in Camden on Monday night.

    Police were called out to Highgate Road, North London shortly before 7.40pm, following reports of a stabbing. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a man suffering from stab wounds and being attended to by paramedics from the London Ambulance Service. Despite their best efforts, the man tragically died.

    Two men have been arrested in connection with the incident and remain in police custody.

    In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “Officers attended alongside London Ambulance Service and found a man- no further details- suffering from stab wounds.

    “Despite the best efforts of paramedics the man died at the scene.

    “The man’s next of kin have been informed.

    “Two men- no further details- have been arrested in connection with this incident.

    “Both remain in police custody.”

    “Officers remain in the area as enquiries continue.”

    Knife crime remains a major problem in the UK, claiming the lives of many victims.

    According to a Parliamentary report, in the year ending March 2020, there were around 46,000 (selected) offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in England and Wales.

    London recorded the highest rate of 179 offences, involving a knife per 100,000 population in 2019/20.

    This represents a slight increase on a rate of 169 in 2018/19.”

  4. Hamas Sharia Court Rules Women Need Male Guardian Permission to Travel (breitbart, Feb 16, 2021)
    https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2021/02/16/hamas-sharia-court-rules-women-need-male-guardian-permission-to-travel/

    “A Sharia court run by the ruling Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip ruled Monday that women need to request the permission of a male guardian, often her father and sometimes her own son, to travel, sparking an outcry from Palestinians and human rights groups ahead of planned elections later this year…”

  5. Syrian Christian Loses Job in Sweden After Failing to Remove Cross Necklace (breitbart, Feb 16, 2021)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/02/16/syrian-christian-loses-job-sweden-failing-remove-cross-necklace/

    “A Syrian Christian claims that he lost his job at a warehouse in Sweden after he was asked by company management to take off a cross necklace and refused.

    Syrian George Tannouri said he worked at the warehouse run by the technology company Ingram Micro, located just north of Stockholm, for three months before he was asked to remove the necklace, which he wore under his shirt.

    Tannouri said he refused to take off the religious necklace and was told that his probationary period for the position had been terminated and he was ordered to leave, Nyheter Idag reports.

    “Our people [Syrians] have been through so much in history, so we come to Sweden and what do we get right here?” Tannouri said.

    He added: “I’m tired of how Christians are treated in Sweden. It’s more acceptable to pick on our religion than on others.”

    According to Ingram Micro, the Syrian was told to remove the necklace due to safety reasons, rather than religious ones. But Tannouri maintained that the decision was religious and questioned why some employees were allowed to wear hijabs at work.

    Lisa Valinder Olsson, communications manager at Ingram Micro, defended the wearing of the hijab, saying: “It is considered an item of clothing and is not considered to pose a risk as long as nothing hangs loose.”

    Syrian Christians have been subjected to attacks in the past few years, with a Syrian Orthodox church in the city of Norrköping seeing several suspicious fires within the span of just a few weeks in January 2020.

    Isa Gergin, spokesman and caretaker for the Syrian Orthodox Church, said at the time: “Someone had poured gasoline on the outside and lit it. But the emergency services were quickly in place.”

    He added that the building had been targetted in a suspected arson attack in 2018, as well.

    George Tannouri’s claims also come just months after a student at a Swedish school claimed he had been told to take off his cross necklace for a class photograph, while other students were permitted to wear hijabs.”

  6. UK Regulator Stops BLM Registering as Political Party – ‘Likely to Mislead Voters’ (breitbart, Feb 16, 2021)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/02/16/uk-regulator-stops-blm-registering-political-party-likely-mislead-voters/

    “Britain’s Electoral Commission has rejected efforts to register Black Lives Matter as a political party on grounds that it would be “likely to mislead voters”.

    “The application to register Black Lives Matter as a political party was refused by the Commission on the basis that the proposed name is likely to mislead a voter as to the effect of their vote,” said a spokesman for the controversial regulator in comments reported by MailOnline.

    “As part of our considerations we examined the existing groups by the same or similar names in the UK. Having contacted a number of groups, they confirmed that the party was not associated with them,” the spokesman explained.

    “Our assessment concluded that, whilst the BLM movement is a grassroots movement, it was still likely that the proposed name would mislead a voter as to the effect of their vote. This was on the basis that a reasonable voter could assume that the party represents, or is in some way associated with, these groups when that is not the case.

    “If a name cannot be accepted, the associated application must be rejected. In addition, other elements of the application were rejected, including the constitution and financial scheme.”

    The problems with the constitution were not enumerated, however…”

  7. Oregon Educators: Making Math Students Show Their Work Is ‘White Supremacy’ (breitbart, Feb 16, 2021)
    https://www.breitbart.com/education/2021/02/16/oregon-educators-making-math-students-show-their-work-is-white-supremacy/

    “The Oregon Department of Education is seeking to root out white supremacy in mathematics, manifested by emphasis on “getting the right answer” and making students “show their work.”

    As reported Monday by the attentive folks at the College Fix, Oregon’s progressive Department of Education has furnished educators with an 82-page training manual titled “A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction: Dismantling Racism in Mathematics Instruction.”

    The education department mailed the manual to teachers as part of Black History Month.

    The manual enumerates signs of “white supremacy culture in the mathematics classroom,” which include a focus on “getting the right answer,” an emphasis on “real-world math,” teaching math in a “linear fashion,” students being required to “show their work,” and grading students based on their demonstrated knowledge of the material.

    “In order to embody antiracist math education, teachers must engage in critical praxis that interrogates the ways in which they perpetuate white supremacy culture in their own classrooms, and develop a plan toward antiracist math education to address issues of equity for Black, Latinx, and multilingual students,” the manual declares.

    The unavoidably racist and thoroughly demeaning implication is that black students are not capable of “showing their work” or “getting the right answers,” and so teachers must lower the academic bar or remove it altogether.

    An impartial observer might even suggest that assuming that students of color are incapable of competing on a level playing field is a manifestation of the deepest form of “white supremacy.”

    What the manual never succeeds in explaining is how dumbing down mathematics will magically eliminate “mathematical inequity,” a proposal that is counterintuitive.

    It was not long ago that literature and film celebrated heroic educators who, against all odds, challenged their students to rise above their situations and achieve academic success.

    If the Oregon Department of Education is any indication, such heroism is a thing of the past.”

    • The Oregon “educators” are falling into one of the most dangerous and destructive mental traps that non-white people sometimes fall into. Mainly, I mean the idea that being well-spoken or highly educated or well-dressed or kind or hard-working or self-disciplined or goal-oriented is associated with being “white” because it’s not true and it places the person of color in the position of being an “Uncle Tom” if they drive a nice car and say “ask” instead of “ax” or dare to get ahead. Why deprive your entire neighborhood of advancement and opportunity just to show your group defiance at the hated white-man? It makes no sense. Being hard-working and self-disciplined is most certainly not the exclusive characteristic of white people and you’re not an Uncle Tom if you can show your work in a math exam or leave your phone number when you dent somebody’s car door in the parking lot.

      These Oregon “educators” are a bunch of brainless morons. Seriously…

    • Do they realize that mathematics began in India when everyone was still black and not contaminated by Arab genes while in the west, Roman educated children went insane trying to divide/multiply with Roman numerals?
      Indoctrinated dogma has replaced thought in these woke imbeciles.

  8. Bangladesh sentences 5 to death for killing blogger (sfchronicle, Feb 16, 2021)
    https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Bangladesh-sentences-5-to-death-for-killing-15953359.php

    “A special tribunal in Bangladesh’s capital on Tuesday sentenced five members of a banned militant group to death and a sixth man to life in prison for the 2015 killing of a prominent Bangladeshi-American blogger known for speaking out against religious fundamentalism.

    Avijit Roy, a Bangladesh-born U.S. citizen, was hacked to death in the streets of Dhaka when he was walking with his wife near an annual book fair. His wife, who is a blogger, was injured and now lives in the United States.

    Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal Judge Majibur Rahman pronounced the verdicts in a packed courtroom in the presence of four defendants. Another two, including sacked military official Sayed Ziaul Haque Zia, remain at large.

    The judge had earlier issued arrest warrants for them.

    Tuesday’s verdict came in the same court that sentenced eight Islamic militants to death last week for the 2015 killing of a publisher of books on secularism and atheism.

    For Roy’s case, the prosecution submitted close-circuit camera footage of the killing, video statements of the defendants and their confessional statements, and copies of phone text messages to the court as evidence.

    In the judgment, Rahman said the prosecution was able to prove the charges against all six defendants without any reasonable doubt.

    For Bangladesh, 2015 was a volatile year, as suspected members of radical groups in a series of attacks killed several atheists, bloggers and foreigners. A Dhaka bomb attack on Oct. 24, 2015, aimed at minority Shiite Muslims killed a teenager and injured more than 100 people.

    Authorities say the broke the network of militants in a massive crackdown following a 2016 attack on a cafe in Dhaka in which 22 people, including 17 foreigners, were killed, along with five assailants. Since the 2016 attack, about 100 suspected members of domestic groups such as Ansar al Islam and Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh have been killed in raids across the country. Those suspects include some of the top commanders, authorities say.

    The Islamic State group had claimed responsibility for the cafe assault and other attacks, but Bangladesh’s government said that domestic groups were behind them and insisted that the IS has no presence in the country.”

  9. France’s Macron Says Stability, Security in Sahel Crucial For Region, Europe (sputniknews, Feb 16, 2021)
    https://sputniknews.com/world/202102161082092536-frances-macron-says-stability-security-in-sahel-crucial-for-region-europe/

    “French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday stressed that curbing the terrorist threat and bringing stability to the African Sahel region was vital in order to ensure the security of Europe.

    “Stability in the Sahel is crucial not only for the Sahelian nations, but also for our security and that of Europe. This is the meaning of our commitment,” Macron tweeted.

    Additionally, the French leader noted that the European engagement in the region brought certain results over the year, despite major losses, including the deaths of troops involved in the counter-terrorism operations across the Sahel.

    The French president took part in a two-day summit, comprising the leaders of the G5 Sahel bloc, which includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. Although the leaders gathered in the Chadian capital of N’Djamena, Macron joined the meeting via video conference to discuss counter-jihadist initiatives in the Sahel.

    In 2014, France launched the 5,000-strong mission Barkhane, also combining the armed forces of Mali to fight against the Islamist insurgent groups operating in the African region.

    Another military initiative is the Takuba Task Force, which includes several European nations and is aimed to assist the G5 Sahel defence forces in the halt of jihadist activities.

    In addition to the military aid, the missions also provide training and resources for the troops of the Sahelian nations.

    Macron stressed that the involvement in the region was essential to provide “durable solutions” for the Sahel security crisis.”

    • France urges West Africa to step up counterterrorism efforts (abcnews, Feb 16, 2021)
      https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/france-west-africa-step-counterterrorism-efforts-75920306

      “French President Emmanuel Macron urged West African leaders Tuesday to step up efforts in the fight against Islamic extremists in the Sahel region on both the military and political fronts, with support from the international community.

      Macron joined the summit by video that was being held in N’Djamena, Chad, with the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and Mauritania.

      “The challenge of the N’Djamena summit is to take a next step, further and stronger,” Macron said from Paris. “We must not release pressure on terrorist groups.”

      He said military operations should keep focusing on the region bordering Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, the epicenter of the fight against jihadist groups. The military will also this year “try to cut off the head” of al-Qaida-linked groups known as JNIM and the Macina Liberation Front, he added.

      France has about 5,100 troops in the five West African countries, making it the country’s largest military operation abroad.

      French soldiers take part in operations in cooperation with a regional force made up of troops from the five countries that was launched in 2017 with support from the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union.

      Macron called on international leaders to provide more financial support to the so-called G5 Sahel force, which needs 40 million euros ($48.5 million) per year to be operational.

      “As of now, we need to accelerate the financing of the joint force,” he said.

      Macron also called for rebuilding state mechanisms and stepping up efforts to support the civilian populations and boost development in the region.

      He praised efforts to help stabilize the Sahel region, as several European officials and heads of international organizations attended the summit via videoconference. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres were to participate via pre-recorded video messages.

      French troops have been present the Sahel region since 2013, when they intervened in Mali to expel Islamic extremist rebels from power.”

  10. Turkish Prosecutors Launch Probe Into Dutch MP Geert Wilders After He Calls Erdogan a ‘Terrorist’ (sputniknews, Feb 16, 2021)
    https://sputniknews.com/world/202102161082092617-turkish-prosecutors-launch-probe-into-dutch-mp-geert-wilders-after-he-calls-erdogan-a-terrorist/

    “Geert Wilders, the Dutch-businessman turned Party for Freedom leader, has gotten into legal trouble repeatedly in his home country, getting sued and receiving death threats from the likes of al-Qaeda and Islamic fundamentalists abroad for his provocative comments on Islam and the alleged “Islamisation of the Netherlands” and Europe.

    Turkish prosecutors launched a formal investigation into right-wing populist Dutch politician Geert Wilders over a 15 February tweet in which he called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “Terrorist,” Anadolu Agency has reported.

    The tweet shows a stylised portrait of Erdogan, the flag of Turkey to one side, and a flag of Daesh (ISIS)* on the other, with the Turkish president’s face split into two between his publicly-known image and what looks like a jihadist militant.

    In a separate tweet Monday, Wilders wrote that it was time that Prime Minister Mark Rutte “shows guts and tackles the terrorist Erdogan, stops his influence in the Netherlands, expels Turkey from NATO and expels the Turkish ambassador”.

    The comments came amid demands by a group of lawmakers including Wilders that the cabinet release a much-anticipated confidential report by the Dutch National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) on the Turkish leader’s alleged role in the rise of Salafism in the Netherlands, his “anti-Western rhetoric” and his alleged failure to condemn jihadist attacks in Western countries.

    In a statement cited by Anadolu Tuesday, Turkish presidential spokesman Fahrettin Altun dismissed Wilders’ comments, suggesting that he and his “merry band of neo-Nazis” never “amounted to anything”, and expressing concerns that some of Europe’s “seemingly moderate governments and ostensibly responsible policymakers” seem to share some of his views.

    Altun blasted the NCTV report, calling it “groundless, biased and ignorant”, and suggesting it is more concerning than Wilders. “Turkey and the Turkish community in Europe have always been a bulwark against terrorism and extremism. To say otherwise is to serve racism and Islamophobia,” the official said.

    This isn’t the first time that Wilders, one of Europe’s most prominent opposition politicians from the populist right, has gotten into legal trouble with the Turks. Last October, Erdogan’s office filed a complaint against Wilders over his repeated attacks on the Turkish president’s “personality, dignity and reputation”, including a controversial cartoon of the leader wearing a bomb for a hat, and a separate image of a sinking ship featuring a Turkish flag.

    Wilders tweeted the insults after Erdogan made comments questioning the mental health of French President Emmanuel Macron when the latter announced a crackdown on political Islam following the beheading of a French high school teacher by a radicalised youth.

    In September 2020, an appeals court acquitted Wilders of a separate case on discrimination, while holding up a conviction for intentionally insulting Moroccans. In 2011, Wilders was acquitted on charges of hate speech over comments comparing Islam to Nazism.”

  11. French ‘Crimes Against Humanity, Genocide, War Crimes’ Body to Investigate Anti-Migration Protest (breitbart, Feb 16, 2021)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/02/16/french-crimes-against-humanity-genocide-war-crimes-body-investigate-anti-mass-migration-protest/

    “A public prosecutor has turned over an investigation into an anti-mass migration protest in the French Pyrenees to the office tasked with fighting genocide and war crimes.

    The prosecutor’s office in Saint-Gaudens handed over an investigation into a January 9th protest along the Franco-Spanish border by the activist youth group Generation Identitaire to the Central Office for Combating Crimes Against Humanity, Genocide, and War Crimes (OCLCH).

    Local prosecutor Christophe Amunzateguy stated that he had referred the matter to that hate crime division of the OCLCH which would be working alongside local gendarmerie investigators, La Depeche reports.

    According to the newspaper, Generation Identitaire members had gone hiking along the border with Spain at Col du Portillon and deployed drones to monitor the crossing for any illegal migrants attempting to cross into French territory, citing terrorism risks as part of their “Defend Europe” mission.

    The prosecutor said the activists “can make statements that are not factual; that is freedom of expression. But there is what we can say and what we cannot say — what is freedom of expression, and what is criminal.”

    “I’m not saying I’ll necessarily have a prosecution at the end. I’m saying I’m investigating and at the end of this investigation I’ll establish whether or not there was a criminal offence,” Mr Amunzateguy added.

    The potential prosecution comes just months after a court of appeal in Grenoble acquitted several members of the activist group after they had been found guilty of offences linked to a similar 2018 protest in the French Alps.

    Despite the recent acquittals — along with other failed prosecutions against the group, including an attempt to label the activists part of a mafia organisation in Austria in 2018 — the French government wants to dissolve Generation Identitaire.

    Interior Minister Gérald Darmamin said on Saturday that he believed the activists could be in violation of the law by “provoking discrimination, hatred, or violence against a person or group of persons on the basis of their origin”.

    Marine Le Pen’s National Rally said of the French government’s proposal: “Such a dissolution would also be contrary to the constant jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights that ‘freedom of expression is one of the essential foundations of a democratic society and even applies to ideas that offend, shock, or worry’.””

  12. Turkey vows to expand anti-PKK operations in northern Iraq (abcnews, Feb 16, 2021)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/turkey-vows-expand-anti-pkk-operations-northern-iraq-75920861

    “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Tuesday to expand cross-border operations against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, following the killing of 13 Turkish soldiers, police and civilians who had been abducted by Kurdish insurgents.

    In a speech to his ruling party’s supporters, Erdogan also said that the killings have strengthened Turkey’s will to form a secure zone along its border in northern Iraq to protect Turkey’s frontiers from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.

    The bodies of the 13 victims were discovered in a cave complex in northern Iraq’s Gara region, near the Turkish border, during an operation against the PKK, launched on Feb. 10, that had aimed to free the hostages.

    Officials said 12 of the victims were shot in the head and one died of a shoulder bullet wound. The hostages had been kidnapped inside Turkey in 2015 and 2016.

    “In the period ahead, we will be expanding our operations — thanks to which we have made a significant advance — to regions where the threats are intensive,” Erdogan said. “The event in Gara has strengthened our opinions about for a safe zone across our borders to protect our people and the state.”

    He said: “we will stay in these places which we will secure for as long as it takes so that we are not subjected to such an attack again.”

    Turkey has carried out numerous cross border incursions into Iraq over the years to fight the PKK, which maintains bases in the region.

    Turkey has long been seeking to form a secure zone along its borders with Iraq and Syria to force Kurdish insurgents away from the frontier.

    Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the PKK began an insurgency in Turkey’s majority Kurdish southeast region in 1984. The PKK has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union.”

  13. Turkey detains wanted New Zealand IS militant at border (abcnews, Feb 16, 2021)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/turkey-detains-wanted-zealand-militant-border-75918257

    “Three New Zealand citizens were detained while attempting to illegally cross into Turkey from Syria, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said.

    A ministry statement posted on Twitter on Monday said the group included a 26-year-old woman wanted on an Interpol notice for allegedly belonging to the extremist Islamic State group. The woman was identified only by her initials S.A.

    The three were caught by border security units while trying to sneak into the town of Reyhanli, in Hatay province, the ministry said.

    The state-run Anadolu Agency said the woman was accompanied by two children when she arrived at a local courthouse to be questioned by judicial officials following her interrogation by police. l

    Turkey has intensified security along its border with Syria to prevent infiltrations and regularly carries out raids against suspected IS militants in the country.

    Turkey has been hit by a string of attacks since 2015 by Kurdish militants and IS extremists, including a New Year’s Eve attack on a nightclub in Istanbul that left 39 people dead in 2017.”

  14. CBC – Calgary police defend exchange at anti-mask rally

    Calgary police said a video showing an officer shaking the hand of an anti-mask protester captured the end of a peaceful negotiation.

    They are committed to investigating the full scope of the protest, although no tickets were issued on the day.

    • ctv news – Video of Calgary police officer shaking hands with anti-masker draws outrage

      video of a yyc? officer shaking hands with a speaker at an anti-mask rally this weekend, has drawn outrage online.

      @TaylorBraat speaks with researcher of health and law policy @CaulfieldTim about the message this sends to the public.

  15. Kamala Harris Is Now Making Joe Biden’s Head Of State Calls For Him.

    Vice President Kamala Harris has begun to take calls on behalf of President Joe Biden, raising questions about his ability to do the job of President.

    The White House published a readout yesterday entitled “Readout of Vice President Kamala Harris Call with President Emmanuel Macron of France.”

    It states:

    Vice President Kamala Harris spoke today with President Emmanuel Macron of France, and expressed her commitment to strengthening bilateral ties between the United States and France and to revitalizing the transatlantic alliance. Vice President Harris and President Macron agreed on the need for close bilateral and multilateral cooperation to address COVID-19, climate change, and support democracy at home and around the world. They also discussed numerous regional challenges, including those in the Middle East and Africa, and the need to confront them together. The Vice President thanked President Macron for his leadership on the issue of gender equality and for France’s contribution to NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.

    It is bizarre for a Vice President to be making contact with key world leaders just weeks into a new administration.

    Harris also recently spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

    The President has also still refused to call the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.

    In 2020, Biden called himself a “transition candidate,” raising eyebrows about his commitment to the job and his ability to serve his full first term, let alone a potential two.

    Some have also noted how Harris may be setting up to lead the U.S. delegation at the G8 in June, especially if Biden is still busy playing Mario Kart.

    https://thenationalpulse.com/news/kamala-harris-is-now-taking-joe-bidens-head-of-state-calls-for-him/

  16. FRANCE – Towards an early vote “on a voting machine” during the next presidential election in France? – RT in French

    […] “advance polls for the presidential election” on a “voting machine”.

    […]This vote would be done “on a voting machine,

    https://yrtnews.com/towards-an-early-vote-on-a-voting-machine-during-the-next-presidential-election-in-france-rt-in-french/

    RT – Vers un vote anticipé «sur une machine à voter» lors de la prochaine présidentielle en France ?

    Le gouvernement a déposé un amendement au Sénat proposant «un vote par anticipation pour l’élection présidentielle» sur une «machine à voter». Le texte évoque «une entrée en vigueur différée au plus tard au 1er janvier 2022»

    La polémique autour du vote par anticipation qui a enflammé la présidentielle américaine se répétera-t-elle en France ? Le gouvernement a déposé un amendement au Sénat le 16 février 2021, dans le cadre des discussions autour du projet de loi organique relatif à l’élection du président de la République, qui vise à introduire «un vote par anticipation» sur «une machine à voter» lors de l’élection présidentielle.

    «Cet amendement instaure un vote par anticipation pour l’élection présidentielle», peut-on lire dans le document, qui précise : «Les électeurs peuvent demander à voter dans une autre commune, de leur choix, parmi une liste de communes arrêtées par le ministre de l’Intérieur.»

    Une entrée en vigueur «au plus tard au 1er janvier 2022», selon le texte Ce vote se ferait «sur une machine à voter, dont les suffrages [seraient] dépouillés en même temps que les autres bureaux de la commune, afin d’éviter les risques de fraude ou d’influence sur le vote des autres électeurs».

    […]
    https://francais.rt.com/france/83904-vers-vote-anticipe-sur-machine-voter-lors-prochaine-presidentielle-france

  17. https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/bill-gates-rich-countries-should-eating-synthetic-beef

    Here we go! This is exactly the kind of left-wing bullshit we are going to be hearing a lot more of in the very near future as the IPCC moves forward with their plan to hobble and bankrupt the West while filling their own pockets with White Gold. And anyone who as much as wants to talk about it will be labelled “extreme right-wing white supremacist” and cancelled immediately. Like, how would you like it if Mastercard expired your credit cards because you questioned climate change, and how would you like being denied entrance into a university because you voted Republican? It’s coming… Wait for it… How about being stopped at the airport and being denied a boarding pass for “safety reasons” for being at a Trump hate rally? It’s coming, and it will be coming at us from a thousand directions at once…

  18. https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/bill-gates-rich-countries-should-eating-synthetic-beef

    Here we go! This is exactly the kind of left-wing climate-change-hoax-based bullshit we are going to be hearing a lot more of in the very near future as the IPCC moves forward with their plan to hobble and bankrupt the West while filling their own pockets with White Gold. And anyone who as much as wants to talk about it will be labeled an “extreme right-wing white supremacist” and canceled immediately. Like, how would you like it if Mastercard expired your credit cards because you questioned climate change, and how would you like being denied entrance into a university because you voted Republican? It’s coming… Wait for it… How about being stopped at the airport and being denied a boarding pass for “safety reasons” for being at a Trump hate rally? It’s coming, and it will be coming at us from a thousand directions at once…

  19. Hey! I didn’t double-publish that comment. I was very careful not to and it’s fairly hard to do anyway. The machine just double-published my comment. Waaahhh… I din du nuffin…

    • Normally it prevents you from doing that even by accident. Its a mystery to me. I just work here.

      • you just have to change a single letter and wordpress will publish it again

        here “the kind of left-wing bullshit “ in the first message was changed in the second one to :

        “the kind of left-wing climate-change-hoax-based bullshit”

        and then wordpress decided it was two different messages and published it

        QED

        • How very astute of you. I must have accidentally pressed the button after adding the word to the sentence. I see now…:) Every now and then my hand suddenly jitters inexplicably and then my computer usually crashes or worse…

    • Lol. I liked the comment “I wonder if he is gender confused. Thank you EB, I enjoyed looking at his magnificent body, oops I mean doing his job, I watched him 3 times.

  20. Capitol riot: Prying out the narrative, bringing in nuggets of reality – Liberty Unyielding
    J.E. Dyer
    16-20 minutes

    Capitol riot: Prying out the narrative, bringing in nuggets of reality

    Image: YouTube screen grab

    One of the main reasons for skepticism about the Left’s Capitol riot narrative has been the behavior of the mainstream media, which has worked overtime to blame it on Trump while either being coy, or protecting coyness on the part of others (e.g., the FBI), about the details of the events on that ugly day. There is an awful lot we still don’t know, and some things we have been affirmatively misinformed about.

    Among the latter, the cause of death for Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick is an important one, in that it has seemed to firmly establish that a law enforcement officer was killed by rioters on 6 January 2021.

    At American Greatness, Julie Kelly had an article on Sunday, 14 February, reporting that the New York Times had essentially retracted its original claims about Officer Sicknick’s death.

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2021/02/15/capitol-riot-prying-out-the-narrative-bringing-in-nuggets-of-reality/

  21. Liberty Minute: Trump Acquitted, Biden “Deeply Concerned” About China, Cuomo Gets Caught

  22. Kim Jong-Un in ‘final stage’ of explosive plot for Joe Biden – ‘catastrophic threat’ looms

  23. Joe Biden and Xi Jinping trade strong words in first phone call – ‘War would be disaster’.

  24. US promises to defend the Philippines against any attacks| C-130 aircraft has arrived in the country

  25. Harris Takes Customary Role Of President by Calling Several Heads of State
    By Zachary Stieber
    February 16, 2021 Updated: February 16, 2021
    biggersmaller Print

    Vice President Kamala Harris has recently called multiple heads of state, a task that is normally done by the president.

    Harris spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, the White House said.

    Harris “expressed her commitment to strengthening bilateral ties between the United States and France and to revitalizing the transatlantic alliance,” a readout said. She and Macron “agreed on the need for close bilateral and multilateral cooperation to address COVID-19, climate change, and support democracy at home and around the world.”

    “They also discussed numerous regional challenges, including those in the Middle East and Africa, and the need to confront them together,” according to the readout.

    There was no mention of President Joe Biden.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/vice-president-kamala-harris-calls-several-heads-of-state_3699031.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-02-16-2

  26. Updated: 15/02/2021 Turkey arrests hundreds linked to PKK after troops found dead in Iraq
    https://www.euronews.com/2021/02/15/turkey-arrests-hundreds-linked-to-pkk-after-troops-found-dead-in-iraq
    Turkey has arrested more than 700 people it suspects of links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), after it accused the group of executing 13 Turkish nationals.

    The victims – soldiers, police and civilians who were allegedly abducted by the insurgents over the last few years – were discovered in a cave complex in the Gara region in Iraq, near the Turkish border.

    They were found during an operation against the PKK, launched on February 10, that had aimed to free the hostages.

    Twelve of the victims were shot in the head and one died of a shoulder bullet wound, the Turkish defense minister said on Sunday.

    On Monday Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the United States of supporting Kurdish militants, calling the statement from the US “deplorable”.

    “You say you don’t support the terrorists but you are actually on their side,” Erdogan said in a speech.

    The US State Department had said on Sunday it “deplores” the deaths.

    “If the reports of the deaths of Turkish civilians at the hands of the PKK, a classified terrorist organisation, are confirmed, we condemn these actions in the strongest terms,” it added in a statement.

    The PKK has waged an insurgency against the Turksih state since 1984, with tens of thousands of people killed in the fighting.

    It is designated a terrorist organisation by the US and the EU. However US support for Syrian Kudish militias of the YPG, which began under the Obama administration, has for several years caused tensions between the US and Turkey, the latter claiming the YPG is linked to the PKK.
    “Did you not say you don’t support the PKK, the YPG or the PYD? You are with them and behind them pure and simple,” Erdogan said.

    “If we are together in NATO, and if we are to continue our (alliance) in NATO, you have to be sincere toward us,” Erdogan said. “You must not take the side of the terrorists. You have to be on our side.”

    Erdogan said 51 PKK militants were killed during the offensive and vowed to press ahead with cross-border offensives against the PKK in Iraq, and against the Syria-based militants.

    In a statement carried by the PKK-linked Firat news agency, the PKK said “prisoners of war” consisting of members of the Turkish security forces and intelligence agency were killed as a result of Turkish air strikes.

    Three Turkish troops also died during the operation to free the hostages and three others were wounded, the defense ministry has said.

    The Turkish Interior Ministry announced on Monday that security forces had arrested 718 people, including HDP leaders, on suspicion of links with the PKK.

    “A large number of weapons, documents and digital equipment belonging to the (terrorist) organisation were seized during the searches,” the interior ministry added, adding that operations in 40 cities across the country were still under way.

    The HDP had on Sunday expressed its “deep sadness” after the death of Turkish nationals in Iraq, calling on the PKK to release its remaining prisoners.

    • Turkey botches raid, blames ‘terrorists,’ attacks domestic critics
      How did all this begin?

      Within a 24-hour period, Turkey’s ruling party and its supporters managed to, first, admit they botched a deadly raid in northern Iraq, blamed “terrorists” for killing people harmed in the raid, and then moved the target to attack domestic political opponents. Turkey’s AK Party, which has been in power almost two decades and has recently pushed invasions of Syria, Libya and Armenia and hosts Hamas terrorists, is now pushing for a new war in Iraq, Syria and at home.…

      Turkey launches a new war or operation against the PKK every time the AK Party appears to be losing in the polls. For instance, Operation Euphrates Shield was launched after the coup attempt in 2016 and the June 2018 elections came after the war in Afrin. Now polls show Erdogan’s party suffering from some protests at universities and so a new war may be imminent.

      On cue from Ankara, the rest of the AK Party leaders began a crescendo of claims to justify a new war. […] There is no evidence of any terror attacks in Turkey, Ankara has simply invented a claim that it is threatened by “terrorism” after it launched a raid in Iraq, in which its soldiers were killed. The target clearly is not the “PKK” in Iraq, but local opposition parties.…

      https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/turkey-botches-raid-blames-terrorists-attacks-domestic-critics-659008
      ……..
      He gets away with it because the pro-Turk lobby machine is _yuge_. Together with the MB-mocking bird media.

  27. 16.02.2021 New Zealand slams Australia for stripping IS detainee of citizenship
    https://www.dw.com/en/new-zealand-slams-australia-for-stripping-is-detainee-of-citizenship/a-56581561

    New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has slammed Australia for “unilaterally” stripping the citizenship of a woman arrested in Turkey with IS ties. Canberra has defended the decision.
    https://www.dw.com/en/new-zealand-slams-australia-for-stripping-is-detainee-of-citizenship/a-56581561
    New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday criticized Australia for “unilaterally” stripping the citizenship of a woman arrested in Turkey who is allegedly a member of the “Islamic State” (IS). The woman was previously a citizen of both Australia and New Zealand.
    Australia abdicated its responsibilities, Ardern says

    Ardern said the woman should be sent to Australia instead of New Zealand, claiming the Australian government abdicated its responsibilities by revoking her citizenship.

    “It is wrong that New Zealand should shoulder the responsibility for a situation involving a woman who has not lived in New Zealand since she was six, has resided in Australia since that time, has her family in Australia and left for Syria from Australia on her Australian passport,” Ardern said in a statement, adding “any fair minded person would consider this person an Australian and that is my view too.”
    Ardern said she has expressed her concerns to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and that the two countries should be working more closely on these types of cases involving dual nationals.
    Woman’s citizenship was revoked automatically, Morrison responds

    In response to Ardern’s remarks, Morrison said the woman’s Australian citizenship was revoked automatically and that it was his job to put his country’s national security interests first.

    “The legislation that was passed through our Parliament automatically cancels the citizenship of a dual citizen when they’ve been engaged in terrorist activities of this nature,” Morrison said, adding that he would speak to Ardern about the issue.
    Three New Zealanders accused of entering Turkey illegally

    Turkish authorities on Monday said three New Zealanders had entered Turkey illegally from Syria, with one of the detainees having connections to IS.

    News
    New Zealand slams Australia for stripping IS detainee of citizenship

    New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has slammed Australia for “unilaterally” stripping the citizenship of a woman arrested in Turkey with IS ties. Canberra has defended the decision.

    New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

    Australia automatically strips dual citizens of Australian citizenship if they are engaged in terrorism

    New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday criticized Australia for “unilaterally” stripping the citizenship of a woman arrested in Turkey who is allegedly a member of the “Islamic State” (IS). The woman was previously a citizen of both Australia and New Zealand.
    Australia abdicated its responsibilities, Ardern says

    Ardern said the woman should be sent to Australia instead of New Zealand, claiming the Australian government abdicated its responsibilities by revoking her citizenship.

    “It is wrong that New Zealand should shoulder the responsibility for a situation involving a woman who has not lived in New Zealand since she was six, has resided in Australia since that time, has her family in Australia and left for Syria from Australia on her Australian passport,” Ardern said in a statement, adding “any fair minded person would consider this person an Australian and that is my view too.”
    Watch video 03:28
    European countries reluctant to repatriate IS returnees

    Ardern said she has expressed her concerns to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and that the two countries should be working more closely on these types of cases involving dual nationals.
    Woman’s citizenship was revoked automatically, Morrison responds

    In response to Ardern’s remarks, Morrison said the woman’s Australian citizenship was revoked automatically and that it was his job to put his country’s national security interests first.

    “The legislation that was passed through our Parliament automatically cancels the citizenship of a dual citizen when they’ve been engaged in terrorist activities of this nature,” Morrison said, adding that he would speak to Ardern about the issue.
    Three New Zealanders accused of entering Turkey illegally

    Turkish authorities on Monday said three New Zealanders had entered Turkey illegally from Syria, with one of the detainees having connections to IS.

    “Three New Zealand nationals trying to enter our country illegally from Syria were caught by our border guards in Hatay’s Reyhanl? district,” Turkey’s Ministry of Defense tweeted, adding that among those caught was a woman named S.A. who is a wanted alleged IS terrorist.

    Western countries have struggled with the idea of repatriating IS detainees. Thousands of former IS members currently sit in prisons and refugee camps across Syria and Iraq.

  28. Soaring crime is killing NYC’s subway system
    Nicole Gelinas
    5-6 minutes

    Two more straphangers met their gruesome end on Gotham’s subways over the weekend, bringing the transit-murder total in just over a year to eight. Before 2020 and 2021, it took five years for eight murders to occur on transit — and that was with much higher ridership.

    “The events of the last 24 hours are horrifying,” says acting New York City Transit boss Sarah Feinberg. Yes, indeed.

    The latest victims are a 44-year-old woman and an adult man, stabbed to death by an apparent stranger on two separate A trains. Two others were assaulted in the same 24 hours, possibly by the same attacker.

    https://nypost.com/2021/02/14/soaring-crime-is-killing-nycs-subway-system/?utm_source=RC+Investigations+Today&utm_campaign=50ff106b7c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_11_11_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d042379c8d-50ff106b7c-85695671&mc_cid=50ff106b7c&mc_eid=c4a952ab77

  29. Aim of Impeachment Was to Paint All Trump Voters as Criminals: Rep. Mike Johnson
    By Tom Ozimek
    February 15, 2021 Updated: February 16, 2021
    biggersmaller Print

    Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) says Democrats used the impeachment of former President Donald Trump as a tool to paint all of his supporters with the brush of Capitol breach-related criminality.

    Johnson told Breitbart News in an interview on Feb. 14 that the ultimate aim of impeaching Trump a second time was to associate the 75 million Americans who voted for him with those individuals who on Jan. 6 broke the law.

    “They really wanted to use impeachment as a vehicle because they wanted to equate all those tens of millions of Trump’s voters and all of his supporters and everybody who came to the rally, they wanted to equate all of those people with the couple hundred criminals who came in and ransacked the Capitol,” Johnson told the outlet.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/aim-of-impeachment-was-to-paint-all-trump-voters-as-criminals-rep-mike-johnson_3697344.html?utm_source=morningbriefnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mb-2021-02-16

  30. Pelosi Announces Independent 9/11-Style Commission to Investigate Capitol Breach
    By Jack Phillips
    February 15, 2021 Updated: February 16, 2021
    biggersmaller Print

    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) stated that Congress will establish an independent body similar to the 9/11 Commission to look at the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.

    “It is clear from his findings and from the impeachment trial that we must get to the truth of how this happened,” she said in a statement on Monday. “To protect our security, our security, our security, our next step will be to establish an outside, independent 9/11-type Commission to ‘investigate and report on the facts and causes’” of the breach.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/pelosi-announces-independent-9-11-style-commission-to-investigate-capitol-riot_3697747.html?utm_source=morningbriefnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mb-2021-02-16

  31. Pelosi Announces Independent 9/11-Style Commission to Investigate Capitol Breach
    By Jack Phillips
    February 15, 2021 Updated: February 16, 2021
    biggersmaller Print

    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) stated that Congress will establish an independent body similar to the 9/11 Commission to look at the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.

    “It is clear from his findings and from the impeachment trial that we must get to the truth of how this happened,” she said in a statement on Monday. “To protect our security, our security, our security, our next step will be to establish an outside, independent 9/11-type Commission to ‘investigate and report on the facts and causes’” of the breach.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/pelosi-announces-independent-9-11-style-commission-to-investigate-capitol-riot_3697747.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-02-15-4