Netherlands: Hague Police Attacked by Mob While Assisting Sick Person on Street

-De Telegraaf

On Sunday morning at about 2:45 am, Hague police responded to a call that a man needed medical assistance outside the central train station. As the police and ambulance personnel were attending to the victim, they were set upon by a mob who were in the vicinity. Reinforcements and police dogs were called in and 4 persons were arrested.

The below article from today's De Telegraaf is translated by Fousesquawk. English subtitles for the video in the article are pending.

 https://www.telegraaf.nl/nieuws/501373194/agenten-belaagd-terwijl-ze-slachtoffer-medische-hulp-bieden-in-den-haag

Officers attacked while offering medical help to victim in the Hague

Posted today at 13:01. Today at 09:50 in Domestic

The Hague. On the night of Friday to Saturday, Hague police made 4 arrests after officers were attacked as they were offering help during a medical emergency situation.

Around 2:45 am, police received a report that someone (needed medical assistance) on Rijnstraat (street) right by the Hague Central Station. Originally, it appeared to be a case of resuscitation, but once at the scene, it turned out not to be necessary. While officers and ambulance personnel were treating the victim, they were attacked by various groups of cafe-goers who sought confrontation. 

Among other things, the officers had to use batons and police dogs so that their colleagues could do their work safely. The crowd was eventually driven back toward the station. At that time, an officer was struck by someone from the mob. The police arrested a suspect for this assault. Three others were handcuffed. Two of the four were still in jail Saturday morning. 

The victim who had taken ill was able to be taken safely to the hospital in an ambulance thanks to the actions of the police. A second person was reportedly taken to the hospital according to a photographer who was present. On Saturday morning, the police here were unable to give further information

*Update: Here is the subtitled video (Hat tip Gates of Vienna and Vlad Tepes for subtitling. Translation by Fousesquawk.) 

Belgium: Jew Attacked and Beaten in Brugges

  On Friday, a 64-year-old Jewish man and his 29-year-old daughter (Israeli tourists) were attacked by a group of youths at the Brugges (Belgium) train station after they were seen removing an anti-Israel poster.  The man reportedly received a broken jaw from being kicked in the head.

The below article from the Belgian Dutch-language daily, De Morgen, is translated by Fousesquawk. It is only a partial translation due to the subscriber block. This incident occurred Friday in Brugges.

https://www.demorgen.be/nieuws/het-is-gevaarlijk-om-naar-hier-te-komen-zwaar-geweld-tegen-jood-die-anti-israel-sticker-verwijdert-in-station-brugge~b20d2ee9/

"It is dangerous to come here.": Serious violence against Jew who took down anti-Israel poster in Brugge station.

Caption: A screenshot from a film in which you can see how 64-year-old Amnon Ohanah was attacked in the Brugge Station-Beeld TV

On social media and in the Israeli press, images appear of 64-year-old Israeli, Amnon Ohanah, who was attacked by youths in Brugge. He tells his story...............

By Bruno Struys, 17 May 2024 at 19:17

Here is more from Algemeiner. It also has video (Viewer warning).

*Update  (May 18). Courtesy of Gates of Vienna, here is the remaining translation of the above article from De Morgen. Translation by Fousesquawk.

"It is not just verbal abuse or spitting, but now there are also physical attacks, which can end in disaster," says Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association (EJA) told the Times of Israel.

The images of a man who was kicked and beaten in the Brugges station have been commented on in the Israeli press and widely circulated on social media.

"Anti-Semitism!" says Antwerp City Council member Andre Gantman (N-VA) on X. "The result of continuous, rabid Israel-bashing!"

"Free Palestine".

The images spread predominantly on Friday, but the incident turned out to have happened on Monday. The 64-year-old Amnon Ohanah had been living in Belgium for 7 years and was having his 29-year-old daughter for a visit. He was eager to show her our country. On Monday, he took her to Brugges for a tourist visit.

It went well until on the way back in the station, Ohanah reportedly took down a "Boycott Israel" poster.

"A group of people began to shout, "Free Palestine", he says. "I paid them no attention and wanted to leave. And then someone came up to me and broke my jaw. I was able to grab him so that he couldn't escape. Then the rest of the group came and were kicking me."

Video was recording

The police arrived, interviewed the man, and took a statement for intentional assault and battery. The police advised Ohanah to get examined in a hospital.

The next train was delayed, and while Ohanah and his daughter were waiting, they were again attacked by youths. At that moment, his daughter decided to film the violence.

A medical report shows that his jaw is, indeed, broken, his ribs bruised, and he has abrasions to his legs and arms. Ohanah is unable to work for a week.

Anti-Semitism

Ohanah is hesitant to tell his story. He has German-Israeli citizenship and feels it is his right to defend Israeli policy. He himself has served in the army, and his son is fighting in Gaza. But he is not pleased  that the images have gone viral and fears another attack.

"I am afraid to be an Israeli in Belgium," says Ohanah. "My message to Israelis is: It is dangerous to come here, to walk the street with a kippah (yarmulke), BST) or openly speak Hebrew. I thought that this was a country of democrats, that it was safe on the streets, but those days are over." 

Though it seems that the violence in this case is mostly over Israel and the war in Gaza, since the war, there has been an upsurge in anti-Semitism in our country. Rabbi Margolin, from EJA, is asking the Belgian authorities to catch the perpetrators as soon as possible. "Don't wait to act until they start killing us," he says through the Jewish press agency, European Jewish Press. 

The Brugges police could not be reached Friday evening. The prosecutor's office could provide no  additional information.

UC vs UAW

"Whadda'ya mean youse don't support da Palestinians?"

UAW’s five demands are amnesty for all students and faculty, the right to free speech on campus, and allowing researchers to opt from funding sources “tied to the military or oppression of Palestinians.” They also demand the disclosure of UC investments and divestment from weapons manufacturing. 

-New University

The University of California Irvine campus newspaper, New University, is reporting that the University is "filing charges" against International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) 4811 for an unauthorized strike, apparently, in partial support of the pro-Hamas (my words) protesters at UC campuses.

So how does the union more commonly known as the United Auto Workers tie in with the University of California? 

You don't wanna know.

Anyway, here is further on the action from UC itself. They are filing an unfair labor charge against the union with the California Public Employment Relations Board asking them to cease and desist with their strike.

Well, all I can say is that you learn something new every day: Vinnie and Sluggo are now aerospace engineers. Who knew?

France: Algerian Man Shot Dead by Police Trying to Set Fire to Rouen Synagogue

Rouen

On Friday morning, police in Rouen*, France, about 50 kilometers north of Paris, confronted a man who was trying to set fire to the city's synagogue. As he charged police with a large knife, he was shot dead.

The man is described only as an Algerian male who was in the country illegally.

Interior Minister Gerald Dramanin traveled to Rouen and praised the actions of police and firefighters.

*Rouen is the city where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431.

 https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/faits-divers-justice/tentative-d-incendie-de-la-synagogue-de-rouen-un-acte-antisemite-particulierement-grave-denonce-gerald-darmanin-5964423

Attempt to set fire to the Rouen synagogue: "A  particularly serious anti-Semitic act, " denounced (by) Gerald Darmanin.

For the Interior Minister, the attempted setting of a fire to the Rouen synagogue by a man shot dead by police Friday morning is, "Evidently, an anti-Semitic act". Gerald Darmanin announced that he was going to decorate the police officer who fired the shot. 

Rouen

Friday, May 17, 2024 at 14:42

Caption: Gerald Darmanin at Rouen after the attempted setting of a fire at the city synagogue by a man shot to death by police.

A few hours after the attempt to set fire to the Rouen synagogue by a man shot dead by police, the Minister of Interior, Gerald Darmanin, traveled to the Norman city to address his "support to the city of Rouen, to the Jews of Rouen and of France". For him, it is "evidently, an act of anti-Semitism, which took place at a sacred place for the Republic, a place of worship".

Gerald Darmanin declared that "this act touches all of us deeply," expressing regret for the disgraceful, unacceptable violence against France's Jews. He stated that Rouen was not the object of any particular threats."

The officer who fired the shots will be decorated

The minister wished to salute the work of the firefighters and police who intervened Friday morning and who faced "an individual who was particularly dangerous and violent."

"This individual, with a large knife,  rushed at a young deputy police officer, age 25, who was extremely courageous and professional," Gerald Dramanin emphasized, who stated that he (the officer) had reason to use his weapon. For that, the officer, (placed on limited duty) within the framework of an investigation being carried out by IGPN (National Police General Inspection Service), will "be decorated by the Republic for his support to the protection of places of worship".

"Personally, I am fed with this criticism of the police. I have decided to decorate this officer because I believe he did his job," said the minister.

The suspect was in the files of wanted persons

The man who was shot dead was not a French citizen, but "of Algerian origin", the Minister of Interior stated. He had filed a request to the  Prefecture of Seine-Maritime in 2022 to obtain a residence permit as a "sick foreigner". But also according to Gerald Darmanin, this request was refused after consultation with a doctor. "He was then ordered to be taken to the border," but the man filed an appeal. At the end of January 2024, "this appeal failed- the tribunal agreed with the Minister of Interior".

The man was not classified as S (terrorist or security threat), and was unknown to police or intelligence, Gerald Darmanin noted. On the other hand, he was listed in the files of wanted persons for several weeks.

UC Irvine "Roundup"

 This article first appeared in New English Review. It was written on May 16, the day after police broke up the encampment and occupation of a building at UC Irvine. As an update, the final arrest toll is 47, including 26 students, 2 employees, and 19 non-UCI affiliated persons.

-ABC News

Having taught at the University of California at Irvine for 18 years and living in the neighborhood, I followed the encampment issue at that campus with interest.  On two occasions, I went to the campus, first to observe the goings-on at the encampment, and later to attend a march on campus in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.  When I observed the encampment, what I saw was about 50 or so young people in Palestinian scarves, many covering their faces, and the usual assortment of Palestinian flags. The encampment was set up in a quad area surrounded by science classrooms and research buildings. There was the constant blare of the usual chants by people taking turns with a bullhorn, accompanied by the beating of drums. Needless to say, it was not a conducive learning or research atmosphere in the adjacent buildings.

Then, yesterday, on May 15, the situation changed. Up to then, Chancellor Howard Gillman, while calling the encampment a violation of campus rules and disruptive to students and staff, continued to negotiate with the protesters.  Yesterday, however, the little rascals decided they were going to “liberate the university for Palestine” by occupying one of the adjacent buildings. At that point, Gillman decided enough was enough. He not only sent his campus police to the scene, but called for assistance from Orange County law enforcement, including the Irvine PD, the OC County Sheriffs, the California Highway Patrol, and various police departments in the county. Literally hundreds of police arrived on campus. They issued a dispersal order, which was ignored. They declared it an unlawful assembly. Finally, in a highly organized manner, they advanced gradually to the encampment, began removing barriers, and arrested some 50 people, including at least one professor (from the Global Studies Department, don’t you know?) who was positively hysterical, shouting, “I am a tenured professor” as she was led away by the gendarmes. By 11 pm, police operations had terminated.

All this time, I had gotten a call from friends who lived next to the university. One of them was on the scene and was feeding me reports. I decided not to go to campus myself. Rather I preferred to go home and post the reports on my own blog. At the same time, I was able to monitor the campus newspaper, the campus alerts, and other sources. By nightfall, all the local Southern California news outlets were live on the scene covering the story. It broke nationally as well as Fox News reported on it. Of course, to my knowledge, the local news said nothing about the anti-Semitic aspect to this story.

In today’s New University, the campus newspaper, Chancellor Gillman says he is heartbroken.

While I applaud Gillman’s decision yesterday and the professional manner in which it was carried out by police, Chancellor Gillman should have been heartbroken for the past several years, heartbroken over what his Jewish students have had to endure for years at the hands of these pro-Palestinian thugs and thugettes, including outside agitators and faculty. For years, we have been complaining, sending letters to the university administration, the president of the University of California system, the UC Regents, petitions, all for nought.

I should point out that it is a tiny minority of students at UC Irvine who are guilty. There are about 36,000 students enrolled at UC Irvine. The overwhelming majority-99.9%- have nothing to do with this. Yet, the campus climate for Jewish students has been hostile for years, thanks to the pro-Palestinian activists, the Muslim Student Union, and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

And it’s not just the Irvine campus. Virtually every UC campus up and down the state has had similar problems. Look at UCLA since October 7. Chancellor Gene Block is under pressure from all sides. The pro-Palestinian side is condemning the attack by outsiders on the encampment followed by the break-up of the encampment by police. They say Block has made the campus unsafe for them. Yet, for years, Jewish students have been appealing to the university to do something about the harassment they been suffering at the hands of the pro-Palestinian students-and faculty. Block has done nothing.

As I write, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law is filing a suit against UC Santa Barbara on behalf of a Jewish student-the president of the student government- who has been the target of non-stop abuse and harassment because she is Jewish and supports Israel.

I could go on and on, and need I mention the insane asylum at UC Berkeley?

Are we, the public, not fed up with the shenanigans going on at our universities, many of which are tax-payer funded? Have we not seen enough of these feckless, sniveling campus chancellors and presidents, who for years, have turned a blind eye to campus anti-Semitism? I have no illusions that the situation is going to turn around in California because this is a one-party state, and that party (Democrats) is on the side of the protesters-not the Jewish students. It is heartening to see states like Texas and Florida crack down, but they have sensible government leaders, unlike California. What we can do, however, is bring financial pressure to bear in terms of asking donors to send their millions elsewhere. Lawsuits brought against universities that refuse to protect Jewish students is another avenue I favor, like the Brandeis action against UC Santa Barbara.

Pressure must also be brought upon university leaders to be fired or resign. The example of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania stand out. UCLA Chancellor Block is stepping down July 1 though there is mounting pressure from all sides for him to resign now. Well he should.

As I have been claiming for years, with a few exceptions, most of the major Jewish organizations are not speaking out forcefully enough on this topic. They must step up to the plate and do better. Working with the universities through the “system” has not worked. Many of these organizations spent years denying the problem of anti-Semitism on our campuses. They stood in the way of all our efforts to shine the light on what was happening on our campuses. As to UC Irvine, that is something I can personally testify to.

I fervently hope that the arrests at UC Irvine will be followed, where appropriate, by prosecution. Enough is enough. It is time to clean house in terms of disruptive students and professors who encourage hate and disrespect for the law.  Expulsions and firings are in order at UC Irvine and other campuses. Our universities need to get back to being centers of serious learning in a tranquil atmosphere rather than training grounds for activists and centers of indoctrination. Just as importantly, they need to be safe and welcoming to our Jewish students.

 

Spooky Campfire Tales

 

"And suddenly, the kids heard a strange noise coming from the woods around the campfire. Who could it be- monsters, goblins, ghosts, Zionists? The noise kept coming closer like the marching of jackboots. 

Who's out there, they called. No answer. Then amid the rustling of leaves, a figure emerged from the woods, then another, and another. It was............

the campus police!"

UC Irvine: Physical Sciences Building Occupied-Police Present

 

-New University

From UC Irvine Emergency Updates

May 15, 2024

3:11 p.m.
zotALERT: Protest has escalated near Physical Science Quad. Avoid the area. If you are in the area shelter in place for your safety until further notice.

2:53 p.m.
zotALERT: Violent protest confirmed at or near Physical Science Lecture Hall. Avoid the area

At approximately 2:30 p.m. a group of several hundred protestors entered the Physical Sciences Lecture Hall on the UC Irvine campus and began surrounding the building.

The university put out a call for mutual aid to local law enforcement agencies and has received on-site assistance from the Irvine Police Department and Orange County Sheriff’s department as protestors swarmed the campus joining a group of protestors who had established an encampment on the campus on April 29.

Classes have been cancelled for the remainder of the day and the university has notified anyone in the immediate area on campus to shelter in place. We are continuing to monitor the situation and strongly urge people to stay away from the campus.

Updates will be provided on this website as they are available.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am receiving reports that the pro-Hamas protesters have occupied the Physical Sciences Building at UC Irvine near the quad where they were holding their encampment. I am in touch with people on the scene. According to what I am being told, the UCI Campus police are at the location and have given a dispersal order. The Irvine PD is also reportedly present. Police helicopters are in the air.

A campus-wide "Zot" alert has been sent out to the campus community that a "violent" protest" is occurring and to avoid the area. Some neighbors and/or others connected to the university (protest supporters) say that there is no violence and the university is lying.

I will keep updating this.

Here is what the little rascals are reporting on their Instagram page. They say that the university has called in the Orange County, Sheriff's Office, Irvine PD, and California Highway Patrol. They (UCI Divest) are requesting members of the community to come to the campus and assist them (the protesters).

Here is how the campus newspaper, New University, is reporting this. They report that police have ordered dispersals. Also that classes are canceled for the remainder of the day and campus employees to work from home tomorrow.

4 pm

This is now getting local news coverage. Overhead shots show that the encampment has been enlarged and police from different agencies are out in force.

5 pm. 

Police have now positioned themselves directly facing the protesters. Thus far, a handful of protesters have been taken into custody and police are methodically starting to remove the encampment barriers.

-LA Times

-New University

5:25 pm

There is an unconfirmed report that protesters have barricaded themselves inside a lecture hall.

*Update 7:55 pm.

 I had to go out for a couple of hours, but I was able to watch police clear the encampment on TV and make an undetermined number of arrests. It appears they handled it professionally. Local radio KFI 640 carried an interview with a UCI professor of Global Studies who can only be described as hysterical. As she was led away in handcuffs, she proclaimed for the world to hear that she was "a tenured UCI professor protesting genocide etc.". She described UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman as "a cruel man" for calling in law enforcement.

Meanwhile, KFI also reported that Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan put out a social media tweet on X supporting the protesters and complaining that "peaceful protests were again being met by violence," basically throwing her own police department under the bus.  Earlier, she had announced that Irvine police would not be allowed to respond to UCI. 

At this point, as darkness falls, some 100 protesters are faced off with police at the adjacent Aldrich Park area of UCI.

At 10:42 pm, the campus advised via Zot alert that police activity had concluded. No word on the number of arrests.

*Update (May 16). The Orange County Register is reporting that 50 people were arrested either for failing to disperse after an order from police or trespassing. Most have been processed and released with citations. Meanwhile, Chancellor Howard Gillman says he is "heartbroken".

King Charles Royal Portrait Raises Eyebrows

 

France: Prisoner Escape: Two Guards Killed, Three Wounded

Mohamed Amra

-LBC (UK)

Once again, France is reeling. Today, a prisoner named Mohamed Amra was being transported from court to prison in a police van in northern France when the van was attacked at a toll booth by several masked men dressed in black combat fatigues. When it was over,  two guards were dead, three wounded, and the prisoner escaped. Now a massive manhunt is underway in the country.

The below article from today's Le Figaro, is translated by Fousesquawk. The entire incident was captured on security cameras and is contained in the same article (with no sound). As is their custom, many French news outlets are identifying the escapee only as Mohamed A. CNN, meanwhile, is consciously omitting his name entirely. I guess even prison escapees are entitled to their privacy. (The link was subsequently updated to include his name.)

In the interest of time, I am posting the first couple of paragraphs of the Le Figaro article, and will complete it later in the day. As this is still breaking news, the article is being updated by Le Figaro.

https://www.lefigaro.fr/faits-divers/eure-au-moins-deux-agents-tues-lors-du-braquage-d-un-fourgon-penitentiaire-20240514

Prison van attacked in Eure: What we know about the deadly attack

By Esther Paolini

Posted 7 hours ago. Updated 5 minutes ago

The attacked van was transporting Mohamed Amra, nickname, "The Fly", a criminal who was closely guarded, most notably convicted of "attempted homicide". A manhunt is in progress to find him.

A major manhunt is in progress to locate several fugitives including Mohamed Amra, a particularly dangerous prisoner, who escaped in the fatal attack on the prison van which was transporting him near Évreux in Normandy.

At this stage, the attack, carried out with heavy weapons has left at least two dead among the corrections officers, according to a statement from the judicial tribunal in Paris. According to our information, the officers, one born in 1989 and the other in 1972, were working in the court transport center in Caen. "One of them leaves behind a wife and two children who were to celebrate their 21st anniversary in two days," stated (Minister of Justice) Eric Dupond-Moretti. "The other leaves behind a 5-month pregnant wife,  relatives and friends". Three other officers are seriously wounded, one of whose condition is critical, and two are hospitalized in relative urgency.

In total, the escort was comprised of 5 officers, divided between a van and a utility vehicle, a prison source informs us. In a video disseminated on social media, we see at least 5 men, dressed entirely in black, firing military weapons at the two vehicles.

Attack on prison van in Eure: Two officers killed, one prisoner escaped

Tuesday, 14 May, the transport van between Evreux and Rouen, the prisoner escaped

The attack took place shortly after 11:00 at the Incarville toll stop.

Not a "particularly notable prisoner"

The attack happened as the prisoner, born in 1994, and sentenced on May 10, 2024 by the Evreux court for burglary, had been removed from his cell at the Evreux Detention Center to appear before an investigating judge at the Rouen Judicial Tribunal in connection with a criminal procedure in which he had been charged for attempted murder. The escape occurred at 10:57 on return from this hearing, at the Incarville toll station. The van was struck from the front by a stolen vehicle, which had passed the same toll station a few minutes earlier, according to a statement by the Paris Prosecutor's office. Several armed persons came out from a second vehicle that was following the convoy, thus blocking all possibility of escape. The thugs then opened fire with several shots at the two prison vehicles, the prosecutor's office states. 

The man was not a particularly high-profile prisoner (DPS), but his profile, "necessitated a level 3 escort," stated the Paris national prosecutor.

After having abandoned the vehicle used in the attack, apparently, a Peugeot 5008, they reportedly fled in a white Audi A5 and a series 5 BMW. The two vehicles were subsequently discovered burned, one in the municipality of Vatteville, the other near the hospital of Evreux. One of the attackers was also wounded.

Also according to our information, the fugitive, Mohamed Amra, nickname, "The Fly", is reportedly originally from the La Sabliere quarter of Rouen. He already has several criminal convictions to his credit, notably, for "drug traffic" and "attempted homicide". On the other hand, he had not been classified as a radicalized prisoner.

......................................................................................................................

(Translator's note) The above article has just been updated, and the above link is now dramatically different from what has been translated to this point. 

A Freudian Slip at Florida International University?

FIA in April 2024

-Panther Now

Hat tip Campus Reform and Israel War Room. (I don't know if the latter site is part of the Israeli government or not. It is obviously pro-Israel.)

”In every single protest that we have, our actions have had counter-protesters, and there is never any backlash and never police protecting us. In fact, our police are directly protecting counter-protesters even at our events,” the woman said. “So I want to ask you all, is Palestinian life not worth mourning? And we as Arabs, Palestinian, Muslim, and anti-Jewish students, are we not worth protecting?”

On February 5, the student government senate at Florida International University was debating a cease-fire resolution over the Israeli war in Gaza (It failed.)  One speaker, a young Muslim woman in hijab, spoke and was captured on video making what can only be described as a Freudian slip. She described herself and her cohorts as "anti-Jewish".

How often do we hear the pro-Palestinian protesters insist that they are not anti-Jewish, just anti-Zionist? It is a lie, and in my opinion, the lie was inadvertently exposed at Florida International University on February 5. These protests are supporting Hamas. They describe the October 7 massacres as "justified resistance". Hamas itself is anti-Jewish, as stated in their own charter where they call for other destruction not only of the Jewish state but the Jews as well.

The other lie she spoke was in complaining how police protect counter-protesters and not the 'Arab, Palestinian, Muslim, anti-Jewish" protesters. I am fully aware of the incident at UCLA recently when that encampment was attacked by people from outside the university and there was a long, long delay in an effective police response. I do not condone that incident. That aside,  however, it is the counter-protesters who need protection,. It is the Jewish students and Israel supporters who need protection. All too often, they have failed to receive it on campuses across the nation. It is the pro-Israel events that always get disrupted by the friends and colleagues of this woman at FIU. It is her own protests and demonstrations that are all too often disruptive, unruly, or violent. Pro-Israel demonstrators hold their events peacefully and according to rules laid down by the university.

Can we say the same for Students in Justice in Palestine? No. They routinely use tactics of disruption and intimidation. They are pro-Hamas-and they are anti-Jewish. I don't know if the speaker in question is a member of SJP, but they obviously travel in the same circles.

Sweden: Eurovision in Crisis Mode

                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                   

Bambi Thug

The Eurovision Song Contest being held in Malmo, Sweden is in crisis mode due to the participation of Israel. As the competition holds its final stage tonight, Eden Golan, from Israel, just may turn out to be the winner. They are already going crazy because Israel is in the competition. What will they do if she wins?

Meanwhile, another finalist, the appropriately named Bambi Thug, from Ireland, is demanding that Israel be kicked out. The competition organizers have held an "emergency meeting" today.

As for Bambi, if she doesn't win the Eurovision context, surely she can get her mug on Bud Lite cans.

The below article from today's Expressen, is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.expressen.se/noje/eurovision/irland-missade-genrepet-i-eurovision/

Ireland missed dress rehearsal in Eurovision

Posted 11 May 2024 ar 14:40

Updated 16:55

Ireland, Switzerland, and Greece were absent from the artist presentation before the dress rehearsal in Eurovision on Saturday afternoon.

Now Irish (performer) Bambi Thug explains that it was a protest and attempt to get EBU's attention.

In an interview with Irish RTE, she says she wants Israel excluded. According to NRK, EBU is holding a crisis meeting about what occurred.

By Johan Bratell

Caption: New demonstration for Palestine during dress rehearsal

Neither Ireland, Switzerland, Greece, nor disqualified Netherlands were seen when the Eurovision artists were presented at the dress rehearsal before the evening's final in Malmo Arena.

Now fan-favorite, Ireland's Bambi Thug, talks about the decision not to show up.

"A situation arose while we were waiting to go onstage before the dress rehearsal, which I felt I needed to bring to the attention of EBU. EBU has taken this seriously, and we have had a discussion on what needs to be done. This means that I am missing the dress rehearsal. I am sorry for all the fans who have come to see me. I hope to see you from the stage tonight," Bambi Thug writes in a statement via social media.

Norwegian NRK writes that EBU is holding a crisis meeting about what occurred.

Demand that Israel be removed

Later in the afternoon, Bambi Thug left the hotel dressed in a Palestinian shawl.

Bambi Thug tells Irish RTE that she wants Israel excluded, and she is critical of what the country's  commentator said during a broadcast on Tuesday.

"There will be a lot of spells, black magic, Satanist symbols, and voodoo dolls," the commentator said then, according to RTE.

During the rehearsal before the semi-final, Bambi Thug had written the words, "Cease fire" and "freedom for Palestine" on her body in the late Middle Ages written language, Ogham, Aftonbladet reported.

Caption: Bambi Thug leaves hotel in Palestinian shawl on Saturday

Greece and Switzerland also (absent) 

Greece was also not seen during the flag parade, but when it was Marina Sattis' turn to perform, she stood on the stage and did her number. The same was true for Nemo from Switzerland.

Protests against Israel again

Eden Golan, 20, from Israel, with her contribution, "Hurricane", has sailed to one of the big favorites in the evening's Eurovision.

But the protests against her participation continue.

 During Saturday afternoon's dress rehearsal, she was once again met with boos from the audience-and with that, two Palestinian flags appeared when she took the stage.

EBU earlier communicated that only flags from competing nations, plus the rainbow flag are permitted.  

UC Irvine: Campus Newspaper Reports Suspensions of Encampment Members and Organizations

Yesterday, UC Irvine's campus newspaper, New University, which is reporting regularly on the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus and the university's attempts to negotiate with the protestors, reported that some protesters, including negotiators, were suspended. The paper also reported that Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)  and two other related organizations have been suspended. I don't know how accurate this is, but it can be read here. If true, it would be a positive first step.

SJP has also confirmed via social media that students have been suspended. No word on the status of SJP itself.