Wednesday, August 31, 2022

France: 4 Months in Prison (Suspended) for Imam

Hat tip F. DeSouche


Mohamed Tataiat

Yesterday, we reported on the deportation proceedings against an imam in France as a result of his anti-Jewish sermons. Today, we have another story out of France concerning an imam in Toulouse. Imam Mohamed Tataiat has been sentenced to 4 months in jail (suspended) and a 30,000 euro fine for his anti-Semitic sermons in which he quoted the hadith about the Day of Judgment when Muslims will fight the Jews. (The entire passage continues that the Jew will hide behind the trees and rocks, and that the trees and rocks will call out, " O Muslim. There is a Jew hiding behind me. Come and kill him."

The below article from La Depeche is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.ladepeche.fr/2022/08/31/toulouse-devant-la-cour-dappel-limam-mohamed-tataiat-est-condamne-a-4-mois-sursis-pour-un-preche-antisemite-10515207.php

Imam Mohamed Tataiat sentenced to 4 months (suspended) for anti-Semitic sermon by appeals court of Toulouse

Posted 31 August 2022 at 14:15, updated at 16:21

Caption: Imam Mohamed Tataiat has directed the En Nourr Mosque in Toulouse for 35 years.

Accused of having given an anti-Semitic sermon in December 2017, but freed by the criminal tribunal of Toulouse on 14 September 2021, the imam of Empalot (district), Mohamed has just been sentenced to 4 months in prison (suspended) and approximately 30,000 euros fine by the appeals court of Toulouse. He is pursuing a reduction.

A new episode in the case of Mohamed Tataiat. Four and a half months after the start of the case, the imam has been sentenced by the Toulouse appeals court to four months imprisonment with suspension and approximately a 30,000 euro fine. On the day of the trial, the prosecutor had requested 6 months imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 euros.

In this decision, the court rules that he gave an anti-Semitic sermon on 15 December 2017 within the walls of the mosque located in the Empalot quarter of Toulouse. A speech read in the Arabic language and disseminated live on YouTube, in which he reportedly incited his followers to kill the Jews. "A dangerous speech containing anti-Semitic violence," stated Hassen Chalghoumi, president of the Conference of Imams in France, on May 30 before the appeals court.

During the investigation carried out by the police, several interpreters had translated these words in the following phrase: "The Final Judgment will not come until the Muslims combat the Jews." However, according to Mahamed Tataiat, "this was not a command, rather a warning for the Muslims not to participate in this movement. Otherwise, it would be the end of the universe. This phase has been decontextualized."

6 months in prison requested

 Before the magistrates on the day of trial, the imam himself claimed that all of the Salafists in the Empalot mosque had been kicked out. "My client states that he has committed no reprehensible act. The remarks he made come from a reading of the text that is part of the body of Islam. To criminalize this reading can pose a major problem for all religions," stated Attorney Jean Iglesis, the lawyer of the imam, (who was) absent during the reading of the ruling. "He is sick," noted his counsel. The associations that combat anti-Semitism greet this decision. "The ruling is satisfying. We have heard very explicit references to terrorist leaders. For us, there is no ambiguity. The appeals court did not error," analyzed Jacques Samuel, lawyer for the civil parties. However, the affair is not finished since the representative of Mohamed Tataiat announced that his client would pursue a reduction.

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Fousesquawk comment.

Indeed, there is no ambiguity behind this passage from the hadith. The explanation offered by the imam is disingenuous, to say the least. It is not a warning not to fight the Jew. It is an exhortation to fight the Jew, and every imam on this planet knows it is.   



Tuesday, August 30, 2022

France: Moroccan Imam, Subject to Expulsion, on the Run



A few weeks ago, we reported that an imam in France, Hassan Iquioussen, was being deported to Morocco as a result of his incendiary rhetoric and hate speech directed at Jews. A judge temporarily suspended that order, but now France has been given the green light to deport the imam. However, he has apparently absconded.

The below article from today's Le Monde is translated by Fousesquawk.

https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2022/08/30/expulsion-de-l-imam-iquioussen-vers-le-maroc-le-conseil-d-etat-donne-son-aval_6139517_3224.html

Imam Hassan Iquioussen can be expelled to Morocco, the Council of State having given its approval

The Minister of Interior had asked to have lifted an administrative order of suspension of the expulsion request for this preacher, accused of  giving "a speech with anti-Semitic content."

Le Monde

Posted today at 15:32, updated at 17:41.

Caption: The president of the association that runs the Escaudain Mosque, near Valenciennes, Hassan Isquioussen (at left) along with a preacher, 18 June 2004- FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP

Imam Hassan Iquioussen is on the run and has been placed on the list of wanted persons, a source close to the case reported to Agence France-Presse on the evening of Tuesday, August 30.

Earlier in the day, the Council of State, the highest French administrative jurisdiction, had given its green light to his expulsion to Morocco, after a request from the Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, against a ruling from the administrative tribunal of Paris suspending the expulsion of the preacher.  The police proceeded to the residence of the Moroccan imam in Lourches, near Valenciennes (North) to arrest him. But they could not find him, according to a source close to the case, who raised the possibility he is in Belgium. 

On July 28, the Minister of the Interior had issued an order for expulsion aimed at Mr. Iquioussen due to "a proselytizing speech interspersed with remarks inciting hate and discrimination and carrying a vision of Islam contrary to the values of the Republic."

Petitioned by Mr Iquioussen's lawyers, the Paris administrative tribunal has suspended this extradition demand in early August, arguing that the expulsion of the imam, born in France 58 years ago, but with Moroccan nationality, would pose a "disproportionate attack on his private and family life".

"Explicit and deliberate acts of provocation of discrimination"

The Interior Minister particularly criticized the imam (for) "a particularly virulent anti-Semitic speech," and his sermons advocating the "submission " of women "in favor of men". The expulsion order also referred to the encouragement of "separatism" and "contempt for certain Republican values, such as secularism and the functioning democracy of the French society."

In his decision, the interim judge of the Council of State rules that "his anti-Semitic remarks, going back several years, during numerous widely disseminated conferences, as well as statements on the inferiority of women and submission to men constitute explicit and deliberate acts of provocation to discrimination and hate, justifying the expulsion decision. He (judge) also rules that this decision does not pose a serious and manifestly illegal attack on the private and family life of Mr Iquioussen," the highest administrative jurisdiction explains in its statement.

In a tweet posted just before the press release by the Council of State, the Interior Minister stated that this decision was, "a great victory for the Republic". "He will be expelled from France. Once arrested, he will be placed in an administrative detention center," Mr Darmanin stated early this evening from the steps of his ministry, noting that, "since 2017, 786 radicalized foreigners have been expelled," and that, "74 of them over the course of recent months." 

"The judicial fight continues"

The imam's lawyer, Luie Simon, reacted on Twitter claiming that this decision symbolized, "a weakened rule of law," and deplored, "an alarming context of executive pressure upon the judiciary," adding: 

"The judicial fight continues, the administrative tribunal will have to look into the basis of the case next, and Hassan Iquioussen is studying the possibility of again petitioning the CEDH (European Court of Human Rights)".  

The CEDH had refused to suspend the expulsion in early August, stating that it only granted provisional measures of suspension "in exceptional circumstances," when the petitioner was exposed to a, "real risk of irreparable damages". 










Monday, August 29, 2022

Rocky Mountain High Middle East Studies

Hat tip Jewish News Syndicate


                                                                                                                                                         



                                                                                                                                           

   

Nader Hashemi


Nader Hashemi is the head of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver. In the wake of the recent stabbing attack of Salman Rushdie by a Muslim man trying to cash in on the fatwa issued decades ago by the Ayatollah Khomeini, Hashemi has a hare-brained theory as to who is really behind the attempted murder.

It's the Mossad, Israel's intelligence service.


The Jewish News Syndicate has the details.

 https://www.jns.org/university-of-denver-professor-says-mossad-likely-behind-rushdies-stabbing/

To the uninitiated, one might think this guy is smoking his socks or whatever it is they smoke in Colorado. But in reality, this is precisely what I have come to expect from Middle East Studies departments in universities across the nation. This is typical of Middle East Studies scholarship.

These departments are about as academically valid as gender studies, and LGBTQ studies departments. In truth, they are pan-Arab, anti-West, anti-Israel, anti-Semitic hotbeds dedicated to teachings of people like Edward Said and his post-colonial Orientalism, which teaches that anything connected to the West is racist, colonialist, imperialistic, and whatever other negative label you can attach.

Just as "academics" like Hashemi are loathe to admit that any country outside of Israel in that part of the world could be involved in terrorism, any problems in the region are the fault of Israel, the US, and the West. Oh, they'll condemn any dictators in the region who have been friendly to the West, but the real underlying reason they want to see these particular dictators fall is so that they can be replaced by an Islamist regime. But it's never the fault of Arab/Middle Eastern society or Islam. The only reason they hate the West and Israel (according to them) is because of Zionism, injustices to the Palestinians, and colonialism in general.

But it's always somebody else's fault.

It is also worthy of note that in the cash-crazed atmosphere of academia, much of Middle East studies in the US owes its existence to oil money from countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who want to see their brand of history, politics, and Islam promoted to gullible US students. Thus, they contribute money to establish these departments and make sure they are staffed with the "right" kind of professors. Pro-Israel professors need not apply. Why would they want to work in that type of hostile environment?

Final point: Call me naive, but which country do you think is more likely to order the assassination of an innocent man like Rushdie, Israel or the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world? I am not saying that Iran was involved, but the original fatwa came out of that country, and they never rescinded it after Khomeini's death. They are a despicable regime, so Hashemi can defend them all he wants at the cost to his own reputation.

Switzerland: Terror Trial Opens


Bellinzona (Ticino), Switzerland


In November 2020, a Swiss woman (converted to Islam) attacked two women with a knife in a department store in Lugano, Switzerland. This week, her trial began in the Ticino cantonal capital court in Bellinzona. The woman has expressed no remorse for her actions. (Note is not clear based on the various articles whether only one person or both suffered actual injuries.)

The below (partial article) from Corriere del Ticino is transcribe3d from Italian by Fousesquawk.

https://www.cdt.ch/news/ticino/accoltellamento-alla-manor-lo-rifarebbe-si-ma-meglio-292016

Trial- Stabbing at the Manor (department store): "Would you do it again?" "Yes, but better"

The 29-year-old who stabbed two persons in Lugano is questioned: "I wanted to show that a woman can also carry out a terrorist act," The expert: The perfect storm.

"If you could go back, would you do it again?" asked the judge, Fiorenza Bergomi, toward the end of the questioning of the woman in the trial before the Federal Penal Tribune for having stabbed two persons at the Lugano Manor on 24 November 2020. "Yes," she answered. "But better". 

There is no remorse for what the defendant did, a Ticino woman of 29 who converted to Islam with a history of mental problems and a 2016 attempt to travel to Syria to marry ( "I want you, I want to fight with you," she herself recalled today in court). "They don't make me either hot or cold," she added shortly afterward as the photographs were shown on the TPF screen of the wounds she inflicted on her victim, a woman who survived the assault..........

The remainder of the article is restricted to subscribers.




Saturday, August 27, 2022

Belgium: Driver Charged With Attempted Manslaughter

 Belgian newspapers are reporting today that the man (Muhammed G.) who injured 6 people by ramming his car through some outdoor tables on a narrow Brussels street yesterday has been charged with attempted manslaughter. Without knowing anything about Belgian law, that would suggest to me a degree of deliberate conduct.

As to motive, the prosecutor's office is still investigating all possibilities, but one of those (according to prosecutors) is that the driver may have been frustrated with Brussels' narrow streets and the traffic, thus a possible road rage explanation. As to his reported shouts of, "Allahu Akbar", authorities (someone at least) has said that rather than it being a battle cry, it just may have been an expression of frustration, or that he may have lost control of the car. 

Below is a translation (Fousesquawk) of today's sub-headline in De Morgen.

M.G., the 28-year-old man from Sint-Joost-ten-Node, who drove his car into a terrace (outdoor tables) Friday in Brussels, has been ordered into custody by an investigating judge and charged with attempted manslaughter. That is reported by the Brussels Prosecutor's Office. The Prosecutor's Office is giving no further details about the investigation for now.

Robby Dierickx, 27 August 2022  17:02.


And this segment from De Standaard:

In the investigation, "all avenues are open". But the possibility of a terrorist act is taken less into account.

The 28-year-old M.G.- as the suspect is identified, is known to the courts but not due to extremism. According to Het Nieuwsblad (newspaper), the man was recently hired as a driver by a Brussels company. The investigators would assume (from that) that he made his life-threatening maneuver after he was stuck in the narrow Brussels streets.




Friday, August 26, 2022

Belgium: Additional Details on Vehicle Attack in Brussels


-De Morgen


Here is more on the vehicle attack that took place earlier today in Brussels, in which 6 people were injured. Police have yet to declare it a terrorist attack, but the driver has been identified in certain Belgian news sources as Muhammed G., 28, a Belgian citizen born in Turkey. Witnesses have claimed that he shouted, "Allahu Akbar", or something of that nature during the incident. He was later arrested in Antwerp. 

Segments of the below Belgian newspapers, De Morgen (Dutch), Nieuwsblad (Dutch), and La Libre (French), are translated by Fousesquawk. 

https://www.demorgen.be/snelnieuws/bestuurder-die-met-bestelwagen-inreed-op-terrassen-in-brussel-is-gevat-dit-weten-we-al~b72acb4e/

The incident took place around 12:50 this afternoon on the Sint-Michael Street, a side street off Niuewstraat (New Street). There the driver of a white van drove at a high speed into the (outdoor tables) of the City Pizza snack bar and the Le Corbeau Tavern.

In the incident, 6 persons were injured. None of them had to be taken to the hospital.

After the collision, the driver fled at a high rate of speed. The police set up a perimeter and among other things, (used) a helicopter to track down the driver. In addition, victims and witnesses were interviewed and (surveillance) camera images analyzed.

Het incident vond vanmiddag omstreeks 12.50 uur plaats in de Sint-Michielsstraat, een zijstraat van de Nieuwstraat. Daar reed de bestuurder van een witte bestelwagen aan hoge snelheid in op de terrassen van de snackbar City Pizza en de taverne Le Corbeau.

Bij het incident raakten zes personen gewond. Geen van hen moest worden overgebracht naar het ziekenhuis.

De bestuurder had na de aanrijding aan hoge snelheid de vlucht genomen. De politie stelde een perimeter in en zette onder meer een helikopter in om de bestuurder op te sporen. Verder werden slachtoffers en getuigen verhoord, en camerabeelden geanalyseerd.

 https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20220826_94247743

Almost immediately after the facts, it was thought there were terrorist motives. Witnesses claim that they heard the perpetrator shout, "Allahu akhbar!" or something of that nature. The OCAD, the Agency for Coordination and Threat Analysis, based on the initial evaluation, raised the threat level from 2 to 3 (serious), but shortly afterward, it was brought back to level 2.

Bijna direct na de feiten werd gedacht aan terroristische motieven. Getuigen beweren dat ze de dader “Allahoe akbar” of iets in de aard hoorden roepen. Het OCAD, het Orgaan voor de Coördinatie en de Analyse van de Dreiging, schaalde op basis van een eerste evaluatie het dreigingsniveau even op van 2 naar 3 (ernstig), maar kort nadien werd het weer op niveau 2 gebracht.

https://www.lalibre.be/regions/bruxelles/2022/08/26/une-camionnette-fonce-sur-une-terrasse-a-bruxelles-six-blesses-3SBCP5HLKZCQPCJEPZPPZQY5E4/

According to information given by HLN (News), the driver of the van is reportedly Muhammed G., a Belgian, age 28, from Saint-Josse-ten-Node, born in Turkey. It has been confirmed to La Libre that he is not known for ties to terrorism.  Nor does he have any ties whatsoever to recent incidents in Antwerp.

Selon les informations données par HLN, le conducteur de la camionnette serait Muhammed G., un Belge de 28 ans originaire de Saint-Josse-ten-Node et né en Turquie. Il a été confirmé à La Libre qu'il n'est pas connu pour des faits liés au terrorisme. Il n'a pas non plus de liens quelconque avec les faits récents à Anvers.

*Update- 4:54pm August 26, 2022.

The below video from the Dutch-language De Standaard (Be) shows the impact. The Dutch sub-titles are translated by Fousesquawk. Hat tip Gates of Vienna and Vlad Tepes.



Car Attack in Brussels

 Hat tip Jihad Watch

-7 sur 7 (Belgium)

Today, a van drove through a terrace in Brussels injuring 6 people. The driver failed to stop and was arrested later in Antwerp. According to various Belgian news sources, the driver is identified only a Muhammed G. (28), a Belgian citizen born in Turkey. Witnesses claimed to have heard him yelling, "Allahu akhbar!" during the incident, but some papers have taken that report out. Police are not yet stating definitively that this was a terrorist attack.

We are working on some local Belgian news translations.

Thursday, August 25, 2022

CNN's Half Documentary on Anti-Semitism

This article first appeared in Times of Israel Blogs.


 I watched this weekend's CNN documentary, "Rising Hate: Anti-Semitism in America" with much interest. Like many observers whose reactions I have read, I have mixed reactions.

On the one hand, just the fact that a liberal outlet like CNN would highlight the problem of resurgent anti-Semitism in America is encouraging. It was positive that CNN featured the ordeal of a Jewish student at the State University of New York (SUNY ) at New Paltz, who was kicked out of a sexual assault survivors group because she was a Zionist. However, it would have been better if more examples of campus anti-Semitism arising out of the Israel-Palestinian conflict were featured. This is a nationwide problem. I maintain that the recent resurgence in anti-Semitism was largely bred on our college campuses thanks to the pro-Palestinian student groups like Students for Justice in Palestine and various Muslim Student Association chapters. Alas, as usual, the precise perpetrators were not pointed out. 

Jonathan Greenblatt, the liberal head of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), was interviewed. Yes, he did state that anti-Semitism in America today is coming from both the left and the right, but in his opinion, Jew-hatred from the right far outweighs that from the left. I respectfully disagree. Why was there no discussion of Islamic anti-Semitism? Nor was there any discussion of the role that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is contributing to anti-Semitism. According to CRT, Jews are simply privileged whites, in other words, oppressors and not worthy of any protection-in spite of the fact that FBI statistics for the past several years consistently show that Jews are the largest victims of religion-based hate crimes.

Where was there any mention of anti-Semitic Congresswomen Rashid Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) with their disgraceful history of anti-Jewish utterances? 

It is undeniably true that the attacks on synagogues in Pittsburgh and Poway (San Diego) were carried out by white Jew-haters. But there was also the attack on the Colleyville, Texas synagogue. That was carried out by an Arab Muslim, a fact ignored in the documentary. The rampage through a heavily Jewish populated area of Los Angeles a couple of summers ago was carried out not by white neo-Nazis, but by Black Lives Matter-inspired "protesters" in the wake of the George Floyd death in Minnesota.

And then there was the matter of former President Trump. Granted some people who voted for him may harbor hateful feelings toward Jews. President Biden and former President Obama also received votes from certain people for despicable reasons motivated by hate. To call former President Trump an anti-Semite is as much a false canard as saying he worked with Putin in 2016 to win the election. 

I vividly recall attending an anti-hate event at a Jewish synagogue in Newport Beach in 2017 shortly after Trump came into office. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim leaders in the Orange County community gathered to decry anti-Semitism and Islamophobia which, according to them, were exploding largely because Trump was president. Not one word about Islamic anti-Semitism or any form of anti-Semitism coming from the left. Audience questions to that effect were not even entertained. I know. I sent up a question to the panel as to who was responsible for anti-Semitism at UC Irvine, located just a few hundred yards away. The person gathering the question cards took one look at my question and told me, "We're not going there tonight." I might add that two of the speakers that night were high-ranking administrators from UC Irvine. But the problems that are well documented over the years at UC Irvine were not part of the discussion.

It is undeniably true that, as history illustrates, Jews are victimized by hatred from all different directions. As a conservative gentile, I condemn those attacks that have come from certain fringe individuals from the right. We must condemn them if we are to maintain our own credibility. But I object to CNN's slant on the problem. I mean no disrespect to Dana Bash, who was the moderator and herself Jewish. Unlike many at CNN, I consider her a reputable journalist. But if anti-Semitism is to be confronted, it must be exposed who the guilty parties are, both on the left and the right. There must be a full discussion, and all guilty parties must be singled out. As such, the CNN presentation was only half a documentary. Not only were many of the guilty parties not mentioned, but one innocent person was tarred with the label of anti-Semite. That was former President Trump. He is many things. But he is not an anti-Semite. 

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Belgium: Jeremy Corbyn Featured Speaker at Hate Fest

-Jeremy Corbyn (no doubt waving to someone in the audience)


It looks like the Workers of the World are going to unite in Ostend, Belgium September 17-18. That's because the Belgian Labour Party is organizing what they are called a Manifiesta featuring various and sundry left-wing notables.

That includes former Labour Party chairmen, Jeremy Corbyn. I say former because he was suspended by the party after too many examples of his anti-Semitism reared their ugly heads.

But he is welcome in Ostend.

The below article from the conservative Belgian news outlet, React Nieuws, is translated from Dutch by Fousesquawk.

 https://reactnieuws.net/2022/08/23/door-labour-geschorste-antisemitische-jeremy-corbyn-hoofdgast-op-haatfestival-manifiesta/

Labour Party Suspended "Anti-Semitic"* Jeremy Corbyn main guest at Manifiesta hate festival

*Translator's note: We have applied quotation marks before and after the above term, "anti-Semitic" only because the original article does.

23 August 2022 React News

On September 17 and 18 the extreme left "Manifiesta" will take place in Ostend. This year, the extreme leftist, Jermy Corbyn is the featured main speaker. Corbyn was the chairman of the British Labour Party from 2015-2020. He liked being photographed with the Stalin genocide flag a lot.

Caption: Jeremy Corbyn with the Stalin genocide flag. Stalin murdered at least 25 million people.

It is remarkable, however, that the PVDA (Dutch Labour Party) and other guests at the hate fest, like for, example, Tom Lanoye, present themselves as fighters against "anti-Semitism". But let the latter (anti-Semitism) be the reason why Jeremy Corbyn, after a thorough investigation, had to resign as Labour chairman.

Corbyn first became known through extensive collaboration with the Islamic Palestinian terror organizations, Hamas and Hezbollah. They conduct a political fight against Israel and the Jewish people, but also mix that fight with Muslim fundamentalism and the use of terror, including suicide attacks. The message is clear: All Jews must die. Parades are openly held with the Hitler salute. It can't get any more clearly anti-Semitic.

Caption: Palestinian supporters of Hamas giving the Hitler salute.

Caption: Supporters of Hamas giving the Hitler salute.

No objection, however, for Manifiesta-guest Jeremy Corbyn. He invited supporters of Hamas to the British Parliament. Among them (was) a man who, in 2009, expressed full support for Hamas, and a man who, in 2004 declared that blowing yourself up in an Islamic suicide attack was "a noble thing".

Within the Labour Party, Corbyn supported a culture of anti-Semitism between 2015-2020. People and elected officials of Jewish origin were bullied out of the party. Eventually, an official investigation was started by the "Equality and Human Rights Commission", an independent organ set up by the Equality Act of 2006. After an extensive investigation, the commission determined in 2020 that employees of the Labour Party had, indeed, engaged in unlawful bullying and that 23 cases were proven involving inappropriate behavior in connection with anti-Semitism by Labour employees, including one by Corbyn personally. Based on that, Corbyn was suspended by Labour itself.

Caption: Announcement of the Labour-suspended (due to anti-Semitism), Corbyn at the Manifiesta hate fest.

Caption: Announcement of Tom Lanoye at the same hate fest.

Tom Lanoye presents himself this week in HUMO (Belgian tabloid) as a fighter against anti-Semitism. Can we have a hearty laugh?

Not only anti-Semitism is welcome at the Manifiesta. The disguised political party festival of the Stalinist PVDA also fraternizes with people who wave the Stalin genocide flag, applaud dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela, and glorify the violation of civil rights of people on the right with street violence and violence against the police. We have revealed that earlier.

Photo: Irvin Jim, Secretary General of South African Metal Trade Union






Saturday, August 20, 2022

Sweden: Deadly Shooting in Malmo (Viewer Warning)

Gang leader killed, 15-year-old in custody. Innocent female bystander seriously wounded.

Once again, immigrant gang violence has struck Malmo, the third-largest city in Sweden. Yesterday, a known criminal motorcycle gang leader (not named) was shot and killed at a shopping mall in the city. A 15-year-old boy, previously known to police, is in custody. In addition, a female bystander was seriously wounded. She is expected to survive but with lifelong injuries. The below-linked article from Samnytt is translated by Fousesquawk.

Other Swedish sources are reporting that the dead gang leader was involved with the Saturdarah Assassins motorcycle club. This multi-ethnic gang originated in the Netherlands and was formed by Dutch and Indonesian or Moluccan criminals. It now has chapters in many countries around the world. They are an outlaw motorcycle gang.

Other sources are also reporting that the shooter was previously known to police.



Photos by Samnytt


https://samnytt.se/en-av-de-skjutna-i-malmo-forbipasserande-kvinna/

One of the shooting victims in Malmo was a passerby woman

Domestic 20 August 2022. 18:00


One of the two persons shot Friday in the middle of the Emporia Shopping Center in Malmo was a woman who was just passing by when a criminal migrant opened fire with a gun.

Criticism is now directed at the government, which maintained that the risk for third parties of being in the way of immigrant gangs' bullets is, "very, very small," and for the fact that deadly shootings are breaking record after record under the rule of Social Democrats.

The woman is now being treated in the hospital for serious gunshot wounds and is likely to suffer lifelong injuries. The 31-year-old man who was also shot and later died was, like the shooter, a non-Western migrant and involved in serious criminal gang activity.

The arrested suspected perpetrator is reportedly only 15 years old. He will, therefore, under the Swedish rules for reduced sentences for youth which the Social Democrats pushed through and chose to continue to maintain, be sentenced to a very short prison sentence or eventually only juvenile custody.

The sitting Social Democrat single-party government and the earlier red-green, which also included the Environmental Party, have received scathing criticism for what many consider their left-liberal, lax criminal policy and lack of concern as to armed, immigrant-related, gang crime.

2022 new record year for number of shooting deaths

The number of gang shootings resulting in death during the last two years of the mandate period in which the Social Democrats have ruled the country, has broken one record after the other, and 2022 is on track to be the year with the most murders and armed gang violence ever. Ever more often, these disputes also take place in public places without regard that there a large number of people present who risk death or injury.

A number of such cases have also occurred in recent years. In Botkyrka, south of Stockholm, a just 12-year-old girl was shot to death in connection with a criminal gang drive-by shooting. She was out walking the family dog. In the Stockholm suburb of Flemingsberg, even younger children were hit by bullets as they played in a sandlot, and criminal gang migrants showed up with weapons in hand.

Social Democrat government brushes off citizens' worry

Justice Minister Morgan Johansson, who with an emergency call, recently escaped being removed by the Parliament for his incompetent manner of carrying out his duties, has maintained that the risk is "very, very small" for third parties to be injured in armed criminal gangs disputes, which during the mandate period in which the Social Democrat government has ruled the country, breaks record after record.

In addition, Mikael Damberg (Social Democrat), who today despite a lack of relevant academic credentials, was promoted to finance minister, (and is) also part of the Social Democrat Council, tried to downplay the risk for third parties to fall victim to immigrant gangs' stray bullets. Damberg believes that since there are still few who are injured and killed mistakenly by criminal gangs in comparison to Sweden's total population, it should not be seen as a big societal problem.

The same reasoning has been used to dismiss (the fact) that Sweden today has a permanently heightened level of terror threat as a result of violent Islamism's stronger hold in Sweden and Europe as a consequence of mass non-Western immigration. These kinds of statistics, however, have been shown to work poorly in reducing people's experience of insecurity.

Playing games with no cure for people's worries

"Will I be shot to death the next time I go shopping?", "Am I next in line to be massacred in an act of terror while I am walking on a pedestrian street, riding on the subway, or watching some event?" Those are examples of nagging questions that many Swedes ask themselves when they go out from their homes.

For women, there is also the worry over rape, and for many children and young people, the escalating so-called humiliation robberies. For all of these types of crimes, non-Westen migrants over strongly overrepresented as perpetrators.

Police: "Very difficult conflict situation in Malmo"

When it comes to Malmo, where Friday's shooting drama played out, Social Democrats have also recently praised themselves for reducing serious armed violence. In that context, they have stressed the "Stop shooting" campaign as being successful, where they offer pizza to the most seriously charged  with crime and talk about how wrong it is to kill others.

Beyond the Social Democrat rhetoric, however, the initiative has been a big fiasco. Nobody has been documented laying down their weapon as a result of the pizza evenings. On the contrary, a large number of those who participate have been convicted of new violent crimes, and the dinners have served as a forum for gangs to meet and devise criminal plans.

The statistics that indicate that armed violence in Malmo has decreased have also been shown to partly be playing with numbers where they choose not to take into account that gangs have regrouped themselves somewhat geographically to reduce the risk of being arrested by police. It has also been pure coincidence that shootings are fewer during shorter selected periods of study.

Admit that police and politicians have lost control


After Friday's fatal shooting, where a third man was also seriously wounded, police in Malmo admit that the authorities and the Social Democrat government have completely failed in their task of stopping the serious gang violence in the city.

At a press conference on Saturday, the area's police chief, Petra Stenkula, communicated that they have a "very difficult conflict situation" in the city. She describes Friday's incident at Emporia as a part of this.

Stenkula said she could not rule out retaliation attacks in the wake of Friday's fatal shooting. And even if it doesn't occur just here, according to the area police chief, the public must prepare itself for a high frequency of other similar incidents in the city in the future.

Presently, police are not directing any special calls to the public to avoid certain areas more than necessary or to start wearing bulletproof vests when shopping. That could, however, become the case if the conflict situation further escalates and several innocent people get in the path of bullets. 

Mentioning connection to immigration avoided

At the press conference, nothing was mentioned as to the connection between the serious gang conflict situation and the immigration policies in effect, or that Malmo today is a city where Swedes in many age groups make up a minority. No reporter was at all interested in posing questions as to the origin of those involved in the current shooting or the armed criminal gang violence in Malmo in general.
State-controlled SVT (Swedish State Television), which is reporting on the incident, (and) that a third man was seriously injured, at the area police chief's press conference, also completely avoided the politically-charged topic, which occupies the highest place among voters as to which party they intend to vote for in the upcoming election.

TV4 received sharp criticism for saying that the seriously injured woman "was at the wrong place at the wrong time."You mean that, unfortunately, the woman was at the right place at the right time, and that the only one who was at the wrong place-and even in the wrong country- at the time was the criminal gang shooter. 

*Update: In the below SVT video, Police Chief Petra Stenkula discusses the gang conflict problem. (Hat tip Gates of Vienna and Vlad Tepes for subtitling. Translation by Fousesquawk.



Friday, August 19, 2022

San Francisco State Fills Jewish Coordinator Position

Better late than never, but San Francisco State University has finally filled a Jewish coordinator position due to a legal settlement between the university and two Jewish students who were singled out for anti-Semitic treatment by the pro-Palestinian forces on campus. The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) has the details here.  

One might ask why any university would need a Jewish Life Coordinator position, but if any "marginalized group" needs it, that would be Jewish students. I cannot think of a more marginalized group of university students. The sad fact is that thanks to the pro-Palestinian forces, so well organized on so many campuses, anti-Semitism has become the rule more than the exception.

For at least a couple of decades now, SFSU has been one of the worst examples of an anti-Semitic campus. This is where UC Berkeley professor and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) co-founder, Hatem Bazian, got his start as an exchange student from the West Bank. As a student, Bazian drew many complaints of targeting Jewish students and groups that support Israel. SJP is nothing more than an organization of little brown shirts on over 150 campuses that use disruption and intimidation as their preferred tactic in advancing the Palestinian cause. Naturally, their targets are Jewish students and groups who support Israel.

At SFSU, the counterpart to SJP is the General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS), a group that has for years shamed SFSU with their expressions supporting deadly violence against Israeli soldiers. These incidents have been well-documented over the last several years.

The chief advisor and mentor to GUPS is SFSU professor Rabab Abdulhadi, also from the West Bank. Note that in the above-linked article, Abdulhadi is erroneously referred to as "he". That is interesting since she is such a notorious figure when it comes to anti-Semitic agitation and has been for a long time. How characteristic is it of her to refer to a Jewish student excluded from an event for "marginalized students" that Abdulhadi helped organize as "a member of a privileged white group whose members feel entitled to be represented everywhere and anywhere”?

Over the years, Abdulhadi has been protected and enabled by past and current SFSU presidents, Les Wong and Lynn Mahoney respectively. Wong eventually saw the light and had an ugly and public falling out with Abdulhadi when he asserted the right of Zionist students to feel welcome on campus. That greatly offended Abdulhadi, and she lashed back at Wong. Yet, Abdulhadi is still there bringing discredit to the institution.

Kudos to the Jewish students who brought the complaint, and kudos also to the Lawfare Project, an aptly-named organization, in my view, because lawfare is precisely what is needed to fight back against campus anti-Semitism if the universities fail to act-and they are failing to act. The troublemakers and their supporters do not hesitate to use lawfare to get what they want, and our side should too. 




Netherlands: Ter Apel Asylum Center Designated Safety Risk




Things continue to get worse at the Ter Apel reception center for asylum-seekers in the northern part of the Netherlands. Overcrowding is an issue, crime is a problem, and now it is being reported that asylum-seekers, overwhelmingly from non-warring countries in North Africa, are walking around the front of the center's gates with improvised "stabbing weapons". Just this week, about 100 asylum-seekers engaged in a brawl at the location.

The below article from today's Algemeen Dagblad is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/burgemeester-ter-apel-voor-het-azc-lopen-nu-mensen-met-steekwapens-rond~a57008d7/

Caption: Major Jaap Velema during a press conference today. (ANP)

Ter Apel mayor: "People are walking around in front of the asylum center with stabbing weapons"

In front of the reception center in Ter Apel, people are walking around with stabbing weapons. That is the opinion of Mayor Jaap Velema from Westerwolde, who has designated the area in front of the asylum center as a risk area. He wants the cabinet "in the coming days" to come up with measures to relieve the asylum center. Otherwise, a partial closing is coming.

By Sander van Mersbergen, August 19, 2022, 17:31. Last update 17:32

In the last two weeks, the situation has gotten worse than it was, Velema says in a conversation with this site. "There are more and more people, and there are more and more violent incidents. Therefore, we must take a step forward and designate the area in front of the reception areas as a safety-risk area." 

According to the mayor, the violence is mainly caused by asylum-seekers from safe countries in North Africa. "They are in the asylum process, staying in Ter Apel, and are responsible for shoplifting, nuisance (offenses), and also theft from other asylum-seekers. Then they steal their cell phones, and that leads to disturbances.

Tent pegs

The mayor states that some asylum-seekers have "improvised stabbing weapons", scissors, for example. "And also this: This week, we have taken away tents from in front of the reception center. A considerable number of pegs were left. The possibility exists that these could also be used as weapons. Therefore, we want the police to be able to preventively search risk groups and increase video camera surveillance." 

The aim of the operation is to be able to better guarantee safety for harmless asylum-seekers and the employees of the Central Agency for Reception of Asylum-Seekers and Immigration and Naturalization Service, for example. But the step taken this Friday is no solution, Velema warns. "The government must set up a central place in the country where asylum-seekers are received so that from there, they only go to Ter Apel by appointment. Asylum-seekers must have clarity over their procedure. That is missing now."

Velema states that he wants to see a quick improvement. "The Cabinet, the provinces, and the municipalities must take steps in the coming days. Two-thirds of the municipalities are still doing nothing upon reception. In the north, meanwhile, we have prepared an emergency order, which also provides for the partial closure of the application center here. That is a decision by the chairman of the regional security here in close consultation with me.  As far as I am concerned the moment when that comes up is getting closer."

It has been a busy week in front of the doors of the application center in Ter Apel. The people who are there during the day, are waiting for the first or next step in their asylum procedure. Due to a personnel shortage and a lack of flow in the asylum chain, the procedure is now very chaotic. The intention is that the asylum-seekers who cannot go directly to a reception center could spend the night in an emergency shelter, but not all asylum-seekers want that. They fear that they will lose their place in line if they sleep anywhere but Ter Apel.



Thursday, August 18, 2022

Germany and the 50th Anniversary of the Munich Olympic Attack

September 5, 1972: Fuerstenfeldbruck Military Airport

On September 5, 1972, Palestinian terrorists murdered 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team during the 1972 Summer Olympics at Munich. Two Israeli athletes were murdered in cold blood in the Olympic Village, and the remaining nine hostages and one German policeman died during a firefight at Fuerstenfeldbruck Military Airport. It was one of the most dastardly acts of terror committed by Palestinian terrorists.

On the 50th anniversary of the tragedy, the city of Munich is planning to hold a commemoration for the victims. However, the families of the victims are declining to participate due to their dissatisfaction with a 5.4 million euro compensation payment offered by the German government. 

Hopefully, the differences can be reconciled and the event can go forward with the presence of the victims' families. With all due respect, however, I do feel that it is the Palestinians who should be offering compensation though we know that will never happen. I personally agree that the city should go ahead with the commemoration with or without the victim's families unless they demand themselves that the event be canceled. That is the view offered by one of the German officials quoted in the below article.

The below article from Sueddeutsche Zeitung (Munich) is translated by Fousesquawk. 


 https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/muenchen-gedenkfeier-olympia-attentat-1972-opferfamilien-absage-1.5641491

Debate over commemoration for the victims of the 1972 terror attack 

Cancel or not?

18 August 2022 17:17- Reading time 3 minutes

By Anna Hoben

Caption: Sign of support: At the European Championship Marathon currently taking place in Munich, a fan hangs an Israeli flag on the tribune. (Photo; Alessandra Schellnegger)

Charlotte Knobloch and the city leaders let it be known that they consider it important to hold a memorial event for the Palestinian terror attacks at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, even without the relatives of the victims. From the CSU (Christian Social Union party)  come other voices.

In the anniversary year, there will be much to remember about the happy 1972 games-but the Summer Games in Munich half a century ago also had a horrible side. It was then that Palestinian terrorists carried out an attack on the Israeli team; 11 members of the team and a policeman died. On September 5, there is to be a central commemoration in Fuerstenfeldbruck for the victims. But the relatives (of the victims) have canceled their participation because they consider the promised formal compensation payment from the (German Government) in the amount of 5.4 million euros to be too low. The spokesperson for victims' families described the offer as an "insult" and as a "tip". Now a discussion has broken out as to whether, and if so, how commemoration can still go forward with dignity.

The Bavarian governmental Commissioner for Anti-Semitism, Ludwig Spaenle (CSU), has put the event in question. "We must seriously question if the commemoration can still be held after the cancellation of the relatives of the victims," he told the Germany Editorial Network. "It must not degenerate into the grotesque." The development has not surprised him, (and) he has warned for weeks that the complaints of the relatives of the victims be taken seriously and must be discussed on an equal footing.

Three months ago, he wrote to Federal Chancellor Scholz (SPD-Social Democrat Party), Spaenle explains in response to an inquiry by (Sueddeutsche Zeitung), and points out that the situation is "delicate and serious".  To date, he has not even received an acknowledgment of receipt of his letter. In Munich, the memory of the crime has been completely suppressed until a few years ago, (and) the  victims' families have been "unwanted supplicants on the back stairs". Now the climate, after the uproar over Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Scholz's subsequent reaction to his Holocaust-relativization at a joint press conference, has become even harsher. He, therefore, sticks to the (suggestion) that, "in light of the events," a cancelation must be (considered).

Charlotte Knobloch, the president of the Israeli Community in Munich and Upper Bavaria, let it be known that she doesn't think much of (Spaenle's idea). Her biggest wish would be, "in the end, that the event can take place in a dignified and meaningful form," she said when asked. She greatly hopes that the Federal Government and the victims' families, together and in a timely manner, can find a good solution-"in the interest of memory (of the victims) and our two nations".

 Mayor Verena Dietl (SPD) thinks it shouldn't fail due to the money

After several years in which the memory of the Olympic attack played no great role in Germany, September 5, 1972 is today more in the public spotlight. "The task to keep alive the memory of this day concerns all of us."  Visible public commemorations remain, "extremely important," especially for the younger generations who have no personal connections with Munich 1972.

The position of Munich's city leaders is similar. Mayor Verena Dietl (SPD) finds the developments "very regrettable". She hopes that the ongoing negotiations will end well, a consensus with the victims' families will be reached, and the recriminations will end. "It shouldn't fail based on the payments". The memorial event is an "important sign". The memory of the victims of the terror attack is now part of that. "People cannot act as if it never happened."

The Parliamentary leader of the Green Party, Dominik Krause, says that cancelation of the commemoration would help nobody. In his view, a cancelation should only be if the victim's relatives demanded it-otherwise, it is important that the city commemorate the event. He can understand the continuing displeasure of the victims' families, according to Krause, after the "completely unworthy and inappropriate" way they were treated for decades. He also believes, however, that the Federal Government is trying to make amends-and hopes that there will be a good solution. Basically, the Federal Government must find a new way to deal with the victims of right-wing extremist and anti-Semitic violence, including payments for damages.

The CSU party chairman in the city council, Manuel Pretzl, sees it differently. In this "bad atmosphere", we cannot be responsible for going through with the commemoration. "I would cancel it."



Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Germany: Scholz Rejects Abbas's "Holocaust" Accusations Against Israel

l-r Abbas-Scholz


On Tuesday, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas caused a lot of anger in Germany during a joint press conference with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In answer to a question from the press as to whether Abbas would apologize for the PLO attack in the 1972 Munich Olympics in which the entire Israeli team was murdered, Abbas accused Israel of committing "50 Holocausts". Before Scholz could respond, his press secretary announced the closure of the press conference since that had been announced as the final question.

Scholz has since issued angry responses to Abbas's use of the team Holocaust to accuse Israel of committing similar crimes. Others in Germany have also condemned the remarks by Abbas.

Clearly, this is a sensitive subject in Germany since the country was primarily responsible for the Holocaust under Hitler. Germany is still trying to build better relationships with Jews everywhere, and it is considered especially offensive for Abbas to use his German visit to compare Israelis to those who carried out the Holocaust.

While I applaud the reaction of Scholz to the words of Abbas, I think he should have made it a point to respond to Abbas before exiting the stage. I also question why Germany would invite a man like Abbas to visit their country. This is a man who applauds terrorist attacks against Israelis and pays support money to the families of jailed or dead terrorists. Why was he invited in the first place? In that sense, the German government deserves the heat. They should have been prepared for such statements by Abbas.

The below article from today's Deutsche Welle is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.dw.com/de/pal%C3%A4stinenserpr%C3%A4sident-abbas-emp%C3%B6rt-in-berlin-mit-holocaust-vergleich/a-62829094

Middle East conflict

Palestinian president Abbas angers in Berlin with Holocaust comparison

After a meeting with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Palestinian head, Mahmoud Abbas, accused Israel of a "Holocaust" and with that, unleashed heavy criticism. The term "apartheid" was also mentioned at the press conference.

Caption: Far apart also emotionally: Palestinian head Abbas and Federal Chancellor Scholz 

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz sees no "apartheid" in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel. After a meeting with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in Berlin, Scholz said he didn't want to use this term. (Abbas) had previously spoken about "apartheid" and raised serious accusations against Israel. Abbas demanded that the EU and UN fully recognize the Palestinian state.

Currently, the Palestinians only have observer status at the UN. However, Scholz rejected Abbas' demand. Germany continues to support a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians, he said. This is "not the time to change anything". 

Abbas expressed disappointment that after the visit of US President Joe Biden, the US had also made no steps for a new Middle East initiative. "We are still awaiting today that practical steps follow words," he said with a view toward Biden, who had also spoken in favor of a two-state solution.

Abbas accuses Israel of "Holocaust"

Abbas caused serious irritation when he accused Israel of a "Holocaust" against the Palestinians. Israel has "committed 50 massacres, 50 Holocausts" against the Palestinians.   Scholz followed the statements visibly angered and with a stone expression, and he was prepared to reply. His spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit declared the press conference over immediately after Abbas' answer. The question to the Palestinian president had already been announced as the last. Hebestreit later reported that Scholz was angered by the Abbas statement.

Deutsche Welle correspondent Nina Haase, who was present at the press conference, analyzed the incident this way: "Scholz didn't look good here. But it is also unclear whether Abbas did his cause any good by knowingly provoking the German Chancellor in this manner. It could affect the future support readiness of Scholz."

Scholz: Unbearable and unacceptable

Later, Chancellor Scholz rejected the Holocaust accusation against Israel by the Palestinian president in clear words. "Especially for us Germans, any comparison to the Holocaust is unbearable and unacceptable," Scholz told Bild-Zeitung. He expressed similar words in a tweet:

(Tweet) from federal chancellor Olaf Scholz:

"I am deeply outraged by the unspeakable words of the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. Especially for us Germans, any comparison to the Holocaust is unbearable and unacceptable. I condemn any attempt to deny the crimes of the Holocaust."

Criticism also came from the Federal Government's commissioner for anti-Semitism, Felix Klein. "Through his Holocaust comparison, President Abbas has shown a lack of sensitivity for Us, his German hosts," Klein said to the Germany Editorial Network: "That especially applies in view of the question posed about the Olympics attack that was carried out by PLO-terrorists."

The new German ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, criticized the Holocaust comparison by Abbas as false and unacceptable. "Germany will never tolerate any attempt to deny the uniqueness of the crimes of the Holocaust," the former government spokesman wrote on Twitter.

Sharp criticism from the International Auschwitz Committee

The International Auschwitz Committee accused Abbas of deliberately using Berlin's political stage to defame "German remembrance culture and relations with Israel". Executive Vice President Christoph Heubner made a corresponding statement: "With his shameful and inappropriate Holocaust comparison, Abbas has again tried to serve anti-Semitic aggression in Germany and Europe." Heubener also directed criticism to the federal government: "It is astounding and strange that the German side was not prepared, and Abbas' provocations and statements about the Holocaust in the press conference remained uncontradicted."

Angry reactions in Israel

Meanwhile, the Israeli government also sharply rejected the Holocaust comparison. That Abbas accused Israel of "committing 50 Holocausts while he was on German soil is not only a moral shame but also a monstrous lie," explained the Israeli government head Jair Lapid. "History will never forgive him."

Caption: Israeli Minister President Jair Lapid; "Not only a moral shame but also a monstrous lie."

The Israeli Defense Minister, Benny Gantz, condemned the statements of the Palestinian president as well. Whoever wants peace, "should not distort the truth and re-write history," the minister warned. The president of the Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem, Dani Dayan, condemned Abbas's statements as "terrifying". "The German government, in the Federal Chancellery, must directly react in appropriate ways to this inexcusable behavior," Dayna demanded.


Monday, August 15, 2022

Netherlands: Riot in Ter Apel Asylum Center

-Taketonews


The overcrowded asylum center in Ter Apel, Netherlands has once again erupted in violence. The center is over-filled and people are sleeping outside, The weather in the country is hot, and yesterday, a fight broke out between some one hundred asylum-seekers. (These were not Ukrainian refugees)  Dutch opposition leader Geert Wilders says it's time to send these folks packing.

The below article from today's Dagelijkse Standaard is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.dagelijksestandaard.nl/binnenland/ruim-honderd-ondankbare-asielzoekers-op-de-vuist-in-azc-ter-apel

About 100 ungrateful asylum-seekers fighting in Ter Apel Asylum Center 

Today: 11:15

By Mark Jongeneel


It's happened again! In the Ter Apel Asylum Center yesterday, disturbances broke out again. About 100 asylum-seekers fought each other with fists. Dozens refused to eat or drink, or (use) the tents offered to them. When will they send these ungrateful and aggressive people out of the country? 

Geert Wilders says what many Dutch people are thinking; "Out with everyone! Out now!" Naturally, that will not happen. The police did not find it necessary to intervene. There was only one person involved who was detained, but in the end, it was decided not to hold him in custody according to a police spokesperson. What a great country.

The police didn't want to comment on why the fight broke out. And the COA (Central Agency for Reception of Asylum-Seekers) says that it took place outside the asylum center, thus, it isn't their responsibility. What a pussy mentality from the COA. It is inconceivable that the Hague continues to accept this. Fortunately, there was an ANP (Algemeen Dutch Press Agency) photographer at the scene who told Hart van Nederland (newsmagazine) that a group of around 100 asylum-seekers was having an argument with another group. Then they started a fistfight with a group of about 10 other people. They reportedly had stolen their stuff.

It is known that the asylum center is overfilled. That has resulted in people in Ter Apel being forced to sleep in the open air. That is why dozens of asylum-seekers took action. Up to Sunday evening, they were lying in front of the gate of the location. They refused to eat and drink. They also refused to go and lay down in improvised tents.

Not surprising when you are promised a golden future in the brochures. Of course, they refuse the tents! They read everywhere about cruise ships and Van der Valk hotels. They're not going to go lie down in tents, are they? The COA has itself caused this. Supported by the totally otherworldly, globalist clique in the Hague. These ungrateful people must be immediately kicked out of the country!


Sunday, August 14, 2022

Is Reform Still Needed in the FBI?

 The FBI raid on former President Donald Trump's Florida home this week is just the latest in a long line of questionable actions taken against Trump going back to the 2016 presidential campaign and beyond. We still vividly recall the Steele Dossier, the FISA warrants against Carter Page, the Michael Flynn fiasco, James Comey, Peter Strzok, Andrew McCabe, Lisa Page, etc. The same high-level figures from the 7th floor of FBI Hqs were involved in the actions taken against Trump and the kid-gloves treatment of Hillary Clinton. A thought to ponder: The FBI never raided Hillary Clinton's home looking for classified government documents while she and her gang with destroying cell phones with hammers.

It is not a stretch to say at this point that the FBI had better produce something big this time. If this turns out to be a big nothing burger, their credibility will be damaged for years to come.

Many of Trump's supporters are now calling for the FBI to be abolished or defunded. I am not ready to go there yet. Being retired from federal law enforcement myself (DEA), I am not ready to throw law enforcement under the bus, or, to put it another way, to throw out the baby with the bath water.

However, it may be time for some reform in the FBI.

Like most old DEA agents, I have mixed feelings about the Bureau. That is based on having had some degree of working experience with them especially after they were given joint jurisdiction with DEA in drug investigations a few decades back. I thought it was a mistake back then, and I still do. The reason is that the FBI and DEA have two separate and distinct cultures due to the types of crimes the FBI has traditionally investigated vs drug investigations.

In the interest of full disclosure, I had an unfortunate experience while working a joint case with the FBI when I was stationed in Pittsburgh. Looking back, I can say that both sides, including myself, could have handled it better. Later, from 1990-1995, I spent the last 5 years of my career as an instructor in DEA's Office of Training, which, at the time, was co-located within the FBI Academy. We were moved there because the current administration and Attorney General Janet Reno were seriously considering abolishing DEA and putting it into the FBI-which, fortunately, did not occur. Reno correctly decided it was not such a good idea. At any rate, our relations with our hosts at the FBI Academy were fine. DEA now has its own facility just down the road from the FBI's in Quantico, Virginia.

To be more specific, most of the FBI's jurisdiction concerns white-collar crimes, in which a crime is committed, and the FBI investigates to find out who is responsible. Drug enforcement is much more street-oriented and pro-active with arrests mostly being made as the crime of a drug transaction or smuggling is in progress. It is true that the FBI also has a history of tracking down dangerous gangsters like John Dillinger. They also have a highly trained Hostage Rescue Team, the same unit involved in Waco and Ruby Ridge. More recently, the FBI has taken the lead in counter-terrorism operations, an effort I strongly support. Let me also add that I have a few friends in the FBI, and I believe in my heart of hearts that most rank and file agents are appalled at the recent controversies involving the Bureau.

But there are cultural and institutional problems in the FBI that go all the way back to J. Edgar Hoover. It is true that he built that organization from almost nothing into the country's largest and most sophisticated law enforcement agency. But Hoover also established a culture that put the Bureau's interests and reputation first and foremost, a culture that looked down on other law enforcement agencies. That has led to a lot of resentment down through the years.

After Hoover's death, subsequent directors like Clarence Kelley, William Webster, and Louis Freeh instituted reforms, but under more recent directors (including the Trump-appointed Christopher Wray), it appears more change is needed.  

The FBI-as is the case with all law enforcement- should be apolitical. That is easy to say but hard to implement. Remember that the FBI is also charged with investigating political and police corruption. In the 2016 election, the FBI and then-director James Comey found themselves in a unique situation. They were investigating both presidential candidates. To be generous to Comey, one could argue that he was simply over his head and did not do a good job. If you read his book, you would think that he was the only moral force in all of Washington DC at the time. I have read the book, and I don't buy it.

The fact is that the FBI is now just as political as in the days of Hoover (to say nothing about the DOJ).  I consider the Hillary Clinton investigation to have been whitewashed. On the other hand, while I am trying to keep an open mind on Trump, it is hard to come to any other conclusion than a small cadre of high-ranking officials on the 7th floor of the headquarters building has been on a 6-year quest to take Trump down. Up to now, they have failed and looked bad in doing it. But how do you remove a federal police agency from politics when you have political corruption and malfeasance going on in Washington? Somebody has to do it.

While I would be against abolishing the FBI, I feel there is still room for reform. It appears that some people in the FBI-in high positions- feel that they are somehow above the law. That thinking goes back to Hoover and it must end. For many decades, the FBI has considered itself head and shoulders above other law enforcement agencies. In terms of resources and jurisdiction over many crimes (perhaps, too many), the FBI is unique. With certain exceptions, which I mentioned above, the FBI is widely considered to be lacking in everyday street enforcement skills as compared to certain other federal agencies and local police.

Going back to the issue at hand, the Mar-a-Lago raid, if the Bureau doesn't produce the goods this time, their image is going to be sullied for a long time. Regardless of our political preferences, we should simply want the truth to emerge. It is my hope that Trump is innocent of any wrongdoing, but we need to see what the FBI found. This may turn out to be a crucial moment in the history of the FBI.

France: Moroccan Man Charged with Beheading His Own Father

Over the weekend, in Lyon, France, that country experienced another beheading incident. Early Sunday morning, police discovered the beheaded body of a man in his 60s. They arrested the man's son, a 25-year-old Moroccan man, who was walking around nearby with his father's head in one hand and a knife in the other.

The below article from Le Figaro is translated by Fousesquawk. A (non graphic) video is pending.

 https://www.lefigaro.fr/faits-divers/lyon-un-homme-decapite-par-son-fils-sur-un-parking-20220814

Lyon: Man beheaded by his son in a parking lot

By Le Figaro with AFP

Posted 5 hours ago, updated 5 hours ago

The suspect, of Moroccan nationality, was arrested while walking around with his father's head in one hand and a knife in the other.

A man in his 60s was beheaded with a knife late Saturday night at Saint-Priest, in the Lyon area. His 25-year-old son was arrested at the scene, we have learned from (multiple) sources.

The initial elements of the investigation on "the murder by beheading," show that the man placed in custody, "killed his 60-year-old father using a kitchen knife," the Lyon Prosecutor's Office stated to Agence France Presse.

"A head in one hand and a knife in the other"

In the night, "around 2 am, municipal police alerted the national police of the discovery of a beheaded body in a parking lot. The municipal police report(ed) that a man was walking around with a head in one hand, and a knife in the other," according to a source close to the case.

BAC (Anti-Criminality Brigade) police, who arrived as reinforcement, were able to arrest the man, "who tried (unsuccessfully) to stab them," according to the same source. According to ActuLyon, as he was fighting against police, the man reportedly cried, "Allahu akbar".

The suspect, a Moroccan in legal immigration status, is known, "for common law incidents, family disputes involving alcohol or drugs," according to the same source according to AFP.

The man who was placed in custody is not known for incidents of radicalization, the same source added. The investigation, assigned to the Rhone Security Department, "will determine the exact circumstances of the tragedy as well as his motive and will delve into the personality of the perpetrator," according to the Lyon Office of the Prosecutor.