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Friday, September 29, 2023

In Europe, the Madness Continues Unabated

 It has been almost a decade now since former German Chancellor Angela Merkel led the way in opening the floodgates to so-called refugees and asylum-seekers during the Syrian civil war. Since then, millions of people-not just Syrians- have found their way into Europe from the Middle East, Afghanistan, Somalia, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa. Most come from Muslim-majority countries, and they are primarily young, unaccompanied males. What could possibly go wrong?

Everything.

Since then, the demographics of Western Europe have changed drastically and this change will continue until, in the not-so-distant future, Europe-at least Western Europe- will become majority Muslim.

The new arrivals refuse to assimilate since they have no regard for the culture, values, or traditions of the countries that receive them, and give them housing, food, and monthly financial assistance. Rather than show gratitude, most only demand more while forming gangs and committing crimes, both petty and major (rape, murder, Islamic terror attacks). Almost every day, someone is murdered in Europe by migrants, women are raped, and European cities have become crime-ridden.

In Italy, the island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean, which only has a population of about 6,000, has almost twice that number of asylum-seekers in their asylum centers. And more arrive every day. Italy now has a Nigerian mafia, which is particularly vicious in nature. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni came into office largely on her promise to halt the invasion. She has failed.

In the Netherlands, they are dealing with the so-called Moroccan Maffia (two f's), which controls the drug trade and has carried out not only gang killings but politically-inspired assassinations. Just yesterday, Rotterdam was shocked by a triple murder carried out by a 32-year-old man identified only as Fouad L. Not surprisingly, the Dutch media is running the standard storyline that Fouad L. was crazy. In addition, he is being described as a neo-Nazi, and a supporter of the conservative, anti-migrant political party, Forum for Democracy. The evidence of this is flimsy.

Sweden is the rape capital of Europe, the bombing capital of Europe, and likely the murder capital as well. Gang wars are the rule now, largely between migrants who have roots in the Middle East. This week, a bomb went off in an apartment block near Uppsala, and an innocent woman (who was not the target) was killed. In this case, a young Muslim woman on the verge of becoming a doctor. The suspected intended target is a member of the notorious gang called the Foxtrot Network, largely made up of Arabs and Kurds.

In the aftermath of that crime and others, Sweden's feckless prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, went on TV and asked the military to come in and assist the police (who are overwhelmed). Kristersson described his country's situation as the worst in Europe and promised that long prison sentences would be handed out and deportation for foreign criminals. To date, these things have not happened in Sweden, and I doubt much will change. Will the military help close Sweden's borders? Will they help deport criminal aliens? Will they help keep Jews in cities like Malmo safe from Muslim immigrants? For several years now, Jews in that city have been leaving in droves, largely out of Sweden altogether.

Like Sweden, France's Jews feel they have no future in that country thanks to the Muslim immigrants. In recent years, there have been a number of attacks against Jews, such as the 2012 Toulouse Jewish school attack, the 2006 kidnap, torture, and murder of  Ilan Halimi, the senseless murder of Sarah Halimi (65), who was murdered in her own apartment and thrown off her balcony, the similar murder of Mireille Knoll (85) murdered in her apartment in 2018. And then there are the horrific terror attacks in cities like Paris in 2015, Nice (2016), and others.

And there is no end in sight.

And while the EU wrings its hands and watches more arrive by the tens of thousands, member nations in East Europe like Hungary refuse to "take their fair share" as demanded by the EU. Recently, we have learned that Hungarian border guards on the Serbian border are being met with automatic weapons fire from migrants trying to enter illegally. It has gotten that bad.

As an American, I don't want to be guilty of hypocrisy in not mentioning our own lax border problems and the disgraceful policies of the Biden administration. But as I sit here reading the depressing reports out of Europe, I ask myself: How many innocent people, including children, have to die before Europe wakes up and stops this invasion? How many women have to be raped? How many churches have to be desecrated? How many Islamist-inspired terror attacks and mass murders have to happen?


Thursday, September 28, 2023

More on the Rotterdam Shootings

 Earlier today, we reported on a double shooting in Rotterdam that claimed three lives. A suspect identified only as Fouad L. allegedly shot a mother and her 14-year-old daughter to death in their residence. He then went to Erasmus University Hospital, where he shot a 46-year-old man to death in a classroom. He set both locations on fire and was subsequently arrested at a nearby helicopter pad.

Below is a NOS (Netherlands) news video of the incident. Hat tip to RAIR Foundation USA, Gates of Vienna and Vlad Tepes for the English subtitling. Translation is by Fousesquawk.


Netherlands: Three Killed in Two Shootings in Rotterdam: Shooter in Custody

The arrest of suspect

De Telegraaf


The Dutch city of Rotterdam is in shock today after a 32-year-old man, identified as Fouad L., shot and killed two people ( a mother and her daughter) at an apartment, set it on fire, then proceeded on a motorbike to the Erasmus (University) Hospital, where he shot and killed a teacher in a classroom, setting that location on fire. He was subsequently arrested by police. One of his victims is a 14-year-old girl. The suspect has a previous police record for animal cruelty.

The below article in today's Telegraaf is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.telegraaf.nl/nieuws/2038182617/verdachte-schietdrama-rotterdam-mishandelde-eerder-konijn

Suspect in Rotterdam shooting drama earlier abused a rabbit

Mick van Wely

Edited 18 minutes ago. 2 hours ago in Domestic.

Rotterdam: The 32-year-old Rotterdam resident arrested Thursday for the shooting in Rotterdam is a medical student who, in December 2021, was convicted of abusing his own rabbit. He received a sentence of 40 hours of community service. That is confirmed by several sources of De Telegraaf and from court documents. 

The man, Fouad L., was arrested at that time on information from a neighbor lady. That is reportedly the complainant who now, almost two years later, together with her daughter, has been shot to death. The police will neither confirm nor deny it but are conducting the investigation in this direction.

The Public Prosecutor's Office will only say that the suspect is known to police. The man abused the animal under the influence of a liter of hard alcohol. He kicked the rabbit and laid a brick on the animal. A veterinarian was forced to euthanize the rabbit.

Fouad L. told the police judge that he came home in Deltshaven in August of that year and drank a bottle of spirits and beer. He then ended up in a psychosis. A neighbor lady saw how he mistreated the rabbit and called the police. The Rotterdam resident was also suspected of shooting a pigeon with a crossbow. Despite the testimony of a witness, the judge acquitted him of this.

The prosecutor demanded that the other rabbits be confiscated, but the judge ruled that this was not necessary. The 32-year-old man was previously convicted of other small offenses. L. is now suspected of involvement in two deadly shooting incidents in the port city. On Thursday, he allegedly shot a woman, her daughter, and a teacher to death and was apprehended after a manhunt.




Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Hungary: Illegal Migrants Firing on Border Guards with Automatic Weapons

Armed skirmish on Hungarian-Serbian border
Magyar Nemzet


The European migrant crisis has taken a new and even more dangerous turn. Hungary, a nation that is resisting efforts by the EU to force them to accept illegal migrants, is now reporting shootings directed at their border guards by illegal migrants- even using automatic weapons and wearing combat fatigues.

The below article from the Austrian site, Unzensuriert, is translated from German by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.unzensuriert.at/203322-migranten-schiessen-sich-mit-automatischen-waffen-den-weg-frei-bereits-168-verletzte/

Caption: Despite ongoing violence at the Hungarian border, the migration policy of Prime Minister Orban remains successful.

Migrants shoot their way out with automatic weapons- already 168 injured

Illegal migrants- 27 September 2023, 10:28

The violence of asylum-seekers streaming into Europe is becoming more and more brutal. As Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, reported today, Tuesday, in Parliament, migrants in the past few nights have shot at Hungarian border agents with automatic weapons. Already, 168 border guards have been injured, some seriously, on the southern border of the country, said Orban, who noted that the illegals "had crossed the Rubicon". 

As Express reports, there were already similar incidents in June on the border with Serbia. Here there were also shootouts with border guards-where the migrants reportedly were wearing combat clothing.

Hungary wants to protect border with civilians

Despite the excess violence on the border, Hunagry's migration policy is successful. Just in this year, almost 130,000 illegal border crossings have reportedly been prevented/. The Hungarian government also plans in the future to use civilian forces against the illegal migrants.

Orban: Lampedusa asylum-seekers are an "invasion army"

The already catastrophic situation is unlikely to be defused in the near future, after all, tens of thousands more asylum-migrants , mostly young and male, want to come to Europe. Orban himself described the illegals, who are arriving in droves to the Italian Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, as an "invasion army".

EU wants to make Hungary a "migrant country"

The Fidesz* politician declared that the "Brussels Migration Pact" had failed: The EU had abused its power and wanted to use force to turn Hungary into a "migrant country", he posted in July on X (formerly Twitter).

*Fidesz: Hungarian Civic Alliance party 


Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Netherlands: Terror Busts in Netherlands and Germany

Below is an article from today's Dutch daily, Algemeen Dagblad, reporting on the arrests and prosecution of several Central Asians who posed as war refugees from Ukraine, but who were planning to carry out an attack in either Germany or the Netherlands on behalf of ISIS. Seven are in custody in Germany and two in the Netherlands.

The article is translated from Dutch by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/om-tadzjiek-was-geen-vluchteling-uit-oekraine-maar-vastberaden-aanslag-in-nederland-of-duitsland-te-plegen~a09daf91/

Caption: One of the arrested suspects after his arrest in July in Germany is brought to court in Karlsruhe by police officers.

Public Prosecutor: "Tajik was no refugee from Ukraine, but determined to commit an attack in Netherlands or Germany".

There was not yet a date or target, but Abdulsamal A., (29) from Tajikistan was "determined to commit an attack in the Netherlands or Germany. He posed as a refugee from Ukraine but in reality, was head of a secret cell of the ISIS terror group," according to the Public Prosecuor's Office.

Cyril Rosman, 9-26-23, 17:11. Latest update: 17:18.

Abdusamal himself said on Tuesday, at an interim hearing in the case at the court in Rotterdam that there was little truth to this. The man-slender, muscular, and (with) a thick, black beard-laid his head down on his arms in anger. His wife and co-suspect asked the court if she, "could please go home to her children". 

The story of the Tajik, Abdusamal, and his 31-year-old wife, Gulzira M., is (unusual). According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, A. initially went from Turkey to Syria to join ISIS, but that failed. The Turks deported him to Ukraine, after which he came from Kiev to the Netherlands together with his wife after the outbreak of the war there. Here he posed as a member of a Tajiki resistance group, was granted asylum in 2022, and moved into housing in Breda.

Report from secret service

In March of this year, the secret service, AIVD, sent a report to the police that A. was looking for money to buy weapons. Small pistols for a group of "brothers" in Germany who would reportedly use them to commit an "attack for Allah". The police sent in an infiltrator and eavesdropped on him. On July 6, he and his wife were arrested. In Germany, at the same time, seven men were arrested from Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan. They also "fled" from Ukraine and traveled to Germany.

According to (the prosecution), A. was the head of a secret cell in Kiev of the ISKP, the Asian branch of the ISIS terror group. His task was reportedly to plan an attack in Europe. (What is) striking about this claim: Part of it is based on information in 2019 from the Russian intelligence service, FSB. The same FSB that the Dutch security services have been at odds with in recent years. Nevertheless, the Prosecutor's Office maintains that A. and the German (based) suspects "were determined to commit an attack in the Netherlands or Germany." As far as is known, there was as yet, no date or target.

Telegram group "Martyrs of Islam"

A.'s wife, Gulzira, is also reportedly a radical and helped the men. She was in the message service, Telegram, as "Martyrs for Islam" and had on her phone a document explaining how to cause explosions.

The suspects arrested in Germany are all still in custody. According to the German BILD (news), the Tajiks reportedly claimed to be war refugees from Ukraine, for which they used forged documents. One of the suspects was being housed in a refugee center.

The terror cell reportedly was in contact with the so-called Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). This branch of ISIS is active in South and Central Asia, mainly in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The German (based) suspects had explored potential sites for an attack and were in possession of weapons, German prosecutors say. Most of them also collected money for the ISKP. 

"ISKP sends people to Europe"

The Dutch National Coordinator for Combating Terror and Security (NCTV) writes in her threat assessment for May: "ISIS-followers are residing in Europe and the Netherlands who are part of transnational networks. They have the intention to commit attacks in Europe. Moreover, ISIS is probably in a position to send people to Europe and from a distance, support followers in preparing attacks." 

The service also explicitly points to ISKP.  "There is a growing terrorist threat from this ISIS branch directed at the West and its interests. Attack plans in February 2023 against, among others, the Dutch consulate in Istanbul, possibly as revenge for the destruction of Korans in the Netherlands and Sweden, underline this threat."

According to Attorney for A., Buruma, the case is currently based mainly on "unverifiable intelligence sources". "And sometimes overheard conversations sound more serious than they are. When it comes to 'jobs', that can sound serious in a terror investigation, but here it was about plastering and laying floors."

For the time being, the two suspects remain in custody. The trial resumes in three months.




Monday, September 25, 2023

Aruba: New Developments in Natalee Holloway Case

(L-R) Joran van der Sloot, Natalee Holloway


The New York Post reported Sunday that an old email has surfaced from Joran van der Sloot, the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway. According to the Post article, van der Sloot sent an email to an acquaintance a few days after the disappearance of Holloway stating that he and his father (now deceased) rented a boat and disposed of the body at sea.

Not surprisingly, Aruba is also reporting this information in their press. The below article in Diario in Papiamentu is translated by Fousesquawk. (In case you are wondering, I am a student of Papiamentu, and in 2002, published a book on the history of this creole language, spoken on the Dutch islands of Aruba,  Curaçao, and Bonaire. (The Story of Papiamentu: A Study in Slavery and Language, by Gary C Fouse, University Press of America, 2002).



 https://diario.aw/categories/noticia/general/ny-post-ta-publica-supuesto-informacion-nobo-relaciona-cu-desaparicion-di-natalee-holloway

NY Post publishes alleged new information related to the disappearance of Natalee Holloway

Email that Joran sent a few days after the disappearance....


Oranjestad (Aruba). On Sunday, the New York Post made a publication that drew attention, and this time, referring to Joran van der Sloot in which they say there is new information in the case of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.

As everyone knows, Joran van der Sloot, who at that time in 2005 was 17 years old, became the principal suspect in the disappearance of the young American (18), Natalee Holloway who came to Aruba during her spring break vacation.

On Sunday, the New York Post posted that the principal suspect in the unsolved case of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway and his father rented a boat and "took care of things" (they took care of everything), this, according to an email recently obtained that was sent two days after the disappearance of the teenager.  

According to the New York Post, a few days after the disappearance of the Alabama girl, Van der Sloot sent an email to a man he identified as "David G." stating, "My father looked for a boat two days later". (My Dad got a boat two days later).

This is the "breaking news" that the New York Post published Sunday in connection with this case. More new information remains pending which will be released in the coming days to confirm or rule out the information mentioned above.


Belgium: Man (19) Charged with Supporting ISIS Online

Charleroi, Belgium courthouse



Prosecutors in Belgium have requested a sentence of 50 months in prison for a young man (19) charged with supporting ISIS online and inciting others to commit terrorist acts in Belgium and France.

The below article from the French-language daily, 7 sur 7 is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.7sur7.be/faits-divers/il-faisait-lapologie-de-letat-islamique-50-mois-de-prison-requis-pour-une-activite-terroriste-en-tant-que-dirigeant~a41ad1ff/

"He was advocating for the Islamic State": 50 months in prison  demanded for terrorist activity as leader

Monday afternoon, before the 6th chamber of the Charleroi Criminal Tribunal, the federal prosecutor's office requested a sentence of 50 months in prison without opposing a probationary suspension for Alimcham M. The defendant, born in 2004, is charged for three offenses related to terrorism as a leader. He is contesting having played the role of leader. 

Staff 9-25-23, 19:12. Last update 19:42 Source: Belga

On November 12, 2020, Federal Judicial Police in Charleroi (PJF) were alerted by French authorities to the opening of a case following the report  of an Instagram account making propaganda for terrorism and notably posting messages of support for the attack perpetrated against Samuel Paty* on October 16, 2020 in France. This account belongs to a mother of three children. Alimcham M., one of the sons, aged 16 at the time, is the user of this account. He was arrested and placed in IPPJ (Wallonia youth facility)  on February 11, 2021.

"Support for the Islamic State"

The seizure of  computer material belonging to the family illustrates the terrorist activities of the defendant. "There are thousands of video files, photos, and even messages. He supports the Islamic State and incites people to commit terrorist attacks. The radicalization of the defendant is at an advanced stage," noted the Federal Prosecutor's Office. The young man contests having participated in the activities of a terrorist group as leader. According to the Federal Prosecutor's Office, he tried to recruit young candidates at ages of less than 16 for a terrorist project abroad  or to attack police or civilians in France or Belgium with a Kalashnikov.

A sentence of 50 months in prison was demanded for the defendant, without opposing a probationary suspension. The defense has requested simple probation.

A verdict is expected October 23.

* Samuel Paty was a French schoolteacher who was beheaded by a Muslim man after he showed images of the Prophet Mohammad in his class.




Sunday, September 24, 2023

The Arrogance of Pakistan

This article first appeared in New English Review.

Pakistan


On Friday, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, the interim prime minister of Pakistan, addressed the General Assembly of the UN in New York and demanded that member nations pass legislation outlawing Islamophobia. This from a country with a deep history of persecuting Christians and other non-Muslim minorities. When it comes to arrogance and chutzpah, it is hard to outdo Pakistan. This from the very country that sheltered Usama bin Laden for years after 9-11. There was a very good reason why our government did not advise Pakistan that he had been located in their territory and that we were sending in a Navy Seal team to take him out.

For years now, the 56-nation member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the largest voting bloc in the UN, has demanded international laws against defamation of Islam. In Pakistan itself, blasphemy against Islam and its prophet is a capital offense. In recent years, Christians in Pakistan have been accused of blasphemy against Islam, which has resulted in their arrests, lynching, and riots all over the country. Just recently, Christian churches and neighborhoods in Pakistani cities have been set on fire over rumors of some Christian(s) committing blasphemy.

And it's not just Christians and non-Muslims who have been targeted. The Ahmadiya Muslims, a sect largely based in Pakistan, have been routinely persecuted due to the fact that they claim a 19th-century prophet subsequent to Mohammad. Ahmadiya are not allowed to publicly claim they are Muslim.

The recent spate of Koran burnings in Scandinavia has highlighted the issue and once again brought it to the fore. A Koran burning (which I think is ill-advised) is guaranteed to elicit a violent response from many Muslims, both at the scene of the event and around the world. That leads to more fears of Islam, fears that are well-grounded given world events.

When Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State, she met at least twice with the OIC behind closed doors in Istanbul and Washington to discuss proposed laws against Islamophobia and anti-Islam speech. What exactly was said we don't know (as it is in so many issues with Mrs. Clinton), but she publically stated that while freedom of speech was an issue, her country would do everything to "shame" Islamophobes. This from a woman who has no shame.

The sad fact is that there is a good reason for Islamophobia (which in my definition does not include a hatred of all Muslims). It is not just the horrific events happening all over the world in the name of Islam, 9-11, ISIS, and thousands of murderous attacks since that day, but the entire 1400-year-old history of Islam. You cannot expect all this intolerance bloodshed not to result in a genuine, well-grounded fear of Islam.

Were the OIC to protest against the targeting of innocent Muslims in the West as retaliation for 9-11 and other terrorist attacks by the jihadists of the world, I would support that. But for this organization, which basically consists of dictatorships and dysfunctional nations like Pakistan to demand that we abolish our freedoms and our ability to criticize Islam-or any religion for that matter- is unacceptable.

Even if Islam were somehow to undergo a modern-day Reformation and abolish all the violence and intolerance it currently practices, a free democratic nation could not outlaw criticism. In the US, people criticize Christianity every day. Anti-Semitism is on the rise, but even anti-Semitic speech is protected unless it directly incites violence. The Islamists could care less about those forms of phobias. In virtually all Muslim-majority countries, religious minorities are routinely persecuted. And yet, Pakistan and the OIC have the chutzpah to demand that only their religion be protected from any and all criticism.





Thursday, September 21, 2023

Germany: Girl (13) Sexually Assaulted in Public Pool- 8 Arrested

Agrippabad Swimming Pool, Cologne


This is a recurring problem in public pools in Germany and other European countries. Eight young men, ages 16-26) with Iraqi, Syrian, and Turkish citizenship, have been arrested after they allegedly sexually abused a 13-year-old girl at a swimming pool in Cologne. They are all now reportedly free after being booked.

The below article in BILD (Germany) is translated by Fousesquawk.


 https://www.bild.de/regional/koeln/koeln-aktuell/koeln-acht-maenner-missbrauchen-maedchen-in-schwimmbad-85449884.bild.html

Girl (13) abused in Cologne swimming pool

All 8 suspects are free


Caption: The crime reportedly happened at the Cologne Agrippa pool.

Photo: Lars Jaeger

By Tim Specks and Nina Stampflmeier

Sept. 18, 2023-20:15


Cologne (NRW)- Disgusting act in the Agrippa outdoor pool in Cologne. On Sunday, 8 young men (16-26 years of age) reportedly harassed and sexually abused a girl (13). That is reported by the police on Monday.

According to investigators, the girl managed to free herself and inform the lifeguard. He immediately called the emergency number, (and) 7 patrol cars came and found the suspects at the exit of the swimming pool as they were about to flee. A witness, also a guest at the swimming pool, incriminated the group. 

According to what is presently known, the young men (three of whom are 16, three 21, 22, 26) reportedly surrounded the young girl in the water, harassed her, and threw her in the air.

While pushing her under the water, an Iraqi (16) residing in Cologne reportedly grabbed the girl in her bikini bottom! The other suspects reside in Cologne, Rhein-Sieg-Kreis (district), in Rhein-Erft-Kreis, in Rheinisch-Bergischen Kreis, and in Bonn. "Four of them have Syrian citizenship, and three have Turkish citizenship," the police report. 

BILD learns: The German child was with girlfriends in the pool (and) did not know the alleged attackers previously. The witness, as well as the suspects, are now being questioned. Criminal Police 12, which handles sexual crimes, is now investigating the case.

After the alleged crime, the suspects were processed for identification purposes and released.

"The 13-year-old was interviewed in the presence of her parents," said a police spokesperson. Victim services will also make contact with her (and) will treat her calmly and carefully.

The police are seeking further witnesses to the alleged abuse and ask that they contact telephone number 0221/2290 or by email (poststelle.koeln@polizei.nrw.de)

 Lifeguards are trained

A spokesperson for Cologne swimming pools responded to a BILD inquiry: "We are happy that our lifeguard immediately reacted and called police. Our employees are trained for such situations."

Due to ongoing investigations, no information as to further measures will be given.

 




Wednesday, September 20, 2023

California Ethnic Studies Issue and the University of California: Update

Hat tip AMCHA Initiative

 

There has been a troubling update in the ongoing effort by pro-Palestinian activists within the University of California system to dictate teaching requirements within California secondary schools pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The effort, spearheaded by Christine Hong and Emmaia Gelman, co-founders of the "Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism", seeks to impose teaching points on the above conflict in the new California Ethnic Studies course material, points developed by "UC faculty experts", which would be required for any high school graduate's admission into the UC system.

As previously reported, this effort has been met with resistance by several Jewish groups, most notably the AMCHA Initiative, s Santa Cruz-based group of Jewish academics who are active in combatting anti-Semitism on college campuses.

I am linking the latest letter from the AMCHA Initiative here

I would like to highlight a few points.

 "In a newly-exposed letter, University of California (UC) faculty tasked with developing California ethnic studies high school standards referred to Jews as “highly funded lobby groups” and attacked attempts to prevent antisemitic materials from becoming part of ethnic studies courses as “censorship” and “racism.”

First of all, anyone familiar with the history of anti-Semitism, past and present, knows that "highly-funded lobby groups" is a dog whistle that appeals to one of the older anti-Jewish tropes. The same adjective could be applied to the pro-Palestinian groups active around the world. Furthermore, to portray Jews as proponents of racism is an absurdity. Most American Jews identify as liberals and have a long history of supporting equal rights for all. Defending oneself against anti-Semitism is not racist.

 "That proposal, if approved, would force virtually every high school student to take an ethnic studies course whose content would be determined by UC faculty “experts” who believe antisemitic portrayals of Jews and anti-Zionism should be incorporated into high school ethnic studies courses."

I find it highly ironic that the very people (Hong, Gelman, et al.) who are charging Jewish groups with censorship are the very people who seek to impose certain teaching points-totally slanted to the pro-Palestinian narrative- as developed by "UC faculty experts" on California high schools as a requirement for admission into a UC school. One may safely assume that any pro-Israel points would be censored by these "UC faculty experts". But I am astounded by the arrogance and chutzpah of these UC activists who seek to dictate what must be taught in California high schools. I would have hoped that the current UC President, Michael Drake, would have called these people on the carpet, but obviously, that is not going to happen.  He is weak and demonstrated that weakness when he was UC Irvine chancellor.

This entire episode is a sordid tale of academic activism in action. These left-wing activists, who have succeeded in making the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into one of the biggest hot-button issues on US campuses, are engaging in anti-Jewish tropes. They claim to draw a distinction between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, but they will resort to age-old anti-Jewish tropes when it suits their purpose. It reminds me of the years I was teaching part-time at UC Irvine and watching the anti-Israel events that came around every May. How many times did I hear Amir Abdel Malik Ali spit out the words, "Zionist Jew" as he applied that label to his opponents-even several who were not Jewish? 

In addition, the larger issue of ethnic studies and how it will be taught in California secondary schools has been corrupted-predictably- by those who designed it in the first place. It has been put together by activists with an agenda, which is anything but constructive. They rail about "settler colonialism" and "US fascism" and insist that anti-Zionism should be a core principle of (US) ethnic studies. Their dogmatic language in their letter to Governor Newsom (linked in the AMCHA letter) betrays their extremist worldview. While Governor Gavin Newsom, rightfully rejected the original draft, the new version is also flawed and leaves the door open for activist educators to teach what they want with little regard for the safety and welfare of Jewish students, who have been and will continue to be collateral damage in this asinine campaign against the Jewish state of Israel..




Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Austria: Police Thwart Planned Jihadist Knife Attack at Vienna Central Train Station

16-year-old jihadist with Turkish background in custody

Vienna Central Train Station


It appears that Vienna has narrowly escaped a jihadist knife attack at Vienna's Central Station planned to occur on September 11. A 16-year-old Austrian citizen of Turkish background is in custody. The below article from today's Heute (Austria) is translated by Fousesquawk.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of potential jihadists continue to pour into Europe with no end in sight. What an insane situation. 

https://www.heute.at/s/16-jaehriger-stand-kurz-vor-messer-blutbad-am-bahnhof-100292394

September 19, 2023

16-year-old on verge of knife bloodbath at train station

Caption beneath photo:

According to a report, the 16-year-old wanted to set off a firework at the Central Train Station and stab those fleeing.

Helmut Graf

Gruesome details to come to light on the revealed attack plans of a 16-year-old in Vienna. The young man canceled the plan shortly before the crime.

by Rene Findenig

Over the weekend, a frightful report caused a stir. The Office for Protection of the Constitution had been investigating a 16-year-old Islamist (originally, there was talk of a 17-year-old), who in a chatgroup, reportedly expressed concrete attack plans in Vienna. According to the Interior Ministry, the young Austrian also shared a picture of himself that showed him in relevant clothing with a combat knife in his hand, while, with the other hand, he is giving the ISIS sign. He himself described himself as a strict Islamic believer and also loudly confessed the attack plans in his interrogation.

Now the gruesome details are becoming known-and just how narrowly the federal capital escaped an attack. As The Standard reports, the 16-year-old had planned to set off a firework at the Vienna Central Train Station, and then stab the fleeing people with a knife. Shocking. The 16-year-old actually stood in the Vienna Central Train Station with a knife  "with a longer blade" and a firework but broke off his plan in the last seconds.  Instead, the young man went to a mosque and spent the night there. 

Vienna attacker as role model

Further bizarre details of the case. The combat knife was reportedly acquired by the 16-year-old just shortly before his visit to the Central Train Station, he announced the act in a chat group, that the Austrian with Turkish roots accepted he would die in the act, and that the Vienna attacker of November 2, 2020, who shot four people in the federal capital and injured several, was described to the authorities as a great role model by the young man. The young man was radicalized over the Intenet, as The Standard reported with reference to security authorities.

The young man also reportedly named the attackers of Paris and Berlin as role models. Side detail. The young man had chosen September 11 as the day of the aborted attack-on September 2021 (sic), there were 2,996* victims killed in the terror attack in the USA. The young man was arrested last Tuesday on the street just one day after the aborted attack, The knife was reportedly seized from him. On Thursday pre-trial detention was imposed. Investigations in the case continue.

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

Translator's note: The above article erroneously gives the year of the 9-11 attacks as 2021. It was 2001. It also includes the 19 hijackers in the death toll of victims. The number of actual victims was 2,977.

* Here is an English-subtitled version of the video in the Heute (Austria) article. Translation by Fousesquawk. (Hat tip Gates of Vienna and Vlad Tepes for subtitling.)







Sunday, September 17, 2023

France: French National Assembly Proposes Bill Aimed at VPNs

Hat tip Vlad Tepes and Gates of Vienna. Translation by Fousesquawk

"To the guillotine with the VPNs!!


If you are worried about increasing governmental control over the internet, this proposed bill by the French National Assembly should really get you thinking. I do not pretend to be an expert on this subject, but as a blogger, it could soon affect me. As I understand it from the below translation, the bill would deny access to virtual privacy network providers that are not subject to French or European law.

To me, this raises obvious questions for the French people and their right to have access to different forms of communication. Do they envision preventing the French people from interacting with other parties in other countries who may have opinions that differ from the government? 

As the article mentioned, VPNs do a lot to ensure a person's privacy on the internet, but they are also used by people engaged in illegal activities.

Believe it or not, but Europeans do not enjoy the same freedom of speech that we do in America. Several of my contacts in Europe involved in the issues I write about, use VPN because they are worried about what they say being used against them by the government. That includes those Europeans who oppose their governments' (and the EU) policies of allowing millions of migrants to flood into Europe posing as refugees. That includes Europeans who oppose the growing Islamization of Europe.

This proposed bill bears watching. I will keep checking with our French sources.

 https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/16/amendements/1514/ESPNUM/690

National Assembly

Amendment # CS690 introduced 15 September 2023

Introduced by Vincent Thiebault,, Xavier Albertini and Francois Jolivet 

Insert the following article after Article 7


I  The providers of virtual network privacy (will) assure that the solutions in matters of access to a private network that they offer, for a fee or for free to users located on French territory, do not permit access to an internal network not subject to French or European legislation or rules.

II  When an operator whose activity is to provide a private network service online does not respect the system applicable to (I), the Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication (ARCOM) will notify the internet access providers or domain name resolution system providers by any appropriate means, upon establishing the date of reception, of the email addresses of the virtual privacy network providers who have not implemented an applicable system to (I). These persons, thus, must prevent access to these addresses within 48 hours.

The users of virtual privacy networks online for whom access is denied will be directed to an information page of the Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication indicating the reasons for the blocking measure.

- The Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication (will) notify the email addresses of these providers of virtual privacy networks to search engines or directories which have a period of five days to cease referencing the virtual privacy network service.

-A copy of the notifications to internet access services, providers of domain name resolution systems, and search engines (will be)  sent simultaneously to the virtual privacy network provider concerned. 

- The measures provided in (II) are for a  maximum period of 24 months. Their necessity (will be) reassessed automatically or by request, at least every 12 months. When the facts mentioned in the  first paragraph of section II no longer exist, the Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication (will) advise the addresses without delay of the notifications provided for the lifting of the measures 

Summary presentation

For some years, virtual privacy networks (VPN) have been increasingly used by our fellow citizens and businesses.


If this IT solution allows one to use a secure connection to protect oneself from malicious cyber activities, the VPN can also be used for illegal activities like pirating protected content under copyright. The secure and private server that VPNs offer also allows the use of an internet connection located in a foreign country thus, offering the possibility for its users to remove themselves from the French or European framework.


The present amendment is thus, aimed at responding to this problem by making the providers of access to virtual privacy networks responsible. Moreover, this amendment reinforces the powers of ARCOM in terms of restriction and blockage of sites that permit access to an internet network not subject to French and European legislation and regulation.










Friday, September 15, 2023

Austria: Islam's "Moral Watchdogs" in Action in Vienna

 

Brigittenau (Vienna) flak tower


Austrian media is reporting on an assault upon a young woman (apparently Muslim) by a group of Muslim males who objected to her "inappropriate" choice of covering (clothing) which she posted on social media. One of the males, reportedly spat on the girl and punched her to the ground. The incident occurred in the densely-populated district of Brigittenau in Vienna.

This is just another example of how many young Muslim girls and women who want to dress like Western women are intimidated by other Muslims and forced to conform to their own values and standards or else. Muslim females living in Western countries are entitled to the same rights as native females. Those who would try to take away those rights have no place in Western society. Hopefully, these punks will be apprehended, prosecuted, and if they are not citizens, deported.

Not holding my breath though.

The below article from ORF (Austria) is translated by Fousesquawk.

https://wien.orf.at/stories/3224162/

17-year-old attacked by "moral watchdog"




A 17-year-old was insulted, spat upon, and knocked down with a fist blow at Handelskai (subway terminal) in Brigittenau (Vienna). The attacker is a "self-appointed moral watchdog", the Kronen Zeitung reported.

Online since yesterday, 13:51

"The investigations are ongoing into the circumstances and suspicion of a criminal act," confirmed a police spokesperson regarding the incident. According to the 17-year-old, she "had arranged a meeting with a person unknown to her via social media after the man had exposed her over photos she had uploaded on the internet," said police spokesperson Matthias Schuster on Thursday. At the meeting, the man reportedly showed up with three other young men.

The men fled

He spat on her, whereupon, the young girl spat back. "Then the unknown man reportedly hit her in the face with his fist. Then the men fled," according to the spokesman. According to a witness, the young girl was first "vilely insulted and then physically attacked," wrote Krone (newspaper). A (female) friend of the victim, who was wearing a head covering, was unharmed. 

On the subject of "moral watchdogs", the police spokesperson stated that the State Office for Protection of the Constitution and Anti-Terrorism (LVT) and the State Criminal Police "are watching the situation on a continuing basis". To date, the situation is "calm" and there is "no noticeable rise in cases or reports."

Police focus on prevention

In this area, the police focus on prevention, (and) there is "close cooperation with schools and youth organizations in order to counter such developments and crimes at an early stage and carry out explanatory work". Social networks are is "big point" on this subject and are, "appropriately included in the measures." The LVT in Vienna has the lead (role) for specific prevention.

Brigittenau District Leader Christine Dubravac-Widholm (SPÖ-Social Democratic Party of Austria) told Krone, " This is not a tenable situation that once again, someone thinks they can act as moral watchdogs. We have already proceeded against this successfully and will now also apply appropriate measures." However, "more police" are needed.

Criticism from ÖVP (Austrian Peoples Party) und FPÖ (Freedom Party of Austria)

"Mistakes by the Vienna city government are evident, especially in the education and integration policies, and such incidents are the result of this years-long inactivity,"  ÖVP chairwoman Romana Deckenbacher reacted, "Everything must be done so that girls and women in Vienna are safe and are not in fear for their lives,"  ÖVP Women's speaker and Community Counselor Sabine Kerl demanded.

"Here young girls are tyrannized by Islamist fanatics, and the  Black-Green federal government and the Red-Pink city government watch and do nothing," criticized Maximillian Krauss, youth spokesman and club chairman of the Vienna FPÖ.






Hunter Biden: Only the Gun Charges?

This article first appeared in New English Review.

"We fooled 'em again, Son."


 Today, Hunter Biden was charged with three counts of violations related to his purchase and possession of a firearm while being addicted to drugs. This indictment comes from the office of David Weiss, US Attorney in Delaware, who was recently named as special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland. It also comes after the collapsed plea deal agreement that Weiss oversaw.

This, in my opinion, should not be greeted as good news or a sign that our justice system is truly working in a fair and unbiased manner. I would be surprised if Hunter Biden gets any jail time for this. My question is what happened to the more serious allegations related to Hunter Biden's overseas business dealings with Ukraine, China, Russia, and Kazakhstan, dealings that allegedly involved Joe Biden when he was vice president. The possible violations here would be influence peddling, money laundering, income tax evasion on millions of dollars he reportedly received from these countries, as well as possible violation of the Foreign Agent Registration Act. There is a strong indication, regardless of what hacks like White House Press Spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre maintain, that Joe and Hunter Biden were using Joe's position as vice president to enrich both of them. The claims of Jean-Pierre and other Democrats that there is no evidence linking President Biden to any corrupt activities involving his son are ludicrous on their face.

What I want to know is what David Weiss and the Justice Department plan to do with Hunter Biden's overseas business and tax matters, which also pertain to his father and his involvement, if any. Even if you remove President Biden from all that, the question is why Hunter is not being charged with income tax evasion (at the very least). The criteria that the IRS generally uses in deciding whether to prosecute is the amount of money involved, and whether there were efforts to conceal the money received, which appears to be the case.  But when you throw in Joe Biden's involvement as vice president, the matter becomes all the more serious.

The big question is whether Weiss and Garland now intend to settle for just the gun charges and let all the other possible charges quietly die. This would be unacceptable. In my view, it simply takes us back to the collapsed plea deal. Whether Hunter Biden pleads out or goes to trial, it stinks. This underlines more than ever, the need for the House of Representatives to go forward with their impeachment inquiry.

Thursday, September 14, 2023

Juan Cole's Latest Absurdity



"President Biden, who seems to be more energetic and more on top of issues than most people half his age,...".

-Juan Cole



University of Michigan comedian Juan Cole has come out with another boffo article in his curiously-named blog, Informed Comment. While most of the world was shaking their heads at President BIden's pitiful press conference in Hanoi, Cole was actually impressed. While the rest of the world saw a doddering old fool making incomprehensible statements about "lying, dog-faced pony soldiers" and going to bed, Cole saw greatness.

But you have to remember this is Juan Cole we're talking about.

Aside from Cole's description of Biden as being "energetic" and "on top of things", Cole also praised Biden's comment about  Global Warming (above a 1.5 degree C increase) being more of an existential threat than nuclear war!

"The president then waxed a bit philosophical, underscoring that such green foreign aid is essential because “the only existential threat humanity faces even more frightening than a — than a nuclear war is global warming going above 1.5 degrees in the next 20 — 10 years. We’re — that’d be real trouble. There’s no way back from that.”

-Juan Cole



Cole, who is a professor of history at UMich, apparently also moonlights as a scientist as he backs up the President's claims about Global Warming, solar panels in Angola (which we are supposed to pay for), and Biden's previous idea of forgiving nations' debt to us (e.g. Brazil) if they cared for their forests.

But Cole did take the president to task for his reference to the "lying, dog-faced pony soldier" pointing out that Biden incorrectly credited John Wayne and the wrong movie with the line. As opposed to asking why he even brought it up in the first place in Hanoi of all places!

Who needs Karine Jean-Pierre when you have Juan Cole?

With that, I am going to bed.


Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Italy: Lampedusa Under Migrant Siege-Yet Again

Hat tip Gates of Vienna and Vlad Tepes


 Yet again, the island of Lampedusa off the coast of Italy, is besieged by migrants crossing the Mediterranean. The below article by Il Giornale is translated by Fousesquawk. The article has two videos that clearly show that virtually all of the migrants are single, able-bodied young males.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ascended to her post largely on the promise to halt this flow of migrants into Italy. Obviously, she has failed for one reason or another. And yet, the leaders of the country talk about the redistribution of these migrants to other European countries. That may ease the burden on Italy, but the result is that Europe is being flooded with young men who will contribute little to the continent beyond crime, welfare costs, and increased risk of terrorism.

Every day, somebody in Europe is murdered by these migrants. Every day, some woman is raped by these migrants. The power of Islam continues to grow in Europe.

And every day, hundreds, thousands more arrive in places like Lampedusa with the Italians and Europeans unable or unwilling to stop them.

 
 


National

From the shadow of the mother ship to the rapid debarkation: Lampedusa is under siege
12 September 2023-20:03

Never so many debarkations in a single day. Sources tell Il Giornale that for now, it is difficult to quantify the number of arrivals. And now the system is at risk of collapse. "We are exhausted."

Valentina Raffa

There are always many, but today it is an invasion. Ten, fifteen, even more. The boats overloaded with migrants off the coast of Lampedusa are impossible to count. The amazement is great even for the islanders, accustomed to continuous debarkation.

It is a tsunami of migrants that poured into Lampedusa. Small boats and iron boats, one next to the other, a short distance away, and others behind in the waters in front of the principal pier. And other boats further off in the distance. "They continue to arrive," says a source in Lampedusa. "We cannot count them.  Many are stopped by the police." And several groups managed to land on the beach independently. 

The very brief respite due to bad weather is over. The hotspot, which yesterday morning counted only 19 migrants, is again at the point of collapse. In 24 hours, almost 2,500 people have arrived, counting the migrants landing independently and stopped while they tried to disperse on land and those rescued by motor boats of the Guardia di Finanza, but another dozen landings have to be counted.

"The island can no longer support these numbers," says the mayor of Lampedusa, Filippo Mannino. "The defense forces need to intervene. I am appealing to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the entire Italian government to adopt emergency measures. The territory is not able to withstand this shock wave, the scale of which surpasses even the resident population. It is impossible to guarantee adequate actions of assistance to migrants, notwithstanding the immense logistical force, which events show, is insufficient. Citizens, businesses, economic operators, workers, police, (and) reception associations," he concludes, "are already in a state of unsustainable physical and psychological suffering."

Meanwhile, the transfers have begun. Some 600 will leave the island today on scheduled ferries and Diciotti boats of the Coast Guard to reach a new destination. In Italy, obviously, But it is only a palliative.  It's like a boat with an open leak You try to throw out the water, but it keeps coming in. Lampedusa is sinking and, at this stage, so will Italy if it cannot redistribute the migrants in an obligatory manner within the countries of the EU, and without skimming between the "placeable" and the "undesirable", which instead happens for those few migrants who are relocated outside the borders.

Former mayor Toto Martello, now president of the Fisherman's Consortium, who knows the territory well, and, over the years, has seen the changes caused by the phenomenon that affects everyone, not just the island, is convinced. What is needed is a 360-degree agreement to resolve the problem of illegal immigration, which has reached an exceptional number of almost 118,000 arrivals since the beginning of the year. "Up to now, there has been too much demagoguery and so many slogans," he says, " but we need to think about the only possible solution, indicated by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella: The creation of (legal) corridors which envisage agreements between all the nations bordering the Mediterranean and those of Africa. Immigration," continues Martello, "will not be solved with the 114 million promised by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to empty Lampedusa because it is not an economic phenomenon."

Meanwhile, as Europe watches the invasion of Italy from afar, the police, health workers, and all those involved in the machinery of reception have had to roll up their sleeves. Yet again. The patrol boats of the Coast Guard and the Guardia di Finanza have not stopped. With still no solution.  "They even go out to get the migrants from the NGO boats," says a source on the front line of rescue to Il Giornale. "We are exhausted."

The iron boats, numerous, loaded with migrants, are in a line at the Favarolo pier. And the amount of identification activities, which are routine notwithstanding the extraordinary scope of the events, is not sufficient, but the police have to carry out investigations to be able to understand how it could happen that so many boats, almost all iron, have been concentrated in the same area of the sea. As if they belonged to the same group, perhaps, it is hypothesized, dropped off along the coast by a mother ship, generally, a fishing vessel.  

Almost all of the ships left from Sfax, only a few from Monastir and from Sidi Mansour. The migrants are from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Chad, Tunisia, Guinea, and Cameroon and have paid for the crossing between 1,000 and 5,000 Tunisian dinars apiece. The men of the Mobile Squad (police) of Agrigento are also working to ascertain the statements of 40 migrants saved  from the Resqship sailboat, Nadir, who disembarked Monday morning on the island, and who reported yet another tragedy at sea. But the investigators are proceeding cautiously.

Not only are the versions conflicting, in that it was initially said that some 40 lost at sea, then a maximum of 10, but furthermore, neither the maritime authorities, immediately informed by the Nadir, nor the NGO Sea Punkt, nor the Frontex recognizance plane, Osprey 2, have sighted wreckage. Other investigations concern maritime piracy. There are two groups of 40 and 30 migrants respectively who have reported being victims of sea pirates who took the motors of the boats. 


Monday, September 11, 2023

Sweden- Another Riot in Rosengård (Malmö)

Hat tip Insikt24

-BBC


This article appeared on September 4, and I am posting it now since I was on vacation last week. On September 3, there was another Koran-burning in Sweden, this time in Malmö. The Koran burner, an Iraqi named Salwan Momika, was met with a violent response by Muslim immigrants who tried to attack him. That same evening, a riot broke out in the city's largely Muslim-inhabited zone of Rosengård.

The below article by Insikt24 is translated by Fousesquawk. There is a video in the article, but the sound is in Arabic. 

 https://insikt24.se/video-nya-invandrarupplopp-i-rosengard-bilbrander-och-stenkastning-mot-polisen/

New immigrant riot in Rosengård – - car fires and rock throwing at police

September 4, 2023

On Sunday evening, there was again an immigrant riot in the problem area of Rosengård in Malmö. Several cars and environmentally certified buildings were set on fire, and extensive rock-throwing against police and police vehicles took place. The number of violent perpetrators who gathered to create riots was about 100 persons. The immigrant riot occurred the same day that Iraqi Salwan Momika carried out a Koran-burning in Malmö.

Another immigrant riot has broken out in  Malmö's leading problem area of  Rosengård. This time several cars were set on fire, and police and police vehicles were attacked by immigrants who threw rocks. Environmentally certified buildings and a parking garage were also set on fire, which caused four properties to be without water after a water main was damaged. The number of people causing violence at the location to create riots is reportedly about 100 persons, many of whom were masked. Police had to deploy extra resources to try and curb the riots. 

On Sunday, the Iraqi, Salwan Momika carried out another Koran-burning. This time, this Koran-burning,  occurred for the first time outside the Stockholm area, more specifically, in Malmö. During the Koran-burning, there were disturbances, where many attacked police, tried to attack Momika, and several persons were arrested because of this. Only hours after the Koran-burning was carried out, a riot also broke out in Rosengård. Riots in Rosengård are something that happen all the time. Koran-burnings last year are such an example, which Insikt24 earlier reported on. Trials against the immigrants who caused the riots are still in progress.




9-11 Remembered

 

The Falling Man

I don't have much comment on President Biden's prepared remarks in Anchorage, Alaska today to mark 9-11. Do I think he should been at one of the attack sites? Yes. But today is not about Biden. It is about what happened on that dark day over 20 years ago, which for some, has apparently already receded from their memory as ancient history.

Never forget.

Jewish Groups Challenge Anti-Semitic Content in Santa Ana Schools

“Emails we have uncovered suggest the School Board knowingly tried to keep things under wraps so they wouldn’t have to address what the course developers called ‘the Jewish Question.’ "

Reinhard Heydrich
One of the principal architects of the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question"


I am linking a press release from the Louis D Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law announcing that it has joined with other Jewish groups like Stand With Us and the ADL in challenging alleged anti-Semitic content in the proposed ethnic studies curricula within the Santa Ana (California) School District.

 https://brandeiscenter.com/coalition-files-lawsuit-to-stop-antisemitic-content-from-being-taught-in-santa-ana-public-schools-press-release/

"When members of the community discovered the school board’s actions and appeared at a meeting to publicly comment following the controversial curriculum’s covert approval, they were harassed with antisemitic rhetoric."

.Going through the agenda for the Board's scheduled September 12, 2023 public/closed door meeting agenda, I cannot find any reference to the issue. Nor have I yet to find any reference on the Board's website in general to the issue. Nor can I see any reporting on this in the local Orange County Register.

You talk about dog whistles! You would think that the Santa Ana educational establishment and the course developers would know what the term, "Jewish question" hearkens back to. If they are really that ignorant (which I question), they should be fired for their ignorance of history. 



Sunday, September 10, 2023

Is the University of California Putting its Seal of Approval on Anti-Semitism?

 Hat tip to the Amcha Initiative


I am cross-posting an important and disturbing press release by my friend and colleague, Tammi Rossman-Benjaman, co-founder of the Amcha Initiative, established to fight campus anti-Semitism, especially in the state of California.

 University of California activists and professors, Christine Hong and Emmaia Gelman, who are co-founders of the Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism, are attempting to  influence what California high school students are required to study in order to be accepted into UC schools.  Welcome back to Critical Race Theory, which happens to include anti-Israel and anti-Jewish indoctrination in its curricula.

https://amchainitiative.org/orgs-to-ca-jewish-caucus-defund-ab101-8-29-23pr/

This is typical of what we can expect from the University of California system, most of whose campuses collectively constitute one of the worst educational institutions in the nation when it comes  to anti-Semitism.

 A perusal of the language used by Hong and Gelman clearly reveals the woke indoctrination that reigns supreme in academia today (fascism in Israel and the US.) 

Attacking Zionism is nothing more than creating a cover to attack the existence of the Jewish state of Israel and Jews as well. Zionism is just a dog whistle. Scratch the surface and what do you find but the old anti-Jewish tropes that Jews have dual loyalty and exercise excessive influence over our government as well as the media, financial institutions, and on and on.

I also note with concern that this movement is trying to force California high schools to institute anti-Zionist material into their curriculum including the controversial teaching of critical race theory, a curious concept that not only teaches that whites are inherently racist, but that Israel is oppressing Palestinians. Absent having taken such a course, a student could not get into a UC school if these folks had their way. How arrogant that the UC system would attempt to pressure secondary schools into teaching specific courses. especially one as controversial as CRT. 

I know from my own personal experiences teaching part-time at UC Irvine how the pro-Palestinian campaign against Israel has crossed the line into anti-Semitism and made life hard for Jewish students on campus.  This cancer is now spreading to the secondary schools, thanks to initiatives like this. It is a classical example of the marriage between the left and the anti-Israel campaign. It must be fought.