Belgium: University Deals With Aftermath of Pro-Palestinian Occupation

-7 sur 7 (Belgium)

Banner reads: "Free Georges Abdallah". Abdallah is a pro-Palestinian Lebanese terrorist and convicted murderer imprisoned in France since 1984.

Translator's note: In Belgium, there are two universities in Brussels whose names-if translated into English- would be "Free University of Brussels".  However, one is a French-language university (Université libre de Bruxelles or ULB), while the other is a Flemish-language university (Vrije  Universiteit Brussel or VUB). The Belgians avoid the use of the English term in order to avoid confusion. The story here concerns the French-language university (ULB).

From May 7 to June 25, pro-Palestinian students occupied a building at ULB until they were finally removed by police. Needless to say, the occupied building suffered considerable damage, including graffiti tags, broken doors, and damages to teaching materials.

But that's what the pro-Palestinian, pro-Hamas mobs do, isn't it?

The below article from today's French-language, Belgian newspaper, 7 sur 7, is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.7sur7.be/belgique/action-pro-palestinienne-a-lulb-des-degats-estimes-a-plus-de-500-000-euros~a600dded/

Pro-Palestinian action at ULB: Damages estimated at more than 500,000 euros.

The action by the pro-Palestinian students at ULB visibly generated significant damage inside the buildings occupied by the group, RTBF (Belgian Radio Television French) reports with supporting images. One estimate of the cost of reparation is between 500,000 and 700,000 euros. The university has announced its intention to file a complaint.

AF June 28, 2024 at 16:48. Last updated 16:50. Source RTBF

Walls covered with tags to be repainted, "broken" doors to be replaced, damaged teaching materials to be purchased, and an "upside down" auditorium: The buildings occupied by the pro-Palestinian student group of ULB from May 7 to June 25 have demonstrably suffered much damage. A colossal bill for the university, which has to pay the costs.

ULB points out that if the cause of the students, grouped under the name "People's University of Brussels" is evidently legitimate, on the other hand, nothing justified such acts of "vandalism", especially since the building in question, (which is) "unusable in its present state", had been renovated barely two years ago, RTBF states.

The rector of ULB, Annemie Schaus, has announced her intention to file a complaint. The student group has not yet reacted at this point.

"The President Has a Cold"

-De Standaard (Belgium)

Last night's eagerly awaited presidential debate was a shocker, not because Biden performed like a befuddled old man, but because even the Democrats, the left, and the media are admitting that Biden cannot continue to be president of the United States. From Spain to France to Germany to Sweden, the European newspapers are ablaze and unanimous that it was a catastrophe for Biden and the Democrats. The blank stares, the gaping mouth, the "15,000 new jobs" he had created, seemingly confusing Trump with Putin when discussing the Russia-Ukraine issue, these were strong visuals. Frankly speaking, at times, the president looked like a man on his deathbed (albeit standing), and I don't say that in jest.

I should state at the outset that I have no complaint as to how CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash conducted the debate. They are no fans of Trump, but in my view, they conducted the event fairly.

After watching the debate on Fox, I kept it on that channel to watch the predictable commentary. Former congressman, Harold Ford, a Democrat, even conceded that it was a terrible performance by Biden. After 15 minutes or so, I switched over to CNN and MSNBC, fully expecting to hear them claiming that the president "knocked it out of the park". To my surprise, even they were saying that Biden was a disaster and that all their Democrat insider contacts were texting them saying that Biden could not win the election. Naturally, the CNN and MSNBC commentators all agreed that Trump lied throughout the debate about this or that and that he was a horrible human being, etc. To me, the most dishonest thing about last night was the feigned shock on the part of CNN and MSNBC over Biden's state of mental health. It was as if the president had suffered a stroke 15 minutes before airtime. We have all been witnessing the cognitive decline in his health since he was campaigning from his basement in Delaware 4 years ago. The mainstream media has studiously ignored the issue-until now.  For most if not all of the CNN and MSNBC commentators, it was the first time they had ever addressed the issue publicly. 

Many believe that the Democrats and the media were all ready to jump ship if Biden performed poorly-as he did. But how did the White House respond? Within minutes of the end of the debate, they put out a statement that "the president has a cold". Wow.

Also surreal was the spectacle of First Lady Jill Biden dragging her poor old husband into a room full of supporters yelling, "4 more years" and calling Trump a liar before mercifully taking him back home and putting him to bed.

Both CNN and MSNBC had Kamala Harris on for a few minutes. Fox had extended an invitation to her as well, but naturally, she didn't accept. Gone were the word salads and the silly laughter. She was angry, defensive, and honestly, the most articulate I have ever seen her-even though she was speaking pure poppycock. To CNN's Anderson Cooper, she parried his questions asking her if she was concerned after Biden's performance. She admitted that he had a "slow start" but a strong finish, and went on to talk about how Biden is doing such a great job. In a shorter interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, she mostly attacked Trump.

What about Trump? As was easy to predict, he came out attacking, and clearly, he came out ahead. In contrast to Biden, he was more vigorous, spoke more clearly, and had much more energy. Yet, what frustrated me was his reluctance to directly answer questions. His tactic seemed to be to use his time to go back to the previous topic and rebut Biden's statements, on occasion, using up all his allotted time. When he was asked about the environment, he avoided the question. Finally, he said that, of course, he wanted "immaculately" clean water and air. He did not go into details. When asked if he would accept the results of the election, no matter who won, he again reverted back to the previous topic to rebut Biden's statement. Finally, he said, he would accept it as long as it was a fair and honest election. But it was like pulling teeth. As for the subject of how he would deal with the fentanyl crisis and addiction, a topic he should have "hit out of the park", he ignored the question and never did say a word about what he would do preferring to insist that things were getting better under his presidency until the Covid crisis hit. The Fox commentators ignored all that, and from what I saw on CNN and MSNBC, they seemed to mostly overlook it as well, preferring to concentrate on pointing out Trump's "lies" and his "bad character". (I may have missed some references to this since I was switching back and forth among the three channels.) In addition, he did not defend himself well in the January 6 issue. If he made any misstatements, they were probably in referring to his own time as president. His accusations against Biden were valid. In my opinion, Trump's worst statement was that if he was elected, he would bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war as president-elect, even before taking office. He didn t elaborate on how he would do that, and he wasn't asked, but Biden is president until he isn't president, and a president-elect has no authority to do anything. It was a reckless statement on Trump's part.

So what happens now? Where do we go from here-or should I say, where do the Democrats go from here? It would appear at this point that there will be enormous pressure on Biden to withdraw from the race. The obvious problem here is what they do with Harris, the next in line and a minority female, the first who would ascend to the presidency. She has been a laughing stock during Biden's entire term. Every time she has opened her mouth she has embarrassed herself, at least until last night. Even MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell, a man given to theatrical exaggerations, remarked after the post-debate interview, that in his view, the Democrats need to put her out on the campaign trail front and center. Harris, in my view, can tell whatever whoppers she wants about Biden, his health, and his accomplishments as president, but if she can avoid the word salads and silly laughter, she may just convince her party that they can put her up as the candidate. (It won't convince me. Being in California, I have watched her "political career" pretty much from the start. She would be a disaster as president.)

It's the morning after the debate. Next week, everybody may be singing a different tune, including myself, but right now I feel that Biden will, indeed, drop out of this race, especially if Harris can put up the illusion that she is up to the job. If Biden remains on the ticket, the question is what effect last night will have on the election. It's hard to say because most voters already know how they are going to vote. As for those "undecideds", the only thing I can say now is that whatever flaws Trump showed last night (whatever the "fact-checkers" turn up), that likely will be forgotten by November. Biden's pathetic performance last night, however, will not be forgotten so easily.  No matter how much the "fact-checkers" refute Trump's statements last night, they cannot replace what our "lying eyes" witnessed.

  

Assassination Attempt in Spain and Possible Link to Iran

Earlier this month, we reported on the arrest of a Tunisian man in the Netherlands who is wanted for allegedly shooting a Spanish politician in Madrid last November. This case has garnered considerable publicity in both countries. The suspect, Mehrez Ayari, 38, is suspected of having acted in concert with members of the notorious Mocro Maffia (Moroccan Mafia), which controls most of the cocaine trade in the Netherlands and Belgium. It is also suspected that the assassination attempt in Spain was on behalf of the Iranian government. 

This week, it is now being reported in the Spanish and Dutch press that Ayari and a Colombian suspect were preparing to murder an unidentified Iranian journalist and activist residing in the Netherlands when they were arrested by Dutch police. This gives further fuel to the suspicion that there is an Iranian connection.

The below newspaper articles from Ondacero (Spain) and NOS (Netherlands) are both translated by Fousesquawk. Note that unlike Spain, the Dutch press is not naming the Tunisian suspect, Ayari, by name.

First the Spanish article.

 https://www.ondacero.es/noticias/mundo/detenido-ataque-vidalquadras-acusado-intentar-matar-reportero-irani-holanda_20240626667c71a8888bcf0001a2e5a0.html

Arrested person in Vidal-Quadras attack accused of intending to kill Iranian reporter

The Dutch prosecutor's office has announced that Mehrez Ayari is suspected of "preparing to assassinate an Iranian activist and journalist who resides in the Netherlands".

EFE (Spanish International News Agency) Madrid

June 26, 2024 at 21:53

Caption: Detainee for attack on Spanish politician accused of intending to kill Iranian reporter.

Tunisian Mehrez Ayari, detained in the Dutch city of Haarlem at the beginning of the month as the alleged perpetrator of the attack against ex-politician, Alejo Vidal-Quadras, is also suspected of "preparing the assassination of an Iranian activist and journalist who resides in the Netherlands," as announced Wednesday by the Dutch prosecutor's office.

The 38-year-old Tunisian, who has been identified as Mehrez Ayari, was arrested in Haarlem at the beginning of this month by Dutch police, together with another accused (person), a 27-year-old Colombian.

"Officers of the North Holland Unit received an alert of a suspicious situation on June 6, 2024 and immediately responded. Arriving at the scene, they saw two men running. The officers pursued them on foot and were able to arrest both. They were found to be in possession of firearms," the Dutch prosecutor's office stated, who (also) stated that the investigation is continuing.

Both detainees remain totally isolated and are only in contact with their respective lawyers.

Was detained as he was about to commit a similar attack to that on Vidal-Quadras

Last week, sources close to the investigation told EFE that the participation of the Mocro Maffia (Moroccan mafia) in the attempt to assassinate the former politician confirms the suspicions of the Iranian trail (connection) since it is not the first time that the Iranian regime "hires" hit men from that criminal network principally made up of criminal of Maghrebian (North African) origin. 

According to information shared by Spanish police, Ayari was detained in Haarlem, on the street, as he was about to commit another attack similar to that on Vidal-Quadras, former director of the Popular Party and co-founder of Vox (party), though it is not known if that victim is the same Iranian journalist and activist or if it is a different person. 

The National Court took over the investigation of the attack against Vidal-Quadras (due to) the suspicion of connections to Iran, which also led to the issuance of up to three arrest warrants against three of the six detainees.

They are Ayari himself and two other previously-detained persons, a woman also arrested in the Netherlands and a Venezuelan detained in Colombia and implicated in the purchase of a motorcycle used in the attack.

The Dutch article.

https://nos.nl/artikel/2526215-verdachte-van-aanslag-op-spaanse-politicus-ook-verdachte-in-nederlandse-zaak

NOS News-Yesterday, 12:51

Suspect in attack on Spanish politician also suspect in Dutch case

A man who is suspected of an attempted assassination of a Spanish politician is also a suspect in the preparation of an assassination of an Iranian activist and journalist who is residing in the Netherlands. That is what is reported by the Public Prosecutor's Office.

The suspect, a 38-year-old man with Tunisian nationality, is in custody on suspicion of an attempted assassination of Alejo Vidal-Quadras in November of last year. This Spaniard from the right-populist Vox party, was shot in the face and (suffered) a broken jaw.

For this, the Tunisian was sought internally and was arrested June 6 in Haarlem when police came upon a suspicious situation. After a chase, he was arrested along with a Colombian. They were in possession of firearms. The Colombian man (27) is seen as a co-suspect in the case of the Iranian.

The Public Prosecutor's Office reports that the suspects are still in restrictive custody, which means that they can only have contact with their lawyer. The Public Prosecutor's Office cannot say which Iranian activist and journalist is involved. Incidentally, it did not come to an attack.

In the Vidal-Quadras case, in the beginning of May, a Dutch woman was arrested. Among other things, she is suspected of financing and preparation of the assassination attempt.

Hiding Behind Keffiyehs

This article first appeared in New English Review.

 I have long found it amazing how these pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas protesters here in the US feel so strongly about their cause that most of them hide their faces behind keffiyehs when they show up to spout their hate against Israel and Jews. Instead of showing their faces, they choose to hide them with those obnoxious Palestinian headscarves. How many times do you see pro-Israel demonstrators hide their faces behind masks or some other type of face covering? I haven't seen one-not in person, nor on TV.

Now comes the case of Anas Saleh, a 24-year-old guy from Staten Island who made headlines when he boarded a New York City subway this month and led his fellow Jew-haters in chants of, "Zionists raise your hands" and telling any "Zionists" (Jews) who might be on board that this was their chance to get off the train (implying something bad might happen to them if they don't). On this occasion, while Saleh was wearing a keffiyeh, it was not covering his face, probably because he was accompanied by several other protesters.

Alas, true to form, once Saleh (with his face plastered all over the news) turned himself in, the bravado was gone. Images of him coming out of the station show him with his face covered by a Covid-era face mask and sheltered by his supporters, also covering themselves and Saleh with keffiyehs, face masks, and umbrellas as they arrogantly attempted to keep news photographers from recording the scene.

You have to hand it to this pro-Hamas crowd, be they in New York, Chicago, or the West Coast. They sure have chutzpah. Not enough to show their faces when they know cameras are around, of course. Instead of chutzpah, let's just call it arrogance.

And their arrogance is wearing thin with the American public just as it is with the Europeans. On October 7, while the civilized world was recoiling in horror at what the barbarians of Hamas had done to over 1,200 innocent civilians, including women, children, and infants, these knuckleheads were celebrating the "resistance". Then, as Israel punched back and their heroes from Hamas were taking to the tunnels like rats and ensuring that their own civilians were placed in harm's way, the knuckleheads of our society got mad. As the Israelis began stacking up the "martyrs" of Hamas like stacks of cordwood, the outraged terrorist supporters took to the streets and the campuses. Now even the heads of universities (who have now been put under the spotlight) are starting to say enough is enough as they send in the campus police and outside reinforcements to take back the campuses from this rabble.

The civilized world is also seeing the pure Jew-hatred for what it is. As Jewish students on campuses have been bullied and Jews assaulted on the streets of New York, Los Angeles, and other American cities, as Jews in Europe are being gang raped and butchered by Muslim migrants, decent citizens see it for what it is. These pro-Hamas supporters, demonstrators, and rioters, are nothing but thugs. They hate Israel, they hate America, they hate Jews, and they hate the West in general. Both radical Muslims and anarchists of every background, they spit on our values and try to remake Western civilization into a weird combination of fundamentalist Islam mixed with outright Nazism. 

It has taken several years for us to wake up to the fact that we have a resurgence of anti-Semitism on our hands. A resurgence that began on our campuses courtesy of the anti-Israel crowd of students and faculty posing as educators. Now it is front and center. Oh sure, some on the left are still trying to pin most of the blame on white nationalists, Trump supporters, and the right in general. But their lies don't hold water. Most of us in America see it, the Canadians see it, the Australians see it, and the Europeans see it. And we are disgusted. The conservative British journalist Douglas Murray puts it succinctly when he says that he does not want to share his society with people like this. He could not be more correct. However, unless outrages like what we have witnessed in the New York subway are committed by non-citizens (who can be deported), it is left to our justice system to deal with these characters. And of course, in New York and Los Angeles, two of the worst cities in the nation in this regard, we have to rely on prosecutors like Alvin Bragg and George Gascon respectively to seek justice. I doubt that these two are sufficiently disgusted yet.

But to sum it all up, Anas Saleh and his ilk have given the nation a true picture of what the pro-Palestinian, pro-Hamas movement is all about- Jew-hatred and cowardice. It's one thing to lower your keffiyeh down around your neck when you are surrounded by like-minded thugs. It is quite another when you cover your face when the cops and media are around, and you are the prisoner rather than somebody's tormenter.

Anas Saleh, Raise Your Hand!

Anas Saleh (NY Post)

"Heigh ho, heigh ho,

It's off to jail I go"

One of the more disgusting images after the barbaric October 7 attack by Hamas occurred in New York City on June 10. A bunch of pro-Hamas mopes were on a subway car when one Palestinian keffiyah-clad guy led other keffiyeh-clad youths in chants for Zionists to raise their hands and get off the subway train.

Today, that man has been identified. He is 24-year-old Anas Saleh, and he has turned himself in after his image on the subway was widely disseminated. The NY Post has a report with video of the incident and photos of Saleh.

Just Another Fine Day in France

Hat tip Francois Desouche

Guess what happened in France last night.

An Algerian guy, already under a deportation order for various and sundry crimes, allegedly attempted to rape a medical secretary in her office located in Issy-les-Moulineaux (greater Paris area). When the cops arrived, he reportedly held a pair of scissors to her throat and threatened to kill her. Police, nevertheless, managed to subdue the Algerian with a taser. The victim was only slightly injured.

Issy-les-Moulineaux (Paris)

The below report from CNEWS (France) was posted by the French blog, Francois Desouche, and is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.cnews.fr/faits-divers/2024-06-26/bougez-pas-ou-je-vais-la-tuer-un-homme-sous-oqtf-place-en-garde-vue-pour

"Don't move or I'll kill her." A man under deportation order taken into custody for attempted rape of a woman in a medical office at Issy-les-Moulineaux

Caption: The man admitted to police he had taken cocaine.

By CNEWS

Posted 6-26-2024 at 18:44-Updated 6-26-2024 at 18:44

After a report of an attempted rape and murder in a medical office, a police operation took place yesterday evening in Issy-les-Moulineaux (Hauts-de-Seine). The suspected attacker was arrested and placed in custody, CNEWS has learned from police sources.

The events occurred around 10:30 pm. Notified by witnesses on June 25, police proceeded to a medical office located in Issy-les-Moulineaux (Hauts-de-Seine). At the scene, police observed an attack in progress, hearing the cries of the woman, the death threats, and the calls for help coming from inside the office, a police source told CNEWS on Wednesday.

While the screams were coming from a locked room in front of which chairs had been placed by witnesses to prevent the attacker from fleeing, the officers managed to enter. The victim, a medical secretary, born in 2000, was found nude, lying on the floor while a man was threatening to kill her using scissors he held to her throat.

According to CNEWS' information, the suspected attacker reportedly yelled to police, "Don't move or I will kill her". However, thanks to the use of a taser, police succeeded in overpowering the individual before placing him under arrest.

For her part, slightly injured, the medical secretary told investigators that the attacker had entered the office under the pretext of having an appointment. After having asked her for help and complimenting her, he reportedly forced her to undress before grabbing a pair of scissors from the desk. He then reportedly locked the door and threw himself on her.

An attacker under order to leave the country

Born in February 1992 in Algiers, and of Algerian nationality, the man was the object of two investigative files. One was the Obligation to Leave French Territory (OQFT), and the other an Administrative Ban on Returning. In addition, the man admitted to officers he had consumed cocaine, which was confirmed by a drug test.

He was placed in custody for attempted rape while under the influence of drugs, as well as attempted voluntary homicide while under the influence of drugs. Finally, the suspect is known to police for aggravated robbery, kidnapping, extortion, and sexual attacks on minors. However, the police did not indicate whether he had been convicted for these acts, some of which date back to 2018.

Another Black Eye for Columbia University

Over the past decade or so, few universities have had as many anti-Semitic incidents as Columbia. Just recently, in the wake of October 7, the school has come back under the spotlight including being investigated by Congress. Columbia's president, Minouche Shafik was called to testify before the House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Work Force and has come under sharp criticism. 

Now comes a new black eye for Columbia as three administrators are alleged to have exchanged text messages mocking Jewish claims of campus anti-Semitism. The College Fix has the story. The story was first broken by the Washington Free Beacon.

Here is how the Columbia campus newspaper, the Columbia Spectator is reporting the story.

After so many years of complaints by Jewish students, the actual presence on campus of professors like Joseph Massad and Rashid Khalidi, the pathetic performance of Shafik, and now this it is really hard to believe Columbia's protestations of innocence when it comes to allegations of campus anti-Semitism.

What Columbia needs is a good housecleaning-a fumigation, actually.

Italy: What Has Happened to Udine?

Piazza San Giacomo, Udine

The small town of Udine, located in northeastern Italy, used to be a quiet, tranquil place. No longer. Now the city is dealing with gangs of teenage boys, largely of foreign extraction (i.e. Albanian) who fight and cause havoc in the city. Often they come into the city from surrounding areas to deal drugs, hang out, drink, and commit acts of violence, sometimes against each other, sometimes against innocent citizens.

Now the problem in Italy has caused national attention after a Japanese man, Tominaga Shimpei, 56,  was attacked in the city by a gang of youths and is now fighting for his life. According to Corriere della Sera, Tominaga, a businessman who was residing in Udine, was attacked by five men between the ages of 20-30 as he was eating at an establishment with two Italian friends. He reportedly had intervened to render assistance to another person who was running from the attackers.  Corriere della Sera has published the names of the five men who are in custody. Meanwhile, Tominaga is in an induced coma.

The below article from today's Il Tempo is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.iltempo.it/attualita/2024/06/24/news/udine-tominaga-shimpei-giappone-sicurezza-paura-risse-gang-sindaco-de-toni-news-39699133/

Udine, no hope for Tominaga Shimpei, fear spreads in the city, and the mayor has disappeared

24 June 2024

In the evening, the wife and 13-year-old son of Tominaga Shimpei, the man attacked in the center of the city Friday who is fighting between life and death, will arrive from Japan. The latest crime news incident that has unleashed the anger of Udine's citizens and business people, who cannot take it any longer. The situation is out of control, and contrary to what the local institutions claim, every day at sunset in the city, fights happen between groups of young men, mostly minors and of foreign extraction. Drunk and under the effect of drugs, they are found during the day in the green areas surrounding the heart of Udine, then around evening, they head to San Giacomo Square, which from being the city's living room, seems to have become their ring, where, armed with knives and (broken) bottle shards, they confront each other. But paying the price are not only the members of these "baby gangs", but also ordinary citizens like Tominaga, whose hopes for life are, unfortunately, almost zero.

People no longer serenely go out of their homes in the evening; it is not the perception of insecurity, it is the real fear and also the anger of seeing the city in these conditions. We at least expected that Mayor De Toni would intervene publicly, but as often happens, he preferred to send his vice (mayor) to be interviewed by the editorial staff of Messaggero Veneto, (words) that certainly did not reassure the population. We also ask ourselves why it is more and more often that groups of young men arrive in the city from Veneto to commit crimes, like these five characters now under arrest. Last month, a young man of Albanian origin was stabbed in the throat in a Brovedani alley in broad daylight in the historic city center by another foreigner who came to the city from Treviso to settle a score. Many are also worried about the rise in drug dealing that takes place in broad daylight in the largest park in the city, Moretti Park.

After the summit meeting between the prefect, chief of police, and mayor, which took place late in the morning, urgent measures were taken. A ban on sales of alcohol in bottles after 9 pm, a ban on serving alcohol in all establishments after 1 a.m., joint patrols in the city center- Carabinieri, National Police, Guardia di Finanza, traffic police, and military will do foot patrols in the heart of Udine. (There will be) a fixed military post in San Giacomo Square. These are new ordinances decided on, (and) many ask why the system of (dealing with) minors was not taken into consideration, where there are precise rules but never respected, where the boys are left in disarray and without rules.

Los Angeles: Fighting Breaks Out in Front of Synagogue

-CNN

On Sunday, June 23, 2024, there was a pro-Palestinian protest that took place outside a Jewish synagogue in the heavily-Jewish Pico-Robertson area of West Los Angeles. Several Jews complained of being blocked from entering the synagogue, and fighting broke out among dozens of pro-Palestinians and pro-Israelis. The second link above has a video.

-Jerusalem Post

It is reported that the pro-Palestinian protest was organized to protest some kind of Israel real estate event being held at the synagogue and that counter-protesters knew of the demonstration and showed up as well.

-Newsweek

Here are my reactions to this latest incident: First, it is one thing for pro-Palestinians to hold a protest in front of the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles, as they often do. But to taking the protest to a synagogue is beyond disgusting. That is yet another indication that this conflict is not just over land, but over religion as well. In short, the pro-Palestinian movement is anti-Jewish to its core. Imagine the reaction if pro-Israelis held their demonstrations in front of mosques. In one local news video I saw last night, a pro-Palestinian couple (man and woman) were taken into custody as they drove their SUV up on a sidewalk to confront pro-Israelis. They had an infant in a car seat wearing a Palestinian keffiyah. The NY Post has a report.

Wow.

On another video, I recognized the distinctive, lime green caps of the National Lawyers Guild, someone in the line of pro-Palestinian protesters who was videotaping the actions of the police.

-AFP

Secondly, I detect there is a change taking place among the Jewish community in America. They are starting to fight back. The videos from Los Angeles yesterday suggest this was a case of mutual combat though it is not yet clear who initiated the physical violence. Is that a good thing? First of all, I don't condone violence or law-breaking, but I do condone Jews defending themselves against violence by any and all means within the law. If that means training in martial arts, so be it. If that means legally arming themselves and becoming proficient in the use of firearms, so be it. The same goes for Europe, where Jews are in even greater danger than here in my opinion. The situation, here, however, is deteriorating, and I fear lives will be lost.

Hitler Is Informed About the Big Debate on Thursday

 My latest Hitler parody masterpiece!

Terrorist Attacks in Dagestan (Russia)

 Churches and synagogues targeted

-BBC

This story is just breaking. The mostly Muslim region of Dagestan in the North Caucasus region of Russia has been hit with terrorist attacks against churches and synagogues in two separate cities, Makhachkala and Derbent. The latter city is home to an ancient Jewish community. At least 6 policemen and a priest have reportedly been killed.

Here is BBC's report, which has video of the gunmen.

Dagestan is a hotbed of radical Islamist activity. The perpetrators of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, the Tsarnaev brothers, immigrated to the US from Dagestan. (Their family had previously moved there from Kyrgyzstan.)

The same year, a rabbi, Ovadia Isikov, was shot and wounded in Derbent . He was evacuated to Israel, where he recovered.

*Update: June 24, 2024. At last count, the death toll is at 20, including 15 police officers and a 66-year-old priest whose throat was cut. In addition, at least 6 terrorists are believed to be dead. 

France: News Video (France24) of Demonstration Against Anti-Semitism in Paris (June 19)

 

As part of our reporting on the tragic case of a 12-year-old Jewish girl allegedly being gang-raped by three minors near Paris, this is a France24 news video report of a demonstration held in Paris against anti-Semitism in reaction to the incident. Subtitling provided by Gates of Vienna, RAIR Foundation USA, and Vlad Tepes. Translation by Fousesquawk. The demonstration was held June 19 in Paris.

France: Update on Rape of 12-Year-Old Jewish Girl

Hat tip Francois deSouche

The French blog, Francois deSouche has posted excerpts from several French newspapers providing updated information on the three suspects, all minors, who have been charged with gang-raping a 12-year-old Jewish girl outside of  Paris, a crime that has shocked and outraged the nation.

Though the boys cannot be identified by name since they are minors, it has emerged that they are Muslims (one apparently a convert) and were motivated by anti-Jewish hate. It is also being reported that the victim was in some sort of relationship with one of the boys and had lied to him that she was Muslim. The boy was reportedly outraged when he found out she was, in fact, Jewish.

The excerpts of the below article quoted by Francois deSouche from Le Figaro are translated by Fousesquawk. (Note: The * affixed to the name of the victim is almost certainly to indicate that it is not her true name. The explanation in Le Figaro is not available since the article is subject to subscriber block.)

 https://www.fdesouche.com/2024/06/21/enquete-sur-un-viol-a-caractere-antisemite-dune-jeune-fille-de-12-ans-a-courbevoie-trois-ados-interpelles/

Courbevoie (92): 12-year-old girl raped and threatened to be burned by teenagers; she pretended to be a Muslim and reportedly criticized Palestine. One of the suspects, J.(13, is a "blonde" convert to Islam.

Caption: Premises of a former daycare center in Courbevoie (Haut-de-Seine) where the victim was reportedly raped. 

[....]

J. was one of two minors suspected of having raped Axelle*, 12, in an abandoned building in Courbevoie (Hauts-de-Seine). The victim also reported anti-Semitic remarks ("Dirty Jew") made during the attack. J. and W., 13, have been charged and locked up. A third minor, 12, F., was placed under a provisional judicial measure pending his placement in a (court-ordered) juvenile protection facility.

According to the initial elements of the investigation, the victim reportedly had a "(puppy) love affair" with F., who, after having learned that the young girl was of the Jewish faith, reportedly became very angry. She had actually made him believe that she was a Muslim. According to Axelle's statements, the aim of this diversion was to "protect herself" and "avoid any attack". The investigations have also led to the recovery of anti-Semitic images, including a photo of a burned Israeli flag on the cell phone of one of the suspects.

[…]

The neighborhood also evokes the unstable family environment where J......... , youngest of three brothers and one sister, grew up. Three of the children were from the same father, J. from another man who left the residence more than ten years ago. So the mother raised her four children alone. And according to several corroborating witnesses, this woman, who worked in the personal assistant sector, was reportedly subjected to violence on the part of her violent and alcoholic ex-partners, but also from her own children, including J., who "hit his mother", one neighbor claims. This situation reportedly led to police intervening several times at the residence to protect the mother of the family.

It seems that the adolescent was in bad company. According to our information, J. reportedly had already been taken into custody and was implicated in a case of theft of a scooter. The 13-year-old boy, nevertheless, was not known as a notorious delinquent, according to the town hall of Rueil-Malmaison. "He was not known to the town hall for repeated (delinquent) acts, as opposed to certain youths who were (known)," it is reported. Was J. known for his anti-Semitism? It is hard to say at this stage. A convert to Islam, he had a hard time accepting the homosexuality of one of his brothers, indicates one of the corroborating sources.

[…]

Le Figaro

UMich: The Newest Wolverine

"It's Professor Lightfoot"

 Move over, Juan Cole. You have company in Ann Arbor. The University of Michigan is actually hiring former Chicago mayor, Lori Lightfoot, to teach the little rascals how to be a failure in public service. Yes, Lori Lightfoot is now a "professor" at UMich. Maybe she can catch a few writing gigs for Cole's curiously named blog, Informed Comment. At any rate, The College Fix has the report here.

Maybe this would be an opportune time to review the University of Michigan Mission Statement.

"The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future."

Dept. of Education, Office of Civil Rights, Opens Investigation Into Alleged Anti-Semitism at Chapman University

Hat tip JNS and Ted

The Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights has opened an investigation into Chapman University, a private college located in Orange, California based on complaints of anti-Jewish discrimination and harassment. Not surprisingly, the Chapman chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine is involved.

The details can be read here, courtesy of JNA.

I am quite familiar with Chapman in that in the late 1990s, I briefly taught English as a Second Language on campus a couple of terms. I was employed by a private ESL company that held their classes on the Chapman campus.

In addition, over the years, I have attended two interfaith events at Chapman (2008-2009), both of which I posted about here and here.

Chapman, as mentioned in the JNS article, does not classify itself as a Christian university per se though it does have Christian affiliations. Both of the events I attended at Chapman in 2008 and 2009, I believed, were well-intended, but in my view, I was skeptical of the Muslim representatives. As I do with all universities that have SJP chapters, I believe strongly that they should be permanently banned.

Spain: The Arrest of the Suspected Shooter of Vox Politician

My previous post was on the arrest in the Netherlands of a suspect in the shooting of a Spanish politician in Madrid last November and featured a Dutch news translation.

The below article is from the Spanish site, 20 Minutos, and identifies the suspect as Mehrez Ayari, a French citizen of Tunisian origin.

The translation is by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/5522484/0/detenido-paises-bajos-presunto-autor-material-los-disparos-vidal-quadras/

Mehrez Ayari, alleged material perpetrator of shooting of Vidal-Quadras, arrested in Netherlands.

The National Police have reported the arrest in the Netherlands of a man alleged to the material perpetrator of the shooting of Vidal-Quadras. The fugitive who was sought was Mehrez Ayari, a French citizen, 37, of Tunisian origin, with multiple previous offenses in France. 

According to the National Police, it was Dutch agents who arrested Ayari, the hitman, who was subject of an international arrest order issued by the National Court, whose court number 5 is investigating the case. 

The police are now investigating the relationship of this citizen with the Mocro-Maffia, a powerful Dutch-Moroccan criminal organization on the radar of numerous European countries for their extreme violence.

Alejo Vidal-Quadras was shot in the face last November 9 near his residence on Calle Núñez de Balboa in Madrid.

Sixth arrest for attack

It makes the sixth arrest carried out in the course of the investigation of the attack perpetrated against the founder of Vox and the former president of the Popular Party of Catalunya.

In April, the National Police also announced the arrest of a woman in Holland for her alleged participation in the financing and preparation of the attack against the politician.

Among the arrested is Greg Oliver Higuera Marcano, a Venezuelan located on the Colombian border, allegedly implicated in the purchase of the motorcycle used in the attack and whose extradition has been requested by the judge.

The first three arrests were carried out on 21 November in Spain; a couple in Lanjaron (Granada) and a young man in Fuengirola (Malaga). The man arrested in the Granada locality was remanded to custody, while the woman-of British origin-and the young man-also connected to the motorcycle-were released.

Netherlands: Suspect in Shooting of Spanish Politician Arrested in Haarlem

(l-r) Suspect-victim

Last November, Alejo Vidal-Quadras, of the conservative Vox party was shot and wounded in Madrid. It has been suspected that the shooting was carried out by the Netherlands-based Mocro Maffia (Moroccan Mafia). Now the suspected shooter, a French national of Tunisian origin, has been arrested by Dutch police in Haarlem. There are also suspicions, not verified, that the orders for the attack came from Iran.

Spanish media has identified the suspected shooter as Mehrez Ayari, 37.

The article below from yesterday's RTL News (Netherlands) was translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.rtl.nl/nieuws/binnenland/artikel/5456332/spaanse-media-verdachte-aanslag-politicus-nederland-opgepakt

Link with drug criminals

Suspect in murder attempt on Spanish politician arrested in Netherlands

By RTL News-yesterday. Amended yesterday

Earlier this month, a suspect in the murder attempt on Spanish nationalist politician, Alejo Vidal-Quadras (78), was arrested in the Netherlands. According to Spanish media, it is the shooter, and the arrest points to the involvement of Dutch drug criminals. They possibly acted on behalf of Iran.

The news was announced today by the Spanish National Police. He is a 38-year-old French national of  Tunisian origin. This man reportedly carried out the murder attempt and was arrested June 6 in Haarlem, where he was hiding.

Politician Vidal-Quadras, founder of the radical Vox party, was shot in broad daylight on November 9, 2023 as he left his residence in Madrid. The shooter, who was sitting as a passenger on a motorcycle, was lying in wait for him. The victim was hit in the lower jaw but survived the attack.

Messages intercepted

The suspect was earlier identified based on images from security cameras in Madrid, the Spanish newspaper, El Pais, writes. On the day of the attack, he kept his helmet on, but on the previous days during reconnaissance, he was less careful. Spanish investigators also intercepted messages that the suspect sent to his brother and other acquaintances, in which he spoke of the attack.

Caption: The crime scene. After investigation, the street was reopened.

Later in the month, the victim accused Iran of giving the order for the murder. He provided no supporting evidence for this, but in the past, he has provided legal assistance as a lawyer to the Iranian political opposition. The Teheran regime allegedly has targeted him for that.  

Mocro-Maffia (Moroccan Mafia)

Based on police sources, El Pais reports that the arrested suspect has connections with the Dutch drug criminals from the so-called Mocro-Maffia. According to these sources, it is possible that the Dutch criminals acted on behalf of Iran.

The perpetrator was earlier sought out by others in the Catalan Independence Movement. This (is) because Vidal-Quadras' party, Vox, is strongly opposed to the independence of Catalunya.

At the end of April, it was revealed that the attack was paid for and planned in the Netherlands. That came out of an investigation by Spanish police. On April 30, a woman with Dutch nationality was arrested. She reportedly paid for the murder attempt and was involved in the logistical preparation. The newspaper, El Pais, wrote then that the order and execution of the attack possibly came out of the Dutch drug world. 

Six suspects have now been arrested, two of whom in the Netherlands. The Spanish police are also still looking for an important player in the plot, a Moroccan with the nickname, Pacho, who left Spain the day before the attack.

Muslim Brotherhood in Sweden (19)

In Sweden, the Muslim Brotherhood-connected Ibn Rushd Study Association is back in the news. The city of Stockholm had suspended grants to the organization due to its questionable teaching materials that deal with child abuse, child marriage, and homosexuality. The city has now decided to resume payments to Ibn Rushd.  At the same time, the city stopped grants to the organization, Never Forget Pela and Fatime (GAPF), a group that works in defense of women and girls within the Muslim Community.

The below article from the conservative Swedish news outlet, Nyheter Idag, is translated by Fousesquawk. This is the latest in our series of translated articles from Europe dealing with the Muslim Brotherood in various European countries. This is the 19th such translation on Sweden.

 https://nyheteridag.se/stockholms-stad-beviljar-miljonbidrag-till-ibn-rushd-stoppar-bidrag-till-forening-mot-hedersvald/

City of Stockholm gives one million grant to Ibn Rushd-Stops grants to association against honor violence

By Johannes Nilsson

In December last year, the city of Stockholm paused a planned payment of 3.9 million (kronors) to the controversial study association, Ibn Rushd, after the Public Education Council determined that the study association's teaching materials deal with child abuse, child marriage, and describe homosexuality as a sin. But on Tuesday, the cultural council in Stockholm decided  to resume the payments, Sweden's Radio reports.

The criticized material has reportedly been used by the study association in other places besides Stockholm, and after Ibn Rushd came back with an action plan at the same time the city paid a visit to the association's operations, the payments to the association were resumed.

At the same time, the city of Stockholm is stopping payments of 600,000 (kronors) per year to the association, Never Forget Pela and Fadime (GAPF), which works against honor oppression. The reason is that a board member of the association posted (material) on a private Facebook page that the city views as being against the city's guidelines. 

GAPF reports in a press release that it distances itself from the  board member's now-deleted post and that the association has taken measures like updating communications policy and ethical guidelines, as  well as conducting training for board members and personnel, but the city of Stockholm is standing fast by its decision. 

"We wonder how the city really works in democratic terms. How can a study association that has connections to the Muslim Brotherhood and which has been involved in brokering temporary marriages, i.e., traffic in women's bodies, according to a disclosure from Mission Review, qualify for support  but not us, who work steadfastly help and protect vulnerable women and girls?" says Sara Mohammad, founder of GAPF, in a statement.

Since the last election, the city of Stockholm is run by a coalition of Social Democrats, Left Party, and Environmental Party (Green). 

France Reacts to the Rape of a 12-Year-Old Jewish Girl

The below video from France 24 (news) gives further details on the alleged gang rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl near Paris. It also gives the reactions of French political leaders to the attack. The video is translated by Fousesquawk with subtitling by Vlad Tepes and Gates of Vienna.

There is a second video in the article covering today's march against anti-Semitism in Paris, which was organized in reaction to the attack. English Subtitles for that video are pending.

*Update: In a televised news report from Welt in Germany: "All three perpetrators are reportedly of migration background." (Hat tip Gates of Vienna)

France: 12-Year-Old Jewish Girl Gang Raped

Last Saturday (June 15), a 12-year-old Jewish girl was accosted by three adolescent boys, ages 12-13, as she was walking home. They allegedly insulted her for being Jewish, forced her into an abandoned daycare center, beat her, and raped her while threatening to kill her. The three boys have been arrested. The attack happened in the community of Courbevoie (Haut-de-Seine) part of the greater Paris area. Today, a march against anti-Semitism was organized in Paris in reaction to the incident.

The identities of the boys have not been released, and due to the anti-Semitic nature of the attack, there is much speculation as to their background, but that is not confirmed.

The below article from Le Figaro is translated by Fousesquawk.

https://www.lefigaro.fr/faits-divers/hauts-de-seine-trois-adolescents-de-12-et-13-ans-interpelles-pour-un-viol-a-caractere-antisemite-sur-mineur-20240618

Courbevoie: Two adolescents charged and held for rape and anti-Semitic violence against a minor

By Ambre Lepoivre

Posted yesterday at 16:20, updated one hour ago.

A 12-year-old girl was dragged into an abandoned (building) in Courbevoie, in less Hauts-de-Seine by three minors. She was subjected to violent sexual acts coupled with death threats and anti-Semitic remarks.

Two adolescents were charged Tuesday evening, 18 June for "gang rape, death threats, insults, and anti-Semitic violence" against a 12-year-old girl in Courbevoie (Haut-de-Seine), near Paris, facts that raise real emotion in the Jewish community and beyond. According to the Nanterre Prosecutor's office, a third suspect, also a minor, has been placed under the statute of (participatory) witness for "rape" and charged for the other infractions targeted by the investigation.

Two of the three adolescents, ages 13, were placed under a detention order by a detention judge. One was placed in the Nanterre detention facility, the other in that of Porcheville in the Yvelines. The third, age 12, was released under a provisional judicial measure, the prosecutor's office said.  

Unleashing of violence

On Saturday, 15 June, an adolescent girl spends the afternoon with a friend before being accompanied home. While crossing the Henri Regnault Park, she encounters two boys, one of whom she knows slightly, (and) who block her path forcing her to go with them to an old daycare center now abandoned. A third boy joins them and insults the young girl's religion calling her a "dirty Jew", according to the statements of the girl to police with whom we have been able to consult. 

What follows is an unheard of unleashing of violence: According to our information, the girl is hit, thrown to the floor, and photographed. One of the attackers holds a lit lighter next to her cheek and threatens to "burn" her.  They force vaginal and anal penetrations on her as well as fellatio, and threaten to kill her if she talks to the police. 

Abandoned in the deserted building, the girl returns home and reveals the horror that she has just been subjected to to her parents who alert the police. Her friend, who was present at the moment the two boys took her with them, was able to provide  a detailed description of the suspects. The video surveillance images also permitted the investigators to confirm the presence of the three suspects near the scenes of the crime.

The investigations, first assigned to the Courbevoie police station, then to the Territorial Brigade for Protection of the Family, led to the arrests of the three suspects during the daylight hours of Monday.

UC Irvine and Free Speech

 

The University of California at Irvine puts out a quarterly magazine (UC Irvine Magazine), and a friend gave me a copy of the Spring 2024 edition.  Most of the articles concern the work and research being done at UC Irvine. In fact, UCI is one of the nation's leading universities in terms of the hard sciences, and at last count, they boasted 7 Nobel Prize winners (not peace). The university has fewer humanities and social sciences departments than most universities, and thus, most of the students there are serious students engaged in the study of fields like biology, pre-med, and engineering. In comparison to schools like UC Berkeley, UCLA, and places back east (like Columbia), there is usually less student unrest.

Yet, over the years, the school has suffered a number of black eyes that have brought unwanted national attention. These have almost uniformly been in the form of anti-Israel activism, featuring vitriolic speakers invited to campus by the Muslim Student Union and Students for Justice in Palestine. I would say it goes back at least two decades and has reached a crescendo since last October 7 when Hamas committed one of the most horrific attacks imaginable against Israeli civilians. Inexplicably, some in academia have actually celebrated this attack and condemned Israel for striking back at Hamas. At UCI, students and activists set up an encampment for almost three weeks while the school negotiated endlessly before sending in police when the little rascals tried to take over an adjacent science building. 

As a part-time teacher at UCI from 1998-2016, I witnessed many of these incidents, which was a major reason I began my blog in 2007. In my overall view, the leadership at UCI, like so many other campuses, has failed to deal effectively with protests that exceed the boundaries of free speech and have made campus life for Jewish students at times unbearable.

Now comes the above-mentioned UCI publication, whose timing could not have been more ironic, and which opens with a "Letter from the Chancellor", Howard Gillman. In this "letter" (above) Gillman talks about his views of free speech and academic freedom as they pertain to UCI.

The following page features a paragraph describing UCI's history of activism (the university opened in 1965). The timing is ironic given the recent pro-Palestinian occupation set up at UCI, which lasted nearly three weeks and only ended when students and outside protesters tried to take over an adjacent science building. It was not pretty. There is one memorable quote in the latter article: "You would never see someone setting a dumpster fire at Irvine." Literally or figuratively? Maybe there haven't been any real dumpster fires, but the above-mentioned encampment and its clearing out, which drew national attention was, to borrow the old phrase, "a real dumpster fire". I am not criticizing the hundreds of police who were finally allowed to do their job, but for the image of the university, the whole thing was a "dumpster fire".

I also take issue with the second article that portrays UCI as a place where activism takes place that is focused on issues and solutions. Bringing in speakers like Amir Abdel Malik Ali, Abdul Alim Musa, Mohamed al-Asi, George Galloway, Norman Finkelstein, Hatem Bazian, Rabab Abdulhadi, Hussam Ayloush- I could go on and on- doesn't strike me as being focused on solutions. Putting up this caricature of Ariel Sharon in May 2008 on the so-called "apartheid wall", with all the stereotypical Jewish features that go back to Julius Streicher's Der Stuermer, is not focusing on issues and solutions. 

Disrupting the speech of Michael Oren, the then-Israeli ambassador to the US in 2010 was not focused on solutions. Similarly disrupting pro-Israel events featuring Israeli Defense Force reservists in 2016 and 2017 was not focused on solutions. Similarly disrupting celebrations of Israel's founding by Jewish students year after year is not an exercise in finding solutions.

And most recently, chanting with bullhorns and banging drums outside classroom and science research buildings is not what I call finding solutions. On the day the encampment was finally cleared, I seriously doubt those students/activists were searching for solutions when they tried to take over a building next to the encampment. True, worse things have happened at Berkeley, UCLA, Columbia, and many other so-called institutions of higher learning, but UCI does not stand as some sort of shining beacon of light when it comes to campus protest.

This leads me to my final point: Perhaps, it is time for universities to reexamine just what their role is. Is it to educate or serve as a training ground for activists-left-wing activists in particular? UCI's law school should be subject to the same question, but that is a topic for another day. Are our universities really intended to be places where all the ills of the country and/or the world are to be fought out? Under the present situation, free speech and protest exist only for one side of the philosophical divide. Speakers and events that are pro-America, pro-Israel, conservative, or pro-Republican can expect to be disrupted. Does UCI remember the night Milo Yiannopoulos came to campus in 2016?

Is this really what our universities are supposed to be about? If so, the public's patience is wearing thin. The overwhelming majority of Americans are tired of seeing our campuses taken over by pro-Hamas anti-Semites and anarchists at the expense of the majority of students who want to study. I know from personal experience that 99%+ of UCI's students are not involved in this activity, but what say do they have when the university administration allows this loud disruption of university life to go on for weeks?

I don't know exactly when the above two pieces in UCI Magazine were actually penned. The magazine has just come out, but given recent events at UCI, the celebratory tone is ironic and frankly, laughable.

I have sent a link to this post to the magazine.

*Update: June 19: Last night, I received a prompt response from the editor of the magazine informing me that it takes a long time to print, bind, and deliver the magazine (about a month). On this occasion, there was also an unforeseen delay in distribution. Thus, the magazine went to press in mid-April.  The encampment went up at the end of April and was cleared in the middle of May. In other words, the letter from Gillman and the article in question were written prior to the encampment issue occurring.