Niger: American Missionary Believed Kidnapped by Islamic Terrorists

Grand Mosque, Niamey, Niger

An American missionary has been kidnapped in the African country of Niger. The man was reportedly abducted during the night of October 21-22 by three armed men from his residence in the capital city of Niamey. It is suspected that the kidnappers are part of an Islamic terror group, possibly affiliated with Al Qaida or ISIS.

The article below from the French-language newspaper Actu Niger is translated by Fousesquawk.

American national kidnapped from a residential quarter

Wednesday, October 22, 2025 at 16:32

During the night from Tuesday, 21 October to Wednesday, 22 October, an American national was kidnapped from his residence in the Château 1 quarter in the center of the capital of Niger. The man, identified as Kevin R., a humanitarian pilot, aged 48, was working for an Evangelical mission operating in Niger. According to initial information gathered by security sources, at about 2:30 am, three armed men broke into the pilot's residence, located only a few hundred meters from the presidential palace and the Grand Hotel Bravia-a zone reputed to be among the most secure in the country. The attackers abducted their victim before disappearing without leaving a trace. 

The motivations and the identity of the kidnappers remain unknown. No claim of responsibility has been made as of now. The Niger security forces were immediately deployed, while the services charged with the protection of foreign nationals are coordinating the searches. A diplomatic source suggests the possibility that the kidnappers are headed to the border with Mali, a zone known for the presence of armed groups and traffickers.

The kidnapped man is reportedly affiliated with the Evangelical Christian organization, SIM (International Missionary Society), active for several years in Niger. The NGO is involved notably in the domains of health, education, and access to potable water, often in vulnerable regions.

This kidnapping in the very heart of Niamey brings to mind a painful memory: That of the two young Frenchmen kidnapped in 2011 from the Le Toulousain restaurant, also in the capital, by elements of Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI). The two hostages were killed during a rescue operation.

In these past years, kidnappings of foreigners have multiplied in Niger, particularly in the north and west of the country. Last April, a Swiss woman and an Austrian woman were captured at Agadez, while 5 Indian travelers were taken hostage in the Tillaberi region. These areas are regularly targeted by groups tied to the Islamic State in Sahel (EIS) or the Group of Support to Islam and Muslims (GSIM).

-Ibrahim Issa (actuniger.com)

 

Germany: Afghan Man Accused of Trying to Poison His 3-Year-Old Daughter

In Landshut, Germany, a 28-year-old Afghan man is on trial for allegedly trying to poison his 3-year-old daughter with mouse poison. The father, who is separated from the mother, allegedly wanted to kill his daughter in order to get out of support payments. He allegedly put a seal containing the poison into her mouth just before turning her over to her mother. The child then reportedly vomited the seal, was taken to a hospital and survived.

The article below from PNP (Bavaria) is translated by Fousesquawk.n

Poisoning trial

Father on trial for murder attempt on 3-year-old daughter

October 15, 2025

Caption: Beginning of trial for attempted murder. The 28-year-old speaks with his defense lawyer, Andre Miegel, in the courtroom of the Landshut District Court.

A father allegedly attempted to kill his daughter with mouse poison. In the court, his defense attorney disputes the accusation. As the State Prosecutor's Office sees the case.

A 28-year-old is facing attempted murder charges against his 3-year-old daughter with mouse poison in the Landshut District Court. At the start of the trial, the defendant's lawyer declared that the accusation would be rejected in its entirety.

In the view of the prosecutor's office, the accused father wanted to avoid support payments for the daughter through the planned murder. "He uninhibitedly and ruthlessly sought profit at any price, including a human life," states the indictment, which accuses the man of greed and treachery. 

Girl reportedly swallowed  the seal  with poison

According to the prosecutors, the man, who was separated from the child's mother, had planned the crime for at least a month at the end of 2024. He allegedly considered different options for the murder.

The father then allegedly put a plastic seal filled with aluminum phosphide in the child's mouth. The substance is an over-the-counter poison to control mice.

Did the father try to pin the attempted murder on the mother?

The prosecution believes that the accused Afghan wanted to pin the blame for the crime on the mother. Therefore, he turned the daughter over to the mother after she had swallowed the poison seal and was still alive. According to the indictment, the child then vomited the seal in the presence of the mother. The police later confiscated the poison package.

The child was immediately taken to the children's hospital. She survived the alleged attack without further health consequences.

Several more days are scheduled for the trial. The verdict is expected at the beginning of November.

Wacko College Courses (2)

This is the second in our series of "Wacko College Courses".

City University of New York reportedly offered a course on Antifa, and from its description, it is hardly critical. Campus Reform has the report here.

"According to the course description, the seminar was based on “the premise that racialized and colonized peoples have been at the forefront of theorizing, challenging, and dismantling fascism, white supremacy, and other modes of authoritarian rule over the last century.”

"The course covered topics such as “antifascist traditions,” “racial justice,' 'anti-imperialist movements,” “intersectional feminism,” and “contradictions of capitalism.”

I think you get the idea.

Keep in mind that CUNY suffered its share of unrest in support of Hamas post October 7.

Not far away at the University of Connecticut, administrators are trying to decide if they should keep a mandatory course on "anti-black racism" though it may violate new Dept. of Justice guidelines regarding federal funding of schools that continue to teach DEI. Campus Reform has the story here.

At the University of North Georgia, a student has complained that she had to pay about $100 for a textbook in her International Public Relations class, in which the book describes Christianity as "a white supremacist group". The College Fix has the report here.

"The textbook is “International Public Relations: Negotiating Culture, Identity, and Power,” published in 2007 by authors Thomas Gaither of Elon University and Patricia Curtin of the University of Oregon." 

Meanwhile at Harvard, which is supposed to be our most prestigious university, has a class on prominent black women in politics. Sounds benign enough, but apparently, black conservative women are omitted altogether. The College Fix article can be read here.

And just a few miles away at Northeastern University (Massachusetts), the LGBTQIA+ Resource Center is hosting a sexual liberation/anti-fascist dance party, where the little rascals can let their hair down and even pick up a few sex resource goodies as well. Campus Reform has the report here.

Portugal: Parliament Votes in Favor of a Bill to Ban Burkas in Public Spaces

The Portuguese Parliament has passed a bill, proposed by the conservative Chega party that would ban burkas in public spaces, with some exceptions. The below article from Correio da Manhã is translated by Fousesquawk.

Parliament approves ban on burka in public spaces in Portugal.

The bill bans "clothes designed to hide the face". Chega made the proposal and the right approved.

October 17, 2025 at 12:41

The Parliament approved the ban on burkas in public spaces in Portugal. Chega had the support of the PSD, Liberal Initiative, and the CDS. The PS, Livre, PCP and Left Bloc voted against. PAN and JPP abstained.

With this bill, Chega proposes that it be "banned to use clothing designed to hide or block the showing of the face" in public speace, with some exceptions. At the opening of the debate, the leader of Chega specified that that objective is to ban women from wearing the burka in Portugal, and addressed immigrants in particular. The bill will now be discussed by the Parliamentary Commission on Constitutional Issues, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees.

"It is forbidden to force someone to hide their face for motives of gender or religion". The proposed penaties are fines that range from 200 to 4,000 euros. 

The bill also states that "the ban does not apply to airplanes or in diplomatic and consular facilities, and that faces can also be covered in religious places and other sacred locations, or for reasons of health.

Andre Ventura stated that a woman "forced to wear the burka is no longer free and independent, (but) becomes an object," and accused the left of hypocrisy for defending women's rights, but accepting a "culture that oppresses them".

The president of Chega pointed out that "various European countries are already moving toward banning burkas in public spaces," and pointed out that the European Court of Human Rights had decided that the French law in this respect was not contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights. 

At the conclusion of the debate, Madalena Cordeiro, also from Chega, stated from the podium that, "This is not Bangladesh, where you can do whatever you want". The deputy stated further, "Enough pretending that all cultures are equal". 

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France: Lola Murder Trial Begins

Lola-the victim

Three years ago, we reported on the abduction, rape, torture, and murder of 12-year-old Lola in Paris. The accused killer is an Algerian woman in her 20s named Dahbia Benkired, who, at the time, was under an order to leave French territory.

This week, the trial of Benkired opened in Paris. The article below from Europe 1 (France) is translated by Fousesquawk.

The murder of Lola: The family, in tears, confronts the defendant- Dahbia Benkired asks for forgiveness.

-Jean-Baptiste Marty

October 17, 2025, at 16:02-Updated October 17, 2025, at 23:57

Three years after the murder of the 12-year-old girl, the trial of Dahbia Benkired opened Friday at the Palace of Justice in Paris. The family of Lola, in tears, confronted the defendant for the first time, who offered a half-hearted apology.

Three years ago, the death of Lola, a 12-year-old girl, discovered in a suitcase in the rear courtyard of her apartment building in Paris, after having been tortured and raped, sparked widespread emotion across France.

The trial of the defendant, Dahbia Benkired, a 27-year-old Algerian, under an order to leave French territory at the time, opened at the Palace of Justice in Paris on Friday, October 17, and the first poignant moments were when Delphine Daviet, Lola's mother, and her older brother, Thibaut, approached the bar in tears.

They asked to address Dahbia Benkired in the name of the entire family. "We would like for you to tell the truth, and nothing but the whole truth," Thibaut said, his lips trembling.

Character examination

A decimated family, the emotion is very, very strong. Friday morning, about 20 of the family and friends arrived together, in a group, at the Palace of Justice in Paris. All were dressed in white t-shirts. On them, a picture of Lola, the young girl with blond hair and blue eyes.

In the dock, Dahbia Benkired, her hair tied back in a bun, her face puffy. She was able to speak for the first time on Friday morning and asked the family for forgiveness.

"It's her trial, so I think she is also expecting to get questions, to have the opportunity to answer them," said Attorney  Mathias Darmon, lawyer for the Innocence in Danger Association, a civil party ( to the trial). "And I hope she will have explanations to give us on the atrocities she may have committed."

The court first drew lots for the jurors who will participate in this trial. The hearing continued on Friday with the character examination of Dahbia Benkired.

A drug addicted past

She says half-heartedly to the court, "I ask for forgiveness, it is horrible what I did, and I regret it," she tries to apologize. Later during the hearing, the president of the court asks her about her drug addicted past. "I smoked a lot, I lost count. It could have been more than 20 joints a day. I stopped for a while, but I started again the week before the incident," she explains.

On the television screens, the body of Lola is projected. One can see the young girl, completely nude, curled up in the trunk with gray tape across her face. Lola's mother, her brother, and some 20 relatives who are accompanying her, all dressed in white t-shirts emblazoned with the image of the young girl, leave the room in tears.

 Dagbia Benkired, a blank stare fixed on the screens, her face showing no emotion. The verdict is expected on Friday, October 24, 2025.

Anti-Semitism in Sweden: Another Black Eye for Malmö

This article first appeared in New English Review. 

Malmö, Sweden

Malmö, the third-largest city in Sweden, has a long history with its Jewish community. Two hundred and fifty years, in fact, which was scheduled to be celebrated with a Jewish film festival from October 29 to November 2, sponsored by Jewish International Film Festivals (JIFF). The festival had nothing to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, just films about Jewish life. Unfortunately, due to hostility toward Jews in the city, mostly due to the sizable Muslim population, about 25%, and fears of violence, the organizers have been unable to find a venue that would host the event. Thus, it appears the event will not take place. Over the past 250 years, the last several have not been good years for the Jewish community. This forced cancellation merely represents the latest chapter.

Much of Malmö's Jewish population is composed of descendants of those Jews who escaped from Denmark during the Nazi occupation in World War 2. In recent years, many members of that community have left the city or even the country due to rising tensions with the exploding Muslim community. In March 2009, a Davis Cup tennis match between Israel and Sweden had to be played in an empty stadium in the city, as pro-Palestinian protesters rioted and battled with police. Then-Malmö mayor, Ilmar Reepalu, was openly hostile to the Jewish community. His attitude, publicly expressed, was that if Jews who supported Israel were afraid for their safety, they were welcome to leave. As stated above, many have taken his advice.

To be fair, both the city and the Skåne region, where Malmö is located, had allocated funding for the film festival, but no suitable venue was willing to host the event, citing security concerns as a reason. There could be little doubt that the event would draw protesters and likely violence as well. The police, however, were ready and willing to provide the necessary security.

So once again, we see a European country caving in to the threat of a protest and/or violence from members of one city's restive Muslim population, which, when not harassing Jews, is committing all manner of violent crimes and periodically erupting in riots. (To be accurate, there is also the Antifa factor.) As in most Western European countries, a long-standing Jewish community is under threat of imported anti-Semitism from a recent immigrant community that has brought a centuries-old hatred of Jews with them, while the host country refuses to stand behind its Jewish fellow citizens and allow them the same rights and security as everyone else. In the case of Malmö itself, we have a city that distinguished itself as a haven for persecuted Jews in World War 2, but has, seemingly, lost its own sense of history.

My own opinion is that Europe has cynically calculated that the Muslims outnumber the Jews, and that the former are willing to resort to violence while the latter are not. Thus, the Jews are considered to be an "inconvenient" presence. While it is true that the city itself has tried to do the right thing by supporting the festival, it still constitutes an embarrassment that no facility, public or private, is willing to show films simply about Jewish people.

 

Sweden: Jewish Film Festival in Malmö Canceled for Security Reasons

A planned Jewish film festival to be held in Malmö Sweden, has had to be canceled due to security concerns. No theater in the city was willing to host the festival out of concern over protests or worse. The city is approximately 25% Muslim and has seen much unrest, violence, and anti-Israel agitation over the years. The once vibrant Jewish community has dwindled over the years due to safety concerns, and a soccer match involving an Israeli team had to be played before an empty, closed-off stadium several years back.

The article below from SVT is translated by Fousesquawk. Later today, we should have an English-subtitled version of the video in the article available. 

*(Update- October 17, 2025): Here it is, courtesy of Gates of Vienna. Subtitling by Gates of Vienna and Vlad Tepes, and translation by Fousesquawk)

Caption: Sofia Nerbrand and Ola Tedin are forced to cancel the planned Jewish film festival this fall. No theater will step up.

Jewish film festival is canceled in Malmö - Theaters say no for security reasons

Updated today at 15:22.  Posted today at 10:45

There was supposed to be a festival for newly produced Jewish films. But the organizers have no venue in Malmö.

"No theater is willing to step up," says Ola Tedin, organizer of JIFF, Jewish International Film Festivals.

Commercial theaters in . have refused to host a Jewish film festival, for example, Panora, which is managed by a non-profit cultural association. 

"A couple of them refer to security reasons. They are worried that something will happen," says Ola Tedin.

The organizers pinned their hope on Folkets Hus (Public House) on Nobel Square in Malmö, where there is a theater hall, which has previously been used to show films. The venue was available on the dates, 29 November to 2 December, but management refused for security reasons.

"I can't understand what kind of security threat there is in showing Jewish films," says Ola Tedin.

"The police always used to be available and have offered to be outside the venue this time as well," says Sofia Nerbrand, who is also an initiator of the festival.

The festival has received 160,000 kronor from the city of Malmö and 50,000 from the region of  Skåne.

Filmstaden: "Not an easy decision"

Filmstaden confirms it refrained from renting out its theaters for the festival.

"It was not an easy decision, but we prioritize security for our employees," writes Irene Hernberg, PR- director for Filmstaden North.

Panora refers to the workload that has led the association to decide against new festivals and larger events.

SVT  News Skåne is seeking comment from the theaters and Folkets Hus.

Katie Porter's Latest Train Wreck

On October 14, California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter (D) sat for an interview with Inside California Politics host Nikki Laurenzo. This came in the wake of a series of damaging tapes that have emerged of Porter losing her temper during interviews and verbally abusing aides. The entire interview can be viewed here from Fox2Now.

If Porter thought she was repairing the damage from the above videos, she only made things worse. The major part of the interview was about those videos and whether Porter had the temperament to be governor. She admitted several times that she "could have handled things better," but kept reverting back to the usual political talking points about "fighting for California values".

Most damagingly, Laurenzo asked Porter 4 times whether Porter could assure her voters that there were no more damaging videotapes out there. All 4 times, Porter skirted the question, again reverting to the same talking points. Then Laurenzo asked Porter 3 times if she would employ the same tactic that Adam Schiff had used against her in the last senatorial race, in which Schiff effectively boxed her out of the primary race by building up the Republican candidate, Steve Garvey, before defeating him in the general election. All 3 times, Porter repeated the same talking points, not answering the question. 

I wish I could say that Porter's performance has destroyed her candidacy, but given the string of recent governors we have had here in California, God only knows. It's very unlikely a Republican candidate can win the governorship in California, and the other Democrat candidates are similarly unappealing. In short, the future does not look bright for California.

A Tribute to Charlie Kirk

Yesterday would have been Charlie Kirk's 32nd birthday. Yesterday was also marked by the posthumous presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom award to Charlie, which President Trump presented to Charlie's widow, Erika. Here in Orange County, California, I was able to attend, along with my wife, an event last night paying tribute to Charlie. The event was sponsored by Protect Our Kids in concert with Turning Point USA. There were numerous speakers, including young representatives from local high schools who had started TPUSA chapters on their campuses. Many of the speakers had met Charlie or were personally acquainted with him. There were representatives of local Orange County school boards who decried the woke influence present in our schools and their efforts to combat the indoctrination of our children. 

It is instructive that this was not a public event, open to any and all. It was by special invitation, and care was taken not to announce it to the general public for security reasons. In all, there were about 450 people present, and security was tight. 

Why all the security? Isn't it obvious? After what happened to Charlie, coupled with other attacks happening around the nation, it was clear that to announce this to the general public would have invited loud protests, and worse yet, the danger of violence-deadly violence.

It was an emotional event, with the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem, prayers, and appeals to the audience, especially young people, to emulate Charlie and not be silent. 

  

Takeaways From the Gaza Peace Ceremony

Lesson Learned?

I don't pretend to be an expert on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and anything I write here today could evaporate tomorrow with a renewal of hostilities (which I think is eventually inevitable). I am grateful that the remaining Israeli hostages have been freed and are now back with their families. I do have a few takeaways from yesterday's treaty ceremony in Egypt. 

What in the world were all those European leaders doing there, sharing the spotlight, particularly Keir Starmer of Great Britain, Emmanuel Macron of France, Pedro Sanchez of Spain, and Mark Carney of Canada? They contributed nothing to the peace process and the deal that Trump, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and company worked out. Those four in particular threw a monkey wrench into the process with their recognition of a Palestinian state, even after the horrors of October 7th, and even as Hamas continued to fight and hold hostages. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, that corrupt little bureaucrat, was also there, for whatever reason I cannot fathom. And of course, there was Recep Erdogan of Turkey and Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, sitting up front with Trump, but they were involved in the negotiations, so I understand that. There were many others, of course, but the above names stood out to me the most.

This was clearly Trump's show, as demonstrated by how the other leaders stood in line to shake hands with him, kiss his ring, and get their pictures taken. In Israel, he is being hailed as a hero. Here at home, the Democrats and their stooges in the mainstream media are still trying to figure out how to react to all this. Trump is taking a victory lap, and there's not much they can say or do to change the narrative. The cessation of the fighting and the release of the hostages is undeniably one of Trump's greatest achievements, if not the greatest. Of course, neither Trump nor Witkoff will get the Nobel Peace Prize, just as Kushner never got the prize for the Abraham Accords during the first Trump administration due to the politicization of the award.

But will the peace last? Is this "peace in our time in the Middle East"? I guess that goes to the question of whether the Palestinians, particularly the Gazans, have learned their lesson.  The landscape in Gaza today resembles images of Berlin and other major German cities at the end of World War 2, as well as Japan's cities, most notably Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Tens of thousands of Gazans have died in the 2-year conflict, both Hamas fighters and civilians. What are the Gazans thinking as they trudge back to what is left of their homes? Are they thinking enough is enough? Are the survivors of Hamas, whose leaders have pretty much all been killed, really deluding themselves into thinking that they won this war militarily as they climb out of their tunnels? 

Rational people would decide that they have learned their lesson, but we are not dealing with rational people here. The Palestinians, with their well-oiled propaganda machine, which has fooled millions worldwide, are working with a 1,400-year religious mindset that the land-all of it- must be theirs. The idea of a two-state solution is a naive Western idea. Hamas may be decimated as a military force, but the murderous, hateful ideology of Hamas is still there. The only solution I see is for Israel to fix the intelligence failure that allowed October 7 to happen and remain so strong that Hamas and its backers cannot defeat them. 

The Muslim Brotherhood in Sweden (22)

This is the latest in our series of translations from original European articles dealing with the presence of the Muslim Brotherhood in various European countries and the 22nd such article from Sweden. The article concerns a controversial thesis written by researcher Sameh Egyptson on how the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated Swedish society. Several complaints had been filed against the thesis alleging fabrication and falsification, as well as the inclusion of personal information about criminal convictions, political, and religious beliefs. After review, the thesis has been cleared of irregularities.

The article below in Fria Tider is translated by Fousesquawk.

Study on how Muslims infiltrate Sweden finally approved

Posted October 9, 2025

Domestic. Sameh Egyptson's rewritten thesis on how political Islam is infiltrating Swedish society is cleared of irregularity. The National Research Ethics Board (NPOF) has ruled in a new decision that he was not guilty of fabrication or falsification.

The thesis, which was published in 2023 and points out connections between Swedish organizations and the Muslim Brotherhood, was reported (to authorities) on several occasions. 

Among other things, the Board for Ethical Review (Önep), a controversial board with leftwing activists, decided to file a lawsuit against the study. According to Önep, the thesis dealt with personal information with connections to political and religious beliefs, as well as information about criminal convictions without the necessary ethics review approval. However, the prosecutor dropped the preliminary investigation.

NPOF has now concluded its review after receiving four complaints. The board has gone through 111 alleged errors-from factual errors and manipulation of sources to lack of reasoning. Several points have been corrected by Egyptson himself after his oral defense, and those that remain are judged not to constitute irregularity in research.

"This is a victory on all counts," Sameh Egyptson says to SVT after the decision was made public on Wednesday afternoon.

NPOF specifically reviews fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism.  In Egyptson's case, he is cleared of suspicion of fabrication and falsification. In addition to ÖNEP, Lund University's Board for Deviation from Good Research also felt that the thesis should be ethically reviewed. Egyptson disputed that he used sensitive personal information.

Egyptson now hopes to see more research in this area.

"I hope so, and I hope that young researchers dare to tackle this, and that politicians dare to change laws. And also that journalists will be able to go into the substance of the thesis and not into formalities, which many did," Egyptson tells SVT.

Going After Antifa

This article first appeared in New English Review.

President Trump's roundtable discussion this week on the topic of Antifa is a welcome development. Antifa is a loosely aligned movement that, for several years now, has engaged in riots, attacks, and disorders against the government and other institutions. They are violent, and in spite of their name (which means,"anti-fascist"), they are very fascist in nature.

Antifa, both in the US and Europe, has linked arms with the leftists of several stripes to protest a variety of issues, and whether it be the war in Gaza, anti-Israel, anti-Trump, or the anti-ICE enforcement, Antifa is ready to take to the streets and wreak havoc. They were prominent in the turbulent summer of 2020 when, among other things, they attacked the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon on a nightly basis. But now it is clear that the violence of  Antifa has reached new heights and that some of those who identify with Antifa are now looking to kill people, whether it be Charlie Kirk, President Trump, or ICE agents, as recent incidents have shown. The matter of combating Antiga has now taken on new urgency.

As I stated above, Antifa is a movement, not a formal organization. That is why I often use the terms "Antifa types" or "Antifa-inspired". Yet at the same time, there is a degree of national organization, with sophisticated networks, and people organizing violent protests, sending protesters from city to city, and planning crimes across state lines. What we are seeing in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, and other places is not about spur-of-the-moment anger on the part of local residents.  We are talking about professional agitators who respond to protests to ignite violence against people and property. What they are doing requires support from above in organization and financing. 

I noted that President Trump's round table included courageous people like freelance journalist Andy Ngo, who, for the last few years, has documented these Antifa riots at great risk to his personal safety. He has been physically attacked by Antifa types on several occasions. He reports accurately what the mainstream news tries to ignore or downplay.

Andy Ngo

So now the federal government, the Justice Department, and Homeland Security are going to treat Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, which is exactly what it is. They are going to go after not just those who actually commit violence on the streets, but the organizers, those who plan, those who send people from one place to another, those who finance all this. Hopefully, they are not starting from scratch. If the FBI has been doing its job for the past several years, it should already have thick files on who the players are. It is time to put that case together, and they have an array of federal laws to use, principally the conspiracy statutes, which are designed to prosecute the major players, those who may never be at the scene of a crime, but who give the orders, do the logistical work, and supply the money.

Many in government are pointing fingers at people like George Soros and his Open Society, as well as the National Lawyers Guild, a Marxist organization whose volunteers can be seen at most of these events, trying to document excessive use of force by police, and distinguished by their lime green caps. If Soros has given money to Antifa to finance these riots, as many believe he has, he may have finally made his big mistake and opened himself to federal prosecution. If that is the case, the government should also be able to seize his funds.

It is time to put the federal conspiracy statutes to work and remove these gangsters from society and into prison where they belong. 

Italy: Another Brutal Rape by a Migrant

Hat tip Gates of Vienna and Vlad Tepes.

Sondrio

Once again, a European country has experienced a brutal rape at the hands of a migrant. This time in Italy, in the town of Sondrio, located in the mountainous Valtellina region in northern Italy near the Swiss border. The victim is a 44-year-old woman walking home. The suspect is a young man from Mali, who was staying in a nearby refugee center.  Aside from the rape itself, one of the woman's ears was bitten off, and she was taken to the hospital in serious condition.

The below article in Sondrio Today is translated by Fousesquawk.

Raped and beaten in Sondrio while returning home: New details

The condition of the 44-year-old  woman from Tirano, brutally attacked in a parking lot near the train station, remains serious. The preliminary hearing will be on Thursday in the (Sondrio) court.

New details are emerging on the brutal attack that took place on the night of Monday into Tuesday in Sondrio. The victim is a 44-year-old woman, a resident of Tirano, who was in the area of the train station returning home when she was approached, forcibly dragged, and then savagely beaten by a young man, born in 2001, and originating from Mali, his initials K.M., a refugee and staying at the Cooperativa Itaca Onlus in Valle di Colorina, which is a reception center for refugees. 

The incident occurred on via Morbegno, in the parking lot behind the gas station on via Tonale. It is not yet clear how much time elapsed between the attack and the call to 118, which came in at 23:30, thanks to a passerby who noticed the woman lying on the ground, covered in blood, and in a state of semi-consciousness.

Upon the arrival of medical personnel, the 44-year-old had serious injuries: Her face was completely swollen, one ear was bitten off, and there were numerous lacerations all over her body with evident signs of sexual violence. For this, she was immediately transported to the hospital in Sondrio, where she spent the first night sedated and intubated. During the day on Tuesday, she regained consciousness, but her condition did not permit questioning by investigators. This will be reexamined today.

The arrestee

After what had tragically occurred, the officers of the Flying Squad and the Mobile Squad (police) tracked down the suspect within a few hours. They arrested him not far from the scene of the attack. The young man, in a state of intoxication from the consumption of alcohol or drugs, had blood-stained clothes and a backpack containing the identity card, health insurance card, and bancomat card of the victim. The 24-year-old, defended by the office of  Sondrio lawyer, Paolo Marchi, was arrested on charges of sexual assault, robbery, and serious bodily injuries, and was taken to the Sondrio jail on orders of judicial authorities. The preliminary hearing will take place in all probability, on the morning of Thursday, October 9, in the presence of a translator.

Condemnation of public opinion

What happened has profoundly shocked public opinion. The brutality of the attack and the serious condition of the woman have aroused dismay and outrage. The local parties, Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy), Lega (including a comment by Vice Premier Matteo Salvini), the Democratic Party, the Northern Pact, and Forza Italia have harshly condemned the vile act, as well as the mayor of Sondrio, Marco Scaramelini. What has happened has reopened the debate on the issue of accepting migrants, arousing discussions on security and the policy of operating reception centers in Italy.

Belgium: Update on Terror Plot

Translation by Fousesquawk

According to Belgian press reports, the suspected terrorists arrested yesterday in Antwerp were also targeting Dutch politician Geert Wilder for assassination, as well as Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever, both outspoken critics of Islamic immigration and the threat it poses to their countries and Europe.

One of the suspects is identified by De Morgen as A.B, a 23-year-old of Chechen origin. HLN further identifies him as Abdullah B.

The other suspect is an 18-year-old man of Moroccan origin, named only as E.J.

In the interest of time, we have only translated the first few paragraphs with the relevant information. Time allowing, the complete article from De Morgen will be translated later.

Two suspects held in investigation into Antwerp terror cell: Geert Wilders also named as possible target, election campaign suspended

The two suspects arrested yesterday in the investigation into the Antwerp terror cell, who had Premier Bart de Wever (N-VA) as a target, have been ordered held in custody by the investigating judge. Meanwhile, Dutch politician Geert Wilders confirms that he was also named as a target.

Caption: Premier Bart de Wever (N-VA)

One of the suspects being held is A.B., a 23-year-old of Chechen origin from Borsbeek, who was found with a 3D printer. "My client is cooperating with the investigation and has made a statement," says his lawyer, Sven de Potter. 

He is suspected of a number of terrorist offenses and has been ordered held in custody by the investigating judge. He will appear before the Council Chamber on Wednesday, which will decide on his further custody. As to the contents of his questioning, I cannot say. He is deeply affected by what has happened."

The other suspect is E.J., an 18-year-old young man with Moroccan roots from Sint-Rochusstraat in Deume, close to the residence of De Wever. Components for an explosive (device) were found yesterday in his possession.

Both were taking security training courses, one at a secondary school, the other at a college. The Sint-Norbertus Institute made it clear to the press that making explosives was not part of the training. The two will appear on Wednesday before the Council Chamber, the Federal Prosecutor's Office reports.

Terror Plot Aimed at Belgian Political Leaders Thwarted

 Belgian prosecutors have announced that three men have been arrested in Antwerp, suspected of preparing for a jihadist assassination attempt against Belgian politicians, including the premier. The third suspect was released later in the day. During a search, police found materials presumably being used to put together an IED and an attack drone, among other things. 

We are in the process of providing English subtitles to a Belgian news (HLN) video showing a clip from the public announcement by the Belgian prosecutors.

*Update (10-11-2025) Here is the aforementioned video in Dutch (or Flemish, if you prefer),from HLN (Belgium). Subtitling by Rair Foundation USA, Vlad Tepes, and Gates of Vienna. Translation by Fousesquawk.

Katie Porter for Governor???!!!

Former California Congresswoman Katie Porter (D), who is currently teaching at the University of California at Irvine Law School, is now running for governor of California after a failed senatorial campaign. Her gubernatorial campaign has been dealt a severe blow with this week's news that she nearly stormed out of an interview last month with CBS reporter Julie Watts. Porter became upset when Watts asked her how she would try to gain the support and votes of 40% of the electorate who had voted for President Trump in 2024.

In addition, another video has surfaced of Porter erupting at an aide who walked on camera during a videotaped interview in 2021.

Both videos can be seen here.

Prior to getting elected to Congress, Porter was a law professor at UCI's School of Law, founded by Erwin Chemerinsky, now Dean of the UC Berkeley Law School.  UCI Law was and is little more than a training school for liberal activists. After leaving Congress, Porter returned to UCI.

During her term in Congress, Porter was largely known for her 2019 grilling of JP Morgan CEO, Jamie Dimon, relating to him the story of "Patricia," a single mom, struggling to support her family on her meager JP Morgan bank teller salary. Later, it was revealed that there was no "Patricia". Porter had invented her. 

Porter was a lousy Congresswoman, teaching at a lousy law school, who ran a lousy campaign for senator, and is now running a lousy campaign for governor. If elected, there is no doubt she would be a lousy governor as well. After the disastrous reign of Gavin Newsom, Porter is the last thing California needs.

Larry Snelling's Press Conference

Superintendent Larry Snelling

On Monday, Shortly after  I posted my article (which first appeared in New English Review) on the Chicago Police Department's (CPD) response  (or lack thereof) to an ICE call for help when they were attacked by mobs last Saturday, Chicago PD Superintendent Larry Snelling held a press conference to address the issue. I watched it live on Fox, but they switched away deep into the question-and-answer section.

In his prepared statement, Snelling gave a timeline of the events at the center of the controversy. I am repeating the times and actions as laid out by Snelling. (I am paraphrasing, but the video is available here.)

 10:32 am- CPD receives a call of a person shot at 39th and Kedzie streets. (This is Marimar Martinez, who was shot by ICE agents during the attack and is now facing federal charges.)

"By" 10:36 am, CPD responds. They were flagged down by a woman (Martinez). CFD was called, and she was taken to a hospital.

11:06 am: CPD officers are at the hospital with the person shot.

11:25 am- CPD units are holding down the scene where (Martinez's) vehicle was found.

11:36 am- The (above) scene was turned over to federal authorities.

12:12 pm- In a "separate" incident, which Snelling said was being conflated with the above shooting incident by some people, according to Snelling, a vehicle rammed an ICE vehicle off the road at 3200 West 35th Street. (CPD). Officers respond to 3200 W. 35th Street. There were no injuries

12:28 pm- ICE calls for assistance at 39th and Kedzie.

1:09PM - "Additional" CPD units en route to 39th and Kedzie.

1:15 pm- CPD on scene at 39th and Kedzie. Tear gas is being deployed by federal officers.

2:56 pm- Objects are being thrown at CPD. Federal officers deploy tear gas.

3:48 pm: Everything all clear.

During his opening statement, Snelling made no reference to the allegation that CPD officers were ordered by the dispatcher not to proceed to the location where ICE agents were being attacked, per the order of the Chief of Patrol. It was during the questioning by reporters that an ABC reporter asked him if, at any time, CPD officers were told by dispatch to stand down. Snelling stated that it was not true that officers were ordered to stand down, yet indicated that he was not sure about the language used, but that he would know by the following day what the exact conversation was. It was clear that he did not have a concrete answer to the question. Yet, he insisted that any time fellow law enforcement officers in distress put out a call for assistance, CPD would respond immediately. The question from the ABC News reporter and Snelling's response come at the 19:30 mark in the above video.

According to the dispatcher's log (apparently leaked to the press), at 12:28 pm, ICE agents who were being surrounded by a large crowd requested CPD assistance. At 12:34, per the Chief of Patrol, the order went out that "no units will respond to this".

.

There is more audio here (Hat tip The Right Scoop).

"Per the Chief of Patrol, clear everybody out. We're not responding over there." 

In simple English, that means "stand down".

Assuming that CPD units arrived at the scene at 1:09, it appears that responding units were ordered not to go to the location, but eventually did arrive at 1:09-41 minutes after ICE called for help. Was the stand-down order reversed, as it surely should have been?

Back in the 1960s or 70s, I recall that CPD took great pride in having enough units so that they could respond to an emergency call in something like three minutes. It appears that this incident required 41 minutes to respond to fellow law enforcement officers in distress, facing a mob, and calling for assistance. That is unacceptable. Had it been due to negligence, it would be bad enough. But it is much worse that it was, seemingly, due to directives from a supervising officer.

Chicago's Shame

*This article first appeared in New English Review. Subsequent to my writing this piece, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling held a press conference to address the incident. I will follow up with an additional post to discuss his remarks.

 “Per the chief of patrol: Clear everybody out, we’re not responding over there.”

On Saturday morning, in Broadview, a suburb of Chicago, several ICE vehicles were deliberately rammed and boxed in by numerous other vehicles, one of which was driven by someone with a semi-automatic weapon.  The aforementioned woman, Marimar Martinez (40) was shot and wounded by agents in self-defense when she allegedly tried to run down agents who had exited their vehicles. She and another man, identified as Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, are facing federal charges in the incident.

If all that wasn't shocking enough, when the agents called Chicago PD for help, officers from the department were ordered by their dispatch not to go in and assist, "per the chief of patrol", which is confirmed by radio transmissions. This is clearly a result of the policy put into effect by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

There is a clear difference between not having your police officers enforce illegal immigration laws and allowing federal immigration agents to be attacked by mobs and Antifa-types and refusing to render assistance to your fellow officers. As a former federal agent (DEA) who worked with local police extensively, this is the worst example of police negligence I have ever seen in the United States. I am sure that the rank and file Chicago police officers, particularly those who were ordered to stand down, are sickened by this. They know it goes against every instinct they have that when a fellow law enforcement officer is under attack, it doesn't matter what agency it is, the response is immediate. Had the shoe been on the other foot and a local cop were being attacked, any off-duty officer, state, local, or federal, on duty or off duty, who saw it would stop and render assistance. I know this from personal experience.

What happened Saturday happened because of the rotten politics in the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois. It is a dark stain on the Chicago PD as an institution, and I can only imagine the embarrassment felt by the rank-and-file officers.

Only by the grace of God were no officers injured. Had one of them been killed, a lot of people would be carrying this with them the rest of their lives. Now it underlines the need for President Trump to send in the troops, not only to Chicago, but Portland and anywhere else that suffers from this kind of orchestrated violence. It is also time for the Justice Department and the FBI to go after these people at the federal level. This is not spur-of-the-moment violence; it is being orchestrated nationally, and that makes it a federal responsibility. It is also appropriate to investigate what federal laws, if any, are being violated by politicians like Pritzker and Mayor Johnson to impede the enforcement of our federal immigration laws. 

As for the officer who ordered his cops not to go in and help the ICE agents, I don't know what he is feeling now. He was obviously following the orders handed down to him, but there comes a time, even in law enforcement, when you have to ignore policy and ignore orders. This was just such a situation.  

Wacko College Courses

The good old days in collge

I am listing below a few examples of some of the wacko courses being taught at our universities these days. When you think about it, it really is disgusting, not just from the trash that is labeled as education, but also from the point of view of the money that is devoted to these courses, to say nothing of the money paid in tuition to take them. I am thinking of making this a recurring feature of the blog.

We begin with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Campus Reform is running an article on a professor there named  Dwayne Dixon, who is listed as an Asian and Middle East Studies professor. It seems he is also associated with a group called the Redneck Revolt, which is reportedly associated with the far-left John Brown Gun Club. Redneck Revolt has reportedly printed material celebrating the murder of Charlie Kirk.

According to his university profile, Dixon has taught courses including “Japanese Popular Culture” and “Breakdancers, Vocaloids, and Gamers: East Asian Youth Cultures,” according to Campus Reform. Clearly, no college education is complete without taking the above courses.

"Uhhhhh......yeaaah."

Dixon was put on suspension over his alleged association with the group, but has just been reinstated.

In addition to Dixon's courses, Campus Reform has also reported on a course offered at UNC this year entitled "Queer LatinX Environmentalisms". The course is offered by the Women's and Gender Studies Department.

I wonder if Bill Belichick would have taken the head coaching job at UNC if he knew all this. Judging by the performance of his football team, I suspect some of his players may be taking these courses to supplement their basketweaving classes.

"WTF"

Speaking of Women's and Gender Studies, I am linking the current course catalog for that department at the University of California at Berkeley here. I think the description of most of these courses speaks for itself. Unfortunately, I see no course entitled, "What is a woman?"

In researching this post, I know I can always count on the University of California at Santa Cruz, America's Wackiest University, to supply an abundance of low-hanging fruit. There are two departments at UCSC of special note, the Community Studies Department, which trains young leftists to become activists, and the History of Consciousness Department, of which Angela Davis is a professor emerita. 

Here is the current course catalog from Community Studies.

Here is the website for the History of Consciousness Dept, from which you can link to their course offerings. It goes without saying that a course requirement is that students must stay awake during class, which may not be easy.

"History of Consciousness is an interdisciplinary graduate program centered in the Humanities, with links to the Social Sciences, the Arts and the Sciences. It is concerned with forms of expression and social action as they are manifested in specific historical, cultural, and political contexts. The program stresses flexibility and originality; interest is focused on problems rather than disciplines. HistCon students are prepared to teach in various specific fields, with an emphasis on questions that span a number of different approaches.

History of Consciousness fosters problem-driven research vital to new forms of knowledge and intelligibility and to meet the challenges of imagining new modes of scholarship for the arts, social sciences, and humanities. The department emphasizes a variety of topics in its seminars and research pursuits. These areas of research include studies at the intersection of race, sexuality, and gender; global capitalism and cultural processes; psychoanalytic and semiotic theories of the image; science and technology studies; theories and histories of religion; social movements; and literary studies and poetics. Seminars are regularly offered in these and other areas of ongoing faculty research."

And to cap off our madcap review, we go to none other than America's most "prestigious" university, Harvard. They've been in the news a lot lately as a hotbed of anti-Semitism. You may recall that their former presiden, Caludine Gay, had to resign last year when she couldn't tell a House subcommittee whether calling for the genocide of Jews was against Harvard's code of conduct (it depended on the context).

Anyway, it has just been reported that Harvard is bringing in a visiting professor (from Tufts University). This learned scholar is a drag queen from Pakistan named Kareem Khubchandani, aka LaWhore Vagistan, who will be teaching the following two courses:

RUPaulitics, Race, and Desire

I am not making this up.

There is so much more, but so little time.