Spain: Three Men in Custody for Attack on Man in Torre Pacheco

Victim-suspect

-Infobae (Spain)

Spanish police have arrested three suspects in the brutal attack on a 68-year-old man in the municipality of Torre Pacheco on July 9, which sparked pitched street battles between Spaniards and North Africans. The principal attacker is partially identified as Issam B., a Moroccan immigrant, 19 years of age.

The article below from Invalididos (Spain) is translated by Fousesquawk.

The Moroccan who brutally beat the man from Torre Pacheco is named Issam B. and has a criminal record

Issam B., 19, and of Moroccan origin, was arrested in Renteria for brutally attacking a neighbor in Torre Pacheco. The Ertzaintza (Basque police) prevented his escape into France, and he is already in pre-trial detention.

Caption: Authorities with the Moroccan who carried out the savage attack in Torre Pacheco, 

By Editorial staff

July 16, 2025 at 10:18

A 19-year-old immigrant of Moroccan origin named Issam B. was arrested Monday by the Ertzaintza in Renreria, Guipuzcoa, as he was attempting to flee to France through Irun. He is the alleged perpetrator of the violent attack on Domingo Tomas Dominguez, a 68-year-old resident of Torre Pacheco, in the Cartagena metropolitan area. With a criminal record for theft and robbery with violence, Issam was in legal residence status in Spain.

The capture was possible thanks to the collaboration of the Civil Guard, who tracked the suspect's cell phone in real time. Thus, the Autonomous Basque police intercepted him before he was to take a train to France. After his arrest, Issam B. was brought before the Court of Instruction (Investigation) #5 in San Sebastian, which, on Tuesday, ordered pre-trial detention without bail. His transfer to the Murcia region is expected in the coming hours.

Meanwhile, two other immigrants of Moroccan origin, 20 and 21, were arrested Sunday near Torre Pacheco for allegedly helping the attacker flee and hiding him. The victim, Domingo Tomas Dominguez, suffered a brutal beating without an apparent motive as he was walking in a location near his home on Wednesday, July 9. The attack unleashed strong social indignation in this municipality in the Cartagena metropolitan area.

The Court of Instruction #5 of San Javier questioned these two detainees in custody, and, on Tuesday, decided to release them pending trial.  The case is now being handled by the Judicial Police unit of the Civil Guard of the Murcia Command.

Italy: Illegal Mosques Cropping up in Padova

Padova (Padua)

In recent years, we have reported on the problem of clandestine mosques showing up in buildings and basements of apartment buildings in cities like Milan. Now, the northern Italian city of Padova (Padua) is dealing with the issue. Anna Maria Cisint is an Italian deputy in the European Parliament. She is bringing public awareness to the existence of the illegal mosques in Padova and the negative effect they are having on the local residents.

The article below in Il Tempo is translated by Fousesquawk. It is written by Giulia Sorrentino, who covers many stories related to this for Il Tempo.

Illegal mosques like mushrooms, Padova in chaos-Cisint warns the mayor

Giulia Sorrentino

July 17, 2025

In Padova East, the situation with illegal mosques is becoming worrisome. Within a few kilometers, there are reportedly three, and because of this, the European Parliament deputy, Anna Maria Cisint, has chosen to take a very clear position, using legal avenues, sending a certified email in which she urges the mayor to reestablish the rule of law and put an end to the illegal use of what was once an art gallery in the middle of a residential area.

"If the Islamic center is not closed immediately, we will pursue legal avenues. For more than 10 years, the residents of the Stanga quarter have been living a daily ordeal: threats, insults, disturbing looks directed at minor females, and sleepless nights. All this happens because hundreds of people are heading to the building on Via (street) Turazza. which is a destination not designated for religious use, as the municipality itself admitted after our civil access". With a formal document, therefore, the mayor was formally requested to act immediately to restore the property to commercial use by closing the illegal mosque. "If not, we will not hesitate to turn to the competent authorities to bring the mayor before a judge. Without an agreement with the State, all of the mosques are potentially illegal and should be banned. We have demonstrated at Monfalcone that the mayors can and must intervene, also from the point of view of tools of urban planning that they have to protect the legality and the security of the citizens up to closure and, if necessary, the repossession of property," Cisint concludes.

The message she wanted to send is very clear because the warning is not just from her as a European Parliament deputy, but also as a common citizen. She wants to say to all of those people who want to turn their heads that a way exists to enforce the rules. That a way exists to protect our values and our roots. This is a model that is replicable in every municipality in which ideology takes precedence over the well-being of the citizens.

 

Is Europe Headed for Civil War?

This article first appeared in New English Review.

Freikorps Epp

This past week in Torre Pacheco (Murcia) Spain, riots broke out and police had to separate Spaniards and North Africans after a 68-year-old man was badly beaten by North African youths, and Spaniards took to the streets looking to take revenge by attacking North Africans. Two nights of disturbances in this small community drew headlines not just all over Spain, but Europe as well. 

Meanwhile, in England and Ireland, people have marched in loud protests against migrant crime and the growing Islamization of their countries. In virtually every country in Western Europe, with crime out of control, riots, attacks on Jews, mosques sprouting up everywhere, licensed or not, the ever-present threat of terror attacks, rapes, ethnic mafias, violent gangs, largely from the Middle East, North Africa, and Afghanistan, migrants, mostly illegal, and asylum-seekers running amok, the people are saying, "Enough!"

The violent incidents, whether acts of terror or simply attacks on the streets, are now too numerous to count, especially since former German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the floodgates in 2015 during the Syrian war. For the most part, Europeans have been suffering in silence, threatened with legal action if they engage in so-called "hate speech" and oppose their government's lax immigration policies. 

This discussion mostly concerns Western Europe because the Eastern European nations, just recently freed from the shackles of communism and centralized control from Moscow, want no part of this wave of migrants and asylum-seekers. They see what's happening in Western Europe, and they have no interest in "taking in their fair share" as the EU wants them to do and threatens them with punishment if they refuse. Brussels is becoming the new Moscow.

But from Spain and Italy in the south to France, Austria, and Germany in Central Europe, to Scandinavia and the UK in the north, the people of these countries have been victimized over and over again by migrant thugs, Islamists, and pro-Hamas protesters, and it appears they may have reached the point where they are fed up-and starting to fight back.

To be clear, I am not advocating violence on the part of anyone. But what happened in Torre Pacheco should serve as a wake-up call that if police are so overwhelmed, which they are, that they cannot protect the public, and their governments are unwilling to solve the problem, then it seems to me that there will be more and more Torre Pachecos throughout Western Europe.

In addressing the title of this piece (civil war), I am not envisioning a civil war like the American or Spanish civil wars. What I am fearing is that there may be a situation similar to what Germany went through in the years between the two world wars, leading up to Hitler's taking power in 1933. At the end of the First World War, Germany was saddled with all the blame for the war by the Treaty of Versailles. The economy fell through the roof, and the currency became almost worthless. Throw in the worldwide depression, mass unemployment, and Germany was in a desperate situation.

Meanwhile, political forces like the Nazis, the Communists, and the Social Democrats were fighting for power, not just in the Reichstag in Berlin, but in the streets of German cities. Militias sprang up, like the infamous Freikorps, to do battle with their political opponents. And it wasn't just beer hall brawls with people hurling beer mugs and chairs at their opponents. There were political assassinations, the failed Kapp Putsch in Berlin (1920), the failed Hitler Putsch in Munich (1923), and in the worst incident, the Epps Freikorps stormed Munich in 1919 to topple the Soviet style government that had been installed there. Estimates were that over 600 people were killed.

Many historians refer to that period as a civil war, certainly not on a scale of our civil war or the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s, but you get the point. Out of all that arose Adolf Hitler.

I may be an alarmist, but I can see that sort of thing happening in many Western European countries. The government has created the problem, and I include the EU in the blame because it has been their policy to admit millions of people, mostly young males, and aside from Italy, I don't see much governmental effort to reverse the trend in a serious manner. True, there are rising conservative parties in several countries that want to halt this migration and send the bad actors back home. The problem is that the other parties gang up and marginalize them to the sidelines. Italy is a notable exception, where Giorgia Meloni, leader of the Fratelli di Italia party is now the prime minister, but she still has to battle the other parties, the courts, the EU, and the other Western European countries. And to make matters worse, France, already with the largest Muslim population in Europe,  has now declared that any and all Gazans are eligible for asylum in France! And thanks to the Schengen Agreement, once they are in France, they can go to any other country in the EU. What could possibly go wrong?

In addition, as noted above, the police are overwhelmed, especially in countries like Sweden. So, where do the people turn when they can't take it anymore?  The longer a government fails to deal with a problem, the more extreme will be the solution.

Meanwhile, innocent people are dying, women are being raped, and the social fabric of Europe is being torn to pieces. Many Europeans say it is already too late, that Europe is gone.

It is obvious that the only sensible solution is to close the borders and repatriate those who have no business being in Europe. I am not talking about law-abiding immigrants who came to work decades ago and are now running businesses and keeping their noses clean. (Unfortunately, many of their children are not behaving themselves, but they do not all necessarily enjoy citizenship rights, even if born in Europe.) 

Given the sheer numbers, this will not be an easy task and will be met with protests and violence. No doubt, the European Court of Human Rights, based in Strasbourg, will also be an obstacle, but it has to be done. In addition, many countries like Morocco refuse to take back their bad apples. That should be met with no more visas being issued and a halt to foreign aid, among other things.

The situation is critical, and extreme measures are required. Mass repatriations on such a scale will be extreme, to be sure, but what are the alternatives? Either surrender to Islamization and watch Europe become majority Muslim in a couple of generations due to continued migration and their exploding birth rate, with the resultant loss of freedom, or watch the continent degenerate into civil war, similar to what happened in Germany between the two world wars. If the latter comes to pass, the next Hitler may be lurking just around the corner.

 

 

What Will Happen to Jonathan A.C. Brown at Georgetown?

Hat tip JNS

Jonathan A.C. Brown

"I'll answer your question for you," Brown told Lee. "The fact that there was slavery is a wrong. Okay. If you're a Muslim, the prophet of God ... had slaves. He had slaves. There's no denying that. Are you more morally mature than the prophet of God? No, you're not." 

"I hope Iran does some symbolic strike on a base, then everyone stops,” Brown wrote.

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce held another round of hearings this week, focused on campus anti-Semitism and violent protests, among other things, and brought in three heads of universities to testify. They were: Rich Lyons, Chancellor of  UC Berkeley, Felix Matos Rodriguez, Chancellor of the City University of New York, and Robert Groves, Interim President of Georgetown University. They faced hard questions from the Republican members of the committee and struggled to avoid making any gaffes as their colleagues did when testifying before them. From the clips I have seen, it was pretty much the standard dedication to free speech, protecting all students, blah blah blah.

One interesting fact did come out during the questioning of Georgetown's Robert Groves. Georgetown, which has had its share of anti-Semitism and pro-Palestinian disruptions, is also home to the Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Islamic Civilization, within the School of Foreign Service. The center is an Islamist trojan horse led by Jonathan A.C. Brown, a Muslim convert, son-in-law of deported terrorist supporter, Sami al-Arian, and a man who has made waves with his comments excusing Islamic slavery and more recently, expressing the desire that Iran would make "a symbolic" attack on a US base in the Middle East in response to our taking out their nuclear facilities. Groves told the committee that Brown was no longer the chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Georgetown and that the university was reviewing the details of the case. Brown remains as chair of the Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Islamic Civilization. 

I understand the free speech argument, at least within the context of criminal law. I am not arguing that Brown should be arrested for the things he has said. Even after teaching part-time in universities for 20 years, I am still trying to get my head around the universities' concept of free speech. I cannot count the number of universities whose officials have condemned something one of their faculty members has said, especially in regards to anti-Semitism, yet defend the right of the professor to say it, and that it is protected by academic freedom. How many times have we heard a university president, chancellor, or spokesperson say that what Professor S and So said did not "represent the values of the university" (whatever they are)? 

Going back to free speech under criminal law, where do we draw the line? Criminal law does have lines that define when free speech does not apply. You cannot threaten the life of the President of the United States (or anyone else, for that matter). You cannot directly incite violence (by "directly" I mean that you urge others to attack someone, and it takes place right then and there. Of course, there is the fire in the movie house example. But returning to the universities, at what point does a university fire a faculty member for what they say-on or off campus, in or out of a classroom? At what point does a university have the right to terminate an employee whom it deems has brought discredit to the school?  (In my opinion, there are thousands of professors around the nation who have brought discredit to their schools.)

I suppose it could be said that in our country, protected speech vs unprotected speech can be a thin line. But there has to be a line. Where is it?

If a professor starts each class by yelling, "Heil Hitler" with his right arm raised and praises Hitler and the Holocaust in class or anywhere else, is the university bound to keep him or her on the faculty in the name of free speech and academic freedom?

 What if the professor openly supports slavery, segregation, or the killing of black people? (Professor Brown has excused slavery under Islam because the Prophet Mohammad practiced it. He has since tried to walk it back, but his comments are well documented.)

Here, I would add that  Brown's wish that Iran would make a "symbolic" attack on a US base in the Middle East can be compared to anti-US statements made by thousands of US professors every day.

So what we have today are professors supporting the very people (Hamas) who carried out one of the most atrocious mass slaughters in modern history on October 7, 2023, professors who are screaming, "Globalize the intifada", who are inciting the occupations and disruptions on our campuses, the disruption of Jewish events, the bullying and harassment of Jewish students, and in some cases, actively participating. 

And let us not forget those who demonize all white people as being inherently racist. Some of these folks are even white themselves. ("Self-hating whites"?) How does this contribute to Americans coming together? How does this contribute to a harmonious campus where students of all races and backgrounds can study, learn, and have a great social life? 

So what will happen to Jonathan Brown at Georgetown? I seriously doubt he will be fired altogether. The university has taken cosmetic action, and Brown will remain just as all the others around the country will remain in their posts. But make no mistake: Jonathan Brown has seriously embarrassed his university, not just recently, but for several years. Amid all the talk about free speech and academic freedom, the leaders of Georgetown University should not forget that fact. They can go on and on that his statements do not reflect the "values of the university", but if they keep people like that on the payroll, then indeed they do.

California State University Professor Charged With Assaulting ICE Agents

Professor Jonathan Anthony Caravello

"Kidnapped" by ICE agents

Last week (July 10), ICE agents raided a couple of marijuana farms (that's right) in Camarillo, California, where over 350 illegal migrants were arrested, and at least 14 migrant children were discovered on the farms. As is normally the case in California,  the anti-ICE/Antifa types immediately showed up and attacked the agents. They called it a "peaceful protest".

Campus Reform has the report here.

Also arrested was a California State University-Channel Islands professor named Jonathan Caravello, who was charged with picking up a police tear gas cannister and throwing it back at officers.

That has led to a storm of protests from the California Faculty Association, whoever they are. They maintain that Caravello has been "kidnapped". They have even held a candlelight vigil for all those arrested.

The school that employs this character has issued a statement that it is their understanding that Caravello was engaged in a peaceful protest. 

Being in California, I can state that some of the local news reports only state that ICE raided agricultural sites or farms, while omitting that they were marijuana grow sites. California may turn a blind eye to these grow sites, but federal law considers them illegal, just as it considers marijuana to be illegal. If the feds choose to shut them down, that is their right. (It is true that in recent years, federal law enforcement has decided not to confront California on this issue, no doubt due to political influence in Washington.)

I want to point out that being an agricultural state, the overwhelming majority-with few exceptions, of those who pick our fruits and vegetables are Mexican citizens, many of them obviously illegal.( I do not know the percentage.) As I have said before, I would prefer to see ICE focusing on the criminal gangs, like Tren de Aragua and MS-13, convicted criminals, those who have been ordered deported, and suspected terrorists, rather than people from Mexico who are simply working. It is not just a humane consideration, but a practical one as well. Whether the number of people in the country illegally is 10 million or 20 million, ICE cannot round up and deport all of them. They must focus on the truly criminal ones. Therefore, I would not put farm workers high on the priority list.

But in this case, we are talking about a cannabis growing farm. Thus, I would give them no such break. In addition, if any farm is employing immigrant child labor, that is something we cannot ignore.  

It also goes without saying that attacks on ICE agents performing their constitutional duties is intolerable and must be met with prosecution. And there is no exemption for those who may be professors in our universities.

Spain: Two Nights of Rioting Between North Africans and Locals

-La Verdad (Spain)

In the small town of Torre Pacheco (Murcia) in southeastern Spain, there have been two nights of rioting and clashes between Spaniards and North Africans, the latter of whom make up about 1/3 of the town's population. The events came after a 68-year-old man was allegedly assaulted and badly beaten by a group of young men the victim described as "Maghrebian" (North African).

The victim (upper left)

-Infobae (Spain)

As might be predicted, the left and much of the Spanish press are blaming "ultra-right xenophobes" and the conservative VOX party for the violence.

It seems that these tensions are increasingly boiling over in several European countries, not just Spain, but France, Germany, Ireland, England, and others. I'm not condoning violence from either side, but Europe's political leaders have nobody to blame but themselves. They have allowed millions of migrants into their countries, mostly young men. International mafias have sprouted up, and the police are overwhelmed. As I have said often, the longer the politicians refuse to deal effectively with this problem, the more radical the solution will be in the future. Could civil war(s) be lurking around the corner?

The article below from RTVE (Spain) is translated by Fousesquawk. 

(Update- July 16, 2025) I have noted that the above link has been updated to include a description of a third night of tension in the town, so the text no longer corresponds to our translation.

6 arrests for attacks, damages, and altercations in the unrest in Torre Pacheco (Murcia)

The attack on a 68-year-old man has caused days of disturbances.

The victim pointed at a group of youths as the perpetrators of the attack and suggested they could be of Maghrebian (North African) origin.

Caption: Several people run through a street during confrontations with the police.

RTVE.es/Agenciaes

July 14, 2025 at  1:25 am

Six persons have been arrested -five Spaniards and one Maghrebian -for assaults, damages, and altercations in a police operation deployed in Torre Pacheco, Murcia, Mariola Guevara, government delegate in the community, reported tonight.

Thus, during Sunday, the forces and agencies of state secutiyt have arrested another five persons, all of Spanish nationality, in addition to the Maghrebian arrested on Saturday. 

Three of the arrested were for attacking a Moroccan minor and for causing damage to a journalist's sound equipment; two others were arrested as they were walking around in a group on a public street wearing bicycle helmets in a suspicious manner. 

Throwing of objects at police officers

In one of the neighborhoods with a Moroccan population, there have been reports of the throwing of objects at police officers by a small group of people.

The government delegate has said that suspicious groups have been intercepted and that the deployment of the Civil Guard, local police, and special units is being maintained.

Caption: Verifica RTVE is refuting hoaxes around the incidents in Torre Pacheco.

One of the groups was intercepted at an access control at the city hall, and after being identified and considered potentially combative, (they) were reported and forced to leave the area. 

Tonight, "the patrols in Torre Pacheco are continuing, with the presence of the GRS, USECIC, Civil Guard, and local police. A coordinated operation to prevent any altercation and protect the neighbors," Guevara stated. 

These arrests occurred after the disturbances recorded during the weekend in Torre Pacheco, unleashed by the attack on a 68-year-old neighbor last Wednesday. In his report, the victim pointed to a group of youths as the perpetrators of the attack and suggested that they could be of Maghrebian origin, which led to a wave of neighborhood tension.

*Update (July 16, 2025): Below is a video from Tele 5 (Spain) describing the first two nights of disturbances in Torre Pacheco. Subtiting is by RAIR Foundation USA, Vlad Tepes, and Gates of Vienna with assistance in the translation by Fousesquawk. 

Sweden: Afghan Convicted of Raping 80-Year-Old Woman-Cannot Be Deported

Hat tip Gates of Vienna

If you have ever wondered why Sweden is in such dire straits with its migrant problem, consider this latest case: A 40-year-old Afghan asylum-seeker who was working in a nursing home has been convicted of raping an 80-year-old woman with dementia who was a resident. Not only has he been sentenced to a mere 6 years in prison, but upon release, he cannot be deported since he was granted Swedish citizenship in January of this year.

The below article from Samnytt is translated by Fousesquawk.

Afghan in nursing home receives citizenship-Thanks Sweden by raping 80-year-old-Cannot be deported

Posted July 11, 2025

An Afghan man who immigrated to Sweden during the migrant crisis and was granted Swedish citizenship in January of this year has been convicted of raping an 80-year-old woman with dementia at a nursing home in Värmland, where he was working. Since he is now a Swedish citizen, he cannot be deported to his homeland.

The rape happened on the night of 21-22 February 2025 at a nursing home in the municipality of Årjäng. The woman, who, according to the court, was in the beginning stages of dementia, in need of intensive care, and (had) reduced cognitive ability after a brain tumor, was completely dependent on staff personnel. On the night of the attack, the 40-year-old Afghan, Ali Hassan Zada, was solely responsible for the section where the woman was living.

During the night, 11 alarms were registered from the woman's security and motion alarm, all of which were handled by the man, the 40-year-old Ali Hassan Zada from Afghanistan, since he had the only emergency phone in the section.

The Afghan's job was to help the woman with all her daily needs, but instead, he abused her sexually. The woman had nobody to call for help.

When the 80-year-old woman's daughter was helping her shower the next day, she discovered a suspicious stain on the mattress cover. Test confirmed that it was semen, and DNA analysis showed that it belonged to Ali.

It is clear from court documents that the Afghan's semen was also found on the woman and a nightgown. Further that the Afghan used violence against the woman during the incident.

Caption: The woman's clothes were secured as evidentiary material. Photo: Police

The Värmland court describes the incident as an abuse of power against a completely defenseless and innocent person in her own home, where she should have been able to feel safe.

Exploited his position-Woman exposed several in several ways

The court found it proven that Ali lay over the woman and constrained her with the weight of his body. The woman herself described under questioning that Ali was assertive, used coarse language, and that she tried to protest.

The court determined that the woman, due to her age, illness, and dependent position, found herself in an especially vulnerable situation-something Ali exploited.  The attack occurred in a place where, according to the court, she should have been safe.

Convicted despite denial- Construction after the fact

Ali denied the crime and claimed in court that the woman took the initiative for sexual activity, something the court describes as "an obvious and very clear construction after the fact". The court also wrote that his explanation on how the semen wound up on the woman's mattress was so improbable that it could be disregarded.

Allowed to continue working despite suspicion

Even though the suspicion of rape arose immediately after the incident, Ali was allowed to continue working in the home for the next two months until April 2025. He was arrested after the DNA match was complete, and he had continued to work the night shift-however, not with the woman in question. 

According to the operations manager, he was transferred from the section, but was allowed to continue in service. The court's judgment throws new light on the nursing home's handling of the situation.

Cannot be deported

On Friday, Ali Hassan Zada was convicted of aggravated rape. He was registered in Sweden on March 13, 2017, and was granted Swedish citizenship on January 30, 2025. Since he is now a Swedish citizen, he cannot be deported to his homeland.

Instead, he is sentenced to 6 years in prison and will pay 320,000 kronors in damages to the woman.  The man had no previous convictions and had no previous criminal record.

The court stressed in the judgment that the crime was marked by a particular ruthlessness, and that Ali exploited both his role as caregiver and the woman's total position of dependence. Due to his acquired Swedish citizenship, Ali can not be deported after serving his sentence.

Germany: Another Aslyum-Seeker Charged With Murder (His Wife)

Krailling

In June, a 36-year-old asylum seeker from Yemen was arrested and charged with the murder of his 29-year-old wife and the mother of his 6 children. The incident occurred in the Bavarian municipality of Krailling on the outskirts of Munich. Witnesses notified police that the man was running onto the street with his clothes covered in blood. When police responded, they arrested the man and discovered his wife dead inside their residence with numerous stab wounds.

The below article from Nuis.de is translated by Fousesquawk.

Asylum-seeker stabs his wife and runs onto the street smeared in blood

June 15, 2025  0:014

Editorial staff

On Saturday in the Bavarian community of Krailling (Starnberg district), a terrible and bloody crime happened within a family. A mother of 6 children was stabbed to death in the neck by her own husband.

It was about 2 pm on Saturday when the 36-year-old ran onto the street in bloodstained clothing. Passersby immediately called the emergency number. Police units rushed to the (town) of about 8,000 residents and arrested the man without resistance.

In (his) residence, investigators found the body of his 29-year-old wife. She was reportedly killed by several stab blows to the neck, Bild-Zeitung reports.

The forensic team arrived and examined the crime scene for hours. According to information provided to the tabloid, the perpetrator and victim are reportedly from Yemen. The husband reportedly arrived in Germany in 2022-the wife and the 6 children (between 4 and 10 years of age) came to Bavaria under family reunification. They are now in the care of youth services.

University of California Bans BDS

This article first appeared in New English Review.

Michael Drake, UC President

There hasn't been much positive news coming out of the University of California and its satellite campuses lately, but this is a step in the right direction. Outgoing President Michael Drake has announced that UC entities and student governments can forget about all those BDS (Boycott-Divest-Sanctions) proclamations and calls to boycott Israel and businesses doing business with the Jewish state. In the past, I have been critical of Drake, especially during the years he was the chancellor at UC Irvine, but I give him credit for this move.

I also give credit to President Trump for setting the tone in his administration that anti-Semitism must be countered, particularly in our universities, which are collectively the focal point for this resurgence in anti-Semitism in the US. For too long, university administrators have allowed this situation to get out of hand, giving slap-on-the-wrist suspensions to students who disrupted Jewish events, bullied Jewish students, and more recently, occupied university spaces and disrupted the functions of the campus.  For too many years, university administrators have been afraid to crack down on student groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and various chapters of the Muslim Student Association (MSA). 

But now, with Trump in the White House and Republicans controlling Congress, the Department of Education and the House Committee on Education and the Workplace are cracking down on these corrupt institutions of "higher learning". While the above House committee has held hearings and criticized the inaction of university presidents, the Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights is launching a series of investigations into complaints of anti-Semitism against some of our "most prestigious universities". And it's not just the reputations of these universities that are at stake; it is also billions in federal dollars that are now on the table, not to mention accreditation.

In addition, the UC system is under investigation by DOJ for allegations of discriminatory hiring practices.

Can there be any doubt that these universities are being moved to action by the seriousness being displayed by Trump, the House Republicans, and DOE? In my opinion, the threat of withholding billions of dollars in federal grants and the national embarrassment brought upon academia by the House hearings have sent a clear message to university leaders that there will be consequences for continuing to ignore the pleas of Jewish students and to allow disruption on their campuses. 

These academic institutions are raking in billions of dollars in donations (both foreign and domestic), grants, and exorbitant tuitions. It has had, in my view, a corrupting influence on academia. They and their brainwashed students can cry all they want about freedom of expression and federal crackdowns, but they are not entitled to one penny of federal money. They are failing in their core mission-to educate. What they are succeeding in is indoctrination.

I just hope that Trump keeps his foot on the pedal and doesn't restore what has been suspended. Of course, these gains will all turn to sand if the Democrats get back into power because they overwhelmingly support the nonsense that has taken over our campuses. While it is true that DOE/OCR initiated some investigations into anti-Semitism on university campuses under Biden, the former president and his fellow Democrats in Congress never showed much interest in the complaints of anti-Semitism coming from Jewish students.  

While I applaud the action by UC President Drake, much more needs to be done. Every university in the country should make SJP suspensions permanent, as well as MSA chapters that violate campus rules of decorum. To cite an interesting case: In 2010, the Muslim Student Union (MSU) at UC Irvine disrupted the speech of then-Israeli ambassador to the US, Michael Oren. (I was present.) Eleven students who stood and disrupted the speech were removed by campus police, and the Orange County District Attorney filed misdemeanor charges against them and won convictions. The university itself was against the idea of prosecuting the students. What they did do was suspend MSU for a year. It was during this period of time that SJP formed a chapter at UC Irvine, no doubt to fill the void. Eventually, the vice chancellor cut the suspension to one quarter as he walked out the door into retirement. (In my view, SJP now acts as the lightning rod for the various MSU/MSA chapters around the country. They have many of the same members.) It goes without saying that violent disruptions and acts of anti-Semitism should result in arrests and expulsions.

It all comes down to this: Trump, his administration, and the Republicans in Congress must keep up the pressure. Left to their own devices, our universities will never change. Start taking their money away, and they will pay attention.

Sweden: The Swedish Church and Israel

Anna-Karin Hammar

For many years, the Swedish Church has been more of a left-wing political entity than a religious one. Among the various woke issues they have embraced is support for the Palestinian cause and the BDS movement. In this article by Johan Westerholm in Ledarsidorna, a prominent member of the Swedish Church (and the Social Democratic Party), Anna-Karin Hammar, is quoted as linking Israel and necrophilia! That's taking intersectionalism to a new level.

The article is translated by Fousesquawk. Note that the FB insert is not translated since it appears in English when you click the link.

Increasingly brutal debate within the Swedish Church about the State of Israel

By Johan Westerholm

The former member of the Social Democrats in the  (Swedish) Church Council, the priest, Anna-Karin Hammar, says in a Facebook post that the State of Israel has developed a form of state necrophilia. Hammar, with the weight she has in the Church and the party, testifies to a brutalisation of the debate about Jews in general and the existence of the State of Israel in particular. 

Anna-Karin Hammar is one of the Swedish Church's most influential power-holders and public debaters. She represents the Social Democrats and is engaged in the work of the Swedish Church, among other things, during the past term as a member of the Uppsala Diocese Church Council. Hammar also ran for archbishop when her brother, KG Hammar, resigned prematurely. 

The Church Council has long been a power within the Social Democrats, and among its members are names like Jesper Eneroth, vice-chairman for Faith and Solidarity, former minister Margareta Winberg, Faith and Solidarity's former chairman Peter Weiderud, and political science professor Ulf Bjereld. Former prime minister Stefan Löfven's wife, Ulla Löfven, is also a current member of the Church Council.

Hammar is driven by a strong commitment to Palestinian Arabs in that she has joined those who believe that they are a separate people. In spite of this, they do not meet the criteria to be called a homogeneous group of people.

Hammar is a driving force in support of the BDS-movement (Boycott-Divest-Sanctions), which is built upon the so-called Cairo Declaration, calling for a global boycott against the State of Israel. In Sweden, the BDS movement has the strongest support in the Swedish Church. Especially the former archbishop, Antje Jackelen, and priests Anna-Karin Hammar (S-Social Democrats) and Gunilla Hallonsten have spoken out in support of the movement.

Hammar has previously attempted to replace the Swedish Church's commemoration of the Night of Broken Glass with a commemoration of the Naqba instead. In 1948, more than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs-about half of the pre-war population of the Palestine Mandate-fled from their homes or were driven out by Zionist militias during the 1948 Palestine War-also called the Naqba.

Hammar currently compares the State of Israel with a state-developed culture of necrophilia. Necrophilia is a sexual orientation or paraphilia that involves a compulsive sexual attraction to or actions with dead bodies. The word comes from the Greek "nekros" (death) and "philia" (love/affection).

Hammar writes in a post on Facebook that:

"I also consider it an action for the Palestinian people to read about what it's like to be a Jew after the destruction of Gaza by people fighting to save Judaism in Israel from brutalization and necrophilia........"

"F-the University of Chicago"

Eman Abdelhadi

If you want a prime example of how our universities have gone off the rails, look no further than the University of Chicago's Eman Abdelhadi. Speaking at a socialist conference on July 5 in Chicago, she told the audience, "F- the University of Chicago." She called the university "evil" and also bragged about how she used her teaching position to advance the Palestinian agenda.

It's all about power, according to Abdelhadi. 

(All these years, I thought it was all about education.)

Here is her University of Chicago faculty page.

Checking the campus fishwrap, the Maroon, it seems there is no news on this as yet, but there is an article about a recent protest (March 2025) in support of Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University student whom the government is trying to deport. Here is what she had to say on this occasion.

“Mahmoud Khalil has not been charged with a crime. I repeat, he has not been charged with a crime. Even according to the unjust system of laws that govern this country, Mahmoud Khalil is innocent,” Abdelhadi said. “Mahmoud Khalil is a political prisoner. Tyrant-king Trump is sending a message that we could all be political prisoners, that nothing can protect us if we dissent, not our legal statuses and not even the constitution of this land.”

And what is the reaction of the "evil" university administrators to Abdelhadi's most recent comments?

Jul 9, 2025

"The University is aware of a faculty member’s publicized comments at a recent conference. The University of Chicago is deeply committed to the values of academic freedom and the free expression of ideas, and for this reason does not limit the comments of faculty members, who speak for themselves and not for the University. It is the responsibility of our faculty to advance scholarship and to teach our students to the highest standards of the profession. That includes creating classrooms that are free from discrimination, welcome many different viewpoints, and focus on developing students' rigorous critical thinking skills. This is the basis on which faculty are evaluated. We take any concerns that our faculty are not fulfilling this responsibility seriously, and are investigating this situation."

In the interest of full disclosure, when I was teaching part-time at UC Irvine from 1998-2016, I criticized UCI and the entire UC system,  not to mention some of its presidents and chancellors. I even wrote an op-ed in the Orange County Register whose title and theme were that UCI had to do more to protect its Jewish students. But I always did it in a professional manner, and to its credit, the university respected my freedom of speech. However, I never called the university "evil" or said, "F- UCI". There is nothing professional about that kind of language about your employer. Where I come from, there are consequences for those kinds of insults about the people you work for.

I will leave it to the University of Chicago to decide if they want to keep Abdelhadi on their faculty given how she feels about the institution. I just wish universities would take a long, hard look at professors who use their positions and classrooms to advance their political causes.  And if Eman Abdelhadi wanted to embarrass her university, she certainly succeeded.

Italy: One Fine Day in Old Milano

-Il Sussidiario

-Zazoom.it 

This week in Milan, about 1,000 Shi'ite Muslims turned out on the streets to celebrate one of their holidays. This included a public prayer and a march from the Central Train Station to Piazza della Repubblica. The women, of course, were fully veiled and separated from the men by a security detail.

The below commentary by Il Tempo reporter Giulia Sorrentino is quite critical and points out that it is just the latest demonstration of how Islam considers women.  Sorrentino also states that it is the latest episode of the West subjugating itself to Islam. The article is translated by Fousesquawk. It also has a video of the public demonstration.

Milan, Chaos in the city center and Islamic invasion. Muslims gather for Ashura-Video

July 6, 2025

There was a real Islamic invasion in Milan where some 1,000 Shiite Muslims gathered on the occasion of the celebration of Ashura, the Islamic holiday that commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (grandson of the Prophet Mohammad) in the battle of Kerbala. But what is truly disgusting is the latest episode of female discrimination, which we had to witness in silence, and the absence of condemnation on the part of the left both during the moment of prayer with the imam and the march from the Central Train Station to Piazza della Repubblica , the women, entirely veiled, kept at a distance from the men, even with a security detail assigned to them. In this extremely radical demonstration, which has nothing to do with the values of the West, there was a maximum expression of the way Islam considers the female sex. Inferior, marginalized, and subjugated in the name of a man who has total supremacy over every single aspect of daily life. Commenting on the episode is Lega (party) Deputy, Silvia Sardone, who stresses that it is a clear signal of the increasingly marked Islamization, with cultures distant from ours that are imposing themselves, also due to our incapacity to defend our identity and traditions. After the prayer inside an enclosure that we saw in the recent Muslim holidays, a latest signal of how, in many Islamic communities, women are considered. The future of Europe that we imagine is certainly not one of mosques in continuous expansion, lights for Ramadan, schools closed for Islamic holidays, or students who go to pray in mosques. The risk is that of a Europe, which, year after year, subjugates itself to Islam. 

-Giulia Sorrentino