On Thursday and Friday of last week the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe hosted the “Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association, with Emphasis on Freedom of Association” at the Hofburg in Vienna .
As posted last Friday, Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff read an intervention on behalf of Bürgerbewegung Pax Europa at the conference on April 17. The posted text was from the full version of the intervention; time constraints required that a shortened version be read out at the plenary.
Below is a video of Elisabeth’s presentation. Many thanks to Vlad Tepes for uploading this clip:
The prepared text of Elisabeth’s abbreviated intervention is below the jump.
Intervention by Bürgerbewegung Pax Europa
Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting
Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association
Vienna, April 17, 2015
Session II
Non-Discrimination and the Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly
We are grateful to the OSCE for the opportunity to speak out at forums such as this one.
In this context, allow me to note that there are also “downward spiral effects” seen recently in participating States west of Vienna. I very much appreciate your comments, Madam Introducer, however, I would like to remind everyone that there are many groups west of Vienna also taking to the streets with issues that authorities consider threatening.
There is harassment by the authorities, there is harassment by counter-demonstrations by left-wing extremist and, to some extent, Islamist groups. We are witnessing organized terrorism against peaceful assemblies.
Finally, we are witnessing smear campaigns mentioned by the introducer. Indeed, both in Germany and Austria, but even more so, in the United Kingdom, participating States are using the court system to shut down critical voices. There are people such as Tommy Robinson, Michael Mannheimer, Michael Stürzenberger, and myself who have been taken to court by the state, without there being any victims, just to make a point and intimidate.
BPE thus makes the following recommendations:
- That so-called ‘counter-demonstrations’ be prevented from becoming rallying points for initiating street battles, for example by not permitting them to be held near the initial demonstration.
- That police and intelligence organizations make an effective and unbiased effort to identify precisely which groups promote threatening and violent behavior, and which do not.
- That police and other relevant authorities radically improve the efforts to protect peaceful assemblies, including any that promote controversial or unpopular opinions.
- That police authorities take effective measures to ensure that so-called ‘counter-demonstrations’ are not used as rallying points to initiate street battles.
For links to previous articles about the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, see the OSCE Archives.
Those that use violence and harassment to stifle expression, well they have a tried and tested name:
Brownshirts.
Baron, I urge you to adopt this term when describing these actions.
Well, as we know, or should know, freedom is not free. I do not know what the heck is going on, but everytime I see Elizabeth I know there is more trouble in Europe, which is certainly not the land of the free.
In a sense, my heart bleeds, but sooner or later you run out of blood that you can spare.
I am wondering if I have reached that point. I hate to see the world go down but I am beginning to wonder if that is what it will take? I wish I were smarter, I really do.
Please keep up the good work here, Baron and Dymphna.
I guess my bottom line is this: why did “they” let all these barbarians into Europe, UK, and America in the first place? Here in the US, we outnumber the barbarians, but in Europe it sounds like it might be the opposite.
I am going to write to my cousin in England (a very nice liberal) and ask him what HIS take is on the state of his country of birth — he is ethnically half Hungarian, his English father having married his Hungarian refugee wife. It was a happy marriage and produced two children.
I keep wondering what the future holds, even as I know that I am old enough to just ignore it all but I worry about my dear children and grandchldren. My English cousins have no children, so maybe have no worries either.
Why did “they” let all these barbarians in…?
“Eurabia”:
what Michael Mannheimer calls “The Planned Islamization of Europe” (https://txlady706.wordpress.com/tag/daniel-cohn-bendit/).
He cites Daniel Cohn-Bendit,
“We, the Greens (Green Party), must strive to this end that as many foreigners as possible be brought to Germany. If they are in Germany, we must fight for their right to vote. Once we have achieved this, then we have the segment of voters we need to change this republic.”
Mariadee, I understand your feelings about not being able to worry as much about things that may not affect our lives, in my case, because of my age and my remoteness from where things happen. I am also dispirited by a feeling of impotence to do something, anything, about these events.
Still, I suggest you read the following short story, ‘The Time Traveler’ by Dan Simmons:
http://www.dansimmons.com/news/message/2006_04.htm
It was really my first inkling of troubles to come and led me to Gates of Vienna and thence to Diana West, Center for Security Policy, Jihad Watch, and more. Worrisome, but unavoidable.
I remember that story. It reminded me again that stories are often the best way to learn things. Of course it ends unsatisfactorily:
It was not the horrors of his revelations about my grandchildren that had shaken me the most deeply, shaken me to the core of my core, but rather the the Time Traveler’s last three words. Three words that any Replayer or time traveler visiting here from a century or more from now would react to first and most emotionally – three words I will not share here in this piece nor ever plan to share, at least until everyone on Earth knows them – three words that will keep me awake nights for months and years to come.
Three words.
“unsatisfactorily” for the reader, but not necessarily for the writer…that was well-crafted for fiction. As I’m sure you’ll agree, “political” fiction is difficult to do well. But I do believe that after a hiatus when the fears of the Cold War and the coming “nuclear winter” faded so did the science fiction which those fears fueled. I am starting to see a rise in sci-fi once more. Bill Quick wrote a good one, though it is plagued with typos. In the realm of e-books I’ve become used to them. Almost. As the genre wakes up again, those glitches will improve.
Thanks for reminding me of that Dan Simmons piece.
It was Dan Simmons most chilling story. No idea what the words could be, maybe torture virus blackmail or something.
We know all about political suppression of the truth here in the UK. Fifteen – YES FIFTEEN – years before the truth came out about the Rotherham so called grooming scandal where 1400 plus young girls ( 11 to 15 years old ) were raped by muslim gangs, several times a day, taken to different towns for other men, it was highlighted by a woman named Marlene Guest, a member of the British National Party. The information was passed to Nick Griffin, the then Chairman, who gave it to those ” in charge “. He was arrested on Race Hate charges. This is typical. Arrest someone, interview them, fingerprints, DNA, keep them in a cell for a few hours then release them around 3 am. Nick Griffing was eventually found Not Guilty. The facts then came out re Rotherham. The Council knew. The Police knew. The Social Worker knew. The Teachers knew. The newspapers knew. Conspiracy – plus the fact that to have revealed what was going on would have entailed being called “RACIST ” – the dread word. People here are terrified of being called racist. Jobs are lost, promotions blocked, even a Church member of 20 years or more was told he was not welcome at the church because he stood as a prospective Councillor for the BNP. Rotherham was not the only town. It happened – and is still happening – in many towns and cities. ALL down to muslim rape gangs BUT the media ALWAYS refers to them as ASIANS. NEVER muslim. On a personal note, I complained to my local Councillor over the decision to give permission for a disused pub to be turned into a mosque. I was then visited by two officers of Special Branch to ” allay my fears ” re the mosque. Obviously, this was low level intimidation. For those non UK citizens, Special Branch is the arm of our Police that deals with suspected threats from terrorists or subversives ie enemies of the State. What we are seeing here is the Third Muslim attempt to invade Europe, unless drastic action is taken, they WILL succeed.