Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/10/2017

A rocket fired from Gaza exploded at the entrance of a kindergarten in the southern Israeli city of Sderot. Fortunately, it was the Sabbath, so no children were present, and there were no injuries.

In other news, Czech President Milos Zeman referred to the leaders of other EU countries as “cowards” for their responses to Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to Dean, Dora, Insubria, JD, Reader from Chicago, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

USA
» Chicago Woman Who Filmed Brutal Kidnapping and Torture of Disabled Teen Sentenced to Community Service
» How Free Speech Lost in Charlottesville
» James Woods Has Social Media in Tears After Tweeting Hilarious Videos of Two of the Most Ignorant Liberals in America [Videos]
» Liberal Hollywood Darling Sarah Silverman Describes Being “Scared” of the American Flag, Attempts to Connect Patriotism With Being a Nazi
» Lindsey Vonn Gets Hit With Big Dose of Karma After Trash-Talking President Trump on CNN
» MAGA Hats Violate “Safe Space Policy”: College Campus Coffee Shop Kicks Out Students for Being Trump Supporters
» Proposed U.S. Legislation May Criminalize Those Who Conceal Bitcoin
 
Europe and the EU
» ‘Blackmail and Nasty Threats’ Poland’s War With EU Rages as New PM Takes Swipe at Bloc
» Catalonia Braced for Violence as Judge Order Seizure of Disputed Religious Artifacts
» Czech President Brands EU ‘Cowards’ Over Stance on Trump’s Jerusalem Move
» France’s Conservatives Choose Hard-Liner Laurent Wauquiez as New Leader
» Hungarian Reject So-Called “Soros Plan” : Government
» Jewish Cemetery in Poland Dug Up, Bodies Dumped to Make Way for Parking Lot
» Labour Inspectors at Amazon Italy Office
» Number of Salafists in Germany Reaches Record High
» Prince Charles: “Let’s Remember Muhammad on Christmas”
» Sweden Data Breach: 82 Per Cent of People Sent to Prison for Gang Rape Are Foreign Born
» Swedish Government to Ban Websites That List Ethnic Origin of Criminal Suspects
» The French Ambassador Insulted US on Pearl Harbor Day.
» Three Arrested After Firebomb Attack on Swedish Synagogue
» UK: Revealed: 84% of Men Convicted of Grooming Young White Girls Are Asian Muslim & See Them as ‘Easy Targets’ For Sex
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Rocket Fired From Gaza Damages Entrance of Israeli Kindergarten
 
Far East
» China Cutting Tariffs Just Weeks After Trump’s Asia Trip
» Possible North Korea Defectors May be Occupants of Skeleton-Filled Ghost Ship Found on Japan Coast
 
Australia — Pacific
» Christmas Market Terror Alert: Security Agencies Warn Australia is Entering ‘Peak Terror Season’ With Jihadis Likely to Target Crowded Festive Events
» Middle Eastern Crime Family ‘With Links to Muslim Extremists Sold Shotgun to Terrorist Man Haron Monis for $570’ Days Before the Lindt Café Siege
» New Zealand Muslims Campaign for KFC to Serve Halal Food
» One Man Dead and Another Fighting for Life After Being Run Over and Attacked by a Gang of Machete-Wielding Men of African Appearance
» ‘Put an End to Hate Speech’: United Nations Issues Warning to Australia Over ‘Rising Racism Against Aboriginals and Muslims’ — But Multicultural Affairs Minister Blasts the ‘Bizarre Criticism’
» Speakers to Broadcast Alerts in Event of Melbourne City Attack
» Woman, 24, Punched, Robbed and Dragged Across a Road Before Being Sexually Assaulted in a Quiet Sydney Street — as Police Hunt for an ‘Asian’ Attacker
 
Latin America
» Venezuela Opposition Banned From Running in 2018 Election
 
Immigration
» Afghan “Teen” Refugee Who Raped and Killed Female Med Student and Refugee Volunteer is Actually 33 Years Old… and There’s More!
» Anti-Migrant Leader Pushes to Win National Power in Italy
» Australia: Is This How We Stop Sudanese Apex Gangs? Violent Teenage Migrants Could be Booted From the Country on Their 16th Birthday — as Politicians Debate New Migration Law Proposals
» EU Suing Countries That Refuse Migrants
» European Union — Czech PM Andrej Babis Warns Brussels Over Migrant Policies
» Paris Neighborhood Protests Migrants
» Plane Carrying Deportees to Somalia Returns to the United States
» President Trump Takes Off the Gloves… Blasts Democrats for Using Amnesty for Illegals as Bargaining Chip for Funding Government
» Resettle the Rohingya Refugees Where They Can Have a Real Future
» Syria, Security, Migration, And Eurabia: An Interview
» The Growing Muslim Population in Europe
 
Culture Wars
» Amnesty International Refuses to Return Illegal Soros Donation to Fund Pro-Abortion Activism in Ireland
» UK: Christian Maths Teacher Sues School for Religious Discrimination After Being Suspended for Calling a Transgender Pupil a Girl Rather Than a Boy
 

Chicago Woman Who Filmed Brutal Kidnapping and Torture of Disabled Teen Sentenced to Community Service

A 19 year old Chicago woman who live-streamed the racially charged kidnapping, torture and mutilation of a mentaly disabled teen was given 200 hours of community service and four years of probation on Friday.

Brittany Herring Covington — who went by “Herring” on Social Media before her arreest, and “Covington” in recent reports, avoided a possible 33 years in prison on multiple counts, including a hate crime, aggravated battery and aggravated kidnapping — a charge which was dropped along with several others as part of a plea agreement.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

How Free Speech Lost in Charlottesville

America’s news reporters couldn’t get enough of last summer’s Charlottesville mayhem when the story tangentially involved Donald Trump. But when a special report commissioned by the city this week finally gives us something approaching a detailed story of what happened that awful day, the media couldn’t care less.

Read the report yourself. As with any governmental snafu, plenty of shortcomings are detailed in the city’s planning and actions, not to mention a dubious effort by the police chief after the fact to control the fact-finding. A bigger picture, though, suggests the city should have canceled the white nationalist groups’ permit on grounds that the city couldn’t assure their safety given the expected influx of counterprotesters.

Yes, this would have been to invite a First Amendment lawsuit. It would have meant, as the city’s lawyers argued, issuing a “heckler’s veto” to left-wing activists, who sadly were the primary threat of violence.

The white nationalists may be crazy but not the kind of crazy as to welcome being manhandled by a mob 40 times their size. And force majeure is a pretty good legal argument.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

James Woods Has Social Media in Tears After Tweeting Hilarious Videos of Two of the Most Ignorant Liberals in America [Videos]

Conservative Hollywood actor, James Woods, is known for his brilliant wit and his great sense of humor on Twitter, but today he really outdid himself when he posted two hilarious videos on Twitter, proving, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that liberalism really is truly a mental disorder.

His first video was a retweet of Democrat Rep. Hank Johnson, who, in 2010 actually questioned Admiral Robert Willard, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, about a proposal to move 8,000 Marines from the Japanese island of Okinawa to the U.S. Pacific island territory of Guam. Johnson expressed his concern over moving too many US troops to the very small island of Guam because too many people on the island may cause it to “tip over and capsize”.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Liberal Hollywood Darling Sarah Silverman Describes Being “Scared” of the American Flag, Attempts to Connect Patriotism With Being a Nazi

Liberal comedian Sarah Silverman recently decided to address the topic of “nationalism” during a segment on her Hulu talk show during which she described being scared after an old boyfriend hoisted an American flag onto his property.

Silverman described her “visceral reaction” to literally being proud of ones country in a monologue that eventually devolved into the noted anti-Trump comedian pathetically attempting to connect patriotism with being a Nazi.

You truly can’t make this stuff up folks.

[Comment: Horrible and un-funny woman. This deception is part of the globalist propaganda of equating pride in ones country to be equivalent to being a nazi. This is a worldwide co-ordinated propaganda campaign designed to obliterate the populations pride in their own country. Part of the globalist campaign to disintegrate nations states prior to a new tyrannical world order.]

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Lindsey Vonn Gets Hit With Big Dose of Karma After Trash-Talking President Trump on CNN

Is it really appropriate for an Olympic athlete representing the United States of America to make her performance in the Olympics about her hate for Donald Trump?

Was it really necessary for Vonn to spew her hate on a network that is not only being called into question for their inaccurate (fake news) reporting on a regular basis but is also known for their extremely unfair coverage of our President?

Well, after her miserable showing in Switzerland yesterday, it looks like Lindsey needs to focus a little more on her skiing technique, and a little less on her anti— Trump rhetoric.

According to the AP — Lindsey Vonn finished a World Cup super-G in extreme pain Saturday and was treated by race doctors for a back injury.

The American star crossed the finish line in obvious distress, in 24th place and 1.56 seconds behind the winner, and slumped to the snow.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

MAGA Hats Violate “Safe Space Policy”: College Campus Coffee Shop Kicks Out Students for Being Trump Supporters

Students at Fordham University were forced to leave a college campus coffee shop after they were harassed by its president who demanded that they leave the store because they were members of the College Republicans who were wearing Make American Great Again hats.

The students were told that their MAGA hats violated the shops “safe space policy” and therefore they had five minutes to leave the store despite the fact that they had purchased coffee and as students of the university would seemingly have every right to be there.

Video footage of the incident, obtained by Campus Reform, shows the “self-identified” president of the Coffee House harassing the students before laughably claiming that she is the one protecting her customers.

“I am protecting my customers,” the clearly agitated liberal yells at the students.

Campus Reform reported:

“We are your customers, we bought something,” a CR member replied.

“I don’t want people like you supporting this club… no one here wants people like you supporting our club,” the president retorted. “I am giving you five minutes.”

A student then asked for a refund, to which the president responded, “[y]ou had some coffee… do not try to outsmart me.”

“You are threatening the integrity of our club. This is a community standard — you are wearing hats that completely violate safe space policy,” she said. “You have to take it off or you have to go.”

One of the students then asked the president to explain what she thinks the MAGA hat stands for, to which she replied, shouting: “Fascism, Nazis! You have three minutes.”

The students took a photo of the coffee shops safe space policy which predictably targets anyone who doesn’t follow the hard-left orthodoxy.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Proposed U.S. Legislation May Criminalize Those Who Conceal Bitcoin

Last week on November 28 a revision was made to the U.S. bill S.1241 called “Modernizing AML Laws to Combat Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing.” During the U.S. Senate committee hearing, the bill’s words and the representatives bolstering the proposed law amended a critical definition of what a ‘financial institution’ is within the suggested statutes.

News.bitcoin.com has reported on bill S.1241 multiple times since the proposed law was introduced by U.S. bureaucrats back in June. According to The Satoshi Revolution author, Wendy McElroy, the bill is a “pit bull assault on bitcoin freedom.” Now, this week without causing much attention, the U.S. Committee of the Judiciary members gathered to discuss digital currency implications towards AML/KYC regulatory guidelines. However, during the meeting, it is clear from the recorded video that the words “financial institution” will be amended to cover a much broader definition.

Instead of utilizing the definition of a ‘financial institution’ which includes business models like banks and credit unions, S.1241’s amendment in Section 5312(a) of title 31, United States Code states that the definition now includes, “an issuer, redeemer, or cashier of prepaid access devices, digital currency, or any digital exchanger or tumbler of digital currency.”

[Comment: Next step when cash is outlawed is to imprison those who use or hide cash.]

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

‘Blackmail and Nasty Threats’ Poland’s War With EU Rages as New PM Takes Swipe at Bloc

Mateusz Morawiecki, 49, a Western-educated finance minister, accused the leaders of the European Union of making “nasty threats” but said Poland would stand tall against the bloc’s “blackmail”.

Speaking in reference to the possible loss of the EU cohesion funds — which could be withdrawn as a punishment for Warsaw’s alleged abuse of the rule of law — he said: “These are nasty threats. Poland is a proud and great nation and we will not allow this sort of a blackmail.”

Poland and the European Commission have been embroiled in a long-running spat over changes made by the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) to the media and the judiciary.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Catalonia Braced for Violence as Judge Order Seizure of Disputed Religious Artifacts

For more than two decades, the Medieval treasures of Spain’s Sijena convent have been at the centre of an ownership battle between the autonomous communities of Catalonia and Aragon.

Now, the 44 artifacts kept in Catalonia’s Museum of Lleida have become a flashpoint in the independence crisis, as Aragon takes advantage of direct rule to retrieve the pieces it says were illegally sold off by Sijena’s nuns.

On Monday the town of Lleida is braced for a standoff between police ordered in to remove the artifacts and pro-independence Catalans who have vowed to come to their defence.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Czech President Brands EU ‘Cowards’ Over Stance on Trump’s Jerusalem Move

Czech President Milos Zeman, known for his controversial statements, has called EU countries “cowards” over their response to Donald Trump’s recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. He is the only world leader to endorse move, other than Netanyahu.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

France’s Conservatives Choose Hard-Liner Laurent Wauquiez as New Leader

France’s main opposition party has chosen conservative hard-liner Laurent Wauquiez as its new leader. The move is expected to push the party further to the right after poor showings in recent elections.

[Comment: Perhaps a political dynamic will happen in France as what happened in Austria, where one of the major, mainstream parties co-ops the ideas of a populist/nationalist party.]

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Hungarian Reject So-Called “Soros Plan” : Government

BUDAPEST, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) — The overwhelming majority of Hungarians rejected the so-called “Soros plan”, according to the partial results of a national consultation, Minister of State for Government Communication Bence Tuzson told here on Sunday.

“This consultation has been the most successful of all time, more than 2.3 million people responded, and until Dec. 7, we looked at 1.5 million letters returned: almost all Hungarians said no to the reception in Europe of one million refugees per year, as part of the Soros plan,” Tuzson told before journalists.

“The Hungarians have also said no to the mandatory relocation quotas and the dismantling of the fence that defends our borders,” Tuzson added.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Jewish Cemetery in Poland Dug Up, Bodies Dumped to Make Way for Parking Lot

Human remains from an old Jewish burial ground in eastern Poland have been dug up and dumped in an empty lot to make way for the construction of an electrical substation and a parking lot, authorities said Thursday.

Polish Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich described the excavation as the worst desecration of a Jewish cemetery he has seen during the 17 years he has been a rabbi in the country.

Jewish religious law holds that bodies only should be disturbed once they are buried under limited circumstances, such as saving lives.

A day after visiting the construction site in Siemiatycze, a small town that was about 60 percent Jewish before World War II, Schudrich showed The Associated Press photos of large mounds of earth with human bones, including a large part of a human skull.

[…]

(pictures at URL)

           — Hat tip: Dora [Return to headlines]
 

Labour Inspectors at Amazon Italy Office

Quiz staff on working conditions

(ANSA) — Rome, December 7 — Labour ministry inspectors visited the Italy office of Amazon at Castel San Giovanni near Piacenza Thursday to see if it was respecting “norms for safeguarding work relations and social legislation vis-a-vis the staff employed”, the ministry said. The initiative was part of planned inspections and had a “priority attention on the sector of logistics and movement of merchandise”. The inspectors are quizzing workers about their work conditions. Over 500 workers at the office, Amazon’s main hub in Italy, struck on Black Friday recently, one of the year’s busiest shopping days, after the company refused to meet demands on bonuses and work conditions. The workers also want pay raises to compensate for mandatory night shifts, overtime, or working six days in a row to keep up with logistical demands. Additionally, starting from Black Friday, the striking workers have refuses overtime during the holiday season — typically the busiest season for the company — until December 31st.

The Piacenza hub has 1,600 permanent employees, and it was the first one built in Italy after Amazon launched a local site there in 2010.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Number of Salafists in Germany Reaches Record High

The fundamentalist Salafist ideology continues to draw adherents in Germany, the country’s intelligence chief says. The movement is seen by authorities as a potential breeding ground for Islamic terrorism.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Prince Charles: “Let’s Remember Muhammad on Christmas”

Is Prince Charles willfully blind? Or evil?

While speaking on the British radio show “Thought for the Day,” the future King of Britain, Prince Charles, said that Christians should be more mindful of Islam and Muhammad during the holidays.

Christians are quite mindful of Muhammad and Islam during the Christmas season. Tis the season of jihad, rivaled only by Ramadan in the spike in Islamic terror attacks. Yes, Prince Charles, Christians remember Muhammad while their churches are burned, their children kidnapped and forcibly converted and their villages burned — all in the cause of Allah.

We remember Muhammad at the Christmas markets that were attacked, the Christmas parties in San Bernardino, the canceled Christmas festivals, and in Berlin, who could forget? We remember Muhammad when we see the concrete barriers, the hole in the NYC skyline, the endless travel lines, the security protocols just to get into a NYC building — oh, yes, we remember Muhammad.

What an intellectual ape this Prince has turned out to be. Let’s pray the Queen had some good sense left and skips a generation when crowing the next King.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Sweden Data Breach: 82 Per Cent of People Sent to Prison for Gang Rape Are Foreign Born

Swedish newspaper Friatider says a large amount of data from the Criminal Data System was secretly provided to a far-right nationalist group called “Nordfront”. Together with sex crime website “Gang Rape Sweden” they decided to publish the leaked judicial database on Friday.

The leaked data discloses: Decision date, name, social security number, court, destination number, date of judgment, period of imprisonment, region and place of investigation for the prosecution of suspects.

Files of 168,000 sentences that were given between 10 May 2004 and 8 January 2015 were published. Of the 83,656 individuals involved, 37,735 (or 45 per cent) were foreign born, Nordfront writes. Of the people sentenced to 9 and 10 years in prison, 70 per cent and 68.8 per cent were foreign born.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Swedish Government to Ban Websites That List Ethnic Origin of Criminal Suspects

Sweden has proposed banning the public use of legal document search engine Lexbase, which is used to identify the ethnic origins of Swedish criminal suspects.

According to the Swedish government, the data released by the website is too sensitive for the public and should be limited only to professionals like lawyers, journalists, and researchers. Previously, the website was protected under the Swedish Freedom of Expression Act, but the new legislation could limit what data they are allowed to release, Dagens Industri reports.

In a statement posted to their website, Lexbase wrote: “The right to read these public documents easily via Lexbase will, if the proposal is adopted, be reserved to professionals, such as lawyers, journalists, and various companies.”

While Justice Minister Morgan Johansson said that journalistic activity would not be affected, he left the definition of what constitutes “journalistic activity” open to question.

For many years, the Swedish government has stopped the collection of statistics relating to the ethnic or religious background of criminals, making it difficult for researchers to track the correct rate of migrant crime, as opposed to crimes committed by native Swedes.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

The French Ambassador Insulted US on Pearl Harbor Day.

When it comes to who did the most to stop the Nazis in World War II, it would generally be best for France to remain quiet.

Yet, in the tradition of infamous French Ambassador to the United States Citizen Genet—who had to be recalled under George Washington’s administration for meddling in American politics and generally instigating the American people—France’s modern ambassador decided to stir up a hornets nest on Pearl Harbor Day.

Ambassador Gerard Araud said in a tweet that was quickly deleted, “In this Pearl Harbor day, we should remember that the US refused to side with France and UK to confront fascist powers in 1930s.”

The comment sparked immediate and understandable backlash.

[…]

While Americans sometimes have a little too low an opinion of France’s historic military capabilities, France’s collapse early in World War II led to the Nazi domination of Europe and the deadliest war in human history.

The French, who had fought so bravely in World War I, put on a miserable showing in World War II, and so cemented a stereotype of haplessness that has pervaded the American mind ever since.

And it didn’t have to happen. Militarily, the French were not nearly as inferior to the German military as is sometimes thought. In some ways, French technology was superior to the vaunted German Wehrmacht.

The French ambassador’s statement on Pearl Harbor Day was galling, inane, pig headed, and wrong. Yet, it is worth reflecting on the stage that Pearl Harbor set for a war we would never want to repeat.

[…]

           — Hat tip: Dora [Return to headlines]
 

Three Arrested After Firebomb Attack on Swedish Synagogue

GOTHENBURG, Sweden — The Swedish police arrested three people on Sunday after a masked gang hurled Molotov cocktails at a synagogue in the port city of Gothenburg as it hosted an event on Saturday night.

The attack set the yard ablaze, but the building did not catch fire and no one was injured. The authorities said the people gathered on the premises had fled to safety in the basement.

A police spokeswoman, Ulla Brehm, said: “It might become a hate crime. The crime is attempted arson. But that may change during the investigation.”

The Police Authority’s commissioner, Dan Eliasson, told the Aftonbladet newspaper that the threat level against Jewish interests in Sweden had increased since President Trump’s announcement that the United States would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The attack in Gothenburg, a city on the country’s west coast, came a day after demonstrators took to the streets of Malmo, Sweden’s third-largest city, shouting slogans about killing or shooting Jews.

Allan Stutzinsky, chairman of the synagogue, who witnessed the fire, told a local newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, that about 10 young people who had gathered outside the gate began setting fire to objects and throwing them at the synagogue.

“They were masked and setting fire to things and then throwing them over the gate into the courtyard,” he said. “There was an actual fire in the yard, but then a heavy rainfall came, and the fire was put out quite quickly.”

Ms. Brehm, a spokeswoman for the police in Region West, said Gothenburg officers received a call about the episode after 10 p.m. Saturday. She said the suspects were dressed in black and wearing hoodies.

“They ran away, and shortly thereafter we got hold of three of them,” she said.

The police arrested three men in their 20s on suspicion of arson, Ms. Brehm said, adding that they were looking for other suspects. The police did not release further details about the suspects.

[Comment: I would like to see someone leak information about the suspects. ]

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Revealed: 84% of Men Convicted of Grooming Young White Girls Are Asian Muslim & See Them as ‘Easy Targets’ For Sex

The vast majority of men convicted of grooming young white girls — 84 per cent — are of Asian origin, according to a report to be published this week.

The study by the renowned counter-extremism think-tank Quilliam says that of these, seven in ten are believed to be of Pakistani-Muslim heritage.

Asian gangs have deliberately abused white girls because they hold entrenched racist attitudes towards them as being ‘easy targets’ for sex, according to the report, which is based on the testimonies of convicted Asian men during court hearings.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Rocket Fired From Gaza Damages Entrance of Israeli Kindergarten

JERUSALEM (JTA) — One of a series of rockets fired at southern Israel from Gaza damaged the entrance of a kindergarten in the town of Sderot.

The rockets were fired Friday evening when school was not in session. In addition to the rocket that landed near the kindergarten, one landed on a residential street in Sderot, damaging a car and a home. A third was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system.

Several Sderot residents sought medical help for anxiety. Police visited the scene of the attack Saturday night.

In response, Israel late Friday night launched air strikes on Hamas military installations in Gaza, killing two Hamas operatives.

On Sunday, an Israeli girl, 9, was injured by a rock thrown by Palestinians at the car in which she was riding in the Etzion settlement bloc of the West Bank.

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

China Cutting Tariffs Just Weeks After Trump’s Asia Trip

Following President Donald Trump’s recent trip to Asia, China has released a long list of dramatic tariff cuts on a range of imported consumer goods. In fact, over 200 different products will see an average reduction of approximately 10 percent.

U.S. cheese exporters have been particularly vocal about the importance of China lowering tariffs. Demand for dairy products has been growing rapidly in China—by 100,000 metric units over the past decade—and the U.S. dairy industry could benefit from greater access to the Chinese market.

Tom Vilsack, president and chief executive of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, also highlighted the diplomatic benefits of the cuts, noting that the process will “cultivate trust and build critical relationships between the U.S. dairy industry and Chinese official institutions.”

Beyond the U.S. dairy industry, many multinational corporations with household names in America will see major financial gains.

[…]

           — Hat tip: Dora [Return to headlines]
 

Possible North Korea Defectors May be Occupants of Skeleton-Filled Ghost Ship Found on Japan Coast

A skeleton-filled ghost ship carrying the remains of eight ill-fated seafarers washed ashore on Japan’s North Korean-facing coast, the Japanese Coast Guard said Monday — days after the body of a suspected North Korean man and parts of another wrecked wooden craft were discovered on a Japanese island.

The grisly find could be evidence of desperate defectors trying a new route to freedom after despot Kim Jong Un has clamped down on those fleeing the Hermit Kingdom this year.

A Japanese resident spotted the 22-foot wooden boat Friday floating in Miyazawa Beach in Oga, Akita Prefecture, along the Sea of Japan, Japan Times reported. Officials searched the vessel Sunday and Monday and found several of the remains were “skeletonized,” indicating a long period had elapsed before it washed ashore. The remains were so severely decomposed it was hard to decipher if they were men or women. The 68-year-old woman who initially spotted the boat told Kyodo News she saw rescue workers carrying skeletal remains using stretchers…

And on Thursday night, a boat with eight North Korean men were located at the seaside town of Yurihonjo. The fishermen, who were standing outside of the boat when police found them, appeared to have stopped at the shore because they were having boat issues. Police said they were most likely not defectors and were “hoping to return home soon” after about a month out at sea. The boat, carrying squid, also had a sign saying “Chongjin,” possibly related to a major port city on North Korea’s eastern coast, Kyodo News reported.

Three other North Korean men were rescued on a capsized boat in the Sea of Japan two weeks ago. They were sent back to the Hermit Kingdom on a North Korean vessel.

Waters between Japan and the Korean Peninsula are known to be rich fishing grounds, where poachers from North Korea and China have been spotted. About 650 miles sit between the coast of North Korea and Japan across the Sea of Japan. Wreckage from North Korean boats regularly washes ashore in northern Japan during winter due to seasonal winds…

           — Hat tip: Dora [Return to headlines]
 

Christmas Market Terror Alert: Security Agencies Warn Australia is Entering ‘Peak Terror Season’ With Jihadis Likely to Target Crowded Festive Events

Counter-terrorism units are preparing to foil possible attacks targeting Christmas events in Sydney and Melbourne.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Middle Eastern Crime Family ‘With Links to Muslim Extremists Sold Shotgun to Terrorist Man Haron Monis for $570’ Days Before the Lindt Café Siege

A notorious Middle Eastern crime family based in Sydney have been linked to the gun which killed two Australians in the 2014 Lindt Café siege, police allege.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

New Zealand Muslims Campaign for KFC to Serve Halal Food

Will you still eat KFC if it is halal?

Muslims across the country are campaigning for KFC to introduce a menu that complies with Islamic dietary laws.

Syeda Fouzia — who is spearheading the movement — said the fast food restaurant will make unprecedented profits by tapping into the local halal market.

Hundreds of Kiwi supporters have shared the page, left comments and even made YouTube videos to support the idea.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

One Man Dead and Another Fighting for Life After Being Run Over and Attacked by a Gang of Machete-Wielding Men of African Appearance

A 40-year-old man has died following a machete attack in Melbourne on Saturday night. Another man, aged 44, is in hospital with serious injuries from the attack in Braybrook.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

‘Put an End to Hate Speech’: United Nations Issues Warning to Australia Over ‘Rising Racism Against Aboriginals and Muslims’ — But Multicultural Affairs Minister Blasts the ‘Bizarre Criticism’

A directive from the United Nations warning Australia to stop ‘rising racism against Aboriginals and Muslims’ has been slammed by the Turnbull government’s Multicultural Affairs Minister.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Speakers to Broadcast Alerts in Event of Melbourne City Attack

POLICE warnings to move, leave or stay would be broadcast at more than 90 city sites in the event of a terrorist or Bourke St-style attack.

Already, 65 sets of loudspeakers are in place at sites including Federation Square, Flinders St station and the Bourke St Mall.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Woman, 24, Punched, Robbed and Dragged Across a Road Before Being Sexually Assaulted in a Quiet Sydney Street — as Police Hunt for an ‘Asian’ Attacker

A 24-year-old woman has been punched, robbed and sexually assaulted while walking on Selborne Street in Sydney on Saturday night, with police seeking her alleged attacker.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Venezuela Opposition Banned From Running in 2018 Election

Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, says the country’s main opposition parties are banned from taking part in next year’s presidential election.

He said only parties which took part in Sunday’s mayoral polls would be able to contest the presidency.

Leaders from the Justice First, Popular Will and Democratic Action parties boycotted the vote and said the electoral system is biased.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Afghan “Teen” Refugee Who Raped and Killed Female Med Student and Refugee Volunteer is Actually 33 Years Old… and There’s More!

Afghan asylum seeker accused of raping and murdering EU official’s teenage daughter ‘attacked her to satisfy his sexual urges before leaving her unconscious in a river to drown’

Hussein Khavari, 22, who claims to be from Afghanistan has been accused of ambushing Maria Ladenburger, 19, as she cycled home after a party, raping her and then drowning her in Freiburg, Germany last October.

He was linked through his DNA to medical student Maria, who volunteered at various shelters that house migrants in her spare time in Freiburg.

Hussein claimed to be Afghani but the court heard that there is evidence he is Iraqi. And his claim to be 17 at the time of the offense was disputed by a specialist saying he was at least 22.

According to Bild newspaper, during a morning session of hearings in which press and public were excluded, he claimed to be 19.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Anti-Migrant Leader Pushes to Win National Power in Italy

ROME — The leader of an Italian party that hopes to capitalize on growing resentment of migrants and asylum-seekers told supporters in Rome Sunday it would be “splendid” if he wins national elections and his government can issue one-way tickets home to undeserving refugees.

Matteo Salvini wants to propel his anti-migrant Northern League, which was founded in 1991 as a regional party in Italy’s affluent north, to its first premiership in the national election set for early 2018.

To do so, Salvini needs to build support in the south, an underdeveloped area of Italy the League has long denigrated as living off government aid.

Many of the thousands of people who turned out for his Rome rally did come from southern Italy. One of them was Adriana Domeniconi, who traveled by bus from Matera in the “instep” of the boot-shaped Italian peninsula.

“We’re no longer about north vs. south, but against those invading our country,” she said.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Australia: Is This How We Stop Sudanese Apex Gangs? Violent Teenage Migrants Could be Booted From the Country on Their 16th Birthday — as Politicians Debate New Migration Law Proposals

Violent migrant youths could be kicked out of Australia on their 16th birthday under a hardline proposal to stop African Apex gangs running riot in Melbourne and terrorising the suburbs.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

EU Suing Countries That Refuse Migrants

[…]

The European Commission is suing Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary for failing to fulfill their obligations in the context of the European refugee relocation programme.

The Visegrad four had all objected, with Slovakia joining Hungary in suing the European Commission for interfering with their sovereignty. Slovakia stepped down from its confrontation with Brussels, but Prague, Warsaw, and Budapest continue to express objections to the programme. Turning the tables, the European Commission is now taking the three countries to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

The refugee relocation plan was adopted in 2015 and envisaged the relocation of 160,000 refugees from Greece and Italy to the rest of the EU. The resettlement scheme took into account unemployment, GDP, and population. The quota for the Visegrad countries was 8,000 refugees.

The Law and Justice (PiS) government insists Poland will not accept migrants from Africa and the Middle East citing security concerns.

I wonder if these countries are thinking about getting out of the EU as the UK is now (slowly) doing. Each could trade directly with the UK and the US. But, they would need to build up their armies, shore up their borders as the Muslim population grows in Germany, France, Belgium, etc. in the coming decades.

See my complete ‘Invasion of Europe’ archive [at URL]

           — Hat tip: Dora [Return to headlines]
 

European Union — Czech PM Andrej Babis Warns Brussels Over Migrant Policies

THE new Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has warned the European Union its actions of forcing countries to take in migrants will fuel the rise of populism as it allows the influence of extremist parties to grow.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Paris Neighborhood Protests Migrants

Residents in a Paris neighborhood have threatened to launch a hunger strike if authorities don’t remove migrants sleeping on the streets.

Locals accuse the migrants of trashing the sidewalks and harassing women. A neighborhood association has given authorities until Jan. 1 to tackle the problem before members go on a hunger strike.

“The pavement is sometimes soaked in urine and the streets aren’t cleaned every day,” Pierre Vuarin, a spokesman for the neighborhood association, told The Telegraph Sunday. “Some people have sold their flats at knockdown prices and others have suffered mental breakdowns.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Plane Carrying Deportees to Somalia Returns to the United States

A plane with deportees to Somalia, including at least four from Minnesota, returned to the United States on Friday after a stop in Senegal that authorities said did not go according to plan.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement that a flight with 92 deportees headed back after a refueling and pilot exchange stop in Dakar. As the plane landed in Dakar, ICE was notified that relief crew members were not able to get enough rest because of issues with their hotel, and the plane remained parked at the airport to allow the relief crew time to rest.

“Various logistical options were explored, and ultimately ICE decided to reschedule the mission to Somalia and return to the United States with all 92 detainees,” said the statement from the agency.

Local attorneys for several of the deportees on the flight said they were baffled by the turn of events — but hopeful the flight’s return might offer some of their clients a long-shot opening to block their deportations.

The number of Somalia natives the United States deports to their homeland has increased markedly in recent years, and the Trump administration this year removed that country from a list of nations deemed uncooperative on deportations.

The U.S. government has argued that conditions in the East African country have improved sufficiently to return people there. Advocates have pointed to a string of deadly terror attacks in Somalia as they insist the country remains unsafe.

[…]

           — Hat tip: Dora [Return to headlines]
 

President Trump Takes Off the Gloves… Blasts Democrats for Using Amnesty for Illegals as Bargaining Chip for Funding Government

When candidate-Trump promised he would put America first, he wasn’t kidding. President Trump posted a powerful video on Twitter tonight, blasting Democrats for putting their desire to give illegal aliens amnesty before the safety and security of American citizens, as they demand amnesty as a condition for funding the government.

Here is the transcript of President Trump’s powerful speech that he posted on Twitter only minutes ago:

“‘Help me, Dad!’ Those were the last words spoken by Kate Steinle, as she lay dying on a San Francisco Pier. A precious young American woman, killed in the prime of her life. Kate’s death is a tragedy that was entirely preventable. She was shot by an illegal alien, and a 7-time convicted felon, who had been deported 5 times, but he was free to harm an innocent American, because our leaders refuse to protect our border, and because San Francisco is a sanctuary city.

In sanctuary states and cities, innocent Americans are at the mercy of criminal aliens because state and local officials defy federal authority and obstruct the enforcement of our immigration laws. Last week, in a final injustice, Kate’s killer was acquitted of all of most serious charges, yet one more reason why Americans are so upset by sanctuary cities and open-border politicians who shield criminal aliens from federal law enforcement and all of the problems involved with the whole concept of a sanctuary city. They’re no good!

We mourn for all of the American families of all backgrounds, who will have any empty seat at Christmas this year because our immigration laws were not enforced. No American should be separated from their loved ones because of preventable crime committed by those illegally in our country. Our cities should be sanctuaries for Americans, not for criminal illegals. Unfortunately, Democrats in Congress not only oppose our efforts to stop illegal immigration, and crack down on sanctuary cities, now they are demanding amnesty as a condition for funding the government, holding troop funding hostage, and putting our national security at risk. We cannot allow it.

Every Senator and Congressman will have to make a choice, do they want to protect American citizens, or do they want to protect criminal aliens? Reasonable people can disagree on many things, but there can be no disagreement that the first duty of government is to serve, protect and defend American citizens. People can have different views on the technical details of budget policy or transportation, but no one who serves in office should disagree that our highest priority must be the safety and well-being of our nation’s citizens. Thank you.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Resettle the Rohingya Refugees Where They Can Have a Real Future

By Jeff Goodson, Opinion Contributor

International humanitarian and rights groups and the Muslim diaspora have been in high dither over Burma’s crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. The counterinsurgency operation, which was precipitated by Rohingya insurgent attacks in August, has so far sent 626,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh.

International players in the drama are acting perfectly in character. The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which conducted the attacks, called itself a garden-variety ethnic insurgent group out to protect the Rohingya people against state repression. Burma declared ARSA a terrorist group, and initiated what it calls a legitimate counterinsurgency campaign against extremist Bengali terrorists. Rakhine Buddhist nationalists actively supported the army, and took their own vigilante action.

Al-Jazeera, Qatar’s official mouthpiece for spreading Salafist propaganda, called for foreign governments and international institutions to force the hand of the Suu Kyi government and hold it accountable. The oratory of the Muslim diaspora, meanwhile, quickly reached fever pitch. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights — Jordanian Prince Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, controversial for his positions on freedom of expression, free markets, populists and President Trump’s treatment of the American press — described the crackdown as “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.” If the term was calibrated to go viral, it succeeded.

The Organization of Islamic States declared the crackdown ethnic cleansing. Turkey and Malaysia called it genocide, Amnesty International called it apartheid, and Iran compared it to the Hutu genocide that killed 800,000 in Rwanda in 1994.

Not to be outdone, the U.N. Human Rights Council overwhelmingly approved a resolution saying that crimes against humanity have “very likely” occurred. Human rights chief Zeid objected, arguing it didn’t go far enough.

If the international community really wants to do something constructive about the crisis, it will stop debating semantics and focus on permanently resettling the Rohingya refugees. The alternative — their “safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return” to Burma, based on the recommendations of Kofi Annan’s Rakhine Advisory Commission — is a fantasy. The commission, established in 2016 by the Burmese government after earlier Rohingya insurgent attacks, is an object lesson in crisis management malpractice.

For security and other reasons, Bangladesh doesn’t want the Rohingya refugees there permanently. But few think they will return anytime soon because of security problems, persecution, discrimination, lack of citizenship, absence of official papers and the verification process. Because of this, Amnesty International and others want Bangladesh to adopt a policy of non-refoulement, “the cornerstone of international refugee protection.” That would stop their return to Burma if life or freedom would be threatened there — which they surely would be. Human Rights Watch supports resettlement for Rohingya who are unable or unwilling to return to Burma, but the U.N. is reportedly avoiding long-term planning for the refugees because it wants to negotiate their return.

What is needed is for the U.N. and other bilateral, regional and non-state actors to start planning for permanent resettlement of the refugees in Muslim countries that already host large Rohingya populations. These are Bangladesh, now with about a million Rohingya, Pakistan with 350,000, Saudi Arabia with 200,000, Malaysia with 50,000, the UAE with 10,000 and Indonesia with 1,000. Since Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were so helpfulin creating, training and arming ARSA, they will no doubt be especially welcoming to their Rohingya brothers and sisters.

The Rohingya refugee problem isn’t going away until the Rohingya insurgency is over. It started just three short months after Burma’s independence in January 1948, and it has churned more or less continuously in Rakhine state for the last 70 years.

[…]

           — Hat tip: Dora [Return to headlines]
 

Syria, Security, Migration, And Eurabia: An Interview

What are the long-term risks of the unprecedented migration now underway to Europe?

The replacement of European civilization with Islamic civilization.

Do you believe in the “Eurabia” theory, as do right-wing politicians in Italy?

When Bat Ye’or first proposed this theory in 2002, I was skeptical, not believing in a purposeful conspiracy to replace Western civilization with Islam. Fifteen years later, and especially after witnessing the astonishing actions of Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, I find it convincing. I can see no other way to explain the spectacular unwillingness to recognize the damage caused by unfettered immigration and blind multiculturalism.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

The Growing Muslim Population in Europe

Are we looking at the end of Europe as we know it?

The Pew Research Centre’s recent report entitled “Europe’s Growing Muslim Population” was released a couple of weeks ago. It paints the demographic picture for the next three decades in Europe based upon current trends. This picture is broadly one of a non-Muslim European population that is slowly declining and a Muslim population that is growing. How fast that Muslim population will grow depends upon the immigration policy that Europe adopts.

Currently (2016) there are about 26 million Muslims in Europe, or about 4.9% of the continent’s population. This has grown from 19.5 million (3.8%) in 2010. However, the current Muslim population is not spread evenly: they make up 6.3% of the UK’s population, 6.1% of Germany’s population, 6.9% in Austria’s population, 8.1% in Sweden and 8.8% in France. But in the East and in Iberia, the figures are much lower. There are negligible numbers of Muslims in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, the Baltic States, Finland, and Portugal. This divergence between the west and the east of Europe crops up again and again in this Report. (The Report notes that these figures are not accurate for all countries: it uses the best available census and survey data in each country as well as estimates where Muslim identity is not measured directly, like in France.)

The Report sets out three scenarios for Europe in 2050.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Amnesty International Refuses to Return Illegal Soros Donation to Fund Pro-Abortion Activism in Ireland

Amnesty International is defying the Irish Republic’s law by refusing to return a large donation from George Soros intended to be used in a campaign to overturn the Catholic country’s pro-life law.

The Republic of Ireland’s ethics watchdog, which enforces the country’s legislation, instructed the progressive organisation to return the €137,000 (£120,000/$161,000) to the Soros-run Open Society Foundations because the donation breaches the country’s laws prohibiting foreign donors contributing to political campaigns.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Christian Maths Teacher Sues School for Religious Discrimination After Being Suspended for Calling a Transgender Pupil a Girl Rather Than a Boy

A maths teacher suspended for calling a transgender pupil a girl rather than a boy is suing his school for religious discrimination.

The Mail on Sunday revealed last month that Joshua Sutcliffe, 27, was facing a disciplinary hearing for accidentally ‘misgendering’ the student during a lesson.

The plight of the 27-year-old — who is also a pastor of an evangelical church — provoked widespread outrage.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

6 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/10/2017

  1. One reason more to be proud of our president, he never turned his back to Israel, an ally, so far!

  2. What a Left wing nut club Amnesty International has shown itself to be, in league with George Soros and his illegal campaign contributions.

  3. I’m a little puzzled by the news item on China lowering tariffs on some things. It mentions that the demand for dairy products in China is growing by such-and-such amounts. But I thought that lactose intolerance was a common trait in east Asia – this doesn’t seem to go together with cheese and dairy demand increasing, unless genetics are somehow changing, which I suppose is not impossible.

  4. Philip: Here in the Netherlands the Chinese interest for dairy involved mainly baby milk formula and babies are not lactose intolerant, after some time they just lose the capability to digest it, apart from white people that can keep on drinking milk during their life (not necessarily only whites, other people keep the lactose digesting capability as well), and not all dairy products contain lactose (Hard dutch cheese doesnt) and not evey lactose intolerant person is as intolerant as the other

  5. “…the first duty of government is to serve, protect and defend …. citizens” – Trump.
    How right.
    “Amnesty” (for illegals) is just a fancy name for capitulation.

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