Gates of Vienna News Feed 2/28/2013

After deliberating for three days, a jury in Norwich convicted three “British” men of abducting a 13-year-old girl and keeping her as a sex slave in Ipswich, raping her repeatedly. The convicted men (Mohammed Coefficient: 33%) will be sentenced at a later date.

In other news, newly-hatched Secretary of State John Kerry has promised $60 million in, ahem, non-lethal aid (since when has money killed anyone?) to the Syrian rebels. Meanwhile, Pope Benedict XVI officially stepped down as pontiff.

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

Thanks to Andy Bostom, C. Cantoni, DF, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, Jerry Gordon, JP, LH, Vlad Tepes, 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.

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Mobbed in Melbourne

The news report below is not current — it appeared on Australia’s ABC network just after Geert Wilders’ appearance at a venue in Melbourne on February 19 — but it is interesting because of its relatively fair presentation of the news about what Mr. Wilders had to say. The lefty demonstrators had their fair say, but then so did the “Islamophobes”.

This may be the first MSM report I’ve ever seen that introduced Geert Wilders without saying that he “advocates banning the Koran”. And the sound bites taken from his speech were a good précis of his position.

All in all, not bad — for a state TV network. Many thanks to Vlad Tepes for uploading this video:

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dhimmitude

Paul Weston’s latest essay takes a closer look at an official parliamentary organization that is tasked with eradicating Islamophobia in Britain.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dhimmitude
by Paul Weston

Those who know anything about Islamic expansionism will be aware the Saudi-Arabian based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) holds the largest bloc vote within the UN, and that they are working hard (and spending a lot of money) trying to stop any criticism of Islam in the West.

The OIC, in accordance with sharia law, deems all criticism of Islam to be invalid. It does not matter if it is true or untrue; the mere fact that it is critical is simply not allowed. Period. The buzzword they have come up with to negate our defence against their extremist ideology is “Islamophobia” which of course means an irrational fear of Islam.

This is very clever. By utilising the word “Islamophobia” they manage to pigeonhole any critics of Islam as being of a mentally questionable equilibrium — which may not be true initially, but may well be the case after a few years, simply because trying to make sense of this madness must surely drive us slowly insane.

For example, I have a perfectly rational fear of Communism, which brought death and social/moral/environmental catastrophe wherever it laid its bloodied boot. During the Cold War it was fortunate for the West that our ruling elites (mostly…) did not lie down before Moscow and that they did not accuse critics of the Soviet Union of suffering from Commieophobia….

This was not emulated in Socialist countries, however. Critics of Communism really were deemed to be mentally ill, and many show trials forced them to admit their insanity before they were consigned to the gulag or given a bullet in the back of the neck. Deeming criticism of the power-elite to be irrational/insane is a tried and tested method of maintaining power, and is seen only in absolute dictatorships, the vast majority of which have been of left-wing bent, with the notable exception of Islam.

Which brings me to the point of this article. The British government, in its infinite wisdom and treachery, has established an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Islamophobia which describes its role as follows:

“To investigate the forms, manifestations and extent of prejudice and discrimination against Muslims in the UK today. To review the effectiveness of all legislation with a view to improving the rate of success in the prosecution of hate crimes. To review existing mechanisms for the recording of anti-Muslim hate crimes both through police forces across the country and through third party reporting sites with a view to improving data quality and comprehensiveness. To investigate and review the role of the media in fostering mutual respect and tolerance and guarding against misrepresentations of Islam and intolerance towards Muslims.”

Sitting on the board of this Dhimmi Parliamentary group are Labour’s ex-Home Secretary Jack Straw (Vice-Chair), Liberal Democrat deputy leader, Simon Hughes (Co-Chair), Sir Peter Bottomley, Conservative MP and supporter of Unite Against Fascism, and Caroline Lucas, Crypto-Communist Green Party MP.

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Knockout in Oosterhout

Last month a 25-year-old man was set upon by “youths” in Oosterhout, a town near Rotterdam known for its cultural enrichment. The rambunctious youngsters knocked the unfortunate man to the ground and kicked him in the head until he was unconscious.

Four suspects have now been arrested, but as you can see from a quick glance at the news stories (even if you don’t read Dutch), the teenage perpetrators are not named, so no Mohammed Coefficient can be assigned to the case.

Anyone want to take bets on the amount of cultural enrichment involved here?

The following video was broadcast on Dutch TV before the suspects were apprehended. Many thanks to SimonXML for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

Transcript:

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The Shyning of Them Broakin Machines

An exchange in the comments in yesterday’s post about my correspondence with a British journalist is worth reproducing here, since not many people are still reading that thread. What we discussed bears on a larger issue, one that I consider crucial in the ongoing war of memes between “extremists” like us and the PC/MC consensus. To engage the issue, we must jump up to a higher meta-level of ideological discourse.

My good friend Paul Weston offered this advice:

Baron, I think perhaps you should have answered his following question: “Is it possible, I wonder, whether your politics might have robbed you somewhat of your humanity?”

You could have said that the more you learn about the inhumanity displayed by Islam toward women, homosexuals, democracy and all non-Muslims, has only made you more aware of your own humanism and reinforced your desire to oppose Islam on the very basis of humanity.

It is a good point of defence to turn the liberal/left’s alliance with inhumane Islam against them, particularly when we are advocating what they would term “minority rights” which they purport to care deeply about.

There’s nothing wrong with what he says, assuming that it would be a good idea to answer the question at all. But that’s where we differ. Here’s what I replied:

You are correct — that is, the answer you suggest would be correct — but answering the question is not a prudent tactic.

Every time we answer an are-you-still-beating-your-wife-question, our arm gets stuck in the PC/MC Left’s own tar baby and we cannot help but be sucked further and further in. These are arguments and discussions where our opponents control all the premises. They are designed to trap us and immobilize us in impossible rhetorical positions so that we waste our energy constantly defending ourselves.

Every time I hear Tommy or Geert say “I’m not a racist”, I wince. Oh, I quite understand why they feel the need to defend themselves in such a manner, but by doing so they are being dragged onto a playing field where they cannot possibly win the game — the rules are rigged so as to make them lose.

No one believes the man who answers in the negative when asked if he is still beating his wife. In a similar way, no one outside the Counterjihad believes a Counterjihad person when he says he is not a racist. They already know he is a racist. They don’t need no stinkin’ evidence or logic. They just KNOW.

Therefore, the way to avoid losing is to decline to play the game. To refuse to accept any of the premises behind the ideological structure our opponents have so painstakingly constructed.

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Free Speech Hero Booted From Job

The following article concerns what happened to the Norwegian blogger Ole Jørgen Anfindsen in the wake of the Breivik trial. It was translated by two of our Norwegian correspondents, The Observer and Beach Bum.

Beach Bum includes this brief bio of Dr. Anfindsen:

Ole Jørgen Anfindsen (54) holds a PhD in Computer Science and is the author of the book Selvmordsparadigmet (“The Suicide Paradigm”). He is a blogger at honestthinking.org, which has separate Norwegian/Scandinavian and English language sections.

He appeared as a witness called by the defense in the Breivik trial. Afterwards he was let go from his position in the Norwegian company Det Norske Veritas or DNV, a worldwide risk management, ship classification, certification and training company, soon after the trial.

The Observer has this to say about what happened:

It turns out that Ole Jørgen Anfindsen was fired from his job shortly after testifying as an expert witness for the defense in the Breivik case in 2012. Anfindsen believes that it was due to his views on immigration and multiculturalism, and I’m inclined to believe him.

Like the rest of the Norwegian conservative community he was hounded in the press following the attack and indirectly blamed for having contributed ideologically to the attacks.

It should also be pointed out that discrimination based on religious or political beliefs is forbidden in Norway. Too bad he’s not a radical Muslim, eh? Then he could have taken Det Norske Veritas to the cleaners.

The translated article from Vårt Land (“Our Country” — a Norwegian Christian newspaper):

Controversial blogger lost his job

The author and blogger Ole Jørgen Anfindsen claims he lost his job in Det Norske Veritas (the Norwegian Veritas) because of his critical comments about immigration.

Last summer Ole Jørgen Anfindsen appeared as a witness in the July 22 trial in the Oslo District Court. He was summoned as an expert witness in his capacity as a prominent figure in the Norwegian immigration debate over several years. Anfindsen is particularly preoccupied with racial theories, and he has previously gone on record saying that differences in IQ levels between the various human races exist.

In an article published in the latest edition of the journal Samtiden [samtiden.no, article not found on Internet] it is revealed that Anfindsen lost his job as a researcher at the Norwegian Veritas (DNV) shortly after he was compelled to testified in the July 22 court case. No one in the management of DNV has directly stated that Anfindsen was fired due to statements made in the court, but Anfindsen believes that it is obvious that his public engagement, combined with negative media coverage of his testimony in court, was the main reason.

“I had become a hot potato that no one wanted to touch. At first I was informed that I was being transferred to a different department, later that this could no longer be achieved. I was then told by the management of Veritas that they had turned over every stone but unfortunately had no other options other than letting me go,” says Anfindsen to Vårt Land.

Unemployed for four months

According to Anfindsen he realized that something was about to happen in his workplace the day after the July 22 terror attack in 2011. It became more and more noticeable in the spring and early summer of 2012. Anfindsen says that being asked to leave his job, one that he had held for three and a half years, had a big emotional impact on him, but even so he still feels that DNV treated him with respect.

“DNV treated me in a dignified and professional manner. But at the same time it was hard for me to lose my job,” says Anfindsen.

He was encouraged by DNV to contact a lawyer, which the company would pay for. He also received a severance package and left the company last summer. Anfindsen was not fired as a result of any reduction-in-force layoff process.

Anfindsen was unemployed for four months before he started in a new job last November.

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Gates of Vienna News Feed 2/27/2013

A new political poll in Denmark revealed a surprise result: the Danish People’s Party is now second place in popularity, moving ahead of the governing party, the Social Democrats, who have dropped into third place. Venstre, the party of the previous government, polled in the top position.

In other news, Palestinian terrorists in Gaza launched a rocket attack on the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon last night, the first violation of the ceasefire brokered by Egypt late last year. No one was injured in the attack, and the city resumed business as usual this morning.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Diana West, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, Jerry Gordon, JP, Lurker from Tulsa, MC, Nick, Steen, TV, Vlad Tepes, 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.

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The Alliance of Civilization Jihad

As reported here early this morning, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations met today in Vienna to… well, to do whatever it is alliances of civilizations do.

Actually, the goal of this Alliance is quite clear, even if it is not stated explicitly: to impose the will of the United Nations on all Western countries, especially those that have not yet implemented laws against “defamation of religions” as demanded by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

We are approaching endgame in the OIC’s long march through the major international institutions of Western culture. It began with the announcement in 2005 of the ten-year plan to end Islamophobia in the West, and the establishment of the Islamophobia Observatory shortly thereafter. These were obviously not enough to meet the Ummah’s needs, so it shifted its focus to other institutions. The OSCE must have also proved disappointing, as it is not high-profile and offers no prominent global platform.

The OIC has had better success with the General Assembly of the United Nations, taking virtual control of the organization by means of the votes of its 56 member states (57 if you count “Palestine”). However, this too is insufficient from the point of view of the embryonic World Caliphate. To establish full control, a permanent seat on the Security Council is an absolute necessity. The would-be Caliph — Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who obviously aspires to an office higher than prime minister of Turkey — has made it clear that Islam must be granted such a seat.

The process now unfolding before us on the international scene mirrors the “Civilization Jihad” launched long ago by the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States. With the installation of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense, the Ikhwan has now positioned all its American pieces on the board in preparation for the final takedown of Israel. To secure their international geopolitical position, the Brothers and the OIC need to complete their takeover of the United Nations.

Today it seems they are very close to achieving success in — what shall we call their operation?

Perhaps the “Alliance of Civilization Jihad” would be most fitting.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Henrik Ræder Clausen and Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff were in Vienna to attend and report on today’s event, the 5th Global Forum — UN Alliance of Civilizations. Elisabeth sent the account below, which includes some of Henrik’s material.

The Clash of Tectonic Plates
by Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff

There was a big media campaign in Austria in advance of today’s Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) in Vienna. The minister of foreign affairs touted the event, and the government took out full-page ads on Sunday in all the major the major Austrian newspapers.

Today’s forum was not like the OSCE — there were no NGOs or organizations from civil society. Only state representatives of individual countries and United Nations officials were invited to participate at the podium.

The presenter who opened the morning’s events was a very good-looking woman from the Al-Jazeera network in Qatar. She spoke flawless English when she introduced the new high representative of the Alliance of Civilizations, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser — who is also from Qatar. Afterwards she told the assembly:

“The influence of Qatar reaches way beyond its borders.”

And indeed it does. No one should forget that for almost five decades Qatar was the residence-in-exile of the Egyptian cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.

A series of world leaders, among them UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, gave speeches for the occasion. Vuk Jeremic, the president of the General Assembly of the United Nations, also addressed the audience. He quoted both the Koran and the Bible, reciting a verse from the Koran stating that Allah created everyone equal, and then gave his interpretation:

“This directs us to live in harmony, since we have a common lineage.”

The theme of the meeting was “We Need Responsible Leadership”. Human rights were not on the agenda, and were mentioned only twice in the main speeches in the plenary. There was no real discussion.

One of the functions of today’s event was to honor Jorge Sampaio of Portugal, the outgoing high representative of the UNAOC, and to welcome the Qatari Nassir Al-Nasser, who is replacing him.

In his address Mr. Sampaio spoke of the successes of the Alliance, but never mentioned any of them specifically. Mr. Al-Nasser told his listeners that a “diversity of culture leads to a diversity of knowledge.” He and other speakers decried the persistence in the world of discrimination, intolerance, and xenophobia.

Such was the substance of this momentous event in Vienna. My report could easily have been scribbled on a 3×5 card and filed away for posterity, were it not for the participation of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Mr. Erdogan was treated like a rock star. He was the main attraction of the event, and a substantial presence from the Turkish media guaranteed that he would be featured in news reports at home. His manner, his bearing, his oratory, and his arrogant self-assurance reminded me of — dare I say it? — Adolf Hitler. He obviously knew that he was the Man of the Moment.

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Hacked for Covering Geert Wilders

The website of the Australian national broadcaster ABC was hacked by a person or group that objected to its giving airtime to Geert Wilders during the Dutch politician’s recent visit Down Under. The hackers acquired and published personal data from thousands of commenters before ABC discovered the breach and shut the site down.

Many thanks to Vlad Tepes for uploading this video:

Below are excerpts from the accompanying ABC article:

ABC Hacked in Protest at Wilders Interview

The ABC has gone into damage control after it was discovered the website of one of its television programs was targeted in a hack that has affected thousands of viewers.

A Twitter user going by the name of Phr0zenMyst claimed ownership of the attack, framing it as a response to the ABC’s recent coverage of the visit by right-wing Dutch MP Geert Wilders.

The hacker, based overseas, said they were upset by the ABC’s decision to “[give] a platform for Geert Wilders to spread hatred”.

The hack exposed the user names, email addresses and some personal information of more than 40,000 people – viewers who had logged in and commented on the website of the 2010 program Making Australia Happy.

The ABC was forced to scramble for answers, saying the website in question was shut down as soon as the breach was detected.

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Have I Been Robbed of my Humanity?

Well, I’ll leave it up to our readers to answer that question. The interesting thing is that someone would choose to ask it of me, as if it were a serious question and he were expecting a serious response.

In a couple of previous posts, I outlined an ongoing email exchange I’ve been having with a British journalist. The gentleman from the Fourth Estate originally wanted to talk to Fjordman, but failing that, has been engaging me in conversation instead.

Evidently dissatisfied by my earlier answers, in his latest communication he became somewhat bolder in the phrasing of his questions. Below is his email to me today (his words are in italicized block quotes), with my responses.

I know from what Fjordman has written on your site that he feels no responsibility for July 22. Though a proclaimed believer in personal responsibility, he cravenly suggests that if anyone is responsible beyond Breivik himself, it is the Norwegian polity.

Your choice of the adverb “cravenly” reveals volumes about your own agenda.

To refer in that manner to someone whom you have never met, who is known to you solely through his writings and those of others, is to cast aspersions on his character in the most offensive manner possible. You possess no evidence whatsoever for Fjordman’s cowardice, or lack thereof. So how is it appropriate to describe him that way?

Your political opinions place you comfortably within the mainstream of 21st century British journalism. If you never veer significantly from the positions you now hold, you need not fear being sacked, or failing to win assignments, or finding a publisher for any book you might choose to write.

You will need no armed police detail stationed outside your residence, nor will death threats be issued against you by anarchists on web forums and street placards.

Unlike Fjordman, you will not lose your job because of your political opinions — which, for both of you, are peacefully held and do not advocate violence in any form. You will not be driven from your flat or hounded from your country because leftists wish to kill you. You need not worry about being recognized in public by someone who wants to stab you to death or shoot you.

Your political beliefs will never force you to invest in a bullet-proof vest nor result in your being guarded by state security, as is the case for Lars Hedegaard, Geert Wilders, Kurt Westergaard, and Lars Vilks. Nor is it likely that you will be found dead on the streets of London with your head sawn half off and a jihad polemic pinned to your chest with a kitchen knife, as happened to Theo Van Gogh in Amsterdam.

Your political views will keep you safe and secure. The same cannot be said of Fjordman.

As for precisely who is courageous and who is craven: I’ll leave that for God to sort out. He alone can untangle the mysteries of the human heart.

Without wishing to make a leap of judgement about personal motivations from him to you, I was quite particular about my questions. I did not ask whether you felt responsibility. I asked about involvement. I also asked about whether you might lose sleep.

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The Alliance of Civilizations Comes to Vienna

Five years ago I wrote about the founding of the Alliance of Civilizations, one of innumerable Muslim Brotherhood front groups in Europe whose function is to administer anesthesia to the people of Europe in advance of the first cut from the Islamic scalpel blade. Or the first rat-tat-tat of the pneumatic drill of Sharia. Or the first insertion of other implements into various unmentionable orifices of the body politic of what is fast becoming Eurabia.

Five years on, the Alliance of Civilizations is meeting in — where else? — Vienna. Originally based on an Iranian initiative to deal with the “Clash of Civilizations” meme, the AoC is holding its fifth anniversary bash in Austria today, February 27, 2013. Top level representatives of both Islamic and democratic countries will be present, discussing how to lead the world in the desired direction.

Tundra Tabloids has friends at the event and will be live-blogging from the scene, starting in a few hours, at approximately 9:30am CET. That’s 3:30am EST, at which time I will of course still be snug in my bed. Check in with TT to keep current until I wake up and see what our Vienna correspondents are wiring from the Western Front.

Update: Live reports from the AoC summit in Vienna, via Tundra Tabloids (times are CET):

12:51:   Erdogan, the PM of Turkey is speaking to the conference, rambling on about the need to combat “Islamophobia”.
13:04:   The Emir of Qatar talks of Palestine, vital for him,
13:05   Henrik R. Clausen: “responsible leadership” is quite tellingly the motto of the conference. “Responsible media” and “responsible use of free expression” are repeated by the Emir, as others did. “Political demagogy” must be countered by new laws.
13:06:   End of Emir speech Qatar has as mentioned here, an influence that stretches far beyond it borders. Well said…..
13:18:   AoC has as a top priority the support of the Palestinians against Israel. That has been stressed several times. and implicitly by references to ”fully implement” the founding document of the AoC
13:25:   ICLA:

We are told by people on the ground at the event that the person who introduced the event suggested that they expected more harmony from this forum. Below is a gist of what specific individuals talked about:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon suggested that anti-Muslim sentiment was commonplace. That Muslims are being vilified instead of being embraced. That leaders need to speak the language of tolerance. That the three most important issues that needed to be addressed by all speakers were:

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Gates of Vienna News Feed 2/26/2013

The unexpected success of the comedian Beppe Grillo and his 5 Star Movement in the Italian elections has caused great concern among EU officials in Brussels. Mr. Grillo and Silvio Berlusconi made the strongest showing in yesterday’s vote, and neither man is known to be positive towards the EU. European stocks dropped due to the uncertainty in Italy after the elections.

In other news, enough Republican senators joined the Democrats in voting to end the filibuster on the nomination of Chuck Hagel, and Mr. Hagel will now become the next U.S. Secretary of Defense.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, ES, Fjordman, Gaia, heroyalwhyness, Insubria, JD, Nilk, 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.

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An Alumna of Evin Prison

As reported earlier tonight, on February 19 Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff represented Bürgerbewegung Pax Europa at the Human Rights Conference in Geneva.

Below is her summary of a talk given in Geneva by Marina Nemat, a woman who miraculously survived a stint in the most infamous prison of the Iranian gulag.

An Alumna of Evin Prison
by Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff

Marina Nemat, an Iranian author who has written two books, spoke passionately in Geneva about the hospitality extended to her as a 16-year-old in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison.

She recounted that she was repeatedly interrogated, beaten to a pulp, and then forced to marry her torturer, who himself had been a political prisoner during the era of the Shah. Ms. Nemat told the audience about how she was beaten on the soles of her feet with a cable, and made to get up over and over, only to be beaten again.

“I would have told them I was Jesus Christ just to stop the torture,” Ms. Nemat said. “I signed ever single paper they put in front of me, without reading it, just to stop the torture and pain.”

Ali, her torturer, told her one day that she received a death sentence, but if she married him, she would not be freed, but she would remain alive. She was raped night after night. And she survived.

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BPE At the Human Rights Conference in Geneva

Last week a group of Counterjihad bloggers from both sides of the Atlantic attended the Human Rights Conference in Geneva. Below is a report on the occasion by Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, who represented Bürgerbewegung Pax Europa at the event.

Her account was originally published in German at Politically Incorrect, and has been kindly translated into English by JLH. See the original for additional photos.

Pax Europa

BPE At the Human Rights Conference in Geneva

by Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, BPE

On February 19, 2013 in Geneva, not far from the seat of the UN and only one day from the site of meetings of the (in)famous Human Rights Council, a conference on human rights and democracy took place. UN Watch served as the organizer under the supervision of the Canadian Hillel Neuer and a consortium of human rights organizations from all over the world.

This year was already the conference’s fifth meeting. Participants, among others, were ambassadors accredited by the UN, representatives of the soroptimists,* human rights activists and other interested parties.


Valerie Price, Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff in Geneva

The theme was human rights persecutions in Iran, Syria, Morocco, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Russia, North Korea and Tibet. Although all the human rights abuses of these states were known, we — representatives of Bürgerbewegung Pax Europa, ACT! for Canada and the International Civil Liberties Alliance — questioned whether the organization seriously believed that everything in Europe was fine. None of the many known European dissidents was invited, or given a chance to speak. One could imagine that Europe, insofar as human rights are concerned, especially freedom of expression, is one of the blessèd isles. Not a word about how the right to assemble in Great Britain (viz. EDL), Austria (viz. demonstrations of leftist extremists about the allegedly rightist extreme “Academic Balls”) or in Germany (viz. the weekly gathering of petition signatures against the European Islamic Center, Munich) is being trampled underfoot. Not a word about the threat — and often the carrying-out — of criminal prosecution against critics of Islam or the EU. Not word about the equating of Islam-criticism with “right extremism” and other extremist views. Europe was not mentioned in any of these speeches, as it certainly should have been. Only written questions were allowed, after the speeches, and they were pre-selected.

At dinner, we representatives of Bürgerbewegung Pax Europa, ACT! for Canada and the International Civil Liberties Alliance promised ourselves that we would change this in the following year. It is critically important that a Michael Stürzenberger, a Tommy Robinson, a Michael Mannheimer, a Lars Hedegaard, a Sabatina James (unfortunately, the list could go on and on) report about the fact that the most important rights that distinguish a democracy are incrementally being lost in Europe. Europe is not (any longer) the continent of freedom described repeatedly, indeed drilled into us by the MSM. This must be addressed at a conference of this importance.

A short summary of the presenters: Marina Nemat — politically persecuted by the Iranian regime and raped repeatedly — spoke of her experiences and the fact that the danger from Iran does not lie primarily in its atomic program, but arises from its oppression of its own people. She pleaded that Iran not be bombed. It would be more productive to give dissidents and victims of political force like her a public platform on CNN and other media, which are already offering one to Ahmadinejad.

Two former prisoners in North Korean concentration camps told of their experiences, and this was difficult for listeners to hear.

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