Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/21/2020

Pope Francis has decided that he will not engage in the traditional washing of feet during this year’s Easter observances, due to the Wuhan Coronavirus. Meanwhile, two Italian convents have been hit by the disease, which has infected 59 nuns. Also, Portugal has declared emergency rule because of the coronavirus.

In other news, Austrian commandos helping to patrol the Greek border with Turkey were confronted by Turkish police before an assault by a migrant mob.

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

Thanks to Insubria, JH, LN, Reader from Chicago, 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. I 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.

Financial Crisis
» Poland: Average Corporate Wage Up 7.7 Pct Y/Y in February — Stats Office
 
USA
» Harvard 2020 Class Will Graduate ‘Online’
» Illinois Governor Lists Gun Stores as ‘Essential, ‘ Exempts Them From Forced Shutdown
» New Jersey Gov. Issues “Stay at Home” Order to State’s 9 Million Residents
» Texas Man Arrested for Pretending He Has Coronavirus on Facebook
» Trump’s Approval Rating Soars During Handling of Coronavirus
 
Canada
» Coronavirus: 500,000 Canadians Have Filed for EI This Week
 
Europe and the EU
» Coronavirus: 2,629 Medical Professionals Infected in Italy — Report
» Coronavirus and Medication
» Coronavirus Strikes Two Italian Convents, Infecting 59 Nuns
» Danish Politician Assaulted Outside Mosque
» European Union: The End?
» France Issues 4,095 Fines for Breach of Confinement
» Hungary to Deploy Military to 140 Companies
» Hungary Beefs Up Military Presence Along Northern Border
» Italy: Rome Police: All Vehicles Must be Stopped at Checkpoints
» Macron’s France Seizes Lorries Carrying 130,000 Masks to British Hospitals
» Number of Coronavirus Cases in Poland Rises to 452, Five Dead
» Orban: Hungary Unlikely to Avoid Mass Illnesses
» Pope Won’t Wash Feet This Easter, Processions Put Off
» Portugal Declares Emergency Rule
» Spain: Two People Shouting Islamist Slogans Are Arrested After Smashing a Car Into Barcelona Airport
» UK Can ‘Turn Tide of This Disease’ In 12 Weeks
» UK: Coronavirus: Strict Social Distancing Needs to be in Place ‘Half of a Year’
» UK: Extinction Rebellion Moving Climate Activism Online Over WuFlu
» UK: Far-Left Activists Call for “Labour Jihad”
» UK: Govt to Fund Wages for Closed Businesses — But Reports Claim EU Trying to Block Aid
» UK: Teacher Fired and Banned for Life for Anti-Islam Facebook Posts
» WWII Icon Vera Lynn, 103, Urges Brits to Call Upon ‘Selfless Spirit’ of the War to Beat Pandemic
 
South Asia
» India Starts 14-Hour Curfew to Curb Coronavirus Spread
 
Far East
» Additional Quarantine Centres Pop Up in Wuhan Despite China’s Claim of Zero New Infections: Report
» Apple Censors Encrypted Chat App Boom on Behalf of Chinese Government
» China’s Coronavirus Recovery is ‘All Fake, ‘ Whistleblowers and Residents Claim
» COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic
» Restrictions Placed on Travelers From Japan as Coronavirus Cases Rise
» State-Owned China News Outlet Ratioed on Twitter After Continuously Claiming “Chinese Virus” Is Racist
» Top Chinese Official Blames US for Creation of COVID-19, Cites Canadian Conspiracy Website
» YouTuber Princezee Licks Subway Pole Amidst Coronavirus Pandemic
 
Latin America
» Brazil Closes Borders for Europeans
 
Immigration
» Belgium: Illegal Migrants Released From Detention Facilities Due to Coronavirus Problems
» Eric Zemmour: Immigrants Pose a Danger by Refusing to Follow Coronavirus Restrictions, Need to be Controlled
» Greece: Austrian Commandos Confronted by Turkish Police Before Migrant Assault
» Migrants Use Improvised Ladders in Fresh Attempts to Storm Greek Border
» UK: Polish Immigrant Sentenced to 9 Years for Stabbing Ex-Girlfriend to Death
 
Culture Wars
» Study: Women More Likely to Vote for Parties That Celebrities, Friends, And Mass Culture Approve Of
 

Poland: Average Corporate Wage Up 7.7 Pct Y/Y in February — Stats Office

Poland’s average corporate gross monthly wage in February 2020 amounted to PLN 5,330.48 (EUR 1,187), up by 7.7 percent year on year, the Central Statistical Office (GUS) reported on Wednesday.

In monthly terms, the average wage increased by 0.9 percent.

February’s corporate employment rose by 1.1 percent year on year to 6,445,900 and by 0.1 percent month on month.

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

Harvard 2020 Class Will Graduate ‘Online’

Harvard University will replace its scheduled commencement ceremony with a “virtual” graduation in light of coronavirus concerns.

University President Lawrence S. Bacow announced Friday that the traditional ceremony scheduled for May 28 would be replaced with one where graduates and their families can “come together online” so that degrees can be awarded and “everyone will graduate as expected.”

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

Illinois Governor Lists Gun Stores as ‘Essential, ‘ Exempts Them From Forced Shutdown

When Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) issued an executive order Friday to put a statewide shutdown in place, he exempted gun and ammunition stores by labeling them “essential.”

The order, titled “Executive Order in Response to COVID-19 (COVID-19 Executive Order No. 8),” contains various headings, under which are listings of businesses considered “essential” for day-to-day life. Under the heading, “Supplies for Essential Businesses and Operations,” the order makes clear that “firearm and ammunition suppliers and retailers” can remain open, noting that they serve the purposes of “safety and security.”

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

New Jersey Gov. Issues “Stay at Home” Order to State’s 9 Million Residents

New Jersey is the latest state to order its residents to stay at home unless absolutely necessary.

Governor Phil Murphy made the announcement Saturday afternoon.

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

Texas Man Arrested for Pretending He Has Coronavirus on Facebook

Michael Lane Brandin, a 23-year-old man from Tyler Country is now facing charges for posting on his Facebook profile that he had tested positive for coronavirus infection.

In his post, Brandin also claimed that he was informed by a medical practitioner in Tyler Country that the deadly virus has now become airborne.

According to him, his post was meant to be a social experiment to tell people not to believe everything they read online.

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

Trump’s Approval Rating Soars During Handling of Coronavirus

New polling Friday showed President Trump’s approval ratings among Americans have soared during the coronavirus crisis, including his handling of the pandemic response and the economy

A new Axios-Harris poll, released Friday, showed the president with an 53 percent overall approval among U.S. adults surveyed March 17 and 18, compared to 49 percent among those polled March 14 and 15.

Fifty-six percent of respondents in the latest poll said they approved of the president’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, an increase from 51 percent last week. And 60 percent of Americans this week said they approved of the president’s handling of the economy, a slight increase from 59 percent last week.

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

Coronavirus: 500,000 Canadians Have Filed for EI This Week

More than half a million Canadians have recently filed for employment insurance as the novel coronavirus pandemic takes its toll on Canada’s job market.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the number of calls received by Service Canada and other government agencies has been “historic.”

“We received over 500,000 applications so far this week, compared to just under 27,000 applications for the same week last year,” he said in reference to employment insurance.

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

Coronavirus: 2,629 Medical Professionals Infected in Italy — Report

8.3% of total cases, said Gimbe Foundation, based on ISS data

(ANSA) — Rome, March 18 — The number of healthcare professionals infected with coronavirus in Italy has risen to 2,629, or 8.3% of total cases, as of March 17, according to a report drafted by the Foundation Gimbe which is based on data of the Superior Health Institute (ISS).

The results of the study were released on Wednesday by the foundation’s president, Nino Cartabellotta, on Twitter.

“The number of infected health operators is huge”, Cartabellotta told ANSA. He added that “8.3% of total cases is more than double the percentage of the Chinese cohort”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Coronavirus and Medication

Spacebunny passed on a translated warning concerning several common over-the-counter medications from the French government. TL;DR: do not take aspirin or Advil or other forms of ibuprofin for headaches, flu, or fever at this time. Tylenol is to be preferred.

The virus has just been shown to enter the lung alveolus cell through the ECAII receptor. When it binds to it it overexpresses it and kills the alveolar cell. Hence everything it produces. Men have more receptors than women, Asians more than Caucasians and people who take anti-hypertensive drugs such as antiECAs and especially Anti-ECAII have a brutal overexpression of the receptor and therefore are more susceptible to infection and infection is more serious.

The serious cases of young people are patients who have taken anti-inflammatory drugs at the beginning of the disease. Aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, voltarene (diclofenac), etc. must be avoided, because they favor the grave forms. You should only take Paracetamol.

Do not take ibuprofen or anti-inflammatory if you suspect Covid. In France, four serious cases of young people without previous pathology have in common the taking of ibuprofen. Apparently it makes the infection develop much faster.

They are reminded that they should NOT take Ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil, or aspirin for flu or fever symptoms. In Italy and France they have discovered that people who have died from Covid-19 have taken ibuprofen and causes the virus to be potentiated five or more times.

Anyone who has symptoms should take only and exclusively PARACETAMOL (except, of course, medical prescription), drink plenty of water, and very often (if possible sips every 15 minutes). We also have natural antivirals such as Garlic, Ginger, Propolis, and almost all aromatic plants (Mint, Melissa (Torongil), Rosemary …) Cinnamon, Curcuma, Fruits with Vitamin C … in direct infusion.

I’ve also heard from various sources that large daily doses of Vitamins C and D3, as well as zinc, have been reported to be efficacious.

           — Hat tip: JH [Return to headlines]
 

Coronavirus Strikes Two Italian Convents, Infecting 59 Nuns

ROME — Two Italian convents have been placed under strict quarantine after a majority of the nuns living in them tested positive for the coronavirus.

A total of 59 religious sisters have been infected in the two convents, one of which is located in Rome and the other in the town of Grottaferrata in the Castelli Romani district just southeast of Rome.

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

Danish Politician Assaulted Outside Mosque

[Machine translation]

Rasmus Paludan, founder of the Stram Kurs party, was attacked yesterday at the mosque on Dortheavej 43 in Copenhagen. In a video on Youtube, which he himself posted, shows how men drive to the mosque in a car, a man gets out and goes straight to Paludan to attack him.

He says “What are you doing here? What are you doing here? “and strikes Paludan but is quickly degraded by men who in the video say they are police officers.

The man struggles against but is put in handcuffs.

In the description to the video, it says that Paludan was there as a “journalist for the Freedom Voice” to monitor that the ban on people gathering, because of the corona virus, was upheld.”When the TV team was about to leave, journalist Rasmus Paludan was assaulted by a violent man without reason”

           — Hat tip: LN [Return to headlines]
 

European Union: The End?

Since the outbreak of coronavirus in Italy, Italians have learned that other European Union member states do not always practice the beautiful words that they like to preach — especially solidarity.

Solidarity is supposedly a fundamental principle of the European Union. It is enshrined in the EU treaties and the EU refers to it as one of its goals. According to article 222 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, one of the two principal treaties of the European Union:

“The Union and its Member States shall act jointly in a spirit of solidarity if a Member State is… the victim of a natural or man-made disaster. The Union shall mobilise all the instruments at its disposal… to assist a Member State in its territory, at the request of its political authorities, in the event of a natural or man-made disaster”.

[Comment: Yes, the European Union is in its final phase.]

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

France Issues 4,095 Fines for Breach of Confinement

More than 4,095 fines have been handed out to members of the public in France in just 24 hours for breaking the mandatory confinement rules, as the interior ministry strongly reminds people to comply.

On Wednesday March 18, interior minister Christophe Castaner said: “In 24 hours, there have been 70,000 conversations with the French public to explain to them why they were in breach of the rules, and since this morning, 4,095 fines have been handed out.”

More than 100,000 police and gendarmes have been mobilised to enforce the rules, which require people to stay at home except in a small number of “unavoidable” circumstances. Anyone leaving the house must fill in a form explaining their movements.

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

Hungary to Deploy Military to 140 Companies

Hungary will deploy special military task forces to monitor the operations and safety of 140 companies providing critical services during the coronavirus pandemic, defence minister Tibor Benko said on Wednesday. He did not name companies, but said more could fall under the new measures, Reuters reported. Energy group MOL is one of them, the company confirmed. The task forces will brief the defence ministry regularly on the companies.

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

Hungary Beefs Up Military Presence Along Northern Border

The Hungarian Armed Forces have beefed up their presence along the country’s northern border, the defence ministry said on Saturday.

At present, over 100 soldiers are serving along the borders with Austria and Slovakia, it said on the honvedelem.hu website.

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

Italy: Rome Police: All Vehicles Must be Stopped at Checkpoints

ROME — A new directive to Rome police eliminates random vehicle checks, instructing officers to stop every vehicle passing checkpoints in order to limit movement and so curb the spread of the coronavirus.

A three-page memo outlining new measures to better restrict citizens to their homes has been issued by the Rome police commissioner and was obtained by Breitbart News on Friday. The instructions include a constant presence of patrol vehicles on Rome streets and the use of loudspeakers to remind people to remain in their homes, warning that “transgressors will be prosecuted.”

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

Macron’s France Seizes Lorries Carrying 130,000 Masks to British Hospitals

French authorities impounded two lorries carrying some 130,000 masks to health workers in Britain’s embattled hospitals, following President Emmanuel Macron’s pledge to “requisition” all stocks in his territory.

The move followed hot on the heels of French border guards seizing another heavy goods vehicle carrying hand sanitiser to Britain the day before. The incidents triggered a diplomatic spat between the two countries as Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) struggles against the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

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

Number of Coronavirus Cases in Poland Rises to 452, Five Dead

Thirteen new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Poland, bringing the total number of infections to 452, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday afternoon. To date, five people have died from the disease.

The ministry said that the figures did not include the death of a 27-year-old woman who was infected with the virus but died from other causes on Friday.

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

Orban: Hungary Unlikely to Avoid Mass Illnesses

The novel coronavirus outbreak in Hungary has not reached the stage of mass illnesses, but this is likely soon, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in an interview on Friday.

Medical professionals say large case numbers cannot be prevented, but the epidemic can be slowed down, Orban told public broadcaster Kossuth Radio. The aim now is to slow down the virus’s spread so the health-care system can handle serious cases, he added. “We have organised collective defence … the Hungarian community is ready to protect itself,” Orban said. “We have a proper military plan of defence.”

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

Pope Won’t Wash Feet This Easter, Processions Put Off

Changes due to coronavirus crisis

(ANSA) — Rome, March 20 — Easter celebrations have been confirmed on April 12 but Pope Francis will not do the traditional feet-washing ceremony in memory of Jesus and his disciples on Holy Thursday, the Prefect for the Divine Cult and Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal Robert Sarah, announced on Twitter on Friday.

Easter processions and other “expressions of popular piety” will be postponed to “other convenient dates, e.g. September 14-15” he said.

The measures have been taken in a decree entitled At the Time of COVID-19, the cardinal said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Portugal Declares Emergency Rule

Portugal has declared a state of emergency, closing all business that do not provide essential services, and saying the army could be used to force people to obey the new anti-pandemic measures. “There is no rationing in shops and no reason for there to be any” prime minister Antonio Costa said on TV. “That’s what’s important — to save lives, while ensuring that life continues,” he added.

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

Spain: Two People Shouting Islamist Slogans Are Arrested After Smashing a Car Into Barcelona Airport

Two men shouting Islamist slogans have been arrested after they smashed a car through Barcelona airport’s revolving doors in the early hours of this morning.

No explosives were found in the vehicle, which was driven into El Prat airport’s terminal one at around 5am, but the pair were found to becarrying €10,000.

One man had reportedly taken drugs beforehand, and has been transferred to hospital. Both are from Albania.

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

UK Can ‘Turn Tide of This Disease’ In 12 Weeks

In a press conference, UK prime minister Boris Johnson has raised the prospect of mass testing for coronavirus and social distancing allowing the UK to return to some form of normality by the summer, while stressing that tougher measures such as shutting down cities remained a possibility, the Guardian writes. The next 12 weeks could “turn the tide of this disease”, Johnson said on the pandemic.

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

UK: Coronavirus: Strict Social Distancing Needs to be in Place ‘Half of a Year’

The government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) says that the “stricter” social distancing measures would need to be in place half of the year in order to stop the NHS being overwhelmed with Chinese coronavirus cases.

The paper, dated from Monday but released on Friday, said that the consensus view of the scientists was that “the addition of both general social distancing and school closures to case isolation, household isolation, and social distancing of vulnerable groups would be likely to control the epidemic when kept in place for a long period”.

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

UK: Extinction Rebellion Moving Climate Activism Online Over WuFlu

What do you do if you have a climate activist group whose basic strategy is to create a public spectacle but suddenly a dangerous virus is keeping everyone home?

The plan for some of these groups, including Extinction Rebellion (XR), is to move the activism online.

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

UK: Far-Left Activists Call for “Labour Jihad”

Supporters of Rebecca Long-Bailey, a young, far-left MP and possible future leader of Britain’s Labour Party, have been exposed, calling for “real Labour Jihad to bring equality for all” by political website Guido Fawkes.

The messages were sent in a WhatsApp group called “LDN for RLB” and met with only mild concern about the negative connotations of the word Jihad. The Labour Party has increasingly been seen as a vehicle for Islamists — the current leader, Jeremy Corbyn, invited Hamas and Hezbollah to a meeting in Westminster where he referred to them as “friends” and voted against proscribing al-Qaeda.

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

UK: Govt to Fund Wages for Closed Businesses — But Reports Claim EU Trying to Block Aid

Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, urged employers not to lay off workers in sectors largely closed down by the Chinese coronavirus outbreak sector, promising to fund 80 per cent of workers’ pay if bosses put staff on furlough instead.

“I know people are worried. I know that some people in the last few days have already lost their jobs. To all those at home anxious about the days ahead, I say this: you will not face this alone,” said the Chancellor, after the Government finally moved to shut down hospitality businesses such as pubs, cafes, and restraurants, as well as public entertainment venues like cinemas and theatres and gyms.

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

UK: Teacher Fired and Banned for Life for Anti-Islam Facebook Posts

Britain’s Department of Education has banned a primary school teacher in Somerset, South West England, from his profession after he described Islam as a “cancer of the world” online, The Independent reports.

Phillip Turner, 53, was fired from Mary Elton Primary School in Clevedon last year after parents complained and an investigation by the school found that he had described Islam as a “vile religion” on Facebook as well as writing angry posts about Pakistani Muslim rapists. Turner also commented that he would risk losing his job if he endorsed a right-wing political party.

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

WWII Icon Vera Lynn, 103, Urges Brits to Call Upon ‘Selfless Spirit’ of the War to Beat Pandemic

Dame Vera Lynn, the iconic Forces’ Sweetheart who raised national morale during the war years, has urged Britons to call on that same community spirit and selflessness to see them through the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

“We all did our bit back during the war, and we sacrificed a great deal for one another,” said Dame Vera on Friday, as she celebrated her 103rd birthday.

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

India Starts 14-Hour Curfew to Curb Coronavirus Spread

MUMBAI (Reuters) — India launched a 14-hour long curfew on Sunday to limit the fast-spreading coronavirus epidemic in the country, where 315 people have so far been found to have contracted the disease.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an address to the nation last week urged citizens to stay indoors from 0130 GMT to 1530 GMT — a move that he said would be a crucial test for a country to assess its abilities to fight the pandemic.

“Let us all be a part of this curfew, which will add tremendous strength to the fight against the COVID-19 menace,” Modi tweeted minutes before the curfew commenced. “The steps we take now will help in the times to come,” he said in the tweet.

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

Additional Quarantine Centres Pop Up in Wuhan Despite China’s Claim of Zero New Infections: Report

Despite the Chinese government’s assurances that they have stopped the spread of COVID-19 within their borders, there are signs that new quarantine centres have popped up in the Wuhan region.

On March 19, China’s national health commission stated that for the first time since the coronavirus appeared in December 2019, they have not detected any new cases.

According to the Epoch Times, local residents in the Wuhan region have reported long lines at hospitals and witnessed additional treatment facilities being created to deal with the virus.

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

Apple Censors Encrypted Chat App Boom on Behalf of Chinese Government

While the whole world is being crippled by the coronavirus pandemic, China, the country to be first affected, says that it’s not improving drastically.

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

China’s Coronavirus Recovery is ‘All Fake, ‘ Whistleblowers and Residents Claim

China’s claims of how it’s handling coronavirus recovery should be taken with more than a few grains of salt.

Even before COVID-19 became a global crisis, Chinese leaders had been criticized for their handling of the situation and lack of transparency about the disease’s progression. Things now look like they’re on the upswing, and businesses even appear to be headed back to work — but whistleblowers and local officials tell Caixan that’s just a carefully crafted ruse.

Beijing has spent much of the outbreak pushing districts to carry on business as usual, with some local governments subsidizing electricity costs and even installing mandatory productivity quotas. Zhejiang, a province east of the epicenter city of Wuhan, claimed as of Feb. 24 it had restored 98.6 percent of its pre-coronavirus work capacity.

But civil servants tell Caixan that businesses are actually faking these numbers.

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

COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic

Coronavirus Cases:

307,720

view by country

Deaths:

13,054

Recovered:

95,797

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

Restrictions Placed on Travelers From Japan as Coronavirus Cases Rise

March 20 (UPI) — Japan’s cases of the new strain of coronavirus are rising as more than 200 countries are placing restrictions against travelers from Japan.

NHK and other news services reported Friday a total of 1,728 people have been confirmed to have the virus; 42 patients have died, bringing the country’s mortality rate to 2.4 percent.

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

State-Owned China News Outlet Ratioed on Twitter After Continuously Claiming “Chinese Virus” Is Racist

China Xinhua News, a state-owned China news agency, is getting ratioed on Twitter after doubling down on its claims that calling the coronavirus “the Chinese virus” is racist.

In a tweet, China Xinhua News suggested that using the term the Chinese virus is “racist” and “a distraction tactic.”

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

Top Chinese Official Blames US for Creation of COVID-19, Cites Canadian Conspiracy Website

China will stop at nothing to shirk responsibility for unleashing a deadly pandemic upon the world.

As part of their latest propaganda campaign, a senior Chinese diplomat tweeted an article from a Canadian conspiracy theory website that falsely accuses the US of creating COVID-19.

On March 12, the spokesperson and Deputy Director General of China’s Information Department and Foreign Ministry Lijan Zhao shared an article posted on the website Global Research titled “COVID-19: Further Evidence that the Virus Originated in the US.”

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

YouTuber Princezee Licks Subway Pole Amidst Coronavirus Pandemic

As the rest of the world tries hard to stay indoors and observe social distancing to avoid acquiring the coronavirus, a certain YouTube personality Zeeshan Ali seems to be doing the opposite.

Ali posted a video showing him licking poles in the New York subway.

The popular YouTube and Instagram content creator, who is also known as Princezee to his 60,000 subscribers, already got more than 300,000 views on the video.

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

Brazil Closes Borders for Europeans

Brazil announced it was closing its borders during one month for Europeans starting on Monday, Le Soir reports. The measure targets the entire European Economic Area, which includes the EU and the UK, Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland, but also people from China, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia who are non-resident in Brazil and who do not have urgent reasons to enter the country.

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

Belgium: Illegal Migrants Released From Detention Facilities Due to Coronavirus Problems

Belgium’s Department of Immigration (DVZ) has announced that they are releasing 200 illegal migrants back into the general population due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.

Many countries from which migrants have been flowing are now refusing to accept repatriations from Europe, allegedly due to the stresses of the coronavirus on their institutions or because international transportation has become more difficult. Migrants who entered Europe illegally, whose countries will not take them back, and who are considered most at risk for having major complications from an infection are therefore being allowed to leave detention and reenter Belgian society, as explained in a report at SCEPTR.

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

Eric Zemmour: Immigrants Pose a Danger by Refusing to Follow Coronavirus Restrictions, Need to be Controlled

Well-known French conservative intellectual Eric Zemmour believes that France’s community of immigrants threaten the country with chaos by refusing to abide by government restrictions put in place to fight the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, and need to be controlled by force if necessary.

Appearing on the French talk show Face à l’Info on Tuesday, Zemmour praised the government for convincing the public with rational arguments to abide by the draconian quarantine restrictions that have been deemed necessary to slow the spread of the coronavirus. But he said that immigrants do not feel bound by the same restrictions, as evinced by the increase in immigrant crime, such as looting, since the crisis began.

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

Greece: Austrian Commandos Confronted by Turkish Police Before Migrant Assault

A tense confrontation between Turkish police officers and Austrian commandos happened in Greece on Tuesday night as European forces struggle to hold back the swarms of illegal migrants who are being aided by the Turks.

Thirteen commandos from Austria’s Cobra elite special forces unit were patrolling the Greek-Turkish border in an armored car when Turkish police began shouting at them through the fence. “What are you doing here? This is not your country!” they asked, according to a report by the Greek newspaper Proto Thema.

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

Migrants Use Improvised Ladders in Fresh Attempts to Storm Greek Border

While the Turkish government has closed its border to Greece due to the Coronavirus, migrants are still attempting to storm the border using improvised ladders.

Footage of the migrants along the Greek border near the Evros river showed them building makeshift ladders using tree trunks and tree branches in order to scale the Greek border fence, which has largely kept out the large numbers of migrants who have assembled in the area.

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

UK: Polish Immigrant Sentenced to 9 Years for Stabbing Ex-Girlfriend to Death

Conrad Kurp left his childhood sweetheart Nina Cruk with a punctured lung after he nearly cut off her ear in a drunken attack in their flat in Exeter according to a report by Devon Live.

The couple had broken up on the day of the attempted murder before Nina Cruk went out drinking with friends before returning to the flat. Conrad Kurp then started a fight with his ex-girlfriend’s cousin Matteusz Kozowlski, giving him a black eye and cut eyebrow. Other people in the flat broke up the fight and Nina Cruk hit Kurp in the face.

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

Study: Women More Likely to Vote for Parties That Celebrities, Friends, And Mass Culture Approve Of

The so-called ‘gender gap’ in politics is a much-debated issue. Many often wonder why support for national populist parties is much higher among men than it is for women, despite women being affected by mass immigration-related problems just as much, if not more so, then men are.

Scientists at four European universities — Gothenburg, Amsterdam, Bergan, and Aarhus — have investigated why this is the case, and have concluded that much of it has to do with women being more fearful to deviate from culturally accepted norms.

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

20 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/21/2020

  1. “Women more likely to vote for parties that celebrities, friends, and mass culture approve of.”

    As if there weren’t already enough reasons to remove the franchise from females… And the same goes for many males as well. There should be more involved in deciding who may vote than just being of a certain age and through coincidence, having been born within the geographic borders of a country.

    I would daresay that voting should even be changed from an automatic right conferred upon reaching a certain age to an earned privilege; perhaps through military service to the nation as in Heinlein’s vision, or through the achievement of an economic milestone such as home ownership or the annual payment of a certain sum of taxes, or possibly conferred through marriage or even births within wedlock. The point is that the privilege of deciding who will lead the apparatus of government and decide the direction of the future of the nation should be carefully designed so that those with the most stake in the stable future or a well ordered society should have far more say in choosing the leaders who will make those decisions than some mouthbreather who just happens to have a pulse and an age higher than his/her/it’s IQ.

    • As I’ve said before, I love Heinlein’s writing, but don’t care for all his ideas (or yours- I don’t recall his mentioning home ownership or income).

      Who is to say that relatively poor people have less of a stake in their society and its future? And part of the reason for a general franchise is that the wealthy and influential already have disproportionate power, and will act in ways that tend to perpetuate this situation- there is no evidence that such groups have a superior standard of morality or inclination to altruism, even if they’re usually better educated and informed.

      • You are correct that Heinlein didn’t mention home ownership or income as the basis for franchise. However, the Founders did limit franchise to those who were white, male, and owned property, and for good reason. I think most reasonable people can agree that white as a qualifier is no longer relevant, but I would argue that their is a very good basis for limiting the right to vote – separate from the rights listed in the Constitution and Bill of Rights – to those who have the most interest in stability of society and who runs what government there is and what they do with it.

        Anyone with a 30yr mortgage is going to care greatly about economic policies that might affect one’s employment, or local policies that might affect the character of the area in which they reside or the value of their property. Anyone that pays a lot of taxes is also going to care greatly about what is done with the money confiscated from them at gunpoint; or in reducing it’s amount. The best way to illustrate this is to ask yourself what kind of government would result if the only people allowed to vote were those who did not own property or pay taxes. A requirement to have some kind of skin in the game, whether economic, or through planning for a multi-generational future through begetting offspring within the bounds of wedlock, should be a requirement that will result in the best kinds of candidates being chosen since they will not be able to pander to the interests of the mob by promising bread and circuses paid for with the money of others. I don’t dispute that those with no skin in the game do not have an interest in the outcome, only that a rising tide will lift all boats and should help curb the worst excesses of representative government.

        I realize those on this site will not agree on everything, and while most are here because of opposition to the spread of islam through the treachery of elites in every country, when it comes to how to choose which elites (because it always has been and always will be elites who rule societies and governments) will rule and how, there is a great deal of disagreement on the subject and reasonable people can agree to disagree.

        • What happens if those with no skin in the game rule is best illustrated in the movie “Idiocracy”.
          This form of government is called ochlocracy, rule of the mob.
          But now I start to doubt: would Justin Bieber or Hulk Hogan ,were they voted into office, really be incompetent executives?

        • Indeed we can; personally I think those rebellious Americans had a good point about no taxation without representation. I wonder what became of them?

          • We got away from “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure”.

            The Founders were far more prescient than we give them credit for.

    • Here in the former Austro Hungarian empire, the only people who could wote were the guys who “ran households” – the owners and heads of farms and businesses, and owners of houses in the cities and towns.

      Taxes were paid locally, and the local government spending was run by the people who paid those taxes. If one paid taxes, it was kind of expected he will be part of the local government which would decide what is going to be done for the money (except, of course, the mandatory fee for the emperor).

      It ran rather well, and it was much more transparent than what we have today. You could actually find the guy who is responsible for this and that, which is quite different from todays “I am just an ordinary bureaucrat, I cannot help you” system.

      • Yes, it certainly should be possible to lay ones hands on the creature that is spending the fruits of one’s labors. Another major flaw in western governance; the size of the hydra has grown far beyond the ability of the average citizen to personally touch those of whom it is composed. And those creatures who compose it certainly know it.

      • Good point, Barn! And not to forget: in those days, I here refer to stats of the German Empire around 1885, the income tax was about 1,5% of the revenue and did not reach simple workers.
        And it caused an uproar when it was raised to 3%.
        That is why some talk about the ” good old days”.
        Today, that would amount to 35$ a month..just dreaming.

  2. Kremlin bastards, as always in their repertoire: they will help Italy, and not Russian people. Do these scum really think that Italy will lift their sanctions?
    And the Russians will be treated with prayers!
    The elite and clergymen of Russia deserve to be lifted onto pitchfork once every 100 years.

    Ohhhh! How evil I am! Mood:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0EVmh9umcw
    ==========
    The Russian Aerospace Forces, on behalf of the head of the Ministry of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, created an air group to help Italy fight the COVID-19 coronavirus. Il-76 aircraft with eight medical and nursing teams and specialists of the Ministry of Defense are ready to be transferred from the Chkalovsky airfield in the Moscow region.

    “Are in readiness for the transfer … eight medical and nursing teams equipped with the necessary medical equipment and property. Also, a group of about 100 people is ready for departure, which included leading experts of the Russian Ministry of Defense in the field of virology and epidemiology ” https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4299107

    Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill approved the texts of new prayers created in connection with the threat of the spread of coronavirus infection. This was reported on the website of the Moscow Patriarchate.

    Prayers are written in the Old Slavonic language, while they do not mention directly the coronavirus. The title of both texts says that they must be addressed during the “spread of malicious accusation.” https://lenta.ru/news/2020/03/22/pray/

    • Russia-Muslim countries. Find differences:
      Patriarch Kirill proposed looking at coronavirus as God’s mercy

      The spread of the coronavirus, as the grace of God, can help to realize the fragility of human civilization and encourage people to believe in God, said Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill.
      https://ria.ru/20200322/1568973718.html
      ==============
      Yes. It is very convenient to control the human masses through fear. They dreamed about it for 100 years.

  3. West European narration and it outcome :-))
    2004 Polish Plumber imminent danger for European Culture
    2018 Polish Plumber a last Bastion of Europe and European Culture

    • the outcome of this was best illustrated by a french anecdote: a man adresses Baron de Rothschild in the street and tells him how his riches distributed could improve the fate of the people.You own 30 million pounds.
      So, how many people are there in France?, asks the Baron.
      About 30 million, says the man.
      Well ok, here is your pound.Enjoy.

  4. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is put in quarantine after doctor she saw tested positive for coronavirus – as her country bans gatherings of more than TWO people to stop the spread

    She put a koran under her pillow. she knows how to get an intercessor or mediator
    to convey her service to islam to mo the pirate and to allah.

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