Gates of Vienna News Feed 7/4/2020

Two female Black Lives Matter activists were struck by a car and seriously injured when they were standing on Interstate 5 in downtown Seattle in the wee hours of this morning. Meanwhile, a group of Swedish soccer fans defended a statue in Stockholm, preventing it from being vandalized by left-wing extremists.

In other news, former Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini vigorously criticized the Chinese government for its actions in Hong Kong.

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

Thanks to Dean, Insubria, LP, 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
» Wrong Again: Rachel Maddow Predicted June Jobs Report Would be ‘Terrible’ (Video)
 
USA
» “Defund the Police” Mural Changed to Read “Defend the Police” In Milwaukee
» Activists Get Kansas Woman Fired From 20-Year Job and Shut Down Her GoFundMe After She Criticized Black Lives Matter
» Amazon Refuses to Publish Book by Epidemiologist Professor Daniel Halperin
» Black Lives Matter Protesters Dance and Stand on US Flag in DC Plaza on July 4th Holiday
» Chicago: 1 Dead, 2 Seriously Wounded in Shootings So Far Saturday
» CNN Then and Now: Mt. Rushmore During Obama Visit — “Majestic, Quite a Sight” — Mt. Rushmore During Trump Visit — “Monument to Two Slave Owners”
» Dershowitz Defends Ghislaine Maxwell’s Character as He Sues Epstein Victim for Accusing Him of Rape
» Donald Trump Jr.’s Girlfriend Tests Positive for Coronavirus
» Driver Involved in I-5 Seattle Collision of Female Protesters at 1:30 in Morning is Doxxed — Antifa Calls Him “Racist Monster” But He’s Black
» Facebook’s Refusal to Run Ads for Candidate Laura Loomer Hints at the Need for a Modern-Day Equal-Time Rule
» ‘Hate Speech’ — Student Ousted From Christian University for Criticizing Black Lives Matter in Tik Tok Videos
» In Mount Rushmore Speech, Trump Condemns “Left-Wing Cultural Revolution, “ “Far-Left Fascism”
» Jackson Man Stabbed to Death Over $5
» Kanye West Says He’s Running for President This Year, Elon Musk Offers Support
» Nashville Mayor Shuts Down 4th of July Celebrations But Allows Black Lives Matter to Protest America on Independence Day
» NBA, Players Union Agree on 29 Social Justice Messages Allowed for Display on Jerseys
» PBS Reporter Yamiche Alcindor Trashes America Over President Trump’s Mount Rushmore Fourth of July Celebration
» Police Officer Shot to Death in Toledo
» Take That, Newsom! Newport Beach Celebrates 4th of July With Beach Parties and Trump Boat Parade (Videos)
» Trump Announces Creation of “National Garden of American Heroes” Where Dozens of Statues Will be Displayed
» Trump: American Children “Are Taught in School to Hate Their Own Country”
» Trump Speaks at Mount Rushmore on Patriotism and American Greatness — NY Times Calls it a “Dark and Divisive Speech”
» Two Women Activists Hit by Car on I-5 Outside Seattle — Suffer Serious Injuries After Hitting Windshield and Front Grill… Video
» Virginia Democrats Plan to Hijack COVID-19 Crisis to ‘Defelonize’ Assaults on Police Officers
 
Canada
» Bombshell: Whistleblower Describes Facebook Interference in Canada’s 2019 Election
 
Europe and the EU
» EU Grants Remdesivir Conditional Authorisation
» Italy: Former San Raffaele Hospital Chief Under Investigation
» Italy and Spain Turned Around ‘Daunting Situation’ Says WHO
» Italy Gets Jurisdiction in India Marines Case
» Polexit Could be Next: How Supreme Court Warned Poland Might Leave EU
» Scotland: Glasgow Stabbings: Police Investigate “Offensive” Comments About Mass Stabber
» Swedes Defend Statue From Far-Left Extremists
» UK: ‘You Won’t be Missed’ — Rugby Fan Gets Life Ban for Criticising ‘Marxist’ BLM
» UK: Khan’s London: Police Retreat From Illegal Block Party as Rioters Throw Bricks and Bottles
» UK: Liberal Democrat Leader Reports Nigel Farage to Police for Having a Pint
 
Middle East
» Criticisms of Hagia Sofia Status is an Attack on Turkish Sovereignty, Says Erdogan
» Greek Govt Opposes Turks Converting Hagia Sophia Into a Mosque
» Lebanon: Fuel Crisis for Generators, Repeated Blackouts
» Netfix and Over 400,000 Websites Banned in Turkey
» Turkey’s Erdogan Plans to Censor the Internet After Family Member Insulted Online
 
Far East
» After Six Months of Exhaustive Investigative Work — Scientific Community Unable to Identify Natural Source of China Coronavirus
» Italy’s Matteo Salvini Slams Chinese Communists Over Hong Kong
» Western Social Media Platforms Brace for China’s New “Security” Law to Increase Hong Kong Censorship
 
Immigration
» Illegal Immigrants Can Now Pay Cheaper Tuition Than Some American Citizens in Virginia
» Italy Says Could Take Rescued Migrants Monday
» Sweden: Afghan Dies After Knife Brawl Between Rival Migrants
 
Culture Wars
» Even Zuckerberg’s Charity Calls on Him to Censor More “Misinformation”
» Facebook Oversight Board Asked to Censor Climate Skeptic Posts
» Putin Mocks U.S. Embassy for Flying LGBT Pride Flag
 

Wrong Again: Rachel Maddow Predicted June Jobs Report Would be ‘Terrible’ (Video)

Does MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow ever get tired of being wrong?

She pushed the Russia hoax on a nightly basis for three solid years, you would think that alone would have been enough to shame her off the national stage, but no.

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

“Defund the Police” Mural Changed to Read “Defend the Police” In Milwaukee

A roadway mural outside Milwaukee’s City Hall that read “Defund the Police” was painted over by an anonymous group who changed the “u” to an “e,” making the mural read, “Defend the Police.”

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

Activists Get Kansas Woman Fired From 20-Year Job and Shut Down Her GoFundMe After She Criticized Black Lives Matter

In recent months, cancel culture has gone into overdrive with many people losing their livelihoods, reputations, or jobs for expressing their opinions online.

This usually happens after activists target individuals over their online posts, find out where they’re employed, and then bombard the employer with messages and phone calls until they’re terminated.

In many cases, just a single tweet, statement, or video is all it takes for an individual to be targeted and subject to a pressure campaign that results in them losing their job.

After licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist Tabitha Morris from Paducah, Kentucky posted a three minute Facebook video on June 9, where she stated that she doesn’t support the Black Lives Matter movement, she not only lost her job but continued to be targeted after being fired and ended up having her GoFundMe mass reported and taken down.

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

Amazon Refuses to Publish Book by Epidemiologist Professor Daniel Halperin

Former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson, a lockdown skeptic who is no stranger to Amazon’s censorship, shared on Twitter screenshots of two messages that he suggests prove tech behemoth Amazon is censoring e-books about coronavirus.

This concerns Amazon’s e-book publishing arm, where the very mention of the virus apparently now means that “nothing gets through.”

Blatant and even blanket censorship is what’s being decried here. The first screenshot shows an email to Daniel Halperin — an epidemiologist and professor at the University of North Carolina — sent by Kindle Direct Publishing, which is supposed to serve independent, i.e., self-published authors.

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

Black Lives Matter Protesters Dance and Stand on US Flag in DC Plaza on July 4th Holiday

In case you were wondering if this is still about George Floyd.

It’s not.

Black Lives Matter activists danced and stood on the US flag in DC today on July 4th holiday.

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

Chicago: 1 Dead, 2 Seriously Wounded in Shootings So Far Saturday

A man was shot dead, and two others were wounded in separate shootings Saturday morning on the South Side, Chicago police said.

The fatal shooting happened shortly after 7:15 a.m. in the 6400 block of South Hoyne Avenue in the West Englewood neighborhood.

A 31-year-old man was in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle when someone in a dark-colored SUV began firing in his direction. He suffered wounds to the chest, neck and right arm, and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

In the latest shooting, a 27-year-old man was shot in the 4700 block of South Ada Street in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

CNN Then and Now: Mt. Rushmore During Obama Visit — “Majestic, Quite a Sight” — Mt. Rushmore During Trump Visit — “Monument to Two Slave Owners”

In 2008 Barack Obama visited Mount Rushmore.

Obama joked that his ears were too big for Mount Everest.

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

Dershowitz Defends Ghislaine Maxwell’s Character as He Sues Epstein Victim for Accusing Him of Rape

In an opinion piece published Friday by Spectator USA, former Jeffrey Epstein legal defense team member Alan Dershowitz reminded the public that alleged Epstein madame Ghislaine Maxwell must be “presumed innocent,” and insisted that he and his wife “never saw her do anything inappropriate” during the many occasions on which they socialized with Epstein.

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

Donald Trump Jr.’s Girlfriend Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is a fundraiser for President Donald Trump’s campaign and girlfriend of Donald Trump, Jr., tested positive for coronavirus recently.

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

Driver Involved in I-5 Seattle Collision of Female Protesters at 1:30 in Morning is Doxxed — Antifa Calls Him “Racist Monster” But He’s Black

Two women activists were hit by a car last night in downtown Seattle early in the morning on July 4th.

The women activists were standing on the interstate at 1:30 AM.

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

Facebook’s Refusal to Run Ads for Candidate Laura Loomer Hints at the Need for a Modern-Day Equal-Time Rule

What happens when the world’s most dominant platform decides to allow only one candidate to advertise in an election contest?

Congressional candidate Laura Loomer’s election campaign ads on Facebook have been prevented, which her campaign is warning gives her opponent an unfair advantage during the election.

Loomer, who is running for the Florida 21 Congressional District, expressed her frustration about the situation on Gab and in a statement the campaign starts by acknowledging that Facebook is critical to digital campaigning, as evidenced by the Trump re-election campaign’s $47 million budget on the social platform.

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

‘Hate Speech’ — Student Ousted From Christian University for Criticizing Black Lives Matter in Tik Tok Videos

A female student was ousted from a Christian university in Texas for criticizing Black Lives Matter Marxists in a series of Tik Tok videos.

Ashleigh Brock is no longer enrolled at Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas after the outrage mob demanded “serious consequences” in response to her Tik Tok videos wherein she simply stated that “all lives matter.”

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

In Mount Rushmore Speech, Trump Condemns “Left-Wing Cultural Revolution, “ “Far-Left Fascism”

Speaking from Mount Rushmore Friday night, President Donald Trump vowed a strong defense of American heritage and denounced recent attacks on monuments across the country, as well as efforts to silence dissent against “far-left fascism.”

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

Jackson Man Stabbed to Death Over $5

Police are looking for Jontathan Ratliff Gray in connection with the stabbing.

JACKSON, Miss. — Jackson Police are looking for a man accused of stabbing another man to death on Newport Street.

Officers said Jonathan Ratcliff Gray is wanted for the stabbing.

Police said witnesses told them Gray stabbed 77-year-old Anthony Thompson multiple times, over $5.

Officers said Thompson later died from his injuries.

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Kanye West Says He’s Running for President This Year, Elon Musk Offers Support

Superstar rapper, producer, and fashion designer Kanye West tweeted Saturday that he is running for president of the United States this year:

“We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future,” West said. “I am running for president of the United States!”

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

Nashville Mayor Shuts Down 4th of July Celebrations But Allows Black Lives Matter to Protest America on Independence Day

Black Lives Matter held a protest in Nashville on Fourth of July this afternoon.

Thousands of people turned out.

The BLM protesters did not burn down the historic courthouse this time.

They already did that in June.

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

NBA, Players Union Agree on 29 Social Justice Messages Allowed for Display on Jerseys

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have agreed to a list of 29 social justice messages that players can display on their jerseys during the upcoming restart of the basketball season.

Each player may opt to include one of the approved messages on his jersey in place of his last name. One option is for the player to display the message for the first four days of the restart, and then switch back to displaying his last name.

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

PBS Reporter Yamiche Alcindor Trashes America Over President Trump’s Mount Rushmore Fourth of July Celebration

Appearing on MSNBC Friday night, PBS NewsHour White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor trashed America in comments about President Trump’s appearance at Mount Rushmore last night for a Fourth of July celebration. Alcindor was so wound up spewing her contempt for America, Trump and his supporters that she frequently stumbled over her words trying get it all out in minute long stream of consciousness rants.

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

Police Officer Shot to Death in Toledo

A 26-year-old Toledo police officer, Anthony Dia, died early Saturday morning after being shot in the chest while in the line of duty.

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

Take That, Newsom! Newport Beach Celebrates 4th of July With Beach Parties and Trump Boat Parade (Videos)

Democrat tyrant Gavin Newsom shut down 19 counties in California earlier this week due to a ‘surge in COVID-19 cases.’

Newsom told millions of Californians they aren’t allowed to go to the beach on 4th of July weekend, but he kept his winery, Plumpjack Winery, located in Napa Valley open for business.

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

Trump Announces Creation of “National Garden of American Heroes” Where Dozens of Statues Will be Displayed

Following widespread desecration and removal of statues of Christopher Columbus, founding fathers, and military leaders, President Donald Trump announced Friday night the upcoming construction of the “National Garden of American Heroes.”

The new outdoor park will feature statues of at least 31 outstanding Americans, according to an executive order signed by Trump and released Friday to the public.

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

Trump: American Children “Are Taught in School to Hate Their Own Country”

During his speech from Mount Rushmore on Friday night, President Trump lambasted leftists and progressive agitators in America, at one point saying, “Against every law of society and nature, our children are taught in school to hate their own country and to believe that the men and women who built it weren’t heroes, but villains.”

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

Trump Speaks at Mount Rushmore on Patriotism and American Greatness — NY Times Calls it a “Dark and Divisive Speech”

President Trump delivered a powerful and timely speech on American exceptionalism and patriotism at Mount Rushmore on Independence Day Eve.

The 45th President spoke on our historical greatness and the many historic figures who shaped this great nation.

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

Two Women Activists Hit by Car on I-5 Outside Seattle — Suffer Serious Injuries After Hitting Windshield and Front Grill… Video

Two women activists were hit by a car last night in downtown Seattle early in the morning on July 4th.

The women activists were standing on the interstate at 1:30 AM.

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

Virginia Democrats Plan to Hijack COVID-19 Crisis to ‘Defelonize’ Assaults on Police Officers

Ahead of a special session of Virginia’s state legislature meant to address COVID-19, Virginia Democrats are preparing to hijack the legislative agenda and put forward a package of “police reform” bills designed decrease police funding, change the way police officers do their jobs, and even “defelonize” physical attacks on police officers.

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

Bombshell: Whistleblower Describes Facebook Interference in Canada’s 2019 Election

Ryan Hartwig worked for years as a censorship contractor for Facebook.

Hartwig was based in Phoenix, Arizona, one of 1,500 censors working in shifts around the clock, deleting up to 200 post per day, each.

One of the jobs that this army of secret censors had was to interfere in the 2019 Canadian federal election.

Hartwig and the other Facebook deleters were given specific instructions on what to delete — including certain comments that were critical of NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, or certain criticisms of Canada’s open-borders immigration policy.

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

EU Grants Remdesivir Conditional Authorisation

The European Commission on Friday granted a conditional marketing authorisation for the drug Remdesivir, making it the first medicine authorised at EU-level for treatment against Covid-19. “Today’s authorisation of a first medicine to treat Covid-19 is an important step forward in the fight against this virus,” said Stella Kyriakides, EU health and safety commissioner. The decision follows purchase by the US of almost the entire world’s supply of Remdesivir.

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

Italy: Former San Raffaele Hospital Chief Under Investigation

Nicola Bedin amid 11 probed over alleged medicine-sales fraud

(ANSA) — ROME, JUN 30 — Milan finance police on Tuesday notified 11 people, including the former acting CEO of the San Raffaele.hospital, that an investigation regarding alleged fraud in relation to the sale of medicines has been completed.

This notification is often issued before charges are pressed.

The case regards alleged fraud that prosecutors believe cost the region of Lombardy over 10 million euros.

The former head of the hospital, Nicola Bedin, is the current president of the SNAM energy group.

Several managers for a number of pharmaceutical companies are also under investigation.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy and Spain Turned Around ‘Daunting Situation’ Says WHO

Key was ‘leadership, humility, active participation’

(ANSA) — ROMA, 02 LUG — World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised the response of Italy and Spain to the coronavirus emergency in the Geneva-based organization’s regular briefing this week.

Leadership, Humility, Participation.

“Both countries brought their epidemics under control with a combination of leadership, humility, active participation by every member of society, and implementing a comprehensive approach,” he said.

“Both countries faced a daunting situation, but turned it around.

Epicentre.

“In March, Italy and Spain were the epicentre of the pandemic.

At the peak of its epidemic, Spain had almost 10,000 cases a day, and Italy had more than 6,500 cases”.

Focus.

The WHO Director-General said focus on the coronavirus should be kept high.

He said the number of new COVID-19 cases has exceeded 160,000 on every single day.of the past week and that more than half of all of the cases reported since the start of the pandemic were in June.

“60% of all cases so far have been reported just in the past month,” he said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy Gets Jurisdiction in India Marines Case

But Rome must compensate Delhi for fishermen’s deaths

(ANSA) — ROME, JUL 2 — The International Tribunal of Arbitration on Thursday ruled in Italy’s favour in the case of two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen off the southern Indian coast in February 2012 — but Italy will have to pay India compensation for the loss of life.

The court gave Italy jurisdiction in the case of Marina Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, who fired on the fishermen after mistaking them for pirates while on duty off the coast of Kerala on the merchant ship Enrica Lexie.

India was denied jurisdiction over the pair of fusiliers.

The men’s immunity was recognised.

The tribunal’s ruling that the marines were doing their national duty and thus subject to the ‘flag law’ was announced by the Italian foreign ministry.

In ordering compensation to be paid, the court said “Italy violated freedom of navigation and thus will have to compensate India for the loss of human lives, the material damage to their vessel and the moral damage suffered by the commander and other members of the Indian trawler Saint Anthony”.

The tribunal urged the two countries to come to an agreement on the compensation to be paid.

The Italian foreign ministry said Italy would restart criminal proceedings in the case.

The arbitration tribunal first sat on the case in The Hague in November 2015.

Commenting on the ruling, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said “today a definitive full stop has been placed after a long agony. Hugs to the two marines and their families.” He said “we have never stopped following this case, but I want to also thank those who preceded me for the constancy and determination shown in this affair.

“Italy will naturally respect what the arbitration tribunal has established, with a spirit of collaboration”.

Defence Minister Lorenzo Guerini also welcomed The Hague court’s ruling saying it had “put an end to an affair that had dragged on for years, particularly heavy for its human aspects.

“For this reason I send an affectionate thought to our two marines and their families for the difficult moments which they went rhough”.

The case has caused friction between Italy and India.

Shortly after the incident, the Indian Navy intercepted the MV Enrica Lexie and detained the two Italian marines. That sparked the conflict of opinions over legal jurisdiction and functional immunity between the governments of India and Italy and continued to cause diplomatic tension between the two nations.

After having been detained in India with no formal charges for two and four years, respectively, the two marines were finally released and returned to Italy. Meanwhile, the independent United Nations court was charged to resolve the conflict of jurisdiction, following a European Parliament resolution of January 2015, stating that “no charge has been brought by the Indian authorities” and that “Italian marines’ detention without charge was a serious breach of their human rights”.

While tangential, the incident drew attention to the practice of commercial shipping using armed guards.

The controversy also had major commercial implications between Italy and India.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Polexit Could be Next: How Supreme Court Warned Poland Might Leave EU

POLAND’s Supreme Court issued a warning in December 2019 that the country may eventually have to leave the European Union if the right-wing government pursues its controversial judicial changes, unearthed reports reveal.

Poland’s nationalist President Andrzej Duda is advancing to a second round of elections after winning the initial contest on June 28. Mr Duda, who represents the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, garnered the highest number of votes, coming in with 42.9 percent of the tally. Civic Platform candidate Rafal Trzaskowski, the left-leaning and pro-EU mayor of Warsaw, came in second with 30.4 percent.

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

Scotland: Glasgow Stabbings: Police Investigate “Offensive” Comments About Mass Stabber

Police in Scotland are investigating “offensive” and “potentially criminal” comments regarding a photo of the man who stabbed 6 people in a mass stabbing attack last week.

On Sunday, police released an image of the attacker. However police are now investigating comments to the image on social media, calling them “unacceptable”.

“We are aware of a number of offensive, unacceptable and potentially criminal comments in response to this image. These are being investigated and action will be taken where appropriate.” a spokesperson said.

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

Swedes Defend Statue From Far-Left Extremists

A photo showing around 50 people defending a statue from being vandalized by far-left extremists is being praised on social media.

The group of people are supporters of the Swedish football club AIK and are part of a football supporter group called “Boys” according to Swedish politician Hanif Bali.

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

UK: ‘You Won’t be Missed’ — Rugby Fan Gets Life Ban for Criticising ‘Marxist’ BLM

A rugby fan has been banned from his club’s stadium for life for praising a girl who refused to “take the knee” and criticising “Marxist extremism and intimidation”.

Sharing a now-viral image of a player on a girl’s football (soccer) team declining to kneel for Black Lives Matter ahead of a game shared by actor Laurence Fox, Twitter user GJPowell had commented: “More moral fibre than the rest of her teammates combined and more balls than the entirety of the [English Premier League] player pool in the face of Marxist extremism and intimidation…?”

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

UK: Khan’s London: Police Retreat From Illegal Block Party as Rioters Throw Bricks and Bottles

At least seven police officers were injured by rioters in London throwing bricks, glass bottles, and other makeshift missiles at them as they retreated from a mob at what is being characterised as an “unlicensed music event”.

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) confirmed on Saturday that they responded to reports of an “unlicensed music event” in White City in West London on Friday evening.

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

UK: Liberal Democrat Leader Reports Nigel Farage to Police for Having a Pint

Ed Davey, the acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, reported Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage to Kent Police for having a pint in a pub on Saturday.

Nigel Farage celebrated the reopening of the pubs in Britain with a pint of beer, saying that he was the “first customer in” at 12 o’clock and posting a picture on social media.

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

Criticisms of Hagia Sofia Status is an Attack on Turkish Sovereignty, Says Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke for the first time about Hagia Sophia after the meeting of the Turkish Council of State, according to Ant1News.

Just a day after Turkey announced that the decision on whether Hagia Sophia turns into a mosque, will be made within 15 days, Erdogan launched an attack not only against Greece, but against those who sided with them.

Speaking at a ceremony at the Levent Mosque in Istanbul, the Turkish president said: “Criticising such a country through places of worship means turning your back on the truth. The charges against us, against Hagia Sophia are a direct attack on our sovereign rights.”

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

Greek Govt Opposes Turks Converting Hagia Sophia Into a Mosque

Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas has come out against the proposal from Turkey to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque, saying such a move would strain relations between Christians and Turkey.

Built by the Roman emperor Justinian I, the Hagia Sophia served as Christendom’s largest and most prominent cathedral for hundreds of years and was the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople.

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

Lebanon: Fuel Crisis for Generators, Repeated Blackouts

Part of worsening economic collapse in the country

BEIRUT — The Lebanese electric utility risks having to further ration electricity distribution in various cities and rural areas in the country due a growing lack of fuel to power generators, said Lebanese media. They said in various districts on the outskirts of Beirut, as well as other cities in the country’s north, south, and the Bekaa Valley, daily electricity blackouts have become more frequent and prolonged.

Lebanon is experiencing its worst financial-economic crisis of the past 30 years and the government is struggling to find urgent solutions to the lack of liquidity in hard currency to face the need to ensure essential services to the population.

Since the end of the civil war 30 years ago, electricity in Lebanon has been rationed, with power cuts ranging from three to 12 hours per day depending on the distance or proximity with the institutional center of the capital Beirut.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Netfix and Over 400,000 Websites Banned in Turkey

Over 400,000 websites, including Netflix, are banned in Turkey, according to the “Bans on the Web 2019” report published by the Freedom of Expression Association (IFÖD).

The report found that as of 2019, a total of 408,494 websites, are banned in Turkey, meaning the true number is likely much higher today.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised on Wednesday that social media platforms will be controlled or shut down after his family was insulted by social media users. The very next day, Netflix was blocked in Turkey.

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

Turkey’s Erdogan Plans to Censor the Internet After Family Member Insulted Online

It’s a family affair over in Turkey. That is — that state’s top officials seem to be once again pitting themselves against a majority of the country’s population. Online.

And this is happening in a state where top echelons of power are what you might generously call a bunch of “control enthusiasts.”

It’s an unnerving sight perhaps to those accustomed to at least a formal semblance of a “separation of family and state.”

(Think of your president — or whoever might be the top authority — shuttering access to online networks just because somebody insulted a member of their family. If you just can’t see it — congratulations, you might actually live in a democracy.)

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

After Six Months of Exhaustive Investigative Work — Scientific Community Unable to Identify Natural Source of China Coronavirus

Guest post by Dr. Lawrence Sellin, Ph.D.

After six months of exhaustive investigation, the global scientific community has been unable to identify the natural source of COVID-19, that is, the when, where and how it “jumped” from animals to humans.

Some now imply that we may never know the natural origin of COVID-19.

In a news article recently published by the international science journal Nature, the progress, or lack thereof, identifying the natural source of COVID-19 was reviewed.

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

Italy’s Matteo Salvini Slams Chinese Communists Over Hong Kong

ROME — The leader of Italy’s leading populist party declared on Friday that China’s communist regime has nothing in common with Italian democracy, condemningthe left-wing government’s silence in the face of Beijing’s crackdown on Hong Kong.

The leader of the League (Lega) party, Matteo Salvini, issued a declaration sharply criticising a communiqué from the Chinese Embassy, following protests by a Lega-organized flash mob outside the embassy in support of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and against Communist China’s draconian National Security Law.

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

Western Social Media Platforms Brace for China’s New “Security” Law to Increase Hong Kong Censorship

On Tuesday, July 30, a new national law was enacted that would affect freedom of use of the internet and social networks in Hong Kong. Authorities may require sites like Facebook or Twitter to remove posts and user accounts that do not meet the demands of the Beijing government.

China is widely recognized for its censorship mechanisms it applies to control citizens. The free internet is practically non-existent since the “Great Firewall” blocks many foreign websites and platforms. Those who try to overcome this barrier to publish things that the government does not like can quickly become an enemy of the nation.

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

Illegal Immigrants Can Now Pay Cheaper Tuition Than Some American Citizens in Virginia

Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed a bill into Virginia law that will allow illegal immigrant students to qualify for in-state tuition.

Similar measures, HB 1547 and SB 935, were introduced by Democratic Virginia state lawmakers. Each chamber passed its respective bill largely along party lines. Northam signed the reconciled legislation into law. It took effect on July 1.

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

Italy Says Could Take Rescued Migrants Monday

Italy is carrying out tests on 180 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean with a view to transferring them to a quarantine vessel in Sicily, an interior ministry source said Saturday.

The migrants have been on the Ocean Viking ship operated by SOS Mediterranee for over a week, with fights and suicide attempts on board prompting the charity to declare a state of emergency on Friday.

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

Sweden: Afghan Dies After Knife Brawl Between Rival Migrants

An Afghan migrant has died after being stabbed in a brawl in central Stockholm. Another two Afghans were knifed as well.

The first stabbing took place at the Kungsträdgården park in the centre of the city on Wednesday night. Two more Afghans were stabbed at the nearby Västra Trädgårdsgatan street by a man who has been described as being from another country and in his twenties.

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

Even Zuckerberg’s Charity Calls on Him to Censor More “Misinformation”

Everyday users of Facebook will have no doubt come across many of their conversations on the platform censored under the guise of being “misinformation” or even “hate speech.” But despite Facebook’s rampant censorship of the platform, there are many who call for the company to do even more.

The beneficiaries and employees of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s charity foundation are attacking him for not censoring “misinformation”. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) is a multi-billion charity foundation that funds a wide range of projects in areas such as education, health, and energy.

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

Facebook Oversight Board Asked to Censor Climate Skeptic Posts

Prominent environmentalists and Democratic activists say Facebook is “allowing the spread of climate misinformation to flourish, unchecked” and urging the company’s external oversight board to intervene.

Driving the news: A new open letter with signatories including Stacey Abrams, Tom Steyer, and John Podesta (pictured) takes aim at the distribution of content from a group called the CO2 Coalition without warning labels or restrictions.

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

Putin Mocks U.S. Embassy for Flying LGBT Pride Flag

Russian President Vladimir Putin mocked staff at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow for displaying a rainbow LGBT pride flag, and implied that U.S. dignitaries hung the flag because they were homosexuals themselves.

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

13 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 7/4/2020

  1. Am I color-blind? The majority of BLM “activists” are white? What are those people, black inside and white outside?

    • If you’re old enough you might remember the term “oreo”, a term of derision, applied by black racists to fellow blacks holding tradition value cultural/political views. This blm strikes me as oreo with a twist.

      • Maybe “Good and Plenty” — pink on the outside, black on the inside.

    • They are Navin R. Johnson from the Jerk, I was born a poor black child.
      Only a profoundly sick society of overabundance on the verge of collapse could produce such dullards.

  2. ‘Two female Black Lives Matter activists were struck by a car and seriously injured when they were standing on Interstate 5 in downtown Seattle in the wee hours of this morning.’

    The two female Black Lives Matter activists who were struck by a car–one of whom died–are white and, from what it appears to me from photos, lesbian. The driver is from Eritrea.

    If I was on the jury, I would vote to acquit the driver of criminal charges.

    If the driver loses a civl lawsuit and a judgment is entered against him, I suggest that he look into bankruptcy.

    • Only shame is that the Eritrean didn’t run over more of them. Ironic that the protesting morons were hoisted by their own petard. Even an african occasionally has his uses…

  3. blm , it is reported to be heavy in dhimmocrat demographics, with money donate by, whoever, going to actblue organization, which then launders it to the dnc and obiden political campaign. All this leads me to believe, that the torching of American cities run by dhimmicrats ( mayor/city councils/state governors ) was/is/shall continue to be, a gigantic fund raising movement for the dhimmicrat party, geared toward the 2020 election.

  4. BLM people=100 percent useful idiots for communism no matter what color,creed,”sexual leaning”, and or”sexual feeling on any given day” that the marchers represent!It is amazing how BLM get their panties in a bunch when people try to defend themselves and their property from hoards of idiotic rioters .

  5. Kids who were unloved by their parents were told to go play out on the interstate.
    As youngsters we would run across the local interstate as fast as we could then collapse in gut busting laughter on the other side.
    I hope Bart and the crew are well.

  6. Much as I love muy country (the USA), and mistrust Putin, I’m with him on mocking us for our Embassy flying the LGBTQWXYZ flag. It is a disgrace that we’re making the world safe for perversion a foreign policy goal.

Comments are closed.