Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/6/2021

Protesters demonstrated against coronavirus lockdowns in Idaho, Stockholm, London, and Switzerland. Meanwhile, police raided illegal lockdown-violating parties in Bermuda, Toronto, London, Queens, and the Negev.

In other news, Arizona and West Virginia have become the latest states to largely abolish coronavirus-related restrictions.

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

Thanks to Fjordman, JD, 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.

USA
» Arizona Opens Up Next: 100% Capacity at All Restaurants, Gyms, Movie Theaters
» Arson Fire Damages Portland Public Schools Property
» Bannon: Time to Prepare for Transition of Power From Biden to Harris
» BLM Backfire? US Public Opinion Shifts on George Floyd’s Death, Law and Order, As Racial Divide Widens After Summer of Riots
» Breaking Exclusive: Ballots in Arizona’s Maricopa County Found Shredded and in Dumpster — Days Before Senate Audit to Begin
» Breaking: Antrim County Clerk and Material Witness, Sheryl Guy, Dismisses Election Fraud Case — Judge Overrules Her Decision — Reinstates Case
» Created Reality, Part 1
» De Blasio Slammed for Calling NYC “Safest Big City in America” Despite Jump in Shootings
» Eric Swalwell Sues Trump and Allies Over Capitol Hill Riot, Alleging Incitement
» FBI Director Wray Uses January 6th Capitol Riot to Call for Backdoors to Private Messaging Apps
» Former Aide Says Cuomo Had Someone Else Take Sexual Harassment Training for Him
» Illinois Teachers Told Americans Are “Spiritually Murdering” Students in ‘Anti-Racist’ Training
» LA Teachers Union Went on Witch Hunt to Find Out the Races of Parents Pushing for Schools to Open
» Nearly 150 People Busted at Unlicensed Club Inside Queens Warehouse
» New Court Filing Reveals Papa John’s CEO Was Framed by Ad Firm to Appear Racist
» Portland Ex-Paralegal Indicted by Federal Grand Jury for Violent Rioting
» Power by Insurrection Has No Constitutional Authority
» Reports: Trump Sends Cease-and-Desist Letter to GOP Fundraising Groups
» Senate Passes $1.9T COVID-19 Relief Bill, Including $1,400 Stimulus Checks
» Suspected Explosive Device Damages RV in Argay Terrace Neighborhood (Photo)
» Texas Governor Backs Legislation Prohibiting Big Tech From Censoring Conservative Speech
» Trump Supporters Clash With Antifa in Manhattan After Unfurling a Huge Flag of Pelosi as a Demon Outside Trump Tower
» Trump Announces 3 More Endorsements
» Video: Families Burn Masks Outside State Capitol to Protest Lockdowns — Liberals Melt Down
» West Virginia Reopens Businesses to 100% Capacity
» Why Private Property Matters: Part 1
» Will You Obey the Criminal Authoritarians?
 
Canada
» Arrests, Tickets and No Answers: Toronto Police Continue Crackdown on Anti-Lockdown Protests
» Lawyer for Pastor James Coates: “No Evidence” Alberta Health Orders Serve Public Safety, Says John Carpay
» Protesting Outside an NHL Arena Nets Family $2,600 in Fines
» Shocking: Pastor James Coates’ Bail Review Denied, Will Remain Behind Bars Until May
» What Does $3,400 Get You at a Quarantine Hotel? Deceptive Pricing, Horrible Food, Awful Service
 
Europe and the EU
» Czechia: Prague Among the Most Honest Cities in the World
» Hundreds in Stockholm Protest Sweden’s Virus Restrictions
» Italy: Leftist Group Demands Plaque for Victims of Communist Massacres be Removed
» Memorial to Rise of First Black Settler in Iceland
» Swedish Police Arrest Hungarian Journalist Covering Suspected Migrant Terror Attack
» Switzerland— Anti-Government Protests Continue Over COVID Policy
» UK: Actor Laurence Fox Runs for Mayor of London on Reclaim Party Ticket
» UK: At Least 10 People Ready to Come Forward as Claims Meghan Markle Bullied and ‘Humiliated’ Staff Probed
» UK: Corby Police Issue COVID Fines After Illegal Gathering on Kingswood Estate
» UK: Leading Conservative MP Criticises School Mask Mandate as Damaging to Children’s Mental Health
» UK: Moment Anti-Lockdown Protester Asks Bemused Bystanders to Call the Police While Being Arrested at Rally in London Where 14 People Were Detained — Including Jeremy Corbyn’s Brother Piers
» Video: French Police Attacked by 20 Individuals With Mortar Fireworks, Three Officers Injured
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Police Bust Illegal Outdoor Party of Some 600 in Negev
 
Immigration
» Former Skipper Who Piloted Small Boat Packed With Migrants Across the English Channel Becomes Tenth Person to be Jailed for Assisting Unlawful Immigration This Year
» France: Iraqi Migrant Doctor Blames ‘Racist Conspiracy’ For Sex Assault Charges
» Record 10,373 Foreign Criminals Eligible for Deportation Are Roaming Britain’s Streets Free
» Swedish Prime Minister Claims Mass Stabbing by Afghan Migrant Not a Migration Issue
 
Culture Wars
» Censors Call for Warning Labels to be Added to Books on Amazon
» Firefox Introduces Extension That Automatically Censors “Hate Speech”
» In Scotland, Saying That Sex is Binary Could Soon be a Crime
» Looney Tunes: Cartoon Skunk Pepe Le Pew Contributed to ‘Rape Culture’, Says New York Times Columnist
» Poland: Ikea Directors Charged After Firing Employee Who Refused to Participate in LGBT Events
» UK: Founder Resigns After Backlash Over Post About Hiring for Talent, Not Color, Sexuality, or Religion
» Washington Supreme Court Opens Door to Compelling Religious Organizations to Hire LGBT Applicants
 
General
» Bermuda: Police Break Up Illegal Party With 100 People at Botanical Gardens
 

Arizona Opens Up Next: 100% Capacity at All Restaurants, Gyms, Movie Theaters

Following an emerging trend, Governor Doug Ducey of Arizona lifted one of the most stringent COVID-19 mitigation restrictions for his state. Beginning immediately, the state’s restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, bowling alleys, water parks, and bars may open at 100% capacity.

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

Arson Fire Damages Portland Public Schools Property

An arson fire that damaged vehicles parked at the administration building of Portland Public Schools is under investigation.

On Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 3:15a.m. Portland Fire and Rescue (PF&R) responded to a fire alarm at the Portland Public School (PPS) Administration Building at 501 North Dixon Street. They encountered three PPS vehicles on fire in a parking garage. Two were cargo vans and one was a large box truck. They extinguished the flames.

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

Bannon: Time to Prepare for Transition of Power From Biden to Harris

During an episode of Steve Bannon’s The War Room, Steve Bannon, Author Mike McCormick, and National Pulse Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam discussed that it is time to prepare for the transition of power between Biden and Harris.

According to Bannon, something about Joe Biden is just not right.

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

BLM Backfire? US Public Opinion Shifts on George Floyd’s Death, Law and Order, As Racial Divide Widens After Summer of Riots

US public opinion on the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody has shifted since the early days of last year’s Black Lives Matter protests, with trust in law enforcement growing after violent unrest in the streets.

Just 36 percent of respondents in a USA Today/Ipsos poll released on Friday described Floyd’s death as murder, down from 60 percent last June. The racial divide in how the May 25 tragedy is viewed is startling, with 64 percent of black poll participants and just 28 percent of whites saying Floyd was murdered.

The 24-point plunge in public confidence that Floyd was murdered comes to light just three days before Derek Chauvin, the police officer who was shown on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck, is scheduled to go to trial on murder and manslaughter charges. The shift came amid a decline in the BLM movement’s credibility and rising trust of law enforcement, and both of those trends coincided with riots across the nation.

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

Breaking Exclusive: Ballots in Arizona’s Maricopa County Found Shredded and in Dumpster — Days Before Senate Audit to Begin

Piles of shredded ballots were located today in a dumpster in Maricopa County Arizona. This find occurs only days before the Senate’s audit of the county’s 2020 election results is due to start.

For months the Board of Supervisors in Maricopa County have blocked and delayed any independent audit performed by the Arizona Senate of the County’s results in the 2020 Presidential election. As we’ve reported previously, after being subpoenaed by the Arizona Senate and then suing the Senate to prevent a Senate audit of their 2020 election results, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (MCBOS) agreed to have an audit if they could pick the auditors. The two firms they picked they claimed were the only two who were certified by the governmental body the US Election Assistance Commission (EAC). However, we found that these firms were not certified at the time they were selected by the MCBOS.

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

Breaking: Antrim County Clerk and Material Witness, Sheryl Guy, Dismisses Election Fraud Case — Judge Overrules Her Decision — Reinstates Case

Guest post via 100% Fed Up —

On November 23, 2020, attorney Matthew DePerno of DePerno Law filed a lawsuit on behalf of Central Lake resident William Bailey against Antrim County, MI. In addition to thousands of votes that were flipped from President Trump to Democrat candidate Joe Biden in Antrim County, MI, in the November election, Bailey was concerned about ballots that were re-run through the Dominion tabulator machine after a 262-262 tie on a vote a ballot initiative that would allow a marijuana establishment to be located within the Village of Central Lake.

Michigan’s radical Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson blamed the incredible vote switch from President Trump to Biden, as well as additional unexplainable errors on Antrim County Clerk Sheryl Guy, saying it was simply a “clerical” error.

On November 12, the Antrim Review interviewed Sheryl Guy about the massive vote switch from Trump to Biden that drew national attention to the rural county in northern Michigan. Faced with inaccurate general election results Wednesday morning, the day after the Nov. 3 election, Guy and her staff, as well as several other Antrim County officials and the Antrim County Board of Canvassers, spent the next three very long days attempting to correct them, which they were finally able to do late Friday night, after starting over completely.

“Once we were finally able to determine what had gone wrong, we had to recount all of the results and enter them into the re-calibrated tabulator,” she said earlier this week. “It was like a brand-new election to us, but we finally got correct numbers, which the Board of Canvassers was able to certify, at 10 p.m. Friday night.”

13th Circuit Court Judge Kevin A. Elsenheimer wasn’t buying it. At 5:30 PM on Friday, December 4, Judge Elsenheimer granted permission to William Bailey and his attorney’s team of IT experts to conduct a forensic study of the 16 Dominion voting machines, tabulators, thumb drives, related software and the Clerk’s “master tabulator.

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

Created Reality, Part 1

There are six major media outlets owned by the same cabal of elite billionaires who possess 40 percent of the world’s wealth. In meetings such as those held at Davos, Bilderberg, and the World Economic Forum, these billionaires, in collusion with technocrats and the media, have created an adverse form of reality to establish policies and situations to augment only them.

Because the same information appears to come from six independent sources, it’s accepted as factual. And yet, one major outlet distributes the same created reality to all six media sources to be pall-parroted by the most convincing talking-heads money can buy. This created reality of fabricated, deceptive information, void of actual facts, is instilled within peoples’ minds to create a world of fabrication.

Information is addictive, whether it is current events, politics, sports, weather, or entertainment. Using seduction, with a strong play on emotions, they twist and taint reality into a precision realm of created reality. Through the intake of controlled information transmitted by multiple visual and audio means, from when we are toddlers, we are indoctrinated on what to think, how to feel, how to act, and what you dare say…

In 2013, the CIA that introduced the term “conspiracy theory” as anything that contradicts or opposes created reality. This gave media a weapon to demolish anything that opposed the created reality narrative, regardless of how factual it may be. The term “conspiracy theory” is designed to trigger responses such as ridiculous or deceitful fabrication, and thereafter, whatever is preceded by the term conspiracy theory is immediately discarded without a second given to examine the facts.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

De Blasio Slammed for Calling NYC “Safest Big City in America” Despite Jump in Shootings

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has been slammed for calling the city the “safest big city in America,” in spite of a massive jump in shootings throughout the city.

His comments come amid reports that the city saw a 75 per cent jump in shootings this February compared to last, in spite of a slowdown in reported murders and felony assaults.

According to the New York City Police Department, the city recorded 77 shootings in February, compared to 44 the same month last year. On the plus side, there was one less murder this year with 21.

To date, there have been 160 reported shootings comprising 173 victims, compared to 115 shootings and 131 victims during the same timeframe in 2020. Police state that 10 of the shooting victims were between the ages of 10 and 17.

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

Eric Swalwell Sues Trump and Allies Over Capitol Hill Riot, Alleging Incitement

Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell, who was recently embroiled in a controversy over his relationship to a suspected Chinese spy, has sued former President Donald Trump for emotional distress. Swalwell is seeking damages over the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

The Democrat from California claimed in a 65-page complaint that he holds Trump responsible for inciting the riot, and that he was negligent in his presidential duties by failing to prevent and stop the violence, which saw the deaths of five people, including a Capitol police officer.

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

FBI Director Wray Uses January 6th Capitol Riot to Call for Backdoors to Private Messaging Apps

Like many others, the FBI is trying to seize an opportunity to use the January 6 protests in Washington as an excuse to sneak in some dangerous and unrelated policies that happen to suit their particular agendas.

For FBI Director Chris Wray, it’s law enforcement’s now multi-decade obsession with encryption. The US is not the only place where the fallacy persists that police and various spy agencies don’t already have enough tools and powers to prevent anything from actual terrorist attacks to unrest like that seen on Capitol Hill.

It’s a convenient way to deflect from any of law enforcement’s own internal and operational shortcomings that make them incapable of fully utilizing what they already have at their disposal to protect the public and institutions. Instead, like Wray demonstrated during his recent testimony before the US Senate, they play the blame game and time and again, encryption — the backbone of a secure and safe internet — comes up as “the enemy.”

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

Former Aide Says Cuomo Had Someone Else Take Sexual Harassment Training for Him

Charlotte Bennett, a former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, said on Friday the governor had someone else take his sexual harassment training for him in 2019.

On Wednesday this week, Cuomo was asked if he took the sexual harassment training he mandated to all state employees in 2019. He said, “The short answer is, ‘Yes.’“

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

Illinois Teachers Told Americans Are “Spiritually Murdering” Students in ‘Anti-Racist’ Training

A Chicago-area school district reportedly hosted anti-racist training for school administrators including tell them that expecting non-white teachers to instruct white students is a form of “covert white supremacy.”

The Federalist reports that on Feb. 26, Naperville Community Unit School District 203 held a training course hosted by the Countywide Equity Institute and “antiracist” coach Dena Simmons.

The training course included instruction on “equity and inclusion practices for the district,” and training for implicit bias and microaggressions.

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

LA Teachers Union Went on Witch Hunt to Find Out the Races of Parents Pushing for Schools to Open

The largest Los Angeles teachers union went on a witch hunt to find out the races of people pushing for schools to reopen in the media.

An activist with the teacher’s union was also quoted as a “district parent” in the Los Angeles Times claiming that minority parents do not want kids to return, without any mention of their union involvement.

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

Nearly 150 People Busted at Unlicensed Club Inside Queens Warehouse

RIDGEWOOD, Queens (WABC) — Police busted nearly 150 people at a party in an unlicensed club inside a warehouse in Queens on Saturday.

Around 1:40 a.m. deputy sheriffs found a large group of people inside the warehouse, located on 11-33 Irving Ave. in Ridgewood.

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

New Court Filing Reveals Papa John’s CEO Was Framed by Ad Firm to Appear Racist

John Schnatter, CEO of Papa John’s Pizza, believes he is one step closer to vindication after a federal court unsealed a complaint alleging that the ad firm “Laundry Service,” hired by Schnatter, actually plotted to destroy his reputation and company.

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

Portland Ex-Paralegal Indicted by Federal Grand Jury for Violent Rioting

A federal grand jury has indicted a former Portland paralegal for felony civil disorder after he allegedly assaulted a cop during a Black Lives Matter-Antifa riot.

31-year-old Phillip John Wenzel, of Beaverton, Ore., was charged with one count of civil disorder, US Attorney for the District of Oregon, Billy J. Williams, announcedMonday. Wenzel was arrested by the US Marshals Service on Sunday. The affidavit of his case is sealed but the indictment says Wenzel “knowingly committed a violent act for the intended purpose of obstructing, impeding and interfering with a law enforcement officer” engaging in lawful performance of their duties.

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

Power by Insurrection Has No Constitutional Authority

Don’t read this article if you can’t tolerate the plain spoken truth and anguish of a Patriot.

Patriots know we have a faux government put into power by an insurrection, which means it has no Constitutional authority to govern. The Constitutional requirements for voting were not followed, and every conceivable method of cheating was employed, resulting in an insurrection and a faux government.

These evil traitors have total and absolute power without Constitutional Authority. They are ruling against the needs and desires of the American people while implementing a ruthless Chinese Communist style dictatorship in conjunction with the cabal of the super wealthy Democrats and Communists.

But circumstances are much, much more dire and catastrophic than just stated.

The real horrible terrifying truth is that a few families and billionaires control the government and absolutely 100% of everything else in this country. These power mad people are anti-American and don’t give a damn about the people; they are sacrificing us for money and power. Every single thing they are doing is contrary to the best interests of the people. I defy anyone to question this fact.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Reports: Trump Sends Cease-and-Desist Letter to GOP Fundraising Groups

WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump has told at least three Republican organizations to stop using his name and likeness for fundraising purposes, according to multiple media reports.

Trump’s lawyers reportedly sent cease-and-desist letters to the Republican National Committee (RNC), National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) for using the former president’s name and likeness on fundraising emails and merchandise, according to Politico.

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

Senate Passes $1.9T COVID-19 Relief Bill, Including $1,400 Stimulus Checks

WASHINGTON — An exhausted Senate narrowly approved a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief billSaturday as President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies notched a victory they called crucial for hoisting the country out of the pandemic and economic doldrums.

After laboring all night on a mountain of amendments — nearly all from Republicans and rejected — bleary-eyed senators approved the sprawling package on a 50-49 party-line vote. That sets up final congressional approval by the House next week so lawmakers can whisk it to Biden for his signature.

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

Suspected Explosive Device Damages RV in Argay Terrace Neighborhood (Photo)

Portland Police Arson Unit is investigating a possible explosive device detonation that caused damage to a recreational vehicle in the Argay Terrace Neighborhood.

On Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 8:41a.m. Portland Police were dispatched to assist Portland Fire and Rescue on a report of a trailer on fire in the 3800 block of Northeast 141st Drive. When they arrived they found smoke coming from a RV parked there (photo). Firefighters found smoke but no fire, and determined that no one had been injured.

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

Texas Governor Backs Legislation Prohibiting Big Tech From Censoring Conservative Speech

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing a piece of legislation titled Senate Bill 12, that would prohibit social media companies like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter from “censoring Texans based on viewpoints they express.”

“Too many social media sites silence conservative speech and ideas, and trample free speech. It’s un-American, un-Texan, and soon to be illegal,” Abbott wrote on Twitter.

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

Trump Supporters Clash With Antifa in Manhattan After Unfurling a Huge Flag of Pelosi as a Demon Outside Trump Tower

Supporters of former President Donald Trump marched down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Friday as they carried enormous banners that read ‘Trump 2024’.

The event was billed as a ‘Trump Save America Flag Unfurling’ and featured all sort of Trump signage including one banner that depicted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a demon.

Towards the end of the event, the Trump marchers clashed with some angry New Yorkers and which the Right Side Broadcasting Network claimed was a group of ‘Antifa’ and Black Lives Matter activists, leading to the arrest of six people.

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

Trump Announces 3 More Endorsements

On Friday night, Trump announced three more endorsements.

He endorsed South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, and Arkansas Lieutenant Governor Tim Griffin, who is running for Arkansas Attorney General.

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

Video: Families Burn Masks Outside State Capitol to Protest Lockdowns — Liberals Melt Down

Families in Idaho rallied outside the State Capitol on Saturday to protest the nationwide lockdowns still in effect in many parts of the country.

Over a hundred fifty people gathered at the Idaho State Capitol to rally against Gov. Brad Little’s emergency powers and the lockdowns in general, with some families seen burning masks en masse.

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

West Virginia Reopens Businesses to 100% Capacity

Provided they maintain proper social distancing regulations, Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia announced Friday that businesses in the state may open to 100% capacity. The move follows a national trend of states re-opening their economies amid plummeting COVID-19 numbers and the expansion of the vaccine.

Justice’s executive order allows retail stores, grocery stores, gyms, museums, restaurants, and bars to fully open. The state has left its mask mandate in place.

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

Why Private Property Matters: Part 1

Most Americans tend to think of private property simply as a home — the place where the family resides, store their belongings and find shelter and safety from the elements. It’s where you live. It’s yours because you pay the mortgage and the taxes. Most people don’t give property ownership much more thought than that.

There was a time when property ownership was considered to be much more. Property, and the ability to own and control it, was life itself. The great economist, John Locke, whose writings and ideas had major influence on the nation’s founders, believed that “life and liberty are secure only so long as the right of property is secure.”

John Locke advocated that if property rights did not exist, then the incentive for an industrious person to develop and improve property would be destroyed; that the industrious person would be deprived of the fruits of his labor; that marauding bands would confiscate, by force, the goods produced by others; and that mankind would be impelled to remain on a bare-subsistence level of hand-to-mouth survival because the accumulation of anything of value would invite attack.

One only has to look to the example of the former Soviet Union to see clearly what happens to a society when an outlaw government exercises brute force to take control of private property. Under that tyrannical government, each of Locke’s predictions came true there.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Will You Obey the Criminal Authoritarians?

Story at-a-glance:

  • In 1962, in a now infamous experiment shown in the video above, Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram tested the limits of human obedience to authority
  • The Milgram experiment was conducted following the trial of Nazi Adolf Eichmann, who used the Nuremberg defense, or “befehl ist befehl,” which translates to “an order is an order”
  • The Milgram experiment clearly showed that people would act against their own judgment and harm another person to extreme lengths simply because they were told to do so
  • With societal norms rapidly changing, and an increasingly authoritative environment emerging, it raises the question of whether or not the public will continue to blindly obey criminal authoritarians, no matter the consequences

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Arrests, Tickets and No Answers: Toronto Police Continue Crackdown on Anti-Lockdown Protests

It was like déjà vu all over again at Queen’s Park in Toronto last Saturday. In the shadow of the cenotaph — a monument that commemorates those Canadians who gave their lives in numerous wars to preserve our rights and freedoms — members of the Toronto Police Service were ticketing and arresting anti-lockdown protesters who had the temerity to… display a sign… or wave a flag… or merely stand in a park doing absolutely nothing!

Once again, I reached out to members of Toronto’s Finest to find out why they were behaving in such a shameful fashion. And once again, I was told to direct my queries to the communications department of the Toronto Police Service.

The thing is, I had already done so, days before the latest Saturday protest. I sent along five specific questions, but the blanket answer that I received back was a non-answer. I’ll allow you to be the judge.

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

Lawyer for Pastor James Coates: “No Evidence” Alberta Health Orders Serve Public Safety, Says John Carpay

Pastor James Coates of GraceLife Church has been held in custody at the Edmonton Remand Centre for nearly two weeks. This morning, after finding out that the pastor’s bail hearing was denied, Ezra Levant invited lawyer John Carpay of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms on to our Rebel News Daily livestream to discuss the case.

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

Protesting Outside an NHL Arena Nets Family $2,600 in Fines

Back in January, Melissa Hildebrand and her husband Kelly attended a small protest outside the Bell MTS Centre.

As Melissa puts it: If the Winnipeg Jets can play and make a living, so can the rest of Manitoba. If athletes can play sports, then it’s time to open recreational activities for children and teens who are suffering without.

However, once Melissa and her husband left the rally, they were pulled over by Winnipeg police. According to Melissa, six police officers surrounded their car, demanded their ID and wrote them tickets for attending the “illegal gathering” in front of the MTS centre. The Hildebrand family received two tickets totalling nearly $2,600!

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

Shocking: Pastor James Coates’ Bail Review Denied, Will Remain Behind Bars Until May

Pastor James Coates’ bail review has just been denied in an Alberta courtroom.

The pastor will now remain behind bars awaiting his May trial.

According to a release from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms,

[…]Justice Peter Michalyshyn of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench in Edmonton has ruled that Pastor James Coates of Grace Life Church must remain in jail for the next eight weeks pending his trial, unless he agrees to abide by health orders that violates his Charter freedoms of conscience, religion, expression, association and peaceful assembly.

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

What Does $3,400 Get You at a Quarantine Hotel? Deceptive Pricing, Horrible Food, Awful Service

It’s been about a week since those new (and not-so-improved) quarantine hotels went into operation thanks to the latest Justin Trudeau order in council late in February. And if one were to give this program a letter grade, surely it would be F — as in F for Fiasco.

After all, what have we witnessed thus far? How about a 1-800 quarantine hotel hotline that simply does not work. Surly service. Grotesque food that not even a dog would consume. Substandard hotel room accommodations. Absolutely outrageous room rates — typically, about $2,000 for a three-night stay. And, most shockingly of all, allegations that some of the jailors at these lovely incarceration hotels are sexually assaulting female inmates — er, I mean “guests.”

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

Czechia: Prague Among the Most Honest Cities in the World

Prague has been included on the list of the most honest cities in the world, but according to a new indexof the Twinner autoscanner company, Zurich, Switzerland, is the most honest city in the world. The survey focused, for example, on handling petty theft or the honesty of citizens and car dealers in various metropolises.

In the final group of 75 cities, Prague ranked 25th.

According to all criteria, Zurich gained the highest possible score of 100 points, followed by Tokyo, Australia’s Adelaide, Phoenix in Arizona, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Munich, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, and the top ten is completed with Australia’s Brisbane, earning a score of 91.4 points.

With 89.3 points, Prague ranked 25th, gaining the most points for civic honesty, for which the Czech capital received 92.8 points. Other decisive factors were, for example, a transparent economy, politics, and the society as a whole. While in the last-mentioned category, it received 71.7 points, transparency at the government level earned Prague 75.6 points.

As for the category of handling theft, Prague finished in 10th place overall, surpassed, among others, by Tel Aviv, Valencia, and Stuttgart.

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

Hundreds in Stockholm Protest Sweden’s Virus Restrictions

STOCKHOLM — Swedish police on Saturday dispersed hundreds of people who had gathered in central Stockholm to protest coronavirus restrictions set by the Swedish government.

Swedish authorities said the demonstration — the first major protest against the country’s coronavirus restrictions — was illegal as it was held without permission.

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

Italy: Leftist Group Demands Plaque for Victims of Communist Massacres be Removed

The Turin branch of the leftist ANPI group in Italy has demanded a plaque to the communist-led foibe massacres victims be removed from a memorial garden, calling it “abusive.”

The current plaque replaced an older plaque at the garden on the outskirts of Turin. It states: “Garden for victims of Foibe murdered only because they are Italian in Istria, Fiume, and Dalmatia by the communist partisans of Tito. In the vandalism of a few, in the indifference of others, Turin Remembers.”

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

Memorial to Rise of First Black Settler in Iceland

The Icelandic government has approved state funding for the memorial of farmer and merchant Hans Jónatan, believed to have been the first black man to have settled in Iceland, mbl.is reports.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Swedish Police Arrest Hungarian Journalist Covering Suspected Migrant Terror Attack

Swedish police in the city of Uppsala detained a reporter from the Hungarian television station HIRTV this week for two hours after he filmed a report from in front of a local police station.

Reporter Zoltan Bugnyar was covering a recent mass stabbing incident that saw eight people injured by an Afghan migrant in the municipality of Vetlanda on Wednesday when uniformed police approached him.

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

Switzerland— Anti-Government Protests Continue Over COVID Policy

Police said about 4,000 demonstrators walked peacefully through the town of Chur on Saturday carrying banners and many wearing white protective suits.

They accused the government of using dictatorial powers to implement restrictions aimed at halting the spread of the virus, notably by closing restaurants and bars.

The protest ended with a speech by an outspoken local politician of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party.

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UK: Actor Laurence Fox Runs for Mayor of London on Reclaim Party Ticket

Actor Laurence Fox announced his candidacy for mayor of London. Fox is running on the Reclaim Party ticket, a political movement that he launched in October, 2020. His proposal is to “offer a voice to those who are being dominated into silence.”

In a campaign video posted to social media, Fox discusses the difficulties of the past year, particularly the suppression of freedoms. He appeals to people regardless of their political stripes, speaking of the current conditions as regards citizens’ relinquishing of freedoms “in the name of the common good.”

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UK: At Least 10 People Ready to Come Forward as Claims Meghan Markle Bullied and ‘Humiliated’ Staff Probed

At least ten former staff members are ready to come forward as claims that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex bullied and “humiliated” aides are probed.

Allegations that Meghan, the former Suits starlet and wife of Prince Harry, inflicted “emotional cruelty and manipulation” on staff are being investigated by Buckingham Palace, after a former aide revealed she had been the subject of a bullying complaint and accused her of driving a number of people out of their jobs.

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UK: Corby Police Issue COVID Fines After Illegal Gathering on Kingswood Estate

Corby police staff have handed out several fines and warnings today to people breaching Covid regulations.

Neighbourhood PCSOs were on the Kingswood estate today (Saturday, March 6) where they caught people involved in an illegal gathering.

They dished out three fines to those breaking the Covid law on gatherings and issued two section 59 notices which warn people their vehicles will be seized if they continue to use them for criminal activity.

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UK: Leading Conservative MP Criticises School Mask Mandate as Damaging to Children’s Mental Health

Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces opposition from amongst his own Conservative MPs over the government’s recommendation that children wear masks in classrooms if they cannot socially distance, with leading backbencher Sir Graham Brady warning it will cause psychological damage and disrupt learning.

British children are set to return to school on Monday, with secondary school pupils (aged 11 to 18) recommended to wear masks where social distancing is not possible, including possibly in the classroom. Secondary school children will also be asked to take three ‘lateral flow’ tests at school and two every week at home, involving swabbing the back of the throat and also the inside of the nose.

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UK: Moment Anti-Lockdown Protester Asks Bemused Bystanders to Call the Police While Being Arrested at Rally in London Where 14 People Were Detained — Including Jeremy Corbyn’s Brother Piers

This is the bizarre moment an anti-lockdown protester asked bystanders to call the police while he is being arrested.

The demonstrator pleaded for help and claimed he was being abducted as officers tried to restrain him.

The man, who was not wearing a face covering, continued to yell as five policemen marshalled him into a squad van.

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Video: French Police Attacked by 20 Individuals With Mortar Fireworks, Three Officers Injured

On Sunday evening, about 20 individuals attacked the French police in the Saint-Jean district of Beauvais in northern France. Three officers were injured, and a 16-year-old boy was arrested and taken into police custody, the Actu17 news outlet reported.

Amateur footage showing the extreme display of violence has been posted on social media.

Around 8:30 p.m., the officers set off to a car set on fire in the Saint-Jean district.

Once there, the national and municipal police found themselves facing about 20 individuals who attacked them with mortar fireworks. Garbage containers were also set on fire. One of the videos shows two police cars becoming a target of the attackers.

The officers used tear gas and blast balls to fend off the attackers.

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Police Bust Illegal Outdoor Party of Some 600 in Negev

Police overnight Friday-Saturday broke up an outdoor party in the Negev that was attended by roughly 600 people, in violation of the government’s health guidelines.

Officers were called to the scene near Nahal Tzin after receiving noise complaints. When they arrived, they found a large tent complex that included four dance floors and hundreds of people inside.

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Former Skipper Who Piloted Small Boat Packed With Migrants Across the English Channel Becomes Tenth Person to be Jailed for Assisting Unlawful Immigration This Year

A former Iranian sea captain who risked his life and 12 other asylum seekers by steering them across the Channel has been jailed for four and a half years.

Skipper Fariboz Rakei took a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) across the Channel, one of the busiest waterways in the world, before they were intercepted by a Border Forder coastal patrol vessel on September 7 last year.

The court heard how the four-metre-long RHIB Rakei was piloting is designed to carry a maximum of eight people but was packed to the gunwales with 13 onboard, including a seven-year-old boy.

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France: Iraqi Migrant Doctor Blames ‘Racist Conspiracy’ For Sex Assault Charges

An Iraqi migrant doctor in the French commune of Bourges who has been accused of sexual assault by a patient has alleged a “racist conspiracy” against him.

The Bourges prosecutor’s office has only asked for a one-year suspended sentence and a two-year ban on practising medicine for 80-year-old Dr Fadhil Almosawy, accused of sexually abusing one of his patients in November of 2019.

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Record 10,373 Foreign Criminals Eligible for Deportation Are Roaming Britain’s Streets Free

The number of foreign criminals living free in communities throughout the United Kingdom has hit a record high, with over 10,000 criminals roaming the streets despite being eligible for deportation.

Home Office figures revealed that some 10,373 foreign criminals have been released from prison yet have so far skirted deportation — meaning the number of foreign national offenders living in British communities has hit the highest level in recorded history.

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Swedish Prime Minister Claims Mass Stabbing by Afghan Migrant Not a Migration Issue

At a press conference following the mass stabbing attack by an Afghan migrant in Vetlanda, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven claimed the incident was not a migration issue.

Prime Minister Löfven made his remarks in response to a tweet from the populist Sweden Democrats, who said that the government should enforce a ban on migration that creates a social, economic, or cultural burden on the country.

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Censors Call for Warning Labels to be Added to Books on Amazon

Like the saying goes, the first step is the hardest. Now that Amazon, by a massive margin the most dominant online book retailer, has started banning books on issues like transgenderism and politics — pressure is piling up to expand this list of virtual digital book burning to other issues as well.

However, some people, particularly in Europe, for obvious reasons, clearly still feel uncomfortable about advocating any kind of book burning. But can’t we at least add warning tags, mainstream media and opposition politicians in the UK are now pleading with censors.

Covid, vaccines, and (mis)information are some of the issues around which censorship could be expanded, say reports who looked at how books dedicated to these topics perform on Amazon, but also on UK’s large retailer, Waterstones, and another local bookseller chain, Foyles.

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Firefox Introduces Extension That Automatically Censors “Hate Speech”

Mozilla seems to be replacing innovation and investment in software development with virtue signaling. That doesn’t look like a road leading to anywhere in particular: Firefox browser’s existing user base might be turned off by the lack of focus on technical improvements of the browser itself, while luring in Chrome users with wokeness alone seems like a massive uphill battle.

In this context, the last thing we need is segregation of women into “safe language spaces” — through none other than Mozilla’s several years ago controversially rewritten add-ons system.

But that’s what we’re getting.

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In Scotland, Saying That Sex is Binary Could Soon be a Crime

In Scotland, claiming sex is binary could result in criminal charges, a policy analysis group warns. The warning follows a “flawed and rushed” change to an upcoming hate speech legislation.

In January, Humza Yousaf, the justice secretary in Scotland, proposed an amendment to the upcoming hate crime legislation that would have protected free speech around transgenderism. However, the amendment was met with heavy criticism from the trans lobby.

The backlash from activists was so bad that Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland and leader of the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP), had to record a video imploring LGBT members of SNP not to leave the party. Consequently, Yousaf withdrew his amendment to the hate crime bill.

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Looney Tunes: Cartoon Skunk Pepe Le Pew Contributed to ‘Rape Culture’, Says New York Times Columnist

NYT columnist Charles Blow and his critics are trading rhetorical blows after the writer made Looney Tunes character Pepe Le Pew the latest target of the cancel mob, arguing that the skunk “normalized rape culture.”

“Right-wing blogs are mad because I said Pepe Le Pew added to rape culture,” Blow wrote Saturday, tweeting a scene from the Warner Bros. classic cartoon series. “Let’s see, he grabs/kisses a girl/stranger repeatedly, without consent and against her will. She struggles mightily to get away from him, but he won’t release her. He locks a door to prevent her from escaping.”

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Poland: Ikea Directors Charged After Firing Employee Who Refused to Participate in LGBT Events

In May 2019, an IKEA worker published two Bible quotes in his workplace’s intranet after his employer instituted a day-long event entitled “solidarity with LGBT excluded persons day”. The man was fired for the posts.

The IKEA human resources director, who made the decision to fire the worker, has now been charged with restricting the employee’s rights and discriminating against their beliefs.

The IKEA director is currently facing a fine and incarceration of up to two years for discriminating against the IKEA employee.

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UK: Founder Resigns After Backlash Over Post About Hiring for Talent, Not Color, Sexuality, or Religion

The founder and chairman of one of UK’s largest digital marketing and advertising companies, Gordon Beattie, was forced to resign over a badly-worded LinkedIn post.

“At Beattie Communications, we don’t hire blacks, gays or Catholics,” the post reads. “We sign talented people and we don’t care about the colour or their skin, sexual orientation or religion,” the post continued. “That’s the way it should be with every company — only hire people for their talent, experience, knowledge, and wisdom.”

Online activists took issue with Beattie’s well-intended post, focusing only on the first sentence without the wider context.

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Washington Supreme Court Opens Door to Compelling Religious Organizations to Hire LGBT Applicants

The Washington Supreme Court this week reversed a lower court’s decision that had dismissed attorney Matt Woods’ lawsuit against Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission(SUGM) for not hiring him after learning he was in a same-sex relationship. Woods had also told the organization he could see himself “marrying a man and starting a family with another man.”

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Bermuda: Police Break Up Illegal Party With 100 People at Botanical Gardens

Police have launched an investigation into a party last night that breached Covid-19 rules.

A police spokesman said that officers were alerted to a celebration at the Horticultural Hall in Paget’s Botanical Gardens with more than 100 people in attendance.

The maximum size for a gathering is pegged at 25 under the coronavirus regulations.

The spokesman added: “No one was wearing masks and there was no social distancing.

“Based on the number of persons at the location and the reported breaches, several police units were dispatched to assist.”

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One thought on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/6/2021

  1. “Police overnight Friday-Saturday broke up an outdoor party in the Negev that was attended by roughly 600 people, in violation of the government’s health guidelines.”

    The Negev? That’s Israel’s Death Valley. I mean it was outside. I thought the Israelis were smart? Looks like they are as anti-science and totalitarian as Gavin Newsome and Andrew Cuomo.

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