Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/14/2021

Police cracked down on church services and other illegal lockdown-violating gatherings in Ontario, Nova Scotia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, and India. Toronto police have broken up at least 1,000 forbidden gatherings in the space of three weeks.

In other news, as the IDF continued to retaliate for rocket attacks by Hamas, violent riots broke out in the West Bank. At least eleven Palestinians have been killed in clashes with Israeli police.

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

Thanks to Dean, DV, JW, 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
» Greece: Mitsotakis: The Economy is Moving Towards a Very Fast Recovery
 
USA
» Arizona Senate President Claims Entire Database Deleted From Election System
» Biden Secretary of Defense Adviser Pick Once Said Online Misinformation is a Digital “Plague”
» Biden Revokes Trump Orders on Social Media, Statues and Migrants
» Black Lives Matter Protesters File Charges Against NC Judge They Say Tried to Hit Them
» Bombshell Letter in Prestigious Scientific Journal Calls for New Investigation Into COVID-19’s Origins
» Congress Moves Closer to Forming 9/11-Style Capitol Riot Commission
» Death and De-Prosecution in Philadelphia
» Delta Will Require New Employees Get COVID Vaccine, CEO Says
» DeWine Has Lost His COVID-Loving Mind: Will Bribe Ohioans to Get Vaccine With Million-Dollar Lottery Prizes, Scholarships for Children
» Facebook Bans Health Hut News Founder Erin Elizabeth
» Fauci: Kids Still Need to Wear Masks
» Get Ready for a Violent American Summer According to Crime Experts
» Get Woke, Go Broke: Disney Revenue Plummets After Woke Corporate Culture Revealed
» Josh Hawley’s Book Debuts as Top 10 Bestseller Despite Cancellation Attempts
» Man Fired by Apple After Getting Mobbed by Woke Employees Speaks Out
» Nebraska State Patrol: Man Dies From Gunshot Injuries After Firing at Least 1 Round at Police
» New York Yankees Somehow Have 8 COVID Cases in Vaccinated Staff
» Oklahoma Governor Grills Steaks Under Pro-Vegan PETA Billboard
» Opinion: Patriots Not Welcome
» Pentagon (Unsurprisingly) Accused of Warrantless Surveillance
» Poll Finds Over a Quarter of American Men Think They’d Lose a Fight With a House Cat
» Rachel Maddow Says She Will Have to “Rewire” Her Brain to Not View Maskless as a “Threat”
» Rep. Elise Stefanik Wins GOP Conference Chair Vote to Replace Liz Cheney
» Report: Officers Justified in Use of Deadly Force Against Virginia Beach Mass Shooter
» Skidmore College Faces Potential Lawsuit Over Alleged First Amendment Violations
 
Canada
» Anti-Lockdown Rodeo Held in Alberta Results in No New COVID Cases
» Canadian Pastor Artur Pawlowski Compares Canada to Hong Kong Following Arrest Over Holding Church Service
» Over 150 People in Northeastern Ontario Charged With Breaking Stay-at-Home Order
» People Got Arrested at a Massive Illegal Church Gathering in Ontario on Sunday
» Police Charge Business for Failing to Follow Health Protection Act
» Province Gets Injunction to Block All Anti-Public Health Order Protests
» Toronto Police Have Busted More Than 1,000 Illegal Gatherings in the Past 3 Weeks
 
Europe and the EU
» Czechia Agrees With Four Countries on Recognizing Vaccination Certificates
» Finland’s National Football League to Offer Free Sports Hijabs
» German Green Party Members Want to Remove ‘Germany’ From Their Own Manifesto
» Hungary, Poland, Czechia, And Slovakia Establish Family-Friendly Coalition
» Ireland: Gardai Out in Force in Portobello Shutting Area Over Illegal Gatherings of Up to 1,000 People
» Israeli Flag Hoisted Over German City Hall is Taken and Burned
» Netherlands: Police Breaks Up Illegal Party in Deventer Sending 250 People Home; Two Arrests
» Poland’s Conservative PiS Party Leads Polls While Civic Platform Sees Worst Result in Party’s History
» Polish PM: We Want to Promote the Family on the EU Forum
» Politically Motivated Crime at All-Time High in Germany
» Prince Harry: Royal Life Was Like Living ‘In a Zoo, ‘A Real Life ‘Truman Show’
» Spain: More Police on the Streets of Palma This Weekend
» The UK’s “National Fraud Initiative” Would Give Police Power to Match Public and Private Sector Data
» UK: ‘Illegal’ Wedding Restaurant Hot Chilli in Bolton Loses Licence
» UK: ‘Time for Blair’ Trends on Twitter as Labour Far Behind in Polls
» UK: Labour Suspends ‘Anti-Racist’ Union Boss Candidate Who Called for Indian-Heritage Politician to be Deported
» UK: New Indian Variant ‘Could Pose a Serious Disruption’ To Full Reopening in June, Boris Warns
» UK: Women Forced to Wear Face Masks During Childbirth Suffered Vomiting, Panic Attacks, Breathing Difficulties
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» How Israel Used a Tweet to Lure Militants to Their Doom in Terror Tunnels
» West Bank Erupts in Protest Amid More Israel-Hamas Fighting
 
Middle East
» Erdogan: If France Refuses to Withdraw the ‘Separatism’ Law, Millions of Muslims Will be Upset
 
South Asia
» India: 391 Illegal Public Gatherings Held During Surge, Most Marriages
 
Immigration
» British Lorry Driver Tells How His Truck Was Attacked by Migrants Wielding Iron Bars and Breeze Blocks in Desperate ‘Attempt to Cross Channel’
» Denmark Wants to Send Asylum Seekers to Africa
» Greece: Only 40 Per Cent of Asylum Seekers in Migrant Camps Want Vaccine
 
Culture Wars
» Facebook Fact-Checkers Contradict Each Other on Vaccine Mandates, Putting Users Doubly at Risk of Censorship
» Twitter Joins Group Attempting to Determine Meme Veracity and Authenticity
» UK: Train Company Apologises for Using Phrase ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ During Announcement
 

Greece: Mitsotakis: The Economy is Moving Towards a Very Fast Recovery

“Greece may be the country with the highest growth rate in the eurozone next year,” Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Europe fit for the Digital Age said on Friday when meeting Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

“Both the management of the pandemic and the current situation in the country are impressive,” she said, adding “really impressive.”

Mitsotakis underlined that: “With great pleasure, I can say that I believe that the worst is over and now the economy is moving towards a very fast recovery.”

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

Arizona Senate President Claims Entire Database Deleted From Election System

Amid the extended look into Arizona’s election system and the results of the 2020 general presidential election, Arizona State Senate President Karen Fann wrote a letter asking for a meeting to resolve supposed disparities in Maricopa County’s final vote tallies, as uncovered by the an audit of that election.

Fann stated that that Election Management System’s database, which information was subject to a subpoena by the state senate, has been deleted, according to the Arizona Independent News Network.

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

Biden Secretary of Defense Adviser Pick Once Said Online Misinformation is a Digital “Plague”

In an op-ed from 2018, Biden’s pick for senior adviser to the Secretary of Defense, Bishop Garrison, described free speech as a “digital black plague.”

In the 2018 op-ed, resurfaced by Revolver News, Garrison described alleged disinformation, which to others is free speech, as a “digital black plague,” which if allowed to “spread further,” soon “the shining city on the hill will undoubtedly find itself alone in the darkness for years to come.”

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

Biden Revokes Trump Orders on Social Media, Statues and Migrants

President Joe Biden rescinded several executive actions on Friday that were put in place by Donald Trump, including one targeting social media companies that his predecessor had ordered after Twitter Inc. fact-checked his tweets.

Biden also revoked an executive order that would rebrand U.S. foreign aid and another order meant to encourage the Justice Department to prosecute people for destroying a U.S. “monument, memorial or statue.”

Biden also overturned a Trump proclamation suspending entry of immigrants seen as a financial burden to U.S. health care system.

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

Black Lives Matter Protesters File Charges Against NC Judge They Say Tried to Hit Them

A Fayetteville activist has pressed assault charges against an N.C. Court of Appeals judge, alleging he tried to hit protesters with his car outside the downtown Market House this month.

Myah Warren filed charges of assault with a deadly weapon against Judge John Tyson in Cumberland County on Friday.

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

Bombshell Letter in Prestigious Scientific Journal Calls for New Investigation Into COVID-19’s Origins

A letter signed by 18 prominent U.S. virus experts and appearing in Science magazine on Thursday is calling for a new investigation into the origins of the coronavirus—one that investigates all possibilities.

What makes this particular letter different from others is that it doesn’t advocate for either the lab-leak hypothesis or a natural explanation. The scientists are saying that there isn’t enough evidence to confirm any theory about the origins of the virus, which is why another investigation is badly needed.

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

Congress Moves Closer to Forming 9/11-Style Capitol Riot Commission

Congress is moving closer to forming a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, with a bipartisan agreement emerging in a key House committee.

The deal would create a 10-person body, with five commissioners, including the chairperson, picked by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

The other half of the commission members would be selected by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

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

Death and De-Prosecution in Philadelphia

In 2017, Philadelphians elected “progressive prosecutor” Larry Krasner as district attorney. Since taking office, Krasner has pursued a policy of de-prosecution—the decision not to prosecute certain crimes regardless of whether they actually took place—as homicides have spiked. While Philadelphia experienced de-prosecution and rising homicides leading up to Krasner’s election, both trends have accelerated dramatically under his leadership. That he now faces a serious primary challenge in his quest for reelection should come as no surprise.

Under Krasner, Philadelphia is on track to set two city records: the lowest number of felony prosecutions in modern history and the highest number of homicides. Last year was grim enough, as a 30-year low in felony cases prosecuted coincided with 499 homicides—more than New York, which has five times the population, and one shy of the record, reached in 1990 at the height of the crack epidemic. In 2021, the body count is on track to surpass 600. In just six years, the number of homicides in Philadelphia has doubled.

[Comment: Larry Krasner received almost $1.7 million from Philadelphia Justice and Public Safety, a Political Action Committee funded by Soros. Source: https://www.inquirer.com/politics/clout/philadelphia-district-attorney-larry-krasner-george-soros-retired-cops-20200807.html]

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

Delta Will Require New Employees Get COVID Vaccine, CEO Says

Delta will require that all new employees be vaccinated against the coronavirus, the airline’s CEO said in an interview aired Thursday.

Current employees, however, won’t be required to get the COVID-19 shot, Ed Bastian said on CNN’s “Quest Means Business.”

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

DeWine Has Lost His COVID-Loving Mind: Will Bribe Ohioans to Get Vaccine With Million-Dollar Lottery Prizes, Scholarships for Children

On Wednesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced that he would be lifting his draconian COVID-19 orders on June 2. (I would not be surprised if Gov. Goalpost finds a reason to rescind his order to rescind the orders between now and then, but that’s a discussion for another article.) In addition to opening the state back up (except for nursing homes, where everyone is most likely vaccinated), DeWine announced that he will use federal COVID relief funds to bribe Ohioans to get vaccinated—in a stunt that sounds like it was cooked up in a marketing department at a Vegas casino.

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

Facebook Bans Health Hut News Founder Erin Elizabeth

Facebook has shut down Health Nut News founder Erin Elizabeth’s accounts with millions of collective followers, months after she was branded a member of the “disinformation dozen” by the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH).

Elizabeth said that the purge of her Facebook and Instagram accounts wiped out her personal page, multiple accounts and groups, and even her aunt who is her assistant.

She added that many of the removed pages had “never done anything wrong” and were focused on health and raw food.

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

Fauci: Kids Still Need to Wear Masks

While decreeing that the fully vaccinated are now allowed to remove their face muzzles, Anthony Fauci reminded Americans that their children are still unvaccinated and therefore must remain masked.

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

Get Ready for a Violent American Summer According to Crime Experts

Experts are worried that criminal activity might spike across the country as the US comes out of their pandemic stupor.

Joseph Giacalone is an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He told Fox News that urban areas and US cities are seeing higher crime rates.

“It’s not getting any better. Let’s put it this way: New York City is already ahead of last year’s pace, but last year, the homicides and shootings really started spiking at the end of May and into June. So that will be the real tale of the tape, so to speak, to see what’s happening over there.”

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

Get Woke, Go Broke: Disney Revenue Plummets After Woke Corporate Culture Revealed

The Walt Disney company revealed that revenues are down more than $636 million in the second quarter of 2021 as compared to the first.

It was only a few months ago that Disney cancelled one of its star actresses because they didn’t like comments she had made on social media. Shortly after that, it was revealed their internal corporate process is heavily influenced by critical race theory. And now, their revenues have dropped from $16.249 billion to $15.613 billion. This includes revenue across the entirety of the Disney universe, from parks to merch to television and movies.

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

Josh Hawley’s Book Debuts as Top 10 Bestseller Despite Cancellation Attempts

Sen. Josh Hawley’s new book, “The Tyranny of Big Tech” is selling at rapid rates following a cancellation attempt by Simon and Schuster in January for his stance on election integrity.

According to Publishers Weekly, Hawley’s book ranks sixth in the nation for hardcover frontlist nonfiction. Since the book was released on May 4, Hawley has sold nearly 21,000 copies and shows no sign of slowing down. In its first week on Amazon’s “Top 20 Most Sold & Most Read Books of the Week” list, Hawley’s book ranked number 15.

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

Man Fired by Apple After Getting Mobbed by Woke Employees Speaks Out

After being ‘cancelled’ by the tech giant, Antonio Garcia Martinez has finally broken his silence.

On Friday, Martinez was fired “due to protests on the part of some Apple employees, to the point where they started a petition asking that his hiring be investigated.” Having worked at Facebook as a project manager for the ad-marketing team, he was hired by Apple to work on ad privacy.

Employees cited “Garcia Marquez’s purported views on women and on people of color”, as well as the views expressed in his controversial book, Chaos Monkeys.

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

Nebraska State Patrol: Man Dies From Gunshot Injuries After Firing at Least 1 Round at Police

An investigation is underway after officers exchanged gunfire with a man who threatened to harm himself Friday afternoon.

According to officials, the incident happened on Clarmar Avenue near First Street. In a news release, the Fremont Police Department said officers were dispatched to a residence where a man threatened to harm himself.

The news release said the man left a residence while brandishing a firearm after officers arrived.

According to police, the man fired at least one shot from the gun. Fremont police said officers returned fire, hitting the man.

According to police, the officers provided medical aid as Fremont first responders traveled to the scene.

First responders took the man to Fremont Methodist Health. The Nebraska State Patrol told KETV NewsWatch 7 that the man died from his injuries.

The man was not identified.

The Nebraska State Patrol has assumed command of the investigation, according to the news release.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

New York Yankees Somehow Have 8 COVID Cases in Vaccinated Staff

So far in their lukewarm start to the season, the New York Yankees have 19 wins, 16 losses, and eight confirmed coronavirus cases among vaccinatedmembers of their coaching and support staff.

Before Wednesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, manager Aaron Boone announced that pitching coach Matt Blake had tested positive, joining previous cases including third-base coach Phil Nevin, first-base coach Reggie Willits, and four more unnamed staffers. Boone reiterated that all seven who have tested positive have been vaccinated.

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

Oklahoma Governor Grills Steaks Under Pro-Vegan PETA Billboard

He’s fired up!

Oklahoma’s governor grilled steaks and flipped burgers under a pro-vegan billboard on Wednesday as part of an ongoing feud with an animal rights group.

Gov. Kevin Stitt held the roadside cookout under a sign paid for by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that called the governor “a meathead.”

The sign, which includes a picture of a cow and says “Go Vegan for LIFE,” was put up after Stitt initiated a pro-agriculture “Eat Meat Week” in March, KOCO News 5 reported.

“We’re gonna stand by our agriculture industry and our personal freedoms,” Stitt, a Republican, told reporters.

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

Opinion: Patriots Not Welcome

[Disclaimer: The views expressed in opinion pieces on the PrescotteNews website are solely those of the authors. These opinions do not necessarily represent those of the staff of Prescott eNews or its publisher.]

Brittany Sellner, Patriots Not Welcome, Chrysanthalix Press, 2021, 322 pages, $15.26.

Brittany Sellner (née Pettibone) has written a new book about her life as a dissident. She wrote this memoir because the mainstream media repeatedly misrepresented her. In Patriots Not Welcome, she sets the record straight about her life, her beliefs, and her activism.

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

Pentagon (Unsurprisingly) Accused of Warrantless Surveillance

The pentagon might be surveilling Americans without a warrant, a letter by a senator to the Department of Defense revealed. The letter was sent after reports indicated that special forces units were purchasing location data.

Last November, Motherboard published a report about special forces units purchasing location data. In response, Sen. Ron Wyden wrote a letter to the Department of Defense (DoD), which includes several military and intelligence agencies such as the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and National Security Agency (NSA), requesting detailed information on the department’s data purchasing practices.

We obtained a copy of the letter for you here.

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

Poll Finds Over a Quarter of American Men Think They’d Lose a Fight With a House Cat

Perhaps reflecting the state of modern masculinity, a new poll finds that over a quarter of American men think they would lose a fight with a house cat.

Yes, really.

Participants were asked, “What an animal could you beat in a fight?”

Only 74 per cent of men said they could win a fight with a house cat, leaving 26 per cent who literally think they’d get a beatdown from the feline pet.

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

Rachel Maddow Says She Will Have to “Rewire” Her Brain to Not View Maskless as a “Threat”

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow reacted to the CDC’s announcement on face coverings by saying she would have to “rewire” her brain in order to not perceive those who don’t wear masks as a “threat.”

The CDC said yesterday that those who had been vaccinated could remove their masks in indoor settings (aside from a bunch of exemptions, including airports, public transport, hospitals and care homes).

This prompted Maddow’s brain to short circuit as she expressed the difficulty she would have in dispensing with the idea of treating those who don’t wear masks as dangerous lepers.

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

Rep. Elise Stefanik Wins GOP Conference Chair Vote to Replace Liz Cheney

House Republicans approved Rep. Elise Stefanik to their No. 3 leadership position Friday — officially voting her into the post after Rep. Liz Cheney was forced out this week.

The 134-46 tally for Stefanik (R-NY) was nearly guaranteed before the vote took place, given that she went into the meeting with former President Donald Trump’s endorsement and without a serious challenger.

“Listen, the Republican Party is a big tent party and my district is the story of the growth of the Republican Party. My district voted for President Obama by double digits and voted for President Trump and myself by double digits — we have worked to grow the Republican Party,” she told reporters following her win.

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

Report: Officers Justified in Use of Deadly Force Against Virginia Beach Mass Shooter

The Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney won’t bring charges against the officers who fatally shot the Municipal Center mass shooting suspect.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney released a final investigation report where he concluded that the officers who were involved in the shooting that killed the Municipal Center mass shooter were justified in their use of deadly force.

The report was released Friday, nearly two years after the mass shooting at Virginia Beach Municipal Center Building 2. In it, Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin Stolle laid out the details of his independent investigation into Dewayne Craddock’s death as well as a review of the Virginia Beach police investigation.

Craddock, a city worker at the time, was killed by police after authorities say he went on a shooting spree that killed 12 people on May 31, 2019.

In his initial statement, Stolle said, “Based upon the law and substantial evidence in this matter, it is my opinion that the officers were within their legal authority and were justified in the use of deadly force in the situation as it presented itself. Therefore, no charges will be prosecuted by this office against the officers for the death of Dewayne Antonio Craddock.”

Those officers were identified in the report as Sergeant M. Laino, Sergeant P. Koepp, Officer B. Meis and Officer C. Watkins. They were the ones who fired their weapons, killing Craddock after an exchange of gunfire…

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Skidmore College Faces Potential Lawsuit Over Alleged First Amendment Violations

A lawsuit is likely to hit Skidmore College over its decision not to approve the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) chapter, a libertarian student group, after they were the target of an online mob.

And because the school is advertising itself to students and donors as a place where free speech is protected, the failure to live up to that promise can be considered a deceptive trade practice and false advertising, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), said in a letter.

ADF’s letter sent to the private college details the group’s argument that YAL is being wrongly accused of hateful and bigoted behavior — the grounds on which their rights to form a chapter had been denied.

We’re providing a copy of the letter for you here.

The college is being urged to reverse that decision by May 21 or face legal action.

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

Anti-Lockdown Rodeo Held in Alberta Results in No New COVID Cases

A rodeo held in a rural part of Red Deer County near Bowden, Alberta on May 1 and 2, 2021 in protest of the lockdown measures has so far resulted in no new cases of the virus being reported.

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

Canadian Pastor Artur Pawlowski Compares Canada to Hong Kong Following Arrest Over Holding Church Service

A Canadian minister who was briefly imprisoned for conducting church services under continued COVID restrictions has likened his plight to that of Christians in Hong Kong, where believers are often prosecuted for practicing their faith.

After being released from jail on Monday, Christian Post reports that Artur Pawlowski, pastor of the Fortress (Cave) of Adullam Church in Calgary, Alberta told Newsmax, “I just woke up in Hong Kong a few days ago. I mean, I thought I emigrated to our beloved Canada, but I am in Hong Kong, full force.”

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

Over 150 People in Northeastern Ontario Charged With Breaking Stay-at-Home Order

Police in northeastern Ontario are writing far more tickets during this stay-at-home order than during the last province-wide shutdown.

Greater Sudbury police have gone out to 102 COVID-related calls in the past month and issued 27 fines, compared with 66 calls and 11 tickets during the stay-at-home order in January and February.

Police say of the 27 tickets in the past month, 13 were written at rallies against COVID restrictions, eight at an illegal house party and one given to a person from Quebec visiting Sudbury for non-essential reasons.

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

People Got Arrested at a Massive Illegal Church Gathering in Ontario on Sunday

Police in Aylmer, Ontario arrested at least two people while breaking up a large gathering at a church on Sunday.

According to Aylmer Police, the service, which was hosted by The Church of God, openly violated the province’s restrictions on religious gatherings. Police told CBC that over a hundred people had congregated indoors on Sunday — the outlet reports that masks and distancing were not observed.

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

Police Charge Business for Failing to Follow Health Protection Act

Police have charged a business for failing to comply with the regulations set out in the Health Protection Act.

Police received reports that an establishment in downtown Halifax was operating contrary to regulations set out in the Health Protection Act. Police observed people entering the business and heard loud music coming from inside the establishment. Yesterday, officers issued a summary offence ticket in the amount of $11,622.50 to the business under section 71 (1) (a) of the Health Protection Act for failing to comply with the act and its regulations.

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

Province Gets Injunction to Block All Anti-Public Health Order Protests

The provincial government has been granted an injunction that will put a stop to all anti-vaccine and anti-public health order protests, including an anti-mask rally that was planned for Saturday in Halifax.

A lawyer for the province appeared before a justice of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Friday to make an urgent request for the ban.

The ban prevents Freedom Nova Scotia and similar groups from staging illegal gatherings in defiance of Nova Scotia’s public health orders.

Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health, was called to testify as an expert witness on the dangers of COVID-19 and the risks posed by a large gathering of people standing close together without wearing masks.

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

Toronto Police Have Busted More Than 1,000 Illegal Gatherings in the Past 3 Weeks

With Toronto’s warmest weekend of the year to date just hours from popping off, police are once again urging all residents to refrain from gathering in groups.

Not only is such behaviour illegal under the Reopening Ontario Act and in violation of municipal physical distancing bylaws, it could cost you a pretty penny — and you’re more likely than ever to get caught now that special COVID-19 measure enforcement teams are in play.

The Toronto Police service announced Friday afternoon that officers have shown up to at least 1,000 unlawful gatherings since April 22, when 16 dedicated enforcement teams first started their patrols.

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

Czechia Agrees With Four Countries on Recognizing Vaccination Certificates

From Saturday, May 15, the Czech Republic will recognize confirmation of vaccination against Covid-19 issued in Poland, Hungary, Austria, and Germany. Minister of Health Petr Arenberger announced this at the meeting of the Committee on Health in the Chamber of Deputies. According to him, Slovakia will also be included in the agreement.

The agreement between the five countries will take the form of a diplomatic note.

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

Finland’s National Football League to Offer Free Sports Hijabs

The Finnish National League has announced that from this spring onwards, a sports hijab will be part of the kit offered to players by clubs.

So far, such a kit is provided to young players, included jerseys, shorts and socks.

The idea is to encourage girls from immigrant backgrounds to try out new sports and participate, national broadcaster Yle reported.

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

German Green Party Members Want to Remove ‘Germany’ From Their Own Manifesto

300 delegates of the German Green Party loathe their own country to such a degree, they are petitioning for the word ‘Germany’ to be removed from their own manifesto.

Yes, really.

The title of the party’s manifesto for the September federal election, which polls show they’re currently favorites for, is ‘Germany. Everything’s in it!’ — although that has caused controversy amongst many members of the party, who want the word deleted altogether.

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

Hungary, Poland, Czechia, And Slovakia Establish Family-Friendly Coalition

The Visegrad Four (V4) countries of Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia have established a “family-friendly coalition” at a video conference held on Thursday, Hungarian minister without portfolio for family affairs Katalin Novak said on Thursday.

“At the heart of Europe, there is a partnership that puts families at the center. We are not looking for answers to the demographic challenges we all face in migration, but in supporting families,” Novak said. The family conference was organized by the Polish presidency of the V4, with fellow ministers Marlena Malag from Poland, Milan Krajniak from Slovakia and Jana Malacova from the Czech Republic in attendance. The parties agreed to coordinate their decisions regarding families and launch joint research.

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

Ireland: Gardai Out in Force in Portobello Shutting Area Over Illegal Gatherings of Up to 1,000 People

The area around the Grand Canal at Portobello is to be closed to the public this weekend due to ongoing anti-social behaviour and gathering of large crowds against COVID-19 restrictions.

The decision was announced this morning by Dublin City Council after meeting with local residents, politicians and An Garda Siochana.

As a result Portobello Plaza will be shut to the public from early this afternoon, Friday May 14 until the morning of Monday May 17.

In recent weeks large crowds of up to a thousand people have gathered in the area, with the scenes described as “appalling” and fears that they could “unravel the progress we are making”.

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

Israeli Flag Hoisted Over German City Hall is Taken and Burned

An Israeli flag hoisted in the city of Solingen was set on fire on Thursday as a wave of antisemitic attacks in Germany is taking place against a backdrop of ongoing conflict in Israel.

The city, located in North-Rhine Westphalia, hoisted the Israeli flag at city hall in commemoration of diplomatic relations being established between West Germany and Israel on the 12th of May, 1965.

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

Netherlands: Police Breaks Up Illegal Party in Deventer Sending 250 People Home; Two Arrests

An illegal party in Deventer with some 250 attendees in violation of coronavirus measures was broken up at around 1 a.m. on Friday. Two party-goers were arrested for throwing a beer bottle at a police car, Nu.nl reported.

The police received a number of noise complaints during Thursday night and early Friday morning, and sent several officers to the Wellekade in the center of Deventer. There, they found about a group of 250 people partying.

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

Poland’s Conservative PiS Party Leads Polls While Civic Platform Sees Worst Result in Party’s History

If Polish parliamentary elections were to be held this Sunday, Law and Justice (PiS) would receive 33.5 percent of the vote. While the ruling coalition’s ratings are stable, it would most likely not achieve a majority in parliament and not rule independently.

Second in the survey came the new Poland 2050 party led by Szymon Holownia with 21.9 percent of the vote. This is yet another poll which shows Holownia’s party being second.

The Civic Platform (PO), on the other hand, has just recorded its worst result in the history of Untied Surveys polls. Only 12.1 percent would vote for PO. This poor result is most likely due to the situation surrounding the Recovery Fund and National Recovery Plan. PO had abstained from voting in parliament in favor of ratifying the EU Recovery Fund and 38 percent of Poles believe PO to have been the biggest “loser” of that vote.

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Polish PM: We Want to Promote the Family on the EU Forum

Poland wants to further strengthen the role of the family in social life, announced Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at the V4+ Coalition Pro Familia conference yesterday. The Polish Minister of Family and Social Policy Marlena Malag also took part in the conference, alongside the Polish deputy ministers and social ministers of Visegrad Four countries and other EU states.

Morawiecki announced a continuation of the child benefit program which will be introduced as part of the New Polish Deal. He emphasized that the family is the absolute foundational social cell of the nation and of Europe.

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Politically Motivated Crime at All-Time High in Germany

Public safety in Germany, as far as politically motivated crime is concerned, is at an all-time low. Extreme violence has increased significantly, but there are also unconstitutional trends.

In the light of the last 20 years, the level of politically motivated crime in Germany today is unprecedented, according to a briefing by the Federal Minister for the Interior issued on Tuesday.

In the year of the epidemic, the statistics report more than 44,000 crimes that can be linked to perpetrators who identify with a political ideology. The perpetrators include Islamist, far-left and far right groups as well as other extremist groups and individuals.

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Prince Harry: Royal Life Was Like Living ‘In a Zoo, ‘A Real Life ‘Truman Show’

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prince Harry compared his royal experience to being on “The Truman Show” and “living in a zoo.”

The Duke of Sussex said during a Thursday episode of the “Armchair Expert” podcast that he contemplated quitting royal life on several occasions while in his 20s. He spoke candidly with host Dax Shepard about keeping his relationship with Meghan a secret and dealing with the U.K. media scrutiny.

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Spain: More Police on the Streets of Palma This Weekend

The National Police and Civil Guard are stepping up surveillance from today for the entire the weekend to make sure people comply with the Covid regulations.

Controls will be carried out in coordination with Local Police in various Municipalitiesand the joint operation with Balearic Government Inspectors will also be maintained.

One of the main functions of these patrols is to prevent illegal parties, stop people drinking in the streets and disperse crowds of people.

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The UK’s “National Fraud Initiative” Would Give Police Power to Match Public and Private Sector Data

Civil liberties defenders are campaigning to prevent the police in that country from gaining more powers and wider access to personal data via the changes to the National Fraud Initiative (NFI).

This is the less publicly visible of the two ways UK’s authorities are exploring to bolster law enforcement’s access to data, noting that the more prominent attempt is taking place through the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill 2021.

What started as an anti-fraud program matching public and private sector data would now include virtually any criminal activity without any mention of safeguards or restrictions regarding police access.

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UK: ‘Illegal’ Wedding Restaurant Hot Chilli in Bolton Loses Licence

AN Indian restaurant which hosted a wedding reception with more than 60 people present at the height of lockdown has had its licence to operate revoked for ‘deliberately breaching restrictions’.

When police visited Hot Chilli, at Dunscar Business Park, they found a wedding party in full swing, a Bolton Council licensing hearing was told.

The event, on February 21, when all indoor mixing between different households was prohibited, resulted in 37 fixed penalty notices being issued and prompted a review of the restaurant’s licence at the request of police.

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UK: ‘Time for Blair’ Trends on Twitter as Labour Far Behind in Polls

‘Time for [Tony] Blair’ trended on Twitter in Britain on Friday following heavy reverses for Labour in local elections and a parliamentary by-election and poor polling.

The trend was kicked off by Andrew Adonis, aka Baron Adonis of Camden Town, when he responded to a YouGov poll showing the left-wing Labour Party is 15 points behind the Conservative Party after 11 years of Tory government.

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UK: Labour Suspends ‘Anti-Racist’ Union Boss Candidate Who Called for Indian-Heritage Politician to be Deported

Labour has suspended a member of its own governing body, who is running for leader of a major British union, for saying that a Conservative Party minister of Indian heritage should be “deported” in reaction to the attempted detention of illegal aliens in Scotland.

Howard Beckett is a member of Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and the assistant general secretary of the Unite union. He is a candidate in the leadership race for Unite, as the current chief, Len McCluskey, is set to step down later this year.

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UK: New Indian Variant ‘Could Pose a Serious Disruption’ To Full Reopening in June, Boris Warns

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that while rising cases of the Indian variant of the Chinese coronavirus will not affect phase three of unlocking the country on Monday, if the strain is found to pose a “serious disruption to our progress”, it could be “more difficult” to fully lift restrictions next month.

In recent days, the prime minister has expressed his concern over the spread of the new strain in the north-west of England, affecting areas such as Bolton and Blackburn, raising questions of whether such an outbreak could force a delay of fully ending restrictions. Four people have died from the Indian strain as of May 12th, according to Public Health England (PHE).

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UK: Women Forced to Wear Face Masks During Childbirth Suffered Vomiting, Panic Attacks, Breathing Difficulties

Women were forced to wear face masks during childbirth, causing vomiting, panic attacks and breathing difficulties, despite official health guidance saying they shouldn’t be made to do so.

The UK charity Pregnant Then Screwed carried out the research by asking 936 women who gave birth during December about their experiences.

160 of them, around one in five, who went into labour were forced to wear a face covering.

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How Israel Used a Tweet to Lure Militants to Their Doom in Terror Tunnels

A misleading statement tweeted by the Israel Defense Forces on Thursday night appears to have been a decoy intended to lure Hamas troops into strategic tunnels that were later bombarded by the Israeli army.

The IDF tweet gave the impression that troops had entered Gaza, leading global media outlets to report about a ground incursion, and Hamas and Islamic Jihad, seeing those reports, sent their first line of defense into the tunnels to start taking up positions, the Jerusalem Post reported.

“IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip,” the tweet in English read, leading many outlets to believe ground troops were operating in the enclave.

[Comment: Very clever by the Israelis! And I had submitted to the newsfeed an article about a IDF ground incursion!]

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West Bank Erupts in Protest Amid More Israel-Hamas Fighting

Turmoil from the battle between Israel and Hamas spilled over into the West Bank on Friday, sparking the most widespread Palestinian protests in years as hundreds of young demonstrators in multiple towns clashed with Israeli troops, who shot and killed at least 11 people.

Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip continued into early Saturday, when an airstrike on a house in Gaza City killed at least seven Palestinians — the highest number of fatalities in a single hit. That strike came a day after a furious overnight barrage of tank fire and airstrikes that wreaked destruction in some towns, killed a family of six in their house and sent thousands fleeing their homes.

The Israeli military said the operation involved 160 warplanes dropping some 80 tons of explosives over the course of 40 minutes and succeeded in destroying a network of tunnels used by Hamas to elude airstrikes and surveillance.

Israel appeared determined to inflict as much damage as possible on Gaza’s Hamas rulers before international efforts for a cease-fire accelerated. Since Monday night, Hamas has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, which has pounded the Gaza Strip with strikes. In Gaza, at least 126 people have been killed, including 31 children and 20 women; in Israel, seven people have been killed, including a 6-year-old boy and a soldier…

           — Hat tip: JW [Return to headlines]
 

Erdogan: If France Refuses to Withdraw the ‘Separatism’ Law, Millions of Muslims Will be Upset

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is again attacking French domestic policy, describing the bill against “separatism” in France as “the guillotine of French democracy”. Furthermore, Erdogan said in his speech that if the law passed in this version, it would upset millions of Muslims.

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India: 391 Illegal Public Gatherings Held During Surge, Most Marriages

New Delhi: More than 60,000 challans were issued by Delhi Police in the last 24 days for violating COVID-19 norms. The data given by Delhi Police revealed that from April 19 to May 13, about 51,878 challans were issued for not wearing face masks whereas 8,223 challans for not maintaining social distancing, 391 challans were issued for large public gatherings, congregations including marriage functions.

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British Lorry Driver Tells How His Truck Was Attacked by Migrants Wielding Iron Bars and Breeze Blocks in Desperate ‘Attempt to Cross Channel’

A British haulier has accused migrants in Calais of attacking one of his company’s lorries in an alleged desperate attempt to cross the English channel.

Ed Rogers, owner of E.M. Rogers Transport, told the MailOnline that one of his lorries was attacked in France with iron bars and breeze blocks in a road ambush.

The windscreen and door windows of the truck were smashed, and Mr Rogers said the driver was left feeling ‘very shaken and upset’ by the incident.

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Denmark Wants to Send Asylum Seekers to Africa

The Danish government is looking for ways to deter refugees seeking international protection and has come up with the idea of directing asylum seekers to countries outside the European continent. Danish MEPs are currently debating a bill that would allow the Scandinavian country to transfer responsibility for receiving applicants to a third country or several third countries, Le Monde reported.

The bill proposal states migrants would be registered upon arrival in Denmark, and authorities would take their fingerprints to check whether they have not applied for asylum in another EU country. They would then be seated on a plane to Africa where further application processes would be handled by third countries.

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Greece: Only 40 Per Cent of Asylum Seekers in Migrant Camps Want Vaccine

A poll has revealed that fewer than half of the asylum seekers living in migrant reception facilities in Greece are willing to take the Wuhan coronavirus vaccine.

The poll taken by the Greek National Organization for Public Health (EODY) revealed that just 40 per cent of the asylum seekers surveyed wanted to get the vaccine.

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Facebook Fact-Checkers Contradict Each Other on Vaccine Mandates, Putting Users Doubly at Risk of Censorship

On the legality of COVID-19 vaccine mandates, Facebook’s fact-checkers are in disagreement. Disagreement on the issue is understandable; but, a Facebook fact-check has consequences for users such as reduced distribution and even a permanent ban, putting more user accounts at risk than normal.

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Twitter Joins Group Attempting to Determine Meme Veracity and Authenticity

The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) — a group of corporations setting themselves up to become the accepted standards organization certifying authenticity of online content — has announcedthat the latest member to join from the ranks of tech and media is Twitter.

C2PA is the result of more than half a dozen legacy media and tech giants — like Adobe, Microsoft, and BBC — spearheading two similar projects: the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), which is led by Adobe and backed by the company behind the New York Times and by Twitter; and Project Origin, whose champions are Microsoft, BBC, CBC/Radio-Canada, and New York Times.

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UK: Train Company Apologises for Using Phrase ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ During Announcement

A government-run British train company has issued an apology after one of its conductors used the phrase ‘ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls’ during an announcement, causing a passenger identifying as ‘non-binary’ to take offence and make a complaint.

The passenger, who happens to be a ‘LGBT rep’ for the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union, immediately took to Twitter to whine about the ‘incident’.

The company, London North Eastern Railway, immediately apologised and said “Train Managers should not be using language like this.”

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

8 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/14/2021

  1. Women Forced to Wear Face Masks During Childbirth Suffered Vomiting, Panic Attacks, Breathing Difficulties…

    In the Soviet Union, there were many films about the war and concentration camps. About women and children in them.
    This news is very similar to these films.

  2. BLM wants to get rid of police and prisons but they sue a judge. Yeah, makes sense.

  3. “Women Forced to Wear Face masks” well it is the majority of women who are supporting the Covid hoax useless face masks mandates.

    • I do not think you know what the majority of women think, do or support. you are making a fool of yourself for speaking for women.

    • That’s what it seems like. Wherever you go, you will always see men walking about without masks, but very rarely a woman. This has been my observance since the beginning of the ridiculous mask mandate. Kudos to the men.

  4. What Mitsotakis says exist only in his dreams.
    The country is in ruins and as for the “pandemic”, today the island of Kalymnos is in lock down and in the near future more islands and other places in the mainland will follow. We hope that in the automn we will have an election and send him to the devil.
    He has made our life a hell.

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