Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/6/2021

On April 30 more than 130 Belgian venues opened simultaneously in defiance of lockdown rules as a protest against coronavirus restrictions. Meanwhile, French police broke up an illegal rave attended by hundreds of revelers in a Paris park.

In other news, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a former leader of the Tory Party that she believed there was Russian involvement in Brexit.

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

Thanks to Dean, MC, 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
» Apple Increases Its Advertising Business After Curbing Competitors’ Tracking Ads
» Brooklyn Center Residents Near Police Station Share Views on Protests
» DeSantis Says Florida Has Strongest Election Integrity Laws in the Country After New Voting Bill
» Disabled White Farmer Sues Biden Admin Over ‘Racist’ COVID Relief Plan
» Elizabeth City Curfews Lifted 2 Weeks After Deputy Shooting
» Florida Man Convicted in Plot to Attack Pro-Trump Protesters
» Google-Sponsored Report Recommends Subverting Online “Conspiracy” Groups From Within
» GOP-Led States Passing Bills to Block or Limit Critical Race Theory
» Half of Americans Say Their Tax Payments Are Too High, Poll Shows
» Hillary Alleges ‘Russian Involvement, if Not Influence or Interference, in Brexit’
» Joe Biden Begins Researching Potential 2024 Campaign Rivals, Including Tucker Carlson
» Lawyer Claims Mob Client Helped Bury Jimmy Hoffa at Georgia Golf Course
» Michigan Governor Asked Wealthy Businessmen to Borrow Private Jet for Secret Trip to Florida
» Parents Fight to Keep Critical Race Theory Out of Utah Schools
» Protesters Who Obstruct Emergency Vehicles Could Face Felony Charges Under Bill Passed by Texas House
» Revised and Expanded Version of ‘Did Muhammad Exist?’ Already #1 New Release in Muhammad and Islam
» Rosanna Arquette: ‘If Jesus Were Alive Today He’D be Murdered by Police Because of the Color of His Skin’
» Second Suspect Gets Jail Time for Sparking Fire at Minneapolis Police Station Amid George Floyd Protests
» Teachers Union Head Defends Indoctrinating Children With Critical Race Theory
» Trevor Noah: ‘Why Are People Who Get the Vaccine Still Being Made to Wear Masks?’
» Twitter Suspends Trump ‘From the Desk’ Account, Despite No Link to Team Trump
» Twitter Says it Suspended Rep. Elise Stefanik’s Communications Director in “Error”
» Vaccine Makers Claim COVID Shots Are ‘95% Effective’ — But What Does That Mean?
» Woke Idiot Harasses No Mask Pregnant Woman for Social Media Clout, Fails
 
Canada
» Alberta Health Services Granted Injunction Against Whistle Stop Café
» COVID Deaths Are Down 80% in Alberta, So Why Lock Down Harder Now?
» Help: PayPal is Trying to Shut Down Rebel News!
» Justin Trudeau Dismisses Critics of Internet Censorship Bill as “Tin Foil Hats”
» Quebec to Issue Digital Proof of Vaccination Through QR Codes
 
Europe and the EU
» EU Endorses Beetle Larvae for Human Consumption, Touts ‘Environmental Benefits’
» France Police Break Up Illegal Rave in Paris Park
» France: ‘One Mosque is Erected Every 15 Days, While One Christian Building is Destroyed at the Same Pace’
» France: Mayor Bans Building of Church While Allowing Construction of Islamic School Run by Pro-Sharia Organization
» France: Mobile Phone of Nice Church Terrorist Reveals He Planned to Go to Paris
» How One Fleetwood Man Organised the Biggest UK Rave Since Early 2020
» Ireland Had EU’s Most Stringent Lockdown This Year, Analysis Finds
» Ireland: Donegal TD Hits Out at ‘Ratline’ For Public to ‘Tout on Neighbours’ Over COVID Breaches
» Over 130 Belgian Venues Reopen Illegally in Protest of Government Restrictions
» Police Sent for ‘Churros and Alcohol’ In Illegal Party Stand Off in Spain’s Malaga
» Poll: 84 Per Cent of French Fear Difficulties for Young People Leading to Growing Insecurity and Delinquency
» Tally Ho, Lads! British Militiaman Fires Musket as French Blockade Boats Arrive
» Two UK Royal Navy Ships Deployed as 60 French Fishing Ships Move to Blockade Jersey Port
» UK: Teenage Girl Treated Like ‘Rag Doll’ As ‘Laughing’ Friends Raped Her, Court Told
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Al Jazeera: ‘Ramadan is the Month of Jihad and Victories in Islamic History’
 
Middle East
» Turkish Schoolbooks Glorify Jihad and Martyrdom, Include Anti-American Messages, Sympathy for ISIS
 
Russia
» Russia Files Fines Against Facebook, Google Alleging Failure to Remove “Banned Content”
 
Far East
» Hong Kong Activist Joshua Wong Jailed for 10 Months Over Unauthorised Tiananmen Square Vigil, 3 Others Get From 4 to 6 Months
 
Latin America
» Jamaica: Over 60 Arrested, Charged at Illegal Party in Westmoreland
 
Immigration
» America’s Border: Cui Bono? — Who Benefits?
» ICE Deportations Fall to Record Low Numbers Amid Border Crisis: Report
» Migrant Taxi NGO Drops Off Over 450 Migrants in Italy
» Pope Francis Calls for ‘No More Walls’ In Immigration Message
» Texas Democrat Says Biden Admin is Misleading Public With Photos of Supposedly Empty Migrant Facilities
 
Culture Wars
» UK: Transgender Child Rapist Freed Despite Attacking Prison Guards After They Took Her Shaving Razors
 

Apple Increases Its Advertising Business After Curbing Competitors’ Tracking Ads

Apple has added more paid-for advertising space in the App Store, a move that comes shortly after an iOS update with an ad-tracking ban feature that hinders advertising in third-party apps.

The company, which makes most of its money from selling its high-end devices, has long blasted fellow tech companies for monetizing users’ data and, while Apple’s recent move in allowing users to request apps stop third-party tracking and is good for privacy, it does mean that Apple’s move hurt other businesses at a time when Apple is receiving antitrust scrutiny.

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

Brooklyn Center Residents Near Police Station Share Views on Protests

Nightly protests continue to take place outside the Brooklyn Center police station. Demonstrators want justice after 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed by a former Brooklyn Center police officer.

“I’m happy they’re still protesting. I thought they were going to stop after the first week because I didn’t see as many people out,” said resident Breanna Hicks.

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

DeSantis Says Florida Has Strongest Election Integrity Laws in the Country After New Voting Bill

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has Democrats up in arms for signing into law what CNN calls a “restrictive voting bill” that aims to protect the integrity of voters’ rights in the state.

In an appearance on Fox & Friends on Thursday, the Florida Republican highlighted provisions of the bill which include stricter voter ID requirements for voting by mail, restrictions on ballot harvesting and banning private funding for elections.

“I have what we think is the strongest election integrity measures in the country,” DeSantis said. “We’re making sure we’re enforcing voter ID… We’re also banning ballot harvesting. We’re not gonna let political operatives go and get satchels of votes to dump them in some drop box.”

“We’re also prohibiting mass mailing of balloting,” added DeSantis. “We’ve had absentee voting in Florida for a long time. You request the ballot. You get it. And you mail it in. But to just indiscriminately send them out is not a recipe for success.”

The bill also expands observation power from political parties during ballot tabulation and tightens restrictions on the use of drop boxes.

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

Disabled White Farmer Sues Biden Admin Over ‘Racist’ COVID Relief Plan

A disabled Wisconsin dairy farmer is suing the Biden administration over a COVID-19 loan forgiveness program — alleging it is racist because whites aren’t eligible.

Adam Faust, a white resident of Chilton who has two prosthetic legs, is among five Midwestern farmers who recently filed a lawsuit in Green Bay that accuses the federal government of violating their constitutional rights, WLUK reported.

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

Elizabeth City Curfews Lifted 2 Weeks After Deputy Shooting

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County have lifted curfews that were implemented after county sheriff’s deputies fatally shot a Black man in the city.

Websites for the city and county stated that the 8 p.m. curfews were lifted on Thursday.

The curfews were implemented April 26 in the wake of protests against the shooting death of Andrew Brown Jr. outside his Elizabeth City home on April 21.

Pasquotank County sheriff’s deputies were serving drug-related search and arrest warrants when the shooting occurred. Brown, who was Black, was behind the wheel of his car when he was shot five times, including in the back of the head, according to an independent autopsy commissioned by his family.

Police camera footage has yet to be made public or shown in its entirety to Brown’s family. The shooting has sparked peaceful protests, with marchers demanding release of the video and police reform…

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Florida Man Convicted in Plot to Attack Pro-Trump Protesters

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man was convicted of trying to organize an armed response to supporters of former President Donald Trump for an expected gathering at the state Capitol in January. Daniel Alan Baker was convicted Thursday of two counts of transmitting a communication in interstate commerce containing a threat to kidnap or injure another person. The FBI said Baker used social media to recruit people in a plot to create a circle around protesters and trap them in the Florida Capitol during expected protests ahead of President Joe Biden’s inauguration. There were no major protests at the Capitol. Baker is scheduled to be sentenced in August.

[Comment: The Department of Justice has a press release which goes into more detail about the case: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl/pr/tallahassee-man-convicted-communicating-threats-violence]

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

Google-Sponsored Report Recommends Subverting Online “Conspiracy” Groups From Within

Google-owned YouTube already purges large amounts of content for containing what it deems to be “harmful conspiracy theories” and boosts what it says are “authoritative” mainstream media outlets to push what it deems to be the “right information.”

Now, a report that was sponsored by Google’s Jigsaw unit (a unit that “explores threats to open societies, and builds technology that inspires scalable solutions”) has recommended a new approach — infiltrating and subverting online conspiracy groups from within by targeting “moderate members” of these groups in the hope that they “exert influence on the broader community.”

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

GOP-Led States Passing Bills to Block or Limit Critical Race Theory

Tennessee’s legislature is the latest red state to block the teaching of critical race theory in public schools, as a number of Republican-led states have taken steps to limit or ban such “woke philosophies” from becoming part of the curriculum.

The Tennessee bill, which came at the end of the legislative session, would ban schools from teaching that “the rule of law does not exist, but instead is a series of power relationships and struggles among racial or other groups.”

“That is the very definition of critical race theory,” Republican state Sen. Brian Kelsey said, according to The Tennessean. “I was subject to this teaching 20 years ago in law school and know it very well, and that is the very definition of it.”

Republicans in Texas are also moving ahead to forbid the teaching of “woke philosophies” like critical race theory, arguing that “traditional history” should be taught in classrooms.

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

Half of Americans Say Their Tax Payments Are Too High, Poll Shows

Half of Americans say their federal taxes are too high, a slight uptick from the previous average of 45 percent over the past three years, according to a poll released on Thursday.

Less than two weeks from the deadline to file federal taxes, the Gallup poll found 50 percent found them too high, while 44 percent said they were just about right, and 4 percent said their tax payments were too low.

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

Hillary Alleges ‘Russian Involvement, if Not Influence or Interference, in Brexit’

Failed U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has claimed that Russian interference in the U.S. election in 2016 is now “beyond a doubt” and that the country was likely involved in the Brexit vote, too.

Mrs Clinton, who was First Lady during Bill Clinton’s presidency and U.S. Secretary of State for part of Barack Obama’s presidency, made the allegations during a Chatham House conversation with former Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary and Tory leader William Hague, chaired by fellow ex-foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt MP.

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

Joe Biden Begins Researching Potential 2024 Campaign Rivals, Including Tucker Carlson

President Joe Biden’s political operation has begun opposition research on potential 2024 political opponents, according to reports.

Politico and The Hill reported Tuesday that the Democrat National Committee is already at work investigating more than 20 possible Republican candidates, from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley to Fox News host Tucker Carlson and My Pillow founder Mike Lindell.

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

Lawyer Claims Mob Client Helped Bury Jimmy Hoffa at Georgia Golf Course

Could Jimmy Hoffa have ended up in a Georgia golf course?

A former defense attorney claims his onetime mob client helped bury the famous Teamsters boss under a hole at a Savannah golf course once popular with Mafia bosses, according to a new report.

“It was so out of the way, it was ridiculous that he would be brought him here to Savannah, Georgia,” Reginald Haupt Jr. told Fox News.

“It made this the perfect place.”

Hoffa’s mysterious disappearance in 1975 has long been presumed to be part of a mob hit — though his body has yet to turn up.

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

Michigan Governor Asked Wealthy Businessmen to Borrow Private Jet for Secret Trip to Florida

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has blamed travellers to Florida for coronavirus infections in her state, reportedly asked a group of Detroit businessmen to borrow a private jet so she could travel to Florida last March. Her trip occurred amid the first surge of the coronavirus pandemic that Whitmer would later warn her own residents about.

In April, Whitmer lashed out at travellers to Florida for the growing number of B117 COVID-19 variant cases, after asking for “grace” for a top member of her administration who faced scandal for vacationing in Florida while most of Michigan remained under strict lockdown.

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

Parents Fight to Keep Critical Race Theory Out of Utah Schools

A family moved from California to Utah to escape schools that taught critical race theory — only to find themselves fighting to keep the “racist” subject out of the curriculum in their new home.

Gloria and Oscar Vindas said “one of the main reasons” they relocated was to give their son an education that doesn’t promote the far-left-wing subject in its curriculum.

“I found that they don’t call it a collegiate-level curriculum of critical race theory here but it is still being taught in the Utah education system — and if anything, I would say it’s actually more than the California education system,” Gloria told Fox News.

Critical race theory teaches students that racism is embedded in US institutions and that white people are the beneficiaries.

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

Protesters Who Obstruct Emergency Vehicles Could Face Felony Charges Under Bill Passed by Texas House

In response to nationwide protests against police brutality last year, the Texas House on Thursday passed a bill to raise criminal penalties and require jail time for people who obstruct a roadway if it prevents the passage of an emergency vehicle or blocks a hospital entrance.

After tentative approval Wednesday, the House finally passed House Bill 9 on a 90-55 vote. It now heads to the Senate.

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

Revised and Expanded Version of ‘Did Muhammad Exist?’ Already #1 New Release in Muhammad and Islam

The revised and expanded version of my book Did Muhammad Exist? An Inquiry Into Islam’s Obscure Origins won’t even be released until July 13, but it’s available for preorder here now, and has already zoomed to the top of the “Muhammad and Islam” category.

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

Rosanna Arquette: ‘If Jesus Were Alive Today He’D be Murdered by Police Because of the Color of His Skin’

Left-wing actress Rosanna Arquette imagined what it would be like if Jesus were walking around in modern-day America and concluded he would be “murdered by police officers because of the color of his skin.”

“If Jesus were alive today he’d be murdered by police officers because of the color of his skin,” the Pulp Fiction star said in a tweet to her 188k Twitter followers on Wednesday.

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

Second Suspect Gets Jail Time for Sparking Fire at Minneapolis Police Station Amid George Floyd Protests

A second suspect has been sentenced for his role in sparking a fire at the Minneapolis police station and stealing authorities’ weapons and other gear as tensions triggered by the officer-involved death of George Floyd exploded into protests and rioting.

Branden Michael Wolfe on Wednesday was ordered to spend more than two years in jail and two years under supervised release, according to a news release from the District of Minnesota’s US attorney’s office. He is also required to pay $12 million in restitution for damage done to the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct.

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

Teachers Union Head Defends Indoctrinating Children With Critical Race Theory

President of the American Federation of Teachers Teacher Union Randi Weingarten defended indoctrinating children with Critical Race Theory on Thursday.

Featured on the Black News Channel with anchor Charles Blow, Weingarten said, “All of the sudden, you’re hearing people talk about Critical Race Theory; people who have no idea what that term means.”

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

Trevor Noah: ‘Why Are People Who Get the Vaccine Still Being Made to Wear Masks?’

Comedian Trevor Noah raged against health authorities in the U.S. insisting that people who have received the vaccine will still be subject to COVID-19 restrictions, arguing this will discourage others from getting the jab.

The CDC recently released new guidelines outlining how even those who get the vaccine should still wear masks and practice social distancing in a number of situations.

“The really frustrating thing…is that they’ve spent months, they’ve spent 5 months telling us to get vaccinated — ‘oh get vaccinated and this will all be over’ — and I was like great, I’ll get all four vaccines if it means I’ll get my life back,” said Noah.

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

Twitter Suspends Trump ‘From the Desk’ Account, Despite No Link to Team Trump

An account pulled from Twitter for appearing to belong to former President Donald Trump’s newly launched communications platform was not created by the ex-commander-in-chief’s team, The Post has learned.

The 45th president on Tuesday revealed his new website, “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump,” which allows him to provide his thoughts in Twitter-style posts that can then be shared on social media sites from which he has been banned.

The site is meant to serve as “a place to speak freely and safely,” a statement from Team Trump said. The team is working on developing the site further to give him the ability to communicate directly with his followers.

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

Twitter Says it Suspended Rep. Elise Stefanik’s Communications Director in “Error”

Karoline Leavitt, the communications director for GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik, had her Twitter account randomly suspended out of the blue this Wednesday, only to be restored the next day.

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

Vaccine Makers Claim COVID Shots Are ‘95% Effective’ — But What Does That Mean?

In 1954, writer and repentant cigarette industry lobbyist Darrell Huff wrote the best-selling book, “How to Lie with Statistics,” with the aim of teaching the general public how to decode the “secret language of statistics.”

In his introduction, Huff wrote: “Averages and relationships and trends and graphs are not always what they seem.” He added: “There may be more in them than meets the eye, and there may be a good deal less.”

Almost 70 years later, Huff’s admonition that a “well-wrapped statistic” can “sensationalize, inflate, confuse and oversimplify” seems more relevant than ever. For a pertinent modern-day example, one need look no further than COVID vaccine developers’ “headline-worthy” but misleading claims about their products’ “95% effectiveness.” As BMJ associate editor Peter Doshi and others have been confirming for months, these efficacy data are largely a matter of statistical smoke and mirrors.

Why are manufacturers’ claims about vaccine effectiveness misleading? Pfizer and Moderna declined to share with the public the fact that there is another way to parse their data that has more real-world significance.

Examining a statistic called absolute risk reduction — the number of percentage points that an individual’s risk goes down if they do something “protective” — the two companies’ COVID vaccines barely make a dent at all, reducing someone’s risk of experiencing COVID symptoms (the clinical trials’ endpoint) by less than 1%. This is the practical number that people are likely to care about most.

Knowing the paltry real-world impact of the injections on someone’s risk of developing COVID symptoms, how many people swayed by the misleading “95% effective” mantra might instead have decided to refuse the vaccines — products that have revealed themselves to be highly unsafe and, in some cases, fatal?

Unfortunately, topping its November efficacy claims for people 16 years and older, Pfizer just announced its COVID injection is “100% effective for 12-to-15 year-olds.” This announcement sets the stage for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) predicted authorization of Pfizer’s unlicensed vaccine for the adolescent market.

[The real risk reduction is 0.04% [0.74 — 0.70)- see the article]

           — Hat tip: MC [Return to headlines]
 

Woke Idiot Harasses No Mask Pregnant Woman for Social Media Clout, Fails

A woke idiot harassed a pregnant woman in a grocery store for failing to wear a mask in a bid for social media clout but failed miserably.

The clip, posted to Twitter, shows the man confronting a woman at a checkout while commenting, “No mask, right there. Here we go. Candid camera.”

The woman sardonically waves back at him before he tells her, “I want you to know that your insensitivity is ridiculous,” before going on to blame her for COVID killing his grandparents.

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

Alberta Health Services Granted Injunction Against Whistle Stop Café

CALGARY (660 NEWS) — After Alberta Health Services (AHS) took measures into their own hands and shut down the Whistle Stop Café in the hamlet of Mirror for continually violating public health measures, AHS has now been granted an injunction against the Café and event organizers.

On Thursday, the Court of Queen’s Bench granted a pre-emptive injunction against a planned protest by the operator of the café.

The injunction defines the event as an illegal public gathering that does not comply with Dr. Deena Hinshaw’s requirements on masking, attendance limits and physical distancing

This order will now restrain the owner from organizing, promoting and attending events, while also imposing significant consequences that include police enforcement.

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

COVID Deaths Are Down 80% in Alberta, So Why Lock Down Harder Now?

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has decided to follow in the footsteps of his fellow Canadian premiers, throwing his province into a strict lockdown. But just because everyone else is doing it, does that make it the right decision? Are these new measures put in place going to help, or are they just restricting the rights and freedoms of their population in a vain effort to make it seem like they’re doing something?

These are the types of questions that Ezra was trying to get to the bottom of on yesterday’s episode of The Ezra Levant Show.

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

Help: PayPal is Trying to Shut Down Rebel News!

PayPal, the online credit card processor, just cut off Rebel News.

I really need your help. I hate to say it, but this could actually destroy us. We use PayPal to process about a million dollars a year. That covers half of our staff payroll. This could force us to lay off staff, which obviously we must not do. We just hired some great new reporters.

We’re doing our most important work ever, both our journalism and our civil liberties work. So, I’m not just worried about Rebel News. We’re currently fundraising for civil liberties lawyers to help more than 1,100 low-income people who have received lockdown tickets. PayPal banning us would harm our ability to keep our promise to those people.

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

Justin Trudeau Dismisses Critics of Internet Censorship Bill as “Tin Foil Hats”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to a critical question about Bill C-10, a controversial internet regulation proposal, by branding Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs) that oppose the bill as “tin foil hats.”

After Conservative MP Michael Barrett accused Trudeau of “silencing Canadians online” with Bill C-10 and asked how long it will be before “every aspect of Canadian life must conform to his liberal vision of Canadian society,” Trudeau pushed back with his tin foil hats comment.

“The tin foil hats on the other side of the aisle are really quite spectacular,” Trudeau said.

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

Quebec to Issue Digital Proof of Vaccination Through QR Codes

Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced today that the Quebec government would begin issuing digital proof of vaccination, in another step towards the introduction of vaccine passports for Canadians.

Speaking at a press conference today, Premier Legault declared through a translator, “I’m following up with the electronic proof of vaccination will be, actually, a QR code that will be supplied by email to Quebecers.”

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

EU Endorses Beetle Larvae for Human Consumption, Touts ‘Environmental Benefits’

Representatives from the European Union’s 27 member states have approved Tenebrio molitor beetle larvae, also known as mealworms, as “innovative” food and suitable for human consumption.

The ruling by the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (Novel Food and Toxicological Safety section) represents the next step in allowing people in the bloc to eat beetle larvae after the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) said in January that yellow mealworms were safe to eat.

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

France Police Break Up Illegal Rave in Paris Park

Violent scuffles erupted when riot police attempted to break up an illegal rave in bercy park in the middle of central paris. this comes as paris and other major cities in france erupted in. Police officers broke up an illegal rave in bercy park in paris on saturday. hundreds of revelers, some maskless, descended into the park with sound equipment. they danced and drank as may day demonstrations were held across the city. the footage shows several violent scuffles, as police officers attempted to shield themselves from debris being thrown at them. “as always, everything has to.

[Comment: Here is a video, dated May 2, 2021, of the violent conflict between the police and the ravers: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=France+Police+Break+Up+Illegal+Rave+In+Paris+Park+Video&docid=13828645699230&mid=9C0A184563B162A3C3C09C0A184563B162A3C3C0&view=detail&FORM=VIRE]

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

France: ‘One Mosque is Erected Every 15 Days, While One Christian Building is Destroyed at the Same Pace’

What will France look like in five years? Ten? And remember: while all this has been going on, those who want to preserve France’s heritage and culture have been smeared as “racists,” “xenophobes” and “Islamophobes.” Now what is to come can be seen plainly, and what force is there that can head it off?

“Why France is losing one religious building every two weeks,” by Solène Tadié, Catholic News Agency, May 4, 2021.

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

France: Mayor Bans Building of Church While Allowing Construction of Islamic School Run by Pro-Sharia Organization

A decision with consequences that likely won’t be felt for a few years, but they will be felt.

“French mayor against the building of a church by the Pius Brothers,” translated from “Französischer Bürgermeister gegen Bau einer Kirche der Piusbrüder,” Die Tagespost, April 28, 2021 (thanks to Medforth).

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

France: Mobile Phone of Nice Church Terrorist Reveals He Planned to Go to Paris

Text messages obtained from the phone of Nice basilica terrorist Brahim Aouissaoui revealed the Tunisian illegal immigrant allegedly came to France specifically to commit an attack, and his original target was Paris.

The more than 2,000 text messages sent during Brahim Aouissaoui’s voyage from Tunisia to Nice — via the migrant landing hotspot of Lampedusa — reveal that he was in contact with someone in Paris. On October 25th, just three days before his terrorist attack that killed three people, he had written from Rome: “Tomorrow I will leave for France, the land of the disbelievers and dogs.”

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

How One Fleetwood Man Organised the Biggest UK Rave Since Early 2020

With the coronavirus pandemic bringing normality to a standstill for the last 15 months, it’s been a turbulent time for anything and everything involving leaving your house and meeting other people.

Countless gigs cancelled, festivals postponed, community events binned, pubs closed and entire industries out of work.

But for many, especially in the events business, there is now a glimmer of light at the end of the pandemic’s tunnel.

And that glimmer of light could be seen shining through the roof of the Bramley Moore Dock on the River Mersey last Friday and Saturday.

It was there that — despite some locals thinking something illegal was going on and calling it in to Merseyside Police — the first legal non-socially distant event took place since the first few months of 2020.

Dubbed The First Dance, it saw some 6,000 people crammed into the venue across the two days in what was the first trial event for returning to large, close contact gatherings as the country appears to finally be firmly in control of the Covid-19 world we find ourselves living in.

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

Ireland Had EU’s Most Stringent Lockdown This Year, Analysis Finds

Ireland’s Covid-19 lockdown has been the most stringent in the European Union this year, an analysis by two University College Dublin academics finds.

Since the start of the pandemic, Ireland has had the third most stringent restrictions of 42 countries whose public health measures were compared as part of their research.

Only Italy and the UK have put in place tougher rules since March of last year, say Prof Stephan Köppe and Robert Cazaciuc, of the college’s social and public policy departments.

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

Ireland: Donegal TD Hits Out at ‘Ratline’ For Public to ‘Tout on Neighbours’ Over COVID Breaches

A Donegal TD has accused gardai of introducing a “rat line” for the public to “tout on neighbours” who breach Covid-19 restrictions in Co Donegal, which has the highest incidence of the virus in the country

Independent Thomas Pringle made the accusation in the Dail after gardai in the county set up a special hotline for the public to report breaches of public health guidelines including illegal parties or gatherings.

Mr Pringle said the introduction of a “tout line, rat line” is “crazy” and “will do nothing but set back the response in the county”.

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

Over 130 Belgian Venues Reopen Illegally in Protest of Government Restrictions

On April 30th more than 130 venues in the Belgian cities of Brussels and Wallonia opened their doors, breaking government protocols instated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The venues are hosting events for the general public for nine consecutive days in protest of the restrictions, IQ Magazine reports.

Campaign group Still Standing For Culture is the body behind the protest events which span entire cities and will conclude on May 8th, when government restrictions are eased to allow open-air events with a maximum capacity of 50 individuals.

“We will do this without underestimating the dangerousness of the virus, but we recall that experiments and studies show that the opening of cultural places has only a minimal impact on the contamination curves in the face of the effects attributed to the activities, businesses, shops and services,” Still Standing For Culture said in a public statement on its website.

[Comment: Still Standing For Culture is correct.]

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Police Sent for ‘Churros and Alcohol’ In Illegal Party Stand Off in Spain’s Malaga

Local police in Malaga were caught in a legal loophole on Monday evening as they were forced to spend seven hours outside an apartment in Malaga holding an illegal party.

The officers were forced to take an overnight vigil outside the door of the party as they were prohibited to enter due to the Citizen Safety Law, otherwise known as Spain’s ‘Gag Law’.

[Comment: Read the whole thing. How things played out in this story I found very interesting.]

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Poll: 84 Per Cent of French Fear Difficulties for Young People Leading to Growing Insecurity and Delinquency

A poll has revealed that the vast majority, 84 per cent, of French fear that social and economic difficulties among those aged 18 to 34 is resulting in increased violence and urban insecurity.

The Fiducial-Odoxa security barometer, which was published this week, revealed that when broken down by age groups, those over 65 fear a rise in delinquency the most at 92 per cent. But even a majority of people in the 18 to 34 age bracket, 73 per cent, say they are worried about growing insecurity in their own generation.

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Tally Ho, Lads! British Militiaman Fires Musket as French Blockade Boats Arrive

French anger around the British reclaiming their territorial waters post-Brexit and the British response to it took a bizarre turn as a tricorn-wearing re-enactor was seen firing a flintlock musket as French fishermen prepared to blockade a British port.

Upwards of 60 French fishing boats and other craft had sailed to the Crown Dependencyof Jersey, a largely self-governing island owned by the British crown but just 15 miles off the French coast. It is believed the ships were preparing to blockade the island’s main harbour, and London has dispatched two small Royal Navy warships to keep the peace.

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Two UK Royal Navy Ships Deployed as 60 French Fishing Ships Move to Blockade Jersey Port

The government has sent two Royal Navy ships to monitor the situation in the waters of Jersey as some 60 French fishing vessels descended on the British Crown Dependency amidst a post-Brexit fishing dispute with France, which has threatened to cut the electricity to the English Channel island.

Number 10 Downing Street said that it had sent Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) HMS Severn and HMS Tamar to “monitor the situation” on Thursday morning.

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UK: Teenage Girl Treated Like ‘Rag Doll’ As ‘Laughing’ Friends Raped Her, Court Told

A teenage girl was treated like a “rag doll” by two men who laughed as they raped her, a jury has been told.

The woman was allegedly raped by Zahid Hassan and another man who went by the nickname Fred in 2006 when she was 18 years old, Leeds Crown Court heard on Tuesday.

A few years after that the pair allegedly began abusing another young woman after her number was passed on to them by men who had also abused her, Yorkshire Live reports.

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Al Jazeera: ‘Ramadan is the Month of Jihad and Victories in Islamic History’

Abu Amer says: “The Palestinian [custom] of mobilizing for operations and intensifying them in the month of Ramadan is inspired by [Islamic] history, which is replete with wars and conquests that took place during this month, because the Muslims clearly made special efforts to carry out attacks then.”

Why did they do that? Because Ramadan is supposed to be the time during which Muslims redouble their efforts to please Allah. A hadith has a Muslim asking Muhammad: “Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward).” Muhammad replied, “I do not find such a deed.” (Bukhari 4.52.44) So what better way to increase one’s devotion to Allah than by waging jihad?

“Ramadan is a month of holy war and death for Allah. It is a month for fighting the enemies of Allah and God’s messenger, the Jews and their American facilitators.” — Qaedat al-Jihad

“Ramadan is the pious month of ‘Jihad-o-Qital’ (Jihad and killing). Those who attain martyrdom while waging Jihad, doors of heaven remain open.” — Maulana Bashir Ahmad

“Article On Al-Jazeera Website: Ramadan, ‘Month Of Jihad And Victories,’ Is The Season Of Palestinian Armed Operations,” MEMRI, May 3, 2021.

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Turkish Schoolbooks Glorify Jihad and Martyrdom, Include Anti-American Messages, Sympathy for ISIS

Jihadist regimes have long understood the benefits of indoctrinating children to wage jihad and glorify martyrdom. And so it is no surprise that under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the jihad ideology has spread into schools:

According to a recently released analysis of 28 Turkish textbooks, that country’s education system, which was once a model of secularism that taught evolution, cultural openness, tolerance toward minorities, and Kurdish as a minority language, has increasingly replaced those concepts with notions of jihad, martyrdom in battle, and a neo-Ottoman and pan-Turkist ethno-religious worldview in its curricula.

It gets worse:

recent curricula — in a NATO country that has long aspired to EU membership — include anti-American and anti-Armenian messages, display “sympathy for the motivations of ISIS and Al-Qaeda.”

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Russia Files Fines Against Facebook, Google Alleging Failure to Remove “Banned Content”

Russia is filing protocols against tech giants Facebook and Google for what the country’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, has said is a failure by the social media networks to remove banned content.

According to Kyiv Post, citing Radio Free Europe, Russia’s TASS news agency quoted a court source stating that five protocols against both Facebook and Google were received by the court, with fines potentially amounting to 200 million rubles ($267,000 US) each.

Twitter has already received protocols for similar violations, which may see the company fined as much as $320,000, the source added.

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Hong Kong Activist Joshua Wong Jailed for 10 Months Over Unauthorised Tiananmen Square Vigil, 3 Others Get From 4 to 6 Months

Imprisoned Hong Kong opposition activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung on Thursday was sentenced to 10 months’ jail for taking part in an unauthorised vigil last year commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

Three district councillors — Lester Shum, 27, Tiffany Yuen Ka-wai, 27, and Jannelle Rosalynne Leung, 26 — were also sentenced for their roles in the June 4 event in Victoria Park, with Shum receiving six months, and Yuen and Leung getting four months each.

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Jamaica: Over 60 Arrested, Charged at Illegal Party in Westmoreland

SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — More than 60 people were arrested and charged with breaches of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) by the Westmoreland police who swooped down on two illegal parties in full swing in Savanna-la-Mar on Monday evening.

Since the start of this year, over 200 individuals have been charged by the Westmoreland police for violations of the DRMA.

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America’s Border: Cui Bono? — Who Benefits?

The Latin expression “cui bono?” has been used by law enforcement officials and prosecutors for centuries to examine and evaluate criminal conduct in order to identify the most likely suspects and determine questions of motive. For nearly every crime, there must be a motive, a means, and an opportunity. When examining the ongoing criminal activity along the U.S.-Mexican border, any serious analysis requires the application of the cui bono investigative and legal concept.

With the advent of the Biden administration, we have seen a 180-degree turn — a complete reversal — of the Trump administration’s “get tough” enforcement of federal immigration, drug enforcement, and national security laws along the Mexican border. The Biden administration has made a deliberate decision to abandon the application and enforcement of federal law. Why?

This is the crux of the public policy analysis and argument that illuminates the Biden administration’s motives. How will the Biden administration fulfill its sworn official duty to uphold and defend the constitution and laws of the United States by willfully ignoring and failing to carry out legal obligations?

Here are the specific questions that need to be answered:

What benefit, goal, or objective is achieved by not enforcing federal law?

How is the American public made safer in their homes and businesses?

How are American lives and property protected?

How is it compassionate to materially cooperate with Mexican criminal enterprises like cartels and human smugglers in the exploitation of humans supposedly seeking a better life?

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ICE Deportations Fall to Record Low Numbers Amid Border Crisis: Report

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement carried out the lowest number of monthly deportations on record in April, as illegal border crossings remain at 20-year highs, according to a report.

ICE deported 2,962 immigrants last month, the first time the number has fallen below 3,000, according to figures obtained by the Washington Post.

April deportations saw a 20 percent decline from March, when ICE deported 3,716.

Figures show that in the past seven months, ICE carried out about 37,000 deportations, which would put the agency on pace for fewer than 55,000 deportations for fiscal year 2021 — the first time that number will have dipped below 100,000, the report said.

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Migrant Taxi NGO Drops Off Over 450 Migrants in Italy

The German migrant taxi NGO Sea-Watch dropped off 454 migrants in the Sicilian port city of Trapani this week after Italian authorities granted the vessel port access.

The Sea-Watch 4 picked up 455 migrants after four separate encounters with vessels off the coast of Libya and elsewhere in the Mediterranean Sea over a 72-hour period. One of the migrants was evacuated for medical treatment by Italian authorities.

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Pope Francis Calls for ‘No More Walls’ In Immigration Message

ROME — Pope Francis said Thursday the Church of today is called to “widen her tent to embrace everyone,” especially migrants and foreigners.

We are “called to work together so that there will be no more walls that separate us, no longer others, but only a single ‘we,’ encompassing all of humanity,” the pontiff said in his Message for the 2021 World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will be celebrated next September 26.

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Texas Democrat Says Biden Admin is Misleading Public With Photos of Supposedly Empty Migrant Facilities

A Texas Democrat is contradicting the Biden administration’s narrative over the ongoing border crisis, which has seen thousands of migrants making their way into the United States through the southern border illegally.

On Thursday, Rep. Henry Cuellar accused the Biden administration of misleading the public about the purported success of its immigration policies. His comments come days after the Department of Homeland Security under Biden released photographs of an apparently sparsely populated migrant facility in Donna, Texas on Tuesday.

As detailed by the Daily Wire, “The photos showed sparsely populated plastic cages where crowds of children had been kept, suggesting that the Biden administration is effectively dealing with the crisis-level flood of illegal immigrant children that have come into the U.S. in recent months.”

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UK: Transgender Child Rapist Freed Despite Attacking Prison Guards After They Took Her Shaving Razors

Marcia Walker, a male-to-female transgender child rapist in one of Britain’s maximum-security prisons has been freed despite admitting to attacking guards after they took her razors, preventing Walker from shaving.

Walker, who was previously known as Mark Walker before claiming to be transgender, has legally been recognised as female by the British prison authorities, however, was incarcerated in HM Prison Frankland, a ‘Category A’ men’s prison in County Durham.

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3 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/6/2021

  1. If I could find myself a tin-foil tricorn hat and some ancient muzzle-loading AR-15 I might fire a round or two in the direction of Little Prince Justin. (Blank rounds that is, I threaten no one).

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