Gates of Vienna News Feed 9/18/2021

Today’s “Justice for J6” rally in Washington DC attracted a lot fewer Trump supporters than expected. Media and undercover cops were said to outnumber the actual demonstrators. An undercover federal agent was detained by Capitol Police for carrying a firearm. After he showed them his badge, the cops went through the motions of arresting him to keep up appearances.

In other news, anti-lockdown demonstrators in Australia defied police orders and turned out by the thousands to protest totalitarian COVID measures. Protesters overwhelmed police in Richmond, a suburb of Melbourne, and hundreds were arrested.

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

Thanks to Dean, LP, Reader from Chicago, SS, 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
» “The Fourth Amendment is Not for Sale” — Bill Gets Renewed Attention Amidst Telecoms Privacy Concerns
» 125 Indiana Hospital Employees Quit Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
» 24 State Attorneys General Challenge Biden’s Vaccine Mandate for Private Sector Employees
» Apple Sued by XRP Holders for Approving Phishing App to App Store
» Biden Administration Pushes Congress to Require Banks to Turn Account Info Over to IRS
» Capitol Police Reportedly Detain Undercover Cop at Rally for Jan. 6 ‘Political Prisoners’
» Demonstrators Protest COVID Vaccine Mandates at Governor’s Mansion
» Dozens of Protesters Gather for Anti-Vaccine Rally in Front of L.A. City Hall, No Problems Reported
» Dozens Gather in Olean to Protest State Vaccine Mandates
» FEC Rules Twitter Shadowbanning Congressman Matt Gaetz Wasn’t Election Interference
» Making Their Voices Heard: Protesters March Against Aspirus Vaccination Measures
» North Carolina Judges Strike Down Voter ID Law, Claiming it’s Racist
» Police and Media Outnumber ‘Justice for J6’ Protesters at Capitol Hill Rally
» Protests Persist Over Beavercreek School Mask Policy
» Protestors Speak Out Against COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates in Watertown Saturday
» Sen. Rand Paul: Biden Changed Distribution of Antibody Treatment ‘For Political Reasons’
» Teen Stabbed to Death After Dutchess County High School Football Game, Former Student Charged
» Vaccine Mandate Protest in Courthouse Park
» Wi Spa Suspect Still at Large — Has History of Indecent Exposure and Masturbation
» WSJ: Facebook’s Internal Documents Show Company Knows Instagram is Terrible for Teen Girls
 
Canada
» BC Businesses Defy Province’s Proof of Vaccination Program
» Breaking: Man Charged in Connection to Vandalism of Calgary Churches
» Exclusive Video: Canadian Populist Leader Says Party Will Win Seats, Force Freedom Debate
» Hundreds Protest COVID-19 Mandates at ‘Freedom Rally’ In Edmonton Saturday
» Victoria ‘Freedom Rally’ Opposes ‘Politicization of Science’ Amid Ongoing Pandemic
 
Europe and the EU
» About 25,000 Spanish Students Hold ‘Macro-Botellon’ Drinking Party
» Facebook Deletes Groups From German Anti-Lockdown Supporters
» Free Speech Platform Gab May be Forced Out of Germany
» Hungary: Viktor Orban: Pope Francis ‘Reaffirmed’ Me in Fight for Families
» UK: 34 People Fined This Week for Breaking Coronavirus Regulations in Somerset
» UK: Anti-Vax Protesters March Through Manchester City Centre as Part of ‘World Wide Rally for Freedom’
» Wales: Anti-Vaccine Protesters Block Major City Centre Road in Cardiff by Sitting on Tarmac
 
Russia
» Apple and Google Cave and Censor Russian Opposition Leader, Navalny
 
South Asia
» Fearful US Residents in Afghanistan Hiding Out From Taliban
 
Far East
» Biden’s Sec of State Deletes Tweet Criticizing China and Vowing to ‘Stand With the People of Hong Kong’
» Wikipedia Claims Pro-China Group Attempted to Infiltrate and Control Site
 
Australia — Pacific
» Anti-Vax Protesters Wave Signs Depicting Mark McGowan as Hitler and Claiming the COVID Vaccine ‘Violates Human Rights’ During Rally in Perth
» Hundreds Are Arrested and Six Cops Are Hospitalised With Broken Bones as the Most Violent COVID Protests Yet Erupt in Melbourne and Thousands Turn Out at Demonstrations Across Australia
 
Immigration
» Biden Admin Starts Deporting Haitians From Under Texas Bridge, Fox Foils FAA Drone Ban
» France: Migrant Who Was Supposed to be Deported Convicted of Sexually Assaulting 11-Year-Old
» ‘National Humiliation’ — Over 15,000 Illegal Boat Migrants Have Landed in UK This Year
» Syrian Teen Refugee Arrested in Germany Over Islamist Plot to Attack Synagogue
 
Culture Wars
» English Court of Appeal Rules Doctors Can Put Children on Trans Drugs
» Massachusetts Principal Flaunts Sexuality, Race in Front of Children to Stump for Black Lives Matter
» Women’s Organizations Across Canada Protest Housing of Biological Male Offenders in Women’s Prisons
 

“The Fourth Amendment is Not for Sale” — Bill Gets Renewed Attention Amidst Telecoms Privacy Concerns

Privacy activists have raised questions about law enforcement agencies’ increased use of commercial phone data and a couple of lawmakers have drafted legislation to address these concerns. While commercial phone data can aid in investigations, it is obtained in an unregulated way and the government could abuse it to illegally track citizens.

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

125 Indiana Hospital Employees Quit Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

125 employees of Indiana University Health have been terminated after choosing not to comply with the hospital’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

IU Health said Thursday the 125 employees left after a two-week unpaid suspension period meant to encourage workers to get the shot ended September 14.

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

24 State Attorneys General Challenge Biden’s Vaccine Mandate for Private Sector Employees

Twenty-four Republican attorneys general, led by South Carolina AG Alan Wilson, have joined a coalition to stop President Joe Biden’s recent order that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandate that private sector employers with 100 or more employees require them to receive a COVID-19 shot, submit to weekly testing, or lose their jobs.

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

Apple Sued by XRP Holders for Approving Phishing App to App Store

XRP holders have entered into conflict with Apple by launching a lawsuit. In a class action complaint filed on September 16th, 2021, several XRP investors claimed that the tech giant allowed criminal actors to steal their funds.

We obtained a copy of the complaint for you here.

According to XRP holders, Apple authorized the distribution of a malicious app in the “App Store,” that violated the law.

As a result, the plaintiffs alleged that the corporation knew of the illicit conduct enabled by this app, but continued to host it without warning its users that their financial information was at risk.

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

Biden Administration Pushes Congress to Require Banks to Turn Account Info Over to IRS

The Biden administration is pressuring lawmakers to enact a controverisal plan requiring banks to turn over to the Internal Revenue Service detailed information about inflows and outflows of almost all American bank accounts.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig sent letters to lawmakers this week asking Congress to include in tax hike legislation a requirement that banks report annual transaction data on accounts with $600 or more or that have $600 worth of transaction over the year, the Wall Street Journal reported.

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

Capitol Police Reportedly Detain Undercover Cop at Rally for Jan. 6 ‘Political Prisoners’

The “Justice for J6” rally in Washington concluded without major incident Saturday after the Capitol Police ramped up security in anticipation of the right-wing event. However, authorities appeared to detain an undercover officer.

Capitol Police surrounded a masked man reportedly carrying a firearm. “He tells them where the gun is, and they pull out his badge. He’s undercover law enforcement. Without disarming or handcuffing him, police extract him from the event,” reported News2Share editor-in-chief and documentarian Ford Fischer.

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

Demonstrators Protest COVID Vaccine Mandates at Governor’s Mansion

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) — Dozens of people demonstrated in front of the Governor’s Mansion Saturday to call on Governor Laura Kelly to put an end to COVID-19 vaccination mandates.

Demonstrators said they want to make sure they are able to maintain the rights over their body and decide for themselves whether or not they want to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

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

Dozens of Protesters Gather for Anti-Vaccine Rally in Front of L.A. City Hall, No Problems Reported

Dozens of anti-vaccination protesters gathered for a rally Saturday in front of Los Angeles City Hall, but unlike previous gatherings no counter-demonstrators turned out and things remained mostly peaceful.

Some of those attending the “World Wide Rally for Freedom” carried American flags and signs that read “COVID 1984,” “Informed Dissent,” “I’m Not A Lab Rat” and “Forced Penetrations Are Always Wrong.” The crowd numbered about 200.

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

Dozens Gather in Olean to Protest State Vaccine Mandates

OLEAN — Protests against New York state’s vaccine mandates continued Friday with several dozen people from across the region gathered at Lincoln Park voicing their frustrations and concerns.

At 6:30 p.m., people lined East State Street across from the Olean Municipal Building and near and even on the State and Union roundabout.

Many of those in the crowd carried American flags or signs with messages like, “Do not comply,” “Unmask our children,” and “Stop the mandate.” People of all ages attended, including young children. Almost no one wore a mask.

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

FEC Rules Twitter Shadowbanning Congressman Matt Gaetz Wasn’t Election Interference

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) unanimously rejected a complaint by Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz against Twitter, alleging the social media company shadowbanned him in 2018. The complaint accused Twitter of election interference.

In 2018, Vice reported that Twitter subjected Republican legislators, including Gaetz, to shadowbans, which limited the visibility of their accounts in search results. Following the report, Gaetz filed a complaint against Twitter with the FEC in July 2018.

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

Making Their Voices Heard: Protesters March Against Aspirus Vaccination Measures

LAURIUM — Protesters marched around Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital in Laurium Friday afternoon in opposition to a new requirement that all Aspirus employees be vaccinated or undergo periodic COVID-19 testing.

Crowd estimates for the protest at its peak ranged from 150 to 200. About 30 still remained holding signs at about 1:30 p.m.

Starting Monday, Aspirus Keweenaw employees will be required to get the vaccine or undertake three other activities: sign a formal waiver due to religious or medical reasons, complete an educational class on the vaccine and perform surveillance testing.

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

North Carolina Judges Strike Down Voter ID Law, Claiming it’s Racist

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times

Two North Carolina judges on Friday struck down a law that required identification to vote, alleging it “was enacted with the unconstitutional intent to discriminate against African American voters.”

The law was enacted in violation of the Equal Protection Clause in North Carolina’s Constitution, the majority of the panel said. The clause says that nobody shall be denied equal protection of the laws nor shall anybody be subjected to discrimination by the state due to race.

Defendants, including North Carolina House Speaker Timothy Moore, failed to show that racial discrimination was not a substantial or motivating factor behind enactment of the law, Superior Court Judges Michael O’Foghludha and Vince Rozier Jr., both Democrats, wrote in a 102-page ruling permanently blocking the measure.

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

Police and Media Outnumber ‘Justice for J6’ Protesters at Capitol Hill Rally

In a city still on edge after the Jan. 6 insurrection, law enforcement bore down in large numbers on the Capitol on Saturday over concerns that a rally in support of the jailed rioters would turn violent. It didn’t.

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

Protests Persist Over Beavercreek School Mask Policy

Parents at Beavercreek schools continue to protest the district’s mask mandate, even as others came forth to support the measure. Parents once again gathered outside the Thursday Beavercreek school board meeting , arguing that wearing masks should be a parent’s choice.

All Beavercreek students and staff are required to wear masks, a decision that has generated pushback from parents since the start of the school year. Opponents of the mask mandate say that the mandate is doing more harm than good.

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

Protestors Speak Out Against COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates in Watertown Saturday

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) — Get the shot, or lose your job. That’s an ultimatum dozens are protesting in the streets of Watertown Saturday.

Healthcare workers and their supporters came with signs, flags, and frustration toward the idea that they may lose their job or be forced to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

A mandate, which was made by the state back in August, would take effect September 27th. Meaning any unvaccinated hospital worker would be out of work.

The mandate has since gone to court after a group of healthcare workers sued and a judge in Utica temporarily blocked the rule.

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

Sen. Rand Paul: Biden Changed Distribution of Antibody Treatment ‘For Political Reasons’

Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said the Biden administration’s move to control the distribution of monoclonal antibody treatments is to punish southern states like Texas and Florida is simply because they are Republican strongholds.

On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Hannity,” Paul said Biden seized control of the antibody treatments “for political reasons,” a hallmark of “socialized medicine.”

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

Teen Stabbed to Death After Dutchess County High School Football Game, Former Student Charged

LAGRANGE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — A 16-year-old was stabbed to death after a high school football game in Dutchess County on Friday.

Police have identified the victim as Quraan Smith, a junior at Arlington High School.

They say they’re still investigating the fight that ended his life.

According to police, the confrontation between Quraan and 18-year-old Nestor Ortiz-Ocampo took place during a large fight just after 9 p.m. and ended with Quraan being stabbed in the torso.

“Everyone was heartbroken and shocked that it could happen somewhere like here,” said Molly Hutcher, a neighbor and Arlington High School graduate…

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Vaccine Mandate Protest in Courthouse Park

Sonora, CA—Over a hundred people were gathered at Courthouse Park in downtown Sonora to protest vaccine mandates and perceived government overreach. The event and its origins were recently a topic of an episode of motherlode views and can be found here

The event began at 1 pm with an opening prayer followed by a star-spangled banner sing-along with group High Flutin.

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

Wi Spa Suspect Still at Large — Has History of Indecent Exposure and Masturbation

The person charged with indecent exposure at the Wi Spa in Los Angeles — a case that led to violent clashes between protesters and transgender activists — is still at large, as sordid new details of their criminal record have emerged.

A judge in Los Angeles County Superior Court issued a second arrest warrant for Darren Agee Merager, 52, on Sept. 8 after Merager failed to appear at a hearing related to six felony charges of indecent exposure in connection with a previous case at a West Hollywood swimming pool. Merager, a registered sex offender in California for two prior convictions of indecent exposure, identifies as a woman, but law enforcement sources said that’s a ruse to get into women’s-only areas. In the Wi Spa case, Merager is accused of exposing an erect penis to four women and a minor girl.

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

WSJ: Facebook’s Internal Documents Show Company Knows Instagram is Terrible for Teen Girls

According to a recent report from the Wall Street Journal, social media giant Facebook is aware that its Instagram photo-sharing platform can have a negative effect on the body image of young women. One of Instagram’s internal presentations admits: “We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls.”

In a recent report titled “Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show,” the Wall Street Journal claims that Facebook is aware that its photo-sharing app Instagram can have a negative effect on the body image of young women.

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

BC Businesses Defy Province’s Proof of Vaccination Program

After BC launched its “vaccine passport” program for a myriad of ‘non-essential’ services, several businesses defied the public health order requiring them to check customers for proof of vaccination.

Rolly’s Restaurant, in Hope, BC said they will refute the order requiring proof of vaccination over discrimination concerns against potential customers. They “would rather let diners decide for themselves if they feel comfortable inside the restaurant,” its owners said, in astatement to Global News.

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

Breaking: Man Charged in Connection to Vandalism of Calgary Churches

One man has been charged in connection with two church vandalisms that occurred this summer in Calgary, Alberta.

Overnight on Wednesday, June 30, 2021, orange and red paint was placed on the exterior of eleven churches. One church had a window smashed in so that paint could also be thrown inside.

Messages left on one church, St. Bonaventure, read “Charge The Priests”, “Our Lives Matter” and “We Were Children”.

Another church, Calgary’s Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church, was painted with “751” — presumably in reference to the reports of 751 unmarked graves found near a former residential school in Saskatchewan — on the church’s signage.

Sebastian Rodriguez-Huerta, 23, is charged with two counts of mischief to a property primarily used for religious worship. It is alleged that these incidents also meet the threshold of being hate-motivated crimes.

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

Exclusive Video: Canadian Populist Leader Says Party Will Win Seats, Force Freedom Debate

TORONTO, Canada: Populist People’s Party of Canada (PPC) leader Maxime Bernier is confident his party will win seats in Canada’s federal election on Monday and believes the PPC will force other parties to enter a debate on freedom.

Just days before Monday’s Canadian federal election, populist PPC leader Maxime Bernier held several events on Thursday in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and in Toronto itself.

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

Hundreds Protest COVID-19 Mandates at ‘Freedom Rally’ In Edmonton Saturday

EDMONTON (CityNews) — A few hundred protesters gathered outside the Alberta legislature Saturday afternoon for what organizers called a “freedom rally” in opposition of COVID-19 health measures.

About 400 Edmontonians attended the “World Wide Rally for Freedom” — one of several planned demonstrations across Canada and the world.

Protesters waved Canadian flags and held signs voicing their displeasure with various public-health measures.

One of the handmade signs read “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.” Another read “Don’t Believe the Fake News,” echoing a sentiment often shared by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

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

Victoria ‘Freedom Rally’ Opposes ‘Politicization of Science’ Amid Ongoing Pandemic

A large number of residents demanding the province to end its vaccine and mask mandates, as well as other COVID restrictions, gathered on the grounds of the BC Legislature. The event is part of global “World Wide Rally Freedom” demonstrations taking place Saturday.

“We will push back against widespread propaganda, by producing our own media, and advancing our own narrative, instead of succumbing to the one being pushed on us,” read a release by the organizers.

Organizers conveyed they wanted to end lockdowns, mask mandates, state of emergency declarations, prevent “vaccine mandates and coercion,” and return standard international and domestic travel, reported Chek News.

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

About 25,000 Spanish Students Hold ‘Macro-Botellon’ Drinking Party

About 25,000 people took part in the biggest illegal drinking party in Madrid since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, police said on Saturday.

The “macro-botellon,” as these outside drinking parties are called, started at the Complutense University in Madrid on Friday.

Madrid’s Municipal Police said because of the large numbers involved in the party, they were unable to clear the drinkers until 7 a.m. Saturday.

Video of the party showed thousands of revellers not wearing masks or maintaining social distancing.

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

Facebook Deletes Groups From German Anti-Lockdown Supporters

Facebook has announced that it has deleted about 150 accounts, groups, and pages linked to the Querdenken (Lateral Thinking) movement. Querdenken has made a reputation online and offline for being a group of everyday citizens protesting strict COVID-19 restrictions.

“The people behind this activity used authentic and duplicate accounts to post and amplify violating content, primarily focused on promoting the conspiracy that the German government’s COVID-19 restrictions are part of a larger plan to strip citizens of their freedoms and basic rights,” Facebook head of security policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, announced.

The crackdown on the movement was performed on the main platform and Instagram. The accounts of the movement’s founder, Michael Ballweg, were also removed.

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

Free Speech Platform Gab May be Forced Out of Germany

Gab, one of the earliest free speech friendly alternatives to the established social media platforms, may be forced out of Germany due to the government’s insistence that it censors its users, according to CEO and founder Andrew Torba.

In a post on the platform, Torba said the threat of fines and legal pressure from the German government presented them with three choices: comply with the demands and censor the platform’s users, engage in a prolonged, costly, and likely doomed legal fight with the German government, or stop providing services to German users.

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

Hungary: Viktor Orban: Pope Francis ‘Reaffirmed’ Me in Fight for Families

ROME — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told public radio Friday that during Pope Francis’s visit to Budapest last Sunday, the pontiff urged him to continue his fight for the family.

“The Holy Father made it clear that the fight we are waging to protect families is the most important struggle with regard to the future of Europe,” Mr. Orban declared, asserting that the pope had “reaffirmed” him in his efforts.

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

UK: 34 People Fined This Week for Breaking Coronavirus Regulations in Somerset

As many as 34 people were fined thousands of pounds for breaking coronavirus regulations at Bath Magistrates Court this week.

Many of the offences took place in February 2021, back when cases were sky-high and England was under lockdown restrictions.

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

UK: Anti-Vax Protesters March Through Manchester City Centre as Part of ‘World Wide Rally for Freedom’

A ‘freedom rally’ took to the streets of Manchester city centre today where protesters were seen chanting and carrying banners against coronavirus vaccinations.

On Saturday afternoon (September 18), hundreds of protestors met at Piccadilly Gardens before making their way through the Northern Quarter and the Arndale shopping centre.

Amongst the sea of banners were signs saying ‘let’s end this mask-er-ade’, ‘please don’t jab kids’, and ‘our immune systems will cope alright, thanks’.

The event was being held as part of the ‘World Wide Rally For Freedom’, a worldwide effort to ‘denounce Covid-19-related policies and restrictions on movement and activity’.

Civil rights groups and campaigners are set to rally today across various urban cities in Europe, including Brussels, Lisbon, Amsterdam, London and Birmingham.

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

Wales: Anti-Vaccine Protesters Block Major City Centre Road in Cardiff by Sitting on Tarmac

Anti-vax protestors in Cardiff have blocked a major city road after sitting on the tarmac.

Pictures on social media showed some members of the march, protesting against vaccines and vaccine passports, sitting in the middle of the road outside John Lewis at the junction of Custom House Street and Bute Street.

They were carrying a large placard protesting against giving vaccines to teenagers aged 12-15. An image of the sit down was posted on Twitter at around 5pm on Saturday.

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

Apple and Google Cave and Censor Russian Opposition Leader, Navalny

Almost a month ago we reported that Apple and Google had been asked to ban from their app stores the app of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on the order of the Russian government.

Both Apple and Google have now complied with the censorship.

Supporters of the imprisoned de-facto Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have accused Google and Apple of political censorship for deleting his tactical voting app, after caving to pressure from the government. The Russian government threatened to take action if the app was not deleted.

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

Fearful US Residents in Afghanistan Hiding Out From Taliban

They’ve moved seven times in two weeks, relying on relatives to take them in and feed them. Their days are an uncomfortable mix of fear and boredom, restricted to a couple of rooms where they read, watch TV and play “The Telephone Game” in which they whisper secrets and pass them on, a diversion for the children that has the added benefit of keeping them quiet.

All of it goes on during the agonizing wait for a call from anybody who can help them get out. A U.S. State Department official contacted them several days ago to tell them they were being assigned a case worker, but they haven’t heard a word since. They tried and failed to get on a flight and now are talking to an international rescue organization.

“We are scared and keep hiding ourselves more and more,” the mother said in a text message to The Associated Press. “Whenever we feel breathless, I pray.”

Through messages, emails and phone conversations with loved ones and rescue groups, AP has pieced together what day-to-day life has been like for some of those left behind after the U.S. military’s chaotic withdrawal — that includes U.S. citizens, permanent U.S. resident green-card holders and visa applicants who aided U.S. troops during the 20-year war.

Those contacted by AP — who are not being identified for their own safety — described a fearful, furtive existence of hiding in houses for weeks, keeping the lights off at night, moving from place to place, and donning baggy clothing and burqas to avoid detection if they absolutely must venture out.

All say they are scared the ruling Taliban will find them, throw them in jail, perhaps even kill them because they are Americans or had worked for the U.S. government. And they are concerned that the Biden administration’s promised efforts to get them out have stalled.

When the phone rang in an apartment in Kabul a few weeks ago, the U.S. green card holder who answered — a truck driver from Texas visiting family — was hopeful it was the U.S. State Department finally responding to his pleas to get him and his parents on a flight out.

Instead, it was the Taliban…

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Biden’s Sec of State Deletes Tweet Criticizing China and Vowing to ‘Stand With the People of Hong Kong’

Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s official Twitter account replaced a tweet Thursday criticizing the Chinese government and vowing to “stand with the people of Hong Kong” with another post using softer language. A spokesperson for the State Department later called Blinken’s first tweet an “error.”

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

Wikipedia Claims Pro-China Group Attempted to Infiltrate and Control Site

Wikipedia alleges that the site was infiltrated by a pro-China group aiming to gain control of the site and edit articles to favor communist China’s viewpoint. The infiltration was described as “unprecedented in scope and nature” by the Wikimedia Foundation, which controls Wikipedia.

BBC News reports that the Wikimedia Foundation has stated that the site that bills itself as an online encyclopedia fell victim to an “infiltration” that aimed to promote the goals of China. The Wikimedia Foundation stated that the infiltration threatened the “very foundations of Wikipedia.”

[Comment: I’m not surprised. The Chinese government seeks world-wide control.]

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

Anti-Vax Protesters Wave Signs Depicting Mark McGowan as Hitler and Claiming the COVID Vaccine ‘Violates Human Rights’ During Rally in Perth

Despite Western Australia not being in lockdown, about 2,000 angry protesters swarmed the city to demand their ‘freedom’ and end to border closures at Forrest Chase on Saturday.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Hundreds Are Arrested and Six Cops Are Hospitalised With Broken Bones as the Most Violent COVID Protests Yet Erupt in Melbourne and Thousands Turn Out at Demonstrations Across Australia

Anti-lockdown riots have erupted in Melbourne’s CBD with violent protesters overpowering police officers and storming the streets in defiance of the city’s stay-at-home orders.

More than 1,000 demonstrators turned out in full-force to protest against the lockdown as they swarmed in front of traffic in Richmond, in the Victorian capital’s inner suburbs, on Saturday.

Melbourne has spent 228 days in lockdown since since march 2020, and is set to notch up a grim world record for the most days spent under stay-at-home laws when it passes Buenos Aires on September 23.

In Sydney 32 were arrested and 265 fines handed out as 2,000 police swarmed the city, while in Byron Bay 11 people were arrested at a 250-strong street protest.

Thousands more protested against lockdown restrictions and mandatory Covid vaccinations at large rallies in Brisbane and Perth.

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

Biden Admin Starts Deporting Haitians From Under Texas Bridge, Fox Foils FAA Drone Ban

For a month and a half, we’ve been keeping an eye on the developments of thousands of migrants gathering under the Anzalduas Bridge in Mission, Texas. On Aug. 2, we first reported stunning drone footage from Fox News’ Bill Melugin, who captured 1,000 migrants under the bridge surrounded by US Border Patrol agents. Now the number of migrants has increased to more than 11,000, and the federal government imposed a no-fly zone for unmanned aircraft systems.

The Biden administration’s attempt to cover up the border disaster by blocking drones didn’t stop Melugin and his team who hitched a ride on a Texas Department of Public Safety’s helicopter to capture an aerial view of the migrant crisis, mostly Haitians, crossing the Mexico—US border with ease and gathering under the bridge as they wait to be processed by Border Patrol agents.

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

France: Migrant Who Was Supposed to be Deported Convicted of Sexually Assaulting 11-Year-Old

A 26-year-old man under a deportation order was sentenced to just one year in prison after being found guilty of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl in an elevator earlier this summer.

The incident took place on July 16th and saw the man enter an elevator in a residential building in the commune of Elbeuf in the Normandy region and attack the 11-year-old young girl after she entered the elevator with him.

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

‘National Humiliation’ — Over 15,000 Illegal Boat Migrants Have Landed in UK This Year

The migrant crisis in the English Channel has turned into a “national humiliation” according to Brexit leader Nigel Farage, as over 15,000 illegal migrants have landed on British shores since the start of the year.

On Friday, another 174 migrants successfully reached the United Kingdom after travelling in small boats from France, following 222 on Thursday and 85 on Wednesday.

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

Syrian Teen Refugee Arrested in Germany Over Islamist Plot to Attack Synagogue

German police arrested a 16-year-old Syrian male, his father, and two brothers on suspicion of plotting an “Islamist-motivated threat” against a synagogue.

The arrests took place in Hagen near Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, on Thursday morning during Yom Kippur, the holiest period in the Jewish calendar, as a result of what authorities took to be a credible threat to attack the city’s synagogue.

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

English Court of Appeal Rules Doctors Can Put Children on Trans Drugs

England’s Court of Appeal has reversed a High Court decision restricting the use of trans drugs on children, with “detransitioners” worried the ruling may have put “children as young as 10” on “a pathway to sterilisation” again.

In December 2020, the High Court had ruled to restrict the use of so-called puberty blockers on children after a case was brought against the highly controversial Tavistock and Portman National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust and others by Keira Bell, a so-called “detransitioner” who believes she was “rushed” into life-changing gender reassignment as a teenager and now regrets the irreversible damage this caused.

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

Massachusetts Principal Flaunts Sexuality, Race in Front of Children to Stump for Black Lives Matter

A Massachusetts public high school principal opened the 2021 school year by apparently feeling the need to declare his racial status and sexual preferences to students in an effort to plug Black Lives Matter propaganda.

Aaron Sicotte, Principal of Needham High School, introduced himself as “a white privileged straight man” on the first day of school, an action which “had parents wondering why their kids came home on the first day of school aware of his sexual orientation,” according to Parents Defending Education (PDE).

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

Women’s Organizations Across Canada Protest Housing of Biological Male Offenders in Women’s Prisons

Several women’s organizations are publicly condemning the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) over the housing of violent biological male offenders who identify as female in women’s prisons. Several incidents of abuse and assault of female inmates and staff by trans-identified convicts have been reported.

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

8 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 9/18/2021

  1. Apple and Google have more capitalization than the budget of a country called the Russian Federation. And yet these organizations caved in.

    • They didn’t defeat anybody. They simply sat it out and waited. This is the Afghan way. The whole Kabul “defeat” was pre-arranged. America will win.

      • Maybe it depends on what your definition of “defeat” is.

        They forced us to close Bagram air base and retreat from the country in disgrace, leave hundreds of hostages on the ground and surrender billions of dollars worth of first class weapons, equipment, guns, helicopters, etc.

        That does not look like anything close to winning in my estimation.

  2. Funny how the UK Daily Mail has more news about the US than our own media.

    Look at the photos of these filthy, unvetted, unvaxxed, verminous invaders who are being welcomed into our once great country by the Marxist Bidenistas who control our Government.

    So for all intents and purposes, we no longer have a Defense department, Army, Navy or Air Force that will defend our borders.

    Here’s a suggestion- how about if they flew all those law enforcement officers that they had at the fake demonstration yesterday to Texas to help out their colleagues in the border patrol?

    Meanwhile, WHERE ARE THE REPUBICANS? Why is there no push back?

    Oh yeah, Ted Cruz is on Maria Bartiromo this morning talking about a hearing they’re going to have next week to talk about it.

    The citizens of the United States are on our own.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10004201/US-nears-plan-widescale-expulsions-Haitian-migrants.html

  3. Today’s “Justice for J6” rally in Washington DC attracted a lot fewer Trump supporters than expected.

    Are we sure? A colleague of mine went, and said that there were THOUSANDS.
    He shared this link:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ7Q0GFiQsI

    which appears to confirm what he’s saying.

    I’m sure he’s on a “list” now.

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