The Australian state of Victoria has passed a new law that will impose a fine of $40 on children under the age of 15 for not wearing masks. Meanwhile, 50,000 education workers in Ontario may be fired under the new vaccination mandate.
In other news, North African migrants in Basque country determined that a Spanish woman was a “fascist” and beat her severely in punishment.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Dean, DV, Insubria, Reader from Chicago, SS, Upananda Brahmachari, 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.
Alec Baldwin’s Rust Armorer Had History of on-Set Safety Violations
The head armorer on the set of Alec Baldwin’s Rust, where a fatal shooting took place last week, has reportedly had a number of complaints lodged against her at the previous movie set she worked at, where crew members expressed concerns regarding her careless handling of weapons.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed “Rust” movie cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza, but it’s too soon to determine whether charges will be filed, according to Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza.
In a press conference on Wednesday, investigators confirmed the gun Baldwin was handed on set fired a single live round.
District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said investigators cannot say yet whether it was negligence or by whom. She called it a complex case that will require more research and analysis.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Almost All of the Senators Supposed to be Holding Big Tech Accountable Are Bankrolled by Google
11 of the 12 senators in the subcommittee that questioned one of YouTube’s executives on Tuesday have received donations from a PAC of its parent company Alphabet, according to data by the Federal Election Commission.
The Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security held a hearing on Tuesday where it questioned executives from YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok about the negative impact of their platforms on minors.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Another In-N-Out Burger Shut Down for Refusing to be ‘Vaccine Police’
A second chain of In-N-Out Burger has been closed down by county authorities in California after it refused to go along with enforcing proof of vaccination orders.
The Washington Times reports that the restaurant in Pleasant Hill has been indefinitely closed by Contra Costa County health officials after ignoring orders to verify vaccine status or proof of a negative COVID-19 test among diners.
The report notes that the restaurant did display mandated signage detailing the requirements, but has refused to enforce the mandate.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A group of billionaires, led by LinkedIn founder with ties to Democrats Reid Hoffman and George Soros, are banding together to bankroll a new media corporation whose goal they say is to fight what is described in dramatic language as “the disinformation crisis.”
They are joined by Ken and Jen Duda and Incite Ventures in providing millions in seed investment funding to Good Information Inc., which is registered as a public benefit (for profit) corporation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Boston Man Who Shot at Police During George Floyd Protests Sentenced to Jail
A Boston man who shot 11 rounds at police as the George Floyd protests turned violent last spring in downtown has been sentenced to five years in prison.
John Boampong, 37, of Boston will also serve three years of supervised release for his assault on officers in the early-morning hours of June 1, 2020, U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young ruled.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Mayor Lightfoot Drowned Out by Boos at Union Fundraiser
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was drowned out by boos during a union fundraiser over the weekend.
The Democratic mayor got an unwelcome reception at an annual fundraiser Sunday for Plumbers Union Local 130, the first union that endorsed her 2019 runoff election, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CNN’s New Day Records Lowest Viewership of Year to Date
According to the latest data, viewership of CNN’s morning program New Day is continuing on its downward spiral, with the show recording its lowest numbers of the year to date yesterday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sen. Ted Cruz asked Attorney General Merrick Garland about reports that his son-in-law makes a fortune as a government contractor which collects information about “social and emotional learning.”
Cruz said: “A big part of the letter is they’re upset about parents not wanting critical race theory taught. Your son-in-law makes a very substantial sum of money from a company involved in the teaching of critical race theory. Did you seek and receive a decision from an ethics adviser at the Department of Justice before you carried out an action that would have a predictable financial benefit to your son-in-law?”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrats Nix Paid Leave in Latest Cut to Social Spending Package
Update (1726ET): It seems Congressional Democrats can’t stop losing today.
After eliminating the billionaire tax as a source of revenue for their massive spending proposals, Democrats have now nixed plans to include a paid-leave program in their social spending and climate-change bill, according to the Wall Street Journal. The proposed program initially offered 4 weeks of paid leave, which was whittled down to four weeks — and has now been eliminated altogether, according to people familiar with the matter.
Meanwhile, the White House is scrambling to bring Democrats together around the bill — which now has a $1.75 trillion price tag — down from the $3.5 trillion that House progressives insisted they wouldn’t accept — holding a parallel bipartisan infrastructure bill hostage until they get their way.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Enrollments Still Falling 2 Years Into Pandemic
The post-pandemic enrollment rebound everyone wished for has not come to pass.
College and university enrollments are still on the decline for most institutions, early data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center show. Undergraduate enrollment across the board fell by 3.2 percent this fall, echoing last fall’s 3.4 percent decline. Since fall 2019, undergraduate enrollments have dropped by 6.5 percent.
The top-line findings paint a bleak picture for higher education’s recovery.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A former MSNBC host has branded Condoleezza Rice a “disgusting soldier for white supremacy,” after the former Secretary of State spoke out against the teaching of Critical Race Theory in American schools.
In an op-ed Toure Neblett declared that Rice’s “thoughts on critical race theory are completely white-centric, as in, they revolve around the thoughts and needs of white people.”
He added that “Condoleezza Rice’s recent appearance on The View was offensive and disgusting for many reasons, but she was who we thought she was: a soldier for white supremacy.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former Soros Activist Explains How Progressive Policies Ruined San Francisco
There’s a crisis in San Francisco. Homelessness has skyrocketed and drug use is rampant.
Michael Shellenberger moved to San Francisco in 1993 to work on liberal causes, and even spent time working for George Soros’ foundation. He advocated the decriminalization of drugs and promoted drug treatment programs. But, Shellenberger says, he began to worry when he saw the number of drug overdose deaths in America rise from 17,000 in 2000 to more than 70,000 by 2017.
“Clearly, we are in the midst of a massive drug crisis,” Shellenberger says, “and it felt like nobody was offering a particularly clear explanation of it or offering very good solutions.”
Out of frustration over the problems he was seeing in San Francisco and other liberal cities, Shellenberger became determined to diagnose the problems driving the homeless crisis and find solutions. He presents the result of his research and investigation in his new book “San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities.”
Shellenberger joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss how the left’s “victim” ideology has harmed West Coast cities and what can be done to save those communities from complete ruin.
[Comment: The guy still calls himself a liberal but I think he has potential to see the light.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Google Blocked Animal Rights Group From Blowing Whistle on NIH-Funded Cruel Dog Experiments
Last month, Google removed ads by an animal advocacy group that was raising awareness on cruel dog experiments that received funding from a Dr. Anthony Fauci-led division of the National Institute of Health (NIH). The search giant was not clear on the policies that the ads violated.
While the cruel animal experimentation story is now a national scandal, the public could have learned about it earlier if it were not for Big Tech censorship.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Homeschooled Student Wins National Constitution Bee
A homeschooled senior from Tennessee won this year’s National Constitution Bee, showcasing his superior knowledge of the nation’s founding document.
Braeden Farley of Spring Hill, Tennessee won the tournament’s top honor of Grand Champion, as well as a $10,000 college scholarship.
Farley is the second person in his family to bring home the Grand Champion title, behind his elder brother, Noah, who captured the top prize in 2017.
The tournament is designed to demonstrate a student’s knowledge of the Constitution by answering multiple-choice questions, as well as giving unique orations about certain parts of the document.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An event venue in Oregon cancelled its hosting of the Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk Tour on Wednesday after receiving alleged violent threats from Antifa and far-left activists. Charlie Kirk’s Critical Racism Tour was set to take-off Wednesday night but the Holiday Inn Express Eugene Springfield sent the organization an email in the morning stating they were cancelling the reservation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Judge Denies NYC Police Union Request for Restraining Order to Block De Blasio Vaccine Mandate
A Supreme Court judge in New York will not prevent a COVID-19 vaccine mandate from taking effect for New York City’s cops, dealing a blow to the city’s largest police union, the Police Benevolent Association (PBA).
The ruling from Judge Lizette Colon, reported by the Associated Press, came after she heard arguments from the PBA, which filed a request for a temporary restraining order in hopes the mandate for the city’s municipal workforce would be dismissed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Judge Temporarily Blocks Parts of New Oklahoma Law Limiting Protests, Protecting Drivers
An Oklahoma federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked parts of a new law that could limit protests.
U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron granted a preliminary injunction to prevent two parts of House Bill 1674, commonly known as the law that grants immunity to drivers who hurt or kill a pedestrian while “fleeing” from a riot, from taking effect Monday.
The judge put on hold a provision that makes it a misdemeanor for people to unlawfully obstruct a public street or highway, a crime that could be punishable with up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
She did the same for a provision that could result in fines of up $50,000 for groups or organizations “found to be a conspirator” with someone who violates any one of a number of state laws pertaining to riots and unlawful assemblies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kentucky High School Investigating ‘Man Pageant’ Event With Lap Dances, Hooters Outfits
A Kentucky school district confirmed on Wednesday it is investigating social media posts of a homecoming event showing male teenagers in skimpy clothing giving lap dances to school staff, including the principal.
Social media posts emerging from Hazard High School in Hazard, Kentucky show teenage boys giving lap dances to staff which has prompted outrage from parents on social media, according to Lexington Herald-Leader.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Arrested for Threatening to Kill Matt Gaetz Worked for CNN, ABC, NBC
A California man arrested last week for allegedly threatening to kill Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and his family is an Emmy-nominated cameraman who has worked for ABC, NBC and CNN, according to WEAR.
After the DOJ dragged its feet over the voicemail death threat left at Gaetz’ office, 58-year-old Eugene Huelsman of Thousand Oaks was arrested.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Fights Off Attacker Who Allegedly Stabbed Parents, Pregnant Sister
PORTLAND, Tennessee (WSMV) — One Robertson County family said for them, Monday night was truly every family’s worst nightmare. A stranger came into their home armed with a knife and stabbed the mom, dad, and pregnant daughter. They realized it was their new neighbor.
The son, Justin Stradtner said he heard the noise, walked into the living room and saw his mom and dad on the floor, bloody. Justin said through tears, they told him they loved him and thought they weren’t going to make it. “One minute, I am reading my little girl a story,” Justin said. “The next thing I know, someone is busting in the front door trying to stab and kill us.”
Justin Stradtner is staying strong for his family after a triple stabbing at his parents’ home in Robertson County near the Tennessee-Kentucky state line. “We have lived on the same road for 20 years,” Justin said. “We have never had anything like this happen.”
Monday night, Justin said a man that police have now identified at 23-year-old Austin Swanson pulled into the front yard right up to the steps and parked in the middle of the yard. “My dad meets him at the front door,” Justin said. “He busts the door in with the knife. My dad tried to push him out with the door. He stabbed my dad in the neck and punctured his lung.”
After Justin’s dad, 53-year-old Jerry Stradtner was stabbed, Justin’s mother, 52-year-old Tammy Stradtner ran in. “He cut my mom from her lip all the way over,” Justin said.
At eight months pregnant, Justin’s sister, 23-year-old Tamalee Stradtner was also stabbed in the chest. Justin said he fought Swanson off and held him on the ground until law enforcement arrived. “I didn’t know if he had another knife or a gun so I kept his hands where he couldn’t reach for anything,” Justin said.
The Robertson County Sheriff’s Office said they haven’t determined a motive. Justin said Swanson moved in this summer a couple houses down, but Justin said his family never had contact with Swanson. Justin said Swanson was incoherent last night. “He was saying he was the police and all kinds of stuff that didn’t make sense,” Justin said…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Sen. Joe Manchin, one of two Democratic holdouts still negotiating with the Biden administration about the “Build Back Better” budget bill, told the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. on Tuesday that the proposal for the IRS to monitor bank account transactions of more than $600 is “screwed up.”
He also said President Biden told him during a meeting on Sunday that the idea will be removed from the final reconciliation bill.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Moms’ Advocacy Group Gathers to Protest at National School Boards Association HQ
A group of mothers gathered to protest at the headquarters of the National School Boards Association (NSBA) in Alexandria, Virginia, on Wednesday.
Moms for America, which says it is “a national movement of mothers reclaiming our culture for truth, family, freedom and the Constitution,” according to their website, joined together at the NSBA headquarters to protest the organization’s recent call for the Biden administration to get involved in school board disputes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New York’s New Governor Draws Backlash for Maskless Broadway Outing
It’s only been a matter of months since Kathy Hochul replaced the disgraced Andrew Cuomo as New York’s governor. Yet she’s already finding herself in hot water—most recently, after a maskless Broadway outing drew social media backlash.
On Sunday, the governor tweeted a photo of her and her husband with 10 other people at a Broadway production. None of them were wearing masks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sen. Kennedy Blasts Critical Race Theory ‘Drivel,’ Says Objections Are About ‘Parental Love’
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) pushed back on critical race theory in the classroom arguing the conversation is about “parental love” as parents across the nation demand more influence on their children’s education. Sen. Kennedy joined “America’s Newsroom” on Wednesday to discuss the recent push as the Justice Department remains in the hot seat over its memo regarding school board threats.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sen. Tom Cotton told Attorney General Merrick Garland during a Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday that he should “resign in disgrace” after a Q&A about how the Justice Department is handling security concerns at local school board meetings in light of how one of the central events cited to justify it turns out to be much more complicated than it seemed
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sheriff: Movie Set Showed ‘Some Complacency’ With Weapons
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Investigators said Wednesday that there was “some complacency” in how weapons were handled on the movie set where Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed a cinematographer and wounded another person, but it’s too soon to determine whether charges will be filed.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza noted that 500 rounds of ammunition — a mix of blanks, dummy rounds and live rounds — were found while searching the set of the Western “Rust.”
“Obviously I think the industry has had a record recently of being safe. I think there was some complacency on this set, and I think there are some safety issues that need to be addressed by the industry and possibly by the state of New Mexico,” Mendoza told a news conference nearly a week after the shooting.
Authorities also confirmed there was no footage of the shooting, which happened during a rehearsal…
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
‘Take These M*****f*****s Out’: Rutgers Prof Rails Against White People While Defending CRT
During a talk titled “Unpacking the Attacks on Critical Race Theory,” Rutgers University professor Brittney Cooper called white people villains and said that they “kind of deserve” the current declining birth rate.
She also told writer Michael Harriot, “I think that white people are committed to being villains in the aggregate.”
The event took place on Sept. 21 as part of The Root Institute, a conference hosted by an African American-focused online publication called The Root. President Biden delivered this year’s opening address.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
TikTok Refuses to Give Senator Ted Cruz a Straight Answer About Sending User Data to China
In a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Sen. Ted Cruz grilled TikTok Vice President Michael Beckerman on whether the platform shares American users’ data with China. Beckerman did not give a straight answer.
Cruz asked Beckerman multiple times whether the vague language in TikTok’s privacy policy means that the platform’s parent company ByteDance shares data with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Beckerman refused to answer the question with a direct yes or no. Instead, he talked about TikTok’s use of data.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US “Assures” London Court That Assange Can Serve All Prison Time in Australia
US prosecutors who are on Wednesday arguing for the London High Court to overturn a prior January ruling by Judge Baraitser banning WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition to the US on the basis that he would face cruel punishment in a US federal ‘supermax’ prison, are now offering multiple “assurances” in order to get that ruling overturned.
Most importantly, the US side says it will allow Assange to serve any prison time stemming from US charges — which include 18 criminal counts related to espionage — in his native Australia. Lawyer for the US DOJ James Lewis filed a document with the court promising the following:
“The United States has also provided an assurance that the United States will consent to Mr Assange being transferred to Australia to serve any custodial sentence imposed on him.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
50,000 Ontario Education Workers Could be Fired if Vaccines Mandated, Education Minister Says
According to Ontario’s minister of education, upwards of 50,000 education workers in Ontario could be fired if COVID-19 vaccines were mandated for the sector, The Canadian Press reports.
Responding to the Ontario NDP party in question period, education minister Stephen Lecce said a mandatory vaccine policy would mean terminating tens of thousands of educators when the province already faces staffing shortages.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Albertan Firefighters Challenge the Vaccine Passports and Put the Government in the Hot Seat
A group of Alberta firefighters are taking a stand and pushing back against vaccine passports.
Their grounds for opposition are diverse, but they include medical, religious and ethical reasons. They’re suing the government to demand reasonable accommodations and safer practices, both for themselves and the people they interact with in rescue situations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CBC Wants to Know Why Young People Aren’t Watching Their Programs
Fearing that the channel’s few remaining viewers may be getting close to the time when they may be climbing that stairway to heaven, CBC is hoping to draw in a younger audience. The state broadcaster, however, just doesn’t seem to know anything about this potential audience demographic.
The new Request for Information, open for tender and published on the MERX website, asks for qualified applicants to bid on a contract to conduct a nationwide survey:
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Montrealers Gather Together to Reclaim Their Freedoms and Their Right to Dance
Whether it is at bars, nightclubs, or for any other event, dancing is a means of expression. It’s an art and a way of having fun. This past weekend, thousands of people gathered at Mount Royal Park in Montreal to dance to the music’s rhythm, in a protest to reopen dance floors in Quebec.
Many different DJs and colorful costumes were present.
Vaccinated or not, people want to reclaim rights the government promised they would be given back — and this weekend, the focus was on the promise to return their freedom to dance.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Silent Protest Held in Solidarity With Frontline Workers Against Alberta Vaccine Mandate
This past Sunday, a couple thousand people converged on the south lawn of the Alberta Legislature Building to protest against the forced vaccination mandate for Alberta health-care workers and first responders.
The Alberta government has mandated a proof of full vaccination policy for firefighters, police, and all health-care workers with a deadline of November 20, 2021.
On October 22, with just nine days left before time ran out on the prior October 31 deadline, the date was moved.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trucking Alliance Warns of Looming “Disaster” If Vaccine Passports Are Introduced
The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has warned of substantial “supply chain disruptions” if the US enforces vaccine passports at the border.
A few weeks ago, the US Department of Homeland Security announced a vaccine mandate for all international travel including truck drivers that will take effect in January. The announcement has been heavily criticized by cross-border truckers. According to Transportation Network, one executive in the Canadian trucking industry warned that the mandate would lead to a “disaster.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trudeau Liberals to Push Ahead With Internet Regulations, Bill C-10 in New Parliament
Trudeau’s newest Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez will reintroduce the Liberal’s controversial internet regulations that the government failed to pass during the last parliament, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two Arrested at on-Campus Extinction Rebellion Vancouver Protest
The RCMP arrested two people at a nonviolent Extinction Rebellion Vancouver protest on campus last night.
Extinction Rebellion met at the Jim Everett Memorial Park at 4:30 p.m., and after speeches from main organizers, 30—40 protestors proceeded to block the Wesbrook Mall and University Boulevard intersection at 5:30 p.m., singing songs, chanting and yelling at police. This protest was part of the group’s 14 days of protesting to end fossil fuel subsidies.
Last night’s protest was focused on getting UBC to move up its divestment timeline. The university has currently committed to divestment by 2030.
By 5:45 p.m., RCMP officers — many who had come in from other jurisdictions — began demanding protestors leave the intersection. At 5:52 p.m., the first protestor was arrested after they sat down in the middle of the intersection. A second arrest followed a few minutes later.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘United Non-Compliance’ Street Picnic Protest Takes Over Toronto’s Greektown
The vaccine passport in Ontario, implemented by Premier Doug Ford’s government beginning on September 22, has received backlash and has now become the central focus for protests across the province. For a second time, demonstrators in the Greater Toronto Area who are opposed to a so-called “show me your papers” society have taken to the street for “picnic protest.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vancouver Supporters Join Longshore Workers’ Union in Opposition to Mandatory COVID Vaccines
This past Friday, around 150 protesters gathered in front of Vancouver’s Service Canada office on 800 Burrard Street.
The protest consisted of longshoremen and those in support of their opposition to a COVID-19 vaccination policy, that would require them to be vaccinated by November 15 or be unable to work.
Unlike most unions, which are failing to represent employees against the coercive vaccine mandates, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU) recently put out a statement requesting that Transport Canada back off from attempting to mandate the jab for dock workers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Deputy Prime Minister for national security Jaroslaw Kaczynski announced the introduction of the homeland defense bill, which is meant to set up new regulations concerning the Polish Armed Forces
“If we want to avoid the worst — in other words, war — we have to act according to the old rule: ‘If you want peace, prepare for war,’“ Jaroslaw Kaczynski said during a press conference where he and defense minister Mariusz Blaszczak jointly presented the defense proposal.
Under Kaczynski’s proposal, troop numbers would more than double from the current number of 110,000 to 250,000, with an additional 50,000 reserve troops. Kaczynski said the plan entails purchasing military equipment produced in the US and elsewhere in the EU.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A poll by Harris reveals that the majority of French people are concerned about “European, white and Christian populations being threatened with extinction” as a result of “Muslim immigration.”
One of the primary drivers for the native population’s resentment towards the political class is that they were never consulted on the topic of mass migration.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
There is no connection between the June intervention of police officers and the death of a Roma man in Teplice, Czechia, according to the final autopsy report received by the Ústi nad Labem regional police directorate. The man died shortly after the police placed him under arrest. Subsequently, several demonstrations took place, with some Czech and foreign organizations requesting an investigation of the case.
“The expert opinion states that there is no connection between the intervention and the death of the man. The death occurred in a direct connection with crystal meth intoxication,” said police spokeswoman Šarka Polackova.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Danish Health Minister Threatens to “Shut Down Society” If More People Don’t Get Vaccinated
The Danish health minister is threatening to “shut down society” if more people don’t get vaccinated after the country experienced a COVID spike despite over 75 per cent of the population being fully vaccinated.
As we highlighted on Monday, Denmark just suffered its worse COVID case load since May, while the virus reproduction (R number) also jumped to 2.01, which is the highest level since January.
Over 75 per cent of Denmark’s 5.8 million inhabitants have been fully vaccinated.
Despite the fact that 85 per cent of people over the age of 12 are vaccinated, Denmark has seen more than 1,000 daily cases of COVID for a week straight.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Antitrust Official: We Must Act Now Against Facebook
European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager told DW on Tuesday that breaking up Facebook could take “years,” and that leaders should act quickly before the platform does any more damage.
Democracies need to ‘stand together’ against Facebook
Asked if Facebook was too large and powerful to even attempt to force changes from the outside, Vestager said “not for our democracy.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s interview for the Financial Times was not accidental, and the strong words which he used whie speaking with the paper were also no accident. Morawiecki has accused the EU of making demands of Warsaw with a “gun to our head” and warned that if the European Commission “starts the third world war” by withholding promised cash to Warsaw, he would “defend our rights with any weapons which are at our disposal.”
These words were meant to be heard. They are meant to echo through the corridors of Brussels for weeks to come.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Working to Defeat PM Orban in Upcoming Election, Says Hungarian Minister
The European Union is doing its utmost to help the Hungarian opposition parties to an electoral victory in 2022, Justice Minister Judit Varga said at her annual hearing in the Justice Committee of the Hungarian Parliament.
“Everything is being done in Brussels to help the opposition in the 2022 election. And the pressure will only increase,” the minister predicted.
However, Varga asked: if there is so much legal certainty in Brussels, how can it be that while the Sargentini report’s method of counting votes had to wait almost three years for an EU court decision, the most important question in European legal history — whether it can tie rule of law to financial sanctions — is being pushed to be decided in an accelerated procedure.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook’s Opaque End-to-End Encryption Becomes a Topic in UK Hearing
On Tuesday, former Facebook employee turned “whistleblower” Frances Haugen gave testimony in the UK Parliament where she raised privacy and safety concerns regarding Facebook’s end-to-end encryption plans.
While Haugen has been controversial for being quickly embraced by mainstream media outlets who are calling for online censorship, Haugen has made some interesting comments about Facebook’s plans to introduce end-to-end encryption in a way that doesn’t prove that its products are encrypted because they will be closed-source and the code is accessible only to Facebook.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Unvaccinated People to be Banned From Berlin Christmas Markets
Unvaccinated people will be banned from visiting Berlin’s famous Christmas markets, with even the option of providing a negative COVID test likely to be removed.
Despite being located outdoors, officials have approved strict entry requirements for the festive events which will see those who haven’t received the jab turned away.
“Under a strict ‘2G’ model, those over the age of 12 must be double vaccinated or recovered from the virus and would be denied entry even if they have a negative Covid-19 test,” reports the Daily Mail.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Body of Woman Who Killed Daughters Found in River
Sri Lankan, 34, killed girls aged 3 and 11
(ANSA) — ROME, OCT 27 — The body of a woman who killed her three-year-old and 11-year-old daughters in an anti-domestic violence shelter outside Verona on Tuesday was found Wednesday afternoon in the Adige River about 300 metres from where her bag and cellphone were found on the riverbank.
The 34-year-old Sri Lankan woman, Sachithra Ninansala Fernando Dewendra Mahawaduge, fled the shelter where the three were living after fleeing a violent father with drug problems.
The woman and her daughters had been in the home at Porto San Pancrazio since January, after an order from a minors court for them to leave the family home due to the violent and abusive behaviour of the father, who had had drug problems in the past.
An autopsy found Wednesday that the girls had been “violently suffocated”, probably with pillow, ANSA was told.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Judge Suspended After Addressing Anti-Green Pass Rally
Messina justice Angelo Giorgianni spoke to crowd in Rome piazza
(ANSA) — ROME, OCT 27 — A Sicilian judge was suspended from his job without pay Wednesday after addressing an anti-Green Pass rally in Rome on October 9 which turned violent when a neo-fascist led mob ransacked the HQ of Italy’s biggest and most leftwing trade union.
Messina appeals court justice Angelo Giorgianni addressed the crowd from a stage in Piazza del Popolo during the protest against the COVID health certificate.
The rally was attended by hundreds of anti-vaxxers, most of whom demonstrated peacefully and had nothing to do with the assault allegedly led by the far-right Forza Nuova (FN) group.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Orban, Le Pen Reject European Superstate, EU’s Ideological Agenda
The European Commission has gone from being the guardian of the treaties to an ideological movement, and Poland and Hungary are experiencing a modernized, EU form of the Brezhnev doctrine on a daily basis, said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at a joint conference with visiting French National Rally party leader Marine Le Pen.
Viktor Orban said that it was sadly stated at the meeting between him and Le Pen that ideological pressure within the European Union had reached “unprecedented proportions.”
“Migration and the promotion of an open society have reached unprecedented proportions, and the European Commission has evolved from a guardian of the treaties to an ideological center,” he added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Environmental activists from an Extinction Rebellion (XR) offshoot set fire to a prop boat and filled the air with plumes of smoke to protest climate change and fossil fuels.
Two so-called environmentalists from Ocean Rebellion, one dressed as Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, set fire to the small boat bearing a sail reading, “Your children’s future” on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland, opposite the site of the United Nations COP26 climate conference which starts on Sunday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Sweden is the Most Dangerous Country in Europe’ — Top German Paper
A major German newspaper has deemed Sweden the ‘most dangerous country in Europe,’ citing data to support the claim.
Bild, a tabloid considered Germany’s most widely-read paper, analyzed findings of a study conducted on fatal gun violence by Brottsførebyggande rådet, the Swedish Crime Prevention Council.
Tying the research to other trends and issues in the Nordic country, such as rampant gang violence and drug trafficking, Bild journalist Ingrid Raagaard reached the conclusion that things “cannot go on like this.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
MI5 has admitted that Salman Abedi should have been put on a “ports action list” to alert police of his return from Libya four days before he killed 22 people on May 22nd, 2017, at the Manchester Arena in an Islamist suicide bombing.
During a public inquiry into the terror attack, it was revealed that 22-year-old Abedi, the son of Libyan refugees, was in contact with eight people marked subjects of interest (SOIs) to MI5 — Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, also known as the Security Service — including five individuals suspected of having links with Islamic State in Syria, al-Qaeda, and an Islamist extremist group in Libya. One of the men was convicted terrorist Abdalraouf Abdallah, who had tried to help three Islamists travel to Syria to join ISIS, who Abedi had visited in prison.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Statues of Historical Figures Who Opposed Slavery Now Face Removal
Statues and busts of historical figures who OPPOSED slavery now face being removed in England and Scotland because such men “might now be called racist” anyway.
Yes, really.
A statue of William Pitt, an abolitionist who once branded slavery a “curse of mankind,” could be removed by Edinburgh council.
Britain’s youngest Prime Minister and a close friend of iconic abolitionist William Wilberforce is accused of having been “involved in sustaining the slavery-based economy and preventing the abolition of the slave trade.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube Didn’t Say Why it Temporarily Disabled Novara Media’s Channel
YouTube suspended then restored the channel of Novara Media, a UK-based left-leaning news outlet. According to the outlet, the channel was suspended without explanation and it had not received a warning.
“We play an important public service role and regularly feature interviews with politicians, human rights campaigners, scientists and campaigners from around the world,” Novara said in a statement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Maghreb: The ‘Fruitful Regression’ of Islamic Extremism
by Kamel Abderrahmani
The recipe for the defeat of radicalism in power, is allowing it to reveal its demagogy through a period in government. The example of Morocco, where the Pjd went from 125 to 12 deputies and was beaten at the polls. The end of supremacy after 10 years marked by malfeasance and moralism. The Algerian situation.
Paris (AsiaNews) — A regression is a regression, no matter what the nature, fruitful or sterile, it is a loss of time and energy. Fruitful regression, however, seems to give positive results and protects Muslim peoples from violence linked to radical Islamic ideology, such as that experienced by Algeria and which has caused the death of more than 250,000 citizens.
This thesis, dubbed the “fruitful regression”, has been developed extensively by Lahouari Addi in his book “Algeria and Democracy”. The Algerian academic is a professor of sociology at the Institute for Political Studies in Lyon (University Louis Lumière-Lyon 2) and a researcher at Ceriep (Center for Studies and Research of the Institute for Political Studies) and Gremmo (Group for Research and Studies on the Mediterranean and the Middle East).
The new idea at the base of his thesis is simple and clear: if the Muslim majority society votes for Islamic extremists, we must make them govern for the time necessary for it to understand that the Islamist discourse is nothing but demagogic and radical promises. And that their project of society is not applicable in practice, so that they will end up discrediting themselves and make the Islamist hypothesis sunset definitively.
In fact, it seems that Moroccans have adopted and embodied this thesis of “fruitful regression”. Last September 8, after 10 years in power, the Justice and Development Party (JPD), an Islamist movement affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, was expelled from power in a democratic manner and through the ballot box: it went from 125 deputies to 12, an unexpected result, given the extent and scope of the propaganda used by Islamists in the Maghreb countries.
In other words, the Moroccan people — as traditionalist as all other Muslim-majority societies — have been deceived for years by a moralistic discourse and by the image of saviors with which the Islamists have been able to cloak themselves, as well as by their instrumentalization of Islam for political purposes.
On the level of government, these last 10 years have been pathetic at many junctures and the Moroccans, in their great wisdom, have ended up dismissing them after giving them an opportunity five years ago. The impostors have been exposed one after another in matters related to morality, corruption and embezzlement; not to mention the starving behavior of many of their officials and elected representatives at the local level, devoid of any scruples.
Even if this malpractice was cushioned by the system and a few ministers free of their influence, their blatant incompetence has at the same time become their identity license. It is time for all of them to turn the page after the appointment of an executive largely composed of technocrats who are taking back the ownership of some ministries, and of a new government team that can count seven women out of a total of 24 ministers, compared to four of the previous Islamist government.
Can we say that Islamism has been defeated in a democratic way in Morocco? Can we claim it? In my opinion, not yet. Moroccans seem to have grasped once and for all that a democratic state cannot be built in the presence of its antidote: Islamic extremism. In other words, this is what the Algerian tragedy teaches until today, and the Tunisian experience, which so many people continue to cite; moreover, it should be underlined that also in Tunisia the circle is tightening around the Islamist party Ennahda, involved in some cases of corruption. In other words, political Islam in the Maghreb countries is undergoing serious setbacks which, in the end, will bring it to the end of its natural cycle.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
We Expect Embassy in Jerusalem From Italy-Israeli Ambassador
State of Israel ‘only successful investment’ in region
(ANSAmed) — ROME, OCTOBER 19 — Israel’s ambassador to Italy, Dror Eydar, has said that “Italy’s historic mission to help us build our land, to realize biblical prophecies on the return of the Jewish people to Zion after exile, is not over. We expect the transfer of the Italian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, our capital and historic city”. The ambassador was addressing students at Rome’s Unit university during a meeting organized on Monday as part of the Festival of Diplomacy.
During the event, Eydar reflected on the political developments in the region. “What has been occurring over the last decade in the Middle East is the fall of the Nation State, of this western idea”. In its place “are returning ancient primordial structures that characterized the region for thousands of years: tribes, ethnicities, clans”. And “the much anticipated revolution in the Middle East is still late and who knows when it will take place”, also said the ambassador.
“In light of the fall of nation states, the only successful investment is to invite Jews to their home in Zion, to their land, something that has led to the construction of the State of Israel”. “In any case, here is a question that must interest you: who established that what is right for the West is also right for the Middle East? There are significant differences between the Middle East and Europe, regarding fundamental issues in political and religious thinking. Would it not be better if Europe reflected carefully before resolving problems in the Middle East using schemes of thought that are suitable for it but not necessarily for others?”, asked the ambassador.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Finally in Bali, Sukmawati Sukarnoputri Embraced Hinduism by Leaving Islam
Sukmawati, daughter of Indonesia’s Founding President Sukarno gives up Islam, embraces Hinduism.
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Lavrov Warns Terrorists Disguised as ‘Refugees’ Are Trying to Infiltrate Neighboring Countries
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warns that terrorists posing as refugees are trying to infiltrate neighboring countries following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
Lavrov made the comments during a ministerial level meeting of Afghanistan’s neighbors (Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan).
“The current task on the agenda is to ease the effects of and control migration flows from Afghanistan, because terrorist and criminal elements posing as refugees may infiltrate neighboring countries and have already been trying to do so,” said Lavrov.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dan’s New Bill Allows Police to Jail Mask Breachers
The Daniel Andrews Labor Government in Victoria has proposed two years in jail or a $90,000 fine for anyone who ‘intentionally and recklessly’ violates a public health order related to the Covid pandemic. Businesses face crippling fines of $455,000 for the same offence.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
MPs Form ‘Rebel Parliament’ After Being Banned Over Vaccine Passport
Three of the four Victorian MPs denied access to parliament last week for refusing to show proof of vaccination have set up a ‘rebel parliament’ in a Melbourne nightclub.
“Watch what’s going on in Australia… What’s happening with kicking members of parliament out for not handing over their papers — setting up a segregated society,” said Liberal Democrats MP David Limbrick. “If it hasn’t happened to your society, watch what’s happening here and see us as a warning.”
Independent MP Catherine Cumming, Liberal Democrats MPs David Limbrick and Tim Quilty invited Rebel News into the ‘rebel parliament’ where the three suspended members of the Upper House conduct their work.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police have arrested Extinction Rebellion protesters who glued themselves to Parliament’s top step and another protester has been charged with wilful damage.
Officers issued members of the group with trespass notices shortly after midday on Wednesday.
About 2pm, the protesters were seen unsticking their hands from the steps using nail polish remover, under the supervision of paramedics, before police removed three of them from Parliament grounds.
A police spokeswoman said three people had been arrested for allegedly refusing to leave Parliament after being trespassed. They were referred to Te Pae Oranga to take part in a restorative justice process.
Another person, a 41-year-old man, was also arrested in relation to an incident which allegedly occurred during a protest in Bowen St in central Wellington.
A police spokeswoman said the man had been charged with wilful damage and would appear at Wellington District Court next Monday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Zealand Expands Vax Mandate for Workers, 40% Now Require Jab
New Zealand’s government will expand a vaccine mandate to include thousands of workers including waiters, bar staff, and hairdressers.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Victoria Now Fining CHILDREN Not Wearing Masks
The Victorian government has approved fining children for failure to wear a mask.
According to the Fines, enforcement and reporting section of the official government website, children will be fined for violating mask mandates and Covid health orders.
Children under 15 will receive fines of $40 if they fail to wear a face mask without a lawful exemption. For children between 15 and 18, that amount increases to $80.
Adults receive $200 fines for the same offence.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Boat Migrants Believed Dead in English Channel After Farage Warned of Inevitable ‘Disaster’
The British government’s failure to stop the people-smuggling of illegal migrants across the English Channel has reportedly taken another tragic turn, as up to three migrants are believed to have drowned.
A massive search off the coast of Harwich, Essex on Monday and Tuesday saw two Somali migrants rescued after their “completely unsuitable” dinghy drifted off course on Saturday in a 72-hour ordeal and ultimately began to sink.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Score of Non-EU Migrants Arrested After Riot With Machetes and Swords
Police arrested 20 non-European Union migrants weeks after a mass brawl between rival groups that involved knives, machetes, and other weapons on the streets of the city of EU
The altercation took place on September 15th and saw two groups of around 40 migrants engage in violence that at the time was believed to have been linked to drug trafficking or a settling of accounts between rival gangs.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
North African Migrants Decide Spanish Woman is ‘Fascist’ And Brutally Beat Her
Four North African migrants are alleged to have brutally beaten a 30-year-old Spanish woman in her own neighbourhood after accusing her of being “fascist”.
The incident took place on Sunday morning in the Spanish city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the Basque Country, and saw the 30-year-old surrounded by four men in a garden near her home and brutally attacked, with her face being particularly targeted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Former ICE Director Says Biden Should be Impeached Over ‘Intentionally Unsecured’ Border
Former acting ICE director Tom Homan blasted Joe Biden Tuesday, accusing he and his administration of “intentionally” allowing the southern border to become insecure, saying it is being done “by design”.
Appearing on Fox News, Homan declared that within days America has gone from “the most secure border we ever had” under President Trump to chaos under Biden.
“We had illegal immigration down 81 percent, most secure border in my entire career of 35 years. Most secure border in my lifetime,” Homan urged.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czech Parties Seek Coalition Agreement, But Gay Marriage and Euro Adoption Are Sticking Points
Our parties agree on most points, stated the representatives of the SPOLU (Together) and PirSTAN coalitions on Tuesday, claiming that they had found common ground about the goals of the future government and, therefore, expect to sign a coalition agreement next week. However, there may be areas where there are differences, and it is not clear how close the negotiating teams are to coming to an agreement.
None of the five parties of the future government wants to officially comment on the divisive topics. However, one of the members of the negotiating team said that it was impossible to find an agreement, for example, on gay rights.
“Marriage is not addressed in the program statement at all,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gender “X”: US Issues First Passport for People Who Don’t Identify as Male or Female
Americans who don’t identify as male or female can finally rejoice, after the United States has issued its first passport with an “X” gender designation.
According to a Wednesday statement by the State Department, the “X” designation will likely be offered on a broad basis next year, according to AP.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Senate Vote Halts Anti-Homophobia Bill
Centre right block bill over freedom-of-expression concerns
(ANSA) — ROME, OCT 27 — The floor of the Senate on Wednesday voted to halt examination of the articles of a homophobia bill and the amendments presented to it, effectively blocking its progress through parliament.
The motion to halt the so-called Zan bill, requested by the right-wing League and Brothers of Italy (FdI) parties, was approved in a secret vote in the Upper House with 154 Senators in favour, 131 against and two abstentions.
The Lower House had approved the bill, backed by the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and the 5-Star Movement (M5S), among other groups, in November 2020.
Attempts to reach an agreement that would see the bill, filed by PD member and gay activist Alessandro Zan, get broad support failed earlier this week.
The Vatican intervened in relation to the bill earlier in the year, expressing concerns that it could breach the Lateran Treaty that regulates relations between the Italian State and the Holy See/Catholic Church.
The Vatican and conservative Italian political parties are worried that the bill could curb freedom of expression, in part because it allegedly leaves areas open to interpretation by courts because it is too vague.
Zan and the rest of the PD argue that the bill would not crimp freedom of expression, and Catholic conservatives would still be able to state that they find homosexuality sinful.
The bill would make homophobia an aggravating factor in acts of violence or discrimination like racism already is.
The bill would also set up an anti-discrimination day that private Catholic schools would be expected to take part in.
Foreign Minister and ex-M5S leader Luigi Di Maio said the bill had been “swept away in a disgraceful secret vote” while Gaynet said it was a “slap in the face for the majority of the population”.
League leader Matteo Salvini said “the arrogance of the PD and M5S has been defeated” and said the debate should now restart from a League bill allowing the freedom of expression on the issue that the bill allegedly denied.
The defence and security pointman for ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right Forza Italia (FI) party resigned his post in protest at the vote saying his choice of voting his conscience in backing the bill had been negated.
FI called for a new beginning to debate on the basis of a “shared bill”.
Amid the ill-concealed rightwing satisfaction at the vote, M5S leader and former premier Giuseppe Conte said “those who are rejoicing at this sabotage should explain it to the country”.
PD leader Enrico Letta said “they have stopped the future but the country is on the other side” of the issue.
PD MEP Pina Picierno called the vote “one of the worst pages in the history of the Italian republic”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: Cartoon Dinosaur Lectures World Leaders on Climate in Infantile UN Video
BERLIN (AP) — The United Nations is summoning an unusual “witness” to testify to the dangers of burning fossil fuels that stoke global warming: a dinosaur.
In a video released on social media ahead of this year’s UN climate change summit, a computer-generated dinosaur bursts into the UN’s famous General Assembly hall in New York to tell world diplomats that “going extinct is a bad thing.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Meanwhile, in Greece, kosher and halal slaughter has been banned.
Are they going to become vegetarians? Or will they leave the country?
Leave the country and never comeback!!, enough is enough, !! Germany is doing this dirty job , importing this parasites again and again.. it’s absolutely disgusting..
I didn’t know if this should go hear or under the story on weaponizing behavioral psychology. Watch this Tucker Carlson episode. I think they are trying to bait people into a revolt or it is a massive FU we know we will be out of power but we are screwing you all. Just in case you aren’t hooked … $450,000 per person for illegal immigrants separated from their families during the Trump presidency in reparations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffmhcph_oPs
I guess he is saying Let’s go USA