Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/21/2021

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has decided not to impose a lockdown this Christmas, although there may be one later. However, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced that New Year’s celebrations will be cancelled. Meanwhile, Portugal is imposing a holiday lockdown, even though almost 90% of the Portuguese population is fully vaccinated.

In other news, in a televised debate, the French presidential candidate Eric Zemmour said that sex changes for children are criminal.

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

Thanks to Dean, DV, 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.

Financial Crisis
» ECB Deputy: Euro Inflation ‘Not as Temporary as We Expected’
» How the Cookie Crumbles: Price of UK Biscuit Favorites Set to Jump 5 Per Cent
» Japan Upgrades Economic View for First Time in 17 Months
» Spending Pandemic: UK Government Borrowed £136 Billion Over Last Year
» UK Announces £1 Billion Bailout for Struggling Hospitality Sector Amid Lockdown Fears
 
USA
» ‘A Political Witch Hunt Targeted at Conservative Donors, ‘ DOJ Slammed for ‘Investigation’ of Project Veritas Over Ashley Biden’s Diary
» Biden to Announce Plan for Free at-Home Tests Sent to Americans’ Doorsteps
» Bill Gates Cancels His Christmas Holiday Plans Over Omicron
» Boy Who Made Threats to Ballenger Creek Middle School Confessed
» Chicago Mayor Who Pushed $80M Defund of Cops Now Pleads for Feds to Save City
» D.C. Librarian Who Allegedly Asked Third-Graders to Reenact the Holocaust Had Prior Criminal Record
» DeSantis Vows to Take on Communist China: ‘Not a Vehicle That We Want to be Entangled With’
» DOJ Announces it Won’t Return Criminals on Home Confinement to Prison After COVID-19
» Journalist Alex Berenson Sues Twitter After Being Banned for Saying COVID Vaccines Don’t Stop Transmission
» Judge Removed After Calling Colleagues ‘Uncle Tom’ And ‘Fat B***h, ‘ Threatening Litigants Using Fake Facebook Accounts
» Kim Potter Jury Indicates Potential Deadlock, Asks Judge What Happens ‘If a Jury Cannot Reach Consensus’
» Mayor Announces New Chicago Vaccine Mandate at Restaurants, Gyms, Some Indoor Venues
» MI School District Suggests Joining BLM Protests, Warns Calling US ‘Land of Opportunity’ is ‘Microaggression’
» New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Throwing Firecracker at Pittsburgh Police During Protest
» Passersby Shout ‘F*** Joe Biden!’ During Live Fox News Interview in New York City
» Poll: Nearly 60% of American Parents Are Concerned With What Their Kids Are Learning
» Poll: Biden’s Economic Ratings Are So Bad They’re Worse Than Jimmy Carter’s in 1977
» Republican Lawmakers Question Twitter CEO on Continuous Censorship
» ‘Sci-Fi Becoming Reality’: New Government Office to Study UFOs
» Sen. Blumenthal Says He Wouldn’t Have Gone to Communist Party Awards if He Knew ‘The Details’
» Texas Bishop: Vaccine Mandate Protesters ‘Say No to Tyranny’
» Top Harvard Professor Found Guilty of Lying About Payments From China
» Trump ‘Very Appreciative’ And ‘Surprised’ Biden Acknowledged His Administration’s COVID Vaccine Success
» Two Robbery Suspects Were Out on Bail in Philadelphia. Democratic DA Larry Krasner Calls it ‘Shocking’
» Vermont City Deteriorates After Defunding Police, Critics Fear ‘Racist’ Label for Speaking Out
» Video: Tucker Carlson Covers the “Pedo Outbreak” at CNN
» Youngkin’s Education SEC Pick Founded Org That Calls for Collecting Children’s Data, Raked in Nearly $26 Million From Bill Gates
 
Canada
» Trudeau Government Admits it Used Mass Surveillance During Lockdown
 
Europe and the EU
» Austria Hiring People to “Hunt Down Vaccine Refusers”
» Booster Pravda: UK Newspapers Run Wrap Around Govt Vaccine Ads
» Czechia, Poland and Slovakia Oppose EU Plan to Include Cars and Housing in Carbon Tax Scheme
» France: Video: Riot Breaks Out in Paris After Algeria’s Victory in Arab Cup, Over 400 Police Citations and 32 Arrests
» Germany: Study Reveals That Unjabbed Are Better Informed Than Jabbed
» Hungary: PM Orban Discusses Upcoming Referendum, Rising Energy Prices, EU Court Decisions During Annual International Press Conference
» Latin Mass Society: Pope’s Crackdown on Traditionalists Does ‘Immediate Severe Harm’ To Church Unity
» Microsoft is Accused of “Stealth Takeover” of UK Health Service
» Nearly 90% Fully Vaccinated Portugal to Impose Holiday COVID Restrictions Due to Omicron
» Polish President: I Oppose Any Concessions to Russia
» UK Gets Massive Free Speech Win as Court of Appeal Rules Police’s Definition of a “Hate Incident” is Unlawful and Had “Chilling Effect” on Speech
» UK: Airline CEO Calls for Unvaccinated “Idiots” to be Ostracised From Society
» UK: Boris Johnson Rules Out Christmas Lockdown, But Leaves Door Open for Later Restrictions
» UK: Khan Pulls Plug on London New Year’s Eve Celebrations Again Over COVID
» UK: Sasha Johnson Trial: Defendants Plead Not Guilty Over BLM Activist Shooting
» What Are the Most and Least Prosperous EU Countries?
 
Middle East
» Islamic Extremists Sidestep Facebook’s Content Police
 
Russia
» EU Leader Urges NATO to Move Troops to Eastern Front
 
Far East
» Christian Schools in Coastal Provinces Raided by Chinese Authorities
» Japanese Government Tells Citizens: “Don’t Discriminate Against the Unvaccinated”
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» 12 Christians Killed by Jihadists in Northern Nigeria
» COVID-19 Hospitalisations in Omicron Epicenter Fall by 25 Per Cent
» Omicron Continues to Fade in Ground Zero South Africa as COVID Cases Fall for the Fourth Day in a Row and Hospital Admissions Rise by Just 5% in a Week
 
Latin America
» Haitians Mourn Victims of Fuel Truck Blast as Anger Simmers
 
Immigration
» Belgium: 48% of Babies Were Born to a Foreign Mother or Mother of Foreign Origin in 2020
» Hungary Won’t Abide by EU Court Ruling on Migration, Orban Says
» Hungary: PM Orban: National and Cultural Identity is a Human Right
» Portuguese Lorry Driver Dies After He Was Attacked by Three Calais Migrants Who Tried to Sneak Into His Vehicle to Reach Britain
» UK: Migrants Make the Most of the Calm Weather as Around 30 Including Two Children Cross the Channel Days Before Christmas — as Arrivals Soar to More Than 27,000
 
Culture Wars
» Ex-Porn Star Randy Spears Praises Billie Eilish for Speaking Out About the Damage it Can Do to One’s Brain
» France: Sex Changes for Children Are ‘Criminal, ‘ Claims Zemmour During Fierce Debate
» Google’s New “Privacy Sandbox” Will Increase Privacy But Grow Google’s Market Dominance
» Omicron is a Massive Let Down for Lockdown Fanatics
» Review: Spider-Man: No Way Home Bucks Woke Political Trend, Delivers Wholesome Entertainment
» The Great Reset; Still a Conspiracy?
 

ECB Deputy: Euro Inflation ‘Not as Temporary as We Expected’

The vice-president of the European Central Bank has said that the inflation currently facing the Euro is not ‘as temporary’ as officials initially expected.

European Central Bank (ECB) Vice-President Luis de Guindos has admitted that inflation currently facing the euro will be longer lasting than what the bank initially expected.

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

How the Cookie Crumbles: Price of UK Biscuit Favorites Set to Jump 5 Per Cent

Some of Britain’s favourite biscuit brands are set to jump in price by up to 5 per cent as inflation soars in the UK.

Some of the UK’s favourite brands of biscuits, such as Hobnobs, Jaffa Cakes, Penguin Bars and Chocolate Digestives, are set to see price rises of up to 5 per cent, according to manufacturer McVitie’s.

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

Japan Upgrades Economic View for First Time in 17 Months

TOKYO — Japan’s economy shrank 0.8% in the July-September period from the previous quarter, equal to an annualized pace of 3.0%, the Cabinet Office announced on Monday.

The economy struggled as exports fell and consumer spending remained sluggish amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The result compares with an average forecast of an annualized 0.56% decline, in a survey of 37 economists by the Japan Center for Economic Research.

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

Spending Pandemic: UK Government Borrowed £136 Billion Over Last Year

The British government has continued its spending and borrowing spree into the second year of the pandemic, with the state borrowing £136 billion over the fiscal year to November.

While the government has professed a desire to reign in the spending spree that has occurred since the start of the Chinese coronavirus crisis, government expenditures in November were the highest since record began 30 years ago, with the exception of the first year of the pandemic when the government introduced an 80 per cent wage furlough for millions of workers.

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

UK Announces £1 Billion Bailout for Struggling Hospitality Sector Amid Lockdown Fears

The British government has announced another £1 billion in bailouts for the struggling hospitality sector amid concerns that England will once again be plunged into lockdown during the winter.

On Tuesday, the Treasury Department said that it would be providing pubs, restaurants, bars and other hospitality sector businesses after many were hard hit by customer cancellations over fears of another lockdown during the Christmas season.

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

‘A Political Witch Hunt Targeted at Conservative Donors, ‘ DOJ Slammed for ‘Investigation’ of Project Veritas Over Ashley Biden’s Diary

The Biden administration is on the warpath against conservative journalists like Project Veritas, and it’s using the Department of Justice to carry out its bidding, alleges civil rights lawyer Harmeet Dhillon, who’s representing the outfit in its First Amendment fight against the DOJ.

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

Biden to Announce Plan for Free at-Home Tests Sent to Americans’ Doorsteps

President Joe Biden will announce his plan Tuesday to purchase 500 million at-home rapid COVID-19 tests that will be available for free to Americans.

In an attempt to combat a surge of cases through the winter, the tests will be available beginning in January and the administration will set up a website through which Americans can request a test, a senior administration official said. The tests will be delivered to citizens’ homes for free, though details such as how many tests one household can request are still being sorted out.

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

Bill Gates Cancels His Christmas Holiday Plans Over Omicron

Bill Gates has apparently cancelled his Christmas holiday plans over Omicron, despite a plethora of data indicating the new variant is significantly milder than previous strains of COVID-19.

The Microsoft founder made the announcement via Twitter earlier today.

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

Boy Who Made Threats to Ballenger Creek Middle School Confessed

He said it was a joke.

Frederick, Md (NS) — A 13-year-old boy has confessed for making false threats against Ballenger Creek Middle School this week.

The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) say he created a fake Instagram account where he posted threats against the school.

“Through the use of technology and working with social media providers, we quickly identified the user and immediately made contact, which led to the confession,” said FCSO Lt. Jason Deater in a press release.

The juvenile told investigators that he did it as a joke.

He said he had no plans to shoot anybody and that he saw a challenge to make a false threat on TikTok…

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Chicago Mayor Who Pushed $80M Defund of Cops Now Pleads for Feds to Save City

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot — who last year proposed cutting $80 million from her city’s police budget — publicly pleaded with the feds on Monday to bolster the ranks of her city’s cops amid a surge in shootings and homicides.

Lightfoot called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to send agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to the Windy City for a six-month crackdown on illegal guns.

“We cannot continue to endure the level of violence that we are now experiencing,” Lightfoot said during a 40-minute speech.

“I feel the urgency every day.”

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

D.C. Librarian Who Allegedly Asked Third-Graders to Reenact the Holocaust Had Prior Criminal Record

A librarian at District of Columbia Public School (DCPS) who allegedly forced third-graders to reenact the Holocaust has a prior criminal record in New Jersey, according to records from the New Jersey Department of Education.

Kimberlynn Jurkowski, Watkins Elementary School’s librarian and media specialist, was placed on a leave of absence after third-graders reported that she assigned students to dig ditches to serve as mass graves, simulate shootings, and asked one student to play Hitler, according to the Washington Post.

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

DeSantis Vows to Take on Communist China: ‘Not a Vehicle That We Want to be Entangled With’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed to take on communist China, saying the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is not something that his state wants to be involved with.

The Sunshine State Republican issued a press release on Monday regarding the meeting he held with the Florida State Board of Administration (SBA) members putting “woke corporations” and state investments in Chinese companies under the microscope.

“If you look at how these major companies behave when faced with Chinese disapproval, they censor what the CCP tells them to censor, and we see groveling apologies,” DeSantis said in the release.

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

DOJ Announces it Won’t Return Criminals on Home Confinement to Prison After COVID-19

The Justice Department on Tuesday announced that it will not make individuals placed on house arrest during COVID-19 return to prison once the pandemic is over.

The Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) on Tuesday said that after being “asked to consider” a previous Trump-era rule requiring the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to recall all prisoners placed on home confinement once the COVID-19 emergency ended, it has decided to “give the Bureau discretion to permit prisoners in extended home confinement to remain there.”

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

Journalist Alex Berenson Sues Twitter After Being Banned for Saying COVID Vaccines Don’t Stop Transmission

In August, Twitter permanently banned journalist Alex Berenson for questioning the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines. He has responded by filing a lawsuit claiming the platform violated, among other things, Californian law.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Berenson has earned a name for himself for criticizing measures and the vaccines. The former New York Times reporter was permanently banned from Twitter after a post about the fact that vaccinated people can get and transmit the virus.

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

Judge Removed After Calling Colleagues ‘Uncle Tom’ And ‘Fat B***h, ‘ Threatening Litigants Using Fake Facebook Accounts

Jefferson County, Alabama, Judge Nakita Blocton was removed from her position after she was accused of abuse against employees, colleagues, and litigants while reportedly under the influence of Phentermine or other prescription drugs.

Blocton, a 44-year-old Circuit Court judge in the Tenth Judicial Court’s domestic relations division, called other judges a “fat bitch” and “Uncle Tom,” according to the Alabama Court of the Judiciary’s judgement. An employee alleged that Blocton forced her and other workers to take Phentermine, a diet pill, to “pep” staff up after working late in a complaint to the Alabama Judiciary.

The black Alabama judge was ordered to pay the cost of the proceeding following a complaint that was filed in May and the nine-judge panel’s ruling, which decided that Blocton violated eight canons of judicial ethic, including “failure to uphold integrity,” “decorum,” and “engaged in a pattern of dishonesty and deception.”

Per the complaint, the alleged prescription pills “created behavioral changes” in Blocton while she was performing her judicial duties, causing her to become “hyper-talkative and hyper-somnolent,” exhibit paranoid behavior, and believe that the commission or an individual at its direction is “going to kill her.”

Blocton’s alleged abusive practices include forcing employees to appear at the office when the workplace should have been quarantined due to COVID-19 exposure, making the staff work “excessive” hours, threatening immediate termination if workers did not comply, wasting time with lengthy rants from the bench, and berating an employee for using the restroom during work.

The complaint also claimed that Blocton used fake aliases on Facebook to stalk litigants in an ongoing divorce case she was presiding over.

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

Kim Potter Jury Indicates Potential Deadlock, Asks Judge What Happens ‘If a Jury Cannot Reach Consensus’

The jury in the trial of former police officer Kim Potter indicated a potential deadlock on Tuesday evening after nearly 13 hours of deliberation, asking the judge what they should do if they cannot agree on a verdict.

Judge Regina Chu read the jury’s question for the court, “If a jury cannot reach consensus, what is the guidance around how long and what steps should be taken?”

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

Mayor Announces New Chicago Vaccine Mandate at Restaurants, Gyms, Some Indoor Venues

CHICAGO (WLS) — The city of Chicago is imposing a wide-ranging vaccine mandate that will impact bars, restaurants, gyms and more after the first of the year.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the new requirements Tuesday in response to the surge in COVID cases

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

MI School District Suggests Joining BLM Protests, Warns Calling US ‘Land of Opportunity’ is ‘Microaggression’

A public school system in Michigan spent 21 days teaching adults in the district how to be good “equity” allies, capped with a direct call for them to join a Black Lives Matter political protest.

Farmington Public Schools in Michigan released a “21 Day Equity Challenge” for interested parties in the district, aiming to help individuals “learn how to more effectively understand and celebrate our differences”

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

New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Throwing Firecracker at Pittsburgh Police During Protest

A New Jersey man pleaded guilty Tuesday to throwing a firecracker at police officers during last year’s protests in Downtown Pittsburgh over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Nicholas Frank Lucia, 26, of Long Beach Township, pleaded guilty in federal court in Pittsburgh via video conference to a single count of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder.

In exchange for his plea before U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab, Lucia will serve two years in federal prison.

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

Passersby Shout ‘F*** Joe Biden!’ During Live Fox News Interview in New York City

A couple in New York City dropped a familiar vulgarity about Joe Biden while walking by a Fox News reporter on the street.

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

Poll: Nearly 60% of American Parents Are Concerned With What Their Kids Are Learning

Roughly 6-in-10 parents are concerned about the current quality of American education, according to a survey conducted by an education advocacy group.

An overwhelming number of parents believe they should be able to determine what their kids are taught in the classroom, according to a Free to Learn (FTL) poll. Concerns over COVID-19 mitigation measures, Critical Race Theory (CRT), gender ideology and virtual learning have been on the rise since the start of the pandemic.

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

Poll: Biden’s Economic Ratings Are So Bad They’re Worse Than Jimmy Carter’s in 1977

President Joe Biden’s economic ratings have sunk to lower net ratings than former President Jimmy Carter in the first December of his presidency, a CNN/SSRS poll found.

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

Republican Lawmakers Question Twitter CEO on Continuous Censorship

A group of Republican lawmakers have sent the new Twitter CEO a letter, calling on him to address the platform’s history of biased censorship and make it more pro-free speech. Parag Agrawal, who recently replaced Jack Dorsey as Twitter’s CEO, has in the past made comments indicating he supports more censorship.

13 Republican members of the House’s Data, Big Tech, and Censorship task force sent the letter to Agrawal on December 16.

“We are hopeful that your ascent to the position of CEO will turn a new page at Twitter, which has been marred by acts of censorship,” the letter opened.

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

‘Sci-Fi Becoming Reality’: New Government Office to Study UFOs

The U.S. will establish a new government program that will investigate unidentified aerial phenomena, also known as UFOs, TODAY reported.

The National Defense Authorization Act called for the creation of the permanent office and was a part of a bipartisan effort spearheaded by Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. “I really see this as trying to know what is knowable and not having a head in the sand perspective on this,” she told TODAY.

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

Sen. Blumenthal Says He Wouldn’t Have Gone to Communist Party Awards if He Knew ‘The Details’

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said Friday that if he had known the awards show he attended Dec. 11 was tied to the Communist Party, he would not have attended.

“My understanding was that this ceremony was strictly a labor event,’’ Blumenthal told local outlet Hartford Courant in a Friday interview. “If I had known the details, I wouldn’t have gone … Let me just say very emphatically, I’m a Democrat and a strong believer in American capitalism. I have been consistently a Democrat and a strong supporter and believer in American capitalism.”

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

Texas Bishop: Vaccine Mandate Protesters ‘Say No to Tyranny’

The redoubtable Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler Texas has come out in vigorous support of an upcoming anti-vaccine mandate march to be held in Washington, D.C.

“I’m glad people from across the spectrum are uniting to say no to tyranny,” declared Bishop Strickland on Twitter this weekend. “People must be free to make decisions based on their own informed conscience.”

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

Top Harvard Professor Found Guilty of Lying About Payments From China

A prominent Harvard professor was found guilty Tuesday of lying about his ties to China, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Charles Lieber, a scientist in Harvard University’s chemistry and engineering departments, was found guilty on six counts of lying related to his work at the Wuhan University of Technology, the WSJ reported.

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

Trump ‘Very Appreciative’ And ‘Surprised’ Biden Acknowledged His Administration’s COVID Vaccine Success

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump said Tuesday that he is “very appreciative” and “surprised” that President Biden thanked him and his administration for their success in making COVID-19 vaccines available to the public, telling Fox News that “tone” and “trust” are critical in getting Americans vaccinated.

Biden on Tuesday afternoon announced increased testing capacity and expanded access to vaccines and support for hospitals across the country amid a surge in cases of the omicron variant, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this week makes up more than 73% of new infections in the country.

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

Two Robbery Suspects Were Out on Bail in Philadelphia. Democratic DA Larry Krasner Calls it ‘Shocking’

Democratic District Attorney Larry Krasner said Monday it was “shocking” and “astounding” that two out of three men allegedly involved in armed robberies were out on bail.

Krasner blamed Philadelphia’s bail commissioners for denying his request to set the bail of the two men at a higher amount that would have prohibited the men from being let free before trial, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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

Vermont City Deteriorates After Defunding Police, Critics Fear ‘Racist’ Label for Speaking Out

A Vermont city is paying the price of slashing its police force by nearly 30% amid the defund the police movement that spread across the country in 2020.

“We’re in a situation that I think nobody wanted us to get to,” Burlington Councilor Zoraya Hightower, who introduced defunding the police force last year, told NBC News.

Burlington, a majority White college town near the Canadian border, slashed its police force by almost 30% by attrition. Hightower’s resolution last year was partially written by an activist group called the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance and included suggestions such as decreasing the number of officers from 105 to 74.

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

Video: Tucker Carlson Covers the “Pedo Outbreak” at CNN

Tucker Carlson noted Monday night that “There are more accused pedophiles at CNN than Americans who have died of the so-called Omicron variant,” in a scathing segment devoted to what he described as a “pedo outbreak” at the network.

“There’s something very strange going on at CNN right now. In just the past week or two, two separate CNN producers have been accused of child molestation,” Carlson began.

“One of them was a man named John Griffin who was just indicted by a federal grand jury for attempting to ‘induce minors to engage in unlawful sexual activity,’ we’re not going to get into the details. They’re horrifying,” Carlson continued.

“He’s been fired. Griffin used to work for Chris Cuomo, he bragged about working shoulder to shoulder. We’ll leave it there,” the host added.

Carlson continued, “Then just days after that story, Project Veritas exposed another creep at CNN, apparently at CNN, they published graphic text messages and video of the CNN producer, fantasizing about molesting a child. Project veritas said the producer also allegedly sought explicit photographs of that child.”

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

Youngkin’s Education SEC Pick Founded Org That Calls for Collecting Children’s Data, Raked in Nearly $26 Million From Bill Gates

Republican Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin’s secretary of education pick founded an organization that advocates for the collection of children’s data. It also raked in nearly $26 million in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, according to records from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation reviewed by the Daily Caller.

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

Trudeau Government Admits it Used Mass Surveillance During Lockdown

Canada’s Public Health Agency admitted that it used surveillance on Canadians by tracking 33 million mobile devices to test whether lockdown was working.

The government used mass surveillance as “understand the public’s responsiveness during lockdown measures,” according to Blacklock’s Reporter.

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

Austria Hiring People to “Hunt Down Vaccine Refusers”

The Austrian government is hiring people to “hunt down vaccine refusers,” according to a report published by Blick.

Yes, really.

The burden for enforcing the fines unjabbed Austrians will have to pay as part of their punishment will fall to their employers, necessitating a new army of ‘inspectors’ to ensure that process is running smoothly.

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

Booster Pravda: UK Newspapers Run Wrap Around Govt Vaccine Ads

The British government purchased wraparound cover advertisements in the nation’s top newspapers to promote the booster campaign for the Chinese coronavirus vaccines.

The front and back pages of the UK’s national newspapers were plastered with government ads on Monday, encouraging the public to take so-called booster shots in the face of the Omicron variant of the Wuhan virus. Regional newspapers will also be paid to carry the same advert in the coming days.

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

Czechia, Poland and Slovakia Oppose EU Plan to Include Cars and Housing in Carbon Tax Scheme

The plan to include road transport and heating of buildings in the system of emission allowances is dividing the countries in the European Union, with countries from the Eastern bloc opposed to new emissions rules that could prove costly to housing and transport.

In Brussels, environment ministers presented member states’ positions on the European Commission’s proposal of the climate package. The intention was to charge for emissions from these sectors that probably raised the most doubts.

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

France: Video: Riot Breaks Out in Paris After Algeria’s Victory in Arab Cup, Over 400 Police Citations and 32 Arrests

Several hundred football fans celebrated Algeria’s victory in the Arab Cup on the Champs-Élysées street in Paris on Saturday night, but the celebrations quickly devolved into rioting as fans ran wild through the streets.

Police recorded more than 400 crimes and arrested 32 rioters, as the France Bleu public radio station stated.

Video of the chaos was spread widely on social media.

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

Germany: Study Reveals That Unjabbed Are Better Informed Than Jabbed

German political scientist Ulrike Guérot has demonstrated how anti-vaccination opponents are better informed, citing a study by the MAT, which analyzed the tweets of so-called anti-vaccination agents very carefully.

In Germany, some 70 percent are vaccinated, 30 percent unvaccinated, and of the 70 percent about 40 percent did not get vaccinated because they believed the propaganda, but because they were forced to do so in order to work and move around freely. And those who are unvaccinated are not only more knowledgeable but will never be convinced to take the jab, the MAT study showed.

Guérot, political scientist at the University of Bonn, believes that mandatory vaccination is being introduced in Germany and Austria through the back door of 2G rules — allowing only those who are jabbed and recovered to take part in society.

“The pandemic has absolutely divided society, a sorting process is in progress: You only invite the people to your home for spaghetti and wine who are on the same page when it comes to Corona. In fact, I no longer have any Zero Covid friends, but surround myself with many people who, like me, are critical of measures.

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

Hungary: PM Orban Discusses Upcoming Referendum, Rising Energy Prices, EU Court Decisions During Annual International Press Conference

This year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban brought his annual international press conference ahead by a month. During the conference, he outlined his vision for his country for the coming year and gave his account of the main topics that he expects will dominate the European political discourse.

He started his presentation with an overview of the Hungarian economy and the stimulus packages that the government had released in order to aid companies struggling with the consequences of the global pandemic. Orban had confirmed that Hungary’s annual growth for 2021 will surpass the 6 percent mark, which is 1 percent above the EU average. For the next year, the expected growth is going to be around the 4 to 5 percent mark, granted this is only the case if his government remains in power after the April 2022 election, remarked the prime minister semi-jokingly.

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

Latin Mass Society: Pope’s Crackdown on Traditionalists Does ‘Immediate Severe Harm’ To Church Unity

The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales has expressed dismay at Pope Francis’s latest crackdown on conservatives and traditionalists by further restricting the use of traditional liturgy.

The Tridentine Mass, or Traditional Latin Mass, was the most widely used in the Roman Catholic Church from at least 1570 until the promulgation of the Mass of Paul VI, or Novus Ordo, in 1969, when it began to be squeezed out by the Church hierarchy.

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

Microsoft is Accused of “Stealth Takeover” of UK Health Service

Beware of Microsoft bearing gifts.

That’s a quick way to summarize allegations in the Daily Mail now flying around regarding the UK’s National Health Service, the NHS, which thought it was receiving a valuable free Teams plan from Microsoft, only to find out it was used as a way to push domestic competitors out of the long-term picture.

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

Nearly 90% Fully Vaccinated Portugal to Impose Holiday COVID Restrictions Due to Omicron

The European nation of Portugal has announced a slew of post-Christmas Covid restrictions, including a mandate for all employees to work from home and the forced closure of bars and other businesses along with other measures.

The government announced the new round of restrictions for the 87%-fully vaccinated nation on Tuesday.

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

Polish President: I Oppose Any Concessions to Russia

Polish President Andrzej Duda has unequivocally rejected the notion that he is soft on Russian acts of aggression, using the first leaders’ summit of the Lublin Triangle on Monday to call for the nation to withdraw from its activity in Ukraine.

Meeting with his Lithuanian and Ukrainian counterparts in the town of Huta, Ukraine on Monday, the trio spoke about the issue of the region’s security and expressed support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s recent actions.

The presidents also signed a joint declaration, first set out on Dec. 2, to mark the 30th anniversary of Poland and Lithuania recognizing Ukrainian independence.

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UK Gets Massive Free Speech Win as Court of Appeal Rules Police’s Definition of a “Hate Incident” is Unlawful and Had “Chilling Effect” on Speech

An ex-cop has won a UK Court of Appeal challenge over a guidance by the College of Policing on “hate incidents,” after he claimed that the guidance violates his freedom of expression.

Harry Miller, a former police officer, had a complaint filed against him in January 2020 after posting allegedly “transphobic” tweets.

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UK: Airline CEO Calls for Unvaccinated “Idiots” to be Ostracised From Society

Michael O’Leary, the CEO of Ryanair has declared that anyone who remains unvaccinated should be completely cut off from society, including not being allowed to travel, go to the supermarket to get food, or the pharmacy to get medicine.

“If you’re not vaccinated, you shouldn’t be allowed in the hospital, you shouldn’t be allowed to fly, you shouldn’t be allowed on the London Underground, and you shouldn’t be allowed in the local supermarket or your pharmacy either,” the airline executive said, as reported by The Telegraph

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UK: Boris Johnson Rules Out Christmas Lockdown, But Leaves Door Open for Later Restrictions

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Tuesday afternoon that England will be spared from a Christmas lockdown, yet left the door open to imposing restrictions after the holiday.

In a video statement released on social media, Mr Johnson said that he can “confirm” that Britons will not have to cancel their Christmas plans due to the Omicron variant of the Chinese virus after weeks of indecision about the fate of the holiday.

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UK: Khan Pulls Plug on London New Year’s Eve Celebrations Again Over COVID

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has cancelled the city’s New Year’s Eve celebrations again, citing fears regarding the Omicron variant to justify this year’s cancellation.

Sadiq Khan, the left-wing Labour Party mayor of London, has once again cancelled New Year’s Eve celebrations within the British capital, this time citing fears regarding the omicron variant of the Chinese Coronavirus as the reason for the decision.

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UK: Sasha Johnson Trial: Defendants Plead Not Guilty Over BLM Activist Shooting

The four men charged with conspiracy to murder in connection to the shooting of Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson earlier this year have all pled not guilty.

Appearing before the Old Bailey court via video link from Belmarsh prison on Tuesday, Cameron Deriggs, 18, Devonte Brown, 19, Troy Reid, 20, and Prince Dixon, 25 all pled not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder.

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What Are the Most and Least Prosperous EU Countries?

A report into the levels of actual individual consumption (AIC) in the European Union — used as a measure of material prosperity of households — showed significant differences across EU member states in 2020.

According to Eurostat, the member state with the highest AIC index per capita last year was Luxembourg with a score 45 percent above the EU average. Germany followed in second at 24 percent above the average with Denmark, the Netherlands and Austria making up the top five with scores 22 percent, 17 percent and 16 percent above the bloc’s average respectively.

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Islamic Extremists Sidestep Facebook’s Content Police

Photos of beheadings, extremist propaganda and violent hate speech related to Islamic State and the Taliban were shared for months within Facebook groups over the past year despite the social networking giant’s claims it had increased efforts to remove such content.

The posts — some tagged as “insightful” and “engaging” via new Facebook tools to promote community interactions — championed the Islamic extremists’ violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, including videos of suicide bombings and calls to attack rivals across the region and in the West, according to a review of social media activity between April and December. At least one of the groups contained more than 100,000 members.

In several Facebook groups, competing Sunni and Shia militia trolled each other by posting pornographic images and other obscene photos into rival groups in the hope Facebook would remove those communities.

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EU Leader Urges NATO to Move Troops to Eastern Front

With tensions rising between Russia and NATO, the US-led military bloc should move troops to Eastern Europe as soon as possible and develop an action plan to battle any aggression from Moscow, the Lithuanian president has said.

According to Interfax-Ukraine, Gitanas Nauseda said on Tuesday that Western countries need to develop a clear plan of action to deal with the “loss of balance in the region” and the increasing number of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine.

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Christian Schools in Coastal Provinces Raided by Chinese Authorities

12/21/2021 China (International Christian Concern) — Two Christian schools were raided by the Chinese authorities last week, as Beijing increasingly clamps down on Christian education.

According to China Aid, on December 19, a Christian school in Fuzhou city, Fujian province, sent out an urgent prayer request as the school in a fishing village was reported to the government as a “cult” and raided in the afternoon of December 18.

The county government sent more than 50 police officers and 20 armed police force to the school. There were dozens of students and faculty at the scene. The school was asked to send the students home, while all the teachers on stand-by to face investigation.

The books, equipment, and property of the school were removed and confiscated. The 6458 sqft campus will soon be demolished.

On December 15, a Christian school in Guangdong province’s Shunde also was raided in a joint operation by the local Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, Public Security Bureau, and surrounding community. From kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, to high school, all the grades were affected. This was the third time the school was raided.

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Japanese Government Tells Citizens: “Don’t Discriminate Against the Unvaccinated”

Despite numerous major countries making COVID-19 vaccines mandatory, the Japanese government has told its citizens “do not discriminate against those who have not been vaccinated.”

Germany is set to follow Austria by imposing mandatory jabs, with refuseniks who still resist taking them facing escalating fines and eventually prison sentences.

However, Japan is taking a very different approach, asserting that vaccines should only ever be administered with full consent and that they shouldn’t be used as tools of coercion or intimidation.

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12 Christians Killed by Jihadists in Northern Nigeria

12/21/2021 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) — According to Morning Star News, terrorists from the Boko Haram offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) killed 12 Christians in Borno state on Sunday, December 19th.

“The Islamic extremist militants attacked the predominantly Christian village of Kilangal, Askira-Uba County, in the afternoon, shortly after residents were leaving church worship services,” area residents told Morning Star News by text message.

Area resident Joseph Yohanna added, “I feel very sad that our people have continued to be attacked ceaselessly by Boko Haram elements without the government doing anything to end these attacks. Please pray that God deliver our people and the country from these murderers.”

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COVID-19 Hospitalisations in Omicron Epicenter Fall by 25 Per Cent

COVID-19 hospitalisations in South Africa, the epicenter of the Omicron outbreak, have dropped by 25% over the last week, once again indicating that the variant is milder than previous strains.

According to data from the country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the number of people in hospitals suffering from the virus has sunk to 5,600.

“The figures bolster recent reports indicating that the new highly mutated variant may not be as severe as other forms of Covid-19 like the beta or delta variants,” reports the Telegraph.

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Omicron Continues to Fade in Ground Zero South Africa as COVID Cases Fall for the Fourth Day in a Row and Hospital Admissions Rise by Just 5% in a Week

Data from South Africa shows 15,424 people tested positive in the last 24 hours, down by a third on the nearly 24,000 cases confirmed last Tuesday.

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Haitians Mourn Victims of Fuel Truck Blast as Anger Simmers

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) — Haitians on Tuesday mourned victims of a fuel truck blast that killed 90 people last week, though many stayed home out of anger at the government amid a string of tragedies in a Caribbean nation plagued by gang violence, poverty and political turmoil.

The coffins of several of the victims, some draped in Haitian flags and flowers, were carried by firefighters through the streets to a church in Cap-Haitien, the country’s second-largest city, where the explosion took place.

The death toll from the accident soared to 90 in little over a week as authorities pieced through the rubble, identifying the charred remains of many still missing following the massive blast. Others have since died in the hospital.

Residents facing chronic fuel shortages had flocked to the truck after it tipped over a week ago, hoping to extract fuel from it. Instead, the truck exploded, engulfing them and neighborhood homes in flames, officials said…

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Belgium: 48% of Babies Were Born to a Foreign Mother or Mother of Foreign Origin in 2020

Only half of all children born in Belgium last year had a mother of local origin, according to new data published on Friday.

The Belgian statistical office, Statbel, released its data on birth rates in the country last year, which revealed that almost 23 percent of newborns in the country had a Belgian mother of foreign origin, and a quarter were born to foreign mothers, reported the public network RTBF.

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Hungary Won’t Abide by EU Court Ruling on Migration, Orban Says

Hungary won’t change its immigration laws, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at a press conference Tuesday, in defiance of a ruling from the EU’s top court.

Last month, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that a 2018 Hungarian bill — which prevented people from applying for asylum if they came to Hungary from a country where their life and freedom were not at risk and outlawed individuals and organizations from helping illegal migrants claim asylum — meant that Hungary had “failed to fulfill its obligations” under EU law.

“We will not do anything to change the system of border protection,” Orban said Tuesday. “We will maintain the existing regime, even if the European court ordered us to change it.”

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Hungary: PM Orban: National and Cultural Identity is a Human Right

In the latest edition of his so-called “Samizdat” series (a genre referring to literature banned during Communism, and circulated in secret), Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reacts to the decision of the Hungarian Constitutional Court, in which it returns powers to the hands of the authorities to control or prevent the flow of illegal migration through their borders.

Last year, the European Court of Justice ruled that the detention of migrants in so-called transit zones on the southern borders of Hungary was illegal, and it violated their human rights. Additionally, according to the court, the authorities are obliged to start asylum proceedings with each illegal entrant, instead of turning them back to safe countries that they arrived from.

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Portuguese Lorry Driver Dies After He Was Attacked by Three Calais Migrants Who Tried to Sneak Into His Vehicle to Reach Britain

A lorry driver died on Sunday evening after being attacked by three migrants who climbed onto his truck in an attempt to reach the UK, according to reports.

The incident took place at a rest area along the A16 motorway in Beuvrequen, where the lorry driver was punched before suffering a fatal heart attack five minutes later.

According to France Bleu, the driver — a Portuguese national — had attempted to remove the three migrants from his trailer.

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UK: Migrants Make the Most of the Calm Weather as Around 30 Including Two Children Cross the Channel Days Before Christmas — as Arrivals Soar to More Than 27,000

Up to 30 migrants, including two children, were brought ashore by Border Force officers today after they made the most of the calmer waters to cross the English Channel.

The group of migrants, who were wrapped in blankets and wearing life jackets, were brought into the Dover Marina, in Kent, at around 9am before they were led up a gangway by staff and taken to a facility on the quayside.

Among the migrants was a man who was seen carrying a young child over his shoulder as they disembarked.

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Ex-Porn Star Randy Spears Praises Billie Eilish for Speaking Out About the Damage it Can Do to One’s Brain

Former porn star Randy Spears praised superstar Billie Eilish for speaking out about the damage watching graphic sex can do to a young person’s brain.

The 60-year-old retired adult film actor said he agreed with the 20-year-old pop singer and applauded her for saying something others haven’t, TMZ reported Monday.

“Billie has a lot of guts to come out and speak her mind on an issue like this,” Spears told the outlet. “I applaud it.”

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France: Sex Changes for Children Are ‘Criminal, ‘ Claims Zemmour During Fierce Debate

French presidential candidate Éric Zemmour has slammed the vocal LGBT minority in France for attempting to force society down a road he says the majority does not accept.

In a televised debate on Thursday, the presidential hopeful faced off against the French Minister Delegate for Gender Equality, Élisabeth Moreno who told viewers that “there is no LGBT ideology, there are only persons who they are. There are heterosexual people and there are homosexual people.”

In response, Zemmour called out the organized LGBT minority for putting “pressure on society that will revolutionize society, which in my eyes are harmful.

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Google’s New “Privacy Sandbox” Will Increase Privacy But Grow Google’s Market Dominance

Campaigners have asked competition watchdogs to put a restraining order on the “Privacy Sandbox” system the tech giant Google plans to roll out in an effort to protect user privacy.

The new system will replace third-party cookies, which advertisers use to track individuals’ web activity for targeted ads. But, while it would make it better for privacy in terms of some protection from third-party trackers, it would at the same time allow Google to have more of a monopoly on data tracking.

The Movement for an Open Web (MOW), which represents advertisers, publishers, and tech businesses, has called on the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK to issue a restraining order on the rollout of Privacy Sandbox.

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Omicron is a Massive Let Down for Lockdown Fanatics

Omicron continues to be a massive let down for those hoping to exploit it to lobby for another lockdown.

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Review: Spider-Man: No Way Home Bucks Woke Political Trend, Delivers Wholesome Entertainment

The failure of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story has been blamed on the Omicron surge, but little evidence exists to suggest that filmgoers are avoiding densely packed theaters out of health fears. In light of the woke musical’s box office disappointment, one movie — Spider-Man: No Way Home — has emerged to conquer box office records.

Spider-Man’s success proves beyond a doubt that movie audiences prefer not to be lectured to with woke ideology, and purposely “diverse” casting that neglect storytelling and place entertaining the audience by the wayside.

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The Great Reset; Still a Conspiracy?

New documents have been obtained concerning the move towards ‘The Great Reset’ — which the media claims is a baseless conspiracy theory that doesn’t exist.

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7 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/21/2021

  1. If they don’t need lockdowns now, why would they need them later?
    Or do they think the Chicom Flu will let up for Christmas?

    This is just further proof that it is all lie.

    • They just need people to spend money they don’t have on junk tbey don’t need to give to one another. In this instance its probably about corporate profits and sales tax revenues. Once there is no further need for people to spend money the elites will force everyone back into their homes in order to continue the destruction of small business and non-government controlled income sources.

    • We have just had a full lockdown imposed here in Holland from 19/12 till Jan 14th due to the fake new version called O-Macron. Then the French wonder why we hold them in contempt. Lol.

    • Santa cant deliver during lockdowns mate.

      Its that simple. Once he is back in the North Pole all bets are off.

  2. Yesterday I wrote that the social network VKontakte blocked my public, which I had been leading for more than 4 years for “hate speech”
    There were many translated materials from all over the world. Including from the Gates of Vienna. Some have been preserved in the archives, but some have been lost.
    I turned to the subscribers with a question if they had preserved anything.
    And what my surprise was that one Bulgarian, our admirer, responded. Amazing. It was easier for him to read anti-Islamic materials in Russian than in English.

  3. I watched Zemmour this past week.

    He speaks freely and has a wonderful array of retorts that go to the heart of whatever and whomever the topic is that he has been questioned on.

    In this way he is attracting fans. It is the lack of obfuscation and the direct attacks he makes that sets him apart from Le Pen.

    What a wonderfully diversionary vote splitter they have found.

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