Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/20/2022

Lithuania closed off rail and highway links that cross its territory between the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and the border of Belarus, effectively blockading Kaliningrad. The action violates the post-Soviet treaty between Russia and Lithuania, and the Russian government issued a strong response, saying that the Lithuanian blockade, if carried through, would be an act of war, and that Russia would retaliate by any means it deemed appropriate.

In other news, a child in Florida had to be hospitalized after it was stabbed by a catfish. There’s no word yet on whether the catfish had been given an early release by a soft-on-crime Soros-backed district attorney.

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

Thanks to Dean, DV, Reader from Chicago, Roger, 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
» Fed Chair Jerome Powell Floats Idea of Centrally Controlled Digital Currency
» German Producer Prices Rise at Record Speed in May
» Trudeau Government Spending is Worsening Inflation Crisis Says Scotiabank
 
USA
» “Fight Like Hell With a Smile on Our Faces”: CRT Debate Spurs Parents to Run for School Boards
» 6 Injured When Car Hits Pedestrians in New York City
» Ad for Major Free Speech Event Censored by Twitter
» Breaking: Waukesha Christmas Parade Massacre Suspect Denied Change of Venue Request
» CNN is in Big Trouble
» Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Says White House Lying About COVID Vaccine Policy
» Jan 6th Committee is Censored by YouTube’s Election Rules
» Liberal Professor Says Portland is a S***hole
» Officials: Child Hospitalized After Being Stabbed in the Chest by Catfish in Florida
» Seattle Protester Critically Hurt by Driver During BLM Demonstration Sues State, City, Suspected Driver
» Skiff Drive is a New Privacy Cloud Storage Option to Rival Dropbox and Google Drive
» Some Facebook Employees Demand Censorship of Climate Change Skepticism
» Teenager Killed, 3 Adults, Including Police Officer Injured in Washington, DC Shooting
» West Point Cadets Taught Critical Race Theory, Including Addressing ‘Whiteness, ‘ Docs Show
 
Canada
» Apparently, If You Oppose Canada’s User Generated Content Regulation, You’re Spreading “Misinformation”
» Pastor Artur Pawlowski Prevented From Attending Annual ‘March for Jesus’
» ‘There is Nothing in it That is Positive’: Lawyer Julius Grey on Quebec’s Bill 96
» Trudeau Liberals Begin Countdown to Ending Use of Single-Use Plastics
» YouTube Disappointed With C-11 Amendments, Says Government Ignoring Creators’ Concerns
 
Europe and the EU
» Commission President Calls to End Unanimity in EU Foreign Policy Decisions
» Czech Education Minister Gazdik to Resign Due to Corruption Scandal
» Dutch PM’s Declaration of War Trends on Twitter
» Extinction Rebellion Activists Glue Themselves to European Commission HQ
» French Aquatic Centers Shut Down After Hundreds of ‘Youths’ Wreak Havoc
» Green Fail: Dependent on Russian Gas, Now Germany Fires Up Coal Power Stations
» Hundreds of UK Troops Banned From NATO Deployment Over Barracks Orgies
» Le Pen’s National Rally Wins Seats, Airtime and Money in French Vote
» Merkel Pursued ‘Bismarck’s Imperial Dream,’ Says Polish MEP
» Three Charged With Attempted Terrorism in Denmark: ISIS Links Disclosed
» ‘Woke’ Dogma of ‘Ruling Elites’ Preventing UK From Reaching Full Potential — Brexiteer Think-Tank
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Israel Dissolves Government, Will Hold 5th Election in Less Than Four Years
 
Russia
» Russia Demands Lithuania Lift “Openly Hostile” Blockade; Panic Buying Ensues
» Russians Launching Large-Scale Offensive in Luhansk Region
» Ukraine — The Situation (June 20, 2022)
 
Far East
» Big Tech Silenced the Lab Leak Theory. But Now the WHO Chief Reportedly Believes it.
 
Australia — Pacific
» ABC Star Tony Armstrong’s Blistering Response to Hater’s Disgusting Message About His Welcome to Country and ‘Coke Sniffing Elites’ At the Logie Awards: ‘Shut Up Bro… I Am Duty Bound’
» Dominic Perrottet Says He’ll Go to Bunnings to Get $25million Flagpole Built to Hang the Aboriginal Flag on the Sydney Harbour Bridge — as the Internet Erupts Over the Cost: ‘Get a Second Quote, Bro’
» The X-Rated Fashion Trend You Couldn’t Miss at the Logies: Celebrities and Reality TV Stars Show Off Barely-There Gowns and Lingerie-Inspired Outfits as Red Carpets Prepare for Their Sexiest Year Yet
 
Latin America
» Marxist Gustavo Petro — Who Said Election Was Rigged — Wins Irregularity-Ridden Colombian Presidential Race
 
Immigration
» Germany’s Migrant Minister Pushes for Migrants to Gain Citizenship Faster, Calls for Reform of Nationality Law
» Germany Sent €456,000 Worth of Social Benefits to Criminal Migrant Clan Worth Millions
» Man Who Shot at Police in 100-mph Chase Reportedly Illegal Immigrant, Has Been Deported 7 Times
» The People Smugglers Said Anthony Albanese Would Let us in: Desperate Migrants Reveal How They Were Tricked Into Coming to Australia — As Three Boats Are Turned Back to Sri Lanka
 
Culture Wars
» Caitlyn Jenner Attacked for Saying Transgender Swimming Ban is “Fair”
» Female Swimmers Back FINA’s Ban on Biological Males Competing in Women’s Swimming
» Hillary Clinton Warns Leftists Focusing on Transgender Issues Isn’t an Election Winning Strategy
» Inappropriate Sex Education in Switzerland for 12-Year-Olds
» Lia Thomas and Other Transgender Athletes Are Banned by World Swimming’s Governing Body Fina From Competing Against Women: Separate ‘Open Category’ Will be Set Up
» Poll Finds Half of Americans Rank Moral Values in Country as “Poor”
» Pro-Abortion Activists Stage ‘Baby Doll Procession’ In Front of Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s Home
» Saudi Arabia Bans Rainbow Toys, Clothing With ‘Homosexual Colors’ Weeks Before Biden Visit
» UK: Women’s Rights Activists Are ‘Silenced’ By Trans-Rights Mob Clad in Black as Bristol Anarchists Tell Feminists They Are ‘Next’ After Colston Statue Was Toppled Into the River
 

Fed Chair Jerome Powell Floats Idea of Centrally Controlled Digital Currency

The US authorities are trying to shore up the global power of their fiat currency, with central bank digital currency (CBDC) now under consideration as one of the tools.

The role of the US dollar in the world economy as a reserve currency is now weaker than ever, for a variety of reasons converging together; so much so that the situation inspired the Federal Reserve Board to organize a first-ever conference on the international roles of the dollar.

One possible under-miner of the dollar’s status in economies around the globe are supposed to be decentralized cryptocurrencies that do not have a central issuing authority.

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

German Producer Prices Rise at Record Speed in May

FRANKFURT — Producer prices in Germany rose at a record pace in May, marking the fastest increase since the start of data collection in 1949, the country’s statistics office reported Monday.

Producer prices for industrial products increased by 33.6 percent compared with May 2021. German producer prices have climbed to a new record every month since December 2021.

Price increases continue to be driven by primarily by soaring energy costs, which were up 87.1 percent compared to May 2021. Natural gas, which German industry relies on heavily, jumped by 148.1 percent. Germany announced on Sunday it would reduce gas consumption and store as much natural gas as possible amid concerns Russia may cut off supply.

The overall index, excluding energy, was 16.5 percent up compared May 2021, showing that price pressures are becoming more widely spread.

The ongoing rise in producer prices suggests that consumer price inflation has not yet reached its peak.

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

Trudeau Government Spending is Worsening Inflation Crisis Says Scotiabank

A Scotiabank investors report decries the Trudeau government’s lack of action in reducing government spending, forcing the Bank of Canada (BoC) to hike interest rates.

According to Bloomberg News, Scotiabank economists have published a report arguing that the burden of lowering inflation is falling on the private sector as the federal government continues to spend at high levels.

In recent months, the BoC has hiked up interest rates in an effort to minimize the growing inflation crisis in Canada.

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

“Fight Like Hell With a Smile on Our Faces”: CRT Debate Spurs Parents to Run for School Boards

Authored by Terri Wu via The Epoch Times

As parents across the nation fight to have a say in their children’s public education, more are taking things into their own hands: running for local school boards.

Sean Kaufman in Woodstock, Georgia, is one of them. And his journey began with a school assignment on the American dream.

Before that, he never felt any reason to question what schools were teaching his children, and he would always check on whether his kids had done what their teachers had asked them to do.

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

6 Injured When Car Hits Pedestrians in New York City

NEW YORK CITY — Six people were injured Monday when a taxi hit a bicyclist before veering onto a sidewalk and hitting pedestrians in Manhattan, police said.

The incident happened around 1 p.m. on Broadway near West 29th Street, according to officials.

Update 3:50 p.m. EDT June 20: Authorities said the incident started when a taxicab and a bicycle collided while the cab was making a left-hand turn onto Broadway. Initial reports had indicated the crash began with a collision between the cab and an SUV.

“Right now, it appears to be an accident,” New York Police Deputy Chief John Chell said at a news conference. He added that the crash remained under investigation Monday afternoon.

Chell said that after the crash, the cab appeared to slow down before mounting a sidewalk and picking up speed. It hit two women, pressing them against a wall, he said.

“As this occurs, a remarkable scene took place,” the deputy chief said. “About 15 to 20 New Yorkers attempted to pick this cab off these women.”

Six people were taken to hospitals after the crash, including the cab driver. Three people were in critical condition and three people had injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening, Chell said.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

Ad for Major Free Speech Event Censored by Twitter

An ad posted by the Minds Festival of Ideas to Twitter was censored on Monday, and the group was denied the ability to purchase ad space. The Minds Festival of Ideas, featuring notable names in contemporary heterodoxy and coming to New York’s Beacon Theater on Saturday and featuring, was prevented from sharing the ad only seconds after submitting it for Twitter review.

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

Breaking: Waukesha Christmas Parade Massacre Suspect Denied Change of Venue Request

Judge Jennifer Dorow denied the Waukesha massacre suspect’s motion to change venues during a hearing on Monday afternoon, stating that the pre-trial publicity does not prevent suspect Darrell Brooks Jr. from receiving a fair trial.

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

CNN is in Big Trouble

CNN’s ratings continue to collapse, down 63% from just a year ago.

Its new leader is now ordering hyper-partisan hacks to stop giving their biased opinions on everything and concentrate on delivering actual news.

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

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Says White House Lying About COVID Vaccine Policy

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday said the White House lied about his state’s COVID-19 vaccine policy changes and that the media has largely chosen to ignore it.

The Republican was in Callahan, just north of Jacksonville, when he was asked about a debate on vaccines that occurred Friday and comments from the Biden administration last week that he had changed course and was ordering vaccines for young children.

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

Jan 6th Committee is Censored by YouTube’s Election Rules

That YouTube’s censorship machine lacks a sense of context — in addition to often being designed to allow only one side of many stories to be heard — is nothing new to creators.

Many, particularly independent journalists, in the past saw their reports about events being branded, and banned, as actually promoting those events. The same, naturally, doesn’t happen to corporate media, but now YouTube’s censorship has managed to “tackle” the House Select Committee that is led by Democrats.

The committee is investigating the January 6 riots and recently uploaded a video from the hearings to its YouTube channel, only to have Google’s video giant remove it as “misinformation” that violated its policies around (the 2020) elections, which aims to keep the narrative tightly controlled by not allowing anything that challenges the contested vote’s legitimacy.

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

Liberal Professor Says Portland is a S***hole

A liberal professor has shocked some on the left by asserting, “Cities don’t have to be wretched cesspools of human filth.”

Oh no, the absolute shame of it.

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

Officials: Child Hospitalized After Being Stabbed in the Chest by Catfish in Florida

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla — A child has been hospitalized after they were stabbed by a catfish in the chest, according to fire officials.

Pasco County Fire Rescue said a child is in serious condition after they were stabbed by a catfish in the chest.

According to WTVT, the incident happened Monday before 2 p.m. The mother was on the way to the hospital when the child started having a hard time breathing. PCFR said she pulled over and called for help.

PCFR said that once fire crews arrived, they listed the child as “trauma alert.” The catfish barb was in about 1 to 1.5 inches in the child’s chest, according to PCFR.

The child was airlifted to a Tampa hospital for treatment, according to WTVT. No further information has been released.

           — Hat tip: Roger [Return to headlines]
 

Seattle Protester Critically Hurt by Driver During BLM Demonstration Sues State, City, Suspected Driver

A Seattle resident critically injured by a driver during a Black Lives Matter demonstration filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the state, city and suspected driver.

Dawit Kelete is accused of hitting two protesters, killing one of them, after driving around roadway barricades and taking an offramp onto Interstate 5 on July 4, 2020.

The King County Superior Court lawsuit filed by Diaz Love — who sustained a traumatic brain injury, multiple fractures, lacerations, displacements and other physical wounds — alleges Kelete was driving negligently. It also alleges state and city agencies failed to block all access ramps to Interstate 5 and refused to protect vulnerable protesters.

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

Skiff Drive is a New Privacy Cloud Storage Option to Rival Dropbox and Google Drive

Those looking for alternatives to Google Drive and similar Big Tech products now have another option: Skiff Drive.

Skiff announced the launch of its Drive, saying that it offers end-to-end encryption for files and allows users to share them. Skiff Drive is also open source and has a decentralized storage option.

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

Some Facebook Employees Demand Censorship of Climate Change Skepticism

Facebook has come under criticism for not extending its mass censorship of topics related to Covid, which was in full swing in 2020, to another issue that is actively promoted by a part of the political scene in the US: climate change.

Gizmodo is publishing a series of leaked Facebook documents that it calls “Facebook Papers,” and chastises the tech giant for not treating “climate change denial” with the same censorship vigor as the pandemic, backing up this claim by citing the content of those documents.

And according to them, (some) Facebook employees were the ones unhappy with the way the company’s higher-ups were handling the issue, demanding that “climate change misinformation” be tackled more aggressively.

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

Teenager Killed, 3 Adults, Including Police Officer Injured in Washington, DC Shooting

Sunday evening, a shooting in Washington DC left a 15-year-old dead and several others, including a police officer, injured during a gathering near the Moechella Music Festival.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Department said at a press conference following the shooting that four people were shot at the event, including the police officer. The officer did not return fire in the crowded area.

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

West Point Cadets Taught Critical Race Theory, Including Addressing ‘Whiteness, ‘ Docs Show

FIRST ON FOX: New documents exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital reveal that the U.S. Army is teaching West Point cadets critical race theory (CRT), including addressing “whiteness.”

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained the documents from government watchdog group Judicial Watch, whichhad to sue the military twice under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to get the information.

“Our military is under attack — from within,” Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton said in the press release. “These documents show racist, anti-American CRT propaganda is being used to try to radicalize our rising generation of Army leadership at West Point.”

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

Apparently, If You Oppose Canada’s User Generated Content Regulation, You’re Spreading “Misinformation”

The panacea of slapping the “misinformation” label on criticism — or at least those in power hope it is — is once again being used to dismiss opponents of government policies.

In Canada, the Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11) — an update to C-10 that was first introduced in 2021 by then Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault to scathing criticism — continues its journey through the country’s parliament.

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

Pastor Artur Pawlowski Prevented From Attending Annual ‘March for Jesus’

Pastor Artur Pawlowski says police warned him about attending the annual March for Jesus.

The renegade pastor told a crowd in Calgary on Saturday that he was informed by a detective from the Calgary Police service that his participation in the Christian march could potentially constitute a breach of his current release conditions.

Artur is currently released on conditions for contempt of a court order that allowed Alberta Health inspectors and police to enter his Street Church to check for COVID-19 compliance. He is also on bail after serving over 50 days in jail after he became the first person charged under the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act, a law meant to prosecute pipeline saboteurs and eco-radicals, for giving a sermon to truckers who were blocking the border with Montana at Coutts, AB.

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

‘There is Nothing in it That is Positive’: Lawyer Julius Grey on Quebec’s Bill 96

Quebec Premier François Legault has adopted another restrictive bill, this time regarding the French language and affecting the lives of minorities in Quebec: the anglophone and especially the native peoples.

Bill 96 was adopted on May 24 and started to be applied on June 1. Since then, a group of different people and experts joined in filing a lawsuit against Bill 96.

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

Trudeau Liberals Begin Countdown to Ending Use of Single-Use Plastics

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said that Canada will ban the importing of certain single-use containers and goods by the year’s end, with bans for the end of next year already planned.

Canada will also be banning the export of goods, including plastic bags and styrofoam takeout containers, by 2025.

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

YouTube Disappointed With C-11 Amendments, Says Government Ignoring Creators’ Concerns

YouTube officials are sharing their disappointment with the Trudeau government’s online censorship bill, C-11, and will be looking to the Senate to ensure user-generated content will not be affected by the controversial bill.

Last week, MPs on the House of Commons heritage committee rushed over 150 amendments to Bill C-11, but did not address the main concern with the bill — user-generated content such as YouTube videos.

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

Commission President Calls to End Unanimity in EU Foreign Policy Decisions

The EU must be able to respond faster to geopolitical developments, and should end the unanimity requirement in foreign policy decisions, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday.

“In foreign affairs, we really have to move to qualified majority voting,” von der Leyen said in a small group interview arranged by her office ahead of this week’s European Council summit, at which heads of state and government are expected to grant official EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova.

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

Czech Education Minister Gazdik to Resign Due to Corruption Scandal

Czechia’s Education Minister Petr Gazdik will resign from his ministerial position and as the vice-chair of the party Mayors and Independents (STAN) due to his ties to businessman Michal Redl, who has been accused of corruption in a far-reaching scandal involving dealings at the Prague Transport Company.

According to Prime Minister Petr Fiala of the Civic Democrats (ODS), there is no reason for Interior Minister Vit Rakusan, the chairman of the STAN movement, to resign. According to the head of the opposition party, Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), Tomio Okamura, the only solution is to exclude the entire STAN movement from government.

“I decided to resign as Minister of Education on June 30,” Gazdik wrote in a statement.

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

Dutch PM’s Declaration of War Trends on Twitter

Prime Minister’s Rutte’s recent statement about “our war” in Ukraine, is a “violation of the Constitution and therefore punishable”, said PVV leader Geert Wilders.

According to Wilders, Rutte is illegally dragging the Dutch into a war. “It is not our war, Rutte and if you really believe that, you are in violation of the Constitution and therefore punishable.” Wilders referred to Article 96 of the Dutch Constitution, which states, “The Kingdom shall not be declared at war except with the prior consent of the Senate.”

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

Extinction Rebellion Activists Glue Themselves to European Commission HQ

A group of 10 Extinction Rebellion climate activists on Monday glued themselves to the entrance doors of the European Commission’s Berlaymont building in Brussels.

Around 25 activists in total, coming from Germany, Austria, France, the Netherlands and Italy among others, were present to call on the EU to do more against environmental damage and to criminalize ecocide — the deliberate and systematic destruction of ecosystems.

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

French Aquatic Centers Shut Down After Hundreds of ‘Youths’ Wreak Havoc

Authorities were forced to shut down multiple aquatic facilities in France after hundreds of ‘young people’ wreaked havoc over the weekend, according to reports.

The disturbing incidents unfolded on Saturday in the department of Moselle.

As employees of the Aquarives nautical center in Hagondange were opening the doors to the public, a horde of hundreds of ‘youths’ forced their way inside.

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

Green Fail: Dependent on Russian Gas, Now Germany Fires Up Coal Power Stations

Climate-crazy Germany is now being forced to burn more coal for energy after Russia dramatically reduced the country’s supply of gas.

Despite the country’s obsession with climate-crazy policy decisions, Germany has announced that it will be forced to rely more heavily on coal for its electricity supply after Russia reduced the amount of gas it will supply to the country.

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

Hundreds of UK Troops Banned From NATO Deployment Over Barracks Orgies

Hundreds of British paratroopers have been barred from being deployed on a NATO mission after video evidence emerged of orgies with a civilian woman being held at a military barracks.

One of the first official acts of General Sir Patrick Sanders, who became the head of the British Army this month, will be to ban hundreds of soldiers from the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment from a NATO mission to the Balkans after they were found to have been involved in a series of sexual orgies at the Merville Barracks in Colchester, Essex.

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

Le Pen’s National Rally Wins Seats, Airtime and Money in French Vote

Marine Le Pen’s National Rally shattered a glass ceiling in Sunday’s French legislative elections — with an elevenfold increase to 89 seats that gives the party unprecedented power in the incoming National Assembly.

With 89 MPs, not only has Le Pen been resurrected — after keeping a low profile following her loss to President Emmanuel Macron — but the resurgent far-right party will become a parliamentary group for the first time since 1986.

“The people have chosen to send a very powerful group of National Rally MPs to the assembly … by far the most numerous of our political history,” a jubilant Le Pen told supporters and constituents in the northern town of Hénin-Beaumont on Sunday night. She announced Monday morning she wouldn’t take the helm of the party itself, in order to stay focused on her role as upcoming president of the parliamentary group, where she’ll sit as a one of the major forces in opposition.

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

Merkel Pursued ‘Bismarck’s Imperial Dream,’ Says Polish MEP

Angela Merkel’s policy on Russia during her tenure as chancellor was based around pursuing “Bismarck’s imperial dream,” said Polish MEP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, who is a member of the government’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party.

During an interview with German news outlet RND, Merkel said that she did not believe in changing Russia through trade but in creating a partnership through trade, which is how Merkel explained how Germany became dependent on Russian energy while also pursuing the construction of both the Nord Stream pipelines.

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

Three Charged With Attempted Terrorism in Denmark: ISIS Links Disclosed

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Three people have been charged with planning terrorist acts by acquiring weapons and bomb-making materials “to be used in a terrorist attack in an unknown place in either Denmark or abroad,” a Danish prosecutor said Monday.

The suspects, two men and a woman in their thirties, were not identified in line with Danish practice. They were arrested on Feb. 2021 and remain in pre-trial custody.

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

‘Woke’ Dogma of ‘Ruling Elites’ Preventing UK From Reaching Full Potential — Brexiteer Think-Tank

A report due to be published by a Brexiteer think-tank is to claim that the “‘woke’ dogma” of the UK’s declinist “ruling elites” is inhibiting the country’s full potential.

A 100-page document due to be published by the Centre for Brexit Policy on Tuesday is to claim that the “‘woke’ ideology” of officials in government and within the civil service are preventing the UK from reaching its full potential.

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

Israel Dissolves Government, Will Hold 5th Election in Less Than Four Years

Israel will head to its fifth election in less than four years after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid were unable to stabilize their shaky coalition.

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

Russia Demands Lithuania Lift “Openly Hostile” Blockade; Panic Buying Ensues

Update (1100ET): The Russian Foreign Ministry has responded to Lithuania’s partial blockade of Kaliningrad, writing in a statement that they consider the “provocative measures” to be “openly hostile” and warning that the Kremlin may take action to “protect its national interests.”

Kaliningrad is sandwiched between the EU and NATO members Poland and Lithuania. Supplies from Russia are delivered via rail and gas pipelines through Lithuania — which announced last week that it was banning the rail transit of goods subject to EU sanctions, which include coal, advanced technology, metals and construction materials.

“If in the near future cargo transit between the Kaliningrad region and the rest of the territory of the Russian Federation through Lithuania is not restored in full, then Russia reserves the right to take actions to protect its national interests,” the statement reads.

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

Russians Launching Large-Scale Offensive in Luhansk Region

The city of Lysychansk has been coming under “massive” Russian fire all day.

Serhiy Haidai, the head of the Regional Military Administration in Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, said the situation along the entire Luhansk front is “extremely” difficult with Russian forces “launching a large-scale offensive in our region.”

“They have accumulated a sufficient number of reserves and today all the free settlements of the region are on fire,” Haidai said.

The city of Lysychansk in the Luhansk Oblast has been coming under “massive” Russian fire all day, he said, with the number of victims unknown. He said Russian forces are advancing along the Lysychansk-Bakhmut highway and nearby settlements are under constant fire.

Haidai added that Ukrainian troops are only in control of the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk.

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Ukraine — The Situation (June 20, 2022)

Asia Times is publishing Ukraine war situation reports based on multiple military and think tank sources. It’s our unvarnished bid to cut through the propaganda and misinformation of all sides that contribute to the fog of war.

Summary/overview

NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg forecast a “long war” in Ukraine. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in full Churchillian pose, chimed in on cue: “We need to steel ourselves for a long war.”

A new front? Lithuania has banned the transit of sanctioned goods from Russia to the enclave of Kaliningrad (formerly Königsberg). Russia sees it as a violation of the EU agreement in 2004 that saw the EU expand to include the Baltic States and says it will break the “blockade”. Note that Lithuania is a NATO member.

Russian forces have gained added ground in the Severodonetsk region and — according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense — have pushed through the town of Toshkivka southeast of Lysychansk.

Heavy fighting and artillery fire continue along the entire line of control northwest of Popasna. The main road from the transportation hub of Bakhmut to Lysychansk has been rendered impassable by Russian forces.

[Comment: The article is of regular length.]

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

Big Tech Silenced the Lab Leak Theory. But Now the WHO Chief Reportedly Believes it.

Claiming, or even attempting to debate the possibility that coronavirus is man-made and originates from a lab in China, was a costly mistake made by a huge number of creators and social media users.

Their content was banned, labeled as conspiracy, and “repeat offenders” on platforms like YouTube would even get banned. From Facebook to Google, and every other Big Tech social media site in between, the explanation was that the only allowed information related to the Covid pandemic was that based on the opinions of “authoritative sources.”

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

ABC Star Tony Armstrong’s Blistering Response to Hater’s Disgusting Message About His Welcome to Country and ‘Coke Sniffing Elites’ At the Logie Awards: ‘Shut Up Bro… I Am Duty Bound’

ABC star Tony Armstrong acknowledged the traditional owners of the land while presenting with 2022 Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott at the red carpet event on Sunday night.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Dominic Perrottet Says He’ll Go to Bunnings to Get $25million Flagpole Built to Hang the Aboriginal Flag on the Sydney Harbour Bridge — as the Internet Erupts Over the Cost: ‘Get a Second Quote, Bro’

The NSW Premier has said he will ‘go to Bunnings myself’ to make sure the new $25million Aboriginal flag is flying over Sydney’s Harbour Bridge as soon as possible.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

The X-Rated Fashion Trend You Couldn’t Miss at the Logies: Celebrities and Reality TV Stars Show Off Barely-There Gowns and Lingerie-Inspired Outfits as Red Carpets Prepare for Their Sexiest Year Yet

Australian television royalty paraded down the red carpet for the 62nd Logie Awards wearing barely-there gowns, gaping midriffs and deep v-necks to signal that sexy is back.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Marxist Gustavo Petro — Who Said Election Was Rigged — Wins Irregularity-Ridden Colombian Presidential Race

Marxist former mayor of Bogota and ex-member of the terrorist M19 guerrilla organization Gustavo Petro declared victory Sunday night in Colombia’s presidential election — despite dismissing the entire endeavor as rigged and calling Colombia’s top election official a “liar” days prior.

Colombia’s Observatory Mission for Elections (MOE), which oversaw the vote, documented 148 complains of election “irregularities” by 3:30 p.m. local time on Sunday. By the time voting stations closed, that number had soared to 393 reports.

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Germany’s Migrant Minister Pushes for Migrants to Gain Citizenship Faster, Calls for Reform of Nationality Law

Migrants in Germany must gain citizenship “better” and “faster” in order to make Germany a “modern immigration country,” said German Federal Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration Reem Alabali-Radovan, which she argues means dramatically reforming the country’s nationality law.

“We are starting a new beginning in integration policy in solidarity with the federal, state, and local governments. We want to be a modern immigration country. It also means that we finally offer a way out of the intolerable chains of ‘toleration’ for those who have been living here in Germany for more than five years,” said the politician on Tuesday at the spring meeting of the integration officers of the federal and state governments in Berlin, according to a report from the Deutschland Funk radio news service.

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Germany Sent €456,000 Worth of Social Benefits to Criminal Migrant Clan Worth Millions

During an ongoing trial against members of the Al-Z clan that began in Düsseldorf district court, German taxpayers are learning that they financed the extended Lebanese family with hundreds of thousands of euros in social benefits despite the family having millions in assets.

Currently, alleged clan boss Badia Al-Z., along with his wife, four sons, and his daughter-in-law are standing trial, with prosecutors revealing they have received €456,000 in social benefits under Hartz IV welfare program, according to the Bild newspaper.

The public prosecutor has made serious allegations against the clan, accusing them of money laundering, extortion, tax evasion, hostage-taking, dangerous bodily harm, exploitation, coercion, and organized welfare fraud.

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

Man Who Shot at Police in 100-mph Chase Reportedly Illegal Immigrant, Has Been Deported 7 Times

A driver in Minnesota who reportedly led police recently on a high-speed chase and fired at them with a handgun is allegedly an illegal immigrant who has been deported at least seven times in the recent past.

The suspect, Pablo Nava Jaimes, reportedly fired 10 shots at police in the alcohol-fueled getaway attempt — from St. Paul to nearby White Bear Lake.

The suspect had allegedly consumed eight or nine beers at a cookout prior to the June 5 incident.

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The People Smugglers Said Anthony Albanese Would Let us in: Desperate Migrants Reveal How They Were Tricked Into Coming to Australia — As Three Boats Are Turned Back to Sri Lanka

Since the May 21 election, three boats carrying migrants have landed on Australian territory following a two-year period without any attempted illegal arrivals.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Caitlyn Jenner Attacked for Saying Transgender Swimming Ban is “Fair”

Following Swimming’s world governing body banning transgender athletes that have gone through any form of male puberty, Olympic gold medalist and transgender person Caitlyn Jenner announced support for the move, saying that “what’s fair is fair.”

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

Female Swimmers Back FINA’s Ban on Biological Males Competing in Women’s Swimming

Several high profile women swimmers have come out in support of FINA’s June 19 decision to ban biological males who identify as transgender from competing in women’s sports.

According to The Daily Mail, Australian swimming champions Emily Seebohm and Cate Campbell have openly praised FINA’s decision. FINA is the world’s largest organizer of water sports, such as the World Aquatics Championships, the World Swimming Championships, and the Swimming World Cup.

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

Hillary Clinton Warns Leftists Focusing on Transgender Issues Isn’t an Election Winning Strategy

Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has warned leftists that they should drop transgenderism as a core policy issue if they want to win future elections.

Clinton made the comments during an interview with the Financial Times when she was asked, “Democrats seem to be going out of their way to lose elections by elevating activist causes, notably the transgender debate, which are relevant only to a small minority. What sense does it make to depict JK Rowling as a fascist?”

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

Inappropriate Sex Education in Switzerland for 12-Year-Olds

A brochure on sexuality for schools supported by Bern is far too explicit, some conservative parliamentarians complained.

The brochure is called “Hey You”, was written by the foundation “Sexual Health Switzerland” and is being debated in the Federal Palace. The foundation, which receives about CHF 800 000 from the federal government out of its total budget of CHF 1,2 million, is said by some parliamentarians to be far too explicit in the booklet.

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

Lia Thomas and Other Transgender Athletes Are Banned by World Swimming’s Governing Body Fina From Competing Against Women: Separate ‘Open Category’ Will be Set Up

Elite swimming is the first sport to ban transgender athletes from women’s races even if they went through male puberty, the international sports federation for swimming announced Sunday.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Poll Finds Half of Americans Rank Moral Values in Country as “Poor”

A new Gallup poll has found that 50 percent of Americans rank moral values in their country currently as “poor,” with only 13 percent saying those values are good.

The poll found that 37 percent rate moral values as ‘fair’, but only 1 percent rate them as excellent.

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

Pro-Abortion Activists Stage ‘Baby Doll Procession’ In Front of Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s Home

A group of pro-abortion activists carrying baby dolls descended upon Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s home over the weekend.

The stunt is only the latest in a string of demonstrations targeting Supreme Court justices ahead of their ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which could effectively overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion.

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

Saudi Arabia Bans Rainbow Toys, Clothing With ‘Homosexual Colors’ Weeks Before Biden Visit

Weeks ahead of President Biden’s much anticipated and controversial trip to Saudi Arabia, where he’ll meet with crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom is cracking down on any items, including toys, with a rainbow on them.

The commerce ministry put clothing and toy stores on notice over “rainbow colors” in the capital of Riyadh — saying such items will now be banned as they “contradict the Islamic faith and public morals and promote homosexual colors targeting the younger generation.”

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

UK: Women’s Rights Activists Are ‘Silenced’ By Trans-Rights Mob Clad in Black as Bristol Anarchists Tell Feminists They Are ‘Next’ After Colston Statue Was Toppled Into the River

The mob dressed all in black were heard shouting out ‘trans rights are human rights’ while women’s rights activists held a talk outside in honour of Father’s Day in Bristol.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

12 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/20/2022

  1. “Lithuania has banned the transit of sanctioned goods from Russia to the enclave of Kaliningrad (formerly Königsberg). Russia sees it as a violation of the EU agreement in 2004 that saw the EU expand to include the Baltic States and says it will break the “blockade”. ”

    I think the globalists (thru their beholden national leaders) are trying to provoke Russia to give NATO an excuse to directly enter the war. The proxy war isn’t going as planned. They thought they would have already defeated Russia by now.

    They thought that by sending massive amounts of weapons and aid and by providing all the military support they could, including intelligence, ongoing training, and militarily advising them that Ukraine could have pushed Russia out by now. They also clearly thought they could collapse Russia’s economy and cause popular unrest against the war to hasten their desired outcome. They failed, but I don’t think they’re ready to cocede defeat.

    So now it appears to me they figure if they can provoke Russia they can all gang up on them in an escalated war involving NATO and their allies to defeat Russia.

    I don’t think the people pulling the strings and telling Lithuania to make this move want to see this war deescalate or end until their objectives are met, and they don’t care how much the pawns in Ukraine suffer until then, or for that matter, in Russia and all the west.

    I hope I’m wrong, an escalation is not necessary to achieve an end that is reasonable if clearer heads prevail.

    • If they wanted to they would have. This is Lithuania directly attacking sovereign territory of the Russian Federation while trying to weasel out and excuse it as instructions from Brussels. This was a major argument against expanding NATO to include a lot of little countries that might misbehave under a “My Bodyguard” illusion.

      I had a discussion the other day with someone who really should know better during which they insisted that American missile defense would be more than adequate to overcome any Russian offensive threat. This is delusional.

      https://breakingdefense.com/2022/02/no-us-missile-defense-system-proven-capable-against-realistic-icbm-threats-study/

      Russian strategic doctrine has always functioned under the assumption that a full on nuclear exchange is survivable ergo a nuke war is winnable.

      I once read that the Kaiser had second thoughts and considered stopping if not rescinding the Schlieffen Plan after it had been initiated but before actual combat had been engaged, but that it was so complex, involving hundreds of precisely timed trains of men and equipment, that a sudden stop or reversal, something that planning had not taken into account, would probably be impossible and would at the very least deliver the entire German army, and Reserves, into such chaos as to make Germany defenseless in practical terms for possibly months. How much more likely are bad outcomes when decisions concerning escalation/de-escalation will have to be made in minutes by people who are intellectually/professionally challenged by something so ordinary as pronoun application.

      https://americanmilitarynews.com/2022/06/video-here-is-the-navys-gender-pronoun-video-for-safe-spaces/

      https://americanmilitarynews.com/2022/06/west-point-teaching-cadets-critical-race-theory-queer-theory-and-whiteness-docs-reveal/

      Is it stupidity or does someone want to find out precisely where the existential line is for Russia by stepping over it? The question is – does NATO really want a First Front? Because Lithuania/EU is certainly taking the short road to that destination, with or without NATO consent.

      • Certainly there are some fools and/or warmongers goading on Lithuania who do not care that this might escalate into a nuclear exchange. I highly doubt the Russian government really wants to go down this road. Like you said, if they wanted to they already would have.

        I don’t see the average pencil-necked euro officer/NATO serf as having the right male equipment to engage in combat with the russians once he sees a few of his bunk mates turned into steaming piles of hamburger and intestines by massed russian artillery or hypersonic missile strikes. The Ukranians to their credit are made of a lot sterner stuff than their western european counterparts, and whatever happens with their war with Russia, no one can say that they were cowards.

        If the Russians forcibly occupied a corridor to Kaliningrad through Latvia from Belarus, what realistically could NATO do about it? Anything they do risks a complete shutoff of oil and gas to Europe, and by targeting a few LNG carriers or oil tankers, no insurance company would insure any more of these vessels, thereby cutting off delivery by sea of fuel to Europe. Energy is Europe’s Achilles heel and this is undoubtedly known to the Kremlin and a factor in any of their calculations should there be a need to escalate the war or emasculate NATO.

        • To be honest, I now take it for granted that they will shut EU out of Russian Energy – October, November time – just in time for the winter. It fits well with the agenda, I think, because if the Russians cut the EU off the oil and gas now, your average European sheep would get a strong signal to prepare, and there is still time to prepare. October November – no more time to prepare for the winter, and just the right time for hunger games to begin.

        • Yes, energy is Europs Achilles heel.
          Just imagine, a few Spetznaz soldiers targetting the power grid in Europe. That will lead to a Blackout.

          Then I want to see the Greens like Greta and the Final Generation complaining about no power for their smartphones, no trains running, no refrigerators working etc.

          On the other hand:
          According to a comment on the late Michael Mannheimers page, the CDU (Merkels party) Friedrich Merz said that we will all remember where we were on 24th September 2022.

          Yes, this date is in the future.

          https://rumble.com/v191dzi-was-weii-merz-was-wir-nicht-wissen-.html

          I have a bad feeling about it. False Flag?

      • “If they wanted to they would have.”

        Thanks. So if they don’t, it’s because they don’t want to give Nato an excuse to join in. Because they’re afraid…

        And btw, after breaking the Budapest Memorandum promise of respecting Ukrainian sovereignty inside its borders (as of 1994),not sure Russia is in a position to complain, about anyone breaking treaties?!

      • It’s Russia demanding the “right” for its vehicles to enter Lithuania, as they please… So who is really attacking whose sovereign territory?!

        • The point is simple – Kaliningrad is part of the Russian Federation. A real, tangible, important part. Stopping the supply trains will do virtually nothing substantive towards the sanctions placed on Russia or compel retreat from eastern Ukraine. It’s like not letting a Russian tennis player compete at Wimbledon. It’s the spiteful payback of a middle-schooler. However, Russia clearly understands that if Sweden and Finland join NATO the Baltic becomes a defacto NATO lake. How much more will Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia feel inclined to tweak the Bear with the smug assurance that Big Brother, meaning the U.S., must have their back? Will some effort be made to close the Baltic to Russia. They are already, thanks to Lithuania and Poland, more than halfway to an outright blockade of Kaliningrad, which will do absolute wonders to harden Russian hearts and make this a conflict in defense of Mother Russia not to mention be an overt declaration of war. While most Western countries teach next to nothing about WWII militarily the average Russian is typically pretty well versed in life in Leningrad circa 1942 and the defense of Stalingrad. If you want to hand Putin a gift by all means take this road.

          I suppose Lithuania and some others hope the missiles will fly harmlessly far over their heads but hope is a poor strategy. My point concerning the Schlieffen Plan above was that no one, ever, successfully halted Great Power conflict from progressing into massive death and destruction once a certain inertia is established going back to the Peloponnesian War at least. And no one knows, or can measure, precisely what constitutes that point-of-no-return; but plenty of people are cheering the engineer to open the throttle wider, regardless of the ever increasing grade. I want the train to Stop. It is hardly possible for me to conceive of a more senseless waste of one American life, much less a couple of hundred million, than over Ukraine. It has nothing to do with us and nothing about this is academic.

          • Quit calling it Kalingrad or whatever the bloody Russians call it, it is and always has been Koenigsberg. As far as I am concerned, it seems like a great time to reclaim my families lands and estates from the bloody Russian occupation.

            The Lithuanians are not stupid where the Russians are concerned, they have at the moment a few divisions of German Bundeswehr and Brit army in country as we speak putting up early warning radar and
            anti-aircraft systems. As to why these idiots are trying to provoke the Russian bear is they actually think they can beat the Russians in a short term war, and as history has shown, it never ends well for those who plan like this.

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