Sunday, January 31, 2016



Three multiculturalists  who gang-raped white 16-year-old girl are jailed for 30 years



Three Somali men who gang-raped a white 16-year-old girl in the bathroom of a hotel where they went to celebrate Eid have been jailed for 30 years.

Muhyadeen Osman, Bilal Ahmed and Mowled Yussuf, all now 20, were just teenagers when they attacked the girl at the Victoria Park Hotel in Manchester, regarding her as 'easy prey', the court heard.

The group, then all aged 17, had spent the previous night in the hotel with a number of other men as part of Eid celebrations when one of their friends, who had met the girl on BlackBerry Messenger, brought her round saying she should 'meet his boys.'

In the run up to the assault the group moved from room to room looking for unlocked doors to hide from a porter.

They eventually got into a bedroom where Yussuf was first to force the girl to perform a sex act on him in the bathroom.

Despite her repeatedly telling the group that she didn't want to have intercourse, she was forced to perform a sex act on Ahmed before he raped her.

Osman then joined in after he had been 'hanging around' outside the door. He then moved her to the bed and raped her himself.

Their victim, now a university student, was left alone as the gang dispersed - only to realise that her mobile phone and cash had been taken from her handbag.

She initially only reported the theft but the day after the attack in 2013 she revealed the extent of her ordeal.

DNA matching the offenders was recovered from the scene and she later picked the men out in identity parades.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the teenager said she no longer felt confident to go out of the house and her education had suffered.

At Manchester Crown Court Yussuf was convicted of rape, oral rape and assault by penetration following a trial was jailed for ten years.

Ahmed, who was convicted of oral rape, was locked up for nine years whilst Osman got 12 years after being convicted of an unrelated robbery in which he mugged an innocent man on the street for his rings and mobile phone was also taken into account.

In dramatic scenes outside the courtroom around 60 members of Manchester's Somalian community protested against the verdicts suggesting the three men were being 'victimised' because of their race, while the victim was a white Brit.  They managed to pile into the public gallery and gasped as the sentences were handed down - while Yussuf flicked a middle finger at the mother of their victim, who was present.

The court heard the girl was on her summer holidays between school and beginning her A-levels when she began talking to a friend of the gang Ibrahim Jama on BlackBerry Messenger. They exchanged messages and agreed to meet - but as Jama met her at a bus stop shortly before 11am, he soon convinced her to perform a sex act on him in an alleyway.

Prosecuting, Henry Blackshaw said: 'He then made reference to 'his boys' that were at the Victoria Park hotel, so she accompanied him. 'Once in the hotel she was then involved in what was talked about as a game of going to hotel rooms with the group and hiding away from the porter.'

CCTV then captured the group and the girl disappearing into one hotel room for around 30 minutes while the attacks took place.

The court heard that all three men continue to protest their innocence and other men who had a sexual encounter with the victim on the same day have not been arrested.

On behalf of Osman, Michael Goldwater said: 'What these defendants did wrong is allowing themselves to believe this young lady was willing to perform virtually any sex act on all of them, and failing to make an enquiry about her willingness or indeed to care very much one way or the other.  'These were young, immature men who got carried away.'

But jailing the men, Judge David Hernandez said: 'This was a large group of young men in a hotel and the inference is you all saw her as easy prey.

'She didn't really understand what was on your mind and that is probably because she was a naïve and sexually inexperienced and vulnerable young girl.

'When you were running around that hotel she probably saw this as innocent, childish fun, but it all turned sinister when you got her into the bathroom. She found herself in a situation she was totally unable to control.

'She found herself confronted with demands for sexual activity she did not wish to engage in and did not willingly consent. She had no choice and no opportunity to refuse.'

Jama was cleared of conspiracy to commit rape during the trial.

SOURCE






Europe’s Moral Bankruptcy

I wrote last year about the moral vacuum that exists in Europe because gun control laws in nations like France make it very difficult for Jews to protect themselves from barbaric attacks.

But the principle applies more broadly. All law-abiding people should have the human right to protect themselves.

Politicians in Denmark don’t seem to understand this principle. Or maybe the do understand the principle, but they are so morally bankrupt that don’t care. Not only do they have gun control, they even have laws against pepper spray. And they are so fanatical in their desire to turn people into sheep that the government apparently will prosecute a girl who used pepper spray to save herself from rape.

Here are some excerpts from a report in the U.K.-based Daily Mail.

    "A Danish teenager who was sexually assaulted near a migrant asylum centre has been told she will be prosecuted after using pepper spray to fend off her attacker. …she managed to prevent the man from attacking her further by spraying the substance at him. …However, as it is illegal to use pepper spray, the teenage girl is set to face charges."

How disgusting.

And what makes the situation especially frustrating is that the criminals and terrorists in Europe obviously don’t have any problem obtaining firearms.

So the only practical effect of gun control (or bans on pepper spray) is to make life easier for the scum of society.

And the real insult to injury is that a teenage girl who should be hailed as a hero now faces the threat of punishment. Just like the unfortunate British woman who was persecuted for using a knife to deter some thugs.

And here’s some of what the BBC reported about

    "Italian hospitality for the visiting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has stretched to covering up nude statues. Italy also chose not to serve wine at official meals"

Pathetic. Particularly since the Italians bent over backwards for a truly heinous regime.

Kudos to President Hollande in France, by contrast. The Daily Mail notes that he held firm.

    "A lunch between the French and Iranian presidents in Paris was scrapped today because France refused to remove wine from the menu"

By the way, there clearly is a role for common courtesy and diplomatic protocol. It obviously would be gratuitously rude for a nation to serve pork at a dinner for officials from Israel or any Muslim nation, just as it would inappropriate and insensitive to serve beef for an event for officials from India.

Moreover, officials from one nation should not make over-the-top demands when visiting other countries. Just as it would be wrong for French officials to demand wine at state dinners in Iran, it’s also wrong for Iranian officials to demand the absence of wine at meals in France. After all, it’s not as if they would be expected to partake.

In the grand scheme of things, though, the kerfuffle about wine and statues doesn’t matter compared to the potentially life-and-death issue of whether Europeans should be allowed to defend themselves.

That’s why Europe isn’t merely in trouble because of fiscal bankruptcy, but also because of moral bankruptcy.

P.S. While having the ability to protect your life or to guard against rape isn’t a human right in most European nations, take a look at some of the things that are “rights.”

    A committee from the Council of Europe claims there is a right to other people’s money.

    Across Europe, a satellite dish is now a human right.

    In Finland, broadband access is a basic right.

    In France, it is against the law to say your husband is under-endowed or that your wife is fat.

    There’s now an entitlement for free soccer broadcasts in Europe.

    In Italy, you have the right to…um…your testicles.

All this is amusing…in a very sad way.

SOURCE






How This Ultrasound Program Brought Life to 358,000 Babies

The pro-marriage, pro-life group Focus on the Family is celebrating the 12th anniversary of Option Ultrasound, a program that rejoices in the birth of 358,000 babies who had been at risk for abortion.

“Here at Focus on the Family, what we wanted to do was help equip the pregnancy medical clinics around the country to be able to provide that ultrasound service to a woman who found herself with an unintended pregnancy and weighing her options,” Kelly Rosati, the Christian organization’s vice president of community outreach, told The Daily Signal.

Option Ultrasound was designed to provide grants to cover the costs of new ultrasound machines and sonogram equipment training for medical personnel at pregnancy centers around the country.

“Ultrasound has been described as a window to the womb,” Rosati said. “It gives the woman an opportunity to see for herself and to connect with her child.”

Since its start in January 2004, Option Ultrasound has provided 695 grants across all 50 states and one international grant.

“We do these grants specifically in high-abortion communities,” Rosati said, adding:

    "We have a set number that we are able to provide each year, and the way that we prioritize the need includes making sure that clinics in high-abortion communities are the priority for purposes of grants"

Along with the babies born instead of aborted comes an “equal number of moms who have been spared the pain associated with an abortion decision,” Rosati said, including dads and other family members involved in the decision.

“Sadly, I think abortion has really had a corrosive impact on the dignity and value that we all place on all human life,” she said. “I think as it cheapens life, and as that corrosiveness has taken hold, I think it causes a wedge.

“Seeing people through the eyes of God and the dignity and the value of each person is kind of the foundation for how we want to teach one another and love one another.”

Focus on the Family says it collects “rigorous data” and powerful stories of women who chose to have their babies after having an ultrasound. The majority of women who start out leaning toward an abortion will carry a baby to term after receiving counseling and an ultrasound, the group found.

“One of the things that we’ve done through the program is continually investing in the medical clinics that we work with,” Robyn Chambers, director of Option Ultrasound, told The Daily Signal.

Option Ultrasound provides medical services free of charge to women at pregnancy centers around the country.  The program helps make the services more widely available.

“We’ve been able to go into these clinics and really identify their greatest need,” Chambers said. “Maybe it’s a replacement machine or additional nurses trained. … It’s not just one machine and we’re done.”

Option Ultrasound, funded entirely by donors, has channeled millions of dollars’ worth of help to pregnancy centers. Rosati said:

    "We have more requests for grants than we are able to fulfill right now. We are looking at ways that we can possibly expand and continue to meet this need and partner with the local pregnancy centers to provide these services to women.  The future is as bright as ever"

SOURCE






'Barbie has given in to political correctness': The doll's diverse makeover sparks an online backlash with women outraged that 'adult hang-ups' are being 'forced on kids'

Life in plastic isn't quite as fantastic as first thought. Barbie has found herself at the centre of a social media storm after the doll's creators, Mattel Inc., announced she was going to be given a serious makeover - the first in her 57-year history.

After the news broke that the figurine's famously unreal shape is going to be changed to embrace tall, curvy and petite body types, many fans took to social media to rejoice at the positive move.

However, others have hit back saying it's not the revolutionary leap forward it seems and the new labels are 'problematic'. One commenter claimed that 'adult hang-ups' shouldn't be forced on children and many said there's no need for the plastic doll to be 'politically correct'.

Twitter user Ella Whelan stressed that this might have a negative impact on kids, commenting: 'If a girl is still young enough to play with #Barbie, she's too young to care about body image - stop putting adult hang-ups on children.'

Others believed the new shapes were a step in the right direction but dividing the dolls by different body types is still an issue.

Elina Tumoi wrote online: 'Diversity is good but labelling one doll curvy and another petite, still problematic for me. #barbie #mattel #labels.'

A user called Renee echoed her sentiments adding: 'Barbie creating new shapes - love it! Labelling them by how they look - still an issue. #Barbie'

Many said that Barbie's body is not a 'politically correct' problem and she should just be viewed as a toy.

In addition to having a new physique, Barbie has been made in seven different skin tones, a whopping 22 different eye colours and 24 separate hairstyles.

The original Barbie, who has long been criticised for setting unattainable beauty standards, is still available to buy alongside the new models

Evelyn Mazzocco, Senior Vice President and Global General Manager Barbie said: 'We are excited to literally be changing the face of the brand - these new dolls represent a line that is more reflective of the world girls see around them - the variety in body type, skin tones and style allows girls to find a doll that speaks to them.'

The brand made the announcement on Thursday on Twitter with the hashtag #TheDollEvolves and writing: 'We proudly add three new body types to our line. Meet the new dolls.'

However, the statement met with some resistance from members of the public.

A user called Rae SC slammed the news: 'No. I'd rather teach my daughters to not compare themselves to a doll because it's not a real human and it's made of plastic. #Barbie.'

Kayla Gross agreed: 'Maybe instead of changing a doll, we should be changing how we talk to girls about self-esteem and self-worth. #Barbie.'

Some men joined in the conversation and joked that the Ken doll will be the next to have an appearance overhaul.

'Next question is Ken going to have moobs and a beer belly #Barbie,' said one. While another added: 'Curvy #Barbie? That's good. Now, where's #DadBod Ken?'

The new dolls are available online now at Shop.Mattel.com and will subsequently be available in stores.

'For more than 55 years, Barbie has been a global, cultural icon and a source of inspiration and imagination to millions of girls around the world,' said Richard Dickson, President and Chief Operating Officer of Mattel.

'Barbie reflects the world girls see around them. Her ability to evolve and grow with the times, while staying true to her spirit, is central to why Barbie is the number one fashion doll in the world.'

SOURCE

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Political correctness is most pervasive in universities and colleges but I rarely report the  incidents concerned here as I have a separate blog for educational matters.

American "liberals" often deny being Leftists and say that they are very different from the Communist rulers of  other countries.  The only real difference, however, is how much power they have.  In America, their power is limited by democracy.  To see what they WOULD be like with more power, look at where they ARE already  very powerful: in America's educational system -- particularly in the universities and colleges.  They show there the same respect for free-speech and political diversity that Stalin did:  None.  So look to the colleges to see  what the whole country would be like if "liberals" had their way.  It would be a dictatorship.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, GREENIE WATCH,   EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS and  DISSECTING LEFTISM.   My Home Pages are here or   here or   here.  Email me (John Ray) here

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Friday, January 29, 2016



Germany bans far-right website for spreading 'racist, xenophobic, homophobic, anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic content' and arrests two people in clampdown on hate crime

This is ridiculous.  Why is Muslim supremacism not also banned?  Muslims are the biggest source of hate speech in the world today.

Also ridiculous is that criticizing any group of people is routinely said to make you "Far-Right".  In fact, most of these people are socialists, just as Hitler was.  But you don't see individual critics interviewed about their beliefs.  It is just assumed that their beliefs are Rightist.  Where the individuals are part of some organization, however, you do normally get some sort of manifesto about what they believe. 

Three current examples are Britain's BNP, Germany's NDP and "Golden Dawn" in Greece.  All have many socialist policies.  And the KKK in America was comprised of Democrats who ATTACKED Republicans. So there you have four "Racist" organizations who were and are Leftists.  And are the raving antisemites of Islam "Far Right"?

Such people might reasonably be called "prejudiced" but calling  them "Far Right" is wrong.  They could in fact better be called "Far Left".  From Karl Marx onwards racism has been primarily Leftist.  Karl hated Jews even though he was one!



Germany has banned a far-right website for spreading 'racist, xenophobic, homophobic, anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic content' and arrested two people in a clampdown on hate crime.

The ban on the Altermedia Deutschland platform came as raids were carried out in homes in four German states as well as in the northeastern Spanish town of Lloret de Mar.

Germany's Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the clampdown was 'a clear sign that the rule of law doesn't allow hate crime'.

The prosecutors' office said that two Germans, identified only as Jutta V. and Ralph Thomas K. in line with German privacy rules, were arrested on suspicion of founding a criminal organisation and incitement. Three other suspects weren't arrested.

The two arrested people were the administrators of the Altermedia website and therefore responsible for its content.

Material included banned Nazi slogans and the denial of the Holocaust as well as incitement of violence against foreigners, the prosecutors' office said.

The server was located in Russia to prevent German authorities gaining access, it added. German officials asked Russia to switch it off in the coming days.

German security officials say that the far right has become much more savvy in using of the Internet and social media to push its message to a broader audience.

The head of Germany's domestic intelligence, Hans-Georg Maassen, told reporters on Tuesday that 'there is the danger of a gray zone developing between far-right extremists, right-wing conservatives and citizen protesters with significant potential for violence.'

SOURCE






NY Court: Farmers to Be Re-Educated, Pay Fines for Not Hosting Homosexual Wedding

No freedom of religion in NY State?

A couple who hosts occasional wedding ceremonies on their New York farm have lost an appeal to overturn the $13,000 in fines levied against them by the state’s human rights agency, which ruled that their refusal to host a wedding for two women was discriminatory.

On Jan. 14, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department, upheld the agency’s order and the fines, a decision the Alliance Defending Freedom - which represented Robert and Cynthia Gifford - said amounted to confirming, “that the government can punish the Giffords for declining to coordinate a ceremony that conflicts with their conscience.”

The couple lives in a barn they built on their farm and have occasionally hosted weddings on the first floor and the surrounding backyard area, according to ADF.

“After the agency ruled that the Giffords were guilty of ‘sexual orientation discrimination,’ it fined them $10,000, plus $3,000 in damages and ordered them to implement re-education training classes designed to contradict the couple’s religious beliefs about marriage,” a press release issued following the court decision stated.

In order to comply with the order, the couple will have to attend those “re-training” classes or have a “trainer” come to them, according to ADF.

“All Americans should be free to live and work according to their beliefs, especially in our own backyards,” ADF legal counsel Caleb Dalton, who argued before the court on behalf of the couple in Gifford v. Erwin, said in a statement. “The government went after both this couple’s freedom and their ability to make a living simply for adhering to their faith on their own property.

“The court should have rejected this unwarranted and unconstitutional government intrusion, so we will consult with our client regarding appeal,” Dalton said.

ADF attorneys argued that the First Amendment prohibits the government from forcing a wedding coordinator like Cynthia to plan and participate in a ceremony that violates her faith.

“The appeals court decision, however, sidestepped that argument and is allowing the government coercion to continue,” the ADF press release stated.

ADF explained the background of the case: “On Sept. 25, 2012, Melisa McCarthy called Cynthia Gifford, inquiring about the use of the farm for her upcoming same-sex ceremony. Because of her Christian faith’s teachings on marriage, Cynthia politely told McCarthy that she and her husband don’t host and coordinate same-sex ceremonies but left open an invitation to visit the farm to consider it as a potential reception site. Instead, McCarthy and her partner filed a complaint with the Division of Human Rights.”

SOURCE






Swedish police chief sparks anger by SYMPATHISING with Somali boy, 15, charged with social worker's murder

The head of the Swedish police has sparked outrage by expressing sympathy with the teenage asylum seeker accused of murdering social worker Alexander Mezher.

National Police Commissioner Dan Eliasson, who has already admitted police cannot cope with the wave of migrant crime, said he has concerns about the ‘horrors’ and trauma the accused murderer may have witnessed.

He said he was ‘distraught’ on behalf of Miss Mezher’s family but also for the killer, saying: ‘What has that person been through? Under what circumstances has he grown up? What is the trauma he carries?’

It came as court documents showed the boy suspected of the killing is being held in a secure psychiatric that specialises in patients with psychotic illness, drug and alcohol addiction.

In an with SVT Mr Eliasson said: 'Well, you are of course distraught on behalf of everyone involved.  'Naturally, for the person killed and her family, but also for a lone young boy who commits such a heinous incident.  'What has that person been through? Under what circumstances has he grown up? What is the trauma he carries?

'This entire migration crisis shows how unfair life is in many parts of the world. We have to try to help solve this best we can.'

MailOnline has contacted Mr Eliasson for further explanation of his comments, but a spokesman would not reveal where he is.

His comments sparked angry reactions across social media, with some saying the police chief made them ‘want to vomit’.  Jenny Sundelin wrote on Twitter: ‘I vomit when I see you. You are supposed to be the person most responsible for our safety and you defend those who murder us’

Billy TheBritt added: ‘Does the nerd @dan_eliasson feel sorry for Breivik too? What about the Trollhattan killer? Does Dan’s heart bleed for him too?’

Kent Ekeroth, a member of parliament for the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats tweeted: ‘This is where Dan Eliasson feels sorry for the guy who knife-murdered the woman at the asylum home - resign!'

Eliasson is not the first senior political figure in Sweden to demand compassion for the 15-year-old boy being held on suspicion of murder.

Marie Osth Karlsson, a senior local government commissioner, said: 'I also have to express sympathy for the man behind the crime, there is also a person behind it'

Both Eliasson and Osth Karlsson belong to the ruling Social Democrat party, which has been criticised in the past year for its handling of the migrant crisis.

His comments follow the release of court documents which show murder detectives do not know the true identity of the Somali boy who allegedly stabbed to death Miss Mezher.

Reports suggested the boy was 15 and living in a child migrant centre in Molndal where Miss Mezher worked.  But next to the suspect's name are the words 'ID ej styrkt', meaning 'ID not proven'.

It means the boy had nothing to prove his identity when he arrived in Sweden – and that he could be 18 or even older.

A police spokesman in Gothenburg yesterday told MailOnline: 'We are not 100% sure about the boys identity. But we do have a good picture and will find that out eventually.

'This is usually the case with unaccompanied refugee children. It is hard to establish if their identity is true or not.'

The boy has been charged with murder and attempted murder. He is being held at the high security psychiatric clinic at Sahlgrenska University Hospital is run by the Swedish NHS called Landstinget.

The prosecutor said there are 'exceptional grounds' to detain the suspect as he will attempt to destroy evidence and flee the country.

SOURCE






60 Per Cent of ‘Refugees’ Are Really Economic Migrants Admits EU Commissioner

More than half of the migrants coming to Europe seeking refugee status are not fleeing war but are in fact economic migrants from North Africa, according to a European Union Commissioner.

The comments about the reality of economic migrants were made by Frans Timmermans, the European Commission’s First Vice-President, in an interview with the Dutch Broadcast Foundation (NOS).

He said that far from fleeing warzones, migrants to Europe are mostly North Africans leaving their homeland for economic reasons, adding:

“More than half of the people now coming to Europe come from countries where you can assume they have no reason whatsoever to ask for refugee status. More than half, 60 per cent.”

Basing his claim on the on the latest, as yet unpublished, data from Frontex — the European security agency which manages cooperation between national border guards securing the bloc’s external borders — Commissioner Timmermans said they are mainly economic migrants from countries such as Morocco and Tunisia, attempting to reach Europe via via Turkey.

The reason for Commissioner Timmermans’ intervention was not to make a case against mass migration in general, but to strengthen the case for genuine asylum seekers. He told NOS that economic migrants should be returned to their home countries in North Africa “as soon as possible” in order to ensure that support for refugees who are actually fleeing war is not damaged.

The alternative, he says, is that the European Union “must go back to the introduction of internal border controls”, an act which would have huge economic implications for the transport sector facing delays of hours and even days dealing with reintroduced border controls.

Suspending the borderless Schengen Zone would not, in Commissioner Timmerman’s opion, guarantee a solution to the ongoing migrant crisis. He warned:

“If we go down the path of internal border controls, we are taking a huge risk, the economic consequences are enormous, without knowing whether it delivers what you want, namely that fewer refugees enter.”

SOURCE







Now eurocrats call for ban on paper rounds and holiday jobs: Brussels claim low pay harms children's health and moral welfare

Paper rounds and holiday jobs are a breach of children’s rights, eurocrats claimed yesterday.

The officials say pay rates are too low and the work, which some children rely on for spending money, harms their health and moral welfare.

The report from the European Committee of Social Rights says rules allowing children aged 15 to deliver newspapers for up to two hours before school on weekdays breaks a 55-year-old social charter.

And similar provisions allowing 15 and 16-year-olds to work for 35 hours a week in the holidays are said to be ‘excessive’.

The 15-man committee, which answers to the Council of Europe, also criticised British laws on smacking, immigration, gypsy rights and maternity pay.

It said they were not complying with the European Social Charter established by the council in 1961. The Strasbourg-based council has also tried to enforce rulings of the European Court of Human Rights on prisoner votes and ‘life means life’ jail terms.

Tory MP Philip Hollobone condemned the report. He said: ‘This is yet more barmy interference from unelected bureaucrats in Strasbourg.’

The eurocrats say immigration rules are unfair because they breach the ‘social rights’ of migrant workers and their families.

They say it is wrong that relatives can be expelled from the country after the deportation of their sponsor even if there is no proof ‘they are a threat to national security, or offend against public interest or morals’.

They also attack language rules which force new arrivals to learn English, saying they are ‘likely to hinder family reunion’.

Last week David Cameron announced new rules requiring migrants to learn English or face losing their right to stay in the country.

SOURCE

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Political correctness is most pervasive in universities and colleges but I rarely report the  incidents concerned here as I have a separate blog for educational matters.

American "liberals" often deny being Leftists and say that they are very different from the Communist rulers of  other countries.  The only real difference, however, is how much power they have.  In America, their power is limited by democracy.  To see what they WOULD be like with more power, look at where they ARE already  very powerful: in America's educational system -- particularly in the universities and colleges.  They show there the same respect for free-speech and political diversity that Stalin did:  None.  So look to the colleges to see  what the whole country would be like if "liberals" had their way.  It would be a dictatorship.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, GREENIE WATCH,   EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS and  DISSECTING LEFTISM.   My Home Pages are here or   here or   here.  Email me (John Ray) here

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Thursday, January 28, 2016



Revealed: Migrant boy, 15, arrested on suspicion of murdering Swedish social worker is from Somalia

The migrant teenager arrested on suspicion of stabbing to death a young Swedish social worker at a at a shelter for refugee children is from Somalia, one of her colleagues has revealed.

Alexandra Mezher, 22, was working on a night shift alone with ten teenagers when she was attacked at the home for unaccompanied young refugees in Mölndal, near Gothenburg. She later died of her injuries in hospital.

Details of the 15-year-old boy being held by murder detectives come as Miss Mezher's family blamed Sweden's migration crisis for her death.

Chiméne Mezher, 42, today told how she had lost her 'angel', as a cousin said: 'It is the Swedish politicians' fault that she is dead.'

Sweden is one of the main destinations for refugees and migrants entering the EU and police warn they cannot cope with the tide of migrant-related crime.

Paying tribute to her 'angel', her mother wept: 'She was my air, she was my everything, why her?'

'She was a just and fair human being. There were so many who loved her. She was my daughter, my friend.. my mate,' Mrs Mezher said.

Miss Mezher's best friend-of-eight-years Lejla Filipovic, 22, also paid tribute to the young social worker today, saying the pair were like sisters.

'She was so goodhearted, she wanted to do so much in life,' she said adding that she had sometimes worried that Miss Mezher was putting herself at risk.

'I know that some of the kids aren't in a good place right now, because they came without their parents, so sometimes I was worried, but I knew that she had good co-workers.'

The tributes came as Swedish police announced that the Somali boy accused of murdering Miss Mezher will stand trial as an adult.

The teenager remains in custody, an unusual step as youngsters are normally sent to a secure children’s home following arrest.

However, police told MailOnline they had made the decision to keep the teenager behind bars due to the serious nature of the crime and the public outrage follow the brutal knife killing Miss Mezher.

The teenage migrant accused of murdering a young Swedish social worker at a refugee centre will stand trial as an adult, MailOnline has learnt.  And he will be held in an adult prison until he goes on trial.

‘A person is criminally responsible when they reach 15-years-old in Sweden,’ a Gothenburg Police spokesman told MailOnline.

The spokesman added: ‘He is not known by the police and has not been arrested before. ‘But there is always a variable of uncertainty about these kids identity.  ‘We don´t know anything about the boy's family. We have not even established his identity with a 100% certainty yet.’

Meanwhile police have praised the bravery of the two residents of the migrant centre who tackled the killer, saying their courage had saved lives.  ‘The two boys who over-powered the knifeman probably saved lives,’ a Gothenburg Police spokesman told MailOnline.

‘When the first patrol came to the centre they were informed that the boy was held down by two other boys who were living there.

‘When they entered the crime scene they found him on the floor being held by these two boys.  ‘They had over-powered him and probably saved the lives of others.  ‘It is fair to say that they were really brave and courageous in their actions.

‘We found what we think is the murder weapon laying beside them.’

All residents of the migrant centre, a drab three-storey building on the outskirts of Molndal, a suburb of Gothenburg, have been moved to another location, it has emerged.

A police spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We have seven witnesses who saw the incident and we will talk to them again tomorrow. The 15 year old boy will be interrogated again tomorrow as well.

‘All the boys who were staying at the centre has been allocated to other centres in Mölndal.’

The incident comes amid rising tensions over migration in Sweden. The number of threats and violent incidents at asylum facilities doubled between 2014 and 2015.

Earlier this week, Stockholm police warned that the capital's main train station is 'overrun' by gangs of Moroccan street children, who are 'stealing and groping girls' and have called for more resources to cope. 

Today, Prime minister Stefan Lofven admitted that many people are fearful of attacks similar to the killing of Miss Mezher, because 'Sweden receives so many children and youths arriving alone'.

Sweden accepted more than 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015, more than any other EU state per capita.

Alexandra, of Lebanese Christian origin, lived with her parents Boutros, 46, and Chiméne Mezher, and her two younger brothers in Borås, some 40 miles from Molndal.

Her father came to Sweden from Beirut, Lebanon, in 1989 and her mother moved there three years later.

It has now emerged that Miss Mezher had been working alone at the housing in Mölndal, which is home to ten unaccompanied minors.

Despite rules that the staff should work in pairs, Miss Mezher had been working a night shift all by herself and was attacked just half an hour before daytime staff were due to take over, it is claimed.

A colleague speaking on condition of anonymity said that staff had previously complained about having to work alone overnight.

SOURCE






Stacey Dash: 'Black History Month and BET Shouldn't Exist'

Dash has some African ancestry

Actress Stacey Dash has gone another round with her critics.

On a recent blog post at Patheos, Dash argued that having black-centered awards and organizations "further divide us" as Americans.

She also wrote that cities, Hollywood and universities are all controlled by liberals - yet "are the three major institutions that black people are concerned about in society as being unfair to minorities."

The controversy began on January 20, when Dash, 49, went on "Fox & Friends" and argued that black actors and activist who recently criticized the Academy Awards for lack of diversity should not have awards shows centered around black artists.  "I think it's ludicrous," Dash said at the time. "We have to make up our minds; either we want to have segregation or integration. If we don't want segregation, then we need to get rid of channels like BET [Black Entertainment Television] and the BET Awards, and the [NAACP] Image Awards, where you're only awarded if you're black."

The remarks were followed by criticism of Dash by Whoopi Goldberg, BET, and Dash's own cousin Damon Dash.

Dash has now responded. Some excerpts from her blog:

    "If you’ve been paying attention to social media lately, you may have seen that my name is trending.  It seems every other black person in America has disowned me. That’s because I said things like “Black History Month” and BET shouldn’t exist, since they further divide us.  I feel like it’s hypocritical to say that we’re all the same, but then to self-segregate into little enclaves of society.  Also, I think the #OscarSoWhite controversy is lame, because black people should not demand that every segment of society who watches movies be reflected in the number of Oscars given to actors and actresses.  That’s just not how the world works…

    What are the three major institutions that black people are concerned about in society as being unfair to minorities?

    Universities (riddled with #BlackLivesMatter protests), Hollywood (#OscarsSoWhite), and major urban cities (which have been described as declaring “open season” on black men).

    Yet, ALL of these areas are dominated by LIBERALS…

    Why the hell do we keep doing the same thing and expect a different result?

    We don’t have to...

    Isn’t it funny how Clarence Thomas — once associated with the black panthers — is no longer considered “black” because of his beliefs?  Isn’t it funny how Bill Clinton — as white as the driven snow — was called by Toni Morrison the “first black President” simply because he was a “single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald’s-and-junk-food-loving boy from Arkansas.”

    Got that?

    Clarence Thomas isn’t black because he is conservative.

    Bill Clinton is black, because he’s a poor, fast food loving boy from Arkansas"

SOURCE

    




After Cologne: where are the feminists?

Why are 'progressives' so reluctant to question what happened?

Many have been shocked this month by the wall of silence from feminists in regards to the crimes committed by men in Cologne. For people forever keen to wail in disgust at such appalling transgressions as pink razors, wolf whistles, being complimented on having lost weight, having their knee touched by a DJ in 1967 and other such ‘everyday sexism’, you’d think feminists would be the first to speak out about women being groped, molested and assaulted in public.

We’ve been shocked, but not surprised. That the culprits were mostly of North African descent precludes any honest discussion among ‘progressives’ for fear of being deemed racist. The Swedish police hushed up similar events for the same reason: better to ignore or hide unhelpful or dangerous facts than to discuss the truth. Cowardice and evasion are par for the course when it comes to the liberal left these days, who are far more concerned with their public standing as caring ‘Good People’ – in contradistinction to conservatives, who are deemed selfish ‘Bad People’.

I salute the courage of anyone who moves in polite North London circles who uttered this month: ‘You know? I think it’s because North Africans are culturally backwards when it comes to women. I don’t think Islam helps, either.’

Then there is a desperate desire among the modern left to abide by the creed of ‘white male privilege’. What happened in Cologne doesn’t fit into this ideology – being neither white nor privileged – hence the contorted attempt to rationalise the incidents. It must be media invention. Or something to do with the legacy of colonialism. The perpetrators are men foremost, and race and religion are of secondary importance, relevant only to the awful white xenophobes on Twitter luxuriating in all their privilege. This is what happens when people mentally imprison themselves in ideology.

How did feminism become so insular and deceitful, and progressives so craven and cowardly? We should blame the 1960s, when the ‘personal became the political’. Not forgiving, metaphorically, the French workers refusing to open their factory doors in solidarity to the rioting students of 1968, the modern left started to become ever-more detached from the working class, fulfilling instead the libertine dream of ‘self realisation’.

Later seduced by myopic identity politics, so-called progressives have become increasingly preening and self-consumed. Believe it or not, there was a time when feminists wanting to make a point didn’t feel the need to take all their clothes off in public. There was also an era when people who campaigned for equality weren’t all brittle-minded, middle-class cry-babies. Feminists used to see themselves as active subjects engaged with the outside world, not insular, helpless objects of the power from without.

Once the left spoke of ‘producers’, now it speaks up for ethical ‘consumer rights’ and ‘personal choice’. Once the Labour Party was the party for the workers, now it speaks from above on behalf of people on benefits. As much as the Corbynistas and the Labour right protest at their differences, both marshal support from the liberal bourgeoisie who see in voting Labour a means to discharge guilt for being rich. Labour is a Whig party now in all but name. Feminism is as middle-class as the Suffragette movement. So don’t expect any honesty about Cologne from these haughty, detached ‘progressives’.

It is a lazy axiom that right-wing people are more self-centred, but for some decades it’s been ‘progressives’, straight out of public school, who are more concerned with their public reputation. They go on demonstrations, sign petitions, love refugees, express sympathy for every fashionable cause, apologise for historical wrongs that they didn’t carry out, bump into ethnic minorities on purpose so they can say ‘sorry’ (or simply say sorry for being white in the first place). They will do anything except say something that might have them lose face in public – like tell the truth when it’s inconvenient.

Sexist shopping

Pink razors are more than just an example of ‘everyday sexism’: they are a symbol of capitalist exploitation. According to a Times report on Tuesday, women are being charged up to twice as much as men for a range of products aimed at women, such as pink razors and ‘pens for women’. Caroline Dinenage, the minister for women and equalities, says she is ‘deeply concerned by any suggestion that women are being treated unfairly’, while Kate Green, the shadow equalities minister, said that Labour would press for the government to act.

This is akin to saying ‘something must be done’ about Waitrose being more expensive than Aldi. If women feel they are being over-charged, they should shop more shrewdly. As female letter writer put it in The Times: ‘If women are prepared to pay more for pink pens and razors, more fool them. It’s called consumer choice.’

On the other hand, if women want to pay more for an object they find more aesthetically pleasing and more ‘feminine’, that, too, is up to them. Either way, the idea that this gender disparity in prices necessitates government intervention on behalf of women is but further evidence of feminism’s passivity.

SOURCE






Denmark approves controversial reforms forcing migrants to hand over valuables to pay for benefits and delaying family reunifications by two years

The Danish parliament has approved a series of controversial proposals aiming to make the country a less attractive destination refugees and migrants.  

The measures were passed by an overwhelming majority with the main centre-left opposition Social Democrats voting in favour as Denmark's political landscape shifts to the right thanks to the popularity of anti-immigrant Danish People's Party

Measures include confiscating migrants' valuables in order to finance their upkeep while they seek asylum, and making it harder to bring family members to Denmark once they have a right to remain.

The proposals have been severely criticised by the United Nations as well as international media, where the measures have been compared to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany.

Denmark had previously been seen as more of a thoroughfare, with many migrants and refugees passing through on their way to Sweden.

However, in December last year, the Swedish government introduced a cap on migrants and mandatory ID-checks on its borders, meaning more people have stayed in Denmark.

Lawmakers in Copenhagen hope the bill will reduce the influx of migrants and help new arrivals of refugee status.

The most controversial measure on the bill is the introduction of police searches and confiscations of cash and valuables.

Danish police will be able to search luggage of asylum seekers and seize cash exceeding 10,000 kroner (£1,025), as well as any individual items valued at more than that amount.

Wedding rings and other items of sentimental value will be exempt.

The Danish government has defended the request that asylum seekers sell valuables and offer up cash, as the same rules apply for all Danish citizens who wish to qualify for social benefits.

'We are saying that if you want to come to Europe you should stay clear of Denmark,' said Martin Henriksen, a spokesman for the anti-immigration Danish People's Party.

The new bill will also makes it harder for family members left behind to join asylum seekers in Denmark once they have been granted residency - even if they are refugees.

Being a refugee - fleeing war but not individual prosecution - will no longer qualify for the highest form of protection status under Danish law, and they will have to wait three years instead of one year before applying for family reunifications.

Once the application has been filed, the process can take years, and refugees would have to pay the transportation costs of family members they bring to the country.

The waiting time has prompted allegations that Denmark will violate the European Convention on Human Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the UN Refugee Convention.

Amnesty International said the move could 'have a devastating impact on families, including their rehabilitation from experiences of trauma and their ability to integrate and adapt to life in a new country.'

Residence permits would be shortened from five years to two for refugees and asylum seekers facing persecution based on their race, nationality, religion, political beliefs or association with a specific social group.

In addition, the requirements for permanent residency applications now include new Danish language requirements  and the person must have been employed for 2.5 of the past three years rather than three out of five years.

The selection of 500 yearly UN quota refugees will be based on their 'integration potential' which includes criteria like language abilities, education, work experience, age and motivation. The criteria were first introduced in 2005 by a right-wing government but were later rolled back.

The bill has sparked international outrage, especially in the US, where the Washington Post noted that confiscating jewellery from refugees had 'a particularly bitter connotation in Europe' where the Nazis seized gold and valuables from Jews and others during the Second World War.

Several organisations, including the UN High Commission for Refugees, also censured the Nordic country for the proposal, as well as for others that will delay family reunification and make acquiring refugee and residence status more difficult.

Europe's human rights and democracy body said earlier this month it was 'deeply concerned' at the proposed changes to Danish immigration laws.

SOURCE

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Political correctness is most pervasive in universities and colleges but I rarely report the  incidents concerned here as I have a separate blog for educational matters.

American "liberals" often deny being Leftists and say that they are very different from the Communist rulers of  other countries.  The only real difference, however, is how much power they have.  In America, their power is limited by democracy.  To see what they WOULD be like with more power, look at where they ARE already  very powerful: in America's educational system -- particularly in the universities and colleges.  They show there the same respect for free-speech and political diversity that Stalin did:  None.  So look to the colleges to see  what the whole country would be like if "liberals" had their way.  It would be a dictatorship.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, GREENIE WATCH,   EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS and  DISSECTING LEFTISM.   My Home Pages are here or   here or   here.  Email me (John Ray) here

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Wednesday, January 27, 2016



Israel boycotts and the Rising Danger of 'Intersectionality'

If you want to understand why the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, or BDS, has gained so much ground in the past two years, look no further than intersectionality, the study of related systems of oppression.

Intersectionality holds that various forms of oppression — racism, sexism, classism, ableism, and homophobia — constitute an intersecting system of oppression. In this worldview, a transcendent white, male, heterosexual power structure keeps down marginalized groups. Uniting oppressed groups, the theory goes, strengthens them against the dominant power structure.

As you might have guessed, the BDS movement has successfully injected the anti-Israel cause into these intersecting forms of oppression and itself into the interlocking communities of people who hold by them. So it’s increasingly likely that if a group sees itself as oppressed, it will see Israel as part of the dominant power structure doing the oppressing and Palestinians as fellow victims. That oppressed group will be susceptible to joining forces with the BDS movement.

At Columbia University, Students for Justice in Palestine managed to form an alliance with No Red Tape, a student group fighting sexual violence. What does opposing sexual violence have to do with Israel and the Palestinians?

“The way that No Red Tape conceives of sexual violence is a form of oppression that is related…to other forms of oppression,” said one group member.

“Sexual violence is a deeper political issue, and it cannot be divorced or separated from other oppressed identities,” said another No Red Tape member.

Intersectionality with the anti-Israel cause, unfortunately, has not been limited to groups working against sexual violence at Columbia. The anti-Israel website Mondoweiss recently declared that “since Mike Brown was shot by police in Ferguson … solidarity between the Black Lives Matter and Palestine movements has become an increasingly central tenet of both struggles.”

Other examples of groups and causes intersecting with BDS supporters abound, both on and off campus.

While anti-Israelism has long found a sympathetic ear among segments of the far left, it has not, until recently, enjoyed much popularity among ethnic minorities. Moreover, until recently, BDS supporters probably weren’t organized enough to do the necessary outreach to and stewardship of fellow marginalized groups. Now, evidently, they are.

While he never uses the term intersectionality, Mark Yudof, president emeritus of the University of California system and chair of the recently established Academic Engagement Network, which aims to fight anti-Israel sentiment on campus, ominously describes efforts to “connect the dots” and “co-opt the language of human rights.” The BDS movement is “moving to integrate itself with nearly every progressive campus cause,” Yudof said.

In other words, intersectionality with anti-Israel forces is not just some faddish academic theory bandied about by radical academics and sociology majors. BDS supporters are building alliances, and using those relationships as an opportunity to sell their cause. Much more than a theoretical framework, intersectionality is a comprehensive community relations strategy.

Nor will intersectionality remain primarily a campus phenomenon for long. Yudof worries that “future leaders of America will be viscerally anti-Israel because of the distorted discourse on today’s campuses.” He points out that “what happens on campus never stays on campus.”

Indeed, the growing acceptance of intersectionality arguably poses the most significant community relations challenge of our time. Ultimately, how popular — and threatening — intersectionality becomes depends on the degree to which the far left, constituting about 10 percent of society, is successful in inculcating its black-and-white worldview, simplistic perspectives and resentment toward those perceived as powerful with the mainstream left. But we can influence the direction of this discussion.

Publicly attacking intersectionality and its adherents is not likely to do much damage. To the contrary, calling out Israel’s detractors can paradoxically have the effect of popularizing their views and bringing them further into the mainstream.

Rather, the Jewish community and especially, the Jewish community relations movement, must do more to establish our own intersectionality with groups on the mainstream left, which is not nearly as prone to radical currents. Strengthening ties to these more moderate groups will erect a firewall between the far left and mainstream left on Israel, making it far less likely that the latter will ever take the bait from the BDS movement.

To do this, we need to understand the various issues and causes of the groups that make up this segment of the population, and make common cause whenever possible. Promoting Israel alone is not going to cut it because the various groups will have no reason or incentive to join forces with us. Just as BDS supporters embrace the agendas of the groups they seek to persuade, we must work on issues our key partners deem important.

We may not be able to discredit intersectionality with Israel across the board, but we can limit its reach.

SOURCE






Canada: Maclean's overlooks the "angry Left"

WILLIAM HADRIAN

There’s an old saying: "Don’t throw stones from a glass house." Well, this week Maclean’s seems to be throwing a lot of them.

In it, he refers to The Rebel.media, Ezra Levant, and yes, even me -- that is, my Megaphone blog post on Justin Trudeau adhering to a “decadent and debauched leftist ideology.”

The premise of Patriquin's piece is that conservatives are delusional, disenfranchised, and bear an animosity against Trudeau that is increasingly irrational and out of touch with reality.

Really?  I stand by my blog post: I do believe the Canadian Left adheres to a decadent and debauched leftist ideology.

When the Prime Minister of Canada prioritizes visiting a mosque in Peterborough before addressing the Canadians who were recently murdered abroad by Islamic terrorists, I do believe that such a gesture is decadent.

When math skills appear to be on the wane in Alberta, yet the NDP Premier Rachel Notley’s priority is to issue a “Guidelines for best practices" that lets delusional grown men use girls’ washrooms, I do find that such policies are debauched.

But let’s not stop there.  Let's attack the precise premise of Patriquin's article and his depictions of conservatives. Unlike him, I will not stoop so low as to track down egregious comments on Facebook to try and depict the Canadian Left as crazy. (I don’t need to, and besides, that wouldn’t be too hard).

Instead, let’s look at a few examples from Patriquin's media colleagues, as well as some politicians, who are angry, radical -- and on the Left.   

Patriquin points to Lawrence Witko, a 65 year old caretaker who made a few foul mouthed Facebook comments aboutJustin Trudeau, calling him Canada’s Saddam Hussein and saying, "Trudeau has to go—one way or another, he has to go . . . Lock n Load . . . ”

This incident prompted the RCMP to pay him visit.

Now does an angry 65 year old caretaker really represent the conservative movement in Canada? Doubtful.

Now remember Lyndon Penner, the CBC columnist who tweeted that he’d host a party upon the death of Stephen Harper, who later tweeted that he’d hope Harper would lose an eye on his birthday? Sound radical to you?

Remember Mary Walsh, the CBC's This Hour Has 22 Minutes comedian who dresses up as a valkyrie and berates Conservative politicians outside their house at the wee hours of the morning? Recall her segment where she walked around in ragged clothing in the freezing Newfoundland weather, referring to Stephen Harper as “Heir Harper.”

Is that crazy?

Or how about Elizabeth May, going on stage at a press gallery event, possibly drunk, singing and praising convicted terrorist Omar Khadr?

Someone needs to inform Patriquin that if the Canadian Left want to find crazy radicals, they need only look in the mirror.

What was Patriquin's motive for writing such a piece?

Sure, we know that yahoos with crazy views can pop up on any side of the political spectrum, but why is Maclean’s so eager to depict such views as being innate to conservatives?

It’s called "framing." The Left seeks to frame and brand the conservative movement of Canada as closeted, mentally ill racists full of homophobic, xenophobic and Islamophobic views.

Once they have categorized a movement as suffering from a pathology (as opposed to one adhering to a rational outlook), they’ve essentially silenced conservatives.

The Right now has go on the defensive, rather than concentrating on the issue at hand.

However, a better way to combat such tactics are to expose them, and highlight the Left’s own hypocrisy.

SOURCE






PC brigade 'failing victims of sex abuse': Minorities tsar slams liberals over Muslim criminals

David Cameron's integration tsar has blasted 'hand-wringing' liberals for failing to tackle forced marriage and other abuses in Muslim communities.

Louise Casey said some officials were 'so wrapped up in political correctness' they ignored shameful scandals which led to vulnerable women and children being harmed.

Miss Casey, who chaired the Government's troubled families unit and led an investigation into social services in Rotherham – where Asian sex gangs had abused as many as 1,600 children – is carrying out a review of how to boost integration in the most isolated communities.

Commissioned by the Prime Minister, this is looking at how to help migrants learn English, as well as other ways of boosting women's job prospects.

But Miss Casey claimed one issue was that the liberal elite had turned a blind eye to problems within some Muslim groups.

Speaking to the Policy Exchange think-tank in London last night, she said: 'We let forced marriage happen because we were so wrapped up in political correctness and wanting our multicultural Britain. We forgot to talk about equality and we forgot to talk about equal rights.

'We forgot that a girl of the age of eight is being promised to someone. That is not a Muslim issue, that is an equality issue.'

Miss Casey said more effort had been expended on 'Tipp-Exing out the word 'Pakistani' on folders in Rotherham' than addressing the root causes of the problems.

She added: 'This is not just about a particular community not wanting to integrate. It is about those people on the outside who have been hand-wringing.'

She said her report into the failure of some sections of society to integrate, due to be published in March, would criticise those liberals 'with some force'.

Her comments will be a blow to those public figures – particularly under New Labour – who championed multiculturalism, the Left-wing doctrine which encourages migrants to keep their own traditions rather than integrate into British ways.

In a keynote speech last July, Mr Cameron made clear that failures of integration had allowed extremist ideas to gain traction – resulting in around 700 British Muslims travelling to Syria to join Islamic State. Counter-terror police say about half are thought to have returned and could pose a threat.

A Whitehall source said Miss Casey was useful to ministers as she could deliver 'hard truths' to the Muslim community that they could not. She rose to prominence as Tony Blair's anti-social behaviour tsar.

Her comments echo those of Trevor Phillips, former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, who last year condemned the multiculturalism 'racket' championed under the Blair government.

SOURCE






Revealed: How one in five inmates in maximum security prisons is Muslim

One in five inmates serving sentences in Britain's maximum security jails are Muslim, figures show.

There are currently 5,885 highly dangerous criminals behind bars in the eight Category A prisons in the UK, of which 1,229 follow the Islamic faith.

The figure equates to 20 per cent of high-security prisoners and, according to figures obtained by The Sun, is an increase of 23 per cent from five years ago.

The percentage rise has been far greater than the Muslim population increase in the UK, which is currently at five per cent.

At Whitemoor prison in Cambridgeshire, 44 per cent of the 447 inmates are Muslim. It is the highest proportion in any British jail and nearly double the number recorded less than a decade ago.

Among those behind bars at the prison is Zia Al Haq, 36, from Wembley, north London, who was sentenced to 18 years in 2007 after plotting to bomb a London Tube tunnel.

Another terrorist at Whitemoor is Nezar Hindawi, 61, serving 45 years for planting a bomb in his pregnant fiancée's hand luggage on a flight from Heathrow to Tel Aviv, which could have killed 375.

Meanwhile, Belmarsh prison in south east London currently has 248 Muslim inmates out of 868, which equates to more than 28 per cent.

A number of high-profile terror suspects have passed through the high-security jail, including former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg and Lee Rigby's killers Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale.

Anti-terror think-tank the Quilliam Foundation warned jails were 'ripe' to become extremist recruiting grounds.

A series of reports on Whitemoor have also revealed that inmates come under intense pressure to convert to Islam, which is treated by many as a gang or protection racket rather than a religion.

According to watchdog Independent Monitoring Board, Muslims form the 'biggest power bloc' and are taking over from the previous 'gangs'.

In a report released last year, it said: 'Against this background we note that some prisoners and staff found the Muslim presence overwhelming.

'The social and religious fragmentation within Whitemoor potentially posed risks for discipline and hence safety.'

The Prison Officers Association also warned that radicalisation is a growing problem with 'clear evidence of an Islamic gang culture aimed at young men'. 

But Ministry of Justice data shows that between October 2012 and January 2015, there were 104 Muslims out of 178 prisoners who'd been jailed for 'terrorism-related offences where the motivation stemmed from extreme ideology'.

This is less than 1 per cent of the total Muslim prisoner population.

In 2010, the then Chief Inspector of Prisons, Dame Anne Owers, published a report on Muslims in jails, in which she linked the growth in numbers to the age and socio-economic profiles of the Muslim population in general.

Charity Muslim Aid has previously said that poverty is a key factor driving crime, and therefore imprisonment, among Muslims.

Last year, extremist Kamel Bourgass, serving life for murdering a policeman as he went on the run from a ricin factory, won a Supreme Court case after claiming he had been held in solitary confinement for too long at Whitemoor.

He was segregated at the jail, and eventually moved out of it, because he was feared to be involved in 'an escalation in violence' at the prison'. 

Non-Muslim Whitemoor inmates include Michael Sams, 72, jailed for life in 1993 for murdering Julie Dart, 18, and kidnapping estate agent Stephanie Slater.

Ian Huntley, 40, jailed for 40 years in 2003 for murdering two schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham Cambs, has been an inmate.   

A Ministry of Justice spokesman told MailOnline: 'The Secretary of State has asked the department to review its approach to dealing with Islamist extremism in prisons and probation.

'This is being supported by external expertise and sits alongside the cross government work currently underway on developing de-radicalisation programmes.'

SOURCE

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Political correctness is most pervasive in universities and colleges but I rarely report the  incidents concerned here as I have a separate blog for educational matters.

American "liberals" often deny being Leftists and say that they are very different from the Communist rulers of  other countries.  The only real difference, however, is how much power they have.  In America, their power is limited by democracy.  To see what they WOULD be like with more power, look at where they ARE already  very powerful: in America's educational system -- particularly in the universities and colleges.  They show there the same respect for free-speech and political diversity that Stalin did:  None.  So look to the colleges to see  what the whole country would be like if "liberals" had their way.  It would be a dictatorship.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, GREENIE WATCH,   EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS and  DISSECTING LEFTISM.   My Home Pages are here or   here or   here.  Email me (John Ray) here

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Tuesday, January 26, 2016


Feminists attack Oxford Dictionary of English for 'reinforcing sexist stereotypes'


Critics claim example sentences provided by the dictionary are filled with 'explicit sexism'.  I can't see it but even if they were, the OED is a dictionary of record, not a prescriptive dictionary.  It records how words ARE used, not how they should be used

Twitter users have been taking Oxford Dictionary or English to task claiming it is 'filled with explicitly sexist usage examples'. Michael Oman-Reagan, an anthropologist at Memorial University of Newfoundland, led the charge in a series of tweets to @OxfordWords, the official Oxford Dictionaries Twitter account.

Writing on Medium Oman-Reagan said: "The Oxford Dictionary of English is the default dictionary on Apple’s Mac OS X operating system. Anyone using a Mac, an iPad, or iPhone will get definitions from this dictionary. So why is it filled with explicitly sexist usage examples?" He tweeted a number of example sentences

According to the Oxford Dictionaries website, its example sentences are "extracted from the world’s newspapers and magazines, academic journals, fiction, and blogs."

In what could be read as a premptive caveat to such criticisms, Oxford Dictionaries says: "There are hundreds of thousands of English headwords and senses in Oxford Dictionaries, and almost every one of these words, senses, and phrases has been linked to a selection of up to 20 extra examples from the databank. If a word or phrase has more than one meaning, each individual sense is linked to its own set of example sentences.

"Please note: All the examples sentences throughout the site are real examples of usage. They are taken from a huge variety of different sources, from all parts of the world where English is used, and they reflect a wide spectrum of views and levels of language. Opinions and views expressed in the usage examples are the views of the individuals concerned and are not endorsed by Oxford University Press."

Carolyn Cox writing on culture blog The Mary Sue, offered a partial defence of the publisher, saying: "It’s depressing to think that ... some readers might take these sexist usage examples as definitive ... Obviously it’s impossible for lexicographers to keep their opinions totally separate from their work, but, at least without having more details on how Oxford selects their usage examples, I’m not entirely convinced that this misogyny is Oxford’s fault."

"Although Oman-Reagan’s examples almost reflexively make we wish that Oxford could sometimes be prescriptive, at least when a word’s usage might have a negative impact on young girls (so many of those examples reinforce that, as women, we’re not the default and therefore don’t have a future as doctors, researchers, etc.), it’s also easy for me to see why it’s important that they honor their role as a descriptive institution."

"Oxford has recognized 'bae,' 'twerk,' 'fandom,' and the gender-neutral honorific 'Mx,' all words created or popularized by marginalized communities and that might not necessarily have found a home in a prescriptive dictionary."

SOURCE






How did my Communist family get it so wrong? Because politics was their religion

Martin Kettle says "Marxism gave my parents faith to last a lifetime and helped them deny reality. The left today looks as if it’s also developing into a church".  The British Labour party as presently led by "Jezza" Corbyn is certainly a huge throwback

The first public event I can remember took place in 1953. I was three years old. But I don’t remember the Queen’s coronation, as other children of my age may have done. What I remember was my mother reading from the Daily Worker about the death of Stalin. This tells you a lot about what it was like to grow up in a communist family, even in a not particularly doctrinaire one like mine. We lived in a different world from normal people.

The Times columnist David Aaronovitch lived in that strange world too, though his bit of it was in north London, and mine was in Leeds. But the communist life he writes about in his new book about his family, Party Animals, is very familiar to me. We don’t know one another all that well, Aaronovitch and me, but we knew many of the same people as kids, went on many of the same demonstrations, went briefly to the same university (though not at the same time), were active in student politics (him even more than me) and have both ended up as newspaper columnists who are pretty sceptical (him more than me again, perhaps) about the future of the kind of leftwing politics in which we were raised.

Although Aaronovitch is very funny about the communist world, and sometimes very affectionate about it too, he is anything but sentimental. Nothing is harder for an atheist than to be told they are, in fact, religious. But in his book Aaronovitch makes just such a claim. The Party was a cause and a world– an incredibly supportive world in my experience – to which people, including his parents and mine, chose to dedicate their lives. “The Party was a church,” he writes. “Its strength was that it was about belief and faith as much as about intellect.”

I think that is an important insight, and it still matters in leftwing politics today. It’s one that Eric Hobsbawm also came to, years ago, when he described the cold war as a war of religion. But in the 1950s the claim that communism was a religion would have been both insulting and laughable to my parents. For we communists had Marxism to guide us in our world view. Marxism was scientific – its laws of history were as incontestable as the laws of physics. Marxism was, quite simply, true. Everything else was mere ideology or, in the case of religion, superstition.

The question at the heart of Aaronovitch’s book, just as it must be at the heart of any study of British communism, is a much wider one, wider even than politics. With some notable exceptions, many of the communists I knew seemed to be essentially decent and intelligent people. But how was it that decent people like Sam and Lavender Aaronovitch – or my parents – could stick with the Party when they all knew, at some level, about the inhumanities for which the communist movement was responsible? And how was it that they stuck with it when it was becoming ever more obvious that the whole determined communist experiment was failing?

The answer, as Aaronovitch movingly argues, is that these people were human and flawed. They believed in the ideals. They believed that Marxism was true. They had faith for a lifetime. When the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, with whom the book starts, my boyhood hero too, flew into space in 1961, the faith still seemed plausible, providing you overlooked Stalin’s trials and purges, the invasion of Hungary, the ban on Boris Pasternak and the rest. But they went on believing in the ideals and the Party long after it became obvious that it had all gone irrevocably wrong, and was perhaps even wrong in the first place.

Communism didn’t work. And most people who lived under it hated it. These are not passing objections. They will need to be relearned as the centenary of the Russian revolution approaches. Yet our parents were like the deluded old Bolshevik in the gulag in Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate, who cannot see the connection between his youthful political commitment and the horror of life and death in the labour camp. They were like – in Sam and Lavender’s case they actually were – people who remained in a failed marriage. They couldn’t in the end face the reality that something that had given their lives such meaning had turned out so badly. They put loyalty before sense and reason in their politics and in their lives. They lived with their lies as best they could. And they certainly weren’t the only ones, then or since.

Steeped in it though I was, I confess that, for much of the 25 years since the Party finally died, I have been suspicious of books and seminars and websites that try to keep its memory alive in a world that has happily moved beyond it. Too often, these votaries seem to me to be clinging to something that was moderately interesting in its time but ought to be let go, at best a curiosity like the theosophical movement in which my mother was brought up a century ago. In some cases, as seems glumly inevitable in small leftwing movements, some of the acolytes of communist history are intent on refighting old battles, as though they still matter and nothing has changed.

But Aaronovitch’s song of love and pain for the lost family of British communism has made me think again. True, we don’t have a communist movement any more. But we do without doubt have a revived left in Britain, which has dusted off some of the same ambitions, some of the same political ideas, some of the same historic dreams and some of the same deep flaws, foolishness and even intellectual turpitude that made British communism unsustainable.

This left of today looks to me suspiciously as if it is developing into another church. This left too is marked by a reluctance to ask necessary but difficult questions about its plans for the world beyond the church walls. This left too seems happiest as a fellowship of true believers, squabbling among itself, dismissive of all those who remain sceptics or whose beliefs the elders find unacceptable. Just as the communists knew things deep down that they should have faced up to, so too does this left.

There is nothing inherently wrong with having a politics that is essentially a religion, providing that you recognise it for what it is, something personal between you and your friends. But I’ve been there and done that. If politics is an act of faith – rather than a programme and a willingness to change and adapt to new times – it will fail, as communism did. That’s fine for those for whom belief in socialist principles matters more than anything else, just as it was for the communists. But it won’t work. And in the end people will hate it too.

SOURCE






Blacks and the Confederacy

By Walter E. Williams

Last July, Anthony Hervey, an outspoken black advocate for the Confederate flag, was killed in a car crash. Arlene Barnum, a surviving passenger in the vehicle, told authorities and the media that they had been forced off the road by a carload of “angry young black men” after Hervey, while wearing his Confederate kepi, stopped at a convenience store en route to his home in Oxford, Mississippi. His death was in no small part caused by the gross level of ignorance, organized deceit and anger about the War of 1861. Much of the ignorance stems from the fact that most Americans believe the war was initiated to free slaves, when in truth, freeing slaves was little more than an afterthought. I want to lay out a few quotations and ask what you make of them.

During the “Civil War,” ex-slave Frederick Douglass observed, “There are at the present moment many colored men in the Confederate army doing duty not only as cooks, servants and laborers, but as real soldiers, having muskets on their shoulders, and bullets in their pockets, ready to shoot down loyal troops, and do all that soldiers may to destroy the Federal Government and build up that of the traitors and rebels” (Douglass' Monthly, September 1861).

“For more than two years, negroes had been extensively employed in belligerent operations by the Confederacy. They had been embodied and drilled as Rebel soldiers, and had paraded with White troops at a time when this would not have been tolerated in the armies of the Union.” (Horace Greeley, in his book, “The American Conflict”).

“Over 3,000 negroes must be included in this number (of Confederate troops). These were clad in all kinds of uniforms, not only in cast-off or captured United States uniforms, but in coats with Southern buttons, State buttons, etc. These were shabby, but not shabbier or seedier than those worn by white men in rebel ranks. Most of the negroes had arms, rifles, muskets, sabres, bowie-knives, dirks, etc. They were supplied, in many instances, with knapsacks, haversacks, canteens, etc., and were manifestly an integral portion of the Southern Confederacy Army. They were seen riding on horses and mules, driving wagons, riding on caissons, in ambulances, with the staff of Generals, and promiscuously mixed up with all the rebel horde” (report by Dr. Lewis H. Steiner, chief inspector of the U.S. Sanitary Commission).

In April 1861, a Petersburg, Virginia, newspaper proposed “three cheers for the patriotic free Negroes of Lynchburg” after 70 blacks offered “to act in whatever capacity” had been “assigned to them” in defense of Virginia.

Those are but a few examples of the important role that blacks served as soldiers, freemen and slaves on the side of the Confederacy. The flap over the Confederate flag is not quite so simple as the nation’s race “experts” make it. They want us to believe the flag is a symbol of racism. Yes, racists have used the Confederate flag as their symbol, but racists have also marched behind the U.S. flag and have used the Bible. Would anyone suggest banning the U.S. flag from state buildings and references to the Bible?

Black civil rights activists, their white liberal supporters and historically ignorant Americans who attack the Confederate flag have committed a deep, despicable dishonor to our patriotic Southern black ancestors who marched, fought and died not to protect slavery but to protect their homeland from Northern aggression. They don’t deserve the dishonor. Dr. Leonard Haynes, a black professor at Southern University, stated, “When you eliminate the black Confederate soldier, you’ve eliminated the history of the South.”

SOURCE






We need real public health

Public health was once about saving us from illness, not from ourselves

From pronouncements from the UK's chief medical officers last week on how many units of alcohol it is safe to drink (none apparently) to the ongoing panic-mongering about the non-existent dangers of vaping - which, I'd argue, is potentially the biggest contributor to improving the public's health in a generation - public-health busybodies have been making a bit of a show of themselves recently. They seem hell-bent on banning anything that even looks like a threat to public health - even when it plainly isn't.

But what is public health anyway? Is it really about guilt-tripping us over our festive indulgences this Dry January? Or about banning two-for-one food promotions and calling for a sugar tax to tackle obesity? Or about supporting mothers to breastfeed their babies in public? Well, public health used to be about scientific breakthroughs, sanitation and slum-clearance. It was about building massive infrastructure like the sewers that carried away the stench and disease that blighted 19th-century London. It was about mass vaccination against once-killer diseases. In other words, it was about big, far-reaching changes that helped us to live longer, happier, healthier lives.

Today's campaigners, by contrast, are obsessed with intervening in the minutiae of our once-private, everyday lives. Even the genuinely big threats to our health, like diabetes, which is thought to affect more than four million people in Britain, are framed as a problem of lifestyle, and become another opportunity to lecture the obese masses. Diabetes is not, according to today's public-health campaigners, a challenge to be met by medical science - not to mention a side effect of living in an ageing and well-fed society, made possible in no small part by historic public-health interventions. Instead, they argue, on very dubious grounds, that our unhealthy diets, lifestyles and childrearing choices will lead to disease, death and disadvantage. That is, unless the fear and anxiety generated by public-health campaigns (otherwise known as 'awareness-raising') persuade us to take the official advice and change our ways.

Indeed, what really drives the officially endorsed breast-is-best campaign is not support for women's right to breastfeed - it is contempt for women's right to bottle-feed - the allegedly less-healthy alternative. There is no campaign to destigmatise those mothers who would rather not go through the discomfort and exhaustion of 'natural' feeding, and who opt for the convenience of bottle-feeding their babies with formula milk instead.

Not only is this sort of hectoring objectionable in itself, but this petty, paternalistic turn, in which public health has become synonymous with intrusive meddling in people's lives, is also, to my mind, not a good use of public money. It was announced in the last Comprehensive Spending Review that the NHS budget is to rise over the next few years - not least to get cash to the increasing numbers of hospital trusts which are in serious financial trouble. However, the œ15 billion of the Department of Health's annual œ116 billion budget which is spent on particular departments and quangos, including Health Education England and Public Health England, is to be cut by a quarter.

It is not clear how this will impact on public-health activities. Public health is more than the projects backed by the Department of Health, with other government departments and the charity sector also being keen advocates of protecting us from ourselves. But the threat of cuts to student nurses' bursaries, which brought them on to the streets at the weekend, can only make the existing nurse shortage that much worse. Add to that the junior doctors' strike over seven-day working, planned for tomorrow, and you get a sense of the real crisis facing the public's health.

While blaming people's unhealthy lifestyles for the crisis in the NHS is commonplace, there is a growing recognition that practical initiatives designed to prevent ill-health can also have a real impact on the wider health economy. By, for instance, reducing the incidence of falls and infections among the older population, or improving the management of long-term conditions, which too often end in a deterioration that can easily rob people of their independence, we can avoid the expense of hospital admissions and residential care down the line.

Public health as it stands today rides roughshod over people's liberty. And this is all despite the fact that it is our longevity, rather than our lifestyles, which poses the biggest challenge to provision today. It is the side-effects of getting older, brought about by the past gains of public health, and the costs that come with treating serious conditions that people used to die from, that are responsible for bankrupting the system.

Beyond the billions supposedly spent on it, the biggest cost of public health today is the continual undermining of personal autonomy and our capacity to make our own choices. The sooner public health stops patronising people, leaves us alone to run our own lives and gets back to focusing on those interventions that really make a difference, the better.

SOURCE

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Political correctness is most pervasive in universities and colleges but I rarely report the  incidents concerned here as I have a separate blog for educational matters.

American "liberals" often deny being Leftists and say that they are very different from the Communist rulers of  other countries.  The only real difference, however, is how much power they have.  In America, their power is limited by democracy.  To see what they WOULD be like with more power, look at where they ARE already  very powerful: in America's educational system -- particularly in the universities and colleges.  They show there the same respect for free-speech and political diversity that Stalin did:  None.  So look to the colleges to see  what the whole country would be like if "liberals" had their way.  It would be a dictatorship.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, GREENIE WATCH,   EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS and  DISSECTING LEFTISM.   My Home Pages are here or   here or   here.  Email me (John Ray) here

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Monday, January 25, 2016



Grinning multicultural rapist who posed a church volunteer 'to mask his true nature as a sexual predator' is jailed for 24 years for knifepoint attacks



This is the smirking sex offender who raped one 17-year-old woman and tried to attack another at knife point.

Oluwadamilare Baiyewu, 22, who posed as a church volunteer to mask his sexual depravity, was today jailed for 24 years for the horrific assaults.

He was described as a 'dangerous, calculating and predatory rapist' who created the image he was the 'pillar of the community' by helping out at the church. 

The court heard how Baiyewu, from Fairlawn in Greenwich, first grabbed a 17-year-old at knife point on December 2, but she managed to break free and escape.

A week later, in the same area of Binsey Walk, Thamesmead, he grabbed a victim, also 17, as she got off the bus at 7pm.

He put a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her before marching her into a bin storage area under a walkway. He then raped her in a secluded area.  

Baiyewu was tracked down after DNA linking him to the attacks was recovered. He was arrested on December 16, and was placed on an identity parade where he was picked out by the victim whom he had attempted to rape.

He was today sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court to 24 years in prison.  He will serve a minimum of 16 years in prison and will then be on license for eight years.

Detective Constable Chris Hammond of the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command said: 'Oluwadamilare Baiyewu is a dangerous, calculating, predatory rapist.

'He volunteered at a local church, creating the image that he was a pillar of the community, which I believe was an attempt to mask his true nature as a sexual predator.

'I would like to praise his victims for having the strength to come forward to police and give their evidence in court. 'The streets of Thamesmead are now a safer place without the presence of Baiyewu

Det Con Hammond added: 'Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Baiyewu refused to accept his guilt. He manipulated the legal system to cause two trials to be adjourned which caused both victims further distress.

'I would like to thank the two victims in this case who maintained their commitment to the prosecution despite Baiyewu's deliberate attempts to prolong proceedings.

'Thankfully their will to see Baiyewu pay for his crimes enabled the trial to proceed at the third attempt and Baiyewu was rightly convicted of all charges.'

SOURCE






MUSLIM LEADER: “If we are practicing Muslims, we are above the law of the land”

The Director of the Dallas Council on American- Islamic Relations (CAIR), Mustafa Carroll, made a surprising and shocking statement during a Muslim rally in Austin, Texas.  He said, “If we are practicing Muslims, we are above the law of the land.”

He firmly believes that the message of the Qur’an is supreme over the United States constitution.

The statement would be shocking to most citizens of the United States, unless they had some perspective on who CAIR really is.

CAIR is the nation’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Their headquarters is located in Washington D.C. They use lobbyists, the media, and action alerts to promote a positive image of Islam in America during a time when Radical Muslims (ISIS) in other parts of the world are crucifying children in the name of Allah, and quoting the Koran (Though the Obama Administration has a hard time calling it ‘Radical Islam’ for fear of offending regular Muslims).

In 2007 the Holy Land Foundation trial found the Holy Land Foundation Charity guilty of funneling millions of dollars back to the terrorist organization Hamas. Interestingly enough, CAIR was among the organizations named during the trial as unindicted co-conspirators. To put that into perspective, the 37th president of the United States, Richard Nixon, was named an unindicted co-conspirator during the Watergate Trial.

In 2011 and 2012, during an event that The Blaze covered extensively, Islamic institutes coordinated with the White House to target the counter terrorism training within the FBI. The event was called ‘The Purge,’ and the result was the removal of more than 700 documents and 300 presentations. Some of the presentations removed included information about Al Qaeda and the trainers within the FBI were allegedly not given the opportunity to appeal when their presentations were rejected. They were not even allowed to know who it was that was objecting to their work. CAIR was one of the institutes that pushed for this event.

In 2014, the United Arab Emirates placed CAIR, along with 81 other groups, on its list of terrorist organizations. Some believe the action was to done to show a stand against the Terrorist Organization, the Muslim Brotherhood, who seized power in Egypt during the Arab Spring. It should be noted that members of the Obama Administration openly endorsed the events in Egypt that led to the Muslim Brotherhood taking power, likening it to the Civil Rights Movement in America. It has been suspected that CAIR has had ties with the Muslim Brotherhood

SOURCE






Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders tells women to carry self-defence spray against ‘Islamic testosterone bombs’

THE Dutch debate on refugees and asylum seekers has come to this: Firebrand politician Geert Wilders handing out self-defence sprays to women fearful of what he describes as “Islamic testosterone bombs” in the wake of the New Year’s Eve sexual assaults in Cologne.

Wilders, surrounded by bodyguards and police, visited a market in the largely blue-collar town of Spijkenisse on Saturday to hand out the sprays, which contained red paint. Amid stalls selling vegetables, fish, flowers and bicycle parts, Wilders got a rock-star welcome from dozens of supporters, while a small group of protesters chanted and waved placards including one that read, “Refugees are welcome, racism is not.”

The publicity stunt fits into Wilders’ uncompromising anti-immigrant, anti-Islam rhetoric that has propelled him to the top of Dutch opinion polls, just over a year away from parliamentary elections.

In between shaking hands and posing for selfies with supporters, the Freedom Party leader said that, if elected, he would, “close the borders immediately and have no more asylum seekers. We just cannot afford to have more. The Dutch people in a big majority don’t want it and we cannot afford it and it makes our people and women only more unsafe.”

His message is gaining traction here amid the Europe-wide migrant surge and following attacks by Islamic extremists in Paris last year and the mass sexual assaults by immigrant men on women at Cologne’s train station.

It echoes Republican frontrunner Donald Trump’s call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and is similar to other populist, nationalist groups in Europe like Marine Le Pen’s National Front in France.

“The tendencies across Europe are very similar,” said University of Amsterdam political science professor Wouter van der Brug. “Across Europe, right-wing populist parties are picking up support as a result of the asylum crisis that we’re facing now, and also as a result of terrorist attacks.”

Leontine Maris was one of the first women to get a spray from Wilders on Saturday.

The 53-year-old said she votes for him though she disagrees with some of his more extreme comments. She said she was afraid not just of migrants, but also Dutch men.  “The whole society is going down the drain,” she said.

As Wilders’ popularity soars on the back of such disenchantment, Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s two-party coalition is in a slump, losing ground mainly to Wilders.  “Wilders is getting support across different layers of society,” Prof Van der Brug said.

Whether Wilders is able to parlay his current popularity into parliamentary seats next year and a tilt at power in the splintered Dutch parliament remains to be seen. He propped up Rutte’s first administration, a minority coalition of the Liberal Party and Christian Democrats, from 2010-2012, but walked out amid drawn out negotiations over austerity measures. Two days later, the government collapsed.

That decision could yet come back to haunt Wilders.  “The only logical coalition he could form would be with the same parties again and I think it’s quite unlikely they will do this again with him because of the negative experience they have in the past,” Mr Van der Brug said. “They don’t really trust him.”

Rutte has ruled out co-operating with Wilders unless the Freedom Party leader takes back comments made in 2014 that he would see to it that there were fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands. Those same comments also landed Wilders in trouble with Dutch prosecutors, who plan to put him on trial on charges of discrimination.

That kind of criticism is not new to Wilders, who has made his name with inflammatory anti-Islam rhetoric. He was acquitted in 2011 on hate speech charges for comments including likening Islam to fascism and calling for a ban on the Koran.

Meanwhile last year he was among those targeted in a failed terrorist attack on a Prophet Muhammad art caricatures exhibition in Texas.

Wilders was a speaker at the contest organised by US right-wing blogger Pam Gellar when SWAT teams shot dead two men armed with explosives who tried to attack attendees at the event in Garland, Texas.

SOURCE






Denmark announces unvaccinated refugees have brought diphtheria into the country after a 20-year absence

Refugees have brought the potentially fatal and highly-contagious bacterial infection diphtheria into Denmark and authorities are warning hospitals there could be an outbreak.

Two Libyan refugees were found to have the infection, the Danish State Serum Institute (SSI) said on Tuesday.

Diphtheria - spread through coughs and sneezes, or contact with someone with the infection or their belongings - has not been seen in the country since 1998.

'The infection [diphtheria] can be very dangerous if one isn’t vaccinated against it,' Kurt Fuursted, spokesperson for the SSI told Danish newspaper Metroxpress.

'There is no doubt that infectious diseases are coming in with the refugees that we aren’t used to. There have been discussions on whether all refugees who come to Denmark should be screened.'

The newspaper also reported that other refugees had been found suffering from tuberculosis and malaria.

Health Minister Sophie Lunde told Metroxpress that officials will discuss possible changes to screening policies.

The Danish vaccination programme recommends that babies are inoculated against diphtheria.

WHAT IS DIPHTHERIA?

The potentially fatal bacterial infection mainly affects the nose and throat, but sometimes the skin.

It is highly contagious and is spread by coughs and sneezes, or by contact with someone with the infection or their belongings, such as clothing.

It is usually caught after being in close or prolonged contact with someone who has the infection or is carrying it.

Diphtheria is usually a problem in Africa, South Asia and the former Soviet Union, where less people are vaccinated.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that a number of Danish nightclubs had started demanding that guests can make themselves understood in English, German or the native tongue to be allowed entry.

The language requirements have reportedly been put in place in several establishments across Denmark in the wake of reports of 'foreign men in groups' harassing female guests.

Denmark has previously come under fire for a controversial proposal to confiscate valuables and cash of refugees and migrants in order to finance their upkeep while they are seeking asylum.

The plans sparked international outrage, especially in the US, where the Washington Post noted that confiscating jewellery from refugees had 'a particularly bitter connotation in Europe' where the Nazis seized gold and valuables from Jews and others during the Second World War.

SOURCE

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Political correctness is most pervasive in universities and colleges but I rarely report the  incidents concerned here as I have a separate blog for educational matters.

American "liberals" often deny being Leftists and say that they are very different from the Communist rulers of  other countries.  The only real difference, however, is how much power they have.  In America, their power is limited by democracy.  To see what they WOULD be like with more power, look at where they ARE already  very powerful: in America's educational system -- particularly in the universities and colleges.  They show there the same respect for free-speech and political diversity that Stalin did:  None.  So look to the colleges to see  what the whole country would be like if "liberals" had their way.  It would be a dictatorship.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, GREENIE WATCH,   EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS and  DISSECTING LEFTISM.   My Home Pages are here or   here or   here.  Email me (John Ray) here

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