Showing posts with label Europe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Europe. Show all posts

Monday, February 19, 2024

As Putin Threatens, Despair and Hedging in Europe

THE NEW YORK TIMES: There is a dawning recognition that the continent urgently needs to step up its own defense, especially as the U.S. wavers, but the commitments still are not coming.

As the leaders of the West gathered in Munich over the past three days, President Vladimir V. Putin had a message for them: Nothing they’ve done so far — sanctions, condemnation, attempted containment — would alter his intentions to disrupt the current world order.

Russia made its first major gain in Ukraine in nearly a year, taking the ruined city of Avdiivka, at huge human cost to both sides, the bodies littered along the roads a warning, perhaps, of a new course in the two-year-old war. Aleksei Navalny’s suspicious death in a remote Arctic prison made ever clearer that Mr. Putin will tolerate no dissent as elections approach.

And the American discovery, disclosed in recent days, that Mr. Putin may be planning to place a nuclear weapon in space — a bomb designed to wipe out the connective tissue of global communications if Mr. Putin is pushed too far — was a potent reminder of his capacity to strike back at his adversaries with the asymmetric weapons that remain a key source of his power.

In Munich, the mood was both anxious and unmoored, as leaders faced confrontations they had not anticipated. Warnings about Mr. Putin’s possible next moves were mixed with Europe’s growing worries that it could soon be abandoned by the United States, the one power that has been at the core of its defense strategy for 75 years. » | David E. Sanger and Steven Erlanger, Reporting from Munich | Sunday, February 18, 2024

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is absolutely right, Europe must be able to defend itself. It needs its own military as soon as possible. Visitors and followers of my blog will be aware that I have stated the same many times over the years. Europe needs to unite; and it needs to be able to defend itself – properly. This is not rocket science; rather, it is common sense. Unity brings strength; division brings weakness. To use an Arabic expression, Europe needs to work as one hand! That means to say, in harmony and in co-operation.

Britain should be part of this, too. That is why we should never have left the EU. In doing that, we Brits played right into Putin’s hands. Our exit from the EU was exactly what Putin wanted: he wanted to sow chaos and disunity in Europe. Our British politicians were too blinkered to be able to see it, too blinkered to see that they were being manipulated. This is why this stupid move needs to be reversed as soon as possible. By now, even the most blinkered and dense of our politicians should be able to see how important it is for Europe to have a full-scale military to be able to defend itself. Especially with people like Trump hovering on the horizon, ready to inflict full-scale damage on his own country and the world with his ridiculous policies and stated lack of willingness to defend "delinquent" NATO countries, and quite possibly, nay probably, dragging the US out of NATO altogether! – © Mark Alexander

Friday, January 26, 2024

The Far Right in the US and Europe | The Politics of Hate (2017) | Full Film

Jan 26, 2024 | At 16 he became the leader of the Chicago Area Skinheads, later a white supremacist punk band. But when Christian Picciolini started a family, he began questioning his far right views. This timely doc explores a changing Western political climate, chronicling the rise of the far right in the US and Europe, and giving alarming insights into the ways the alt-right movement operates.

Saturday, January 20, 2024

5 European Sweet Treats You Should Give a Try | DW Food

Jan 13, 2024 | Whether for dessert, as a snack in between, or for getting together over coffee and cake - sweets have a firm place in most culinary culture. As they do in Europe. We picked 5 classic and popular sweet treats from France, Belgium, Austria, Italy and Germany to show you what makes them special and how they are prepared.

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Trump Told European Leaders that US ‘Will Never Come to Help You’

THE GUARDIAN: Then president told European commissioners in 2020 that ‘Nato is dead’ and the US would never defend Europe if it were attacked

Donald Trump told the president of the European Commission in 2020 that the US would “never come help” if Europe was attacked and also said “Nato is dead”, a senior European commissioner said.

Multiple news outlets said the exchange between Trump and Ursula von der Leyen at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2020 was described in Brussels on Tuesday by Thierry Breton, a French European commissioner responsible for the internal market, with responsibilities including defence.

“You need to understand that if Europe is under attack we will never come to help you and to support you,” Trump said, according to Breton, who was speaking at the European parliament.

According to Breton, Trump also said: “By the way, Nato is dead, and we will leave, we will quit Nato.” » | Martin Pengelly in Washington | Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Friday, January 05, 2024

LGBTQ+ Rights in Europe | ARTE Europe Weekly

Jan 5, 2024 | The beginning of 2024 brought with it new rights for gay couples in Estonia 🇪🇪 after it became the 15th EU 🇪🇺 country to legalise same-sex marriage. But although rights for LGBTQI+ 🏳️‍🌈 people in Europe may look good on paper, it’s a different story on the ground. Discrimination is still rife and even some EU governments are pushing an anti-LGBTQI message.

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Europe

We are ALL Europeans! Upper class, middle class, lower class. English, French, German, Italian, Belgian, Dane, or people from any other European country. European blood courses through our veins.

Our royal families are interconnected, intermarried – they are all inter-related with one another. And that’s a wonderful thing. In fact, our wonderful late Queen Victoria was known as the 'Grandmother of Europe'! How much more European can anyone become than that?

In the coming years, we must learn to put our differences aside. In fact, we must strive to appreciate them, and then build on those differences for the common good.

Europe, when we learn truly to embrace it, will enable us to have — together — a wonderful and prosperous future. We Europeans are brothers and sisters. We truly are. We belong together. Together and united we will be strong; apart, we will surely be weak. Let peace prevail! Let us work towards unity!

© Mark Alexander
All Rights Reserved

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Islamic Culture Not Compatible with European Values: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

Dec 18, 2023 | Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni may have just touched a raw nerve with a loaded comment about Islam at a far-right gathering in her country. According to various media reports, Meloni's potentially explosive observation came at a political event held by the far-right Brothers of Italy in Rome, where she reportedly said that "there is no place for Islamic culture in Europe".


Giorgia Meloni is absolutely right about this. Islamic values and European values are totally and utterly immiscible. If we allow Islam to keep on growing in Europe, we are going to be in deep, deep trouble. Kudos, Signora Meloni, for having the courage to speak the truth. Few politicians have that courage. – © Mark Alexander

Meloni vs Islam | What Is Europe's Response to Migrant Crisis? | Vantage with Palki Sharma

Dec 18, 2023 | Meloni vs Islam | What is Europe's Response to Migrant Crisis? | Vantage with Palki Sharma An old video showing Meloni criticize Islam has gone viral. She portrays Islam as the other. It's similar to the rhetoric being employed against all migrants coming to Europe. But is Europe taking any concrete steps to tackle its migrant crisis? Or does it end with speeches and far-fetched schemes like the UK's Deport to Rwanda plan? Palki Sharma tells you.

Thursday, December 07, 2023

You Belong to Me! | ARTE.tv Documentary

Dec 7, 2023 | Why is femicide so prevalent across Europe? And what does it say about our societies? A look at the issue in Spain, France and Germany.

Saturday, December 02, 2023

5 European Christmas Dishes You Should Try

Dec 2, 2023 | No good Christmas without a good Christmas dinner! If you want to try something new this year or are still at a loss as to what to cook - we have five European Xmas recipe ideas for you: Roast goose from Germany, pierogi from Poland, Christmas ham from Sweden, cheese fondue from Switzerland and Christmas pudding from the UK. Ho Ho Ho!


Correction: Kirsch (Kirschwasser) NOT cherry brandy is put into Swiss fondue! Cherry brandy would be far too sweet. It would also be the wrong colour. It would turn the cheese fondue pink! – Mark

Thursday, November 23, 2023

Place Names and Their Etymological Link with Hebrew | #shorts

Some interesting facts about place names and their connection with Hebrew.

Geert Wilders: The Dutch Far-right Figurehead Sending a Chill across Europe

GUARDIAN EUROPE: After 20 years as a political outlier, the leader of the anti-immigration Freedom party is closer to power than ever before

Known for his distinctive platinum-blond hairstyle and his aggressive anti-Islam and anti-immigration rhetoric, Geert Wilders has been catapulted by the Dutch elections to the place he loves most to be: at the centre of attention.

In a political earthquake, Wilders’ Freedom party was on course late on Wednesday to win the most votes in the country’s parliamentary elections, opening the way for the politician to play a key role in the formation of the next government after an election dominated by debate over immigration.

From describing Islam as “an ideology of a retarded culture” and calling Moroccans “scum”, Wilders, who is often compared to former US president Donald Trump for his inflammatory rhetoric and use of social media, has long been a prominent fixture in the European far-right landscape. » | Pjotr Sauer in Amsterdam | Thursday, November 23, 2023

How Europe’s far right is marching steadily into the mainstream: Whether in Italy, Spain, France or Finland, parties that were once outcasts are fast gaining respectability – and power »

EN FRANÇAIS :

Pays-Bas : l’extrême droite de Geert Wilders remporte les législatives, selon les sondages sortie des urnes : Le PVV (Parti de la Liberté) a obtenu autour de 35 sièges et une victoire électorale confortable, selon l’institut Ipsos, contre 26 pour l’alliance de gauche. Le VVD de centre droit a remporté 23 sièges. Une coalition a besoin de 76 sièges pour gouverner. »

Thursday, November 09, 2023

Ayaan Hirsi Ali on Europe’s Self-inflicted Migration Crisis and “Toxic” Wokery | Off Script

Aug 13, 2021 | Fear reigns among researchers, politicians and journalists when talking about the rise in sexual violence resulting from the migration crisis in Europe. Women's rights activist and author Ayaan Hirsi Ali joins Steven Edginton to discuss the failure to integrate migrants into European society and the rise in sexual violence against women in this week's Off Script podcast.


I agree with so much of what this courageous lady says, particularly what she says on Islam; but her position on Brexit is diametrically opposed to my own. She seems to be disregarding why this country went into Europe in the first place, and she is also disregarding the prosperity that belonging to the EU – the largest single market in the world – brought this country over the years and that it would have gone on bringing us. She also ignores one of the main reasons that the EU came into existence in the first instance: for reasons of peace in Europe. So I just wanted to make my position clear on this matter. – © Mark Alexander

Wednesday, November 01, 2023

For Europe’s Jews, a World of Fear

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel and a surge in acts of antisemitism have awakened a repressed horror in Jewish populations across the continent.

Observing a minute of silence during a rally in solidarity with Israel in Berlin on Oct. 22. | Clemens Bilan/EPA, via Shutterstock

Perhaps not since the Holocaust, which saw the annihilation of about two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish community, have the Jews of Europe lived in an atmosphere of fear so acute that it feels like a fundamental shift in the terms of their existence.

Across a Europe of daubed Stars of David on apartment buildings, bomb threats to Jewish stores and demonstrations calling for Israel’s eradication, Jews speak of alarm as pro-Palestinian sentiment surges.

“There is a feeling of helplessness that has never been experienced before,” said Joel Rubinfeld of the Belgian League Against Anti-Semitism.

The Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel, often described as the largest single-day slaughter of Jews since Hitler’s program of extermination, has awakened a repressed horror in Jewish populations, now compounded by dismay at the way the world’s sympathy has rapidly shifted to the Palestinians in Gaza being killed under Israeli bombardment.

“What strikes me is there is a wave of antisemitism in the world when 1,300 Jews were massacred a few days ago,” said Samuel Lejoyeux, the president of the Union of Jewish Students of France, which includes 15,000 members.

This feels, to many European Jews, like the same blindness or insouciance that allowed millions of their forbears to be sent to Nazi camps to be gassed. It is precisely to that time that images of slain Jewish babies and grandmothers in the Jewish homeland have transported them. » | Roger Cohen | Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Read in Simplified Chinese: 阅读简体中文版 »

Read in Traditional Chinese: 閱讀繁體中文版 »

Related article on British anti-Semitism here.

Monday, October 30, 2023

Antisemitism Is Deeply Ingrained in European Society, Says EU Official

GUARDIAN US: Remarks by rights chief come as civil society groups warn of a rise in antisemitism amid Israel-Hamas war

Hundreds of Berliners gather outside of the Fraenkelufer synagogue on the eve of Shabbat to protect worshippers from possible attacks. Photograph: Markus Schreiber/AP

Antisemitism is a “deeply ingrained racism in European society” that poses an existential threat to the continent’s Jewish community and the fundamental aims of the European Union, an EU official has warned.

Michael O’Flaherty, the director of the bloc’s agency for fundamental rights, said it was worrying that only a third of the general population considered antisemitism a big problem, when there was no doubt “dramatic moments in our societies trigger antisemitic responses”.

He told the Guardian: “It happened with Covid, it’s happening now with the Russian aggression [in Ukraine] – and now it’s happening again. Media and civil society organisations warn of a rise of antisemitism as the crisis in the Middle East unfolds.

“I honestly think that with any big negative issue in our society, you’re going to find antisemitic tropes finding their way in there. It’s indicative of the extent … antisemitism is a deeply ingrained racism in European society.”

O’Flaherty added that it was “also important at this time to be vigilant and condemn all forms of hatred that manifest themselves in Europe, including hatred against Muslims”. » | Jason Burke, International security correspondent | Monday, October 30, 2023

Far-right German politician arrested after ‘Sieg Heil’ salutes heard: Banned totalitarian symbols found at fraternity of Daniel Halemba, 22, who takes up seat in Bavarian legislature on Thursday / A legislator with the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party was arrested on Monday on charges including displaying forbidden totalitarian symbols, with neighbours of his fraternity complaining of often hearing the Nazi “Sieg Heil” victory salute. »

Related article on anti-Semitism in Dagestan, Russia here.

Antisemitic mob storms through Russian airport as flight from Tel Aviv lands: An angry crowd in Russia’s mostly Muslim region of Dagestan stormed an airport where a flight from Israel arrived on Sunday, forcing authorities to close the facility and divert flights. [With video] »

Saturday, October 28, 2023

Pro-Palestinian Rallies in the UK, Europe Call for Peace in Gaza

Oct 28, 2023 | Tens of thousands of people have joined pro-Palestinian rallies in the UK and Europe, as Israel expands its response to the deadly Hamas attack of 7 October. They come after a majority of nations voted on Friday for a United Nations resolution calling for a ''sustained humanitarian truce'' in Gaza.


Auch in Kreuzberg, Deutschland.

The Rise of Poverty in Europe | Documentary

Oct 18, 2023 | The Rise of Poverty in Europe | ENDEVR Documentary from 2017

119 million people in Europe live under the breadline today. How could this happen? The reality of deprived children, unemployed young adults, and indigent workers spreads all around the Union. What does Europe do for them? Visiting young unemployed people in Ireland, Italy and Portugal, this film investigates beyond the social and economic aspects and outlines how this situation impacts the politics.

ENDEVR explains the world we live in through high-class documentaries, special investigations, explainers videos and animations. We cover topics related to business, economics, geopolitics, social issues and everything in between that we think are interesting.


Wednesday, October 25, 2023

‘Pervasive and Relentless’ Racism On the Rise in Europe, Survey Finds

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Poll of 6,752 people of African descent in 13 countries finds almost half have experienced discrimination

Racism is “pervasive and relentless” and on the rise in Europe, with nearly half of black people in member states surveyed by the EU reporting discrimination, from the verbal abuse of their children to being blocked by landlords from renting homes.

In every walk of life, from schools to the job market, housing and health, a survey by the EU’s rights agency of people of African descent found high levels of discrimination, with some of the worst results recorded in Austria and Germany, where far-right parties have been on the rise. » | Daniel Boffey, Chief reporter | Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Friday, October 20, 2023

‘A Lot of Pain’: Europe’s Jews Fear Rising Antisemitism after Hamas Attack

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Protection of Jewish sites increased in towns and cities across continent after outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas

A French riot police officer guards the Grand Synagogue of Paris, two days after security measures were reinforced near Jewish temples and schools. Photograph: Julien de Rosa/AFP/Getty Images

In the usually bustling “Little Jerusalem” area of Sarcelles, north of Paris, the popular falafel and grill restaurant was eerily quiet. “People are not going out,” said Jérémy, the 33-year-old restaurant owner.

Lunchtime and evening crowds are common in one of the largest Jewish communities on the Paris outskirts. But many thought it wiser to stay home, fearing a growing number of antisemitic incidents in France and across Europe since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October and the ensuing bombardment of Gaza.

In France, home to Europe’s largest Jewish community, police recorded more than 320 physical acts of antisemitism, and made more than 180 arrests, in the first 10 days of the war.

Antisemitic acts under investigation include people gathering in front of synagogues shouting threats, incidents of verbal abuse, threatening letters, graffiti such as the words “killing Jews is a duty” sprayed outside a stadium in Carcassonne in the south-west, the education minister’s reports of a Nazi swastika chalked on a blackboard in a school, and a Jewish high-school student whose clothes were ripped and antisemitic comments made to him as he came out of the school toilets. » | Angelique Chrisafis in Sarcelles, Ashifa Kassam, Kate Connolly in Berlin and Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Friday, October 20, 2023