Turkey's Protests and Erdogan's Brutal Crackdown: How Long Can the Defiant Prime Minister Last?
THE INDEPENDENT: Tough and combative, he physically embodies the modern country he has done so much to shape. But this week’s protests are his biggest test yet

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the symbol as well as the architect of modern Turkey as it has developed over the past decade. His rule followed 80 years of quasi-military rule enforced by army coups of great brutality, in which hundreds of thousands were jailed and tortured under regimes as cruel and oppressive as anything seen in Argentina and Brazil. Dissent was crushed and organisations as small as local chess clubs permanently banned.

It was Erdogan and his AK (Justice and Development) Party that ended the dominance of the old elite after 2002 with three successive election victories. As important, since opponents of military rule had won elections before only to be ousted or overruled by army commanders, the AK leaders succeeded in outmanoeuvring the generals to remove the threat of another military takeover. Only in the past five or six years has the possibility of the return of the army ceased to be an option in Turkey, though the shadow of what Turks call the “deep state” is still in evidence with periodic unexplained assassinations. On the back of stable civilian rule, Turkey has developed economically into the 17th largest economy in the world.

It is important to restate Erdogan’s achievements, in order to understand his failings and the causes of the protests that began in Taksim Square in central Istanbul, and have now swept across the country. His aggrieved tone of voice, as he flew into Istanbul airport at the end of a week of turmoil, conveyed a certain bewilderment on his part as he combined appeals for unity with denunciations of the protesters. » | Patrick Cockburn | Friday, June 07, 2013

'Erdogan's Creeping Islamisation Deepens Divide Among Turks'

France's Fascism Fear as Activist Killed in Skinhead Attack
Thousands of enraged protesters gathered across France on Thursday in homage to a teenage activist who died after being attacked by skinheads. Police have arrested seven suspects in connection with an attack deemed "politically motivated"

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Turkey Protests: Erdogan Rejects EU Criticism

BBC: Turkey must investigate the excessive use of force by police against anti-government protesters, a senior EU official has said in Istanbul.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele was speaking ahead of talks on Turkey's ambition to join the EU.

In response, Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan said similar protests in Europe would be dealt with more harshly.

Turkey has seen a week of civil unrest sparked by a police crackdown on a local protest over an Istanbul park.

Mr Fuele and Mr Erdogan were both speaking at a conference in Istanbul on Turkey's relations with the EU.

The EU enlargement commissioner said the EU had no intention of giving up on Turkey's accession, but Turkey had to maintain values of freedom and fundamental rights.

He urged a "swift and transparent" investigation and those responsible should be held to account.

"Peaceful demonstrations constitute a legitimate way for groups to express their views in a democratic society," he said.

"Excessive use of force by police against these demonstrations has no place in such a democracy". » | Friday, June 07, 2013

The Dark Presidency: Obama: Congress Knew About, Authorized NSA Surveillance
President addresses controversy over government eavesdropping

Tommy Robinson of the English Defence League Interviewed on Bill O'Reilly

HTs: Atlas Shrugs and Always On Watch »

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NSA Surveillance Scandal: Barack Obama's Credibility Under Scrutiny Like Never Before

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Commentary: In the wake of the NSA surveillance scandal, Barack Obama's credibility is under scrutiny like never before, writes Peter Foster.

Whether using drones for the 'targeted killing' of alleged terrorists, or data-mining the phone records of everyone in America, Barack Obama has a standard response to those who would question his use of these questionable clandestine programmes: "we welcome a debate".

That debate – which Mr Obama described last month as "the appropriate balance between our need for security and preserving those freedoms that make us who we are" – has exploded into the open following this week's revelations about the extent of National Security Agency surveillance programs.

Mr Obama's offer of debate sounds all very liberal, and reasonable but for his frustrated critics on both the liberal Left and libertarian Right the offer is nothing more than a cover for a president who campaigned as a liberal but on national security has governed as an outright authoritarian.

If Mr Obama really wanted a debate on drones, or the ethics of dragnet-surveillance of the phone records of all Americans, they ask, why has it taken a series of damaging leaks for his administration to even admit the existence of these programmes, let alone openly debate them? » | Peter Foster, Washington | Friday, June 07, 2013

Islamic Law's Foothold in German Legal System
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: A growing number of German legal exerts are now sounding the alarm about the rise of a parallel Islamic justice in Germany. "It follows its own rules. The Islamic arbiters aren't interested in evidence when they deliver a judgment, and the question of who is at fault doesn't play much of a role. Islamic conflict resolution, as I've experienced it, is often achieved through violence and threats. It's often a dictate of power on the part of the stronger family." — Joachim Wagner, German legal expert, author.

An appeals court in north[-]western Germany has decided a contentious divorce case based on Islamic Sharia law.

The ruling is the latest in a growing number of court cases in Germany in which judges refer or defer to Islamic law because either the plaintiffs or the defendants are Muslim.

Critics say the cases -- especially those in which German law has taken a back seat to Sharia law -- reflect a dangerous encroachment of Islamic law into the German legal system.

In the latest case, the Appeals Court [Oberlandesgericht] in Hamm, a city in German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, ruled on June 2 that whoever marries according to Islamic law in a Muslim country and later seeks a divorce in Germany must abide by the original terms set forth by Sharia law. » | Soeren Kern | Friday, June 07, 2013

'Stop Being Weak': EDL Leader Tommy Robinson in Vicious War of Words with Tony Blair

EXPRESS: TONY Blair seems to have earnt himself a new enemy after engaging in an ugly Twitter battle with EDL leader Tommy Robinson.

The very public spat came after the far-right group's leader tweeted his approval of a piece written by the former Prime Minister in which he strongly criticised Islam.

Robinson, also known by his real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, boasted that Blair's article, which said there was a "problem within Islam", was correct and "confirms everything we say."

The former Labour leader's representatives quickly took to Twitter to distance himself from the controversial group, posting under the username @tonyblairoffice.

"@EDLTrobinson Not the case at all," Blair's office responded.

"You obviously haven't read the article properly - there is nothing in common with what you have to say." Read on and comment » | Charlotte Meredith | Friday, June 07, 2013

France Reels from Skinheads' Savage Attack
Death of student brutally beaten in attack blamed on fascists sends shockwaves through France.

Financial Élite Hold Annual Meeting
Politicians, business leaders and royalty from Europe and the US are meeting near London for a secretive three day event to discuss global policy.

Slon.ru Calls the Bilderberg Group Meeting the ‘Congress of the Elders of Zion’ »

Turkish PM Erdogan Remains Defiant
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived home and urged people to distance themselves from what he calls lawless protests. Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra reports from Istanbul.

Turkey Braced for Protests after Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Return

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Loyalists supporting Turkey's leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan rallied to support him overnight, setting up a potential showdown with angry protesters.

Greeted by thousands of cheering supporters as he landed back in Istanbul in the early hours from an overseas trip, the prime minister defied the protesters rallying against him and his conservative reforms as he fought to settle the sharpest challenge yet to his decade-long rule.

"I call for an immediate end to the demonstrations, which have lost their democratic credentials and turned into vandalism," Erdogan said in a speech at Istanbul's main airport.

He insisted he was the "servant" of all the people, but hinted that he would act against further defiance.

"We cannot turn a blind eye to anybody disturbing peace in the country and trying to hijack democracy," he said.

The stakes rose on Friday for Turkey's international image as Erdogan's office said he was due to meet with European Union Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule [WIKI]. » | AFP | Friday, June 07, 2013

Twitter, Spies & Looters: Erdogan Blames 'Foreign Agents' for Turkey Riots
For a sixth night running in Turkey, it was more of the same. Clashes leading to police unleashing their water cannons and tear gas on protesters. A third fatality has been confirmed in the unrest, after a man died from head injuries in an Ankara hospital. Activists want the police chiefs responsible for their violent tactics removed and urged officials to ban the use of tear gas. Protesters also want all those that have been detained, released saying that could end the days of riots. The Turkish Prime minister returns from a trip to North Africa later, and will be expected to do something about the public discontent which has seen demands for him to reverse all his policies. But as RT's Irina Galushko reports, Erdogan appears to be looking for scapegoats.

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Verizon Treason: US Government Seizes Millions of Call Records at FBI's Request
Millions of Americans are reportedly having their phone records seized without their knowledge. The U.S. National Security Agency has allegedly secretly forced Verizon, one of the nation's biggest phone companies, to hand over all its call data. RT's Tom Barton reports.

here

NSA Spying: Sweeping US Data-mining Program Revealed
US intelligence confirms it is collecting the private messages of internet users but defends the move, claiming the mass surveillance was targeting only "non-US persons" outside the country. Earlier British and American papers reported that the US was tapping directly into the servers of leading American internet companies, getting access to personal e-mails, photos and documents. A leaked court order has become the first hard evidence of Washington's sweeping data collection program. RT's Anastasia Churkina reports. ¶ Eugene Puryear, an activist for the civil rights organization Answer Coalition, joins after to give his perspective on the issue.

France Has Too Many Immigrants, Says Francois [sic] Fillon
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: There are too many immigrants in France, former prime minister Francois Fillon has said, insisting that the country cannot cope with everyone who wants to come in.

Asked on the France 2 television channel whether there are already too many immigrants in France, Fillon replied "yes".

"France today is unable to accept, in decent conditions, everyone who wants to come and live here," he added.

"Therefore we must reduce the policy of immigration, " the right-wing UMP party figure declared. » | Edited by Barney Henderson | Friday, June 07, 2013

Truther Alert! NSA, FBI, Obama Indiscriminately Obtaining Phone Records, Domestic Surveillance

Obama Administration Defends Collecting Verizon Phone Data

'Germany Needs Moral Guidance of a Monarchy'
THE LOCAL – GERMANY: Germans might not know it, but they desperately need the moral guidance of a re-instated royal family, the great-great grandson of the last Kaiser, Prince Philip Kiril of Prussia, told The Local's Jessica Ware in an exclusive interview.

“Subconsciously, I think young Germans wants something they can orientate towards,” said Prince Philip. The 45-year-old father of six may work as a Protestant vicar, but he has become one of the loudest voices out of those who want to see Germany revive its monarchy.

Second in line to the throne Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated in 1918, Prince Philip believes that a royal family with divine right conferred by God could offer Germany what it is missing.

“When a leader answers to himself, and not God, an atheist-led country ends in disaster. Look at Hitler, Pol Pot and Stalin,” he told The Local. Religion, “tames the selfishness naturally present in all of us.”

For the prince, a country guided by politicians and a ceremonial president means not only is there no strong family to look up to, nor is there anyone to rally up enthusiasm for family life. “A presidential head of state is not enough...what Germany needs is moral guidance and a friendlier face,” which, he added, “people do not get, and shouldn't expect, from politicians.”

Indeed, this appears to be what [an] increasing amount of young Germans want, after a survey for news agency DPA revealed last month that as many as one in three 18-24-year-olds would like the Kaiser back on the throne. Jump to the over-50s, and this figure dropped to one in six.

“Looking up to a king or queen would be much better for Germany's young people than to pop stars or football players,” Prince Philip said. He lamented that people were putting too much value on consumerism and material goods instead of having children – something desperately needed as Germany faces a demographic implosion. Von Preußen's own brood being between seven and 17 years old. » | Jessica Ware | Thursday, June 06, 2013