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Recent Appearances...

Europe

Proof the Rwanda plan IS working! How Ireland is in meltdown amid riots, tent cities and a record surge of migrants fleeing Britain, as IRAM RAMZAN'S dispatch from Dublin shows

2024-06-04

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] It was around 11pm on Tuesday when, last week, another petrol bomb was thrown — and St John's House, a four-storey block in Tallaght on the outskirts of Dublin was suddenly ablaze.

It could have been much worse but, fortunately, no one was inside and firefighters were quickly on the scene.

As to why anyone might take the trouble to attack a set of empty offices, the answer is all too clear: they'd been earmarked as housing for asylum seekers.

A recent and dramatic rise in the number of migrants reaching Ireland has sparked a furious campaign of protests and petrol bombings right across the country. This was just the latest.

In December, a blaze ripped through the disused 19th century Ross Lake House country hotel in Rosscahill, Galway. The Great Southern Hotel in the seaside town of Rosslare, County Wexford was targeted with petrol bombs just the month before. Both had been due to accommodate refugees.

More than 6,500 people have already claimed asylum since the start of the year — a radical increase from the past, and the calm weather of the summer months is yet to come, threatening more arrivals and unrest.

Earlier this month, the Minister of Finance, Michael McGrath, said that up to 30,000 asylum seekers are forecast to land Ireland in 2024, more than double the 13,600 in 2022.

Ireland has long enjoyed a reputation as the land of 'a hundred thousand welcomes', taking around 3,000 refugees from Syria and 105,000 Ukrainians since 2022.

Now, though, there's a backlash - and it's clear that the Irish state is struggling to find enough accommodation. Some 1,900 asylum seekers are said to be homeless, with hundreds of them sheltering in tents.

The vast majority are in Dublin where, last week, the authorities dismantled a large migrant encampment — but amid much sceptical comment: the clearance happened just before the capital was due to host the Europa League Final.

Besides, it's far from clear how much difference such operations make. The authorities tried the same thing a fortnight earlier but, like a game of whack-a mole, tents sprang up elsewhere that same evening.

Now, amid growing concern from a population not used to large influxes from abroad, the Irish government has decided to blame Britain and, in particular, our plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Deputy Taoiseach (or prime minister) Micheál Martin could hardly have been more direct, stating that it was 'fairly obvious' that fearful immigrants were hoping 'to get sanctuary here and within the European Union, as opposed to the potential of being deported to Rwanda'.

I see this for myself on the three-hour bus journey from Belfast to Dublin, where I meet 22-year-old friends Zahid Khan and Wali Khan from Afghanistan.

When I ask Zahid how they arrived in Northern Ireland, he replies: 'Dunki', a south Asian term that refers to people crossing a country's borders illegally.

They both paid people-smugglers 15,000 afghanis (about £167) before making the perilous journey through Iran and Turkey to Europe, where they had to fend for themselves. Then they hid inside a container on a boat crossing the Channel before catching a ferry to Belfast. Now they want to cross the border from Northern Ireland into the Republic and claim asylum in Dublin.

Zahid travelled to Belfast last month by ferry; Khan stepped off the boat just that morning. When I ask them why they'd picked Ireland, the response is clear: 'Rwanda'.

'It's now difficult to stay in the UK so we've had to come to Ireland,' says Zahid. 'Inshallah (God willing), they'll give us a house so that we can stay.'

A bus departs hourly from the Europa bus centre in Glengall Street in Belfast. One-way tickets for the three-hour trip cost around £17. Across the road, the Dublin Express, promises to transport passengers in as little as two hours and 20 minutes for just £11. The border between north and south is famously porous: checks are few and far between.

We chat in Urdu, a second or third language for many Afghans. It seems Zahid set off for the UK in spring 2022. He was caught by the border guards in Turkey, where he was imprisoned for five months. He was released with the expectation that he would return to Afghanistan.

Instead, he snuck into Bulgaria, but was caught by officials before being deported to Turkey. Undeterred, he headed back to Europe. The entire journey from his home to Ireland, which normally takes three or four months, took him two years.

Zahid says that life under the Taliban was unbearable, claiming that they killed his father, who had worked for the previous government. Wali, meanwhile, says the Taliban killed his uncle who worked in the army. His father is dead and his mother is a refugee in the city of Peshawar in Pakistan. It took him a year to get to Ireland.

'I like Europe,' he says when asked why he came here. 'I just want to work, whatever job I can get.' In his old life, he worked at a bakery making fresh naan bread.

Zahid has brought a cricket ball with him. He played the sport at a good level in Afghanistan, and hopes he can play for Ireland one day.

When the bus arrives in Dublin, they'll make their way down to the Grand Canal, where a tent city has been established.

Migrants usually make their way to the International Protection Office (IPO), in Lower Mount Street, where newcomers to Ireland must present themselves to lodge asylum claims. Those who register at the IPO can expect a weekly allowance of 113.80 euros (around £97).

There were also tents outside the IPO and along Mount Street for the best part of a year until, finally, they were removed at the beginning of May. Taoiseach Simon Harris has declared that these 'makeshift shanty towns' will not be allowed to reappear — although he was embarrassed earlier this month when it emerged that Irish taxpayers themselves have indirectly helped to pay for the encampments.

Why? Because the country's Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has funded four homelessness charities providing tents to the migrants.

Arriving in Dublin, I walk down to the Grand Canal, overlooked on either side by elegant Georgian and Victorian houses. Along the lush, tree-lined banks are rows of tents crammed together side-by-side.

There are more than 100 men down here, mostly from Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of Africa. One man is folding away an Islamic prayer mat. Socks are hanging out to dry on an improvised washing line.

I speak to a young barefoot man who gives his name as Ali. He tells me he is 20 and from Gaza.

But when I question him further, I realise he's not even 18. Ali says the people-smugglers told him to lie about his age. He looks close to tears as he explains that he doesn't know why they brought him to Ireland.

Occasionally, Irish men walk by and hurl abuse, telling the migrants to 'f*** off and leave'. A constant police presence ensures there is no further trouble.

'We get a lot of that type of racism,' a 22-year-old Afghan named Safiullah tells me in broken Urdu.

Tension has been growing among the locals. Last month, six people were arrested for public order offences during four nights of anti-migrant protests at Newtownmountkennedy, a small town in County Wicklow, over plans to turn a disused guest house into an accommodation centre. Four of them were charged after rocks were thrown at Gardai and the window of a police car smashed by a man wielding an axe.

Then, on the first Bank Holiday Monday in May, thousands marched through central Dublin, waving Irish tricolours and shouting 'Get Them Out' (to the government) and 'You'll Never Beat the Irish'. Some brandished signs saying 'Ireland is full'. Elsewhere, demonstrators have belted out slogans such as 'Ireland is for the Irish'. They've also branded Sinn Fein 'traitors', due to the party's support for mass migration, which has alienated much of its working class base.

This anger will no doubt play its part in next week's European and local elections. Malachy Steenson, a solicitor who is standing as an independent in the European elections, believes immigration will be a top priority at the ballot box. 'June 7 will show a huge rise in nationalism,' he tells me. 'We were described as racists or fascists, but we're just seeing what's an obvious fact. People are flooding in at a rate that has never been seen before. They're not genuine asylum seekers.'

Earlier this month, a high court in Belfast suspended the Rwanda Act in Northern Ireland, saying it considered it a violation of the Windsor Framework, which regulates UK-EU relations following Brexit. It also declared parts of the act to be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

But Steenson believes Ireland should co-operate, saying: 'When Rishi Sunak next uses the military plane [to transport the migrants to Rwanda], we should tell him to keep a few seats on it, land it at Baldonnel airbase [near Dublin] and we'll fill the rest.'

Back at the canal, Mashal, 22-year-old from Pakistan, tells me: 'All these people are risking their lives to come here. They shouldn't send them to Rwanda.' He shows me a picture of him with a class of children, to whom he taught science and English.

I struggle to understand why he'd want to leave that all behind. He claims he couldn't support his family on 15,000 rupees per month, around £43, which is well below Pakistan's minimum wage.

He lived in France for a year, leaving because he couldn't understand the language. 'This place is better. I hope I can get a job as a teacher here.'

A new plan to accommodate asylum seekers will see the Irish state provide 14,000 beds by the end of 2028, as part of a wider strategy to make 35,000 spaces available across the system.

Coilean O Ruaric thinks it's 'outrageous'. He documents Ireland's growing homelessness crisis on his YouTube channel and believes the state is neglecting its citizens. 'We have 14,000 of our own homeless people. They didn't make that promise to us,' he tells me. 'I've got nothing against these guys. My issue is with the government. We just don't have the capacity or the infrastructure [to house them].'

The day of my visit, the Dublin authorities removed more than 100 tents and erected steel barriers to stop them returning.

Nearly 200 asylum seekers were removed and taken to an IPAS (International Protection Accommodation Services) centre a few miles away, which offers washing facilities, health care, food, and 24-hour security.

But that's not enough for Steenson. 'It's pure optics and total opportunism,' he says. 'The government needs to close the borders. Tomorrow, another 50 tents will appear somewhere else.'

And they did, this time close to the affluent area of Ballsbridge.

Perhaps it's not all that surprising. I think back to my conversation with Zahid and Wali on the bus. When I asked if they were worried about sleeping rough, Zahid simply smiled as he replied: 'If I wasn't scared to walk through jungles, why would I be scared of sleeping in a tent?'

They are determined — while the Irish state seems feeble and disjointed in respose.

Things here won't change any time soon.

Link

Britain

Large anti-Israel march held in London as police scrutinized for handling of protests

2024-04-28

[IsraelTimes] Antisemitic slogans feature on signs at pro-Paleostinian rally, including in support of top cop who defended officer who made ’openly Jewish’ remark; pro-Israel counterprotest held

Large crowds of pro-Paleostinian demonstrators marched in London on Saturday to protest against Israel, as they have been doing on many weekends since the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,-led October 7 onslaught on Israel that sparked the ongoing war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
.

The Metropolitan Police arrested two protesters, one of whom was holding a poster with a swastika.

The other was suspected of making racist remarks toward a group of pro-Israel demonstrators who held a counterprotest under the slogan "Enough is Enough" to criticize police’s handling of the marches. The force has faced growing criticism in the past week after an officer told the head of the Campaign Against Antisemitism he could not walk through a pro-Paleostinian protest because he looked "openly Jewish."

The Campaign Against Antisemitism had also planned to hold a walk at the same time as Saturday’s march but canceled it amid safety concerns.

According to The Telegraph, Saturday’s protest against Israel included several posters with antisemitic slogans claiming the Israeli military harvests Paleostinian organs and that Zionists control the media. Another poster thanked London Police Commissioner Mark Rowley, who has defended the officer who made the "openly Jewish" remark.

"Thank you Rowley for standing up to scum politicians being blackmailed by Jeffrey Want Some Candy, Little Girl? Epstein
...

A ~~high class pimp~~ financier who was alleged to maintain a stable of underage ~~whores~~ sex slaves who were paid big bucks to entertain the rich and/or famous. He is a registered sex offender and made att least 17 out-of-court settlements with former members of his stable, with some cases still ongoing. 2011 court docs reveal that 21 email addresses and phone numbers for Bill Clinton and an aide were found in Epstein's electronic black book, and that Clinton frequently flew with Epstein on his private plane between 2002 to 2005. But really, they were probably just discussing finance or politix or something. While getting massaged. Then things got serious, Jeff was tossed in the slammer in New York and then he killed himself. Really. That's what happened...
Mossad Pedo Ring! Protect Mark Rowley," the poster reportedly read.

Among those who attended the march were far-left MP Jeremy Corbyn, whose tenure as head of the Labour Party was marked by accusations of antisemitism against him and his supporters, and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill, whose Irish nationalist Sinn Fein party has long been critical of Israel.

As the march was held, images showed a blue tarp covering the Hyde Park Holocaust Memorial, which Lord Mann — the government’s adviser on antisemitism — said he advised police and the parks authority to put up to protect the site.

"We could take the risk that it would get defaced with the likes of placards and cause additional offense to the Jewish and other communities," he was quoted as saying by The Telegraph. ""It would have been nice if the organizers [of the rally] stopped to pay their own respects at the memorial."

A spokesperson for the Royal Parks said: "The Hyde Park Holocaust Memorial is routinely covered with tarpaulin during various events as a precautionary measure. We are working closely with the police to ensure the safety of park visitors."

The Metropolitan Police insisted they had no role in the decision to put up the tarp, after a photo of the covered memorial with a police car nearby was featured on the front page of The Daily Mail tabloid under the headline "police are so cowed by the antisemitic mob, they even cover up the Holocaust."

"This is an inaccurate headline that will only fuel community concerns," the police said. "It is a precaution Royal Parks have taken for a number of different events.

Ahead of Saturday’s march, the police said the cost of policing the anti-Israel protests had reached approximately £38.5 million (approximately $48 million).

The London police force has struggled to manage tensions sparked by the Israel-Hamas war, with Jewish residents saying they feel threatened by the repeated pro-Paleostinian, anti-Israel marches through the streets of the UK capital.

In addition, the police force said 450 arrests have been made since the marches began, with 193 of them detained for antisemitic offenses.

The majority of those offenses involved placards, chanting or expressions of hate speech, police said.

Met Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist told British media that the force aims to police the events "without fear or favor," and noted that they have "been a particular cause of fear and uncertainty in Jewish communities."

However,
denial ain't just a river in Egypt...
the senior officer said the protests had not reached the threshold where they would be determined to carry a risk of "serious public disorder."

Though the pro-Paleostinian marches have been largely peaceful, a British counterterrorism official said last month the protests have made the streets of London "a no-go zone for Jews every weekend."

Demonstrations have also featured people glorifying Hamas, and antisemitic incidents and chants.

British Jews say they have been subject to verbal abuse by some pro-Paleostinian supporters since October 7, and there have been recorded incidents of physical violence as well.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Four dead at funeral of Hamas member killed in Lebanon explosion

2021-12-13

[JPost] One of those wounded in the clashes is Zaher Jabarin, a member of ~~Sinn Fein~~ Hamas' "Political" Bureau.

Armed clashes broke out on Sunday between Hamas and Fatah members in the Burj al-Shemali Palestinian refugee camp in Tyre, Lebanon, Lebanese media reported.

Four were killed and at least four others were wounded, some critically, in the clashes.
They were rushed to Hiram, Jabal Amel and the Italian Lebanese hospitals.

One of those wounded in the clashes is Zaher Jabarin, a member of Hamas' Political Bureau, according to Palestinian media.

The violence broke out during the funeral of Hamas member Hamza Ibrahim Shahine, who died in Friday's explosion at the refugee camp, caused by a fire at a Hamas weapons depot.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported an unspecified number of deaths from the explosion, but local media and civil defense workers on scene said there had been no fatalities.

A funeral strongly suggests someone actually was killed by the explosion…

Unknown assailants with machine guns reportedly targeted the large crowd of men and women attending the funeral at the Palestinian camp.

Probably not the dreaded Mossad…

In addition to Hamas and Fatah members, a large Hezbollah delegation also attended the funeral.

A gesture of brotherly solidarity, to be sure.

The delegation included Hassan Izz-Al-Din, who is wanted by the US government for the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 in 1985.

The clashes come as tensions between Hamas and Fatah are rising due to the Palestinian municipal elections taking place in the West Bank.

Despite Hamas' boycott of the elections, Hamas-affiliated candidates contested the elections and won seats in several councils, as some Palestinians described the results as a "major defeat" for Fatah.

Yep.

This is a developing story.

The Times of Israel adds:

It is not clear what instigated the fight, but local reports claim it was between members of the Hamas terror group and the Palestinian Fatah movement.

Hamza Shaheen was killed after an alleged Hamas weapons depot, hidden underneath a mosque in the camp, located near the port city of Tyre, exploded on Friday night.

اشكال و اطلاق نار خلال تشييع في مخيم البرج الشمالي و سقوط جرحى pic.twitter.com/lkXZxjT1XD
— Jamal Chaiito (@Jamalchaiito1) December 12, 2021

Link

Europe

Ireland condemns Israel's ‘de facto annexation' of Palestine

2021-05-28

[Aljazeera] The Irish parliament has passed a motion condemning the "de facto annexation" of Palestinian land by Israeli authorities.

The motion, tabled by the opposition Sinn Fein party, passed on Wednesday after receiving cross-party support.

This makes it the first European Union country to use the phrase "de facto annexation" in relation to Israel’s actions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Times of Israel adds that it’s more consequence-free posturing for the rubes:

The designation comes in a nonbinding motion passed by the Dail, the lower house, by Sinn Fein, a nationalist left-wing party. Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney, who is not from Sinn Fein, also used the term in a debate in parliament earlier this week.

A draft amendment to the motion calling to expel the Israeli ambassador to Ireland and impose comprehensive sanctions against Israel failed to pass.

Link

Britain

More violence broke out in Belfast, UK as rioters set a bus on fire & attacked police

2021-04-08

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

More violence broke out in #Belfast, UK as rioters set a bus on fire & attacked police. The ongoing rioting was sparked when the state declined to prosecute Sinn Fein politicians who attended a large funeral of an IRA member in violation of COVID rules. pic.twitter.com/IbwHeMU8tN
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) April 7, 2021

Link

Britain

Labour MP risks fresh anti-Semitism storm by inviting top figure from Houthi movement to Parliament

2019-06-26

[THESUN.CO.UK] A LABOUR MP has risked a fresh antisemitism storm by inviting to Parliament a leading figure from the Iran's Houthi sock puppets

...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
movement who’s slogan includes "curse the Jews".

Brighton MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle is hosting Ahmed Alshami at a Stop the War Coalition meeting in the Commons on Tuesday.

Mr Alshami plays a prominent role as an international front man and an economist for the Houthis, which is locked in a bitter civil with the Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
government.

He is executive director of the Arabian Rights Watch Association, which critics claim is a PR front for the movement.

The Iran-backed Houthis’ slogan is, "God is great, death to the US, death to Israel, curse the Jews, and victory for Islam".

British military advisors are part of an international coalition lead by Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
battling the Houthis in Yemen’s bitter civil war.

Mr Russell-Moyle’s invitation comes despite a plea to him from the Yemeni Embassy in London not to host a "militia" member.

Independent MP John Woodcock, who resigned from Labour last year in protest at the party’s antisemitism troubles dubbed it "staggering that a Labour MP is welcoming this virulently antisemitic terror group into parliament".

Mr Woodcock added: "Time and again, Corbyn and his allies welcome in Jew haters and side with the Death Eater enemies of the UK.

"The decent MPs left in the Labour Party need to stop this event from happening on Tuesday."

Mr Woodcock also drew parallels over the event to hard left Labour leader Mr Corbyn’s notorious invitation to the Commons for Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams just days about the Brighton bomb.

Link

Britain

Former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams' house hit with explosives

2018-07-15

[Al Jazeera] A device was thrown at house of Adams in Belfast, while another targeted a prominent Sinn Fein party member

Link

Europe

Portuguese parliament calls for recognition of Paleo state

2014-12-14

The Portuguese parliament passed a resolution Friday recommending that the government recognize a Palestinian state, the portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã reported.

Only nine members of the 230-member Assembly of the Republic voted against the resolution, which was jointly sponsored by the country's three largest parties: Social Democratic Party, the People's Party (both right-wing parties despite their names), and the Socialist Party.

The resolution called on Portugal’s government to "recognize, in coordination with the European Union, the State of Palestine as an independent and sovereign state, in accordance with the principles of international law," Correio da Manhã reported.

Just three days before, Ireland's lower house of parliament approved a similar nonbinding resolution calling on the Irish government to formally recognize the state of Palestine. This resolution, sponsored by the left-wing Sinn Fein party, passed unanimously. A similar resolution was passed by Ireland’s upper house of Parliament, the Seanad, in October.

France's upper house of parliament voted 154-146 in December in favor of a non-binding resolution "inviting" the French government to recognize Palestine. The country's lower house of parliament adopted a similar measure a week earlier but by a much larger margin.

Spanish lawmakers also urged their government to recognize Palestine as a state in November, albeit only when the Palestinians and Israel negotiate a solution to the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In October, The British parliament voted Monday in favor of a non-binding motion to recognize the state of Palestine, in a majority vote of 274-12.

The Swedish government officially recognized Palestine as a state in October.

None of them have to live with the result.

Link

Britain

Britain Proposes Anti-Extremism Curbs on Civil Liberties

2014-10-01

[AnNahar] Britannia's interior minister on Tuesday proposed measures to ban bully boy groups and curb the activities of radical Islamist preachers even if they have committed no crime, in a move denounced as "wholly wrong" by campaigners.

"Not all extremism leads to violence and not all bully boyz are violent, but the damage caused by extremism to our society is reason enough to act," Home Secretary Theresa May told the annual Conservative party conference in Birmingham.

"We must face down extremism in all its forms. We must stand up for our values, she said, adding: "I want to see new civil powers to target bully boyz who stay just within the law."

The clampdown, which would be enacted if Prime Minister

David Cameron
... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ...
's Conservatives are re-elected in May, follows growing concern about radicalized youths heading to fight with Islamist groups in Syria and Iraq.

Under the proposed "Extremism Disruption Orders", British courts would have the power to restrict the activities of individuals to prevent the risk of violence and public disorder, officials said.

Individuals could be banned from speaking at public events, taking part in protests or speaking through the media -- a proposal that revives memories of a controversial BBC ban on Irish republican leader Gerry Adams from Sinn Fein during the unrest in Northern Ireland.

They could also be ordered to submit any material to the police for vetting before it is put onto the Internet.

Separate "banning orders" would extend existing laws to allow groups to be outlawed even if they did not pose a violent threat, including on the grounds of being a "threat" to democracy.

Membership of such groups would then become a criminal offense.

Emma Carr, director of Big Brother Watch, a civil liberties think tank, said the policies were the "thin end of the wedge".

"In a democratic country, it is wholly wrong for people to be labeled an 'extremist' and face having major restrictions placed on their freedom without facing a due legal process and a transparent and accountable system," she said.

"The Home Secretary must think very carefully about the international precedent that this policy would set and consider the potential consequences for members of the public."

Officials said the measures, which are to be included in the Conservative manifesto for the general election, would not only target Islamists but could also be used against neo-Nazis or other hardline groups.

British police tossed in the calaboose
Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw!
the high-profile radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary last week along with others suspected of links to a banned bully boy group and militancy.

Choudary, who was released on bail, said the arrest was "politically motivated" and claimed it was linked to preparations for last week's vote in the British parliament on joining air strikes against the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
group in Iraq.

May said passports had been withdrawn from 25 British nationals suspected of planning to travel to Syria to join IS jihadists and said the police had made 103 arrests this year "linked to terrorism in Syria".

Among those arrested, 24 have been charged and five convicted, she said.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

U.S. State Department: We Do Not Differentiate between Hizbullah Wings

2013-05-22

[An Nahar] The United States said Tuesday it does not differentiate between Hizbullah's armed and political wings as it again urged Europe to blacklist the group, a decision diplomats indicated could be imminent.

But differentiating between Sinn Fein and the IRA was okay, though.

A formal request to brand the party as a terrorist group was filed by Britannia and is to be discussed at closed-door talks June 4 of a committee overseeing the EU list of people and groups subject to its asset freezing regime, European diplomats said.

The decision would require unanimity from all 27 European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
states.

In an email, State Department front man Patrick Ventrell told Agence La Belle France Presse the U.S. was "increasingly concerned about Hizbullah's activities on a number of fronts -- including its stepped up terrorist campaign around the world, and their critical and ongoing support" for the Bashir al-Assad regime.

"Countering these activities has been, and will remain, one of our highest priorities," Ventrell said.

"The United States does not distinguish between Hizbullah's political/military/terrorist wings," he noted, adding U.S. information indicates "Hizbullah's numerous branches and subsidiaries share common funding, personnel, and leadership, all of which support the group's violent actions."

Link

Britain

Eight police injured as N.Ireland flag riots spread

2012-12-09

[Al Ahram] At least eight coppers were maimed in Northern Ireland overnight as riots sparked by a decision to remove the British flag from Belfast City Hall spread across the province.

Dozens of youths threw bricks and petrol bombs at police in Newtownabbey, a predominantly Protestant area 12 kilometers (8 miles) north of Belfast city centre. Seven people were cooled for a few years
Into the paddy wagon wit' yez!
, including a 13-year-old boy, police said.

They were protesting against a decision by Irish nationalist councillors from Sinn Fein and the SDLP to take down the flag which had flown above the quiet provincial capital's city hall every day since it opened in 1906.

The decision means the flag will be flown on only 17 days during the year, as is the case at the provincial assembly at Stormont in the British-controlled province.

Smaller protests took place across Northern Ireland on Friday during a visit by U.S. Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton
... sometimes described as America's Blond Eminence and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Jeremiah S. Black ...
. She said the violence showed the province's grinding of the peace processor was not yet complete.

At least 3,600 people were killed over three decades as Catholic nationalists seeking union with Ireland fought British security forces and mainly Protestant Loyalists determined to remain part of the United Kingdom.

Link

Europe

Ireland Shocks Europe With Plans For A Referendum On The EU's Fiscal Treaty

2012-02-29

Premier Enda Kenny said Dublin was acting on legal advice from Ireland's attorney-general that "on balance" the fiscal compact requires a vote under the country's constitution. "It gives the Irish people the opportunity to reaffirm Ireland's commitment to membership of the euro," he told ashen-faced members of the Dail.

All three major parties back the treaty but analysts say there is a high risk of rejection by angry voters in the current fractious mood. The compact gives the EU intrusive powers to police the budgets of debtor states, and has been denounced as feudal bondage by Sinn Fein and Ireland's vociferous eurosceptics. The Irish voted "No" to both the Nice and Lisbon treaties before being made to vote again. Dublin has ruled out a second vote this time.

The Taoiseach's announcement sent the euro into sharp dive against the dollar, though it rebounded later. Europe's leaders thought they had tweaked the wording of the text just enough to avoid an Irish vote.

Ireland cannot stop the process since a quorum of 12 states brings the treaty into force, but it would be politically untenable to create a new eurozone structure that left one member in limbo.

The fiscal compact has totemic significance in Berlin and any sign that the package is fraying may harden opposition in the Bundestag to further EMU rescue measures. Mrs Merkel suffered a serious blow on Monday when she had to rely on opposition votes to pass the Greek loan package due to mounting defections in her own ranks. Her coalition base is in revolt over demands from Brussels and the International Monetary Fund for a boost in the EU rescue machinery (ESM) to 750bn (£635bn), the unspoken condition imposed by the rest of the world for unlocking global aid.

Any decision has been postponed until after this week's EU summit. The new requests would push the German share of the funding to well over 300bn, breaching a 211bn ceiling set by the Bundestag in September.

Ireland will continue to receive loans under its 67bn package from the EU-ECB-IMF "Troika" even if it votes "No" but would be in serious trouble if it needed a second package later. The fiscal compact forbids to use of the ESM bail-out fund for non-signatories.

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