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'The Moscow terror attack was an inside job!' The strange and twisted world of the West's political and media Russia haters

Crocus City Hall memorial
© Sputnik / Maksim Blinovwoman lights a candle at a makeshift memorial near the Crocus City Hall in memory of the victims of a terrorist attack on the concert venue near Moscow on March 22, Russia.
Only a few days ago, one of the worst terrorist attacks in recent history occurred in Russia. The perpetrators stormed concert venue Crocus City Hall on the outskirts of Moscow, systematically and in cold blood massacring as many victims as they could, then starting a devastating fire that destroyed much of the adjacent shopping mall.

Numbers cannot convey the depravity of the attackers or the suffering of the victims - and of their families and friends - but they can convey some of the scale of this horror: As of March 25, 137 were reported as killed and over 180 as injured. As always in such cases, many more will have to struggle with severe psychological trauma.

Like numbers, comparison is inadequate yet necessary to try to grasp the significance of this event. The 2015 Paris attacks that centered on a concert at the Bataclan venue, for instance, were similar in scope: They left at least 130 victims dead and more than 350 injured. The French government responded with an immediate countrywide state of emergency, massive security sweeps, and - as Encyclopedia Britannica sums it up - a "dramatic escalation of French military intervention in the Syrian Civil War" as well as an equally "dramatic increase in domestic security spending."

There was also, of course, a great wave of international solidarity not only with the victims of the attack but, as was proper, with France as a nation. No Western or, for that matter, Russian commenters who care about their reputations would have dared make perverse claims about French authorities somehow being behind this horrific attack and prepared to sacrifice their own people and to, in effect, betray their country.

Yet, things have turned out differently after the Crocus City Hall massacre in Moscow. While the Russian security services and authorities got to work in a manner fundamentally similar to the French response in 2015 (capturing 11 suspects, four of them "immediate" shooters who'd mass-murdered innocents at a concert, on the run towards the Ukrainian border), a disturbingly large number of Western politicians and media figures responded with a combination of glee, generally transparently concealed but at times stunningly open, with hypocritical equivocating, and, last but not least, with insane conspiracy theories. In other words, with anything but genuine compassion and respect.

A German X user (here anonymized) with over 30,000 followers delivered an example of pure sadistic pleasure by posting a picture of the Crocus mall in flames, with the comment "May it burn, may all of Moscow burn." Perhaps realizing he sounded as if tweeting from the Nazi Reich Chancellery, the over-excited user subsequently deleted this message. But without displaying any signs of remorse.

Yellow Vest

Farmers protest EU policies with blaring horns rumbling engines, while tractors block Brussels headquarters

farmer protest european union brussels
© AP Photo/Geert Vanden WijngaertPolice move in to clear a demonstration of farmers near the European Council building in Brussels, Tuesday, March 26, 2024.
Dozens of tractors on Tuesday sealed off streets close to European Union headquarters where the 27 EU agriculture ministers were planning to discuss the crisis in the sector that has led to months of protests across the bloc.

The farmers were protesting anything from what they see as excessive red tape to increased environmental measures, cheap imports and unfair trading practices. "Let us make a living from our profession," read one billboard on a huge tractor blocking a main thoroughfare.

Even if smaller than previous demonstrations, the impact on the Belgian capital was sizable during the morning rush hour, and authorities asked commuters to stay out of Brussels and work from home as much as possible.

Comment: It's all about control:


Magnify

The eternal dumpster fire that is Rupert Sheldrake's Wikipedia biography

Rupert Sheldrake
© Joan HillRupert Sheldrake
Wikipedia is a tragic mess of epic proportions and its crowning dumpster fire is Rupert Sheldrake's highly contentious biography. It's been a Wikipedia battleground ever since his TEDx Talk at Whitechapel in 2013. This was all covered in my book: PSI WARS: TED, Wikipedia and the Battle for the Internet. Sheldrake had his video taken down from the main TED website — essentially banned — and there was a big uproar over the whole thing.

Prior to that time, Rupert had a decent Wikipedia page, but as his notoriety grew, his page became the playground of his enemies, making him look worse and worse as they edited out his accomplishments and plastered the word "pseudoscience" everywhere. It's got the fingerprints of the Guerrilla Skeptics on Wikipedia all over it. They are an anti-intellectual atheist materialist Wikipedia editing group dedicated to teaching the world that we have brains, but no minds. But first, a little backstory.

Info

Africa's last monarchy hopes for BRICS but fears blocks - media

Russell Mmemo Dlamini, prime minister of Eswatini
© X / @RussellMDlaminiRussell Mmemo Dlamini, the prime minister of Eswatini, paid a working visit to Taiwanese President-elect Lai Ching-te, March 20, 2024.
The Kingdom of Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, is considering joining the BRICS group with the aim of diversifying economic ties and boosting development, local media reported on Sunday, citing the southern African nation's foreign ministry.

The political department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has made a recommendation to the government outlining the opportunities the landlocked state will enjoy if it becomes a BRICS member, according to the Times of Swaziland.

"The bloc has been championing crosscutting issues on the international stage," the outlet quoted the ministry's proposal as saying.

"The Kingdom of Eswatini can benefit from increased economic ties, leading to increased exports and access to diverse markets, if the country joins BRICS," it added.

However, Africa's last absolute monarchy is said to be worried that China, a founding member of BRICS, may oppose its membership. Eswatini is one of a dozen countries that recognize Taiwan as an independent state. Beijing considers the self-governed island to be part of China.

Truck

UK farmers plow into central London

UK farmers, Westminster, UK farmer protests
© AFP / Henry Nicholls
Over 150 tractors descended on Britain's Parliament on Monday evening in a protest against post-Brexit regulations and trade agreements that they say will endanger their livelihoods and undermine food security.

Farm vehicles flying UK flags made their way across London and through Westminster, carrying signs with slogans such as 'Save British farming' and 'No farming, no food, no future'. The tractor rally became the largest among the latest protests launched by farmers across the country.

According to the campaign groups Save British Farming and Fairness for Farmers of Kent that organized the march, cheap food imports and unsupportive policies are putting food security in the country at major risk.


Gavel

What UK High Court's decision in Julian Assange case means

Assange protester
© Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images
The jailed WikiLeaks founder has been allowed a new, limited bid, to fight his extradition to the US

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange scored a victory on Tuesday in his years-long legal battle in the UK to avoid extradition to the US. Not much has changed to help his present condition, but his defense has been given another day at court.

Assange, 52 has been held in a top-security British prison since 2019. He has endured solitary confinement in Belmarsh prison, which is usually reserved for dangerous criminals, while awaiting trial for a bail violation. The US indicted him under the country's Espionage Act a month after his arrest, with Washington's lawyers proceeding to file an extradition request. Supporters say he is being persecuted by the US and the UK for political reasons.

Comment: So, still not out of the woods.






Boat

Key Bridge collapses into Patapsco River in Baltimore after ship hits support column; rescue operation underway

francis scott key bridge collapse
© Karl Merton Ferron/StaffThe Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed overnight after being struck by a ship in the early morning of Tuesday, March 26.
Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday morning after a support column was struck by a vessel, sending cars and at least one tractor-trailer into the Patapsco River.

A spokesperson for the Baltimore City Fire Department said a major rescue operation was underway with all lanes closed and with all traffic being rerouted from the 1.6-mile steel bridge that is part of Interstate 695.

"The entire bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River," said Kevin Cartwright, the director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department.

Comment: It probably doesn't need to be pointed out that the symbolism apparent in the "Star-Spangled Banner" going down is rather poignant.


Eye 1

Fury as trans darts star Noa-Lynn van Leuven wins titles against men and women in same week

Noa-Lynn van Leuven
Transgender darts player Noa-Lynn van Leuven has revealed she has received a torrent of online abuse in the week she won a title in the PDC Women's Series
Transgender darts player Noa-Lynn van Leuven has revealed she has received a torrent of online abuse in the week she won two titles against both men and women.

The 27-year-old Dutchwoman's 5-2 final win against Ireland's Katie Sheldon at the PDC Women's Series event in Wigan on Saturday prompted two of her national female team mates to sensationally quit the team in protest.

van Leuven - who beat 'Queen of the Palace' Fallon Sherrock and world number one Beau Greaves on her way to claiming the £2,000 prize money - has now hit back after being bombarded with vicious comments on social media saying: 'I just want to do my thing, but it seems like people have to comment.'

Fire

Dmitry Trenin: The American explanation for the Moscow terror attack doesn't add up

putin candle
© Mikhail Metzel / POOL / SputnikRussian President Vladimir Putin lights a candle to commemorate victims of a terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue on the day of national mourning, in Russia.
Russian foreign policy could change significantly, depending on the results of the investigation into the atrocity.

The heinous act of terrorism at the Crocus City Hall concert venue just outside Moscow on Friday night - which is confirmed to have killed more than 130 people at the time of writing - has perhaps shaken Russia more than anything since a similar attack on a theater in the capital in 2002.

This latest atrocity will certainly have a major impact on the Russian people's consciousness and the nation's public security. It could also lead to serious changes in Moscow's foreign policy, depending on the results of the investigation into the source of the attack and its masterminds. Considering the enormously high stakes involved in its findings and conclusions, there is no doubt that the investigation will have to be incredibly thorough.

Comment: See also:


House

Fed-up homeowner arrested after tense standoff with squatters 'stealing' $1M house she inherited from parents

Adele Andaloro
© ABC7Adele Andaloro, 47, was recently nabbed after she changed the locks on the $1 million home in Flushing, Queens, that she says she inherited from her parents when they died.
A New York City property owner recently ended up in handcuffs following a fiery standoff with alleged squatters who she has been trying to boot from her family's home, tense footage shows.

Adele Andaloro, 47, was nabbed after changing the locks last month on the $1 million home in Flushing, Queens, that she says she inherited from her parents when they died, ABC's Eyewitness News reported.

"It's enraging," the homeowner said of the squatter saga.

Comment: It's time for New York City to change their laws around squatters. 30 days is a ridiculously short amount of time to establish squatters rights, as the recent rash of home-stealing can attest. These laws seem designed to favor criminals working the system.