Society's ChildS


Megaphone

'Angelic' terrorist? Tabloid reporting of Christchurch shooter slammed on social media

Christchurch memorial
© Jorge Silva / ReutersMemorial tribute to victims of the Christchurch mosque attacks
A number of tabloid newspapers have been criticized for their coverage of Christchurch attacker Brenton Tarrant, which has been described as sympathetic and hypocritical. The outlets have been called out for fueling Islamophobia.

Daily Mirror

The UK Daily Mirror was slammed over its front page, which featured a photo of white supremacist Brenton Tarrant as a child and described him as an "angelic boy who grew into an evil far-right mass killer," sparking a deluge of anger across social media.


Comment: While reprehensible, tabloid reporting isn't much better than so-called 'reputable' mainstream websites. See also:


Cult

Allison Mack in plea negotiations over Nxivm sex-slave cult charges

allison mack
"Smallville" star Allison Mack is now in plea negotiations with the government over her role in upstate sex-slave cult Nxivm, prosecutors revealed Monday.

Three high-ranking members of the group - Mack, Lauren Salzman and accountant Kathy Russell - are all actively engaged in discussions, a prosecutor said in Brooklyn federal court.

The revelation comes less than a week after Nxivm leader Keith Raniere was hit with child porn charges, and his co-founder, Lauren's mother, Nancy Salzman, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy.

If the three women take pleas, that will leave just Raniere and Nxivm's benefactor, Seagram liquor heir Clare Bronfman, to stand trial - with Mack and the others potentially acting as turncoat witnesses against them.

"I think at the end of the day it will be just Claire and Keith going to trial," Bronfman's attorney Mark Geragos said while discussing possible trial dates.

Comment:


X

Colombian government abandons Venezuelan military deserters

Venezuelan military deserters
© Migracion ColombiaVenezuelan military deserters
"Most of us do not have relatives in Colombia, we were the breadwinner of our families in Venezuela and now we are here with nothing," lamented the ex-military officer.

A group of Venezuelan military deserters that fled to Colombia on February 23, reported on Saturday that Colombian authorities have abandoned them, and had given them a period of 4 days to leave the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camp where they were living near the border between Venezuela and Colombia.

They ask Venezuelan lawmaker Juan Guaido, who had unconstitutionally auto-proclaimed himself as "Interim president" of Venezuela, to help them.

"We are adrift; we do not have the support of anybody. We want Juan Guaido to come to talk to us face to face," said former Venezuelan Army's second ex-sergeant, Luis Gonzalez Hernandez, who acted as spokesperson for the group.

According to Gonzalez Hernandez, the evacuation from the shelter was demanded and prepared by the Colombian authorities in Villa del Rosario municipality, in the border city of Cucuta. In return, they were offered 350,000 Colombian pesos, a mattress, and a bedsheet for each one, he said.

Attention

Sweden: First hijab-wearing MP proposes race-based nationwide register, met with outrage

Gamla Stan
© Reuters/Ints KalninsGamla Stan, the old town of Stockholm
A Swedish lawmaker of Somalian origin has sparked outrage after she put forward the idea of establishing an "equality data" register that would collect information on people's race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

People in Sweden may, in the future, have to register on a special database called "equality data" where they would need to specify their race. That's at least according to a proposal put forward by Leila Ali Elmi, a lawmaker from the Green Party. The 30-year-old daughter of immigrants from Somalia who became the first Swedish MP to give a speech in a hijab, told local media that the initiative can tackle issues of discrimination more effectively.

The politician argued the country needs to collect data "instead of saying that racism does not exist and that Sweden is color-blind," adding that it was statistics that helped the nation to remedy the problem of gender inequality. "We know that racism exists and we know that discrimination exists, but we have no figures on it."

Ali Elmi said that she will "leave [it] for the experts" to decide on the eventual configuration of the system but added that it may also include mappings based on religion, ethnicity, disabilities and sexual orientation.

Gold Seal

Depravity, frivolity, and dissent: The tell-tale signs of the end of an empire

decline of empire

Comment: This was originally published by The Daily Prepper in 2017, but the themes described are as relevant as ever...


A 40-year-old essay predicted the end of an empire and current events sure make it look like we're watching it happen in real time.

I spend a fair bit of time scanning the news every day for my site, Preppers Daily News. And some days, I just have to shake my head as I realize that people are so desperate for...something...that they just keep going to further and further extremes to try and find that elusive thing their lives are missing.

The more I read, the more likeness I see to Sir John Glubb's essay, The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival. (It's only 24 pages and you should definitely read it - it's brilliant.) Sir Glubb wrote this outstanding work when he was 79 years old, after a lifetime of being a soldier, traveling the world, and analyzing history. It's well worth a read as he goes into detail about the fall of empires past.

The final stage of the end of an empire is the Age of Decadence. Some signs of this age are political dissensions (Antifa, anyone?), an influx of foreigners (Europe, anyone?), the welfare state (America, anyone?), despair (350 million people diagnosed), depravity (see below), and the rise of frivolity as people try to fill lives that have less and less meaning.

Sound familiar?

Question

Police declare 'far right terror incident' after man stabbed in Surrey, UK - UPDATE

Viola Avenue
Google Image caption Counter terrorism units were called to Viola Avenue
Counter terrorism police are investigating the suspected far-right inspired attack in which a man suffered non-fatal stab wounds.

The attack was on Saturday night in Stanwell, Surrey, where a man carrying a baseball bat and a knife was seen shouting racist comments.

A man aged 50 was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and a racially-aggravated public order offence.

Counter terrorism police said it had the "hallmarks of a terror event".

The 19-year-old victim sustained non-life threatening injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.

Comment: See also: 'Clash of Civilizations' Arrives in New Zealand: 49 Massacred by Multiple Gunmen During Multi-Site Terror Attack in Christchurch

UPDATE: Monday 18th March at 23:00

The Mirror reports:
Stanwell stabbing: Terror police continue to question man, 50

surrey stab
© Steve Parsons / PAThe suspect was seen brandishing weapons and hurling racist abuse before the stabbing
[...]

A 50-year-old local man is being held on suspicion of attempted murder and a racially-aggravated offence.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid called on society to "reject the terrorists and extremists who seek to divide us".

Officers were called at about 22:30 GMT on Saturday to reports a man was acting aggressively while carrying weapons in Viola Avenue, where vehicles had been damaged.

They then received another call reporting a stabbing nearby. Armed police swooped and arrested the suspect.

'He needs help'

The 19-year-old victim went to a nearby McDonald's for help and was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

However, the girlfriend of the arrested man has claimed he "needs help" and is in "no way a terrorist".

Nemer Salem, 24, who lives on Viola Avenue, said the man was shouting from a window "crazy things about Muslims".

Vincent Sutherland, who also lives on the road, said: "He was shouting 'kill a Muslim' and 'white supremacy'."

But he added: "He's polite, he always says hello to me."

The BBC understands complaints have been made in the past about the suspect's behaviour to A2Dominion, the housing association which owns the property in which he lives.

A spokesperson for A2Dominion said: "We are aware of the incident in Stanwell. As this relates to an ongoing police investigation, we are unable to comment at this time but will cooperate with the police if and when called upon to do so."

The girlfriend of the arrested man said: "It's not like him, he's the loveliest guy you could meet.

"He needs help. He's had a lot going on in his life and I think this was just something that tipped him.

"He's the love of my life and I will stand by him."

[...]
Check out SOTT radio's: NewsReal #30: Christchurch Massacre - Don't Fall For The Manipulation


Bizarro Earth

Illinois to require LGBT history curriculum be taught in schools

Illinois House
Lawmakers in the Illinois state House of Representatives voted Wednesday to approve a plan that includes historical figures in the LGBT civil rights movement in K-12 textbooks, NPR reported.

The measure, which now heads to Gov. J.B. Pritzker's (D) desk for a signature, requires schools to include "the role and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the history of this country and this State" in official textbooks.

Supporters of the rule say the measure is intended to reduce anti-LGBT bullying in schools by teaching students about the historical place of LGBT figures in American society.

People

Bulgarian policemen use pepper spray against protesters...but wind blows it back in their faces

Bulgarian policemen pepper spray
© Screenshot Twitter / JasperNeve
Bulgarian policemen inadvertently pepper-sprayed themselves during a protest rally in the country's capital Sofia on Sunday, when they diffused the chemical at demonstrators against the wind.

Video has emerged online showing several police officers forming a barricade in a bid to calm the crowd of protesters, some of whom were waving national flags. One of the policemen then deploys pepper spray but it blows straight back into the cops' faces, forcing them to retreat. The footage ends with scenes of officers rinsing their eyes with water.

The protest took place in front of the parliament in Sofia, where people were demanding a referendum that would change the country's constitution and transform the country to a "direct democracy," according to local media.

Commenters online suggested that local police were not experienced enough to use pepper spray as violent protests are extremely rare in the country.


Alarm Clock

New Zealand gov backs tighter gun laws following Christchurch shootings

Jacinda Ardern
PM Jacinda Ardern says details of gun law reforms will come within days
New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern has said she will announce detailed gun law reforms within days, after an attack on two mosques left 50 people dead.

Ms Ardern said her cabinet had backed gun law changes "in principle".

Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, a self-described white supremacist, has been charged with murder.

Police say the killer used military-style assault weapons modified to make them more deadly - which is not illegal under current legislation.

What has the cabinet agreed?

Comment: See:


Roses

Heroes who stood up to Christchurch shooter: 'We would all probably be gone'

new zealand mosque shooting memorial
© Reuters / Jorge Silva‘We would all probably be gone’: Heroes who stood up to Christchurch shooter
Mourners lay flowers outside the Masjid Al Noor mosque in Christchurch
As New Zealanders of all races and religions gather to pay respect to the dozens of victims of Friday's deadly mass shooting, stories of those who heroically tried to thwart the attacker are coming to light.

28-year Australian Brenton Tarrant opened fire on the congregations of two Christchurch mosques as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers, killing 49 and injuring dozens others. However, if it wasn't for the courageous actions of several people, the death toll may have been much higher.

At the scene of the first attack in the al Noor Mosque, Naeem Rashid was left badly wounded after he launched himself at the attacker in an attempt to shield other worshippers from the gunman's bullets. The Pakistani later died from his wounds in hospital.

Comment: Tributes pour in for the heroes of the massacre:
A Pakistani man who died after heroically throwing himself in front of the gunman who attacked two New Zealand mosques on Friday, will be bestowed with a posthumous national award, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said Sunday.

Father-of-three Naeem Rashid, 49, was among nine Pakistani citizens killed in the shootings, which targeted Friday prayers in two mosques in the city of Christchurch. His 21-year-old son Talha Naeem is also among the 50 people who lost their lives.


Writing on Twitter, Khan said: "We stand ready to extend all our support to the families of Pakistani victims of the terrorist attack in Christchurch. Pakistan is proud of Mian Naeem Rashid who was martyred trying to tackle the White Supremacist terrorist & his courage will be recognized with a national award."

Stories of Rashid's bravery came to light on Saturday, after he was identified in the video of the attacks recorded by the gunman and posted online. He was left badly wounded after he tried to tackle the shooter at the Al Noor Mosque, later dying of his injuries in the hospital.

"I still can't understand or believe why and how this happened," Rashid's wife Ambreen told the Khaleej Times. "But, I do know that my husband is a hero. He always helped people and even in his last moments, he did what he could to help others."
New Zealanders remember the victims:
Members of one of New Zealand's most prominent street gangs are among those who performed an emotional Maori ceremonial dance, in memory of the victims of Friday's deadly mass shooting at two Christchurch mosques.


Standing near the cordon outside the Al Noor Mosque, members from the Black Power gang performed their tribute while surrounded by dozens of mourners, who gathered on Sunday to leave flowers and pay their respects to the victims.

Speaking ahead of the performance, the leader of the group said, "we are gathered here to express our love and sadness... this is all our community."

Sunday's vigil was one of several events that attracted thousands across the country. Over NZD$5 million (US$3.42 million) has been raised to support the families of the victims.


Made up of predominantly Maori and Polynesian members, Black Power is one of the biggest and oldest gangs in New Zealand. The haka is a ceremonial Maori dance made famous by New Zealand's rugby team, who perform it before every game. Several versions of the dance exist for different occasions such as funerals, when welcoming distinguished guests, and honoring great achievements.


Black Power's touching tribute was just one of several haka dances performed by mourners across New Zealand and Australia this weekend and shared on social media in honor of the victims.