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Hong Kong censorship debate grows as internet firm says can block 'illegal acts'

Jessie Pang
Reuters
Fri, 15 Jan 2021 19:32 UTC
hong kong
The company which approves internet domains in Hong Kong said it will now reject any sites that could incite "illegal acts", raising new concerns about freedoms after Beijing's imposition of a national security law on the Chinese-ruled city last year.

Holders of .hk domains were advised of the policy change on Thursday, sources told Reuters, hours after internet service provider Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN) said it had blocked access to HKChronicles, a website offering information about anti-government protests.

The moves came just days after the arrest of more than 50 pro-democracy activists, and sources have told Reuters that China is planning a further crackdown.

HKBN said it had blocked the website, which also publishes personal information on Hong Kong police officers, in compliance with the national security law, the first such censorship in the city of its kind.
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Yellow Vest

The lockdown rebellion begins: Poland takes the lead!

Jack Montgomery
Breitbart
Sat, 16 Jan 2021 17:28 UTC
Zakopane Poland
© Iryna Kazlova / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Small town village near Zakopane in the winter foggy morning in Tatra mountains.
Highlanders in Poland's 'winter capital' to reopen

Highlanders in Poland's "winter capital" of Zakopane are rebelling against lockdown, with hundreds of businesses vowing to reopen in defiance of government restrictions.

Sebastian Pitoń, who has emerged as leader of the Górlaskie Veto — Highlanders' Veto — movement, was previously best known as an architect whose Tolkienesque designs were the subject of a Snopes article, as some people had doubted that viral images of his beautiful if eccentric traditional buildings were real.
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Bizarro Earth

Covid lockdowns may have no clear benefit vs other voluntary measures, international study shows

Natalie Colarossi
Newsweek
Thu, 14 Jan 2021 09:23 UTC
England Lockdown
© Justin Tallis/Getty Images
A new study shows that mandatory lockdown orders may not provide more significant benefits to curbing the spread of COVID-19 vs voluntary measures such as social distancing and travel restrictions. Here, one pedestrian walks on the pavement in central London in the morning on March 24, 2020, after Britain ordered a lockdown.
A study evaluating COVID-19 responses around the world found that mandatory lockdown orders early in the pandemic may not provide significantly more benefits to slowing the spread of the disease than other voluntary measures, such as social distancing or travel reduction.

The peer reviewed study was published in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation on January 5, and analyzed coronavirus case growth in 10 countries in early 2020.

The study compared cases in England, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and the U.S. - all countries that implemented mandatory lockdown orders and business closures - to South Korea and Sweden, which instituted less severe, voluntary responses. It aimed to analyze the effect that less restrictive or more restrictive measures had on changing individual behavior and curbing the transmission of the virus.


Comment: While people were locked in their homes in fear, without any necessary medical help, the number of deaths caused by the lockdowns was arguably much more than from Covid-19 itself.

As local small businesses were closing and people were losing their jobs, the biggest tech giants like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and many others made a huge profit.

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Eye 2

EC president von der Leyen dares European nations to call her bluff with announcement of (mandatory?) vaccine certificates


RT
Fri, 15 Jan 2021 08:40 UTC
Ursula Von Der Leyen
© Reuters / Pedro Nunes
European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen speaks at a news conference at the start of Portugal's EU Presidency, in Lisbon, Portugal, January 15, 2021.
Europeans must carry certificates proving they've been vaccinated against Covid-19 to travel, EC president Ursula von der Leyen told Portuguese media - likely shocking Europeans who'd never heard of such a rule.

Von der Leyen sprung the idea of a "mutually recognized vaccination certificate" as a "medical requirement" for travel on Thursday in the course of praising a similar plan outlined to her in a letter from Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

"It is a medical requirement to have a certificate proving that you have been vaccinated," von der Leyen told Portuguese reporters.

While Mitsotakis' plan was not meant to be "compulsory or a prerequisite for travel," von der Leyen seemed to be leaning in that direction, repeating that "we have to have a medical requirement that proves that people have been vaccinated." The idea of an EU-wide vaccine certificate "is a political and legal decision that should be discussed at a European level," she continued emphatically.

Comment: Despite all the deaths and negative effects of the Covid-19 vaccines, people will be forced to get them in one way or another. The new medical fascism is becoming reality on this planet. Vaccine refusers will be the new Jews in this madness. There is such an obsession on the part of the psychopathic elites to vaccinate people that we must think about the real reason behind the mass vaccination.

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Attention

Feds charge left-wing activist who filmed shooting of Trump supporter at Capitol - UPDATE: It's getting weirder - Sullivan released without bail

Chuck Ross
Daily Caller
Thu, 14 Jan 2021 18:54 UTC
john sullivan
© Youtube screen capture/Eyewitness News
Federal prosecutors on Thursday announced charges against John Sullivan, a self-described left-wing activist who recorded the fatal police shooting of a Trump supporter inside the U.S. Capitol last week.

Sullivan, the founder of a group called Insurgence USA, which formed in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, is charged with illegally entering the Capitol, civil disorder, and violent or disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

Sullivan, 26, faces separate charges of rioting and criminal mischief in connection with an incident in Provo, Utah on June 30, 2020, where a person was shot and injured during a protest against police brutality.

Comment: More from Gateway Pundit:
Footage obtained by the Gateway Pundit from militant Black Lives Matter and Antifa activist John Sullivan's Discord server shows the so-called "civil rights activist" reveling inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6 as he damaged federal property.

Sullivan has maintained in multiple interviews that he regularly attends protests only to record what's going on, but did not actively partake in the insurgence in Washington. This is a lie. He is a leader of the Utah Antifa-BLM movement and has been previously arrested.

... UPDATE: Here is the FBI affidavit on the arrest.

john sullivan affadavit FBI
And Gateway Pundit has also published a video covering Sullivan's past activism as well as his infiltration of the Capitol siege:



And here is footage of him giving a speech filled with anti-Trump rhetoric:


Gateway Pundit also published a piece about Jade Sacker, who accompanied Sullivan during the siege:
...
After the Capitol was stormed John Sullivan appeared with CNN photojournalist Jade Sacker on CNN that night. CNN did not identify Sullivan as an Antifa-BLM protest leader. They mention Insurgence, USA but not that it is a radical leftist organization. They do not mention that Sullivan was arrested in Utah during unrest in 2020. CNN did not reveal that the two were working together inside the US Capitol. Jade Sacker has done work for NPR, CNN, NBC and other liberal outlets.

...

Moments after Sullivan captured Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt getting shot and killed in the Capitol, a blonde woman accompanying Sullivan who appears to be his accomplice, Jade Sacker, gleefully exclaims, "We did it!"

...




And here's another violent leftist exposed as being part of the Capitol siege:
Another Violent Leftist Arrested at US Capitol Protest: Registered Democrat and 34-Year-Old Son of a New York Judge

Another violent leftist was arrested on Wednesday for partaking in the US Capitol protest turned Antifa riot. Aaron Mostofsky, is a registered Democrat. He is the latest Antifa rioter who was identified at the Capitol on January 6th.


Mr. Mostofsky is a 34 year old registered Democrat and the son of a New York Judge. He is seen in the picture above dressed in fur, carrying a stick and wearing a bullet proof police vest he had stolen. Mostofsky is standing beside the man who carried a Confederate flag into the event. This indicates they possibly knew each other and both appear to be outsiders and leftist demons plotting to smear Trump supporters.
More on Mostofsky:


Check out the full thread by @amuse above. Kyle Becker's collection of tweets and analysis here is also worth reading.

And from NewsMax:
Dozens of Individuals on FBI Terrorist Watch List Were in DC on Day of Riots
Solange Reyner | Thursday, 14 January 2021 04:10 PM

Dozens of individuals on the FBI's terrorist watch list were in Washington, D.C., last week when rioters breached the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers were working to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, reports The Washington Post.

It is unclear if any of them were arrested or whether they were inside the Capitol. The majority of the individuals are suspected white supremacists.

The report highlights the fissures in the handling of the riot by Capitol Police as some of the pro-Trump supporters stormed past officers and into the legislative chambers, forcing lawmakers to flee and hide. Five people died, including a Capitol police officer.

The Pentagon offered to send additional National Guard troops prior to the breach and the FBI said agents warned Capitol Police of discussions of violence at Congress on Jan. 5. Still, rioters were able to walk into legislative chambers and lawmakers' offices.

The Chief of the Capitol Police resigned as a result of the breach, as have the Sergeant at Arms of both the House and the Senate.

The FBI visited a number of the individuals on the watch list ahead of Jan. 6 and told them not to travel to the nation's capital. Dozens didn't listen.

...
Finally:




UPDATE: Some interesting, and strange, details about Sullivan, and his family connections, are coming out. It turns out he is an Olympic-level speed skater:


Here he is doing an Uber commercial:


His adopted father is disgraced Air Force Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Sullivan:


And his brother, James, is a right-wing activist. James's organization has been calling John out on social media:



It looks like James has been in touch with Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani (accidentally?) tweeted a PM with James, where he says he is working on pinning the riot on "226 antifa" members:



More from John's Discord activity in this thread:


Max Blumenthal posted a deep dive on Sullivan here:





UPDATE 15/01/2021: Gateway Pundit reports that anarchist John Sullivan has been released without bail:
Sullivan has maintained in multiple interviews that he regularly attends protests only to record what's going on, but did not actively partake in the insurgence in Washington. This is a lie. He is a leader of the Utah Antifa-BLM movement and has been previously arrested.

Sullivan also organized an Antifa-Insurgence rally on January 6th at the Washingotn Monument at 11 AM before they stormed the US Capitol.

The mainstream media refuses to report these facts.

Earlier this week John Sullivan's brother James contacted the FBI and turned his brother in.

John Sullivan was released without bail on Friday and placed on house arrest
John sullivan antifa released jail
© Disclose.tv/Twitter
Not every violent protester is so lucky. QAnon protester Jacob Chansley is being held without bail.
jacob chansley antifa capitol hill riot
© American Terrior/Twitter


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Stock Down

Democrats cheer as NRA declares bankruptcy, seeks to escape 'corrupt' New York by moving to Texas


RT
Fri, 15 Jan 2021 23:18 UTC
nra trade show
© REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
The National Rifle Association (NRA) booth at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), February 27, 2020 file photo.
Citing the 'toxic political environment' in New York, the National Rifle Association announced it will initiate bankruptcy proceedings, to cheers from Democrats. The NRA wants to move to Texas and continue operating from there.

Exuberant gun control advocates, such as Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-California) — freshly promoted to the House Homeland Security Committee — cheered the headlines announcing the NRA's move to file for bankruptcy on Friday.


Comment: See also:

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Attention

Parler CEO flees home with his family, goes into hiding after receiving death threats

Cristina Laila
Gateway Pundit
Fri, 15 Jan 2021 19:32 UTC
Parler CEO John Matze
Parler CEO John Matze has gone into hiding with his family after receiving death threats.

Because of Big Tech censorship, Parler, the free speech alternative to Twitter, became the fastest growing social media company — until they got deplatformed by Amazon, Apple and Google in a coordinated attack.

Last week Amazon kicked Parler off their webhosting service, meaning the platform will be offline until they find a new host.

Comment: See also:

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X

Minds next? Google sends '24 hour warning' to free-speech 'anti-Facebook' platform, forces changes to app


RT
Sat, 16 Jan 2021 01:00 UTC
Minds.com screenshot
© Minds.com/screenshot
The social media platform Minds had to remove 'major functionality' from its Android app after getting a chilling warning from Google. Its co-founder said plans for a censorship-resistant infrastructure are in the works.

In a post on Friday evening, Bill Ottman said that Minds had received a "24 hour warning" from the Google Play store. This forced them to submit an updated version of the app, based on "interim solution and ninja developers," which removed the search, discovery and comments functionality.


Comment: This purge is starting to make previous purges look like minor scuffles. Once the dust clears, it's unlikely those with conservative leanings will have a social media left on which to participate.

See also:

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Water

Michigan plans to charge ex-Gov. Snyder in Flint water probe

Es White, David Eggert and Tammy Webber
AP
Wed, 13 Jan 2021 00:01 UTC
flint water plant
© AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File
In this March 21, 2016, file photo, the Flint Water Plant water tower is seen in Flint, Mich. Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Nick Lyon, former director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and other ex-officials have been told they're being charged after a new investigation of the Flint water scandal, which devastated the majority Black city with lead-contaminated water and was blamed for a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in 2014-15, The Associated Press has learned.
Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, his health director and other ex-officials have been told they're being charged after a new investigation of the Flint water scandal, which devastated the majority Black city with lead-contaminated water and was blamed for a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, The Associated Press has learned.

Two people with knowledge of the planned prosecution told the AP on Tuesday that the attorney general's office has informed defense lawyers about indictments in Flint and told them to expect initial court appearances soon. They spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Comment: See also:

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Light Saber

"I Am Open": 50,000 Italian restaurant owners plan to ignore lockdown


OffGuardian
Fri, 15 Jan 2021 08:03 UTC
italy protest
Today - Friday 15th January - over 50,000 restaurants are planning to open, an act of mass civil disobedience against "anti-Covid" lockdown measures which have massively hurt the restaurant business, especially small family-owned businesses.

Spreading through social media under the hashtag #IoOpro ("I am opening"), the movement is largest country-wide act of civil disobedience since lockdowns began.

Italain opposition MP Vittorio Sgarbi has backed the movement, saying in an interview:
Open up, & don't worry, in the end we will make them eat their fines".
Italy's government is already facing internal conflict and crisis, an early election is a possibility.

Comment: Go Italy!
"Civil disobedience underway. Conte and Lamorgese's police hunted down by citizens who joined #IoApro of a restaurant. This video is poetry, history is being written".


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