New Years celebrations in Europe > Riots, arson, hundreds of arrests in the Netherlands and Germany

 

New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands: riots, arson, and injuries across provinces

New Year’s Eve celebrations across the Netherlands turned chaotic as riots, arson, and injuries were reported in several provinces. The unrest included the burning of a police car in Veen, fireworks explosions causing severe injuries in Wognum, hospitalizations for firework-related injuries and children with alcohol poisoning nationwide, and widespread incidents of violence and property damage in cities like Rotterdam, The Hague, and Culemborg.

In the village of Veen, located in the province of North Brabant, the decades-old tradition of setting car wrecks ablaze escalated into violence. Near the notorious Witboomstraat-Van der Loostraat intersection, where hundreds gathered to witness the annual car burnings, a police vehicle was destroyed. Around 3 a.m., as officers stood roughly ten meters from their patrol car, two young men poured a flammable liquid into the vehicle and set it on fire, according to eyewitness accounts. The Mobile Unit (ME) intervened, using water cannons to disperse the crowd and secure the area, which was littered with the remains of eight burned-out vehicles.

The local government faces growing frustration over the situation's rising costs, with officials estimating the replacement of road infrastructure will again be necessary after this year’s damage. Despite the chaos, police have not confirmed any arrests.

Emergency departments across the Netherlands reported a surge in patients during the night, with many treated for firework injuries and alcohol poisoning. Yara Basta, president of the Dutch Association of Emergency Physicians, told NPO Radio 1, “The number of people visiting emergency rooms was one-and-a-half times higher than on a typical night.” She noted an alarming rise in alcohol poisoning cases among minors under 16, explaining, “Their bodies simply cannot process the amount they consumed.”

The Eye Hospital in The Hague treated 13 patients for firework-related injuries, while hospitals in Rotterdam and Groningen reported treating multiple victims, including a serious case of burns caused by fireworks in Groningen.

In the North Holland village of Wognum, two young men sustained serious injuries when a firework exploded in a field on Westeinderweg around 11 p.m. A spokesperson for the regional safety authority stated, “The nature of their injuries is not yet known.” The incident remains under investigation.

In Alphen aan den Rijn, one of the most significant incidents occurred shortly after midnight when a fire broke out in several construction trailers on Wederikstraat. Flames spread to at least seven parked cars before firefighters gained control around 1:45 a.m. Though no injuries were reported, residents were alarmed, and authorities assessed the structural safety of a nearby scaffolded apartment complex.

A separate blaze in Nootdorp heavily damaged a commercial building on Ambachtshof earlier in the evening. The fire primarily consumed the building’s roof and caused significant water damage to adjacent businesses. No injuries were reported, but the cause remains unclear.

Attacks on emergency responders

In Rotterdam’s Schiebroek neighborhood, police and emergency responders were attacked with stones and fireworks, prompting the arrest of several individuals. Similar unrest erupted in The Hague’s Transvaal district, where fireworks were thrown, causing property damage. The ME also deployed tear gas in Culemborg after repeated confrontations with rioters throwing heavy fireworks at first responders.

In Friesland’s villages of Sint Annaparochie and Marrum, officers were pelted with stones, and fires broke out in both locations. Four arrests were made in Marrum, where the ME restored order after securing the area.

Despite the chaos, New Year’s Eve marked record-high firework sales, with an estimated 118 million euros spent, breaking the previous record set in 2022. While fireworks brought colorful displays in many regions, they also caused significant harm. In The Hague alone, over 20 cars were destroyed in fires, including five vehicles parked together on Hasseltsestraat. Similar incidents occurred in Poeldijk, Leiden, Voorschoten, Gouda, and Reeuwijk, straining firefighting resources.

At The Hague’s Haaglanden Medical Center, emergency care staff treated 20 patients in just two hours, ten of whom suffered firework-related injuries. Frans de Voeght, a care manager at the hospital, remarked, “So far, the situation has been manageable,” crediting additional staff for mitigating patient aggression. “The first wave of patients includes firework victims; later, we expect cases involving violence and injuries from altercations,” he added.

Similarly, Rotterdam’s Maasstad Hospital reported a high volume of emergency room visits but did not admit any patients to its burn center as of 1:15 a.m. According to a spokesperson, the hospital’s hotline received numerous calls from general practitioners seeking advice on treating burns, with consultations facilitated through a secure photo-sharing app.

Efforts to mitigate harm saw mixed results. In The Hague’s Tarwekamp neighborhood, which was designated a firework-free zone following a deadly explosion in December, residents welcomed the relative quiet. One local said, “I still get startled by loud bangs,” expressing relief at the absence of fireworks in the area.

However, unrest in nearby regions highlighted ongoing challenges. The ME intervened in Naaldwijk, where rioters caused disturbances near an apartment complex, and in ’s-Gravenzande, where two individuals were injured in a stabbing incident at a residential address.

=====================

Over 200 arrested on New Year’s “full of destruction and violence,” says police chief

A chaotic and violent New Year’s Eve across the Netherlands led to the arrest of more than 200 people, as rioting, attacks on police officers, arson, and fireworks-related accidents marred the evening. Police officials described the night as “full of destruction and violence,” with significant incidents occurring in cities across the country.

Police Chief Janny Knol condemned the events, noting that what should have been a celebratory evening “turned into a night full of destruction and violence” in many locations. She emphasized that police officers and emergency responders were specifically targeted by rioters, calling it “unacceptable” that their efforts to ensure public safety were met with aggression.

There were reports of injuries related to fireworks, including the tragic death of a 14-year-old boy in Rotterdam from an explosion. Several other individuals across the country suffered severe injuries from fireworks.

In addition to the violence surrounding fireworks, police dealt with numerous assaults. In Woerden, a 49-year-old man was severely injured in a violent incident just after 3:30 a.m. A 27-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with the attack. In Amersfoort, a 51-year-old man was stabbed, and a 39-year-old suspect was taken into custody. Investigations are underway into both incidents.

 Police in several regions were involved in violent confrontations, with some officers being targeted with fireworks and other forms of aggression. In Amsterdam, officers fired warning shots after they were attacked in the central square.

Happy New Year Netherlands

Hundreds arrested in Germany after New Year’s fireworks turn violent

The German government on Wednesday condemned a series of incidents on New Year’s Eve in which police officers and firefighters were attacked and injured, mostly with fireworks.

Revellers across the country traditionally ring in the new year by setting off large numbers of fireworks in public places. But the latest celebrations were marred by the use of fireworks against emergency officials.

In Berlin, 30 police officers and one firefighter were injured in confrontations or attacks during New Year’s Eve, leading to 400 arrests, city officials said. Hundreds of police officers from across the country were deployed to the capital to help prevent further violence.

Five people were killed and hundreds injured across the country after being hit accidentally by fireworks, German news agency dpa reported.

Explosions of very strong, illegal fireworks in Berlin also caused extensive damage in two Berlin neighborhoods and injured numerous people, some of them seriously. According to the city’s fire department, powerful detonations severely damaged numerous house facades and broke many windows.

Thirty-six apartments are currently uninhabitable, dpa reported.

“The deployment of strong police forces from the federal states and the federal police and an early and consistent crackdown are the right means against perpetrators of violence and chaos,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.

“However, the many arrests in Berlin alone and the renewed attacks on police officers also show that this crackdown was absolutely necessary.”

She wished all injured officers a speedy recovery and vowed that all perpetrators will be “prosecuted and punished with the utmost severity.”

What is absolutely necessary is the outlawing of all fireworks in Europe, and the arrests of anyone breaking that law.

What would be nice is if you indicated the background of all those who were arrested.

Happy New Year, Germany

Weird, Just Weird > Narcissist clairvoyant fraud abused women and is now abusing the courts

 

"Clairvoyant" suspected of exploitation

accuses victims of rape

The 63-year-old Marion K., who is suspected of exploitation of two women for years, has accused one of the suspects of rape and "year-long abuse" in the court in Lelystad on Friday. K. did this during a discussion with the court about the progress of her trial. The court was forced to postpone the hearing for the second time on Friday because K. fired her lawyer on Thursday afternoon.

Almere, NL

K.'s case was scheduled to be heard in detail on Friday. However, it did not proceed in March because K. and her lawyer challenged the court (in vain).

The unexpected accusation from K. towards the victims led to outrage and a lot of emotions in the court. The victim's lawyer said that she and her client are contemplating pressing charges against K. for slander. While K. was being escorted to the cells, she continued to shout that it was "really true."

According to the Public Prosecution Service's charges, K. pretended to be a clairvoyant and brought the victims under her spell. One of the women was allegedly used as a house slave between the beginning of 2005 and the end of 2020 in Almere, Weesp, Amsterdam, and Kampen; she was also reportedly severely assaulted and repeatedly locked up. As a clairvoyant, K. is said to have claimed that she could help the victim "clean up negative energies" and resolve traumas.

Another woman was allegedly under K.'s spell for five years and was also exploited during that time. She was allegedly stabbed by K. in 1996. The victims were pressured, and their bank cards, telephones, and keys were reportedly stolen. They were also isolated from their family and friends.

K. doesn't sound very much like a victim of rape.

The court is very displeased about the new delay in the case, mainly because of how difficult this is for both victims. One of the victim's lawyers said they were not surprised by this development. "We saw this coming. My client says it is yet another sign that the suspect wants to control the situation."

The prosecutor is also not surprised. "She keeps everyone in her grasp. It fits the facts of the case; it fits the results of the behavioral research. She wants maximum control in every situation."

Treatment of the case has been moved to February 14 next year. An interim session will occur on December 20 because K. is in pre-trial detention.

Islam - Current Day > UK Government supports Rushdie Fatwa; Muslim tries to kill MP; Migrants abused in Libya; Muslims attack Hindus for their land

..

Chairman of a British-based Islamic Human Rights Commission

 — that has received more than £1.4 million in charity cash —

 praised the fatwa on Sir Salman Rushdie less than a year ago

Massoud Shadjareh, founder and chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), spoke fondly of the death sentence on Sir Salman Rushdie

The IHRC has shown support for terrorists detained in the UK and the US

By MAX AITCHISON FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

PUBLISHED: 18:27 EDT, 20 August 2022 | UPDATED: 19:12 EDT, 20 August 2022

They should remove the word 'Human' from the name of this organization. 

Go to the Mail on Sunday for the full story

==========================================================================================

Migrants face abuse in Libya after EU-backed interceptions

AFP

Godwin risked everything for a better life in Europe, but he was detained and ransomed in Libya by European Union-backed authorities accused of "extreme abuse" against captured migrants.

Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa take what work they can get in Libya, desperate to scrape together the money

for their next attempt to reach Europe © Mahmud Turkia

The 34-year-old Nigerian had paid 1,100 euros ($1,100) for a place on an overcrowded vessel from the Libyan port of Zawiya, heading for Italian shores via the world's deadliest migration route.

"It was night when I got on the boat, it was already dark. I didn't know (where we were going)," he said, giving only his first name. "I just wanted to go to Europe and have a good life."

Those hopes were dashed when a Libyan patrol boat approached.

Godwin said he was so reluctant to avoid going back to Libya that he considered throwing himself into the sea.

But he was detained and dragged back to Libya, where he was only released after his family paid a 550 euro ransom.

Migrants intercepted by the Libyan coast guard as they attempted to reach Europe are held in a detention camp in Surman, west of the capital Tripoli, pending possible deportation. © Mahmud Turkia

His is far from the only case.

Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch said some 32,450 people had been intercepted by Libyan forces last year and "hauled back to arbitrary detention and abuse" in the war-ravaged country as European countries turned a blind eye.

HRW accused the EU's border agency Frontex of using a drone to provide information that "facilitates interceptions and returns to Libya ... (despite) overwhelming evidence of torture and exploitation of migrants and refugees".

Maldives Minister Ali Solih stabbed in broad daylight,

attacker seen reciting Quran verses

The video of the incident went viral over social media which shows the attacker making several failed attempts to slit the Minister's neck. Soon after Solih ran away leaving his scooter on the road, the attacker began expressing his aggression. He also talked to local people in the local language.

24 August, 2022

OpIndia Staff

Maldivian Minister Ali Solih stabbed in broad daylight. The attacker used sharp knife to cut the Minister's neck

but slashed a portion of his left arm instead

In a horrific incident, Maldivian Minister Ali Solih was attacked by a sharp weapon while he was riding on a bike in the Hulhumale region of the capital Male. The Maldivian Police immediately arrested the attacker who tried to slit his throat.

According to the reports, the incident is said to have happened on Monday when Minister Solih was riding his two-wheeler in the Hulhumale region of Male. The attacker stopped in front of the Minister’s bike and blocked his way. He then chanted some Quran verses and launched an attack to cut Solih’s neck, as reported by Maldives media.

I'm sure he was chanting Quran verses about how Islam is such a wonderful religion of peace.

The attacker used a sharp knife to cut the Minister’s neck but slashed a portion of his left arm instead. Minister Solih jumped off the motorcycle and rushed away from the spot to save his life. He is being treated at the Hulhumale Hospital.

The video of the incident went viral over social media which shows the attacker making several failed attempts to slit the Minister’s neck. Soon after Solih ran away leaving his scooter on the road, the attacker began expressing his aggression. He also talked to local people in the local language.

The Male police were immediately informed about the incident and reached the spot and arrested the attacker. While the Police are investigating the case and interrogating the attacker, it is not clear why the attack was planned and executed.

The Maldives is facing a threat from rising Islamic radicalism as well as recruitment for global militant organizations. Earlier, the island was in the news when former president Mohamed Nasheed was attacked in Male. The attackers in May 2021 had planted explosives on the bike that was parked outside the residence of Nasheed. The former President had to undergo treatment for months in Germany.

Reports mention that the present administration, led by President Solih and Speaker Nasheed, is recognized for being democratic and liberal in its approach to governance and social values. With international assistance, the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has been fighting a lengthy war against the rise of extreme inclinations in the Indian Ocean island nation.

The victim in the current situation, Minister Ali Solih is the State Minister of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology. He is also the spokesperson for the Jumhooree Party (JP), a coalition partner of President Ibrahim Solih’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

Barbaric attack on indigenous Munda people at Shyamnagar

Upazilla, 12 injured and 1 dead

Published on: August 21, 2022

Kapaeeng Foundation

Munda people of Bangladesh

On 19 August 2022 at around 8 am a group of 200 goons led by land grabbers Rashedul Islam and Ebadul Sardar carried out a heinous attack on the indigenous Munda people of Dhumghat Antikhali village under Shyamnagar Upazilla of Sathkhira District. The land grabbers intentionally perpetrated the attack in order to grab the land of the Munda people of Dhumghat Antikhali village.

It is reported that the 32 indigenous Munda families have been living in the Dhumghat Antikhali village for many years. Recently, Rashedul Islam and Ebadul Sardar have been claiming the lands of 8 Munda families where Rakhal Munda, Abinash Munda, Nirapod Munda and Odhir Munda families have been living and cultivating. Not only that but also the land grabbers have been threatening the indigenous Munda families from many days in order to evict them from their lands.

Incident Day:

On the incident day, Rashedul Islam and Ebadul Sardar hired nearly 200 goons from different Unions and Upazilas of the District. The perpetrators surrounded the Munda village and locked the indigenous Munda people inside their houses forcefully. Meanwhile, when Bilasi Rani Munda, Rina Munda, Sulta Munda and Narendra Munda were working in the field Rashedul Islam ordered them to leave the field immediately. However, when Bilasi Rani Munda and Fanindra Munda protested Rashedul Islam, the perpetrators started attacking the victims with sharp weapons with the intention to kill them. At this stage, the victims injured severely. Nevertheless, the perpetrators also sexually assaulted by tearing apart their cloths and snatched away the gold chain and ear rings of Sulta Munda, Bilasi Rani Munda worth of 144,000 Taka. By seeing this, Narendra Nath Munda came forward to rescue the victims, but the perpetrators hit him with bamboo stick and tried to kill him. A total of 100kg rice seedbed worth of 100,000 Taka were also destroyed by the miscreants. Nobody came to help the victims after seeing the goons. The culprits left the place only when the police arrived after calling at 999.

Later, the miscreants started cultivating on the land of indigenous Munda people by using power tiller. However, the indigenous Munda people anyhow got out from their houses and obstructed the land grabbers. The perpetrators also vandalized the houses of indigenous Munda families with local made weapons. At this point, 4 were injured seriously including 3 women out of 12 indigenous Munda persons. Afterwards, the 4 injured were admitted to Shyamnagar Upazilla Health Complex when the police rescued them.

The eyewitnesses are-(1) Nirapod Munda son of late Ramcharan Munda, (2) Sonatan Munda son of Narendra Nath Munda, (3) Bimla Dasi wife of Monosa Munda, (4) Nomita Munda wife of Narayon Munda, (5) Probash Munda son of late Babulal Munda, (6) Aroti Munda wife of Nirapod Munda from Dumghat Thana, Shyamnagar Upazilla of Sathkhira District.

The injured are-Sulta Munda (30), Bilasi Rani Munda (35), Rina Munda (36) and Narendra Munda (65).

Death of a victim:

Unfortunately, the injured Narendra Munda died on the day after the incident on 20 August 2022. A case has been lodged with Shyamnagar Police Station against 23 known and 160-170 unknown perpetrators on 19 August 2022. The police have arrested 4 perpetrators on 19 August 2022 and the following day respectively. However, the main culprits are still at large till the report.

Perpetrators:

As identified by the locals, the perpetrators are-(1) Rashedul Islam (45), son of late Gafur Sardar (2), Ebadul Sardar, son of late Gafur Sardar from Shrifolkati village, (3) Firoz (30) son of Munshur Ali from Bongshipur village, (4) Moukim Mahajan (40), son of Firoz Mahajan from Shrifolkati village, (5) Islam (50), (6) Robiul Islam (40) son of Siddique, (7) Firoz Gazi (35) son of Munshur Gazi from Bongshipur village, (8) Akkas Ali (48) son of Akbar Ali from Patrakhola village, (9) Soyeb Gazi (36) son of Kader Gazi, (10) Nur Hossain (35) son of Alam, (11) Adom Ali (35) son of Bhalu Ali from Bongshipur village, (12) Ashraf Gazi (48) son of Akbar Gazi, (13) Rshedul (40), son of Sunnot Gazi from Pathrakhola village, (14) Babu (28), (15) Israfil (27), (16) Alamghir (28), (17) Nur Mohammed (27), (18) Akbar (24), (19) Emdad (25), (20) Rashedul (29), (21) Firoz (30), (22) Shafiqul (30) son of Gafur Gazi from Shrifolkati village, (23) Kamrul (38) from Shrifolkati village of Shyamnagar Upazilla and other 160-170 unknown miscreants.

Current situation:

Local police stationed in the village for the protection of the villagers. However, indigenous Munda people still leaving in fear. The mastermind of this barbaric attack still out of bar. It is learnt that now they are giving pressure to the villagers for the settlement of the issue.

Different human rights and indigenous peoples’ organizations including SoDESH Sathkhira, HRDF Sathkhira, CSO and HRD Coalition Sathkhira, Bangladesh Mohilla Parishad, Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum (BIPF), SAMS, Jatiya Adibashi Parishad and Kapaeeng Foundation condemned and protested the barbaric attack and also demanded justice and arrest of the perpetrators as soon as possible through separate statements on 19 August 2022.

Shyamnagar Upazilla, Bangladesh

Man Accused of Beating Daughter Who Refused to Wear Hijab

The New Normal - Canada, Islamization

Gatineau police urge others to follow teenager's lead,

report so-called 'honour-based' violence

CBC News

Gatineau police have charged a man for allegedly beating his teenage daughter over the course of more than a year because she refused to wear a hijab. 

The 35-year-old father is facing one count each of assault, assault with a weapon and uttering death threats, police said in a news release Thursday. 

In what police described as a case of so-called "honour-based" violence, the father began the series of assaults upon learning his daughter had removed her religious head covering when she left the family home. 

Gatineau police said they hope the courage the young girl showed would motivate others to speak out against similar incidents. The release also included some phone numbers for local resources for victims of violence. 

Below is a list of the community resources: 

Centre d'aide aux victimes d'actes criminels: 819 778-3555

Association des femmes immigrantes de l'Outaouais: 819 776-6764

Centre d'entraide La Destinée: 819 561-7474

L'Antre-Hulloise: 819 778-0997

Pour Elles des Deux Vallées (Buckingham): 819 986-8286

L'Autre chez soi (Aylmer): 819 685-0006

Le Centre Mechtilde (Hull): 819 777-2952

Maison Unies-Vers-Femmes (Gatineau): 819 568-4710

Canadian Tire Store Attacker Pledges Allegiance to ISIS

This sick and unfortunate wife and mother of two young children, who promises to attack again and again when she is released, can't be deported from Canada because Trudeau is repealing the law that allows us to deport jihadists. Thank you Justin for keeping Canada safe, for jihadists, at least.

Dugmosh is in green with the full hijab. Unbelievable that you can wear a full-face veil

while on trial in Canada.

A Scarborough woman accused of swinging a golf club while screaming threats and Islamic chants inside a hardware store last month pledged her allegiance to ISIS in a Toronto courtroom on Monday.

Global News reported 32-year-old Rehab Dughmosh told Justice Kimberley Crosbie: “I meant to harm those people.

“I reject all counsel here. I only believe in Islamic Sharia law,” she reportedly said through an Arabic interpreter. “I would like to revoke my Canadian citizenship that I received. I don’t want to have any allegiance to you.”

She would do it again and again

Dughmosh, who faces charges including two counts of assault with a weapon, told court she would do it “again and again” if released, according to Global News.

Sources have told the Toronto Sun that a woman was wearing an ISIS bandana and ranted “Allahu Akbar” — God (Allah) is greater — when she entered a Canadian Tire store at Cedarbrae Mall in Scarborough earlier this month. She was eventually restrained by several employees.

One of the women she threatened to attack was also a Muslim, but was probably not wearing an hijab so was either not recognized or dismissed as not a true believer.

During her initial court appearance, Dughmosh pledged her allegiance to ISIS, saying “I pledge to the leader of the believers — Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.”

— Toronto Sun staff

Scarborough, Ontario

A Plain-Spoken German Populist may have a Shot at Ousting Angela Merkel

Newly appointed leader of the Social Democratic Party and candidate for chancellor, Martin Schulz, shown in Berlin on Jan. 29, 2017. (Clemens Bilan / European Pressphoto Agency)

Erik Kirschbaum

He is a recovering alcoholic who dropped out of high school and spent most of his political career abroad.

So when Martin Schulz returned home to Germany with the goal of unseating Chancellor Angela Merkel, perhaps the world’s most powerful woman, it was understandably viewed as a suicide mission.

Merkel had made mincemeat out of the last three challengers from Schulz’s Social Democratic Party, and there was little doubt that she could do so again.

But in an era when voters worldwide seem prepared to throw off the establishment and take a chance with an untested populist, Schulz, a jovial former bookshop owner from Germany’s Rhineland region who until recently was president of the European Parliament, has quickly been embraced as a serious challenger.

In just two weeks since taking over his party’s leadership, Schulz has shattered the conventional wisdom that he and his party have no chance and has given the Social Democrats their first lead in polls over the conservatives since 2006.

After Britain’s unexpected vote to leave the European Union and Donald Trump’s against-long-odds victory in the U.S. presidential election, the Social Democrats’ rally in opinion polls has raised serious doubts about whether Merkel can win a fourth term.

Then-European Parliament President Martin Schulz and German Chancellor Angela Merkel

at European Union Council headquarters in Brussels in June 2015.

(Julien Warnand / European Pressphoto Agency)

Her reelection was once seen so certain that even then-President Obama unexpectedly weighed in late last year, telling German voters on a visit to Berlin that if he could vote here, he would vote for Merkel. It was an unprecedented intervention on behalf of the conservative party leader —  and an astonishing affront to the party that is Germany’s closest equivalent to Obama’s Democrats.

The German election is suddenly an open contest, according to opinion polls.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD), which last beat Merkel’s center-right party outright in 1998 and lost control of the government to her party in 2005, has surged eight percentage points to 31% in the last two weeks after years of stagnating just above 20%, according to a poll by the INSA institute for Bild newspaper. Meanwhile, the conservative bloc, consisting of Merkel’s Christian Democrats and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, fell from 33% to 30%.

“It’s caught everyone by surprise that Schulz was able to help the SPD make such a powerful break out of the doldrums they’d been trapped in for such a long time,” said Thorsten Hasche, a political scientist at Goettingen University. “The lesson learned is that he has proven what was until recently not thought possible: that the right candidate on the left can unify the party and mobilize the masses.”

We’ve suffered for a long time in the polls,

and now we’ve got something to cheer about.

— Martin Schulz

The Social Democrats’ sudden strength in polls is no guarantee of success in the Sept. 24 election, in which Merkel appears to have more coalition options. In Germany’s complex multi-party system, it will most likely take a two- or even-three party alliance to form the next government.

The Social Democrats would like to create a left-of-center government with the Greens and Left parties. Until recently, its only path to power was seen as being a junior partner in another “grand coalition” with Merkel’s party. Schulz’s surge has suddenly given his party a number of more palatable left-of-center options and even the chance to lead the next government.

“Schulz has managed to mobilize a lot of previously undecided voters and people on the left who had turned their backs on the SPD,” said Nils Diederich,  a political scientist at Berlin’s Free University. “There’s a lot of hope vested in Schulz right now. But I’m not sure yet if it’s just a lot of hype that will fade away by the election.”

In a country where frustration over professional politicians with fancy university degrees is growing, Schulz offers a more humble and straight-talking approach. He appears to be wooing back some supporters who abandoned the party 14 years ago when it agreed to tough, pro-business labor reforms and pension changes that hurt the working class.

“We’ve suffered for a long time in the polls, and now we’ve got something to cheer about,” Schulz told reporters on the campaign trail this week. “It confirms what we suspected all along, that people want an SPD government.”

Pollsters admit they were surprised by the scope of the party’s gains but aren’t sure whether they will last.

“Schulz is certainly attractive for the ‘little people’ because he understands what the working class voters are going through — they sense that he’s one of them,” said Peter Matuschek, a senior pollster at the Forsa institute in Berlin. “If you look at his resume, he's one of them: no high school diploma and no degree.”

As a young man, Schulz had wanted to be a professional soccer player, but his career was cut short by injury, leading to his bout with alcohol in the 1970s. Matuschek said he doesn’t think that past will hurt him politically — on the contrary, it might help him among voters who see someone “who made it back after hitting rock bottom." After he quit drinking, he became more and more involved in politics, becoming his town’s mayor at 31.

His unvarnished way of speaking has touched a nerve, especially among the country’s legions of working-class voters who had abandoned the Social Democrats in droves when the party’s last chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, pushed it from the left into the political center from 1998 to 2005. 

“It’s time for a change,” said Miriam Dieter, a Berlin student. “The others talk a lot without saying anything. Schulz is different. He talks directly about what’s on people’s minds.”

In one talk show interview, Schulz deftly zeroed in on Merkel’s biggest weakness: her party ally Horst Seehofer, the leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU) in Bavaria, who has attacked her relentlessly for refusing to introduce an upper annual limit of 200,000 on the number of refugees coming into Germany.

The Social Democrats have generally taken a pro-refugee position while Merkel’s conservatives remain badly split on the issue: Merkel and her Christian Democrats (CDU) are for allowing in refugees while the Bavarian party is opposed.

Still, the question of refugees is not expected to play a major role in the campaign. Neither Merkel’s conservatives nor the Social Democrats have any interest in putting a spotlight on the arrival of more than 1 million people seeking asylum from wars and turmoil in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Polls show a shrinking majority of Germans continue to support Merkel’s policies of opening the country’s gates to refugees. But her position is far more controversial among conservatives than among Social Democrats .

“If the CDU and CSU continue to fight about the number of refugees and don’t get their act together on that fast, it will hurt them massively in the fall election,” said Matuschek at Forsa. “The SPD under Schulz have a unified position supporting refugees. The conservatives don’t.”

'A unified position supporting refugees' is a unified determination to the eventual destruction of Germany. Look at what is happening in Sweden - criminal gangs of Muslim refugees causing extortion, assaults, drug smuggling, assaulting police, 55 no-go zones and, at least, daily rapes of Swedish women and girls - all by Muslim men. 

In Sweden, they hide this from the public by police code R291, which requires a 'secret' classification for any police action involving asylum seekers. Is there such a conspiracy of silence in Germany too; or are Germans just way smarter than Swedes?

Instead of bringing in millions of Muslim asylum seekers, why not house them temporarily some place closer to home with the goal of returning them to their home countries. Then putting forth intense efforts to secure peace in those countries instead of selling weapons to groups that will guarantee there will be no peace.

‘Dirty Whore’: Youths Attack Families of Women Wearing Shorts During Bicycle Ride in France

The inability to accept the morals of the country that rescued you from the insanity of Islamic countries should be grounds for removal from France. One opportunity should be given to adjust their morals, and if not successful, they should be deported to whatever country they or their forefathers came from. I know that's not workable, but it should be done anyway. 

Also, the mosque/schools these teens are attending should be monitored for teaching anti-French values and shut down if they are.

Folks, if you think this behaviour is going to improve any time soon, you are sorely deceived. Islamization will only get worse unless significant measures are taken to stop it.

Henry Samuel, The Telegraph 

A French gendarme patrols on the beach during a visit of French Interior Minister in Toulon on August 14, 2016, to inspect the security measures taken to prevent terror attacks. BERTRAND LANGLOIS/AFP/Getty Images

Two families on a cycle ride in Toulon, southern France, came under violent attack after assailants hurled insults at two female partners for wearing shorts, according to prosecutors.

The attack, carried out by a group of youths from a housing estate in the Mediterranean port town, has sparked claims that parts of France are prey to an Islamist “morality police.”

Two couples with their three children and a friend were on a Sunday afternoon outing on bikes and roller blades when the “incredibly violent” attack took place, according to Var-Matin, the local newspaper.

They were passing near the Cite des Oeillets, an estate in eastern Toulon, when a group of adolescents starting insulting the women of the group because of their shorts, including jibes such as: “Dirty whore, get naked.”

When their male partners intervened, a larger group of youths arrived and a fight ensued, according to Toulon prosecutor Bernard Marchal.

“The male partners had simply asked them to respect their women and that sparked the fight. The three men were violently beaten on the face in front of their children. This was provocation of a sexual nature with the intention of forcing a reaction out of the men present,” said Marchal.

One of the men was severely beaten and has had to take a month off work, while another had his nose broken. The women were lightly injured and the children suffered from shock.

After accessing CCTV footage, police were able to identify and arrest two suspects, aged 17 and 19, and a preliminary investigation has been launched to identify other suspects.


Muslim girls are no better

The attack comes a month after an 18-year-old girl was spat at and insulted by a group of girls who found her shorts indecent. Maud Vallet posted a Facebook picture of herself in shock afterwards with the caption: “Hello, I’m a slag.” The post received over 81,000 “likes.”

She recounted asking her taunters: “Why are you calling me a whore because I’m wearing shorts while a man can walk around the centre of town bare-chested without anyone saying anything?” 

She said they replied: “Because you’re a woman and should respect yourself, you idiot.”

I guess men don't have to respect themselves because, well, they're men.

A solidarity “march in shorts” was held in the town. Both incidents follow a summer of tensions over burkini bans in a number of French beach towns.