No-go Zones in Europe - Are They Really No-go Zones?

Daniel Pipes

Comments by Steven Emerson on Fox News have prompted a heated debate over whether predominantly Muslim "no-go" zones exist in Europe. 

On Jan. 11, Emerson said they "exist throughout Europe … they're places where the governments like France, Britain, Sweden, Germany don't exercise any sovereignty. .. you basically have zones where Shariah courts were set up, where Muslim density is very intense, where the police don't go in, and where it's basically a separate country almost, a country within a country."

Steven Emerson on Fox News on Jan. 11 re: Muslim-dominated areas of Europe

Although Emerson, whom I admire for his moral courage and investigative skills, immediately apologized for his "terrible error" of saying that cities like Birmingham, England, "are totally Muslim where non-Muslims just simply don't go," he did not address the larger question of whether no-go zones, in fact, do "exist throughout Europe" and are places where governments "don't exercise any sovereignty."

Is he right about this?

In a 2006 weblog entry, I called Muslim enclaves in Europe no-go zones as a non-euphemistic equivalent for the French phrase Zones Urbaines Sensibles, or Sensitive Urban Zones. No-go zones subsequently became standard in English to describe Muslim-majority areas in West Europe.

After spending time in the banlieues (suburbs) of Paris in January 2013, as well as in their counterparts in Athens, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, the Hague, Malmö, and Stockholm, however, I have had second thoughts. I found that those areas "are not full-fledged no-go zones" --- meaning places where the government had lost control of territory. No war lords dominate; Shari'a is not the law of the land. I expressed regret back then for having used the term no-go zones.

A travel agency in Berlin in October 2010

So, what are these places? A unique and as-yet un-named mix.

On the one hand, West European states can intervene anywhere and at any time in their sovereign territory. As the shoot-out in Verviers and the subsequent raids in Belgium suggest, their overwhelming advantage in force – including military, intelligence, and police – means they have not ceded control.

That may be true, but does the government need a small army with AK47s before they will enter those regions? That still qualifies as a no-go zone in my books. I think Mr Pipers definition of a no-go zone is too specific.

After a terrorist attack in May 2014, police were out in force
in the Jewish area of Antwerp, Belgium

On the other hand, governments often choose not to impose their will on Muslim-majority areas, allowing them considerable autonomy, including in some cases the Shariah courts that Emerson mentioned. Alcohol and pork are effectively banned in these districts, polygamy and burqas commonplace, police enter only warily and in force, and Muslims get away with offences illegal for the rest of population.

The Rotherham, England, child sex scandal offers a powerful example. An official inquiry found that for sixteen years, 1997-2013, a ring of Muslim men sexually exploited – through abduction, rape, gang rape, trafficking, prostitution, torture – at least 1,400 non-Muslim girls as young as 11. The police received voluminous complaints from the girls' parents but did nothing; they could have acted, but chose not to.

According to the inquiry, "the Police gave no priority to CSE [child sexual exploitation], regarding many child victims with contempt and failing to act on their abuse as a crime." Even more alarming, in some cases, "fathers tracked down their daughters and tried to remove them from houses where they were being abused, only to be arrested themselves when police were called to the scene." Worse, the girls "were arrested for offences such as breach of the peace or being drunk and disorderly, with no action taken against the perpetrators of rape and sexual assault against children."

Another example, also British, was the so-called Operation Trojan Horse that flourished from 2007 until 2014, in which (again, according to an official inquiry), a group of school functionaries developed "a strategy to take over a number of schools in Birmingham and run them on strict Islamic principles."

What does one call Rotherham and Birmingham? They are not no-go zones, neither in terms of geography or sovereignty. This is where we – Emerson, others (such as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal), and I stumbled.

The English language lacks a readily-available term for this. And for good reason: I know of no historical parallel, in which a majority population accepts the customs and even the criminality of a poorer and weaker immigrant community. The world has never seen anything comparable to the contemporary West's blend of achievement, timidity, and guilt, of hugely superior power matched by a deep reluctance to use it.

Instead of no-go zones, I propose semi-autonomous sectors, a term that emphasizes their indistinct and non-geographic nature – thus permitting a more accurate discussion of what is, arguably, West Europe's most acute problem.

I think your proposed name is too banal. It doesn't reflect the hostility one is liable to encounter in those areas should one enter improperly dressed, or smoking a cigarette, etc. Even parts of London that are not even mostly Muslim have Sharia gangs going around advising people how to dress and act properly so as to not offend Muslims or Mohammad. So far such gangs have been peaceful, but I wouldn't count on that always being the case.

Mr. Pipes (DanielPipes.org, @DanielPipes) is president of the Middle East Forum. © 2015 by Daniel Pipes. 

Why the Muslim 'No-Go-Zone' Myth Won't Die *UPDATE*

In the news today was a report from Denmark that mail had been cut-off to an area of the city of Odense because of hostility from the residents. The area, Vollsmose, has a very high migrant population and was also featured on this blog 2 years ago when 4 Somali teens beat-up and threw rocks at a young woman and her dog. 

With all the alleged no-go zones in Europe, I wondered why this little item would even be considered newsworthy. After a little research I found this very enlightening article from a reputable journal, The Atlantic.  

UPDATE: My very next post counters this argument very effectively!
Nevertheless, there is an element of truth to it.

There's no evidence of extremist takeover of areas in Europe or the United States.

So why do the claims continue?

A firefighter extinguishes a car burning in Les Mureaux, northwest of Paris, during November 2005 riots. Francois Mori/AP

DAVID A. GRAHAM The Atlantic

Have you heard about the areas of Europe, or perhaps even of the United States, that are run by jihadists and which non-Muslims can't even enter?

Don't get too worried if you haven't: They don't exist. Or maybe you have, if you watch Fox News or read snippets of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's speech about Islamic extremism. While politics is rife with falsehoods, myths, and baseless rumors, it's often tough to see exactly where a claim comes from, and how it reaches a wider audience—including, for example, a Republican governor with apparent presidential aspirations and a reputation as a sober policy wonk. Here, however, it's possible to follow forensic traces and see how some small elements of truth metastasized into an outlandish claim.

Here's what Jindal said, via CNN:

In the West, non-assimilationist Muslims establish enclaves and carry out as much of Sharia law as they can without regard for the laws of the democratic countries which provided them a new home ....

It is startling to think that any country would allow, even unofficially, for a so called "no-go zone." The idea that a free country would allow for specific areas of its country to operate in an autonomous way that is not free and is in direct opposition to its laws is hard to fathom.

When CNN reporter Max Foster pressed him on this passage after the speech, Jindal couldn't name any specific instances. But he pointed to a report in the famously unreliable tabloid Daily Mail, and couched his refusal to back down as bold truth-telling: "I think that the radical Left absolutely wants to pretend like this problem is not here. Pretending it's not here won't make it go away."

Jindal's claim was particularly brazen because it came just a day after Fox News apologized for a comment an alleged expert made on air. Steve Emerson, who analyzes terrorism for the network, said on Fox News Sunday, "There are actual cities like Birmingham that are totally Muslim, where non-Muslims just simply don’t go in." British Prime Minister David Cameron ripped Emerson as only an old Etonian can: "When I heard this, frankly, I choked on my porridge and I thought it must be April Fools' Day. This guy’s clearly a complete idiot." Emerson apologized, but other Fox personalities repeated variations on the theme, and eventually Fox issued on-air corrections on both Fox & Friends and Justice With Judge Jeanne.

Fox isn't known for shying away from controversial claims, so the decision to move so aggressively to reverse is an indicator of how wrong the claim is. Of course, that came after several days of Fox personalities repeating the claim casually on air. (The retraction didn't come in time for one group, apparently: Paris' mayor said Tuesday that Paris would sue Fox News for sullying its image.)

But where did the claim come from in the first place? Like many political myths, there's a partial basis in fact that has become exaggerated into a hyperbolic and, in this case, inflammatory and dangerous claim.

Like many political myths, there's a partial basis in fact that has become exaggerated into a hyperbolic and inflammatory claim.

It seems to stem from two or maybe three real phenomena. The first is the presence of sharia courts in some places in Europe. In the United Kingdom, for example, "Muslim Arbitration Tribunals" are officially mandated but set up outside the court system and can resolve civil and family issues through Islamic law; there are also reports of informal religious courts. There are similar Jewish courts in Britain, and the Muslim tribunals have received encouragement from figures including then-Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. On the other hand, there are convincing arguments that the courts can sometimes be bad for women. (There's a fascinating echo of the Ottoman empire's "millet" system, in which non-Muslims were allowed to set up their own courts to deal with matters of personal law.)

The second real phenomena is the rise of vigilante sharia squads in some places. For example, in Whitechapel, East London, CNN reported on bands of Muslim men who try to keep alcohol out of the area and harangue passers-by about morality. RedState's Erick Erickson thinks he's caught CNN red-handed: While the network criticizes Jindal for not knowing of any real no-go zones, CNN itself reported on one! But the analogy doesn't quite hold. What's happening here is disturbing, but well-short of extremist-run enclaves. These are just ad-hoc groups, and area Muslims by and large condemn it in CNN's reporting. There's no evidence that these squads are powerful or widespread.

The third factor is what are known as "Zones Urbaines Sensibles," or "sensitive urban zones," in France. These areas are defined by their socioeconomic status—they're characterized by high unemployment, high rates of public housing, and low educational attainment. As it happens, many of these areas are populated largely by poor immigrants from the Muslim world, creating a neat but misleading correlation. Some of the "no-go" coverage has suggested that police and other emergency services dare not go into these areas. The United States is sadly not immune to dangerous city areas where emergency-service providers feel unsafe, so in that way this is a universal phenomenon. But as BusinessWeek notes, it's not the case that the government has written these zones off; in fact, they've been designated for further attention and work on urban renewal.

Daniel Pipes re-reversal

These factors seem to have combined to create the no-go-zone myth. Daniel Pipes, an often-inflammatory critic of Islam, seems to be patient zero for the meme. In 2006, he coined the phrase "no-go zones" to describe the SUZs, but after visiting in 2013, Pipes revised his views:

For a visiting American, these areas are very mild, even dull. We who know the Bronx and Detroit expect urban hell in Europe too, but there things look fine. The immigrant areas are hardly beautiful, but buildings are intact, greenery abounds, and order prevails.

These are not full-fledged no-go zones but, as the French nomenclature accurately indicates, "sensitive urban zones." In normal times, they are unthreatening, routine places. But they do unpredictably erupt, with car burnings, attacks on representatives of the state (including police), and riots.

Having this first-hand experience, I regret having called these areas no-go zones.

Yet contacted by BusinessWeek last week, he again affirmed that there are no-go zones in Europe. I've asked Pipes to explain his re-reversal and haven't yet heard back, but I'll update if I do.

If you dig through the fever swamps of the Internet, you can see the idea spreading since then. For example, the blog "Violence Against Whites" chronicles the SUZs and other alleged no-go zones across Western Europe. (Other material on the site includes claims that Boers were ethnically cleansed in South Africa and a section on "white martyrs.") Catholic.org reports, "These areas are Muslim-dominated neighborhoods. Non-Muslims dare not set foot into the areas."

Meanwhile, the meme can be seen extending to the United States. Truth Uncensored reports, incorrectly, that there are no-go zones stateside, including in places like Dearborn, Michigan, a Detroit suburb with a large Muslim population. Conservative Tribune even posts a map that allegedly shows no-go zones controlled by Islamists across the United States. I can't tell where the map originally came from, but it cites data from Steven Emerson, the Fox expert who apologized for his no-go-zone comments. And the map is posted elsewhere on the Internet, labeled as everything from a map of terrorist camps (apparently al-Qaeda is big in Boca Raton—alert your grandparents!) to areas with concentrated Muslim populations.

Erroneous beliefs such as these concentrate along partisan axes, and once an idea has taken seed it's difficult to root out.

Bottom line: You don't need to worry about Muslim no-go zones if you live in the United States. And if you're planning a tourist expedition to Europe, it's a good idea to avoid high-crime areas, regardless of their demographics. But why, if there's no evidence for no-go zones and some of the highest-profile propagators of the idea have repudiated it, do such myths survive and thrive?

It probably has a lot to do with the conservative media ecosystem. Erroneous beliefs such as these tend to concentrate along people's partisan or ideological axes. (The same is true of liberal media, though not in this particular case.) And once an idea has taken seed, it's extremely difficult to root out. As political scientists Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler have shown, corrections can actually backfire, increasing holders' faith in their incorrect beliefs.

Unfortunately, even reporting on these misconceptions can worsen the problem, so I am part of the problem. But it seems important to note that Jindal is plainly wrong. These sorts of distortions and exaggerations don't help to fight the very real threat of Islamist terror. They don't serve the cause of creating an informed, reasoned democratic society. And they don't help the political prospects of guys like Jindal, who has previously demanded that his GOP stop being "the stupid party." Maybe this meme is the real no-go zone.

Swedish Police Face Looming Crisis as Cops Quit While No-Go Zones Increase

Swedish police lose control amid refugee crisis

as number of 'no-go zones' rises to 55

A firefighter attempts to extinguish a fire which had damaged cars after the vehicles had been set alight, in Malmo, Sweden, August 15, 2016. 

The inflow of asylum seekers in Sweden, a country with one of the most liberal laws towards refugees, is putting an increasing strain on the country's police. There are now reportedly 55 areas in the country, where the law is not fully upheld.

Dubbed “no-go zones” in some media reports, there are now 55 areas in Swedish cities, where the police have significant problems in tackling crime. They are divided into three categories depending on how significant the risk to officers working there is.

The number has risen from 50 in February, when the police last gave a comprehensive report on the issue, and last week, when the law enforcement agency gave an update. According to media reports, the service is facing a major crisis of self-confidence, with as many as three officers on average asking to resign on a daily basis. Internal polls say four officers out of five have been considering a change of profession lately.

“We have a major crisis. Many colleagues are choosing to quit,” police officer Peter Larsson told the Norwegian broadcaster NRK. “A drastically worsened working environment means many colleagues are now looking for other work.”

If officers go into a no-go zone, they risk being verbally attacked or pelted with stones. Patrol cars may be set ablaze or stolen.

Crime rates in the blacklisted areas are on the rise, the police report said. The offenses range from vandalism to drug crimes to sex assaults and gun violence. One particular example is Malmo, Sweden's third-largest city, where more than 70 cars were set on fire by arsonists over several days. The police managed to arrest only one suspect while investigating those attacks.

Ironically, after the Hungarian government used the existence of no-go zones in Europe to promote its cause for an upcoming referendum on EU quotas, the Swedish embassy rebuked it saying that no such areas existed in their country.

"It is important to us that accurate information about Sweden is given to the citizens of Hungary. The embassy has therefore had reason to object sharply to a map of Europe with red markings in a handful of member states, including Sweden, in which the Hungarian government claims that so-called 'no-go zones' exist, where police and the state have no control over citizens' safety," Anna Boda, the Deputy Head of the Swedish diplomatic mission in Budapest told The Local.

'No-Go' zones may be overstating some of the 55 areas mentioned by the Swedish police, but there is a reason why police are abandoning their trade. Sweden's government had better listen to their police and do something, or there will be absolute chaos in the streets.

“No-go zone” is a loaded term with no clear definition and caused division earlier amid the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe. Last year Paris wanted to sue Fox New for a report, which said no-go zones existed in the French capital.

France has already deployed its military to patrol the streets of Paris. So far, however, there has been more unrest from labour protesters than from Muslim enclaves. The government certainly would play down any 'no-go zone' revelations because tourism is vital to the French economy.

One thing seems clear - neither the Swedish, nor the French governments, are willing to deal with the truth.

Rioting in Swedish No-Go Zone Sparks Debate

Trump was wrong about rioting in Sweden last week,

but it only took 3 days to make him right

Cars were set on fire, police were pelted with stones and civilians were beaten up as violent clashes broke out between rioters and law enforcement in the Stockholm district of Rinkeby on Monday night.

Police say seven or eight vehicles were torched in the suburb of Sweden’s capital following unrest in the area, which has a high immigrant population. It’s unclear if any immigrants were involved in the incident.

The violence was reportedly instigated after police arrested a wanted person at a metro station in Rinkeby at around 8pm. Police say between 30-50 people were involved in the disturbances.

Large crowds gathered and several cars were engulfed in flames as firefighters battled blazing wrecks while strong winds whipped flames in all directions.

A police officer was injured during the fracas, forcing law enforcement to fire several warning shots, according to Swedish public service broadcaster SVT.

No injuries were reported as a result of the shots.

The riot has prompted a heated online debate

over what constitutes a ‘no-go zone.’

Any debate in Sweden regarding Islamization is a good thing. There needs to be an end to the conspiracy of silence by the police, government and media.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet traced the rise of the ‘no-go’ tag, previously used in the media to describe the area affected by Monday’s riots, Rinkeby, to the publication of a Swedish police report on disadvantaged suburbs.

The December 2015 report did not specifically use the phrase ‘no-go area’, however, and in the wake of Monday’s disturbances, a Swedish journalist prompted an in-depth online debate about the use and accuracy of the term.

Rinkeby, an area in Stockholm, was the scene of street disturbances on Monday. According to police, an arrest escalated into stone-throwing at patrol units and an “officer was hit in the arm and slightly injured”. Police fired warning shots to disperse the crowd and say no injuries were reported as a result of these shots.

Following widespread coverage of overnight trouble in Stockholm, Ivar Arpi, a writer for Svenska Dagbladet, posed the ‘no-go zone’ question on Twitter:

Translation: “What do you think of the concept? What is missing, what catches?"

Swedish police have denied that there are ‘no-go zones’ in the country, reports Sverige Radio. But the term has provoked an outpouring of opinion online. “It is seriously misleading because it really means something else,” said Swedish journalist Daniel Wiklander.

Twitter users questioned whether the term correctly described areas in Sweden or if its use should be restricted to commentary about war zones. Others asked if the phrase was being misused to target and marginalise poorer urban areas.

“I understand the concept [as] the police don't go in there. Such areas are not as well known in Sweden.”

“I think that semantics are important, as Sweden's situation is discussed in international media and [they] like to use def no-go zones. In the United States no go zones mean a place where police don’t go without a very large [group]”

“‘No-go’ signals war zone and is perhaps too strong”

“In my view, [a no-go area] a neighborhood where law enforcement and health care cannot move freely without threats and residents take the law into their own hands.”

“Worth [looking] up what sort of neighborhoods get the stamp in terms of social class, crime, life of the inhabitants, etc.”

“It captures a feeling, but misses the reality.”

The discussion on ‘no go’ terminology came as Swedish opposition politician Annie Loof attacked government cuts and called for “more police & new legislation” for poorer areas.

UK and France Denial of Muslim No-go Zones Disingenuous

As USA Today reports, “On Monday, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a potential candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, will give a speech in London addressing what has been a disputed claim that Muslim immigrants have created “no-go zones” in Europe where non-Muslims are not welcome.”

This claim is being denied by the governments of England and France and declared to be ludicrous at best and amusing in the worst-case scenario. In fact, when hearing of a similar claim by terror analyst Steve Emerson on Fox News, British Prime Minister David Cameron responded: “When I heard this frankly, I choked on my porridge and I thought it must be April Fools Day. This guy is clearly a complete idiot.”

David Cameron may “choke on his porridge,” bacon, become disoriented about the time of year, or resort to name-calling, but I commend Governor Jindal for pressing on.

There is a problem and “porridge choking” won’t solve the problem that a disturbing number of European youth are becoming either radicalized or disenfranchised enough to consider fighting against their own country and their own way of life.

British Prime Minister
David Cameron

The prevailing method of ignoring the problem, or any problem that doesn’t conform to a specified manner of thinking, and shutting down dissent by name-calling has never and will never work.

France was not so vehement in their denial of the existence of these “no-go” zones. Rather they referred to the areas as 751 “sensitive urban zones” where you might find disadvantaged youths who appear to be unhappy with their position in society.

The French claim these areas have low home ownership rates, low income and low education levels. I’ve traveled extensively through Europe and many of my relatives and friends are residents of these types of areas in Germany, France and England.

USA Today says “former State Department official John Bolton’s Gatestone Foundation states “the “no-go” areas are the by-product of decades of multicultural policies that have encouraged Muslim immigrants to create parallel societies and remain segregated rather than become integrated into their European host nations.”

So what happens when immigrants refuse to assimilate into their host society and instead set up parallel societies that reflect their own culture, mores and values of their native countries? Well, you get the problem we’re witnessing in Europe.

Louisiana Governor
Bobby Jindal

As Governor Jindal questions: “are they coming to be set apart, are they unwilling to assimilate, do they have their own laws they want to establish, do they fundamentally disagree with your political culture? Therein lies the difference between immigration and invasion.”

Back to France, which is roughly the same size as Texas. In fact, Texas is actually slightly larger (268,58 square miles to France’s 260,558). Recent immigrants and their offspring (foreign-born plus first and second generations of immigrants) make up over 10 percent of the population of France, 8.7 percent of which are Muslims.

Within this relatively small country you have 751 “sensitive zones” (Zones Urbaines Sensibles (ZUS)), where violence against white French citizens can be considered quite normal.

The “sensitive” neighborhoods are places which Islamic immigrants regard as their territory and whites enter at their own risk “A French report says almost 1 in 5 French have been victims of racist insults or worse. A few cases have even gone to trial.”

You might now ask, how does this happen? Why is the government turning a blind eye to this growing problem? At the root of any conflict or chasm lies the culprit of the ages: power. The French Left and many mayors actively promote the growth and spread of sectarian Islam, for their own good reason: Muslims have become an important constituency of the Left. In fact, 93 percent voted for socialist President Francois Hollande in the last election.

In the Paris district of Barbes, the city government of Paris is paying to renovate a mosque with what can only be considered a name indicating the harbinger of things to come. The mosque carries the name “Al-Fath” which means “conquest” in Arabic.

Nigel Farage, a political leader in England, has claimed that authorities turn a “blind eye” out of moral cowardice in regards to this issue. Whether you refer to these areas as “sensitive” or “no-go” zones, the areas, their reasons for existence and the issues that they represent will still be present.

The fact is wishing, hoping and singing old James Taylor songs won’t suffice when in parts of northern England there is sexual grooming of under-age girls, while in many parts of Europe child sex abuse, female genital mutilation occur. Of course, just recently, violence against freedom of speech as well as Jewish citizens within Paris played out in horrific proportions.

It’s not just England and France. Just about every country with liberal immigration policies in Europe is experiencing the same problem to one degree or another. According to the Daily Caller, in October 2014, Swedish police ceded control over 55 “no-go zones” to predominately Muslim criminal gangs. An extensive report mapping out 55 no-go zones was released Oct. 24, showing where law enforcement has all but handed control to criminal gangs. Take a look at this scenario that played out in the country:

“A pair of policemen in May were in pursuit of a suspect and unwisely entered the no-go zone of the southern city of Landskrona. Their car was rammed and the officers were forced out of the car. 

They were cornered by a crowd of some 50 hostile thugs and drew their weapons to hold them back and called for immediate backup. 

Several nearby patrol cars responded to the call and sped towards the scene, only to be ordered to stop half a mile away — just outside the no-go border. 

The police commander didn’t send the backup units in, fearing escalation and all-out war. 

The cornered police officers were left to fend for themselves. 

As luck would have it, one of the officers knew a few residents who interfered and convinced the thugs to let them leave.”

So, my hat is off to Governor Bobby Jindal. In the face of British Prime Minister David Cameron, vomiting his porridge, he has the courage to press on, one of the characteristics of great leaders. The wisdom to see, the courage to speak up and the ability to press forward in the face of angry, fearful and political detractors who are fearful and awestruck with their own power. Courage to speak and act is a rare quality in this political season. Not as rare as honesty and integrity, I'm afraid.

8 More Areas in Sweden Added to List of so-called 'No-Go Zones’

In keeping with my sincere desire to always search for the truth,

I present an article which directly contradicts one I posted yesterday.

This one is from RT, so read with some degree of caution.

Note: The Swedish police don't call these 'no-go zones' but,

like French police, use different terms to identify them.

'No-go zones' is almost certainly a hyperbolic term, nevertheless,

the problems in these zones are serious enough for the Swedish

police to make public. Swedish police are normally very

protective, even secretive, when it comes to Muslims.

Rinkeby, Stockholms ln, Sweden © Global Look Press

A new report from the Swedish police lists eight additional areas as being “especially vulnerable," where it is more difficult for law enforcement and other emergency services to do their job.

In 2015, the Swedish police released a report describing 53 districts throughout the country as “vulnerable," and 15 listed as “especially vulnerable." Vulnerable areas are described as having high rates of crime and poverty where police face unique challenges and have to adapt their approach. These neighborhoods may also host violent religious extremism, and locals don’t report crime to police for fear of retribution.

Vulnerable areas are described as having high rates of crime

and poverty where police face unique challenges.

They may also host violent religious extremism, and locals don’t

report crime to police for fear of retribution.

The new report, which has not yet been made public but was seen by journalists from the newspaper DN, adds eight more areas to the list, raising the number to 23.

53 districts that are vulnerable is significant number, as is 23 that re 'especially vulnerable'. I assume, but it's not clear from this article, that the 23 are included in the 53. It is also not clear what exactly causes the police to change the designation from 'vulnerable' to 'especially vulnerable'. But since Swedish police are requesting 100 more police, there is obviously a problem. Mind you, 100 police would only mean an average of 2 additional police persons per 'vulnerable' area, or 4 per 'especially vulnerable' area. Or perhaps police want to form 4 or 5 units of 25 or 20 police scattered around the country available for rapid deployment to hot zones? That might make more sense.

These new areas are in the cities of Boras, Gothenburg, Landskrona, Malmö, Uppsala and in the capital, Stockholm.

According to Linda Staaf, head of the national police NOA's intelligence department, these areas should have been classified as “especially vulnerable” earlier, but there was not enough information on them available.

“In comparison to the last report we now have more knowledge and a better picture,” she told DN.

Police have asked for more resources in dealing with these troubled neighborhoods.

“We know how to work when it comes to the problems in this area and our two previous especially vulnerable areas, that's not the problem. But in order to do that in the right way we ought to be at least another hundred staff,” Malmö police chief Stefan Sintéus told DN.

These areas, which often host a large immigrant or foreign-born population, have been described as “no-go zones” by media. But this label has been rejected by the Swedish police, who admit that while there are difficulties in certain neighborhoods, they are not ones in which they cannot effectively work. The label has also been criticized as being a hyperbole that compares parts of a prosperous, industrial nation, with a still relatively low crime rate, to a war zone.

But for some service providers at least, the term “no-go zones” is more literal. 

In March, the president of Sweden's ambulance union called for enhanced security for his personnel when working in the so-called “no-go zones,” saying first responders need “special” military-grade equipment to withstand the dangers of the mainly migrant-populated areas. 

And in April, the government-owned postal service PostNord has halted mail delivery to some addresses near the troubled Stockholm suburb of Rinkeby, where a large-scale riot took place earlier this year.

French Police Say Lawless ‘No-Go’ Areas Exist, Challenge PM Valls Who Says They Don’t

Police stand guard near a burned police vehicle (R) and a van in Viry-Chatillon on October 8, 2016 after police in their patrol car were attacked by individuals who launched Molotov cocktails, leaving two officers injured. © Thomas Samson / AFP

France has no-go zones where police can’t intervene and work safely, police unions say, adding that criminals are under no law there and can attack citizens. This contradicts the words of French PM Manuel Valls, who said there are only “difficult areas.”

“Of course there are no-go zones in France where the police cannot intervene and do their jobs in safety,” Denis Jacob from the union Alternative police-CFDT told The Local. “And it’s the same for fire fighters or pretty much any representative of the state.” 

Jacob added that in these ‘no-go’ areas, “police can’t apply the law, they are attacked.”

“If the police can’t do their work it’s because there are criminals and delinquents who don’t respect the law… A section of the population has no respect for the police or the state anymore,” said Jacob.

A failed state

According to Jacob, this is not entirely due to the current French government headed by President Francois Hollande, but is a problem “with all French governments over the last 20 years.”

“Governments will never admit there are no-go zones because it’s a sign of a failed state,” he said.

After the recent attack in Viry-Châtillon commune, where several officers were attacked with fire bombs by at least 15 individuals, scores of riot police were sent to the area. The move, however, won’t solve anything, said Jacob.

“When it calms down the riot police will go and when they do, things will just return to how they were. The government needs to reinvest in permanent local police forces,” he said.

On its website, Alternative police-CFDT calls the attack on the officers “neither crime, nor violence, but terrorism!”

Jacob’s words echo a statement by Nicolas Comte, a spokesman for France’s second-biggest police union, Unité SGP Police.

On Monday, he said that “despite all the reassurances, there are still no-go zones in France ruled by a handful of gangs of criminals who get more and more radical as the years go by,” he said, as cited by Reuters.

Four police officers were injured when their cars were set ablaze in the troubled Paris working class housing estate Grande Borne in Viry-Châtillon, the southern suburbs of Paris on Saturday. One of them is still described as being “between life and death,” according to police officials. Since the attack, no one has been arrested in connection to the incident.

The statements from the police unions come after French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Monday that “there are no no-go areas” in France, but there are “particularly difficult areas.”

“These individuals [who attacked officers in Viry-Châtillon] will be found, brought to justice and severely punished because when we attack the police, we attack France itself,” said the PM.

On Sunday, the National Observatory of Delinquency and Criminal Responses released a report, saying that the number of police officers injured in violent attacks rose by 25 percent in 2015 in comparison to 2014, French media reported.

According to the document, at least 5,674 police officers were injured while on duty in 2015, while in 2010, the number stood at 4,535. In addition, the number of injured gendarmes, who are considered part of the French Armed Forces, jumped to 1,807 in 2015, compared to 1,408 in 2010.

French PM Downplays Attack on Police as Govt Accused of Failing to Enforce Order

Government and media refuse to acknowledge reality in France

as Islamic No-Go Zones are starting to look like war zones

‘Small gang of imbeciles?’

A burned circus tent after clashed in Chanteloup-les-Vignes. © AFP / Pierre Rateau

French authorities will make the ‘irresponsible fools’ who set fire to a circus, and attacked police outside Paris at the weekend, respect the law, PM Edouard Philippe has vowed. But it seems that not many believe him.

Emergency Response Teams Ambushed

On Saturday, a large tent belonging to a local circus troupe was set on fire in the Chanteloup-les-Vignes commune 27 kilometers (17 miles) north-west of the French capital. When police and firefighters arrived at the scene they were ambushed by a group of about 30 aggressive youths. The area quickly turned into some sort of 'battlefield' as police officers were targeted with stones, firecrackers, and Molotov cocktails.

Two officers were wounded in the clashes and police detained only two of the attackers, according to local media. The cost of the damage caused during the outbreak of violence is reportedly about 3 million euros.

“We obviously deplore these foolish and violent acts,” Philippe said on Monday. He insisted that the clashes were instigated by a “small gang of imbeciles… who think that breaking everything is the way to go.”

The violence was a response by criminals to anti-drug measures implemented by police in the area, the head of the government pointed out. “We are determined to ensure that trafficking ceases and that order is restored and respected.”

Notice, in this report, even though it comes from RT, that there is no mention of Muslims or Islamic No-Go Zones. 

No-Go Zones in France - at least 3 years old

However, not everybody was convinced that Chanteloup-les-Vignes was an isolated incident, saying that the scale of the problem of the so-called “urban guerillas” was far greater than the government was admitting. Critics insist the state had almost no control over migrant ghettos in various parts of the country where the drug trade and extremist ideology strives, while the police endanger their lives every time they enter those districts.

Isn't that amazing - still no mention of Muslim gangs or No-Go zones. 

The government has turned a blind eye to the danger posed by lawless neighborhoods, Marine Le Pen, head of the National Rally party, said. She slammed Interior Minister Christophe Castaner and his associates for being “incompetent.”

“Where are the state and the authority [President] Emmanuel Macron?” National Rally spokesman Julien Sanchez added, sounding the alarm over the increased number of attacks against police.

Other National Rally members described Chanteloup-les-Vignes and other similar areas as “our lost territories.”

'Our lost territories', ie No-Go Zones.

“The scenes of urban war are multiplying,” Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, leader of the Debout la France party wrote.

The Government is unable to enforce order.

Last month, more than 20,000 police officers took to the streets in Paris to protest against proposed pension reforms which could deprive them of bonuses. They were also protesting against being overworked due to the weekly Yellow Vest protests and France being in a state of emergency since the November 2015 terrorist attacks. Officers claim their work is now more dangerous with the number of assaults against them increasing 15% in 2019.

October was also marred by a brazen knife attack which took place inside police headquarters in Paris. A police staffer killed four officers with a ceramic knife, which he had smuggled undetected through metal detectors, before being shot dead.

And, again, no acknowledgment of the fact that the murderer was a radical Muslim. Even RT seems to be turning politically correct.

Chanteloup-les-Vignes

Sweden Slowly Waking Up to the Crime Wave That Accompanied Mass Migration

Gang shootings, rapes and no-go zones? Government blamed as Sweden battles crime wave

FILE PHOTO: Firemen in the suburb of Rinkeby © Fredrik Sandberg / Reuters

Swedish authorities held an emergency meeting this week to discuss the recent spate of gang shootings that have plagued Sweden’s cities and made crime a major issue ahead of elections in September.

The centre-left government in Stockholm has been facing a backlash over the recent crime wave — and the elephant in the room is migration.

1. Gang violence on the rise

A record-high number of people (43) were killed in shootings in Sweden in 2017 — up massively from just eight in 2006. Sweden’s Justice Minister Morgan Johansson acknowledged to news agency TT that there had been “a lot of shootings and deaths in a short time.”

Police forensics investigate the scene in central Malmo, June 18, 2018. © Johan Nilsson / Reuters

In one of the latest incidents, six men were shot and three of them killed in a drive-by shooting last month in the southern city of Malmo — a place where more than 40 percent of the population are non-Swedish. The victims were members of one of a number of gangs, the police said.

According to data from the World Health Organization, Sweden has one of the highest levels of lethal gun violence in Europe. More than 300 shootings occurred in Sweden in 2017 and a report that year suggested that more than 90 percent of shooting suspects came from immigrant backgrounds.

2. Nearly 250,000 migrants between 2014-2015

A line of refugees arriving from Denmark at the Hyllie train station outside Malmo, Sweden, November 19, 2015. © Johan Nilsson / Reuters

Sweden has accepted more migrants per capita than any other European Union member state, welcoming nearly 250,000 people between 2014 and 2015. At the time, those that warned against inviting in such huge numbers of people were often branded as prejudicial — but three years on, the government is accused of being blind to the problems that many say the wave of migration has caused. Links have been consistently drawn by politicians, the media and many ordinary Swedes themselves between migration and the increasing levels of certain kinds of crime.

Unwillingness to listen to those who express genuine concerns has now led to increasing numbers of people turning towards right-wing politicians who are not shy about expressing their anti-immigrant sentiments and inflaming the situation further.

3. No-go zones?

Firefighters are seen as several cars were set on fire in Rinkeby suburb © Christine Olsson

Across Europe, the term ‘no-go zone’ is typically used to describe a crime-ridden, immigrant-dominated area where people — even the police — are often afraid to venture into. The existence of these ‘no-go zones’ has been the subject of much controversy and debate, with some suggesting the very concept is discriminatory.

Is it discriminatory if it's true?

But if anything confirmed the existence of such places, it was the suggestion in January this year by Prime Minister Stefan Lofven that the government could deploy military units to cut crime in immigrant-dominated areas of Swedish cities.

In 2017, Nima Gholam Ali Pour, a member of the nationalist Swedish Democrats party, said these areas do in fact exist in Sweden. Ali Pour said that while the government had begun to spend more money on policing, there are areas “where the police have issues doing their job — the so-called ‘no-go zones’.”

These so-called no-go zones, however they are defined, are starkly different, culturally, from the areas in their surrounds. This creates both social alienation and resentment on behalf of those living in the areas — and those on the outside who feel threatened by newcomers and their lack of social integration.

That lack of integration is due to a host of reasons including lack of education and jobs, inability to speak the local language, hostility from natives — and indeed unwillingness by some migrants to fully assimilate into the culture of their host city and country.

They leave Islam because it is not fit to live in, come to Europe, and bring Islam with them. How utterly insane!

4. Rapes rising, police ‘can’t cope’

A police officer at the campsite at Bravalla Festival in Norrkoping, Sweden July 1, 2016. © Izabelle Nordfjell / Reuters

The issue of the rising numbers of rapes in Sweden has also been a contentious one — and has frequently been linked to the sudden influx of migrants from the Middle East and North Africa.

In 2017, when a journalist asked why a man suspected of raping a 12-year-old child two months prior had still not been interviewed, police said they“cannot cope” with the growing number of rapes cases in the country. Justice Minister Johansson said it was “not right” that police think they “don’t have time” to investigate rapes. “They need to review their priorities,” he said.

But, in his interview, Ali Pour backed up police claims, saying they “just do not have enough resources” and that they have “lacked political support” to properly do their jobs. He said the migrant issue is “part of the problem” and that police were “not prepared” for problems that would result from the wave of migration.

Stefan has sacrificed the Swedish way of life and how many dozens of young Swedish girls to his insanely stupid, far-left, politically correct beliefs. He was completely unprepared, the country was completely unprepared, but the media supported him 100%. Now you have a mess on your hands that is not going to go away by itself, nor can it be fixed by those fools who created it. You need a big change in Sweden both in the government and media.

Islamic Insanity > 2 Dead after stabbings in Bordeaux; Update; Italian journalist attacked in one of 750+ NoGoZones in France

 

France: Turban-wearing North African stabs man in throat,

killing him in Bordeaux

APR 11, 2024 8:00 AM BY ROBERT SPENCER

“When you meet the unbelievers, strike the necks…” (Qur’an 47:4)

Bordeaux: a man stabbed to death,

his attacker shot dead by a police officer

translated from “Bordeaux : un homme tué d’un coup de couteau, son agresseur abattu par un policier,” by Florence Moreau, Sud Ouest, April 10, 2024 (thanks to Medforth):

A man was killed by the shooting of a police officer at the foot of the stone bridge in Bordeaux this Wednesday, April 10, confirms the Bordeaux prosecutor’s office. He had just killed another man with a knife.

Large deployment of emergency services and law enforcement, at the foot of the stone bridge, on the left bank of the Garonne, in Bordeaux, this Wednesday April 10. According to our information, at the end of the day, a police officer used his weapon and fatally shot a man below the structure which allows crossing the Garonne.

At the start of the evening, the man armed with a knife was strolling along the quays on the left bank. At Place de la Bourse, he attacked pedestrians with a bladed weapon. Results: one dead, an Algerian national aged 36 hit in the throat, and a seriously injured person, transported to Bordeaux University Hospital, but whose vital prognosis is not engaged.

France: Muslim stabbed other Muslims because

they were drinking during daylight hours in Ramadan

APR 11, 2024 3:00 PM BY ROBERT SPENCER

Here yet again we see it: Islamic piety, which Islamic apologists frequently contrast with the corrupt and sinful West, is enforced by violence and fear; it has nothing to do with actual virtue.

An update on this story. 

Knifeman gunned down in frenzy of police machine gun fire in Bordeaux after ‘killing one and wounding another’

Police officer shot the suspect dead after he allegedly

attacked two people

by Peter Allen and James Reynolds, Daily Mail, April 10, 2024:

A knifeman was shot dead by police machine gun fire in Bordeaux tonight after he allegedly stabbed one passer-by to death and wounded another.

The bloodbath unfolded just before 8pm on Wednesday in the south-west French city, at end of the evening rush hour.

‘A police officer used his machine gun to kill the assailant on the Left Bank of the Garonne river, just after he had attacks by the city hall,’ said an investigating source.

TV journalist Amaury Bucco posted a video of one of the alleged stabbings, saying the attacker was a ‘man dressed in a djellaba and armed with a knife’ close to the Pont de Pierre [Peter Bridge].

There was no early indication as to the motive of the stabbings, but it came on a night of high tension across France, following warnings of an attack on football stadium by ISIS.

Local prosecutors confirmed that the attacker was dead, along with one of his victims.

A third person suffered ‘very serious stab wounds,’ and was in intensive care, said the source at the Bordeaux prosecutors office.

Witnesses said they saw the knifeman ‘attack pedestrians with a bladed weapon after telling them off for drinking.’

Prosecutors confirmed that the dead person stabbed in the throat was an Algerian national, aged 36.

The investigating source said: ‘The man was set upon in Place de la Bourse [Stock Exchange Square] and was stabbed alongside at least two others.

‘The other two were wounded and taken to Bordeaux University Hospital, but he died at the scene.

‘The attacker had reproached a group of North African people for having a drink – possibly because they should have been fasting during Ramadan.’

Muslims avoid all food and drink during the Ramadan fast. The period of religious prayer ended April 9 this year.

One police source said the attack had ‘no terrorist connotation for the moment’.

The source said it was likely to be ‘a brawl with an unknown motive’…. Good grief! 

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

In France, Muslims in a No-Go Zone Attack

an Italian Journalist

APR 11, 2024 10:00 AM BY HUGH FITZGERALD

The latest news from France’s NoGoLandia, where Muslims have been tightening their grip on “their [Islamic] territory” and enforcing the Sharia, is about an Italian female journalist who was beaten for being unhijabbed while filming in front of a mosque in Roubaix. More on her ordeal, and the refusal of the French police to do anything about it except to blame the victim, can be found here: 

Conquered: Italian Journalists Beaten in French Islamic ‘No-Go Zone’;

Police Blame Victims for Not Adhering to Sharia Law (Video)

by Amy Mek, RAIR Foundation, March 30, 2024:

Eugenia Fiore, who was injured in a violent attack by Muslim men outside a mosque in Roubaix, France recounted a policewoman’s chilling words at the station: “That’s their territory; if you had worn the veil, probably none of this would have happened.

Are there signs on the streets warning that this is Muslim territory, enter at the risk of your life? 

In October, a tragic terrorist attack occurred in Arras, France. Mohammed Mogouchkov, a Muslim migrant from Russia, brutally murdered his former teacher, 57-year-old Dominique Bernard, while shouting “Allahu Akbar.” This horrific jihad attack caught the attention of an Italian news crew from the investigative program “Fuori dal coro.” They decided to visit France to investigate the aftermath. Their focus was on the broader implications of such attacks on French society. Specifically, they explored no-go zones, areas dominated by Islamic supremacists over which the state has little to no control.

>750 Muslim NoGoZones in France 

The Italian journalistic team began their investigation at the site of the attack, where they sought to capture the community’s reaction. Students and parents, still reeling from the violence, shared their fears of another attack, highlighting the sense of insecurity permeating the area. They also expressed their deep concerns about living in an Islamized Europe. In France alone, there are over 750 ‘no-go zones’ – lawless areas where the state has effectively lost control and where native French, including the police, increasingly fear to come.

The journalists then turned their attention to the terrorist’s background and the environment in which he lived. They visited the western outskirts of Arras, where Mogouchkov and his family, who had been ordered expelled in 2014, were living. The neighborhood, predominantly inhabited by Islamic migrants, was in stark contrast to the crew’s expectations of French urban life.

During their investigative journey, the Italian news crew ventured to Roubaix, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the scene of the terrorist attack. Roubaix is infamously recognized as a no-go zone, and the crew encountered a dramatically Islamized environment. The transformation was stark; Islamic dominance had reshaped the area, distancing it from its French roots and making the journalists feel alienated in what should have been a familiar European setting.

The visual and cultural shift was immediate and profound. Women, fully veiled in defiance of France’s 2010 ban, became a common sight, emphasizing the area’s deep adherence to Islamic law over national law. Arabic, rather than French, dominated the spoken language, further marking the area’s shift from French culture.

The crew’s exploration took them to a local bookshop where the influence of Islamic values was unmistakable. Children’s books, with faces erased to comply with sharia teachings, sat on the shelves, a symbol of the cultural indoctrination occurring within the community.

Journalist Eugenia Fiore provided insights into the mindset being cultivated among the local youth. She reported on conversations with children, showcasing a troubling narrative: “I’m a Moroccan. And she’s an Algerian. I need to buy a book which shows me what I can and what I can’t do.” Such statements highlighted the rigid, religiously dictated frameworks within which these children are being raised….

Notice the children: they do not say “I am French,” but instead, “I’m a Moroccan. And she’s an Algerian.” These children live in France; their families receive enormous benefits from the state, yet do not identify as French, and never will.

“What’s deeply troubling about this ordeal is the utter lack of support from law enforcement. Despite seeking assistance from the police after the assault, the journalists were abandoned. The situation only worsened when they attempted to report the incident. Instead of receiving the necessary support, they faced victim-blaming from the authorities. A policewoman bluntly stated that they had trespassed into “their [Islamic] territory.” She insinuated that if they had adhered to Sharia wear by veiling themselves, the attack could have been avoided.

The French police have been cowed into submission by the Muslims and have stopped policing, it seems, in many of the 750 No-Go areas in France. Instead of seeking out and bringing to justice those Muslims who had violently attacked the Italian journalists for daring to film in front of a mosque, a policewoman blamed the victims for trespassing Into “their [Islamic] territory.” In other words, the French police have given up trying to protect non-Muslims in No-Go areas. Instead, that policewoman blamed Eugenia Fiore for not being veiled, which she suggested would have prevented such an attack.

Law enforcement’s response is a disturbing norm within French policing concerning these Islamic no-go zones. The police have standing orders to avoid intervention in these areas, leaving them under the unchecked influence of gangs and radical imams. As a result, these neighborhoods have become lawless “no-go zones,” where French law is suspended in favor of Islamic control….

The French police have been ordered not to intervene in No-Go areas, for fear of a violent response by the Muslims in those cities and neighborhoods. Muslims do not respect the French state, its laws, or its representatives, such as the police and firemen (who are frequently the object of attack by Muslims), for they know that the only law that matters is the Sharia. Except for the most extreme of crimes — i.e., murder — the French police will not enter the 750 No-Go areas dotted throughout the country to enforce the laws of France. Non-Muslims have been put on notice: we Muslims rule in No-Go areas, and you Infidels, the “most vile of created beings,” must obey our rules in the territories we now control.

How many American, Canadian, and British soldiers died on those beaches in the northwest corner of this map in order to preserve France from the Nazis, only to surrender it to the New Nazis - Islam?