The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) recently published its sixth monitoring report on Austria.

ECRI, which describes itself as “independent”, is the human rights monitoring body of the Council of Europe — not to be confused with the European Union. The Council of Europe is composed of 47 member states, including all of the 27 European Union member states.

ECRI is an unelected body with members designated by their governments (one for each member state) who are supposed to have “in-depth knowledge in the field of combating intolerance…. and recognised expertise in dealing with racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance”. It was founded in 1994 by the heads of state of the Council of Europe with the mandate, among other things, to “review member States’ legislation, policies and other measures to combat racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance, and their effectiveness”.

Thanks in large part to the efforts of ECRI and the Council of Europe, Europe now has a huge web of hate speech laws and policies. Gatestone has previously reported on ECRI’s monitoring of Germany and of Switzerland.

In its sixth monitoring report on Austria, ECRI wrote that “progress has been made and good practices have been developed in a number of fields”.

“Austria has taken several initiatives to thwart hate speech by developing a counter-narrative. The authorities have worked with civil society to improve the detection and recording of online hate and to provide support to victims of such incidents… in… 2018, the authorities concluded an agreement with social network providers to remove hate speech within 24 hours”.

However, according to the ECRI, Austria must do more:

“ECRI notes with concern that Austrian public discourse has become increasingly xenophobic in recent years, and political speech has taken on highly divisive and antagonistic overtones particularly targeting Muslims and refugees. The arrival of asylum seekers in large numbers during the European migration crisis in 2015 also saw an escalation of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiments, portraying newcomers as a threat to security, national identity or culture”.

ECRI ignores that there may be a context and a reason for “portraying newcomers as a threat to security”. It does not consider the proliferation of Islamic terrorism in Europe or research showing that terrorists have migrated into Europe disguised as asylum seekers, who have gone on to perpetrate deadly terrorist attacks. It also does not acknowledge that, in the words of a 2016 New York Times article about Austria:

“… the challenges of integrating the refugees have become clearer as concerns about crime, sexual mores and cultural clashes come into stark relief across Europe, highlighted by the New Year’s Eve assaultson German women by Arab or North African men in Cologne”.

Similar sexual assaults, by migrant men on Austrian women, but on a far lesser scale, also occurred in Salzburg and Vienna on that same night. Crime statistics for 2017 from the Austrian police showed that 39% of crime suspects were “foreigners”.

Instead, the report notes:

“ECRI is concerned about the sharp rise in intolerant discourse against Muslims. Two different studies conducted in 2017 suggest that 28% of the Austrian population would not want Muslim neighbours and 65% of them were strongly opposed to further migration from Muslim states. Such high levels of Islamophobia are confirmed by a FRA-EU survey, in which 32% of Muslim respondents reported having experienced harassment due to their ethnic or immigrant background in the last year. Certain politicians and media persist in portraying Muslims in a negative light. Claims about a presumed lack of integration of Muslims in Austria and about their alleged opposition to ‘fundamental Austrian values’ leading to violent extremism remain common in public discourse and contribute to a climate of mistrust and fear of Muslims. Research indicates that this trend has further been exacerbated by legislative initiatives, often in connection with security concerns, that affect Muslims, such as the Islam Act of 2015 and the Anti-Face Veiling Act of 2017”.

Again, ECRI does not mention that Austria has experienced serious problems both with integration and with radical Islamism. As previously reported by Gatestone in 2017, the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF), a department of the foreign ministry published a study, “The role of the mosque in the integration process” in which government representatives surveyed 16 mosques in Vienna:

“According to the study, six of the 16 mosque associations examined (37.5%) pursue ‘a policy that actively impedes integration into society and to some extent exhibits fundamentalist tendencies.’ Half of the 16 mosques examined ‘preach a dichotomous worldview, the pivotal tenet of which is the division of the world into Muslims on one side, and everyone else on the other.’ Six of the mosques were found to practice ‘explicit denigration of Western society’.”

In its 2018 annual report, Austria’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counter-Terrorism (BVT) warned:

“For Austria, the greatest threat remains… from Islamist extremism and terrorism. Although… fewer Jihad travelers (Foreign Terrorist Fighters) have returned to Austria than expected, this group of so-called ‘returnees’ poses a significant threat to internal security… in view of the current territorial dissolution of the so-called ‘Islamic State’ (IS), further security challenges consist of the possible smuggling of jihadists in the course of migration movements to Europe… into Austrian society…”

None of this context exists for ECRI, which appears to operate in a vacuum, unencumbered by real world facts. Instead, ECRI commends Austria for having “several measures in place… which aim to combat hate speech by developing a counter-narrative.”

“For instance, in 2016, the National Committee for the ‘No Hate Speech’ campaign of the Council of Europe was set up. After launching another campaign #makelovegreatagain in 2017, it still runs various awareness-raising activities with the involvement of several actors, including state authorities and NGOs. Since July 2018, in cooperation with the public prosecutor’s office, Neustart, which is the Austrian probation service, has initiated the programme ‘Dialog statt Hass’ (Dialog instead of Hatred), which aims at developing a constructive response to hate speech by creating a sense of wrongdoing and reflection among offenders, subsequently leading to behavioural change”.

Still, even these initiatives do not suffice:

“Immediate and public condemnation of hate speech is not common. Rare examples of good practice include the call for a tolerant and diverse nation, free of ideological and racial hatred by the President of Austria in January 2017…” states the report and asks “that political leaders on all sides take a firm and public stance against the expression of racist hate speech and react to any such expression with a strong counter-hate speech message. All political parties in the country should adopt codes of conduct which prohibit the use of hate speech and call on their members and followers to abstain from using it”.

Furthermore, victims of hate speech need to have more support:

“In September 2017, the counselling centre #GegenHassimNetz (Against online hate), which is financed by the Federal Chancellery, became operational… for victims and witnesses of online hate. Counselling includes strategies for effective responses to hate messages and information on available legal remedies against perpetrators or website operators. Other measures such as the counselling on the removal of hate messages from social media or other websites are also being supported. This initiative has already yielded positive results, as shown by the increasing number of reported incidents concerning online hate speech… The ICT-security portal (www.onlinesicherheit.gv.at), which is an inter-ministerial initiative, also provides an overview of effective prevention measures, reporting mechanisms as well as counselling centres on hate speech”.

ECRI finally notes:

“In 2018, the Federal Minister for Constitutional Affairs, Reforms, Deregulation and Justice concluded an agreement pursuant to which Facebook will check notifications of illegal content regarding hate speech within 24 hours and will remove or lock down such content… In addition, Internet users and civil society can report racist content via the Internet- Reporting Office on the website of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism”.

ECRI welcomed the information that a governmental working group of experts is being set up “to develop the legal basis for effective action against hatred on the Internet.”

“On a related note, the authorities further informed ECRI that new legislation, namely the ‘Federal Act on Diligence and Responsibility in the Network’ was proposed in April 2019, aiming at combating online hate speech by requiring social media users and online commenters to provide their real identities to the online platforms, which would then be responsible for verifying the information… In this respect, ECRI recalls that the authorities should ensure that anyone who engages in hate speech as covered by Article 283 of the Criminal Code is duly prosecuted and punished”.

In Austria, more censorship is clearly on the way.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16126/austria-free-speech

In front of other passengers, a man stabbed his separated wife to death in a public bus. The 37-year-old had stabbed his former partner in the bus in Obergünzburg (district Ostallgäu) this Monday at noon.

The incident was particularly serious: “School children were also on the bus during the crime”, a police spokesman told the tabloid BILD. They had to watch the crime.

The 27-year-old woman later died of her severe injuries in a clinic. The suspected perpetrator, an Afghan national, was caught after a short escape. The bus driver and the other passengers received psychological support after the crime. The victim also had Afghan citizenship.

“The suspect is already known to the police from November 2019, when there was an assault on his separated wife,” according to the official police statement.

The man fled the bus on foot immediately after the crime, but was caught and arrested shortly afterwards. He left a knife on the bus before he escaped.

The police ask that parents whose children need to be looked after report to the police in the Allgäu by calling: (0831) 9909-1401

https://www.bild.de/news/2020/news/bluttat-in-bayern-mann-ersticht-ex-frau-in-linienbus-71728496.bild.html

In the late evening hours of July 4, an 18-year-old woman was allegedly first molested and then attacked by a group of five people on the platform at Radolfzell station. Surrounded by this group, a 27-year-old Nigerian is said to have held the victim against her will and tried to kiss her. The 18-year-old managed to free herself, left the station and turned to employees of a private security company, who then called the police.The policemen who arrived from the Radolfzell police station and the Constance Federal Police Inspectorate spotted the group of suspects at the station. At first, the men refused to hand over their identity papers. In the further course of the inspection, they are said to have called the officers “racists” and “bastards”, among other things. During the preliminary arrest, a 32-year-old Nigerian citizen resisted by biting the finger of an officer of the federal police. The police officer was incapacitated.The two suspects and the victim were taken to the police station for further investigation. Criminal charges were brought against the Nigerians by the Federal Police on suspicion of sexual harassment, insulting and resisting police officers.Due to the turmoil on the platform, “driving at sight” was temporarily ordered for all trains.

presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/116092/4644250

These days Turkey is vying for the title of top thug in both Europe and Northern Africa. Apart from the “spy scandal” with France, Turkey has been meddling directly in the Libyan conflict in a profoundly comprehensive and controversial way, deepening existing tensions.

According to the daily Sabah, a former employee of the French consulate’s security service claimed he had erected a spy ring for France in exchange also for a place in the French Foreign Legion – an unlikely reward. The revelation came just days after an incident at sea embarrassing Turkey.

On June 17, a Turkish government delegation arrived in the capital Tripoli to take part in negotiations with representatives of the Government of National Accord (GNA), led by its head Fayez Sarraj.

According to the Anadolu state news agency, the Turkish delegation included Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Minister of Finance Berat Albayrak, Director of the National Intelligence Organization Hakan Fidan and other officials.

It is worth mentioning that the trip of Turkish ministers to Tripoli was a reciprocal visit – in early June, Libyan Prime Minister Sarraj visited Ankara and met the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

During that meeting, the Turkish leader indicated that the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Marshal Khalifa Haftar could not take part in the talks on the Libyan conflict. “A person whose actions are constantly threatening the future of Libya is not entitled to be represented at the negotiating table,” the Turkish president declared.

Turkey will not abandon its brothers in Libya, leaving them at the mercy of “mercenaries and putschists,” Erdogan assured Sarraj standing next to him, stressing that Ankara would support the GNA on all international platforms to force a settlement of the Libyan conflict.

The head of the Turkish state also maintained that after talks with the head of the Libyan government, it was decided to expand the scope of cooperation in Libya. “Turkey and Libya plan to deepen cooperation, including on the issue of exploration and drilling of oil deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Erdogan explained.

But some media outlets reported that Turkey’s plans for Libya went far beyond a mere aspiration “to reach a settlement”: Ankara aims to assign an insider to one of the most influential posts in Tripoli – the head of the GNA’s intelligence service.

According to information provided by the French agency Africa Intelligence, a new battle has begun in the Libyan capital, but this time one of a political nature. The game is for control over the intelligence service of the Government of National Accord. The position of the head and two positions of deputies are still vacant.

So far, the head of the GNA, Fayez Sarraj, has been the acting head. However, the battle for the chair of the intelligence chief is heating up. In addition, the situation has become tenser due to the struggle for power and administrative welter within the GNA government.

At the same time, according to Africa Intelligence, the system of foreign influence in Libya has changed significantly since the final stage of the launch of the anti-terrorist operation Al-Karama, organized by the forces of the LNA commander Marshal Khalifa Haftar on April 4, 2019.

Currently, Rome has lost its dominant grasp on the Libyan secret services, with which it had historically close ties. Today, the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has the decisive leverage in the GNA government.

So obviously, the Turkish leader is trying to appoint a loyal intelligence chief.

Nevertheless, as Africa Intelligence reported, Turkey’s candidates for this position have an extremely dubious reputation. In May, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Turkish network, recognized as terrorist organization in some countries, already lobbied for the appointment of radical Islamist leader Khalid al-Sharif, the former commander of the Libyan Islamic Combat Group. At the June meeting in Ankara, Turkey revisited this issue.

Sharif is known for having ties to Al-Qaeda, is a former CIA prison inmate, involved in the murder of American consulate employees and he has maintained relations with Tripoli’s slave traders. He is also wanted for participating in the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi in 2012. Sharif currently resides in Istanbul. According to information from anonymous sources, he secretly visited the capital of Libya last week together with employees of Turkey’s special forces.

freewestmedia.com/2020/07/06/turkeys-intervention-in-libya-erdogan-sends-ministers-lobbies-for-murderers/

In the wake of a planned attack on his teacher Wolfgang Wittchow (52 years old) in Dortmund, the regional court sentenced student Serkan (17 years old) to prison on Monday for attempted murder.The regional court did not tell the exact sentence on Monday. A spokesperson said that the sentence could not be suspended, however. The trial against Serkan and two 18 and 19-year-old accomplices took place completely in camera.

The 18-year-old was convicted of aiding and abetting attempted murder. The third defendant was acquitted of conspiracy to commit murder.

The defendants are alleged to have lured the teacher into an ambush to the smoking area on May 9, 2019, under a pretext to beat him to death with a hammer. Allegedly a buddy of the student had fainted, another one was taking care of him there and needed help. Wittchow to the tabloid BILD: “What was weird to me was that they don’t smoke at all.”

The suspicious teacher never turned his back on anyone. So there had been no attack…

bild.de/regional/ruhrgebiet/ruhrgebiet-aktuell/dortmund-versuchter-mord-an-lehrer-serkan-17-muss-in-den-knast-71719628.bild.html

by Giulio Meotti

The Church of England has replaced a classical Jesus with a black Jesus. The painting was installed not in some London museum for snobby bourgeois, but in the altar of the famous cathedral of St. Albans, the oldest and most continuously active Christian place of worship in the UK.

Ever since the leaders of Western Christianity completely lost the light of reason (and of faith), they have only seen black.

But all these lying and hypocritical affected demonstrations of anti-racism tell us more, they tell us that Western societies are overwhelmed by a frightening weakness and an epidemic of cultural disgust for their own civilization. There is no opposition to this chaos. These enemies want to bring the West into submission by imposing on it a representation that is absolutely foreign to our history. They will, if this goes on, overwhelm us.

“Tear down the statues of Jesus” since he is a white supremacist, said Shaun King of Black Lives Matter. Did it not make you laugh?

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, leader of the Church of England, welcomed the idea and said we must rethink the white Jesus and that the statues in the Canterbury Cathedral will be reviewed.

The most dangerous barbarians are not those who demolish the monuments of Western history and culture. The most dangerous are the ones who should be guarding them. They hate their civilization so much that they will leave nothing standing.

In the US, the most grotesque manifestation of this self hate is the story of Columbus, Ohio. The city just evicted a 16-foot bronze statue . . . of Christopher Columbus. “For many people in our community, the statue represents patriarchy, oppression and divisiveness”, said Mayor Andrew Ginther. A petition with 118,000 signatures— an eighth of Columbus’s population— suggested they rechristen the city “Flavortown”.

Where do these stupid Americans think the name “America” came from? From Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian navigator and explorer. Maybe, he, too, was a white supremacist? And Columbia University? And the southern nation of Colombia?

This fury shown in ransacking the emblematic monuments of the history of the Western world, attached to that of colonial domination, is aiming at destroying roots and traditions. It is the result of a declining society which celebrates repentance and minorities, the collapse of the teaching of history, literature, philosophy and science, a result of political and intellectual decline.

I have a tip for the city of Columbus and Columbia University which are willing to forget where they come from: replacing the statue of Columbus with that of a kneeling Nancy Pelosi. She is the perfect Italo-American for the new US socialist, multicultural and woke republic.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/283065

The German state of Hesse’s commissioner for Jewish life and the fight against antisemitism told The Jerusalem Post by email on Sunday that the Bundestag passed an anti-Israel resolution that will weaken the Jewish state.Uwe Becker wrote that “The Bundestag was wrong. The decision of the German parliament towards Israel was wrong and might help by weakening the role and position of the Jewish state in further negotiations. Friends do not judge friends when it comes to parliamentary or governmental initiatives. The growing instability in the Middle East justifiably increases Israel’s interest in secure borders, especially in the east of the country.”

The commissioner was responding to an editorial in the country’s largest paper Bild on Friday that blasted the Bundestag’s condemnation of Israel as “grotesque and packed with bias.” The parliament issued its non-binding resolution against Israel’s plan to exercise sovereignty over parts of the disputed West Bank territory.Becker, who is also president of the German-Israel Friendship Society, said that “The unwillingness on the Palestinian side to conduct serious negotiations and the Arab side’s rejection of all previous international peace plans increases the pressure on the Israeli government to solve related territorial issues unilaterally.  This is understandable in my view. There could be a Palestinian state for more than 70 years, if the Arab countries would have accepted and not rejected the partition plan of the United Nations in 1947.”Becker noted that “Instead of reaching out to the hand that David Ben-Gurion was peacefully offering towards the neighboring states on the day of the declaration of Israel’s Independence in 1948, the Arab states declared war on the young Jewish state and have done so in the decades that followed. The Israeli government has not only the right, but the duty to protect its citizens and to secure the borders of the country.”He concluded that “I believe that the political and international-law based assessment of Israel’s action by the German Bundestag is wrong. To my very own mind, it is not even an ‘annexation’ when Israel is expanding its sovereignty over the Jordan valley. In my view, Germany and the EU should increase the pressure on the Palestinian Authority so that the PA finally comes to the negotiating table with its own proposals for a two-state solution. Israel has long since declared its willingness to negotiate.”Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Party and her coalition parties, the Christian Social Union and the Social Democratic Party, passed the resolution on Wednesday. The parties were joined by the Free Democratic Party. Aside from the resolution targeting Israel’s land dispute with the Palestinians, the Bundestag has not condemned any other of the over one hundred territorial disputes across the world.

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/antisemitism-commissioner-slams-german-parliament-for-anti-israel-bias-633999