Bear Retrieval Unit posted:

I was in Amsterdam over the weekend and something that caught my attention was that I didn't see a single homeless person in the city, so does the Netherlands have an amazing welfare system or did they do a poor people holocaust while no one was paying attention?

https://whatsupwithamsterdam.com/homeless-in-amsterdam posted:

THIS ARTICLE WAS UPDATED NOVEMBER 2021

Many people visiting Amsterdam are surprised to see there are not many homeless people in the streets. In many European countries, there are many homeless people in the streets. In The Netherlands, the social system should prevent people from becoming homeless, but still the amount of homeless in Holland are on the rise. Winters in Amsterdam are very cold. In the winter of 2020-2021, the council of Amsterdam offers shelter for all homeless on days when it is really cold.

How many homeless people are there in Amsterdam?

According to the GGD, 500 to 1000 people are homeless in Amsterdam. (Total inhabitants are 800.000). Is this a lot? It’s difficult to tell because countries have different ways of counting their homeless. Besides that, it’s obviously rather difficult to count the homeless, as they are not registered. In Belgian Antwerp (510.000 inhabitants), they count 500 homeless. The amount of homeless people in Amsterdam has risen sharply in the last 10 years.

Where can homeless people in Amsterdam find shelter?

In Amsterdam, homeless people may find a warm place to rest during the daytime at an ‘inloophuis’. Find a list of inloophuizen in Amsterdam.

At an Amsterdam inloophuis, people can use the toilet and shower. There is coffee available. Often there is food and activities like games and tv. Everyone is free to walk in, but in corona-times, there are limitations on the number of people inside.

More inloophuizen, meals, support and legal assistance at Straatjurist.
A map of all the locations in Amsterdam.
Social map of Amsterdam for the homeless support
Where can homeless people sleep in Amsterdam?

From 2021, shelter for the homeless is coordinated by the new Buurtteams. There are local Buurtteams all over Amsterdam. Find a local branche of Buurtteam.

The Buurtteam can appoint you to the ‘nachtopvang’ or ‘kortdurende opvang’. It is only accessible for people who are vulnerable. Generally, shelters in Amsterdam only take in people who have been in the city for a longer period (more than 3 months). If you have just arrived, you are supposed to arrange your own accommodation. In any case, expect a screening and a waiting list.

Stoelenproject, homeless shelter in Amsterdam

An easy and accessible shelter for all homeless in Amsterdam, without any screening, is the Stoelenproject at Marnixstraat 248. It is below the large car park. Everyone may spend the night here. Mondays and Thursdays from 8.00 – 9.00 free tickets are handed to the neediest. The entrance is from 18.00 until 21.00 hours. You sleep on a mattress on the floor in an open space. A meal and sandwiches in the morning are included.

Where can homeless people in Amsterdam sleep in winter?

In winter, there is a special shelter for the homeless in Amsterdam. This arrangement is called ‘winterkouderegeling. The shelter is only open when the weather is really cold. Report on these days at Transformatorweg 6. Check if it’s open at amsterdam.nl/daklozen.

Where can I stay if I have no legal papers?

Undocumented people may not stay at many of the official shelters. For them, there are special 24-hour shelters. Asylum seekers who were not granted permits, may find shelter there.

More info on shelter and housing for undocumented migrants in Amsterdam.
Info on support for refugees in Amsterdam.
More info for newcomers in Amsterdam.
Does the Dutch government give financial help to homeless people?

All people with Dutch residency who have no income nor property can get social welfare payment. (In Dutch ‘bijstandsuitkering’ or WWB). The basic payment (single, no kids, no income, no property) is about € 1080,00 per month. When you are homeless, the process to apply for social benefits is more complicated but doable.

Where can women find shelter in Amsterdam?

For women (with or without papers) who have been a victim of domestic or sexual violence can find accommodation in a woman’s shelter.

Why are there not many homeless people in the streets in Amsterdam?

If you walk out of any train station in European cities like Madrid, Paris, or London, the streets are filled with homeless people, beggars, junkies, and alcoholics. In Amsterdam, you will hardly find any. The reason is a policy that the 4 largest cities in The Netherlands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, and Utrecht) and the Dutch government implemented in 2006 to get homeless people off the streets.

In the first phase of the project, from 2006 – 2010, over 10.000 people who were living in the streets were offered personal assistance in finding medical care, tackling addictions and treating psychological problems. All those who took the offer got free accommodation. Over 5.500 people found a more stable lifestyle with an income and a roof over their heads.

Screaming homeless with heavy psychiatric disorders
The results were noticeable. In October 2008, the streets of the 4 large cities had lost 6.500 homeless people. Classic urban sights such as drug users, screaming homeless with heavy psychiatric disorders, beggars, petty thieves, homeless prostitutes, all once a common sight in Amsterdam, had more or less disappeared from the Amsterdam view. The project cost €175 million. It was calculated each invested euro saved 2-3 euros.

How many young people are homeless in The Netherlands?

In 2016 until 2018 there were 315 young people homeless (between 18 and 23 years old) in Amsterdam. Youngsters under the age of 18 you will not likely find sleeping in the streets of Amsterdam because they will be taken into the care of Bureau Jeugdzorg.

So there are no more homeless people in Amsterdam?

There are still many homeless people in Amsterdam and their numbers are growing again. From 2009 until 2019, the number of homeless people in The Netherlands rose from 18.000 to 40.000. In Amsterdam, there are 500 to 1000 homeless people.

Are you allowed to sleep in the streets in Amsterdam?

No, it’s not allowed to sleep outside in Amsterdam (nor in your car). If you sleep on a park bench, the police can arrest you. You will be spending the night in jail. It’s not likely the police will actually arrest you unless you cause a disturbance.

Cerebral Bore posted:

estonia can have a little genocidaire glorification, as a treat

Take the plunge! Okay! posted:

Everything points to local Q nuts who import American insanity wholesale

Honest Thief posted:

https://twitter.com/GunterFehlinger/status/1596949602657538048?s=20&t=CrIdm7b8BbCI0s4V2g2PcA

Weka posted:

In the case of the Habsburgs, they can't use their titles in Austria because aristocratic titles are banned, even including "von".

Megamissen posted:

yeah that is similar


egypt considers the straight line to be the border and sudan the one that moves down then up
so none of them consider the square theirs since they would lose the much more important triangle

i say swears online posted:

from a fb post about the irish potato famine

Tankbuster posted:

https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1716607414672179359

slave to my cravings posted:

what kind of a retarded rear end name is geert

SplitSoul posted:

The Institute for Human Rights released a new report detailing immigrant experiences with racism in Denmark and it's even worse than one would expect. Numbers are from the past year.

https://menneskeret.dk/udgivelser/oplevet-etnisk-diskrimination-danmark

quote:

Being Black in the EU – Experiences of people of African descent

FRA's first Being Black in the EU report exposed widespread and entrenched racism against people of African descent in Europe. Now updated with new data, this report revisits the situation revealing persistent racial discrimination, harassment and violence. Overall, experiences of racial discrimination increased in the EU countries since 2016, reaching as high as 77%. The lack of progress is alarming despite binding anti-discrimination law in the EU since 2000 and significant EU policy developments since then.

quote:

Most Germans recognize that racism exists in their society, affecting not only minorities but everybody who lives here. The country's first National Discrimination and Racism report has found some surprising results.

Have you ever been a victim of racism? In a recent survey, 22% of people living in Germany answered "yes" to this question. Researchers from the German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM) conducted 5,000 telephone interviews from April to August 2021. They also analyzed media coverage, academic papers and legal documents.

Their findings were published in the institute's first nationwide study entitled "Racist Realities — How Germany Deals with Racism." It is part of the National Discrimination and Racism Monitor (NaDiRa) and was presented by DeZIM director Naika Foroutan on Thursday in Berlin. (https://www.rassismusmonitor.de/studie-rassistische-realitaeten/)

"We were really surprised that 90% said there is racism in Germany," she said, adding that the researchers were also surprised that about half agreed with the statement "We live in a racist society." That indicates people have an awareness of institutional and structural racism, she said.


The study focused on attitudes toward six groups: Jews, Muslims, Sinti and Roma, Black people, Asians and Eastern Europeans. It found that people experienced discrimination based on their skin and hair color, but also because they wore a headscarf or had a foreign-sounding name.

The report also discusses phenomena the study team described as "gradation" in relation to discrimination. For example, when it comes to discrimination in the labor or housing market, the researchers found that "when it affects Jews or Black people, it is more likely to be described as racist than when it involves Sinti and Roma or Muslims."

Almost half of the respondents said they believed that human "races" exist, despite this having long been debunked by science. This view was held disproportionately by older participants in the survey. One-third of respondents said they believed that in general certain ethnic groups were more industrious than others.

One-third of those surveyed said victims of racism were "oversensitive." About 45% said they believed that "political correctness" and opposition to racism restricted freedom of expression. While the majority in Germany recognizes that racism exists, it is seen as part of everyday life. Almost 65% of people in Germany assume that state authorities practice racist discrimination.

Racism cuts across all social groups

"Acknowledging racism does not mean that you are anti-racist," Foroutan said. And those who experience racism "don't behave any less racist" than others.

Racism is not a question of education or origin, and victims of racism can also be perpetrators, the researchers found.

It is more a matter of hierarchy, observed Foroutan, who sees parallels to the findings in gender research. "Racism and sexism theoretically play out on the same level," she concluded.

Equal opportunities for migrants?

Family Minister Lisa Paus, a Green party politician, described the results of the report as in part "shocking."

The study found that a higher level of formal education does not protect against racist discrimination.

"So racism has nothing to do with successful integration," the family minister concluded.

70% of those surveyed said they were willing to take action against racism. Young people in particular are committed to combating racism and less likely to accept it, Foroutan explained.

"Germany knows about its racism problem," said the Federal Government Commissioner for Racism, Reem Alabali-Radovan, of the Social Democratic Party, after the publication of the report. The Racism Monitor is an important step toward change, she added.

What does it mean to be Black in Germany?

At the press conference, Family Minister Paus stressed that she expected the planned Democracy Promotion Act to provide "more permanent structures for civil society engagement against extremism and racism." The legislation, which is currently being drawn up, aims to provide a basis for the promotion and funding of grassroots initiatives that combat extremism in the country.

The National Discrimination and Racism Monitor is intended to provide a database and benchmark for policymakers to take action to combat racism. A fresh survey is to be conducted every two years, provided that the budget committee approves funding for it.

Orange Devil posted:

If you want a real conundrum, I've read so many loving interviews these last 2 weeks of migrants and Muslims in NL who either considered voting or actually voted for one of the explicitly fash nativist & anti-Islam parties.

Zedhe Khoja posted:

turkish diaspora sucks rear end why are they all like this
"yeah my father was a minority communist dissident who had to flee Turkey anyway I've developed a new political ideology called anaracho-bozkurtism where the state is replaced by a corporate tribunal of all the american fastfood chains whose will is enforced by a cia-trained ethnic militia, heil hitler"

Orange Devil posted:

Forum, on the other hand, is deliberately constructing a parallel society. They have their own media, organize lots of physical get-togethers, started their own schools, have their own dating app, plus an app to do all sorts of business with other Forum members, and I'm sure the list goes on with poo poo I'm not aware of. Their tree might not be so big right now, but their focus is on burrowing their roots in deep and wide.

Orange Devil posted:

If the number of Danes grows too large I support nuking for population control tbh.

www.amnesty.eu posted:

Reforms agreed today by the EU on the Pact on Migration and Asylum will set European asylum law back for decades to come and lead to greater human suffering, said Amnesty International.

Today’s political agreement on a set of legislative proposals, will reform EU migration and asylum policy through a set of regulations governing how states respond to people arriving in Europe. The deal reached today by the European Commission, Council of the EU, and European Parliament will diminish the rights of people on the move.

quote:

This agreement will set back European asylum law for decades to come. Its likely outcome is a surge in suffering on every step of a person’s journey to seek asylum in the EU.
Eve Geddie, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office

“This agreement will set back European asylum law for decades to come. Its likely outcome is a surge in suffering on every step of a person’s journey to seek asylum in the EU. From the way they are treated by countries outside the EU, their access to asylum and legal support at Europe’s border, to their reception within the EU, this agreement is designed to make it harder for people to access safety,” said Eve Geddie, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office.

“The Pact will almost certainly cause more people to be put into de facto detention at EU borders, including families with children and people in vulnerable situations. There will be reduced safeguards for people seeking asylum in the EU, with more people channelled through substandard border asylum procedures, rather than receiving a fair and full assessment of their asylum claims.”

“The Migration Pact also falls short of concretely supporting states where people first arrive in Europe including Italy, Spain or Greece. Instead of prioritising solidarity through relocations and strengthening protection systems, states will be able to simply pay to strengthen external borders, or fund countries outside the EU to prevent people from reaching Europe.”

The agreement reached today also allows countries to opt out of a broad range of EU asylum rules in times of increased arrivals and in case of so-called ‘instrumentalisation’ of migrants or ‘force majeure’. These exemptions risk, in practice, breaching international obligations under refugee and international human rights law. These undermine a common, humane response to people in need of protection, place people at risk of severe human rights violations, and risk normalising disproportionate emergency measures at European borders, setting a dangerous precedent for the right to asylum globally.

At the same time, this agreement reinforces the EU’s dependence on states beyond its borders to manage migration, building on recent deals with Albania, Libya, Tunisia, and Türkiye. Rather than investing in dignified reception within the EU and expanding safe and regular pathways to allow people to reach protection in Europe without relying on dangerous journeys, this amounts to a further step towards externalising border control and evading Europe’s refugee protection responsibilities.

quote:

“Amnesty International has long called on EU institutions and member states to put human rights at the centre of negotiations on EU asylum reforms. However, after years of complex negotiations, the EU now risks sleepwalking into a system in even greater need of reform than the current one.”
Eve Geddie, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office

“Amnesty International has long called on EU institutions and member states to put human rights at the centre of negotiations on EU asylum reforms. However, after years of complex negotiations, the EU now risks sleepwalking into a system in even greater need of reform than the current one.”

“The Pact won’t solve the pressing problems facing asylum systems in the EU, including underinvestment in asylum and reception systems, unlawful and often violent pushbacks, policies that deny people the right to asylum, and impunity at EU borders. Without renewed commitment to enforcing EU law and ensuring accountability for pushbacks and other violations, the Pact will do nothing to improve protections for asylum seekers in Europe – or improve Europe’s common response to migration. We continue to call on the EU to address these well-documented violations and take steps to ensure a human rights compliant, sustainable, and well-resourced response to people arriving at Europe’s borders.”

Background

Today, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU reached a political agreement on several key files of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, including the Asylum Procedures Regulation (APR), Asylum and Migration Management Regulation (AMMR), Screening Regulation, the Crisis and Force Majeure Regulation, and the Eurodac Regulation.

However, talks will continue at a technical level up until February 2024, with a formal adoption expected before the European Parliament elections in June 2024.

www.turkishminute.com posted:

The number of deportations from Germany to Turkey has risen, marking a substantial increase from 515 in 2022 to 744 between January and October 2023, the Neuen Osnabrücker Zeitung, a German regional daily, reported on Thursday.

According to the newspaper, which cites an answer from the Federal Ministry of the Interior to a question from Clara Buenger, a member of the Bundestag for the Die Linke opposition party, 13,512 people were deported from Germany in the first 10 months of 2023, a significant increase compared to the 12,945 deportations last year.

There have been fewer deportations in recent years, Neuen Osnabrücker Zeitung said, mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic. in 2021, 11,982 people were deported, compared to 10,800 in 2020.

The pre-pandemic level has still not been reached again, the daily said, adding that 22,097 people were deported in 2019.

The main destination countries so far this year have been Austria, Georgia, North Macedonia, Moldova and Albania, according to the daily.

It was also pointed out that while 515 people were deported to Turkey in 2022, the figure rose to 744 in the first 10 months of this year. There were only 361 deportations in 2021.

Criticizing the upward trend, Bünger said it means more and more people are being forced back against their will to countries where they are threatened with war, arbitrary detention, torture, extreme poverty or a lack of prospects.

She added that it would be much better to open up a path to a permanent right of residence for those people.

Bünger called the increase in deportations to Turkey particularly worrying, underlining that left-wing and pro-Kurdish opposition members in Turkey were being imprisoned en masse for the sole reason that they had campaigned for democracy and the right to self-determination.

“It is unacceptable that German authorities are deporting refugees from Turkey directly into the hands of their persecutors. The cronyism with the regime of [President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan must end,” she added.

In late November, the Deutsche Welle Turkish service reported that the number of Turkish citizens attempting to enter Germany without a valid residence or travel document had increased significantly. The figures rose from 2,077 in 2019 to 9,094 last year, representing a 338 percent increase.

According to the information provided by the police, a total of 12,321 Turkish citizens entered Germany illegally between January and September 2023, and they anticipate this figure to reach 20,000 by the end of the year, suggesting that the number will increase tenfold compared to 2019.

Thousands of people had to flee Turkey in the aftermath of a coup attempt in July 2016, following which Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) launched a widespread crackdown on non-loyalist citizens under the pretext of an anti-coup fight. These people, some of whom had to flee the country illegally by way of the Aegean Sea or Evros River land border because their passports had been canceled under state of emergency measures taken by the government, applied for asylum in Europe and other countries.

In addition to these people, many others are trying to move abroad, mostly to Europe, the United States and Canada, for better life and career opportunities.

mila kunis posted:

you can openly post "Muslims are inherently violent and incompatible with living in western societies" in the rules based decorum version of this thread now. I got hit with a probe for calling it out lol

Nonsense posted:

Take the plunge! Okay! posted:

I hope they are gyroing Schauble in hell rn

Orange Devil posted:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liever_Turks_dan_Paaps


For further lolworthy context, Wilders is from the Catholic south of the country.

A Buttery Pastry posted:

Calvino-Turcismus was the Judeo-Bolshevism of the time.

Cyril Lucaris, Patriarch of Constantinople (born Nov. 13, 1572, Crete—died June 27, 1638, aboard a ship in the Bosphorus) posted:

l If I die, I wish you able to testify that I die an Orthodox Catholic, in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, as contained in the Confessio Belgica, in my own Confession, and in all Confessions of the Evangelical Churches, which are all alike. I hold in abomination the errors of the Papists and the superstitions of the Greeks; I approve and embrace the doctrine of the most excellent teacher John Calvin and of all who agree with him.

quote:

Lucaris was several times temporarily deposed and banished at the instigation of both his Orthodox opponents and the Catholic French and Austrian ambassadors,[6] while he was supported by the Protestant Dutch and English ambassadors to the Ottoman capital. Finally, when the Ottoman Sultan Murad IV was about to set out for the Persian War, the Patriarch was accused of a design to stir up the Cossacks, and to avoid trouble during his absence the Sultan had him strangled[19] by the Janissaries on 27 June 1638 aboard a ship in the Bosporus.[6] His body was thrown into the sea, but it was recovered and buried at a distance from the capital by his friends, and only brought back to Constantinople after many years.[6]

Carthag Tuek posted:

danish queen just abdicated, very important brews

SplitSoul posted:

That's the Queen and the late Prince Consort smoking it up.

It's just tobacco, sadly.

quote:

Guter Austausch mit CSU im 🇩🇪 Bundestag. Viel Einigkeit. #Seeon24

Europa soll

➡️schneller, wettbewerbsfähiger, stärker werden

➡️Schutz zur Kernaufgabe machen

➡️Illegale Migration wirkungsvoll bekämpfen, dabei Verpflichtungen einhalten

➡️ Ducklo einbetten

Europa gibt Halt & Sicherheit im Wandel.

www.usnews.com posted:

ALCOY, Spain/BARCELONA/MADRID (Reuters) - Anti-racism activists in Spain have called for a ban on the use of blackface seen in many of the country's traditional Epiphany celebrations.

Rita Bosaho, the first Black woman in Spain's parliament, said the practice - part of annual Jan. 5 parades on the eve of Epiphany that depict the biblical Three Kings who brought gifts to Jesus - tarnish the memory of enslaved people and disempower Black children.

In the parades, actors portraying the kings, or Magi, ride past on floats and fling sweets, which are eagerly scooped up by children. Early Christian texts describe one of the kings, Balthazar, as African and Renaissance paintings often depict him as Black.

In the eastern town of Alcoy that has a long tradition of the parades, dozens of people acting the role of pages accompanied the kings in Friday's event, their faces painted black and with exaggerated, red-painted lips. Some ran along the edge of the crowd high-fiving children.

Bosaho, who led the Equality Ministry's racial diversity department from 2020 to 2023, said the use of blackface in the parades persisted because of a lack of debate on racism that she said permeated Spanish society.

"It sends a message that racism, that our skin doesn't matter," Bosaho added.

A spokesperson for the Equality Ministry was unavailable for comment during the holiday period.

A 2021 study commissioned by the Equality Ministry found that although nearly half of people of African descent living in Spain were born in the country, only 12% described themselves as "Afro-Spanish" and 60% said they did not feel Spanish due to discrimination they suffered.

People defending the use of blackface say they mean no harm and are just continuing a tradition.

The northeastern town of Igualada holds the oldest parade in the Catalonia region and most of its around 800 participants wear blackface.

"We don't consider ourselves xenophobic nor racist, nor do we consider racist the fact that some people dress up and apply makeup to act in a role and to bring joy to kids,"said Eduard Creus, who leads the private organisation behind the parade.

In Alcoy, the large gathering of pages with the kings are usually white local youths wearing blackface.

"We have our faces painted black because it's always been done and it's a great way for the local children of Alcoy who know us to be unable to know who we are," said Paula, who did not give her last name.

The local authority in Alcoy declined to be interviewed.

MADRID INCIDENT

A video published on Thursday by authorities in Madrid's Chamartin district showed a white actor playing Balthazar wearing blackface and addressing children in an apparently mock-West African accent, sparking a widespread outcry online and in the media.

"It's incredible that among the 120,000 residents of Madrid who are of African descent, they were unable to find a single one who can play the role of Balthazar," said Eduardo Rubino of the left-wing Mas Madrid party, describing the accent as "pathetic" and "pure racism".

Madrid's deputy mayor told reporters the video was a "regrettable error" by the company that produced it and said the city would seek an explanation.

Antoinette Torres, the founder of Afrofeminas, an online community seeking to boost Black womens' visibility, said there was a "lack of political will to tackle racism" but that nationwide legislation was needed to protect minors and end practices such as blackface.

"Normalising these tendencies leads to things that shouldn't be tolerated in the 21st century are still happening in Spain," she said, mentioning last year's hanging of an effigy depicting Black Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr from a bridge.

She added that many Spaniards do not see blackface as racist because the education system does not teach the country's past links to slavery and colonialism.

Spain once had a protectorate that comprised part of modern-day Morocco and colonies in what are now Equatorial Guinea and Western Sahara, and engaged in the slave trade into the 1800s.

genericnick posted:

It's somehow also a catholic thing.

speng31b posted:

what's your favorite

quote:

Poison gas was introduced by Imperial Germany, and was subsequently used by all major belligerents in the war, in violation of the 1899 Hague Declaration Concerning Asphyxiating Gases and the 1907 Hague Convention on Land Warfare.[41][42]

webcams for christ posted:

https://x.com/birgitc/status/1750805223583498399

www.turkishminute.com - Mon, 29 Jan 2024 posted:

A report by the German Bild am Sonntag newspaper about the establishment of a Turkish-Islamist party in Germany close to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that will run in the upcoming European elections has led to alarm in the country, with many interpreting it as an attempt by Erdoğan to expand his influence on the Turkish population there, several German media outlets reported.

Bild am Sonntag reported on Sunday that Erdoğan is seeking the establishment of a Turkish-Islamist political party called Demokratische Allianz für Vielfalt und Aufbruch (Democratic Alliance for Diversity and Awakening, or DAVA) with the expectation that the party will run in the European elections scheduled for June 9.

“Dava” is also a Turkish word frequently used by Erdoğan meaning “cause” or something he is fighting for.

Politicians from several parties in Germany have expressed concerns about the possible establishment of a “branch” of Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the country.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) of Germany chairwoman Saskia Esken told Welt-TV that it was important to make it clear to German citizens of Turkish origin that Germany belongs together and that they are one people.

She said “neither should the right-wing extremists who want to deport migrants be allowed to get close to the power nor should the divisive tendencies of Recep Tayyip Erdogan” play a role in Germany.

According to Bild am Sonntag, four men who previously worked for organizations close to Erdoğan or his AKP are named as the top candidates for the European elections.

Germany’s Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir from the Greens Party, who is of Turkish origin, also reacted to the news about the possible establishment of an Erdoğan-affiliate party in Germany, saying on X, “An Erdogan offshoot running for elections here is the last thing we need.”

Jens Spahn, a member of the German parliament from the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), warned on X that an Erdoğan-AKP offshoot in Germany “would be another extreme party in the country,” in an implicit reference to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Christoph de Vries, another CDU lawmaker in the German parliament, told Bild am Sonntag that the German government should never make the establishment of an Erdoğan-affiliate party in the country easy.

“It is urgent that the security authorities closely monitor all activities of this party and its connections to the Turkish government and intervene if the Turkish government exerts direct influence,” he said.

De Vries also warned that with the foundation of a Turkish-Islamist party in Germany, Erdoğan will have another lever in his hand along with the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DİTİB) to exert political influence in Germany and “will try to use this new instrument of power.”

​DİTİB, which runs more than 900 mosques in Germany, has been accused of acting as the long arm of the Turkish government following a 2016 coup attempt against Erdoğan.

Some imams are alleged to have acted on the orders of Turkish diplomatic posts to spy on followers of the Gülen movement, which Ankara blames for the failed coup despite its denial.

Critics say Erdoğan uses DİTİB to promote his agenda among the Turks in Germany and get their support in the elections.

Erdoğan enjoys widespread support among almost 3 million people in the country who are Turkish or have Turkish roots.

Germany has the largest Turkish community abroad with its 1.5 million voters.

Erdoğa received an overwhelming 65.4 percent support among Turkish voters residing in Germany in the presidential election held in May.

www.turkishminute.com - Thu, 01 Feb 2024 posted:

Sweden’s public radio broadcaster, Sveriges Radio, has announced that it will halt its broadcasts in three languages including Kurdish to cut costs, the Erbil-based Rudaw news outlet reported, citing the radio station.

Sveriges Radio CEO Cilla Benko said in a statement that the changes to the radio’s services were part of measures to save 225 million Swedish krona, or just under $22 million.

The Kurdish service started broadcasting about 23 years ago, on January 6, 2001, and has broadcast in both the Sorani and Kurmanci dialects. The service has four permanent journalists and four other contributors.

“I look at the Kurdish service as a child that I have given birth to,” Kurdish news presenter Nasser Sina told Sveriges Radio on Wednesday as they announced the plans to halt the broadcasts.

He was the first to go on air when the service started.

“But now I feel like that child is dying in front of my very eyes,” he said.

The service is scheduled to go off air on March 31, about 10 days after Nevruz, the Kurdish spring festival.

Nishtman Irandoust, one of the Kurdish journalists, told Rudaw the public broadcaster would reduce its expenditures but also said some believe the motive could be political.

Sweden has a large and politically active Kurdish population. Turkey has long pressured the Swedish government to clamp down on the Kurdish diaspora in the country in return for its approval of the Nordic country’s NATO membership bid.

NATO membership applications require unanimous ratification by all alliance members.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly accused Sweden of harboring and supporting “terrorists” from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and sought the extradition of alleged PKK members in exchange for opening the door to NATO to Sweden.

Sweden responded by tightening its anti-terrorism legislation and taking other security steps demanded by Erdoğan.

Ankara ratified Sweden’s ascension to NATO last week after keeping the issue in limbo for almost two years.

Irandoust said some believe Sweden decided to end the Kurdish broadcast in order to appease Ankara and in exchange for its support to join NATO.

Sveriges Radio will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year. It said they will also stop their Tigrinya and Russian services in late March.

quote:

…Germany is about to pass the "Gesundheitsdatennutzungsgesetz". This bill allows anonymized access for researchers to all German health care data. Data from over 83 million people.
The example given by the health minister for how this might play out: Researchers find an interesting pattern in the data. They request the ministry to ask the matched people for permission to become participants in a study or direct access. If permission is given, the anonymization is lifted in part and a study could move forward. This alone would make Germany a pretty fascinating place for future AI research.

quote:

Good phone call w/
@RishiSunak


Shared strong commitment to support 🇺🇦, and for peace & security in Europe

Discussed conflict in Middle East; duty to protect civilian lives

New UK agencies & Frontex working arrangement formalized in coming days to crack down on illegal migration