‘Italians, we will cut your throats’

WarsawIn the mainstream media, Poland has been branded as a country which does not respect the "foundations of democracy". But it is precisely Poland that is now at the forefront of freedom of expression on social media. According to a proposed bill in Poland, social media that censors users will be forced to pay multi-million euro fines.

The HagueSome 240 people were arrested, mostly in Amsterdam, after riots broke out in at least 10 cities across the Netherlands on Sunday evening. On Saturday night was the first curfew in the Netherlands since the end of World War II, and police arrested scores of young foreign men and handed out 3 600 fines for curfew violations. 

BrusselsCountries in the EU are theoretically bound to the neutrality obligation in its use of tax revenues: The taxpayer's money must not be used for political purposes. But just as the German government wants to spend 1 billion euros in the next four years on the so-called “fight against the right”, the EU is funding a network of “civil society” NGOs that represent clearly left-wing politics, actively combatting conservative politicians and their parties – Matteo Salvini and Viktor Orban are but two examples.

MiesbachThe most important lesson to be drawn from the Corona crisis appears that it has become a great risk to be a retirement home resident. If one is assigned to such an institution, one invariably gives up basic human rights. At first it was "only" the restrictions on freedom of movement and contact with loved ones that the elderly had to endure, but now it is the Corona vaccination, which one can hardly avoid in these custodial institutions.

GeneveSwitzerland will hold a referendum that could stop the government from imposing lockdown measures. The country has not introduced a lockdown like many other European countries, but has instead - like Sweden - mainly emphasized personal responsibility. In terms of the spread of infection and the number of deaths, it is about the same as in Sweden.

The Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous of the 16 states of Germany, Armin Laschet was elected as the new CDU chairman at the digital CDU party conference on Saturday. In the runoff election he prevailed with 521 votes against his toughest competitor Friedrich Merz (466 votes). In a nutshell, the party establishment pushed through its candidate, while the voter's candidate failed.

Deir EzzorThe Syrian province of Deir Ezzor is back in the news after Israel's devastating airstrikes on Syria. However, against this background, most of the Western media has overlooked other events that may prove to be far more important to the security of both the Middle East and Europe.

RomeBad news for the Democratic Party in Italy, which has seen Giorgia Meloni's party dangerously approaching them in the polls. Fratelli d'Italia (FdI) seems to be making great strides towards becoming the second largest party in the country after the Lega led by Matteo Salvini.

ParisA particularly worrying assessment of crime in the French countryside has seen the light. Crime is on the rise almost everywhere in France according to the 2020 report from the SSMI - Statistical Service of the French Ministry of the Interior .

ParisThe numbers are overwhelming, and so are the testimonials. Data collected by French pollster Ifop for the Jaurès Foundation, which had interviewed several teachers confronted with political Islam even in their classes, paint a dreary picture.