Bardella Takes Top Job as Patriots Faction Premieres in Parliament
The right-wing ‘Patriots for Europe’ parliamentary faction was inaugurated in Brussels on Monday, July 8th. Top positions were divided among various populist parties, an obvious indication that Europe’s nationalist parties are seeking cooperation.
The new group has been in the works since before June’s European elections and includes Le Pen’s Rassemblement National, Hungary’s Fidesz, and the Austrian FPÖ—a grand total of 13 participatory parties.
‼️ Historic moment ‼️
— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) July 8, 2024
?? ✍️ #PatriotsforEurope has been officially accredited as the new defining right-wing political group of the @Europarl_EN.
? Our political group will start its journey with @J_Bardella as chairman and @FideszEP MEP Kinga Gál as the first vice-chairman.… pic.twitter.com/bdWF6yzdl6
A five-item meeting to decide on top positions for the parliamentary faction concluded faster than expected in the Spinelli Building of the European Parliament in Brussels shortly after 3 p.m. Group chairmanship was assigned to leading Rassemblement National (RN) MEP Jordan Bardella, fresh from his thwarted bid to become France’s prime minister during last week’s legislative elections.
Bardella is joined at the helm by Fidesz MEP Kinga Gál, who takes up the vice presidency of the Patriots group, while Danish populist MEP Anders Vistisen was given the role of party whip.
Somewhat unexpectedly, the Patriots group now includes a Greek delegation, following a decision by the Voice of Reason party to join the faction after resigning from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR).
VOX’s Jorge Buxadé denied that there were lingering tensions between the Spanish populist party and Fratelli’s Giorga Meloni after his party also made the shock decision to split with the Italians and their ECR group last week.
Another unexpected addition is two MEPs from the Czech Oath and Motorists, who overcame hesitation about joining the faction despite the membership of the rival political party of Andrej Babiš’ ANO.
Speaking at a press conference after the day’s meeting, RN MEP Jean-Paul Garraud praised the ability of parties to overcome differences to coalesce as he expressed hope that the European Right could now “retake the institutions” within Brussels.
This was complemented by a statement from Fidesz MEP and Patriots Vice Chair Kinga Gál, who said voters were “in favour of European cooperation, but not of an EU that acts beyond its competences.”
The Patriots for Europe is now the leading faction within the European Right—despite Polish Law & Justice’s (PiS) decision against joining—ahead of the conservative ECR, and an as-of-yet unformed grouping that would be led by the German AfD under the working name ‘Europe of Sovereign Nations.’
A challenge for the Patriots in the coming months will be the handing out of influential committee positions within the EU Parliament, where right-wingers are traditionally cordoned away from taking key roles.
Now it is official: 84 members, 12 EU countries, #PatriotsforEurope is the 3rd largest political group in the #EuropeanParliament. We will bring the change that citizens voted for! pic.twitter.com/aDTZ1EqK8v
— Enikő Győri (@GyoriEniko) July 8, 2024
Patriots officials were keen to focus on what unites the group and set aside potential division over foreign policy, particularly the Ukrainian war. Prevision rifts between Scandinavian parties and more NATO-critical parties, led by the AfD, has haunted the Parliament’s nationalist ID group in recent years, with Franco-German office politics and the perceived radicalism of the German AfD resulting in a schism in May.
The first meeting of the EU Parliament is chalked in for July 16th as centrist and socialist MEPs attempt to reelect Commission President Ursula von der Leyen despite five years of scandal and flawed crisis management.
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Explosion Rocks Arkansas Weapon Factory That Produces Missiles & Other Armaments for Ukraine
An explosion at the General Dynamics weapons factory in Camden, Arkansas, has left two people injured and one person confirmed dead.
The facility plays a crucial role in producing armaments, including different kinds of artillery shells, FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missiles and AGM-114 Hellfire anti-armor missiles. The explosion at the facility occurred shortly after 8 a.m. on July 3.
Company spokeswoman Berkley Whaley initially described the event as an “incident involving pyrotechnics” but later confirmed it was an explosion.
“At this time, we are working with first responders and can confirm the incident resulted in at least two injuries and one missing individual,” Whaley said in a statement. “We are cooperating fully with the authorities as they conduct their investigation.”
Whaley did not provide specifics about the severity of the injuries or whether the factory sustained significant damage.
However, Calhoun County Judge Floyd Nutt described the incident to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper as a “major” disaster and the first of its kind at the Camden plant. Nutt emphasized the importance of a thorough investigation to determine the cause and prevent future incidents.
Camden plant relied upon to provide military aid to Ukraine
The Camden plant is known for producing and testing “energetic products” – the explosive components of missiles, rockets and other projectiles.
According to the company’s website, the 880,000-square-foot facility manufactures Hydra rockets, Hellfire and Javelin warheads, 120mm mortars and propellant charges for 155mm artillery shells. The plant’s critical role in the defense supply chain underscores the potential impact of this incident on broader military operations.
The United States has been heavily relying on facilities like the Camden plant to support its military aid commitments to Ukraine. (Related: United States announces new $2.3 billion military aid package for Ukraine.)
According to the fact sheet released by the Pentagon, the U.S. has sent more than 10,000 single-use Javelin missile launchers to Ukraine, along with over 3 million 155mm artillery shells and an unspecified number of 120mm mortars. These supplies are crucial for Ukraine’s defense effortsamidst the ongoing conflict.
In a bid to increase munitions supply, the Pentagon announced earlier this year that it would boost production of 155 mm shells from 28,000 per month to 70,000 per month by the end of 2024.
Although it is unclear whether the Camden plant has ramped up its production of missile propellants to meet this goal, the company is currently recruiting 19 employees in Arkansas, indicating a potential increase in operational activity. This hiring surge suggests an effort to scale up production capabilities in response to growing demand.
The explosion has raised concerns about safety protocols at such critical facilities, especially given their role in the ongoing international military supply chain. The incident underscores the inherent risks associated with producing and handling high-explosive materials and the need for stringent safety measures to protect workers and the surrounding community. Enhanced safety protocols and regular inspections could mitigate the risks associated with handling volatile substances.
Local emergency services responded swiftly to the scene, with firefighters and medical teams working to secure the area and provide aid to the injured.
The investigation into the explosion’s cause is expected to involve multiple agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The community of Camden, a town with a population of around 12,000, is closely watching the developments. The General Dynamics plant is a significant local employer, and any prolonged shutdown could have economic repercussions.
Watch this short clip of an explosion engulfing the General Dynamics Camden factory.
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French Election Results Could Strengthen Putin’s Hand
Professor Przemysław Żurawski vel Grajewski, a political scientist and advisor to Polish President Andrzej Duda, expressed serious concerns about the results of the French parliamentary elections, citing the pro-Russian inclinations of the winning coalition as a significant threat.
The New Popular Front, a left-wing alliance including the Socialist Party, the Greens, the French Communist Party, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s France Unbowed (LFI ), emerged victorious. This coalition will now join forces with President Emmanuel Macron’s party.
Professor Żurawski vel Grajewski suggested to Polish news outlet wPolityce.pl that Macron’s strategy to allow Marine Le Pen a role in parliament was intended to politically exhaust her party before the next presidential election.
“Macron’s main idea was to allow Le Pen into parliament, exhausting her party before the next presidential election. But this has backfired, weakening the left-liberal camp instead,” said Żurawski vel Grajewski.
The professor criticized Macron’s recent rhetoric advocating for military support to Ukraine as ultimately empty, indicating no real shift in France’s stance against Russia.
“The results of the elections in France are concerning precisely because of the pro-Russian stance of their winner. Macron’s rhetoric, which in recent months has called for sending troops to Ukraine, turned out to be empty words. It is hard to assume that the president of France was so naive as to believe that he would get NATO’s support for this idea. He proposed it only because he knew such a plan would be scuttled,” Żurawski vel Grajewski explained.
With the new parliamentary backdrop, there may be a rejuvenation of pro-Russian sentiment, which poses a significant risk to not just France’s but also Europe’s stability.
He highlighted the potential increase in Russian influence in France, stating, “Mélenchon, a deeply pro-Russian and communist politician, represents a dangerous shift. The long-built narrative of stopping the ‘Putinists’ has crumbled.”
Mélenchon has even hinted at withdrawing from NATO, a statement with implications that remain uncertain as the new government takes shape.
Looking ahead, Professor Żurawski vel Grajewski remains pessimistic about the influence of France and Germany on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, suggesting that both countries, regardless of their public postures, subtly lean towards Russia. He concludes by reflecting on the internal challenges within France, including immigration and the threat of Islamist extremism, which the new government is unlikely to address effectively, potentially leading to increased social unrest ahead of the next presidential elections.
“We are facing an anti-Atlantic force, hostile to NATO and very open to cooperation with Russia,” he warned.
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North Carolina Teen Punished for Asking About the Term ‘Illegal Aliens’ in Class
A North Carolina high school student is in the middle of a lawsuit after he was suspended following a classroom incident involving the use of the phrase “illegal aliens” in front of a Hispanic classmate.
On April 9, Christian McGhee, a 16-year-old student from Central Davidson High School in Lexington, North Carolina, asked his English teacher if the term “aliens” referred to “space alliance or illegal aliens who need green cards?”
A classmate of Hispanic heritage jokingly responded with a threat, which McGhee’s lawyers contend was not taken seriously by either party.
(Related: Illegal immigrants use ROPE made from CLOTHES to cross Rio Grande into Texas.)
“Christian asked his question,” said Dean McGhee, educational freedom attorney at the Liberty Justice Center. “A boy in his class, of Hispanic heritage, jokingly said ‘Hey, I’m going to kick your …’” and used an expletive. McGhee added that after the dialogue the class continued as usual without any sign of a real conflict.
However, the teacher reported the interaction to school administrators, not for the words used but for the perceived threat.
Assistant Principal Eric Anderson, in a conversation with Leah McGhee, Christian’s mother, equated her son’s use of “illegal aliens” to the use of a racial slur. Anderson also discussed the incident with the students involved, with the Hispanic student clarifying that his comment was a joke and that he was not offended. But Christian still received a three-day suspension and was barred from participating in a track meet, without an option to appeal.
In response to the disciplinary measures, McGhee and his parents, Leah and Chad McGhee, filed a lawsuit against the Davidson County School District Board of Education on May 7.
The plaintiffs argue that Christian’s rights to free speech, education and due process have been violated by unfairly suspending and injecting race into a question of clarification from an English teacher. In turn, they seek to have his academic record cleared and the suspension reversed.
Moreover, the McGhee family, along with the legal organization the Liberty Justice Center and Raleigh-area lawyers Troy Shelton and Craig Schauer, requested a preliminary injunction on June 4 in the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. The lawsuit aims to ensure Christian’s record is cleared to prevent any negative impact on his future opportunities, such as college admissions and scholarships. But the injunction is still pending.
Christian labeled as racist and ostracized for asking a simple question
According to Christian’s parents, Christian was labeled a racist and ostracized and bullied by his peers while receiving threats following his return to school after his short suspension.
“I have raised our son to reject racism in all its forms, but it is the school, not Christian, that injected race into this incident. It appears that this administration would rather destroy its own reputation and the reputation of my son rather than admit they made a mistake,” Leah said in a statement released by the Liberty Justice Center.
This, in turn, led to Christian’s withdrawal from school and his homeschooling for the remainder of the academic year.
“Even though Christian asked a factual, non-threatening question – about a word the class was discussing – the school board branded him with false accusations of racism. The school has not only violated his constitutional right to free speech, but also his right to due process and his right to access education, a guaranteed right under North Carolina law. We are proud to stand beside Christian and his family in challenging this egregious violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments,” said Buck Dougherty, a senior counsel at Liberty Justice Center.
“It impacts, every student in the country, and their right to speak without fear of aggressive retaliation from their administration. In this case, our client, in the context of the conversation, asked a question that on its face was racially neutral. It was earnest in the class discussion. From there, the administration fabricated a racial incident and had the audacity to tell a Hispanic student who said he was not offended that he should have been offended. We want to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Read more stories about illegal aliens at Migrants.news.
Watch this clip discussing how El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser has declared a state of emergency to prepare for the inevitable surge of illegals crossing the border once Title 42 ends.
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Israel Used ‘Hannibal Directive’ to Kill its Own People on October 7, Local Media Reports
(LifeSiteNews) — Since Hamas launched Operation Aqsa Flood on October 7 last year the Israeli narrative has been repeatedly challenged by evidence that its intelligence services knew of the attacks in advance, and that the Israeli armed forces had followed a protocol to kill its own citizens rather than permit them to be taken hostage.
Known as the Hannibal Directive, its existence has been confirmed. Until this week, however, there was only circumstantial evidence it had been followed on October 7, 2023.
On July 7, 2024, Israeli newspaper Haaretz published claims of proof that Israeli armed forces were instructed to kill Israelis to prevent their capture.
The article states:
Communication networks could not keep up with the flow of information, as was the case for soldiers sending these reports. However, the message conveyed at 11:22 A.M. across the Gaza Division network was understood by everyone. ‘Not a single vehicle can return to Gaza’ was the order.
At this point, the IDF was not aware of the extent of kidnapping along the Gaza border, but it did know that many people were involved. Thus, it was entirely clear what that message meant, and what the fate of some of the kidnapped people would be.
This was not the first order given by the division with the intent of foiling kidnapping even at the expense of the lives of the kidnapped, a procedure known in the army as the ‘Hannibal procedure.’
Documents obtained by Haaretz, as well as testimonies of soldiers, mid-level and senior IDF officers, reveal a host of orders and procedures laid down by the Gaza Division, Southern Command and the IDF General Staff up to the afternoon hours of that day, showing how widespread this procedure was, from the first hours following the attack and at various points along the border…
The decision to conduct attacks inside outposts, says a senior defense official, will haunt senior commanders all their lives. ‘Anyone making such a decision knew that our combatants in the area could be hit as well.’…
At that point, the army did not know the number of people who had been kidnapped. ‘We thought they numbered dozens at that stage,’ a military source told Haaretz. Firing mortars at the Gaza Strip would endanger them as well. Furthermore, another order given at 11:22 A.M., according to which no vehicle would be allowed to return to Gaza, took this a step further.
‘Everyone knew by then that such vehicles could be carrying kidnapped civilians or soldiers,’ a source in Southern Command told Haaretz. ‘There was no case in which a vehicle carrying kidnapped people was knowingly attacked, but you couldn’t really know if there were any such people in a vehicle. I can’t say there was a clear instruction, but everyone knew what it meant to not let any vehicles return to Gaza.’
The charge that Israeli forces acted in this manner was initially dismissed with references to holocaust denial. Many atrocities claimed by Israel to have taken place on October 7 were simply made up, with lurid claims about babies being repeated by the president of the United States.
Joe Biden claimed to have seen photos which do not exist, and Ben Shapiro posted a fake photo of a baby burned in an oven, first distributed by Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
The claims of burned and beheaded babies came from organizations seeking to fundraise from the creation of atrocity stories useful to the Israeli government’s media campaign.
Warnings ignored
Earlier this summer, evidence emerged that members of Israel’s Unit 8200 intelligence brigade warned their superiors of an imminent attack by Hamas, to be carried out almost exactly as it took place on October 7.
READ: Israel knew about the October 7 attacks in advance. Why did it do nothing to stop them?
Subsequent reports revealed Israel had known for at least one year of the buildup and blueprint for the October 7 assault by Hamas. The Israeli high court ordered an investigation into the “intelligence failures” which permitted the attacks to be halted, as the Jewish News Service reported on June 17.
With this latest revelation, the official narrative of October 7 itself more closely resembles a “conspiracy theory” – which is how all the evidence against it has been routinely framed by pro-Zionist media and politicians.
Anatomy of a directive
A report by Antiwar.com’s Kyle Anzalone described the revelations made in the Israeli media this week:
A review by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) set to be released this summer will conclude that Israeli soldiers killed many of their own people on October 7, Israeli media reported.
Israel’s Channel 12 News reported on July 6 that the preliminary findings of an investigation into IDF action leaves no doubt that “Many casualties were due to the firing of our own forces.”
This report cites Kibbutz Be’eri, where houses were destroyed by Israeli tank shells, killing civilian occupants.
A previous investigation in April by the IDF cleared General Barak Hiram of killing civilians by ordering the shelling of houses, finding instead that the occupants of one house were killed by “small arms fire.” Now the IDF is set to release the findings of a new probe into the events of October 7, with some details already discussed in the Israeli media.
The latest inquiry emphasizes confusion and panic, rather than the implementation of a kill order – says Anzalone’s report.
“The IDF’s October 7 review appears to point to incompetence rather than the intentional killing of its own civilians.”
Yet an investigation by Israel’s Ynet News said in January 2024 that an order to follow the Hannibal Directive had been given to the IDF.
Citing the official Israeli investigation into the October 7 attacks, which it calls the “7 Days” report, Ynet said.
One of the revelations revealed in the investigation is that on midnight of October 7, the IDF ordered all of its actual combat units on the Hannibal procedure, though without clearly stating this explicit name.
The Jerusalem Post said the report proved the IDF had killed many Israeli civilians – attributing these deaths to “friendly fire errors.”
“According to the report, the probe will find numerous cases of friendly fire errors leading to tragic deaths and groups of IDF soldiers who were too hesitant to confront Hamas invaders (as still others rushed to fight without being formally summoned),” the Jerusalem Post added.
Antiwar also collated previous reports of Israeli forces killing its own civilians, including via airstrikes and the use of indiscriminate fire into residential areas and an order by one Israeli commander to bomb his own men.
IDF field commander Bar Zonshein acknowledged the existence of the Hannibal Directive in the same interview in which he confirmed he had ordered an attack on his own unit, and Israel IDF Colonel Nof Erez described the Israeli response on October 7 as a “mass Hannibal” operation.
Despite the evidence of bombed-out houses, vehicles destroyed by airstrikes, and the statements of serving Israeli commanders on the day, journalists who have reported on these incidents have been smeared in the mainstream media, with their findings dismissed as misinformation.
Repeated attacks on the truth
In one of many attempts to discredit the reporting of the truth about October 7, the Washington Post ran a piece on January 21 framing critics of the discredited Israeli narrative as paranoid “truthers.” It was part of the creation of another false narrative – that anyone who had reasonable doubts about the official version of events was simply denying the attacks took place.
Claims such as “Israel murdered their own people on October 7,” were framed as “denial.” This report was produced by a group backed by the Anti-Defamation League – and George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had claimed on November 14 that a girl had been “murdered” in Kibbutz Be’eri “by Hamas.”
In fact, as Haaretz had reported the previous month, Israeli tanks fired on her position. Her death by Israeli tank fire was confirmed by a witness who survived the attack. Published by Israeli media, these reports were written up by Max Blumenthal. For bringing facts like these to a Western audience, he was called a liar.
Haaretz attacked journalist Max Blumenthal personally for highlighting this and many inconsistencies in the stories presented in the mainstream media, which were echoedby leading U.S. politicians.
In addition to the latest Israeli army investigation, a June 12 report by the United Nations vindicates Blumenthal’s findings, which saw him branded a “liar” by Haaretz.
A bill was passed in the Israeli Parliament on February 7 supporting the charge that “anyone who denies the massacre that Hamas perpetrated on October 7 is no less than a Holocaust denier.”
None of the reports questioning the official media narrative have denied that Hamas killed a large number of civilians and Israeli military personnel. Instead, they questioned Israel’s atrocity propaganda, created to justify its horrific war on the civilian population of Gaza.
So why were people who were reporting the facts framed as holocaust deniers?
Israeli intelligence responded to growing suspicion over the false claims made about October 7 with a propaganda campaign. At its centre was this January 26 video, which warned of the imaginary danger of “October 7 denial”– saying this was the same as denying the holocaust.
The video’s script was repeated almost verbatim by Donald Trump, who told Fox News’ Sean Hannity in June:
You watch these people on television, and then just, like, you have Holocaust deniers also, they say the Holocaust never took (place). It’s the exact same people. They’re saying it never happened.
In the light of all the above, the Al Jazeera documentary on October 7 by award-winning British TV producer, journalist, and author Richard Sanders has gained more credibility.
No one is saying October 7 never happened. “Denial” was the historically charged smear applied to anyone who noticed the obvious difference between the facts and the demonic actions claimed in the press. The claim of denial offered no evidence beyond a few posts on Reddit.
READ: Uncovering the truth behind Israel’s justification for its war in Gaza
As we have seen in recent years, “conspiracy theory” is a term designed to label the prudent and the discerning as deranged, and the gullible as wise.
Even the Israelis themselves now admit they killed their own people on the day. The charge of denial is as much a fabrication as the beheaded and burned babies whose non-existent pictures Joe Biden said he had seen.
With so many questions around the October 7 story, how long can the narrative of denial survive this argument with the evidence?
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Germany: Berlin Bank Cancels AfD Donations Account After Grannies’ Petition
Berliner Volksbank has terminated the donation account previously held by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) federal party after pressure from a left-wing group.
The move was announced by “Omas gegen Rechts” (“Grannies against the right”), a campaign that had launched an online petition calling for the political party to be debanked, which received more than 33,500 signatures.
Official confirmations from the financial institution and the party are not yet available. However, the Volksbank account has disappeared from the AfD website. Donations are now only collected by direct debit or via Paypal, according to Welt newspaper.
According to German daily, the “Grannies against the Right” met with the CEO of Berliner Volksbank, Carsten Jung, last Wednesday. It is unclear why the bank’s chief executive met with the campaign group.
The official reason for the account termination as provided by the bank is that the AfD is “outside the constitutional order.”
Berliner Volksbank was heavily involved in the anti-right-wing protests at the beginning of the year.
The AfD came second in last month’s EU parliamentary elections and remains top of several statewide polls, particularly in Eastern federal states.
The move comes as other conservatives and right-wing politicians have faced debanking campaigns across the Western world. Remix News previously reported that Nigel Farage, the Reform UK MP and party leader, had his bank account shutdown due to his conservative views in 2023.
I now have evidence Coutts LIED to me..
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) July 18, 2023
In an explosive 40 page memo, “Brexit” is mentioned 86 times, “Russia” 144 & “PEP” 10.
Support for Trump + views on immigration, net zero & the vaccine are listed as reasons to exit me.
They say my account is commercially viable! pic.twitter.com/QjPCuUetu3
Writing for the Telegraph, Farge called the “Stasi-style surveillance report” shocking.
“Monthly press checks were made on me. My social media accounts were monitored. Anything considered ‘problematic’ was recorded. I was being watched,” he wrote.
German banks have also gotten more political, such as what many consider the most German of German banks, Sparkasse. The bank sparked controversy when certain employees proposed blocking donation transfers to the AfD in its campaign against the party.
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