German Socialist Eurocrat warns of Eco-totalitarianism

“I am increasingly worried by all kinds of legislation regulating peoples’ private lives. We are approaching a situation which I would call lifestyle-regulation. I don’t want a society in which people are told how to live in the privacy of their own homes. We must not deprive our citizens of the right to make independent decisions.” (source)

These are the words of Günther Verheugen,

Criminalising Stupidity

Udo Voigt, leader of Germany’s thinly disguised neo-Nazi party NPD is facing charges for suggesting Hitler’s deputy Rudolf Heß for the Nobel peace prize.

Germany’s equivalent of Nick Griffin is undoubtedly a politically unpleasant character and this is undoubtedly a very stupid idea. Aside from being

Fear of Sociology: Freedom of Speech and Anti-Terrorism in Germany

Firebombing a country’s army is usually seen as more than a lack of good manners. A nascent terrorist organization in Germany –the ‘militante gruppe’- has been doing just that and several of its suspected members have now been arrested. Two of these arrests, however, have sparked international protests from colleagues in the UK and the USA as well as Germany itself. Strange as this may seem, it is an event of which readers in the UK should take note.

Some details on the Stasi’s shoot to kill order

A newly discovered ‘shoot to kill’ order for members of East Germany’s secret service has received some international attention and caused some debate in Germany itself. The extent of the attention this discovery receives is a bit odd though, since the basic fact of an order to shoot would-be refugees at the Berlin Wall is nothing new. Der Spiegel supplied the following details [1]:

Reviving the Constitution

There is one really revealing aspect of reporting on Europe in the German media: they are very clear about the fact that what Merkel is trying to revive the European constitution at next week’s summit. In German language articles on the topic, the word ‘Verfassung’ (constitution) is regularly used (e.g.). The English MSM, by contrast, tend to report on the amending treaty (e.g.) and then mention the very close similarity to the constitution further on.

Roger Helmer MP is not mincing his words though and brings it to the point quite neatly:

“I quoted from her [Angela Merkel’s] letter to member-states (as had a previous speaker). This letter has been in the public domain for some weeks, and it’s authenticity has not been challenged. Mrs Merkel stands condemned of deceit, first and foremost, by her own letter, rather than by me. She makes it crystal clear that she intends to stick closely, in terms of legal effect, to the substance of the failed EU Constitution, while pretending otherwise.

She intends to effect a major constitutional change in Europe, a large new shift of powers from member states to the EU, by deceiving the voters as to the nature of the change, specifically by pretending that this is a limited and innocuous “Treaty”, when she knows it is in reality the Constitution in all but name.” (source as on: 17 June 2007)

I wonder if this has anything to do with Blair’s conciliatory stance on the matter.

Islands for Tyrants

With the G8 summit in Heiligendamm over, the negotiations, the protests and the riots have been extensively covered in the MSM. One aspect that has received little attention is what the event did to the locals and those living in the surrounding villages.

The inhabitants of Heiligendamm had their village fenced off and had to pass airport stile security checks every time they wanted to enter or leave. Nearby farmers and others living in the vicinity had local roads blocked by protesters and often had their property vandalised. On previous occasions when Bush visited Germany, the affected areas had curfews imposed.

We can all understand, of course, that heads of government are concerned about security, but wouldn’t it be nice if we could spare the locals all the trouble? Isn’t it odd if a supposedly liberal democracy turns villages into prison camps? I am not the first to suggest that a remote, ideally uninhabited, island would be the best option. Helmut Schmidt, one of Ms Merkel’s predecessors, has already suggested a more remote location. Ms Merkel argues that this would isolate the summit from the people, which is kind of odd, if you consider the amount of effort and fence building that has been undertaken to ensure precisely that kind of isolation.

So let’s be concrete: why not designate some desert island as a permanent place for international gatherings. I like Gough Island, which is far away from anything useful or any population that might be bothered. Down under, those who want to govern could then amuse themselves with the few Greenpeace protesters that make the journey.

There is one more possible benefit: Once they are there, heads of government in attendance could be required to pass a vote of confidence in a referendum in their home country before they are allowed back. That should deter them from agreeing on anything that isn’t truly popular at home.

Mayday 1987 Remembered

20 years ago traditional May Day celebrations in Berlin degenerated into one of the city’s worst riots after World War II. This event started a tradition of ritualised May Day riots lasting to the present day. As part of the original ‘celebrations‘ 20 years ago, one major supermarket was looted and burned to the ground. The German left wing daily ‘taz’ now reports that the fire in that supermarket was unfairly blamed on militant left-wingers, the real culprit was a pyromaniac with no political background.

Just how blameless the left-wing militants (the autonomen) really were is something anyone can judge from the taz’ interview with said pyromaniac:

“The ‘black block’ started rioting. The police retreated, They were throwing stones, torching cars and a supermarket was being looted. At some point they started to throw Molotov Cocktails into the supermarket. I just thought: that’s not going to work. There will be hardly any damage. Let me show them how to do it properly …” (Source)

Then, towards the end of the interview:

taz: Can you say something about the 1 May 1987 as this has been celebrated as a popular uprising by parts of the left?

loony: From what I have seen, people just wanted to loot shops and chase cops. They even attacked small shops. In the end, the looters started stealing from one another.

Whatever myths are being busted now, this tradition is unlikely to die soon. If you are in Berlin this Tuesday be careful where you park your car…

German judge applies Sharia in divorce case

A German judge has denied a request for an early divorce, pointing out that the Quran gives husbands the right to beat their wives. The request for a divorce prior to completing a one year separation period was denied to a woman of Moroccan descent since, in the judge’s opinion, the violence she suffered at the hands of her husband was normal by the standards of her native cultural environment. The judge has since been taken off the case and there are at least demands for disciplinary proceedings against her.

(Source 1, Source 2)

… und morgen die Ganze EU

The Grauniad has a report on Germany’s proposed anti-free speech harmonisation proposals and gives some more details on current plans to extend Germany’s native police state throughout the EU.

German initiative to impose censorship throughout the EU

With Germany at the helm of the EU the Union’s totalitarian activism is gathering pace. Not only has Ms Merkel announced her intention to reanimate the near defunct EU-Constitution, there are already some concrete proposals for political censorship throughout the EU:

According to the Times, Gabrielle Zypries, Germany’s justice minister, is due to announce plans to ban Nazi symbols and Holocaust denial throughout the EU. She very briefly acknowledges that “There is some controversy about that under ‘freedom of expression’” but then goes on to say: “but we believe that there are limits to freedom of expression, and the limits are there when it is offensive to other religions and ethnic groups.”” (Source)