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Compensation for Evicted Czech Anti-Fascists to be Considered PRAGUE -- Deputy prime minister Pavel Rychetsky urged today that the government formed after mid-June elections consider compensation for Czech anti-fascists who were "mistakenly" evicted from their lands at the end of the Second World War. Rychetsky made his comments in Rude Pravo. Rychetsky said compensation should be offered, "especially if (indviduals) were, mistakenly, I should stress, deprived of their property on the basis of the Benes Decrees which provided for the postwar expulsion of 2.5m ethnic Germans and Hungarians from Czechoslovakia and the confiscation of their property and were involuntarily deported." - 23 May 2002 EU Commission Wants Foreign, Defense, Budget, Tax Authority BRUSSELS -- The EU Commission agreed today to postpone decision making but demanded broad authority to takeover member nations' foreign affairs, defense, national budgets and even tax laws. The moves would radically reduce sovereignty for a string of European states. Commission president Romano Prodi gave in temporarily to outrage from some member states about the plans, but insisted that the Commission will soon come back to demand dramatic new competence over a broad range of affairs. Prodi scored a significant victory today, shifting responsibility for the office of EU foreign representative -- currently Javier Solana -- from the member states to the Commission. This will further weaken the role of elected governments in determining what missions, policies and negotiations the foreign representative will undertake - 22 May 2002 Thousands Protest Bush Visit BERLIN -- As US president George W. Bush arrived in Berlin this evening, thousands of Germans took to the streets in protest against his "axis of evil" war policies and against increased globalization. Demonstrations took place in Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Kiel and other cities. Later, a 10,000-man strong police force moved against protestors in Berlin as a small minority of demonstrators burned US flags and threw stones. Shortly before midnight, police ordered peaceful protestors at the Berliner Dom to disperse. A few hundred persons gathered there under the slogan "We don't want your war, Mr. Bush" ignored the order. Demonstrators, including prominent members of the socialist party (PDS) and the Greens, have called for a stop to Bush's preparations for war against Iraq. - 22 May 2002 FDP Rejects Anti-Semitism in Angry Retort to Friedman BERLIN -- Conservative liberal party (FDP) leader Guido Westerwelle called moves to brand his party anti-Semitic "slander" and declared that Germans must have the right to criticize the Israeli government. Westerwelle spoke as Jamal Karsli withdrew his request to join the FDP following a storm of criticism against him by the vice president of the German Council of Jews, Michael Friedman. Karsli had earlier said the Israeli government used "Nazi methods" in recent attacks on Palestinian towns. Speaking today, the FDP's number two leader Jürgen Möllemann said that a "public witchhunt" forced Karsli to withdraw his membership request. Möllemann went on to condemn accusations of any hidden or open anti-Semitism on his part as "insulting insolence" by Friedman. The controversy has been complicated because accusations of "anti-Semitism" have not been issued because of any statements about Jews, but as a result of harsh criticism of the Israeli government. Möllemann warned that "intolerablly aggressive and arrogant" accusations by Friedman could whip up "anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic resentment" in Germany.. - 22 May 2002 Le Pen Assails Foreign Flags PARIS -- Claiming he had been "swindled" in the second round French presidential election, extreme rightwing leader Jean-Marie Le Pen launched his parliamentary campaign with sneering words on foreigner support for president Jacques Chirac. Le Pen drew attention to a victory celebration on election night, saying "All you could see before President and Madame Chirac were Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan flags showing up to greet the brand new president of the French republic." - 22 May 2002 Danish Far Rightist Wins In Court COPENHAGEN -- A Danish appeals court ruled today that it is
slander to call extreme rightwing Danish People's Party (DPP) leader Pia
Kjaersgaard a "racist." Kjaersgaard had sued after a remark in autumn
1999 by a member of the Danish People's Movement Against the European Union.
EU Demands More Power Over Foreign Affairs and Defense BRUSSELS -- A furor is expected this morning as the European Commission demands radical measures that will further erode member states' sovereignty in foreign affairs and defense. Commission president Romano Prodi insists that members agree to give up their veto right over all foreign affairs and defense matters. Further, Prodi demands that EU foreign affairs representatives would have the right to set policy for all states. Diplomats say they are "outraged" and "affronted" by Prodi's plans. The demands come as a backlash grows among voters against EU policies including January's introduction of the Euro. Analysis of the vote in France's recent presidential elections shows that citizen anger with the EU played a significant role in a large turnout for rightwing extremist candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen. Meanwhile, Prodi has set his sights on taking over the power to set member states' national budgets. Under his proposals, the European Commission would have the power to direct states to reduce budgets in order to fit EU standards. This step would remove still more sovereignty from the various countries and virtually wipe out the voice of smaller member states. - 22 May 2002 Huge Crowds in Berlin Protest Bush Moves Against Iraq
Bush is to arrive tomorrow for his first visit to Germany, during which he is expected to demand that Europe give its support to his plans for toppling the Iraqi government. - 21 May 2002 Stoiber Appeases Far Right in 'Dangerous Nationalistic' Speech BERLIN -- CDU-CSU chancellor candidate Edmund Stoiber has leaped into the lap of Germany's extreme rightwing by announcing radical conditions for the Czech Republic's entry into the European Union. In an address before Sudeten Germans, Stoiber demanded repeal of a German-Czech pact as a condition of Prague's bid for EU membership. German interior minister Otto Schily condemned Stoiber's speech, calling it "dangerously nationalistic." Stoiber's remarks were stunning in their appeasement of far
right Germans who demand billions in compensation from the Czechs for
exiling Sudeten Germans at the end of the Second World War. The
Sudeten Germans were among the strongest supports of Hitler.
- 20 May 2002
BERLIN -- Germans are making it clear that they, like others in neighboring countries, have grown estranged from European integration. In a poll for the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Sonntagszeitung, a majority of Germans declare they want their D-Mark back and the Euro dropped. A sizeable 57 percent called for a return to the national currency, 9 percent were undecided and only 37 percent indicated no longing for the DM's return. Political analysts see anger at European moves to limit national sovereignty and integrate government institutions as a key reason for the upsurge of political movements staking out anti-EU positions. Currently, the chief beneficiaries of citizens' anger against Europe have been rightwing parties. The Euro was introduced and national currencies abandoned on
1 January. At the time, mainstream news reports claimed widespread
acceptance for the new currency. - 18 May 2002 At the same time, brown shirted German recruiters and their jackbooted followers began attacking immigrants, firebombing their homes and spreading the brown plague of hate and fear to synagogues, mosques and Jewish cemeteries. Mainstream rightwing parties saw a trend. They reacted by actually adopting some of the demands of neo-Nazis, and thus immigration in Europe began tightening. More recently, Bush, who was warned about terrorist hijackings but did not tell the American people, instead used the catastrophe of September 11, 2001 to establish the most vile crackdown on dissent and basic human rights that the western world has seen since German national socialism was still in power. The plague has spread insidiously. Austria, France, Denmark, Belgium and The Netherlands have been infected. The Dutch elections are doubly worrying, first because the followers of Fortuyn have established themselves as the second biggest party in the country, and second because the christian democrat winners are intent on bringing them into the government. As if the situation were not dire enough, there is now a move afoot to intimidate critics of the current Israeli government by branding them as anti-Semites. The chilling effect is muzzling most dissent now but could backfire and give way to a dangerous new cycle of anti-Jewish resentment. How much worse will
things get than they are today? Much worse, until political leaders find the
guts to speak out against the brown menace that confronts us all.
- 17 May 2002 BERLIN -- The vice president of Germany's Central Council of Jews has lashed out at the conservative FDP for accepting a member because of his outspoken views on the Israeli government. Michael Friedman asserts the FDP is doing nothing against "anti-Semitic tendencies" in the party. However the views of FDP member Jamal Karsli are not critical of Jews, but of the Israeli offensive against Palestinian territories. Karsli has been quoted as condemning Israel's government for using "Nazi methods" against the Palestinians. He has also been quoted as blaming the "Zionist lobby" for not stopping Israel's attacks in the West Bank. Friedman claims Karsli used "Stürmer" jargon, a reference to a Nazi publication that helped Hitler to power in Germany seventy years ago. The fact that a leader of Germany's largest Jewish organization demands an end to harsh German criticism of Israel is seen as a new and complicating factor in the fight against anti-Semitism. Recent claims that France is encouraging anti-Semitism were hotly rebuffed last weekend in a strong phone call from French president Jacques Chirac to Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon. Film director Woody Allen, speaking at the Cannes Film Festival yesterday, rejected a call by American Jews to boycott the festival, saying that was the kind of protest the Nazis used before the World War II. Allen is Jewish. - 16 May 2002 CDA and Fortuyn Rightists Win Dutch Election by a Landslide AMSTERDAM -- An enormous wave of Dutch voters chose for the rightwing Pim Fortuyn List (LPF), whose leader was assassinated last week. With all votes in The Netherlands election counted, LPF -- founded only three months ago -- gets 26 seats in the next parliament, making it the second biggest party. The center-right christian democrats (CDA) win 43 seats in a gigantic comeback. Prime minister Wim Kok's moderate Labor party (PvdA) registers 23, a huge loss and the worst showing for the party since World War II. The conservative VVD pulls 23 seats, substantially lower than last election. D66 booked 7 seats; Green-Left 11 seats; and the Socialist Party (SP) 9 seats, up from 5 last election. Political observers expect the CDA will try to form a coalition with LPF and VVD in the new parliament. Fortuyn backers want an end to immigration in The Netherlands by adherents of the Islamic faith. Over the past week, some LPF leaders spurred an atmosphere of intense hate in the country with their claims that the PvdA leadership bore "co-responsibility" for the murder of their leader. Observers predicted a period of great instability ahead. Leaders of Dutch political parties were assigned bodyguards as a venomous climate of revenge following the murder of Fortuyn brought death threats to Queen Beatrix and numerous political leaders. Police are holding a Dutch animal rights activist for allegedly killing Fortuyn. It was the first political assassination in The Netherlands in 350 years - 15 May 2002. A Hate Wave Threatens Social Democracy in Europe The Netherlands was always known as a nation of tolerance. That reality was shattered tonight as voters chose for bitterness, anger and intolerance in electing the ragtag followers of slain populist Pim Fortuyn as the second largest party in the land. Fortuyn himself was a brilliant demagogue who zeroed in on the public's fears of Islamic immigrants and crime to create a movement that challenged the establishment. Fortuyn got away with searing attacks on immigrants through use of frequent reminders that he was gay. But since his horrid murder nine days ago, Fortuyn's message of hate has been expanded and exploited by his followers, who sought and won a decisive electoral advantage with a barrage of insidious attacks on the government parties and media. Social democrat leader Ad Melkert and outgoing prime minister Wim Kok are among those who warned tonight that social democracy is under threat both in The Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe. The menace comes both from rightwing extremists themselves as well as those who would dare enter into coalitions with them. These are trying times in Europe. Their effect upon the world dare not be underestimated. - 15 May 2002.
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BERLIN
-- Up to 100,000 demonstrators took to the streets in Berlin today,
protesting US president Bush's further "war on terrorism" plans, especially
the all-but-announced war against Iraq.