Filip Dewinter (Vlaams Belang) Discusses Immigration in Europe

 Hat tip Vlad Tepes, Gates of Vienna, and Rair Foundation USA.

Filip Dewinter

I am cross-posting an article from RAIR Foundation USA featuring an excerpt from an April 18 interview of Filip Dewinter on Ungehoord Nederland, a conservative news outlet in the Netherlands. Dewinter is a Belgian politician from the Vlaams Belang Party, a Flemish-oriented party that is pushing for reduced migration into Belgium given that country's problems with crime and terrorism. The translation into English subtitles was done by Fousesquawk and Henk.

The Campus Protests: Is There a Silver Lining?

This article first appeared in Times of Israel Blogs.

Columbia University

Nobody who supports Israel and cares about anti-Semitism can be pleased with the scenes coming out of our universities and cities in which thousands of protesters are screaming for blood against Israel and also against Jewish people in general. At the moment, New York City and Columbia University are in the spotlight, and the scenes are disgusting. Meanwhile, we have a doddering president who is trying to thread the needle in his approach to the Gaza war, condemning anti-Semitism while trying to placate Muslim/Arab voters, particularly in a crucial swing state like Michigan, where their numbers are most concentrated.

It is truly a depressing state of affairs, especially when you see how Jewish students in universities all over the nation are afraid to show their Jewishness in class and on campus. Those of us who have been fighting anti-Semitism on our campuses are sickened by the ever-increasing expressions of hate being directed toward our Jewish students and Jews in general.

But amid all the despair and the outrage, is there anything encouraging to be found-a silver lining, so to speak? On the surface, it is easy to say no, but in one respect, there is a silver lining. When I first got involved in the issue of anti-Semitism at the University of California at Irvine as a part-time teacher around 2007, it was a struggle just to bring the problem to the attention of the local Jewish community in Orange County, let alone the US as a whole. The universities were in denial there was a problem, largely out of fear of their Muslim student activists and organizations like CAIR, who stood behind them and were ready to charge Islamophobia at the drop of a hat.

In addition, major Jewish organizations like Hillel, the Anti-Defamation League, and the various chapters of the Jewish Federation were reluctant to air complaints publicly because they preferred to work quietly behind the scenes with the universities, and they did not want to discourage Jewish students from attending the respective schools where they operated. Thus, many activists and Jewish students who chose to speak out were often criticized, sometimes even ostracized within their own communities. It was said that they were making things worse and that the universities had it all under control. They were wrong. Today, they are not making that claim.

I personally recall the lack of action by the local ADL in Orange County to the problem at UC Irvine. I was not optimistic things would get better with Jonathan Greenblatt, a noted liberal, taking over the organization. Today, Greenblatt is speaking out about the outrages going on at Columbia and other universities and is calling for arrests and law and order. That is a positive development.

It is also a positive development that in the past few years, the public at large is now fully aware that there, indeed, is a resurgence in anti-Semitism in the US, and that the center of that problem is on our college campuses. They are now seeing it front and center on the nightly news, some media more than others, but nobody can claim ignorance including our cowardly university administrators. I give kudos to the Republican-led Education and Workforce Committee in the House of Representatives for bringing several university presidents in to testify. The result is that the public has seen clearly how feckless and cowardly these people are in general. The presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania have rightly been forced to resign. More should follow. Many more.

More than ever, our universities are being exposed as cesspools of indoctrination against the very values that America and the West hold dear. The non-stop agitation against Israel has now been exposed as little more than an exercise in Jew-hatred, which should have no place in our society.

In addition, it is important that we clearly identify who the perpetrators of this hatred on our campuses are. They are not MAGA supporters, conservatives, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, or KKK-types. They are Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, extremist Muslims and their anarchist stooges, people like Antifa and others who have jumped on the anti-Israel bandwagon because they want to bring down a key American ally, people who want to bring down America itself.

So if there is a silver lining in all this ugliness, it is that the American public is now fully aware of the problem of anti-Semitism and the role of our universities in stirring up this hatred. This is definitely going to affect the universities, primarily in the bottom line. Donations are going down, Jewish students are deciding to avoid schools like Columbia, and more parents, Jewish and non-Jewish, will decide not to send their kids to these schools with their already outrageous tuitions going to pay for radical professors and layers upon layers of administrators who cannot or will not do their jobs.

I still believe that the overwhelming majority of Americans are decent people who, when shown that there is actual injustice, will do the right thing. Most of us abhor anti-Semitism and support Israel, including in this current struggle against Hamas in Gaza. There is much to be done in fighting anti-Semitism in the US and much to be done in reforming our universities, but at least now, nobody can deny the problem. Campus anti-Semitism is no longer able to operate in the darkness. And that, I believe, is a silver lining.

 

Northwestern Dean of Students Joins Anti-Israel Protest

Hat tip Legal Insurrection

At Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, it seems that the administration itself is now participating in anti-Israel protests. Not only did the usual miscreants from Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace show up to protest on April 15, but they were joined by the Dean of Students, Mona Dugo! During the protest, several participants verbally attacked the campus chapter of Hillel.

Mona Dugo

-Washington Free Beacon

Here is how the campus newspaper, Daily Northwestern, reported it.

My first question was whether part of the protest actually took place in front of the Hillel facility (apparently not). I examined a campus map of Northwestern online and found that the various locations mentioned for the protest are separate and away from the Hillel office. How far the walking distance is I can't say. Wherever the demonstration took place, what is troubling is not necessarily that the dean of students was present, but why she was present according to her own statement.

Based on my own experiences and knowledge of the Orange County Hillel at UC Irvine, where I used to teach, they are set up on college campuses to support Jewish students and enhance their campus life with social and religious functions. As to what extent they support Israel varies from campus to campus and chapter to chapter. Within National Hillel in recent years, there has been an effort by some elements to establish "open Hillel" chapters that would admit Jewish students opposed to Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians. In the last several years, the UC Irvine chapter has usually discouraged Jewish students from getting involved in Israel-related campus conflicts, preferring to keep a low profile and work with the university. The current president of Hillel at UC Irvine has attended some of the recent campus anti-Israel events, not to join in, but rather to observe and document what goes on. At any rate, I think it would be highly inappropriate to protest in front of any Hillel office on any campus. It would only lend credence to the widespread belief (including mine) that this entire movement is anti-Semitic.

As to Dugo's presence at the protest itself, it is not unusual for such university officials to show up to observe the goings-on and ensure that order is maintained (not to ensure that the protesters' free speech rights and right to protest are protected). Dugo's words imply that she supported the protesters. At best, her words were awkward and at worst, outrageous. I think she owes Hillel and Northwestern's Jewish students either a clarification or an apology. 

*Update: From The College Fix

A 2019 photo from Dugo's Facebook page.

Dugo in center

Defund Columbia !

This article first appeared in New English Review.

-Fox News

 For several years now, Columbia University has been at or near the top of the list of schools that are

hostile to Jewish students thanks to the pro-Palestinian movement that has infected so many campuses.

This week, however, Columbia has reached a new low with sit-ins and protests that have shocked the

nation in the violence of the rhetoric and threats to Jewish students. Inside the campus, a group of

knuckleheads set up a tent city and defied the requests of the university to vacate until the NYPD was

called in to remove them. One wonders where the campus police were, if Columbia even has a campus

police force. Outside the gates of the school, rioters fought with police and screamed “Death to Israel,

Death to America,” and so on. To top it off, four university officials including the president, Minouche

Shafik, testified before Congress and demonstrated their weakness and ineptitude. And today we learn

that a local campus rabbi has urged Jewish students to leave campus for their own safety. And if that

wasn’t enough, the campus newspaper, the Columbia Spectator, is openly supporting the mob and

dismissing charges of campus anti-Semitism.

To be fair, the university has taken a few steps to try and fix the problem including suspensions of

Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace. Sending in the NYPD to remove the

squatters was a positive step, no matter what the Spectator claims to the contrary. However, it is not

enough, and it is clear that the administration has lost control of the campus to the pro-Hamas mobs.

Minouche has failed miserably, and she should go, just as radical professors like Joseph Massad should

go. But who should stay-anyone?

Columbia does receive public money even though it is a private institution, and under the present

conditions, it is time for radical solutions. This university, at the present, has no business remaining

open. Whatever their sources of funding are, they should stop. Jewish families should refrain from

sending their children to Columbia. Non-Jewish families should stand with Jewish students by not

sending their own children to Columbia. Donors should follow suit and find other uses for their

philanthropy. According to its 2023 fiscal year statement, 20% of Columbia’s revenue came from

government grants (1.2 billion dollars). That would be a good place to start. In addition, 562 million

dollars (9%) came from private gifts and grants. What if most of that were to go away? Net tuition was

1.5 billion dollars (24%). A serious drop in enrollments would cut into that total dramatically.

Columbia is not the only university that deserves to be shut down. There are plenty of public 

universities that are unworthy of public funding. Like Columbia, they are awash in money from places 

like China, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, who use that leverage to influence the corrupt curricula (i.e. 

Middle East Studies). Astronomical tuitions do nothing but feed the astronomical salaries of professors,

 deans, chairs, etc., so they can teach worthless courses like gender studies, LGBTQ studies, and ethnic 

studies, all the while denigrating America, the West, whites, Jews, and trying to figure out ways to 

decrease the Asian-American student population (because they do so well academically). Let’s face it: 

A college education today is not worth what it used to be

Returning to Columbia in particular, it is time to make an example out of this cesspool and shut it 

down. The question begs, however: Just who will shut it down? (The university is run by 24 trustees.) 

Thus, the only answer I see is to make it go bankrupt.

UK: London Police Threatened Jewish Leader With Arrest at Pro-Hamas March

Good news, mein Fuehrer. London is almost judenrein."

On April 13, Gideon Falter, the CEO of Campaign Against Anti-Semitism in the UK, was threatened with arrest by London police when he showed up at a pro-Hamas march through London wearing a kippah. Police told Gideon that his presence would incite the pro-Hamas marchers.

Police everywhere, not just in London, need to be reminded that the guilty parties are the ones who actually resort to violence, not their would-be victims, whose only "crime" was to be present in public space exercising their rights. In this case, Falter and his friends were not engaging in counter-protest or waving Israeli flags. They were merely walking down a public street.

Falter does not blame the individual officers themselves, rather the chief of the London Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, the one who gives the orders to a clearly beleaguered police force who have to deal with this pro-Hamas rabble who choose to march every Saturday with their violent rhetoric. Hopefully, this embarrassing incident will cost Rowley his job.

Will Columbia Finally Be Held to Account?

Hat tip Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Algemeiner

Minouche Shafik (l) before Congress

 Yesterday, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Virginia Foxx (R-NC), held a hearing in which administrators of Columbia University were called to testify, including Columbia President Minouche Shafik, who faced sharp questioning from the Republican members of the committee.

Also, yesterday, pro-Hamas students set up an encampment on Columbia's campus and ignored repeated university requests to disband. Today, Shafik called in the NYPD to remove the demonstrators. As I write, there are still volatile protests going on outside the gates of Columbia. Over 100 pro-Hamas demonstrators have been arrested by NYPD to date. The list includes Ilhan Omar's daughter, Isra Hirsi, who has reportedly been suspended by neighboring Barnard College, which is affiliated with Columbia. Omar (D-MN), ironically, sits on the same committee. Not surprisingly, her questions were primarily centered around her concern for the free speech rights of the pro-Hamas protesters at Columbia.

This is what years of anti-Semitic agitation on Columbia's campus have led to.

Yesterday's hearing was preceded by a press conference by Reps. Foxx and Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who were accompanied by Jewish students at Columbia who had come to Capitol Hill to testify about the anti-Jewish climate on their campus. Two of the students addressed reporters at this press conference.

While it is encouraging that Columbia has taken recent steps in the right direction, including having the NYPD break up the encampment on campus today, far too much has been allowed to take place over the past several years, especially since October 7, when Hamas committed the worst atrocity seen against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Columbia professor, Joseph Massad, openly praised the attack as "awesome", while more recently, students held an unsanctioned forum "Resistance 101", in which Khaled Barakat, a known supporter, if not a member, of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a US-designated terror organization, was invited to speak.  (Four students have been suspended as a result) In fact, for several years, Columbia has consistently ranked among the nation's most anti-Semitic universities.

Massad, a tenured professor, originally from Jordan, is apparently under investigation by Columbia for the above statement, but it is unclear if he has, in fact, been removed from his position as chair of an academic committee.

Another professor, Mohamed Abdou, who has publicly stated his support for Hamas, is apparently on his way out the door, according to Shafik, who stated that he will never teach at  Columbia again. Here is what his bio on the Columbia website has to say about his academic expertise.

 “......a North African-Egyptian Muslim anarchist interdisciplinary activist-scholar of Indigenous, Black, critical race and Islamic studies, as well as gender, sexuality, abolition and decolonization.”

That says volumes about Columbia's academic mission.

But there is more. Columbia is also home to Rashid Khalidi and Hamid Dabashi, both noted for their anti-Israel activism, both long accused of anti-Semitic statements. Throw in the rest of the Middle East studies crowd, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), both suspended last November, and what you have at Columbia is a mess, for which the administration of this Ivy League university must take responsibility.

 Positive steps have been taken, but more are needed. If Shafik wants to keep her job, she needs to clean house at Columbia. The suspensions of SJP and JVP should be made permanent, and the university should take a close look at those who have stained the reputation of this university, both students and faculty. Is this what they want representing their university? 

While people certainly have the right to peacefully protest as long as they do not infringe on the rights of others, the campus and the streets outside the campus should not belong to supporters of Hamas. Once they cross the line and break the law, they should be removed and arrested. Disciplinary action from both the courts and the university should follow.

Belgian Mayor (Partially) Shuts Down Conservative Conference

Yesterday, a group of European conservative leaders gathered outside Brussels for a two-day conference. That didn't sit well with the municipal mayor, Emir Kir, who sent in the police. A few hours into the conference, police entered the hall and announced that whoever was outside the meeting room would not be allowed to re-enter. Those already inside continued the meeting.

That has caused an outcry from critics including the Premier of Belgium, Alexander De Croo, who termed the mayor's action unconstitutional.

The below article from Belgium's Dutch-language newspaper, De Standaard, is translated by Fousesquawk. The article is dated April 16, 2024.

https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20240416_96307783

Police raid during conservative congress blows up in the face of Mayor Kir

Caption Mayor of Sint-Joost-ten-Node sends in officers to stop right-wing-conservative congress-De Standaard

By sending the police to disrupt a congress of rightwing conservatives in Sint-Joost, Mayor Emir Kir gave those present the chance to make their point about structural censorship in front of the cameras. Premier De Croo also called Kirs' action "unacceptable".

Today at 10:08, 

Pieter Van Maele 

"Belgium is bowing under the weight of sharia", said the French radical-right politician, Eric Zemmour, Tuesday afternoon. "It is once again clear that in Brussels, a dissenting voice cannot be heard," said Filip Dewinter (Vlaams Belang party). Brexit advocate Nigel Farage said, "This undemocratic behavior has now convinced me that Brexit was the only correct choice." Victor Orban, the Hungarian premier, tweeted that he was again reminded of his struggle against the communist regime in the 1980s. "We didn't give up then, and we shouldn't do that now."

All four were supposed to take part in the National Conservatism Conference (NatCon) in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday, a two-day right-wing conservative congress. That was originally supposed to take place in a hall in Brussels-City until the manager got wind of the content and canceled the event. Then the organizers switched to Etterbeek, where the same thing happened. On Tuesday morning, they were forced to settle on Claridge Hall in Sint-Joost-ten-Node. The manager of the hall said that after "consultation with his lawyer," he had decided the event could go forward.

Event not stopped

That was strictly against the wishes of Emir Kir (independent) the mayor of the Brussels municipality, who sent the police in Tuesday to put an "immediate" stop to the congress. He did that on the basis of a threat assessment by the anti-terrorist service, Ocad. De Standaard learned, in which there was a warning of a possible disruption, not just by the right-wing event itself, but also by extreme leftist counter-demonstrators. "Racists are not welcome in Brussels, nor in Etterbeek, nor in Sint-Joost," Kir also tweeted Tuesday.

Then around noon-Nigel Farage was speaking- a handful of police officers entered the hall, the meeting being in progress for some hours. That took place literally behind closed doors. On the thickly-sealed roll-down shutters hung a note with the telephone number of someone in the organizing Mathias Corvinus Collegium, a right-wing think tank from Hungary.

Caption: Eric Zemmour stated to the press, "Belgium is bowing under the weight of sharia."

The police did not completely stop the event. They did set up a cordon of about 20 riot police in front of the entrance to the hall. Whoever was outside the hall at that moment, like Zemmour, was not allowed back in by the officers. Inside, the congress went on virtually undisturbed.

"Unconstitutional"

If Kir thought that his demarche would put a damper on the organization, he achieved the opposite. Aside from the many strong expressions from right-wing leaders about the alleged censorship, parliamentary leaders from Vlaams Belang and the French Rassemblement National (until recently led by Marine LePen), for example, posed happily alongside riot police. 

It was recorded by cameras, among others, from Hir-TV, long one of the last critical news broadcasters in Hungary until the channel was bought up by one of Orban's supporters in 2018. And simultaneously with his declaration of Belgium as a "sharia state", on social media, an image was disseminated with a muzzled Zemmour. It stated, "The silencing imposed by a Belgian mayor of Turkish origin". 

Caption: Filip Dewinter (middle) posed next to assembled officers

But Premier Alexander De Croo also was critical on Tuesday about the action of Kir. He wrote on X (Twitter) that he found the action "unacceptable". "Municipal autonomy is a cornerstone of our democracy, but it can never push aside the Belgian constitution. Since 1830, it has guaranteed freedom of expression and guarantees the right of peaceful assembly. The banning of political meetings is unconstitutional. Period."

At about 5:30. some 50 far-left counter-demonstrators tried to get to the event hall, but they were stopped after a few hundred meters near the Madou Metro Station by police. It is as yet unclear if the 2nd day of the event will go on as planned. 

Iranian Missile Attack Fails: Hitler Reacts

 My latest Hitler Parody blockbuster!!

Another Knife Attack in Australia.

The attack

For the second time in a week, there has been a stabbing attack in Sydney, Australia. The first definitely appears to be a case of a mentally disturbed man (not a Muslim). This second attack that occurred today took place in an Assyrian church and the target was the bishop, who was giving a sermon. The attacker is only described in the Australian media as a 15-year-old male. The bishop, Mar Mari Emmanuel, is reportedly a critic of Islam. He has survived the attack. Others also sustained non-life-threatening cuts.

However, Jihad Watch is posting reports that the attacker when subdued was speaking in Arabic and according to Jihad Watch's information, was saying, "Why is he swearing at my prophet? I wouldn't have come here if he didn't bring my religion into this". It is also reported that one of the witnesses who tackled the attacker stated that he kept repeating, "Allahu akhbar" during the attack.

A riot broke out outside the church as police battled people who were outraged by the attack.

Scouring the Australian newspapers, it is hard to read entire articles since they all seem to have subscriber blocks. However, this appears to be a jihadist incident. It will be interesting to follow the Australian media's reportage on this story.

*Update (4-15-24): Australian authorities have announced that this is a terrorist attack motivated by religious extremism. They are also repeating rumors that the attacker had the fingers on one hand severed by parishioners. It has only been confirmed at this point that the suspect suffered injuries to one hand. 

Today is National Walkout Day (According to Students for Justice in Palestine)

 Breaking!!!!

Yes, folks, today has been proclaimed National Walkout Day (for Gaza), according to the little rascals at Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Accordingly, at UC Irvine, the entire student body is apparently expected to walk out of their classes and meet up somewhere in the vicinity of the Cross-Cultural Center (which is the SJP/Muslim Student Union clubhouse, for lack of a better description) at 12:30.

I assume the professors who belong to the recently-hatched Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP) will walk out as well. Maybe they will give speeches to the assembled masses. If so, you can expect them to preface their words by reminding the crowd that they are all standing on land stolen from the various indigenous tribes before going on to talk about Gaza.

Just another day at school.

*Update: The Big Walkout at UCI turned out to consist of a few dozen students. mostly females. They gathered outside the Cross-Cultural Center, and a handful of students gave the standard speeches about the "plight" of the Palestinian people, blah blah blah. They chanted the same old chants and scrawled Free Palestine messages on the sidewalk with chalk.

ZZZZZ.

France Gears up for Passover: Police on Alert

It's a sad commentary, but as Passover approaches, the French police are beefing up security for their Jewish citizens, especially in the wake of Iran's attack against Israel.

The below article from today's Le Figaro is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/frappes-contre-israel-darmanin-demande-un-renforcement-de-la-securite-devant-lieux-de-culte-et-ecoles-juifs-20240414

Strikes against Israel: Darmanin asks for security reinforcement at places of worship and Jewish schools

By Le Figaro

Posted yesterday at 23:01

Caption: Minister of Interior Gerald Darmanin

At the approach of the Passover holidays, the Minister of Interior has asked prefects to provide a "stationary and visible" police presence in front of places of worship and " the most sensitive and emblematic" buildings.

On Sunday, the Minister of Interior, Gerald Darmanin, asked prefects to reinforce security in front of Jewish places of worship, as well as in front of religious schools, the day after the attack carried out by Iran against Israel and in anticipation of the Passover holidays. The minister is asking prefects to provide a "stationary and visible" presence of police in front of places of worship and "the most sensitive and emblematic" buildings.

"The security forces (police and Gendarmerie, editor's note), of course, cannot carry out these missions alone," the minister writes in a telegram dated Sunday. "You will also need to requisition the Sentinel soldiers for this purpose," he adds. On the approach of Passover, the Jewish Easter (22-30 April), he asks them to pay particular attention to the "religious services and gatherings that traditionally concentrate large numbers of people."

"Stationary Guards" and " regular visits"

The Minister of Interior is also asking that "stationary guards be placed in front of  religious schools (beginning) Monday, systematically, at the hours of pupils entering and leaving." Gerald Dramanin is also calling for the establishment of "regular visits by the police and Gendarmerie," at "specialized businesses".

This decision was taken due to the "very high level of terrorist threat", "the continuing high level of acts of an anti-Semitic character," and "the persistence of tensions at the international level, including the attack by Iran upon Israel," during the night of Saturday to Sunday, he detailed in the telegram.

.

The Chemerinsky Incident: A Follow-up

 Hat tip Campus Reform

This past week, we reported on the unfortunate incident that occurred at  UC Berkeley Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky's home while he was hosting a dinner for his law students. As a follow-up, I am cross-posting an article by Campus Reform, which contains Chemerinsky's description of the incident. 

I have often been critical of Dean Chemerinsky, and as I have pointed out before, this is the type of law school he has created, just as he founded the UC Irvine Law School, of which I have been critical. but on this matter, I am fully on his side. What happened at his home was outrageous, but it is par for the course in how this pro-Palestinian crowd conducts itself. They are arrogant and insufferable. That this arrogant young woman would hijack an event at someone's home to make her political statement while refusing to leave and then have the nerve to berate Chemerinsky's wife, Catherine Fisk, for putting her hands on a "Muslim woman during Ramadan", is the height of chutzpah. It is typical of how pro-Palesatinain protesters are conducting themselves all over the nation. They have no regard for the rights of others, and they have no respect for our country at large.

As yet, I see no mention of this incident in UCB's campus newspaper, the Daily Californian, but I expect something to appear on Monday or Tuesday.

*Update: Here is what the Daily Californian has to say (April 15, 2024).