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Corruption, News

French Senate Adopts Anti-Antifa Bill That Sees Masked Extremists Face Heavy Fines

The French Senate has adopted a new bill to curb violence from far-left extremists that could see fines of up to 15,000 euros and potential prison time for masked “black bloc” rioters.
The new bill was adopted by the Senate on Tuesday and specifically targets members of Antifa black bloc groups which often show up to protests to cause property damage and violence against political opponents and police, reports FranceInfo.

Willful concealment of protestors’ faces will now carry a proposed 15,000 euro fine and a prison sentence of up to one year. The bill also allows for authorities to ban individuals deemed harmful to the public good from protests entirely.

The new bill was proposed by the conservative Republicans but was rejected and voted against by the Communists, the Socialist party, and French President Emmanuel Macron’s Le Republique En Marche! (LREM).

“This bill clearly erases public freedoms, including the freedom to demonstrate,” said the chairman of the majority-Communist CRCE group. The comments were countered by Republican senator Catherine Troendle who said: “This in no way undermines the freedom to demonstrate but, on the contrary, is there to ensure the free exercise of it.”

Left-extremist violence has seen a dramatic rise in recent years in France, especially during protests like those against populist politician Marine Le Pen last year during the French presidential election.

The Antifa extremists involved in the protests, which often become riots, have smashed up shops in central Paris, assaulted police officers, and even attempted to set them on fire in some cases with improvised incendiary weapons.

France is not the only country to have problems with Antifa violence during protests. Last year the German city of Hamburg saw rioting during the G20 summit where shops were smashed, cars set on fire, and hundreds of police were injured.

Following the riots, the German government shut down the major Antifa website Linksunten and has arrested several extremists in connection with the violence.

ORIGIONAL

News

Liberals knocked out of power by François Legault’s right-of-centre party

Benjamin Shingler · CBC News · Posted: Oct 01, 2018 7:14 PM ET | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

CBC’s election night special with Debra Arbec, Nancy Wood, Eric Grenier and Sean Henry. Results, analysis and live reports from our journalists across the province. Begins when polls close at 8 p.m. ET. 0:00
Coalition Avenir Québec will form a majority government in Quebec, according to a CBC News projection — issued just 33 minutes after polls closed across the province.

“We did it!” CAQ candidate Geneviève Guilbeault exclaimed, beaming, as news of the majority was broadcast on a giant screen behind her at the party’s Quebec City headquarters.

“We have been working so hard, for so much time,” said Guilbeault, the candidate for Louis-Hébert, who may become deputy premier under CAQ Leader François Legault.

“This is finally happening, this big change for all Quebecers,” Guilbeault told CBC News.

The CAQ needs 63 seats for a majority. As of 9 p.m., ET it was leading or elected in 78 ridings. The Liberals were leading or elected in 31.

Appetite for change

The right-of-centre party, which promises to lower taxes, privatize some aspects of the health-care system, and cut the number of immigrants, capitalized on an appetite for change among Quebec voters.

The party, founded in 2011, was the favourite heading into the campaign, thought Legault stumbled badly at times, particularly when pressed to explain his party’s immigration policy.

But he regained momentum in the final week of the campaign, much of which he spent in the regions outside Montreal, where he enjoys broad support among key francophone voters.

The Liberals, led by Philippe Couillard, campaigned on their strong economic record and a promise to improve the everyday lives of Quebecers.

But they were subject to criticism for the deep cuts to education and health care made in the first two years of their mandate as they wrestled to balance the budget.

Scant talk of sovereignty

For the first time in decades, the question of whether Quebec should become independent didn’t figure prominently in the campaign.

Either the federalist Liberals or the pro-independence Parti Québécois have held power in the province since the defeat of Union Nationale in 1970.

But with support for sovereignty waning, the PQ, led by Jean-François Lisée, said it would put off holding a referendum until a second mandate.

The PQ lost votes to another sovereigntist party, the smaller, left-wing Québec Solidaire​, led by two popular “co-spokespeople,” Manon Massé and Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.

The Parti Québécois and Québec Solidaire were tied with eight seats each as of 9 p.m.

Québec Solidaire’s platform, which includes a series of bold environmental proposals, is particularly popular among young voters.

When the election was called, the Liberals held 68 seats, the PQ held 28, the CAQ 21 and Québec Solidaire​ three, along with five independents in the province’s 125-seat National Assembly.

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Education, News, Religion

‘Allahu Akbar’: Man Attacks Women With Hammer in France

A man wielding a hammer has attacked and injured two women in France while shouting “Allahu Akbar” (Arabic for ‘my God is greatest’).
The attacker, who stuck in Chalon-sur-Saône, Eastern France, was wearing all black and is still on the run, French media reports.

French prosecutors say they are treating the incident, which occurred just before midday, as a possible terror attack but did not rule out other motives.

The two assaults happened near Place de Beaune, 15 minutes apart. One of the two women is believed to have been hit in the back of the head.

A helicopter was flying over the area to try to find the fugitive.

“A man assaulted two women using a hammer, slightly injuring one of them in the back of the head; both victims are in shock. The events took place near the city centre,” authorities confirmed in a statement.

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Education, News, Religion

‘Allah hu Akbar’ Shouting Woman Threatens to Blow Herself up at Cannes Festival

A 27-year-old woman from Cannes was arrested this week outside the CanneSeries television festival after she yelled “Allah hu Akbar” and threatened to blow herself up.
The threat of terrorism took place at the Place de Gaulle in Cannes, within the vicinity of the Palais des Festivals where both the internationally renowned Cannes film festival and the TV festival take place, regional newspaper Nice-Matin reports.

More disturbingly, the 27-year-old was accompanied by her two children aged two and four years old while she was making threats to explode. Police were able to quickly arrest the woman who was later taken for a psychiatric evaluation and hospitalised on the advice of a clinical psychiatrist.

The two children were taken into protective custody with social services.

The incident was not the only terrorist threat in France this week as two men were arrested in Saint-Brieuc in Brittany after they both also shouted “Allah hu Akbar” and uttered death threats against an employee of France’s national railway company SNCF at a train station.

Several witnesses to the incident said the two men were shouting not only “Allah hu Akbar” but were also making disparaging remarks about French people and Roman Catholics.

After the men threatened the employee, the station was evacuated until 15 police officers arrived on the scene with anti-bomb equipment as they were concerned the men may have bombs in their suitcases. “We had to react very quickly. We did not know what their suitcases contained,” a local police officer said.

The two men were quickly arrested and taken to a psychiatric hospital. One of the men, a 23-year-old born in France was said to be homeless and known previously to police, the other a 32-year-old was also known to police.

The threats come only weeks after a radical Islamic terrorist entered a supermarket in Trebes, taking several hostages and killing four people including French policeman Lt-Col Arnaud Beltrame who traded himself for a hostage and died the following day of his wounds.

The man, identified as Moroccan migrant Redouane Lakdim, demanded the release of Bataclan terrorist Salah Abdeslam. He was killed by police after they stormed the supermarket.

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Connecting The Dots, News, Politics

Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump are separating

Washington (CNN)Donald Trump Jr. and his wife Vanessa Trump are separating, they announced in a joint statement Thursday.

“After 12 years of marriage, we have decided to go our separate ways,” the statement said. “We will always have tremendous respect for each other and our families. We have five beautiful children together and they remain our top priority. We ask for your privacy during this time.”…

…Though she primarily remains out of the public eye, Vanessa Trump was recently in the news when she opened a letter containing a suspicious substance last month, which the New York Police Department ultimately deemed harmless.

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Connecting The Dots, Conspiracy Theory, News

Whistling at women & asking for phone number could cost men €350 in France

Men in France could be fined €350 (US$435) if they follow women in the street, whistle at them, make loud comments about their appearance or ask for their phone numbers, according to a draft proposal to combat “sexual contempt.”
The new report will be presented to the French government in the coming days, local media report. The plans come from a parliamentary working group set up by France’s secretary of state for equality, Marlene Schiappa. The politicians behind the proposal suggest that men who “violate women’s freedom of movement in public space” should face a minimum fine of €90 for those who can pay on the spot. If the fine is delayed, it could reach €350, the report says. The document will be presented to Schiappa, Minister of Justice Nicole Belloubet, and Minister of the Interior Gerard Collomb.

READ ALL THE CRAP HERE

Connecting The Dots, Conspiracy Theory, Corruption, Education, News, Politics

Attorney Lisa Bloom, Gloria Allred’s Daughter, Offered to Pay Woman $750K to Accuse Trump

Lisa Bloom, a California lawyer and daughter of Gloria Allred, who also represents Trump accusers, arranged payments for women to publicly accuse Donald Trump of sexual misconduct before the election. Bloom’s efforts included offering to sell the story to TV outlets in return for a commission for herself, arranging a donor to pay off the accuser’s mortgage, and attempting to secure as much as $750,000 to another woman who ultimately declined. The unidentified woman had an email from Bloom indicating that a Clinton Super PAC would help finance her legal costs if she agreed to do it. Earlier this year, Bloom was shamed into dropping Harvey Weinstein, asexual predator and alleged rapist, as a client. -GEG

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Connecting The Dots, Corruption, News, Spirituality & Health

Will The Trump Administration Impact The Legal Marijuana Movement

Read First
…California began allowing the sale of recreational marijuana on Monday, joining Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Nevada. Massachusetts and possibly Maine are expected to begin sales this year.

…“It puts the industry on notice in these states who thought they had cover from the states and the feds,” he said. “All these people are going to wake up today with a bit of a heartache because they thought were scot-free, when in reality, they’re not.”

Connecting The Dots, News, Random Events, Free Will or Something Darker?, Religion

Why are French police committing suicide in record numbers?

SUICIDE rates among police officers in France have hit record levels leading to serious concerns about the mental and emotional health of people whose duty is to serve and protect the population.

39 police officers have committed suicide since January this year and a further two deaths are suspected suicides.

The majority of those who committed suicide over the course of the past 11 months lived in the Paris region, where some 36,000 police officers are based. Out of the 10 police officers who committed suicide in the last two months, seven were based in Paris.

Radio station France Bleu, which reported on the figures, added that male police officers are more likely to take their own lives than their female counterparts: out of the 39 law enforcement officers who died this year, only three were women.

The suicide risk among police officers in France is “at least three times higher” than the national average, France Bleu said, adding that while most people committed suicide for “personal reasons,” an increasing number of deaths were being linked to work-related stress, especially among France’s police force.

Police trade unions believe that the anti-social nature of the job as well as the increased workloads and stress levels in part triggered by the wave of extremist violence in France have gnawed away at police officers’ mental wellbeing.

“Most police officers work five weekends out of six, when in fact they should be getting a weekend off every other week,” Louis-Guy Dubois, a member of Police Force Ouvrière trade union, told France Bleu.

According to Mr Dubois, the growing threat from Islamist terrorism has put French police under severe strain: “Giving officers more time off is an administrative headache, especially now that they are needed to help patrol the streets and prevent attacks. The number of officers working overtime (since the wave of attacks) has exploded. Police are under unprecedented pressure.”

Some 1,133 police officers have committed suicide in France in the last 25 years. Around 50 per cent killed themselves using their service weapon, according to France Bleu.

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Connecting The Dots, News, Random Events, Free Will or Something Darker?, Religion

French government forced to act after new wave of police suicides

Eight French officers including a high-profile former police chief have committed suicide in just a week sparking renewed concern among the forces of law and order and the government.
The worrying issue of the high number of suicides among French police officers is once again back on the agenda.

These latest suicides brought the number of French police officers to have taken their lives this year to 45. There have also been 16 suicides by members of France’s military police the gendarmerie nationale.

The most high profile death came on Sunday when it was revealed that France’s former police chief in charge of fighting hooliganism had been found dead in his office.

Antoine Boutonnet, whom The Local interviewed in June 2016 on the eve of Euro 2016 is believed to have used his service weapon to commit suicide.

Boutonnet’s death shocked those who knew him including the president of the French Football League Frédéric Thiriez.

“He wasn’t just a great professional but also a humanist. He became a friend,” said Thiriez.

France’s Interior Minister Gérard Collomb will meet with police unions after eight officers took their lives in a week.

He has also asked police chiefs to put together a list of recommendations aimed at cutting the number of suicides.

But French authorities seem powerless to prevent the loss of life given that in January 2015 the government had already unveiled its new plan aimed at cutting suicide numbers in the police forces.

That plan came after a black year for the forces of law and order when 55 police and 30 gendarmes took their own lives.

As part of the government’s measures seven extra psychologists were to be recruited for the police forces most in need. More psychologists were also to be recruited in police training schools.

Police officers were to get individual lockers where they can leave their weapon after work. This measure was aimed at stopping officers committing suicide using their service firearms in their own homes.

The then Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said he also intended to “improve the quality of life at work” by promoting a healthier work-life balance.

He also said he would also consider changing working hours to allow more time for a private life.

Speaking to The Local at the time David-Olivier Reverdy from the police union Alliance said that there was a real crisis in the police force.

While he accepted there are always “multiple factors” behind suicides, he says the fact remains that there are fundamental problems within the French police force that is pushing many over the edge.

“Some of these suicides are clearly down to problems in their personal lives, but there is clearly a malaise among police officers,” he said.

Reverdy pointed to “archaic” management systems, working conditions, pressure from bosses, and a lack of protection from the government given the fact that “no one these days seems to be too scared to physically attack police officers”.

In recent years police officers in France have been under extra strain as they have become the targets of choice for jihadist violence.

In April last year and officer was gunned down on the Champs-Elysées and in June 2016 a police officer and his wife were stabbed to death at their home in front of their young son.

They have also been targeted by violent protesters and in May 2016 took to the streets to protest against a rise in anti-cop hatred.

“Confronted on a daily basis by human misery, violence and the worst that you can find in humans, police can no longer put up with a lack of consideration towards them, which is a factor in these tragic acts,” said the Unité-SGP-Police union.

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Connecting The Dots, News, Random Events, Free Will or Something Darker?

French cop who attempted suicide twice tells why more colleagues take their own life

Police in France choose to take their own lives more easily than other sections of society, an officer who attempted suicide twice has told RT. She believes her colleagues suffer trauma from their work and from public anger directed at them.
Aurelie hides her face from the camera and will not disclose her real name. She has served in law enforcement for more than two decades, after joining at the age of 19. There was a time when she was very excited about her job. But then the pressure of it became harder and harder to bear.


“They always say that these are personal issues. We must stop saying that,” Aurelie tells RT’s Charlotte Dubenskij. “Police officers are traumatized by their work. They decide to commit suicide more easily than the others. Why? Not because they have weapons on them. How many of them hang themselves, throw themselves under trains, take pills? My female colleague, 49 years old, killed herself last week with a hunting rifle.”

Aurelie attempted to kill herself twice, with the latest incident coming just seven months ago. She does not deny there was a personal aspect to it: “I was considered a trouble-maker. I also had problems in my private life and with my children. I felt abandoned. You spend your entire life to build your personal and professional life – and one day you say to yourself: everything would be better without me.”

But the personal troubles were worsened by professional burnout. Although a nearly two-year state of emergency in France ended recently with President Emmanuel Macron’s tough counterterrorism law, the impact it had on the police was vast.

“We suffered enormously physically and psychologically from the terrorist attacks. We worked extremely hard – but that was our duty. What was really bad was that we were not given the tools to fight terrorism. Some police officers received new weapons, some received training – but not all of us. The measures that they introduced were miniscule.”

Aurelie also blames the government for the French police force’s tarnished image.
“Our administration is taking decisions and the people’s anger is turning against us. We are suffering from the image our government created for us. Today many people are calling for policemen to be killed.”

It was Aurelie’s children who helped her to pull through eventually. “I realized that my child will come home that day – and it saved my life. But the lack of humanity in police nowadays leads to the situation when many of my colleagues prefer to die instead of fighting.”

But dozens of other police officers have succumbed to the extreme pressures they face. This month, the French Interior Ministry revealed figures on police suicides, saying 2017 alone has seen 46 officers and 16 members of the gendarmerie take their lives. Last weekend, another officer committed suicide after going on a killing rampage.

“Faced with daily human misery, violence and with the worst that can be found in humans, police can no longer stand this lack of respect, a factor in coming closer to the dramatic act [of suicide],”said the SGP police union.

General secretary of the National Police Commissioners’ Union (NPCS), Céline Berthon, added her thoughts. “Police and gendarmes have been very busy defending others for two years, maybe that has led them to taking less care about themselves and maybe it has also led to exhaustion,” she said.

In the past, the grim statistics of some 85 suicides in 2014 triggered the then interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, to unveil a set of measures aimed at cutting the numbers. These included recruitment of additional psychologists, lockers for storing service firearms after work, as well as a change to working hours. The number of suicides went down after that, but apparently not for long, as the 2017 statistics show. For officers such as Aurelie and many like her, the struggle will continue until their voices are heard and the strain they are under is properly addressed.

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