- Two U.S. citizens at a northern Montana gas station were questioned by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer for speaking Spanish.
Ana Suda told multiple news outlets she and her friend Mimi Hernandez were about pay for eggs and milk at a convenience store gas station on Wednesday in Havre, Mont., about 35 miles south of the U.S.-Canada border, when a Border Patrol officer asked for her identification.
Suda recorded the encounter, where the agent says the two were brought outside for questioning because they were "speaking Spanish in the store, in a state where it’s predominantly English-speaking.”
“I was so embarrassed … being outside in the gas station, and everybody’s looking at you like you’re doing something wrong. I don’t think speaking Spanish is something criminal, you know?” Suda told The Washington Post. “My friend, she started crying. She didn’t stop crying in the truck. And I told her, we are not doing anything wrong.”
Suda told Montana TV station KRTV they were not allowed to leave the gas station for about 35 minutes.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is reviewing the case "to ensure that all appropriate policies were followed," according to a statement sent to USA TODAY.
"Although most Border Patrol work is conducted in the immediate border area, agents have broad law enforcement authorities and are not limited to a specific geography within the United States," U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in the statement. "They have the authority to question individuals, make arrests, and take and consider evidence."
Suda told The Post she plans to take legal action.
Showing posts with label Diversity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diversity. Show all posts
Monday, May 21, 2018
Friday, March 2, 2018
STRENGTH: Google Sued by Ex-Recruiter Alleging Anti-White, Asian Bias
Bloomberg.com - The critics of Google’s effort to promote workforce diversity now include one of its own former recruiters, who claims in a lawsuit he was fired because he didn’t toe the line on rejecting white and Asian male job candidates.
The Alphabet Inc. unit had “irrefutable policies, memorialized in writing and consistently implemented in practice, of systematically discriminating in favor job applicants who are Hispanic, African American, or female, and against Caucasian and Asian men,” according to the complaint filed in state court in Redwood City, California.
Arne Wilberg, who worked at Google and its YouTube unit for about nine years both as a contractor and an employee, claims he was terminated in retaliation for complaining to human resources about the company’s hiring practices. Wilberg also alleged that late last year, management deleted emails and other digital records of diversity requirements.
A Google spokeswoman said the company will vigorously defend itself against the lawsuit.
“We have a clear policy to hire candidates based on their merit, not their identity,” Gina Scigliano said in an email. “At the same time, we unapologetically try to find a diverse pool of qualified candidates for open roles, as this helps us hire the best people, improve our culture, and build better products.”
Google has faced criticism over its diversity practices from both sides: those who say it’s not doing enough to include women and underrepresented racial minorities, and those who assert that its efforts go too far. Google and many other technology giants started publicly sharing data on racial and gender diversity in 2014 and have faced pressure to increase the percentage of their workforce that isn’t white or Asian men.
Wilberg said that in 2016 and 2017, he and his fellow recruiters were told on several occasions to approve or dismiss job candidates based solely on whether they were women, black or Latino. In March 2017, a YouTube staffing manager emailed recruiters and told them, "Please continue with L3 [level three] candidates in process and only accept new L3 candidates that are from historically underrepresented groups." In another email, the same manager wrote, "We should only consider L3s from our underrepresented groups." ContinueReading
The Alphabet Inc. unit had “irrefutable policies, memorialized in writing and consistently implemented in practice, of systematically discriminating in favor job applicants who are Hispanic, African American, or female, and against Caucasian and Asian men,” according to the complaint filed in state court in Redwood City, California.
Arne Wilberg, who worked at Google and its YouTube unit for about nine years both as a contractor and an employee, claims he was terminated in retaliation for complaining to human resources about the company’s hiring practices. Wilberg also alleged that late last year, management deleted emails and other digital records of diversity requirements.
A Google spokeswoman said the company will vigorously defend itself against the lawsuit.
“We have a clear policy to hire candidates based on their merit, not their identity,” Gina Scigliano said in an email. “At the same time, we unapologetically try to find a diverse pool of qualified candidates for open roles, as this helps us hire the best people, improve our culture, and build better products.”
Google has faced criticism over its diversity practices from both sides: those who say it’s not doing enough to include women and underrepresented racial minorities, and those who assert that its efforts go too far. Google and many other technology giants started publicly sharing data on racial and gender diversity in 2014 and have faced pressure to increase the percentage of their workforce that isn’t white or Asian men.
Wilberg said that in 2016 and 2017, he and his fellow recruiters were told on several occasions to approve or dismiss job candidates based solely on whether they were women, black or Latino. In March 2017, a YouTube staffing manager emailed recruiters and told them, "Please continue with L3 [level three] candidates in process and only accept new L3 candidates that are from historically underrepresented groups." In another email, the same manager wrote, "We should only consider L3s from our underrepresented groups." ContinueReading
Friday, December 29, 2017
US: Judge bans Arizona from enforcing "racist" education law
CNN - An Arizona law banning Mexican-American studies from schools has been quashed.
A federal court says the measure, which took aim at programmes such as Tucson Unified School District's Mexican-American Studies (MAS) program Arizona that state lawmakers said were "designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group," violates students' constitutional rights.
Richard Martinez, the attorney who represents a group of Mexican-American students who attended the Tucson Unified School District, said the students sued shortly after the law was passed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.
"This was their curriculum that was intended to be responsive to them...culturally, linguistically, educationally," Martinez said. "The program had a very strong effect on students' achievement... in fact, most of the students finished high school and matriculated to college, which was unprecedented at Tucson Unified School District."
Most of the students are now in college, with two students currently enrolled in high school in the Tucson Unified School District.
A federal court says the measure, which took aim at programmes such as Tucson Unified School District's Mexican-American Studies (MAS) program Arizona that state lawmakers said were "designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group," violates students' constitutional rights.
Richard Martinez, the attorney who represents a group of Mexican-American students who attended the Tucson Unified School District, said the students sued shortly after the law was passed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.
"This was their curriculum that was intended to be responsive to them...culturally, linguistically, educationally," Martinez said. "The program had a very strong effect on students' achievement... in fact, most of the students finished high school and matriculated to college, which was unprecedented at Tucson Unified School District."
Most of the students are now in college, with two students currently enrolled in high school in the Tucson Unified School District.
According to court documents, the programme was established in 1998 and included courses like art, government, literature, and history focusing on "historic and contemporary Mexican-American contributions." It was meant to help Mexican-American students engage and relate to their studies and to "close the historic gap in academic achievement between Mexican-American & white students in Tucson."
The MAS programme was a success, U.S. District Court Judge Wallace Tashima noted, writing that "one would expect that officials responsible for public education in Arizona would continue, not terminate, an academically successful program."
However, the programme drew negative attention from Arizona Department of Education officials. Tom Horne, the former superintendent of public instruction, said the programme was "'extremely anti-American" because it promotes "essentially revolution against the American government."
According to court documents, Horne never attended a class from the programme to see what was being taught there and yet recommended the program be canceled. When the Tucson Unified School District didn't accept his recommendation, Horne "began lobbying for statewide legislation that would ban the program." His third draft of a bill prohibiting ethnic courses passed the House.
That was when John Huppenthal, a Senator who was chairman of the Senate Education Accountability and Reform Committee, became a proponent of the bill. It passed the Legislature in 2010 and both officials used the bill "to make political gains," Judge Tashima said, using the issue as "a political boon," that the men referenced in their political campaigns.
The court also found that Huppenthal posted discriminatory comments on a blog a few months after the bill passed. Huppenthal, who wrote under two pseudonyms, said things like, "I don't mind them selling Mexican food as long as the menus are mostly in English." He also wrote that embracing Mexico's values is "the rejection of success and embracement of failure," and opposed Spanish-language media saying, "This is America, speak English." He also wrote a blog comment comparing the Mexican-American Studies classes to the "KKK in a different colour," called the teachers skinheads and said they "use the exact same technique that Hitler used in his rise to power."
These blog comments, the judge said, were "the most important and direct evidence that racial animus infected the decision to enact" the bill.
Tashima ultimately concluded that the bill "was enacted and enforced with a discriminatory purpose" since "students have a First Amendment right to receive information and ideas" and said current Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas and Horne and Huppenthal "acted contrary to the First and Fourteenth Amendments," "violated students' constitutional rights," and said the bill "was not enacted in a legitimate educational purpose."
The defendants have 30 days to appeal and "the clock is ticking," said Martinez.
"Everyone is very pleased to bring this eight-year challenge to closure in such a positive way. Now public school students in Arizona will be allowed to take classes that teach their history and literature, to hear their own stories and know that they, too, are part of the rich American fabric," Martinez said.
CNN has requested comment from the Arizona Department of Education as well as the state's attorney general. Tucson Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo did not have a comment, his spokeswoman said. The District and staff are on winter break. (ontinueReading
Monday, November 20, 2017
China Offers Solution for Rohingya Refugee Crisis in Myanmar
bloomberg.com - A top Chinese diplomat proposed a resolution to the Rohingya refugee crisis in Myanmar that has seen more than 600,000 Muslims flee across the border into Bangladesh.
At a joint press conference on Sunday with Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi outlined a three-point solution that would allow Myanmar and Bangladesh to resolve the situation. The steps included a cease-fire, repatriation of refugees and talks on a long-term solution.
Wang had visited Bangladesh on Saturday before meeting with Myanmar’s top leaders. He’s scheduled to attend a meeting of Asian and European foreign ministers in Naypyidaw on Monday and Tuesday, at which the Rohingya issue is expected to be discussed.
The crisis in Myanmar has hurt the country’s image shortly after a democratic opening spurred a wave of interest from foreign companies. China had backed Myanmar’s military junta for over two decades as the West put sanctions on the regime, and is now seeking to build an economic corridor stretching from landlocked Yunnan province to the Bay of Bengal.
While State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said last month that the U.S. was assessing economic options available to target individuals associated with any atrocities, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on a visit to Myanmar last week that the introduction of broad-based economic sanctions at this time wouldn’t help resolve the crisis.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate and former political prisoner, has rejected widespread accusations that she hasn’t done enough to protect the Rohingya.
The latest tensions were sparked in August when militants from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army attacked 25 police and army posts, killing a dozen security officials in Rakhine state. The military responded with what it calls “clearance operations.” Multiple reports have since accused security forces and Buddhist vigilantes of indiscriminately attacking Muslims in the state and burning their villages, with the United Nations describing the campaign as "ethnic cleansing."
After meeting with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka on Saturday, Wang told reporters that China was “willing to play a constructive role” in resolving the situation.
In a statement, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry said Wang had "acknowledged Bangladesh is facing the brunt" of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and pledged that China would continue providing humanitarian assistance to help Dhaka deal with the crisis.
The Bangladesh foreign ministry didn’t directly address China’s plan, but said "Bangladesh remains engaged bilaterally with Myanmar for the solution of the problem and will look forward to China’s support for the early return of the Rohingyas to their homeland in Myanmar with dignity and safety."
Despite opposition from China and Russia, the UN General Assembly’s human rights committee endorsed a resolution on Nov. 16 calling on Myanmar’s military to end its campaign against the Rohingya.
Last week, the International Monetary Fund predicted a rebound in Myanmar’s economic growth to 6.7 percent in 2017-2018. The crisis in northern Rakhine could affect development finance and investor sentiment, although the direct economic impact appears to have been largely localized so far, the IMF said. (ontinueReading
At a joint press conference on Sunday with Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi outlined a three-point solution that would allow Myanmar and Bangladesh to resolve the situation. The steps included a cease-fire, repatriation of refugees and talks on a long-term solution.
Wang had visited Bangladesh on Saturday before meeting with Myanmar’s top leaders. He’s scheduled to attend a meeting of Asian and European foreign ministers in Naypyidaw on Monday and Tuesday, at which the Rohingya issue is expected to be discussed.
The crisis in Myanmar has hurt the country’s image shortly after a democratic opening spurred a wave of interest from foreign companies. China had backed Myanmar’s military junta for over two decades as the West put sanctions on the regime, and is now seeking to build an economic corridor stretching from landlocked Yunnan province to the Bay of Bengal.
While State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said last month that the U.S. was assessing economic options available to target individuals associated with any atrocities, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on a visit to Myanmar last week that the introduction of broad-based economic sanctions at this time wouldn’t help resolve the crisis.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate and former political prisoner, has rejected widespread accusations that she hasn’t done enough to protect the Rohingya.
The latest tensions were sparked in August when militants from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army attacked 25 police and army posts, killing a dozen security officials in Rakhine state. The military responded with what it calls “clearance operations.” Multiple reports have since accused security forces and Buddhist vigilantes of indiscriminately attacking Muslims in the state and burning their villages, with the United Nations describing the campaign as "ethnic cleansing."
After meeting with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka on Saturday, Wang told reporters that China was “willing to play a constructive role” in resolving the situation.
In a statement, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry said Wang had "acknowledged Bangladesh is facing the brunt" of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and pledged that China would continue providing humanitarian assistance to help Dhaka deal with the crisis.
The Bangladesh foreign ministry didn’t directly address China’s plan, but said "Bangladesh remains engaged bilaterally with Myanmar for the solution of the problem and will look forward to China’s support for the early return of the Rohingyas to their homeland in Myanmar with dignity and safety."
Despite opposition from China and Russia, the UN General Assembly’s human rights committee endorsed a resolution on Nov. 16 calling on Myanmar’s military to end its campaign against the Rohingya.
Last week, the International Monetary Fund predicted a rebound in Myanmar’s economic growth to 6.7 percent in 2017-2018. The crisis in northern Rakhine could affect development finance and investor sentiment, although the direct economic impact appears to have been largely localized so far, the IMF said. (ontinueReading
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Racially insensitive video ends VA school’s football season
SHORT PUMP, Va. — A middle school football team in Virginia has forfeited the remainder of its season after players made a racially insensitive video.
The video posted on Snapchat shows football players simulating sex acts on their black peers, WWBT-TV reported. The images are overlaid with racially charged language. Police have been investigating the incident.
The team at Short Pump Middle School outside Richmond had three games left in the season and will continue to meet for practice and participate in mandatory discussions over racial intolerance, ethics and accountability.
Frank J. Thornton, president of Henrico County’s NAACP, said school officials took a step in the right direction, but he questioned whether the district is equipped to get to the root of the problem.
“You can’t just sugar-coat,” Thornton told the Richmond Times-Dispatch . “You need a group who really knows what they’re doing.”
April Sullivan, a parent of a student at the school, agreed. She told the newspaper the school should do more “to address the systemic class and race issues that exist in society in general and Henrico County in particular.”
In a letter to the community released Friday, the Henrico County School Board said it is developing steps to prevent future incidents and will include parents in that discussion.
Not all of the team’s players were involved in the video, but school board members said the lessons to be learned should be reinforced with the entire team.
“Our hope is to use this very unfortunate event as a meaningful learning opportunity for students moving forward,” the letter said. (ontinueReading
Friday, October 20, 2017
Spain plans new elections in Catalonia to end independence bid: opposition
MADRID (Reuters) - The Spanish government has secured opposition support for dissolving Catalonia’s parliament and holding new elections there in January in its bid to check the regional government’s push for independence.
The Socialists, the main opposition, said on Friday they would back special measures to impose central rule on the region to thwart the secessionist-minded Catalan government and end a crisis that has unsettled the euro and hurt confidence in the euro zone’s fourth-largest economy.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who wants opposition support to be able to present a united front in the crisis, has called an emergency cabinet meeting on Saturday to pave the way for Madrid establishing central control in the region.
The government would not confirm whether January elections formed a part of the package, with Rajoy saying only that the measures would be announced on Saturday.
However a government spokesman saw regional elections as likely. “The logical end to this process would be new elections established within the law,” said government spokesman Inigo Mendez de Vigo at a weekly government press conference.
It will be the first time in Spain’s four decades of democracy that Madrid has invoked the constitution to effectively sack a regional government and call new elections.
Head of state King Felipe used a prizegiving ceremony in the northwestern region of Asturias to indicate support for the government and affirm the unity of Spain, of which he said “Catalonia is and will remain an essential part.”
“Spain needs to face up to an unacceptable secession attempt on its national territory, which it will resolve through its legitimate democratic institutions,” said the monarch, a ceremonial figure who sharply criticized Catalan leaders earlier this month.
Rajoy wants as broad a consensus as possible before taking the step, which has raised the prospect of more large-scale protests in Catalonia, where pro-independence groups have been able to bring more than one million people out onto the streets.
Regional authorities said around 90 percent voted for independence though only 43 percent of voters participated. Opponents of secession mostly stayed home. (ontinueReading
Further Reading: Spain, Bolivia, Iraq, and the Fallacy of Nation-Sate
Monday, October 9, 2017
Strength is our diversity: Dove apologizes for racially insensitive ad
NEW YORK -- Dove has apologized for a controversial advertisement that critics have called racist.
The ad in question showed a black woman removing her brown shirt to reveal a "white" woman wearing a lighter coloured shirt. It was eventually removed from the company's Facebook page.
The soap company posted the apology to Facebook and Twitter on Saturday, saying the ad "missed the mark in representing women of colour thoughtfully." It added, "We deeply regret the offense it caused." (ontinueReading
The ad in question showed a black woman removing her brown shirt to reveal a "white" woman wearing a lighter coloured shirt. It was eventually removed from the company's Facebook page.
The soap company posted the apology to Facebook and Twitter on Saturday, saying the ad "missed the mark in representing women of colour thoughtfully." It added, "We deeply regret the offense it caused." (ontinueReading
Friday, September 22, 2017
Kurdish independence referendum: Turkey, Iran and Iraq unite in opposition to 'Kexit' vote
independent.co.uk - Turkey, Iran and Iraq have agreed to consider counter-measures against Kurdish northern Iraq over a planned independence referendum, Turkey's foreign ministry said on Thursday.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the three countries voiced concerns that the referendum would endanger the gains Iraq has made against Islamic State, and reiterated their fears over the potential for new conflicts in the region.
"In the meeting, the three ministers emphasised that the referendum will not be beneficial for the Kurds and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), and agreed, in this regard, to consider taking counter-measures in coordination," the statement said.
The statement gave no details on the possible measures but said the ministers, who were in New York attending the United Nations General Assembly, called on the international community to intervene.
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to impose sanctions against Kurdish northern Iraq. Turkish troops are also carrying out military exercises near the border.
The central government in Baghdad, Iraq's neighbours and Western powers fear the vote could divide the country and spark a wider regional conflict, after Arabs and Kurds cooperated to dislodge Isis from its stronghold in Mosul.
The statement said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and their Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari expressed concerns that conflicts surfacing as a result of the referendum would "prove difficult to contain".
But the Kurds say they are determined to go ahead with the vote, which, though non-binding, could trigger the process of separation in a country already divided along sectarian and ethnic lines.
The three ministers also voiced their "strong commitment" to maintain Iraq's territorial and political unity, the foreign ministry's statement said.
Turkey, which has pulled forward a cabinet meeting and national security council session to Friday over the referendum, will also convene parliament for an extraordinary meeting on Saturday, the chairman of the ruling AK Party's parliamentary group said on Thursday. (ontinueReading
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the three countries voiced concerns that the referendum would endanger the gains Iraq has made against Islamic State, and reiterated their fears over the potential for new conflicts in the region.
"In the meeting, the three ministers emphasised that the referendum will not be beneficial for the Kurds and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), and agreed, in this regard, to consider taking counter-measures in coordination," the statement said.
The statement gave no details on the possible measures but said the ministers, who were in New York attending the United Nations General Assembly, called on the international community to intervene.
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to impose sanctions against Kurdish northern Iraq. Turkish troops are also carrying out military exercises near the border.
The central government in Baghdad, Iraq's neighbours and Western powers fear the vote could divide the country and spark a wider regional conflict, after Arabs and Kurds cooperated to dislodge Isis from its stronghold in Mosul.
The statement said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and their Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari expressed concerns that conflicts surfacing as a result of the referendum would "prove difficult to contain".
But the Kurds say they are determined to go ahead with the vote, which, though non-binding, could trigger the process of separation in a country already divided along sectarian and ethnic lines.
The three ministers also voiced their "strong commitment" to maintain Iraq's territorial and political unity, the foreign ministry's statement said.
Turkey, which has pulled forward a cabinet meeting and national security council session to Friday over the referendum, will also convene parliament for an extraordinary meeting on Saturday, the chairman of the ruling AK Party's parliamentary group said on Thursday. (ontinueReading
Saturday, September 9, 2017
Danish official: No room for refugees from UN this year
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Denmark’s minority center-right government doesn’t want to accept any refugees this year that come in under a U.N. quota system, an official said Saturday.
The U.N. refugee agency has made deals with countries, including Denmark, to take in a number of refugees each year. Since 1989, Denmark has accepted about 500 such refugees every year.
But now Denmark “doesn’t want to commit ourselves,” said Integration Minister Inger Stoejberg, considered an immigration hardliner. “I don’t believe we have room for quota refugees this year.”
Stoejberg said Denmark had received about 56,000 asylum-seekers since 2012 and many of them are expected to try to bring relatives in. She said those already in Denmark should be integrated first.
The anti-immigration Danish People’s Party, which backs the government, supports the proposal.
Holger K. Nielsen, a senior member of the small opposition Socialist People’s Party, said it was “totally wrong of Stoejberg to close the door to quota refugees,” saying she was letting down “the weakest refugees in the world.”
No date for a vote in the 179-seat Parliament was set.
Denmark has received about 20,000 asylum-seekers in 2015, a small number compared with its Swedish and German neighbors.
Last year, Stoejberg said the reception of refugees through the UNHCR program had been postponed, saying Danish municipalities should have “a little breathing room to better take care of those who have already arrived.” (ontinueReading
The U.N. refugee agency has made deals with countries, including Denmark, to take in a number of refugees each year. Since 1989, Denmark has accepted about 500 such refugees every year.
But now Denmark “doesn’t want to commit ourselves,” said Integration Minister Inger Stoejberg, considered an immigration hardliner. “I don’t believe we have room for quota refugees this year.”
Stoejberg said Denmark had received about 56,000 asylum-seekers since 2012 and many of them are expected to try to bring relatives in. She said those already in Denmark should be integrated first.
The anti-immigration Danish People’s Party, which backs the government, supports the proposal.
Holger K. Nielsen, a senior member of the small opposition Socialist People’s Party, said it was “totally wrong of Stoejberg to close the door to quota refugees,” saying she was letting down “the weakest refugees in the world.”
No date for a vote in the 179-seat Parliament was set.
Denmark has received about 20,000 asylum-seekers in 2015, a small number compared with its Swedish and German neighbors.
Last year, Stoejberg said the reception of refugees through the UNHCR program had been postponed, saying Danish municipalities should have “a little breathing room to better take care of those who have already arrived.” (ontinueReading
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Spain's Catalonia region sets independence vote for Oct. 1 2017 despite protest from Madrid
via foxnews.com - Spain’s prosperous Catalonia region has set the date for a vote for independence – despite anger coming out of the country’s capital city.
The region’s pro-independence ruling government managed to get enough votes to pass the referendum law amid a testy parliament session that lasted 11 hours and saw 52 opposition members walk out of the chamber in protest.
The support of 72 pro-independence lawmakers was enough to pass the measure, after the opposition members walked out before the voting started. Eleven lawmakers abstained from voting.
The vote for independence on Oct. 1, however, will face a tough test from the Spanish government by appealing to the country’s constitutional court, which has previously ruled that a referendum can only be called with the approval of central authorities.
Catalonia regional President Carles Puigdemont signed a decree officially calling for a “self-determination referendum of Catalonia." His entire cabinet, which includes politicians from various pro-independence parties, also approved the document to dilute responsibility is case of prosecution.
The referendum clashes with the Spanish Constitution, which only gives national authorities the right to call such a vote. But Catalonia's pro-independence lawmakers approved a bill earlier Wednesday that is meant to provide a legal justification for the independence vote.
“The concert of state and patriotic unities that go beyond the rights of citizens don’t have a place in today’s Europe,” Puigdemont said. "Catalonia belongs to this world that looks forward, and that's why it will decide its own future on the 1st of October."
Catalonia's renewed push for secession has opened one of Spain's deepest political and institutional crises of recent years. Although much of the blame has been put on the pro-independence bloc in the regional parliament, Rajoy's conservative government has been criticized for letting the situation get this far.
Puigdemont's government claims it has a democratic mandate to seek a binding independence referendum based on the universal right to self-determination. However, approval for the referendum law came after more than 11 hours of heated debate.
The parliamentary debate in Barcelona saw tensions flare when the regional body's top speaker, Carme Forcadell, announced that a vote on the bill would proceed before the legislation had undergone the customary legal vetting. The vote had not appeared on the day's agenda until the very last minute.
The Spanish government is trying to strike a delicate balance between offsetting the secessionist defiance and staying away from more dramatic measures that would further inflame anti-Spanish sentiments, such as suspending Catalonia's autonomous powers or declaring a state of emergency that would bring the army into the mix.
The Catalonia region centered on Barcelona generates a fifth of Spain's gross domestic product. It self-governs in several important areas, such as police, health and education. But key areas such as taxes, foreign affairs and most infrastructures are in the hands of the Spanish government.
Both Catalan and Spanish are spoken in the region of 7.5 million people, and many Catalans feel strongly about their cultural heritage and traditions.
The pro-independence bloc has argued that full control would benefit Catalonia, an idea that gained support in times of high unemployment and harsh austerity measures as a result of Spain's 2008-2013 financial crisis. (ontinueReading
The region’s pro-independence ruling government managed to get enough votes to pass the referendum law amid a testy parliament session that lasted 11 hours and saw 52 opposition members walk out of the chamber in protest.
The support of 72 pro-independence lawmakers was enough to pass the measure, after the opposition members walked out before the voting started. Eleven lawmakers abstained from voting.
The vote for independence on Oct. 1, however, will face a tough test from the Spanish government by appealing to the country’s constitutional court, which has previously ruled that a referendum can only be called with the approval of central authorities.
The referendum clashes with the Spanish Constitution, which only gives national authorities the right to call such a vote. But Catalonia's pro-independence lawmakers approved a bill earlier Wednesday that is meant to provide a legal justification for the independence vote.
“The concert of state and patriotic unities that go beyond the rights of citizens don’t have a place in today’s Europe,” Puigdemont said. "Catalonia belongs to this world that looks forward, and that's why it will decide its own future on the 1st of October."
Catalonia's renewed push for secession has opened one of Spain's deepest political and institutional crises of recent years. Although much of the blame has been put on the pro-independence bloc in the regional parliament, Rajoy's conservative government has been criticized for letting the situation get this far.
Puigdemont's government claims it has a democratic mandate to seek a binding independence referendum based on the universal right to self-determination. However, approval for the referendum law came after more than 11 hours of heated debate.
The parliamentary debate in Barcelona saw tensions flare when the regional body's top speaker, Carme Forcadell, announced that a vote on the bill would proceed before the legislation had undergone the customary legal vetting. The vote had not appeared on the day's agenda until the very last minute.
The Spanish government is trying to strike a delicate balance between offsetting the secessionist defiance and staying away from more dramatic measures that would further inflame anti-Spanish sentiments, such as suspending Catalonia's autonomous powers or declaring a state of emergency that would bring the army into the mix.
The Catalonia region centered on Barcelona generates a fifth of Spain's gross domestic product. It self-governs in several important areas, such as police, health and education. But key areas such as taxes, foreign affairs and most infrastructures are in the hands of the Spanish government.
Both Catalan and Spanish are spoken in the region of 7.5 million people, and many Catalans feel strongly about their cultural heritage and traditions.
The pro-independence bloc has argued that full control would benefit Catalonia, an idea that gained support in times of high unemployment and harsh austerity measures as a result of Spain's 2008-2013 financial crisis. (ontinueReading
Saturday, September 2, 2017
Hundreds dead in Myanmar as the Rohingya crisis explodes again
via washingtonpost.com YANGON, Myanmar — Hundreds have died in western Myanmar in clashes between insurgents and security forces, a dramatic escalation of the Rohingya crisis that has haunted the country’s transition to democracy and tainted leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s legacy.
The increasing death toll follows reports that tens of thousands more Rohingya Muslims have been displaced in the conflict.
In some of the worst fighting in decades, Myanmar’s army says 370 fighters tied to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) have been killed since the group first moved on dozens of police posts in the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 25. Fifteen members of Myanmar’s security forces and civil service and 14 non-Muslim civilians died in the attacks and ensuing clashes.
Though it emerged only a year ago with origins in the diaspora, ARSA claims it fights for the more than 1 million stateless Rohingya Muslims in Burma, also known as Myanmar. The government calls it a terrorist organization.
The Rohingya, most of whom reside in Rakhine state on the border with Bangladesh, are deeply unpopular in Burma, which is 90 percent Buddhist. The government insists they are immigrants from Bangladesh despite generational roots. Burma disputes the very term “Rohingya,” preferring “Bengali” or “Muslims in Rakhine state.” (ontinueReading
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Strength? Thousands of Rohingya Flee for Bangladesh as Fresh Violence Erupts in Myanmar
COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh/YANGON (Reuters) - Thousands of Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in Myanmar are trying to cross the border with Bangladesh, Bangladeshi security officials said on Saturday, as fresh fighting erupted in Myanmar's northwestern Rakhine state.
The death toll from widespread attacks staged by Rohingya insurgents on Friday has climbed to 96, including nearly 80 insurgents and 12 members of the security forces, the government said, prompting it to evacuate staff and villagers from some areas.
The attacks marked a dramatic escalation of a conflict that has simmered since last October, when a similar offensive prompted a major military sweep beset by allegations of serious human rights abuses.
The treatment of approximately 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya in mainly Buddhist Myanmar has emerged as the biggest challenge for national leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who late on Friday condemned the morning raids - in which insurgents wielding guns, sticks and homemade bombs assaulted 30 police stations and an army base.
The death toll from widespread attacks staged by Rohingya insurgents on Friday has climbed to 96, including nearly 80 insurgents and 12 members of the security forces, the government said, prompting it to evacuate staff and villagers from some areas.
The attacks marked a dramatic escalation of a conflict that has simmered since last October, when a similar offensive prompted a major military sweep beset by allegations of serious human rights abuses.
The treatment of approximately 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya in mainly Buddhist Myanmar has emerged as the biggest challenge for national leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who late on Friday condemned the morning raids - in which insurgents wielding guns, sticks and homemade bombs assaulted 30 police stations and an army base.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been accused by some Western critics of not speaking out for the long-persecuted Muslim minority, and of defending the army's counteroffensive after the October attacks.
Some 3,000 Rohingya arrived at the Naf river separating Myanmar and Bangladesh on Saturday, Manzurul Hassan Khan, a Bangladeshi border guard commander, told Reuters.
"About 500 Rohingya, mostly women and children, spent the last night in a marshy area waiting to cross over," said Khan. "We protected them the whole night. Today they went back."
Reuters reporters saw hundreds of Rohingya crossing into Bangladesh near the border village of Gumdhum as gun shots could be heard from the Myanmar side. They could be seen squatting in a marshy area, hiding in the bushes from border guards.
"We managed to escape the shooting in Myanmar and tried to enter Bangladesh. We waited all night after we were pushed backed by Bangladesh border guards last night. This morning, we managed to enter somehow," said Hamid Hossain, 42, who crossed into Bangladesh on Saturday with a group of three families.
A 25-year-old man whose relatives said he had been shot by Myanmar security forces on Friday died as he was carried to Bangladesh for treatment. He was buried near a refugee camp close to the border on Saturday, according to camp resident Mohammed Shafi, who said he witnessed the burial.
Bangladesh's foreign ministry on Saturday said it was concerned that thousands of "unarmed Myanmar nationals" had assembled near the border to enter the country.
Rohingya have been fleeing Myanmar to Bangladesh since the early 1990s and there are now around 400,000 in the country, where they are a source of tension between the two nations who both regard them as the other country's citizens. (ontinueReading
Some 3,000 Rohingya arrived at the Naf river separating Myanmar and Bangladesh on Saturday, Manzurul Hassan Khan, a Bangladeshi border guard commander, told Reuters.
"About 500 Rohingya, mostly women and children, spent the last night in a marshy area waiting to cross over," said Khan. "We protected them the whole night. Today they went back."
Reuters reporters saw hundreds of Rohingya crossing into Bangladesh near the border village of Gumdhum as gun shots could be heard from the Myanmar side. They could be seen squatting in a marshy area, hiding in the bushes from border guards.
"We managed to escape the shooting in Myanmar and tried to enter Bangladesh. We waited all night after we were pushed backed by Bangladesh border guards last night. This morning, we managed to enter somehow," said Hamid Hossain, 42, who crossed into Bangladesh on Saturday with a group of three families.
A 25-year-old man whose relatives said he had been shot by Myanmar security forces on Friday died as he was carried to Bangladesh for treatment. He was buried near a refugee camp close to the border on Saturday, according to camp resident Mohammed Shafi, who said he witnessed the burial.
Bangladesh's foreign ministry on Saturday said it was concerned that thousands of "unarmed Myanmar nationals" had assembled near the border to enter the country.
Rohingya have been fleeing Myanmar to Bangladesh since the early 1990s and there are now around 400,000 in the country, where they are a source of tension between the two nations who both regard them as the other country's citizens. (ontinueReading
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
OOPS: Norway "Anti-immigrant" group mocked after mistaking empty bus seats for women in burqas
sfgate.com - A Norwegian anti-immigrant Facebook group is the laughingstock of the internet after some members of the group thought a photo of an empty bus showed six women in burqas.
Fedrelandet viktigst, or "Fatherland first" in Norwegian, is a private group with over 13,000 members. The group was thrown into turmoil when a user posted an image of a bus allegedly packed with burqa-wearing women.
"What do people think about this?" the image was captioned.
"It looks really scary, should be banned," one user commented. "You can never know who is under there. Could be terrorists with weapons."Seems unlikely, considering we do know what was "under there": An empty bus seat.
The optical illusion-turned-xenophobia-test went viral when Facebook user Sindre Beyer posted screenshots from the group on his public page. The post has nearly 2,000 shares and plenty of comments making fun of Fedrelandet viktigst.
"This is the best thing I've seen from blind racists since The Chappelle Show," one person commented.
"I think I passed the test because the first thing I saw was a group of Darth Vaders," wrote another.
According to the Washington Post, journalist Johan Slattavik posted the original photo as a "little practical joke" to see how riled up the group would get.
"I ended up having a good laugh," Slattavik told WorldViews.
Fedrelandet viktigst members called his photo "frightening" and "tragic," which is also how their negative reaction to burqa-clad women on public transit was described by detractors.
"People see what they want to see and what they want to see are dangerous Muslims," Norwegian Centre Against Racism head Rune Berglund Steen told The Local, an English-language Norwegian news site. "In a way, it's an interesting test of how quickly people can find confirmations of their own delusions." (ontinueReading
* * * *
Related: Idiot Islamophobes Mistake Empty Bus Seats For Burqa-Wearing Women
‘Competitive Victimhood’ Among Racial Minorities Backfires, Study Finds
Multiculturalism: A Failed Concept
Fedrelandet viktigst, or "Fatherland first" in Norwegian, is a private group with over 13,000 members. The group was thrown into turmoil when a user posted an image of a bus allegedly packed with burqa-wearing women.
"What do people think about this?" the image was captioned.
"It looks really scary, should be banned," one user commented. "You can never know who is under there. Could be terrorists with weapons."Seems unlikely, considering we do know what was "under there": An empty bus seat.
The optical illusion-turned-xenophobia-test went viral when Facebook user Sindre Beyer posted screenshots from the group on his public page. The post has nearly 2,000 shares and plenty of comments making fun of Fedrelandet viktigst.
"This is the best thing I've seen from blind racists since The Chappelle Show," one person commented.
"I think I passed the test because the first thing I saw was a group of Darth Vaders," wrote another.
According to the Washington Post, journalist Johan Slattavik posted the original photo as a "little practical joke" to see how riled up the group would get.
"I ended up having a good laugh," Slattavik told WorldViews.
Fedrelandet viktigst members called his photo "frightening" and "tragic," which is also how their negative reaction to burqa-clad women on public transit was described by detractors.
"People see what they want to see and what they want to see are dangerous Muslims," Norwegian Centre Against Racism head Rune Berglund Steen told The Local, an English-language Norwegian news site. "In a way, it's an interesting test of how quickly people can find confirmations of their own delusions." (ontinueReading
* * * *
Related: Idiot Islamophobes Mistake Empty Bus Seats For Burqa-Wearing Women
‘Competitive Victimhood’ Among Racial Minorities Backfires, Study Finds
Multiculturalism: A Failed Concept
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Strength!: Walmart Apologizes After a Listing on Its Site Featured a Racial Slur
fortune.com - Walmart prompted controversy on Monday July 17 after a third-party product description on its website contained a racial slur.
The mega-retail chain published a description for a wig cap that listed its color as "Nigger Brown." The post sparked a reaction on Twitter.
"Umm, @Walmart we need to have a chat," the comedian Travon Free wrote.
Walmart apologized for the use of the racial slur on Monday, calling it "appalling." The retailer did not share the name of the vendor (for obvious reasons) that was selling the wig cap.
"We are very sorry and appalled that this third party seller listed their item with this description on our online marketplace," Walmart said in a statement posted on Twitter. "It is a clear violation of our policy and has been removed, and we are investigating the seller to determine how this could have happened."
Walmart eventually took the listing for the wig down from its page. Jagazi Naturals, a United Kingdom-based company listed as the wig cap seller, said that it had nothing to do with the listing.
"The real JAGAZI is a 100% black company for black people. People have often used our brand name to try and sell their products. Please be aware. Very sorry for all the distress this has caused. We are feeling the pain here as well," Jagazi said in a statement. (ontinueReading
The mega-retail chain published a description for a wig cap that listed its color as "Nigger Brown." The post sparked a reaction on Twitter.
"Umm, @Walmart we need to have a chat," the comedian Travon Free wrote.
Walmart apologized for the use of the racial slur on Monday, calling it "appalling." The retailer did not share the name of the vendor (for obvious reasons) that was selling the wig cap.
"We are very sorry and appalled that this third party seller listed their item with this description on our online marketplace," Walmart said in a statement posted on Twitter. "It is a clear violation of our policy and has been removed, and we are investigating the seller to determine how this could have happened."
Walmart eventually took the listing for the wig down from its page. Jagazi Naturals, a United Kingdom-based company listed as the wig cap seller, said that it had nothing to do with the listing.
"The real JAGAZI is a 100% black company for black people. People have often used our brand name to try and sell their products. Please be aware. Very sorry for all the distress this has caused. We are feeling the pain here as well," Jagazi said in a statement. (ontinueReading
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Former envoy warns nationalists in Macedonia-Skopje 'playing with fire'
rte.ie - Nationalists in Macedonia are "playing with fire" in refusing to relinquish power, said the former envoy who helped avert civil war in the Balkan country.
Pieter Feith also said the European Union should consider halting Macedonia's accession process in order to break a dangerous deadlock, said the former envoy who helped avert civil war in the Balkan country.
A long-running political crisis in the former Yugoslav republic turned violent on Thursday when supporters of the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party, some in balaclavas, stormed parliament after a new majority in the assembly elected an ethnic Albanian as speaker, a first step towards replacing the nationalist-led government.
The events, in which one ethnic Albanian MP was badly beaten and several other deputies left bloodied, raised fears that the political crisis was spiralling out of control and may plunge the country back into ethnic conflict 16 years after Western diplomacy averted full-blown civil war.
The nationalists of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski are blocking the formation of a new government led by the opposition Social Democrats, accusing them of doing a deal with the country's ethnic Albanian minority that risked tearing the country apart by allowing wider official use of the Albanian language.
Mr Feith, who as NATO's Balkans troubleshooter at the turn of the century helped negotiate a peace deal to end months of clashes between Macedonian security forces and ethnic Albanian guerrillas in 2001, warned of further escalation.
The nationalists, he said, "are playing with fire. The next step I could imagine, but God forbid, if arms are going to be handed out and circulated as they were in 2001, you are quickly on the abyss of civil war,"
Pieter Feith also said the European Union should consider halting Macedonia's accession process in order to break a dangerous deadlock, said the former envoy who helped avert civil war in the Balkan country.
A long-running political crisis in the former Yugoslav republic turned violent on Thursday when supporters of the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party, some in balaclavas, stormed parliament after a new majority in the assembly elected an ethnic Albanian as speaker, a first step towards replacing the nationalist-led government.
The events, in which one ethnic Albanian MP was badly beaten and several other deputies left bloodied, raised fears that the political crisis was spiralling out of control and may plunge the country back into ethnic conflict 16 years after Western diplomacy averted full-blown civil war.
The nationalists of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski are blocking the formation of a new government led by the opposition Social Democrats, accusing them of doing a deal with the country's ethnic Albanian minority that risked tearing the country apart by allowing wider official use of the Albanian language.
Mr Feith, who as NATO's Balkans troubleshooter at the turn of the century helped negotiate a peace deal to end months of clashes between Macedonian security forces and ethnic Albanian guerrillas in 2001, warned of further escalation.
The nationalists, he said, "are playing with fire. The next step I could imagine, but God forbid, if arms are going to be handed out and circulated as they were in 2001, you are quickly on the abyss of civil war,"
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Half Of Canada Says Undocumented Immigrants Should Be Deported
STRENGTH!
- Nearly half of Canadian adults were for having undocumented immigrants deported from their country, while some opposed the way Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was handling their illegal entry, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday March 20.
Forty-six percent Canadians said they disapproved of Trudeau's stance on undocumented immigrants crossing into Canada through the U.S. illegally, while 37 percent supported the prime minister’s decision and 17 percent said to be indifferent. Forty-eight percent said Canada should "send these migrants back to the U.S."
Those who were highly supportive of the deportations were men, older people with higher incomes and adult without college degrees.
"Refugees are much more welcomed when we have gone and selected them ourselves as a country, as opposed to refugees who have chosen us," said Janet Dench, executive director of Canadian Council for Refugees.
In a separate Ipsos poll in January, studies showed 59 percent of Canadians approved of Trudeau’s policies, while 41 percent opposed them.
“To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada,” Trudeau tweeted in January.
Toronto Mayor John Tory also cosigned with Trudeau saying, "We understand that as Canadians we are almost all immigrants and that no one should be excluded on the basis of their ethnicity or nationality," CBS News reported late January.
Also, the poll's findings come as Canada faces a significant increase from undocumented Mexicans, who are leaving the U.S. due to President Donald Trump's stance on immigration. Canadian border authorities detained 444 Mexican nationals between Jan. 1 and March 8, according to the Canada Border Services Agency via Reuters. This year’s influx surpassed the annual totals of 2014 with 399 detainees, 351 for 2015 and 410 for 2016.
As far as security, the poll showed that 41 percent of Canadians said the increased border crossings made Canada less safe, while 46 percent said the influx had no effect on safety.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll, which was conducted in English and French, surveyed 1,001 people 18 years and older.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
California: Waiter fired after asking Latinas for 'proof of residency' at upscale Huntington Beach eatery
She and a friend had just been seated and were waiting for two others on the outdoor patio of Saint Marc, an upscale eatery in Huntington Beach, when he posed the question.
“Can I see your proof of residency?” the waiter asked.
Her friend repeated the question in disbelief, Carrillo recalled, and the waiter replied, “I need to make sure you’re from here before I serve you.”
The two women sat in stunned silence. “It was kind of hard to process because we’ve never experienced this,” said Carrillo, 23, who lives in Santa Ana and works for an organization that provides social services to families and youth.
Moments later, Carrillo’s sister, Diana, and another friend joined them and were asked the same question. The four women spoke to the manager, who apologized and offered to re-seat them, but they declined and left.
At first the friends thought the waiter might be joking. “But he didn’t have a smile,” said Diana Carrillo, 24, who works for a mortgage broker company. “There was no indication that he was trying to make a joke or even possibly flirt with us.”
Diana Carrillo said the encounter left all of them shaken. “I’ve never felt so judged in my life…. It sends a chill through your entire body.
Hours later, still seething, Diana decided to post about their encounter on Facebook and Yelp. Within hours, more than a dozen people had responded to her post on Facebook and left negative reviews on Yelp.
After Diana’s posts, restaurant management reached out to her to apologize. Statements on Facebook and Instagram, which have since been deleted, said the waiter had been fired and that “this type of behavior… will not be tolerated.”
In a separate statement sent to The Times, restaurant management said the waiter’s actions were “in no way…representative” of the restaurant’s employees or management. “We have always celebrated being part of the diverse Huntington Beach community, which means valuing all guests and treating every individual with respect,” the statement read.
Kent Bearden, senior director of operations for Saint Marc, said the restaurant had never encountered similar problems with the waiter, who he said was “not a new hire.”
When Diana Carrillo told her mother about the incident, she said, “My mom lost it.”
“I was angry. I was sad,” Guillermina Carrillo said by phone Saturday. “It’s unacceptable. It’s something that shouldn’t have happened, not anywhere, not to nobody.”
Carrillo, 52, came to the United States from Mexico more than 30 years ago. She’s been a citizen for nearly two decades, juggling two jobs while raising her four daughters alone.
She works as a security guard at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, where she’s been employed for more than 20 years, and has a second job pressing clothing at a manufacturer for an upscale women’s clothing brand. She says she works more than 12 hours a day, six days a week.
“I raised my kids and taught them how to work, how to be a good person…. I’ve been working hard all these years,” the elder Carrillo said, before choking up and excusing herself.
Brenda describes herself and her sister as “light-skinned Latinas” and knows they don’t encounter as much racism as others in their community. “For it to happen to us, it was kind of an eye-opener,” she said. “It just makes me think, when I go to the store, do people think less of me?”
She says she isn’t so worried about herself or her sister, who were born and raised in California.
“I’m more afraid for others in my community, people who are immigrants. If this were to happen to them, I’m sure they would be too afraid to speak out for themselves,” Brenda said.
Meanwhile, Bearden, of Saint Marc, said the restaurant offered to host Brenda Carrillo and her friends as “VIP guests” this weekend and to donate 10% of the weekend’s sales to a nonprofit of their choice. (ontinueReading
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Change!: Record numbers of refugees fleeing United States.. for Canada
Independent.co.uk - Record numbers of refugees in the US are fleeing to Canada as uncertainty about Donald Trump's immigration policies continues.
The Welcome Place refugee agency in the central province of Manitoba, said it had helped 91 people since November, more than the total number of claimants it normally sees in a year.
Most braved freezing conditions to cross the border, walking miles through snow-covered prairie fields into Canada so they could avoid official border checks.
Maggie Yeboah, president of the Ghanaian Union of Manitoba, said that two men lost all their fingers to frostbite in December and nearly froze to death.
"We haven't had something before like this," she said. "We don't know what to do."
She added that 27 Ghanaian men had walked to Manitoba from the United States since last summer. Her organisation helps refugees access medical attention and housing.
Charities are now warning that an even greater influx could be on the horizon after Donald Trump issued an executive order temporarily suspending America's refugee resettlement programme and permanently barring Syrian refugees from entering the US.
The measures, which have since been suspended, also barred citizens from Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Syria, from travelling to the US. It resulted in travellers being detained or deported even if they had a valid visa or green card.
"They will make a dash for Canada, whether they are going to go through cold weather to die or not," said Abdikheir Ahmed, a Somali immigrant in Manitoba's capital Winnipeg who helps refugees make immigration claims.
More than 7,000 refugee applicants entered Canada in 2016 through land ports of entry from the United States, up 63 per cent from the previous year, according to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Over 2,000 more entered "irregularly" during a similar time period, without official authorization. Some crossed unmonitored fields along the 5,525 border - the longest in the world between two countries.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to admitting tens of thousands of Syrian refugees when he took office in 2015. (ontinueReading
The Welcome Place refugee agency in the central province of Manitoba, said it had helped 91 people since November, more than the total number of claimants it normally sees in a year.
Most braved freezing conditions to cross the border, walking miles through snow-covered prairie fields into Canada so they could avoid official border checks.
Maggie Yeboah, president of the Ghanaian Union of Manitoba, said that two men lost all their fingers to frostbite in December and nearly froze to death.
"We haven't had something before like this," she said. "We don't know what to do."
She added that 27 Ghanaian men had walked to Manitoba from the United States since last summer. Her organisation helps refugees access medical attention and housing.
Charities are now warning that an even greater influx could be on the horizon after Donald Trump issued an executive order temporarily suspending America's refugee resettlement programme and permanently barring Syrian refugees from entering the US.
The measures, which have since been suspended, also barred citizens from Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Syria, from travelling to the US. It resulted in travellers being detained or deported even if they had a valid visa or green card.
"They will make a dash for Canada, whether they are going to go through cold weather to die or not," said Abdikheir Ahmed, a Somali immigrant in Manitoba's capital Winnipeg who helps refugees make immigration claims.
More than 7,000 refugee applicants entered Canada in 2016 through land ports of entry from the United States, up 63 per cent from the previous year, according to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Over 2,000 more entered "irregularly" during a similar time period, without official authorization. Some crossed unmonitored fields along the 5,525 border - the longest in the world between two countries.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to admitting tens of thousands of Syrian refugees when he took office in 2015. (ontinueReading
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Strength!: U.N. officials denounce ‘inhuman’ treatment of Native American pipeline protesters
washingtonpost) - The United Nations' special rapporteur on the rights of freedom of association and peaceful assembly released a forceful statement Tuesday, calling out U.S. security forces for using violence against protesters peacefully opposing the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota, as well as what he called “the inhuman and degrading conditions” those arrested faced in detention.
The official, Maini Kiai, is a reputed human rights lawyer from Kenya who also traveled to the United States this summer to survey mounting racial tensions in the lead-up to last week's presidential election. His statement on the protests in North Dakota, which are largely being carried out by Native Americans, was endorsed by a slew of other high-ranking U.N. officials, including special rapporteurs on drinking water, the environment, free speech, cultural rights and the rights of indigenous peoples.
Kiai said that security forces, both public and private, had used unjustified force in dealing with and detaining more than 400 protesters.
“Protesters say they have faced rubber bullets, tear gas, mace, compression grenades and beanbag rounds while expressing concerns over environmental impact and trying to protect burial grounds and other sacred sites of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe” on whose land the ongoing pipeline construction is taking place, according to the statement provided by Kiai's office.
The statement notes that Kiai acknowledged that some protesters had resorted to violence, too, but that the response of security officials was disproportionate and targeted protesters who were doing so peacefully.
U.N. officials have been taking U.S. security forces and its government to task more frequently. For instance, in September, a U.N.-affiliated group released a report that concluded that the country's history of slavery justifies reparationsfor a large portion of its African American population. “There has been no real commitment to reparations and to truth and reconciliation for people of African descent,” the report stated. (FullText)
The official, Maini Kiai, is a reputed human rights lawyer from Kenya who also traveled to the United States this summer to survey mounting racial tensions in the lead-up to last week's presidential election. His statement on the protests in North Dakota, which are largely being carried out by Native Americans, was endorsed by a slew of other high-ranking U.N. officials, including special rapporteurs on drinking water, the environment, free speech, cultural rights and the rights of indigenous peoples.
Kiai said that security forces, both public and private, had used unjustified force in dealing with and detaining more than 400 protesters.
“Protesters say they have faced rubber bullets, tear gas, mace, compression grenades and beanbag rounds while expressing concerns over environmental impact and trying to protect burial grounds and other sacred sites of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe” on whose land the ongoing pipeline construction is taking place, according to the statement provided by Kiai's office.
The statement notes that Kiai acknowledged that some protesters had resorted to violence, too, but that the response of security officials was disproportionate and targeted protesters who were doing so peacefully.
U.N. officials have been taking U.S. security forces and its government to task more frequently. For instance, in September, a U.N.-affiliated group released a report that concluded that the country's history of slavery justifies reparationsfor a large portion of its African American population. “There has been no real commitment to reparations and to truth and reconciliation for people of African descent,” the report stated. (FullText)
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Three Kansas men calling themselves ‘Crusaders’ charged in terror plot targeting Muslim immigrants
(WashingtonPost - Three Kansas men have been accused of plotting attacks targeting an apartment complex home, a mosque and many Muslim immigrants from Somalia, authorities said Friday.
Curtis Allen, Gavin Wright and Patrick Eugene Stein face federal charges of conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction, the Justice Department announced.
“These charges are based on eight months of investigation by the FBI that is alleged to have taken the investigators deep into a hidden culture of hatred and violence,” acting U.S. attorney Tom Beall said in a statement. “Many Kansans may find it as startling as I do that such things could happen here.”
According to the FBI complaint made public Friday, the investigation was prompted by a paid confidential informant who had attended meetings with a group of individuals calling themselves “the Crusaders” and had heard plans discussed for attacks on Muslims, whom the men called “cockroaches.”
The three men charged Friday were ultimately identified as the architects of the attack plan through a combination of recordings, social media and reporting from the confidential informant, according to the complaint.
The members of the group routinely expressed their hatred for Muslims, Somalis and immigrants. In one call, Stein allegedly said the country could be turned around only with “a bloodbath.” The individuals said they wanted to “wake people up” and inspire other militia groups to act.
The FBI says that as part of this alleged plot, the men conducted surveillance in Garden City, Kan., a small city about 200 miles west of Wichita, and other places in southwestern Kansas.
At one point, Stein was being driven around by the confidential informant, who told the FBI that Stein yelled and cursed at Somali women in traditional garb.
During the period of surveillance, Stein was armed with an assault rifle, extra magazines, a pistol, a ballistic vest and a night vision scope, the complaint said.
The three men had been plotting “to use a weapon of mass destruction” since February, according to the FBI complaint.
Curtis Allen, Gavin Wright and Patrick Eugene Stein face federal charges of conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction, the Justice Department announced.
“These charges are based on eight months of investigation by the FBI that is alleged to have taken the investigators deep into a hidden culture of hatred and violence,” acting U.S. attorney Tom Beall said in a statement. “Many Kansans may find it as startling as I do that such things could happen here.”
According to the FBI complaint made public Friday, the investigation was prompted by a paid confidential informant who had attended meetings with a group of individuals calling themselves “the Crusaders” and had heard plans discussed for attacks on Muslims, whom the men called “cockroaches.”
The three men charged Friday were ultimately identified as the architects of the attack plan through a combination of recordings, social media and reporting from the confidential informant, according to the complaint.
The members of the group routinely expressed their hatred for Muslims, Somalis and immigrants. In one call, Stein allegedly said the country could be turned around only with “a bloodbath.” The individuals said they wanted to “wake people up” and inspire other militia groups to act.
The FBI says that as part of this alleged plot, the men conducted surveillance in Garden City, Kan., a small city about 200 miles west of Wichita, and other places in southwestern Kansas.
At one point, Stein was being driven around by the confidential informant, who told the FBI that Stein yelled and cursed at Somali women in traditional garb.
During the period of surveillance, Stein was armed with an assault rifle, extra magazines, a pistol, a ballistic vest and a night vision scope, the complaint said.
The three men had been plotting “to use a weapon of mass destruction” since February, according to the FBI complaint.
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