Transgender Irish dancers can compete in whatever categories they say matches their chosen gender identity, the governing body for the discipline has ruled.
An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG) made the ruling Wednesday following consideration of a legal opinion from the Bar of Ireland, the Irish Newsreports.
CLRG chairperson Sandra Connick used a letter to members to acknowledge there had been “considerable internal and external discussion” on the subject in recent months, saying:
As a world-wide organisation welcoming dancers from many different backgrounds, CLRG is committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment for every dancer in our community.
However, we understand the matter is a divisive subject that generates strong opinions and CLRG has been listening to the views of all teachers, dancers and parents, while also seeking professional legal, reputational and peer organisation advice on the subject.
There had been calls from some parents to ban some dancers from categories matching their chosen gender identity after a teenage transgender girl from the U.S. qualified for the upcoming Irish Dancing World Championships, which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland.
“Parents think it’s outrageous,” one parent told the Daily Signal, which broke the story after the boy placed first in a regional dance competition for girls in the United States.
“They are absolutely outraged. It’s absolutely ridiculous, just like in any other sport …The feeling is one of fundamental unfairness,” this parent added. “And then obviously the frustration and resentment that goes along with that.”
American parents voiced their anger and dismay at the decision after the boy placed first in the under-14 south region competitions that took place in Dallas, Texas.
The first-place win comes after the boy had placed 11th when he competed as a boy against other boys in April at the CLRG World Championships.
CLRG members recently took part in a took part in a “transgender educational forum” event, which examined research on the performance of trans dancers and the impact on competitions.
New policy to reflect the position on trans competitors will be voted on at the body’s annual meeting in May.
Greece’s centre-right Government is said to be “leaking support” to populist parties over its intentions to pass new legislation promoting LGBTQ rights.
The bill, which aims to grant marriage and adoption rights to same-sex couples, has upset much of the ruling New Democracy (ND) party’s core voters.
Recent polls have suggested most Greeks do not support the legislation, with up to four in five voters saying they are against efforts to open up adoption to gay couples.
The proposed law has also brought ND into conflict with the politically powerful Church of Greece, further worsening public perception of the party.
“There is certainly a political gap growing on the right flank of ND,” local pollster Zacharias Zoupis told Brussels Signal, with data noting that many supporters are abandoning the party in favour of more right-wing options, such as Hellenic Solution.
“Many of the Government’s traditional voters are disappointed and currently up for grabs.”
Some representatives within the ND are also said to be mulling a rebellion, with some Government politicians having already “promised” to vote against the bill.
One key figure within this faction is former prime minister Antonis Samaras, with the senior ND politician justifying his resistance to the legislation by saying the “vast majority” of Greeks do not want it.
The Government itself, so far, remains undeterred by the resistance. ND spokesman Nikos Romanos has insisted that efforts to push the bill will continue.
“The Greek Government is doing what it believes is best for Greek society,” he told Brussels Signal.
“We do what we promised in order to establish equality and human rights for everyone and, especially, for all children.”
Amid resistance from within the party, the proposal still looks set to pass with the support of the country’s left-wing opposition.
Some have speculated that the Government’s efforts to push the bill through are in response to international pressure, with Western European politicians such as French President Emmanuel Macron rumoured to be keen on seeing the legislation passed.
Others have suggested that Greece’s current Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis may be keen to pass the unpopular bill in the hope of bettering his personal standing within the European Union. Many speculate he has his eye on landing the job of European Council president following the European Parliament elections in June.
A resolution recently adopted by the European Parliament, condemning Greece regarding the rule of law and freedom of the media, will likely impede Mitsolakis’s European aspirations.
— Fdesouche.com est une revue de presse (@F_Desouche) February 9, 2024
The perpetrator forced the driver to stop the train, lockdown its doors, and leave his post to join the others on board at the Essert-sous-Champvent station, according to local media reports.
Passengers stuck on the train alerted the police and the surrounding area was sealed off for police negotiators to make contact with the assailant, who had tied up some of the hostages, Swiss public broadcaster Radio Television Suisse (RTS) reported.
Explosives were used to divert his attention, according to RTS.
“As the hostage-taker rushed with his axe in the direction of the intervention group, a police officer used his weapon to protect the hostages, fatally hitting the perpetrator,” police spokesman Jean-Christophe Sauterel told reporters.
“For the moment, there are no elements which direct us towards a terrorist or extremist act.”
The man died at the scene and the hostages and their families were supported by an emergency response team.
A migrant in his 20s is facing a series of charges in Swedish court after prosecutors say he purposely launched fireworks into a crowd of people, resulting in a teenage girl losing vision in her right eye while she was out trying to enjoy New Year’s festivities in the Scandinavian country.
The attack, which occurred in Tranås, was one of many such incidents during the New Year’s holiday, but in this case, the injury was especially bad. The girl was rushed to the hospital and required surgery in her right eye. According to doctors, the firework blast severed the optic nerve in her eye, resulting in permanent visual impairment and blindness.
Prosecutors say the man lit the firework and then threw it into a crowd, an event captured on several videos, including surveillance cameras. Eyewitnesses at the scene also testified in court, according to Swedish news outlet SVT.
The suspect is also facing charges for endangering other people when he launched the fireworks into the crowd.
Just days before, on Dec. 26, the man also allegedly hurled a firework into a candy shop in Tranås, an event that was caught on security camera. He is also being charged for this incident.
Prosecutors are asking for the man to be deported from Sweden if he is convicted, although he denies any guilt. News reports do not indicate which country the man is from.
Deportations have ticked up under the conservative Swedish government, but judges routinely deny deportation requests from prosecutors.
A trans-identified male in Kentucky has reached a plea deal after being charged with sexually abusing a baby and will avoid prison so long as he meets certain conditions. Maria Childers, a former daycare worker, hired a prominent trans activist lawyer to represent him in the sickening case.
As previously reported by Reduxx, Childers was arrested in February of 2023 after the Department of Community Based Services (DCBS) received an anonymous tip detailing an alleged incident of abuse that had occurred in November of 2022 at Explore Learning Academy. The tip, reportedly written by one of Childers’ co-workers, accused him of making inappropriate comments towards an infant while changing the child’s diaper, and touching the baby inappropriately.
Reduxx has now obtained court records detailing the full complaint against Childers, which showed that he was accused of both physical and sexual abuse while employed at the daycare.
Following the receipt of the initial anonymous complaint, a DCBS case worker and a police officer from the Paducah Police Department went to the daycare on February 8, 2023, to interview witnesses. After speaking to a number of staff, they were able to corroborate the anonymous report.
Maria Childers. Photo Source: FACEBOOK
According to witness testimony, a co-worker had asked Childers for assistance in changing an infant’s diaper. While Childers was cleaning the baby’s genitals, the co-worker noticed that the infant appeared to be in distress and asked Childers if he was hurting the baby. She then witnessed Childers rub the infant’s genitals in a “circular motion,” while saying “that was her clit area and she likes it. It just made her day.”
While Childers was reported to management at the Academy, he was only given a “write up.” Police later learned that Childers had also been accused by other co-workers of leaving the children in high chairs for “hours” without care.
After being taken to the police station for questioning, Childers initially claimed he had not changed the infant’s diaper at all. He later admitted to having done so after an officer presented him with evidence in the form of a text that he had sent to the daycare’s director confirming the baby’s diaper had been changed. He then tried to deny he had ever said anything inappropriate, but admitted he often said things that were “taken out of context.”
Childers was placed under arrest and charged with one count of 1st Degree Sexual Abuse of a Victim Under 12 and three counts of 1st Degree Criminal Abuse of a Child Under 12. He was then booked at the McCracken County Jail.
There has been some confusion over the spelling of his last name, with the courts, police, and his social feeds having different spellings alternating between “Childers” and “Childres.” The Kentucky Court of Justice has his name spelled “Childres,” but his own signature and defense documents read “Childers.”
While Childers was initially marked as a “male” by both police and the jail, internal documents obtained by Reduxx reveal that his recorded sex was later switched to “female” by the McCracken County Jail.
Childers’ Facility Admission Report.
Court records show that just one month after being booked on the felony charges, Childers privately retained trans activist lawyer Madison Leach to represent him.
After taking on the case, Leach submitted a motion to reduce Childers’ bond, complaining that he did not have access to estrogen while in solitary confinement at McCracken County Jail.
From Leach’s submission to reduce Childers’ bond.
After some negotiation with the court, the motion was ultimately approved, and Childers’ bond was reduced from $100,000 to $5,000 surety. The bond conditions included no contact with children and to remain away from the daycare where he had been employed. Childers was released from custody in January of 2024.
On January 29, 2024, Childers struck an apparent deal with prosecutors. In exchange for a guilty plea, his charge of 1st Degree Sexual Abuse of a Victim Under 12 was amended to Class A Misdemeanor Sexual Misconduct, and the remaining abuse charges were dropped.
Judge Joseph Roark handed Childers a 12-month penalty, but withheld sentencing and imposed a conditional discharge for 6 months.
If Childers abides by the conditions set by the court during the 6-month period, he will not serve any prison time at all, and may not even receive a criminal record.
A 44-year-old man was summoned to court on Thursday, the 8th of February 2024, for multiple acts of domestic violence and repeated death threats committed in Brest between March 2019 and August 2023.
The man of Syrian origin, who has lived in France with his wife and their five children since 2019, creates a ” climate of fear ” in his family. His wife suffers from his violence every day. If she doesn’t boil the tea quickly enough, “he bashes my head in”, she says, not daring to make a complaint. The children are also abused to such an extent that the eldest daughter says: “I have a belt phobia”. When she can’t take it any longer, one of the children confides in a school nurse, who immediately files a complaint.
The medical findings substantiate the reports. The accused, who was subsequently banned from his home, denies the incidents. “(…) Through his interpreter, the accused finally admits: “In Syria, you can hit … just do anything”. He (…) [is] sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, one year of which is suspended (…), and the complete withdrawal of parental custody. Le télégramme
On today’s Deprogrammed, hosts Harrison Pitt of the European Conservative magazine and freelance journalist Evan Riggs are joined by renowned historian Andrew Roberts (Lord Roberts), noted, amongst many other works, for his critically acclaimed best-selling biographies of Sir Winston Churchill and Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Brazilian Supreme Court continues to escalate the persecution against former President Jair Bolsonaro and officials from his government, using as pretext their alleged participation in what the court has controversially termed a ‘coup attempt’ during widespread protests in January 8th, 2022.
“Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been named a target in a federal investigation into whether his government plotted a military takeover of the country, police officials told The Washington Post Thursday, and has been given 24 hours to surrender his passport.
The revelation came as federal police launched a large search-and-seizure operation early Thursday morning that targeted some of Bolsonaro’s closest advisers and aides, including former justice minister Anderson Torres and Bolsonaro’s running mate, Walter Braga Netto.”
They insist on the clearly fictional narrative that J8 was a ‘coup attempt’, when it was a riot facilitated by Lula’s government who failed to call for troop reinforcements.
“[Bolsonaro] and his allies have fended off probes and allegations of corruption that have ranged from lying to U.S. authorities about Bolsonaro’s vaccination status, improper handling of state jewelry and using government surveillance to spy on opponents.
But the most significant has long been an investigation, overseen by the Brazilian supreme court, into whether the Bolsonaro government planned to subvert Brazilian democracy and maintain its grip on power despite the outcome of the 2022 presidential election.”
The absurd idea of a sophisticated takeover planned by military but executed by NO ONE but unarmed and unorganized protesters is laid in the WaPo excerpt below:
“For months before the election, Bolsonaro and his top allies made unsubstantiated allegations in public and on social media that the Brazilian electoral system had been stained by fraud and could no longer be trusted. Police now say those remarks were part of a plot to provide political cover for a military takeover if the election didn’t go their way. Police say Bolsonaro officials also undertook logistical and tactical planning, in coordination with military officials, to execute the takeover.”
On any normal world and any normal country, these charges wouldn’t go anywhere. But this is Brazil, 2024. Anything goes, if the overlords of the Supreme Court say so.
Using language reminiscent of a travel agency advertising campaign, a Libyan migrant smuggler and some of his satisfied customers shot a promotional video aboard a migrant rescue ship belonging to a German NGO in the Mediterranean. The Italian authorities are now investigating what they call “promo videos” intended to publicize human trafficking services.
The videos were first spotted and republished by Migrant Rescue Watch on X on Monday, February 5th. According to the watchdog, the videos and pictures show how the migrants, just minutes after being “rescued”—i.e. handed over to the NGO by the smugglers close to the Libyan coast—began filming themselves to thank their trafficker, Naseem Areebi, who goes by the moniker Mazen Al-Zuwari.
Based on his accent, the Italian daily Il Giornalebelieves that at least some of the footage was shot by Al-Zuwari himself from his boat’s driver’s seat as he smugly watched his cargo being taken over by the German NGO. “Al-Zuwari number one” is being repeated by happy migrants, and then a custom song is added to the video that praises the smuggler further.
The “rescue” took place on January 31st by Humanity 1, the rescue vessel of the German charity SOS Humanity, which has been frequently criticized for acting as a migrant taxi on the Mediterranean by picking up migrants just outside African territorial waters and shipping them straight to Italy.
The videos of celebration continue once all the migrants are aboard the vessel, showing how a handful of them began to dance, inviting crew members to participate—which they do with pleasure. In the end, the videos point to a website called “Arab Wind” where one can contact the smugglers and arrange the journey. Crossing the Mediterranean illegally can cost up to $5-6,000, regardless of the obvious risk to human life.
Four days later, Humanity 1 offloaded all 64 migrants in Massa Carrara, Italy, shortly before the pictures and videos were uploaded on the internet. Il Giornale suspects that the boat’s helmsman—Al-Zuwari or an employee of his—might have also taken the journey to Italy while pretending to be a refugee.
According to the Migrant Rescue Watch, the footage not only captures the complete absence of any type of “distress at sea,” but also shows that SOS Humanity was “willfully complicit” in the creation of the videos that are clearly meant for use as promotional content.
“Simply another successful (on-call) delivery and pick-up of human cargo executed with criminal collusion of the NGO,” the watchdog observed.
1/3 🔴 #Libya 31.01.24 – [Off the coast of Zuwara] #Migrants with 🇩🇪 German NGO willful complicit create a promotional advertisement on board the #Humanity1 vessel for one of the most dangerous Libyan human traffickers "Naseem Areebi" ("Mazen Al-Zuwari"). #migrantcrisis#Frontexpic.twitter.com/o2wWwI1jQ3
The NGO—SOS Humanity—is one of the two German charities that Berlin awarded with €790,000 to continue and expand its work on the Mediterranean. The funding caused a diplomatic incident between Berlin and Rome, with PM Giorgia Meloni sending an angry letter to Chancellor Scholz in which she said she was “astonished” by the decision.
As Meloni had to explain to Scholz, the presence of rescue NGOs that usually pick up migrants —who are not in distress and close to the African coasts—constitutes a major pull factor in illegal migration to Europe. “It’s widely known,” Meloni wrote, that these NGOs are “multiplying the departures of precarious boats that result not only in additional burden on Italy but at the same time increases the risk of new tragedies at sea.”
Last year, Italy registered over 155,000 illegal migrants who arrived through the Mediterranean, many of whom were dropped off by one of the dozens of rescue NGO ships operating in the area. After the country’s reception centers were overrun last September, Meloni began to build up a partnership with Albania that could take some of the weight off Italy.
While these NGOS consistently deny that their operations would encourage illegal migration, the evidence says otherwise. Back in 2018, the German Gefira Foundation observed that at least nine of these NGOs frequently picked up migrants right at the Libyan coasts and then ferried them straight to Europe—39,000 of them in just two months.
Incroyable ! La fondation Gefira a enregistré pendant 2 mois les mouvements des bateaux des ONG. Ces ONG, agents de l’invasion migratoire, vont chercher les migrants au plus près des côtes libyennes. Aucune intervention n'a lieu en pleine mer La crise migratoire, c'est eux ! pic.twitter.com/n7VKn13gHI
« Par Allah. Tu as de l'alcool sur toi. Arrête de te dire musulman, car tu n'es pas musulman. » : Tranche de vie dans les transports en commun parisien pic.twitter.com/vJA3eRuqx3
— Fdesouche.com est une revue de presse (@F_Desouche) February 8, 2024
