Month: August 2024

With parliamentary elections in Austria barely more than a month away, it seems as if no one can stop the march of the opposition Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), which is campaigning on a hard anti-immigration platform.

The latest polls suggest that the party has a 10 percentage point lead over its two main rivals, the governing centre-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and the opposition Social Democrats (SPÖ). According to a survey by INSA, FPÖ is projected to win 31% of the votes on September 29th, SPÖ 21%, and ÖVP—which has governed the country since 2017, first in a coalition with FPÖ, and then the Greens—19%.

This means that, for the first time, neither of the two mainstream parties—ÖVP and SPÖ—who have taken turns ruling the country since the end of World War II, is projected to win. If the forecasts are correct, FPÖ will gain its largest share of the votes since the election in 1999, when it received 27%.

The projection shows a steep downward spiral for the centre-right People’s Party, which had an election result of 37.5% in 2019. The Social Democrats would be unchanged, matching the 21% of the votes five years ago. Meanwhile, FPÖ—which finished third in 2019 with 16%—is set to almost double its vote share.

Other parties that are likely to enter the parliament at the next elections are the Greens (9%), the liberal NEOS party (8%), and the satirical Beer Party (7%)—founded 10 years ago by the frontman of a Viennese punk rock band.

Political analysts told the daily Kurier that the FPÖ will be difficult to catch, since the focus of the campaign has shifted from the problems of inflation and climate change to terrorism and migration, following a recently foiled terrorist attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna.

Despite attempts by ÖVP Chancellor Karl Nehammer to seem tough on migration, promising to slash migrant benefits if he is reelected, voters most likely see FPÖ as a better alternative for dealing with illegal migration.

The Freedom Party has vowed to immediately suspend asylum applications, put in place a real border protection system, enable pushbacks, consistently deport failed asylum seekers, give benefits in kind instead of cash handouts to accepted asylum seekers, and generally make Austria a less attractive destination country for illegal and economic migrants.

FPÖ’s only real chance of coming to power is if it forms a coalition with the ÖVP, as other parties have no intention of cooperating with the strongly anti-globalist and anti-immigration party. However, an analysis by Kurier suggests that even if a right-wing coalition were to be established, FPÖ would probably have to give up some of its hard-line positions. According to a recent survey, an FPÖ-ÖVP government has the highest approval rating among voters (28%), with a three-party government between ÖVP, the Social Democrats, and the Greens next in line (23%).

Asked in an interview about his preferred choice for a coalition partner, FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl said “there is more common ground with the ÖVP,” but he didn’t rule out forming a coalition with the Social Democrats if “reasonable forces” prevail within the party.

https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/right-wing-nationalist-fpo-on-course-to-win-austrias-september-elections/

In a victory against UK censorship, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce – the Christian charitable volunteer who was seen being arrested twice for praying silently in viral videos – has received a payout of £13,000 from West Midlands Police in acknowledgement of her unjust treatment, and the breach of her human rights.

 With support from ADF UK, Vaughan-Spruce issued a claim against West Midlands Police for two wrongful arrests and false imprisonments; assault and battery in relation to an intrusive search of her person; and for a breach of her human rights both in respect to the arrests, and to the onerous bail conditions imposed on her. 

“There is no place for Orwell’s ‘thought police’ in 21st Century Britain, and thanks to legal support I received from ADF UK, I’m delighted that the settlement that I have received today acknowledges that. Yet despite this victory, I am deeply concerned that this violation could be repeated at the hands of other police forces.”- Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, compensated by police after being unlawfully arrested for silent prayer

Further crackdown on silent prayer anticpated

The news comes days after reports that the Home Office will strengthen the crackdown on silent prayer near abortion facilities by expressly criminalising it in upcoming “buffer zones” legislation, set to come into force imminently.

Ministers are set to review the initial guidance published by the previous government which protected the human right to freedom of thought, reading: “Silent prayer, being the engagement of the mind and thought in prayer towards God, is protected as an absolute right under the Human Rights Act 1998 and should not, on its own, be considered to be an offence under any circumstances.”

A breach of human rights

Vaughan-Spruce was first arrested in November 2022 for silently praying in a censored “buffer zone”. The zone, covering several streets in the Kings Norton area of Birmingham, was installed by local authorities via a Public Spaces Protection Order and banned all expressions of “approval or disapproval with respect to issues related to abortion services, by any means” within a large vicinity of an abortion facility.

In what is widely thought to be the first “thoughtcrime” case prosecuted in 21st Century Britain, Vaughan-Spruce was searched by police (including through her hair); arrested, criminally charged and tried – even though she had prayed imperceptibly and not expressed any opinion outside of her own mind.

In February 2023, Vaughan-Spruce, was fully acquitted of all charges at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court after the prosecution were unable to offer evidence to support the charge. ADF UK supported her legal defence.

Yet only a matter of weeks later, Vaughan-Spruce was arrested for the same activity yet again – silently thinking prayerful thoughts on a public street within the censored “buffer zone”. Six police officers attended the scene, with one confirming to her that “you’ve said you’re engaging in prayer, which is the offence”.

Vaughan-Spruce’s ordeal has sparked international outcry, including most recently from a U.S. government agency, which highlighted the case as an example of European governments “targeting individuals for their peaceful religious expression.”

Commenting on the news of the settlement and payout from West Midlands Police, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce said:

“Silent prayer is not a crime. Nobody should be arrested merely for the thoughts they have in their heads – yet this happened to me twice at the hands of the West Midlands Police, who explicitly told me that “prayer is an offence.”

“There is no place for Orwell’s ‘thought police’ in 21^st Century Britain, and thanks to legal support I received from ADF UK, I’m delighted that the settlement that I have received today acknowledges that. Yet despite this victory, I am deeply concerned that this violation could be repeated at the hands of other police forces.

“Our culture is shifting towards a clamp down on viewpoint diversity, with Christian thought and prayer increasingly under threat of censorship. A ‘buffer zone’ policy is set to be rolled out by the government imminently – the language of which is inherently unclear, and will likely lead to further violations against the freedom to pray, or peacefully converse or offer help near abortion facilities.”

Nationwide “buffer zones” to be rolled out imminently

The Public Order Act, adopted in 2023, is set to be rolled out by the Labour Government, and will ban all forms of “influencing” within 150m of all abortion facilities nationwide. 

The ambiguous wording of the ban has worried volunteers that engaging in consensual conversation, praying, or simply offering a leaflet about help services available will lead to a criminal conviction, in further breach of rights to freedom of speech and thought. 

Already, two further members of the public have been charged and are set to face trial in relation to locally-imposed “buffer zones”. 

Adam Smith-Connor, a military veteran who prayed silently about his own encounter with abortion near a facility in Bournemouth, will face trial at Poole Magistrates’ Court on the basis of his silent thoughts. Livia Tossici-Bolt, a retired scientist, will face trial in the same location for having held a sign reading “here to talk, if you want”. Both individuals are receiving legal support from ADF UK.

Commenting on the cases, Jeremiah Igunnubole, Legal Counsel for ADF UK, said:

“The fact that the government is reportedly set to name “silent prayer” as a criminal offence, brazenly contrary to their commitment to international human rights law, exposes the crisis of free speech and thought in the UK today. Law enforcers are dutybound to vigilantly protect, not prosecute, the peaceful exercise fundamental rights. 

“Yet across the country, Christians exercising their basic rights to peaceful expression have faced criminal charges for silently praying, or offering consensual conversations to, women in need. We are delighted that West Midlands Police have acknowledged wrongdoing and injustice in the treatment of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce. 

“We now await the judgment of the court in the case of Adam Smith-Connor – another individual arrested for his silent thoughts. Britain’s future depends on our ability to accommodate different beliefs and viewpoints. Censorship violates human rights.”

Lord Frost, the senior Conservative peer and former cabinet minister, said: 

“It is incredible that people have been arrested for thoughtcrime in modern Britain. I am very glad Ms Vaughan-Spruce has received compensation for her unjust arrest for this so-called offence. 

“But if a recent report is correct that the Government is considering formally criminalising silent prayer outside abortion centres, then there will be further such cases, and then not just freedom of speech but freedom of thought will be under threat. It is hard to imagine a more absurd and dangerous situation.

“It would be much better to stick to the sensible approach in the previous Home Secretary’s draft guidance, which proposed a much better balance between the various competing rights and interests. If the government scraps it, then it will be clear to all that its commitment to civil liberties and fundamental freedoms is paper-thin.”

Lord Farmer, Conservative peer and former treasurer of the Conservative Party, said:

“A country like ours, which places such a high value on human rights and freedom of speech should be horrified at its citizens being arrested for their silent thoughts or prayer. 

“What happened to Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was a travesty of justice and it is right that West Midlands Police make some compensation for the hardship she has endured.

“But the wider issue remains that we are living through an undemocratic clampdown on Christian speech, expression and thought in the UK which is set to intensify when the government rolls out “buffer zones” nationwide. If pro-life thought is considered prosecutable today, what other thought crimes might face similar measures tomorrow?”

Christian woman arrested for silent prayer receives compensation from police – ADF International

This has never been seen before in Germany: volunteers are building a tent city for a multi-day gathering of around 50,000 Muslims on a former military airfield with the support of specialist companies. 220 tents have already been erected or are still being erected, plus up to 1,000 private tents for families to spend the night in. In addition, there will be strict gender segregation.

Those responsible in the small town of Mendig are expecting costs of around 6 million euros. The hope: to have found a venue in the Eifel for the next few years – until they can perhaps buy their own site. What kind of group is this that dreams of Germany becoming Muslim, but at the same time preaches great loyalty to Germany and appears transparent?

The reason for the meeting: once a year, worshippers come to the general assembly of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat: in Germany, this is a Muslim religious community organised as a public corporation. It is represented in 205 countries. The global head is the fifth caliph, Mirza Masrur Ahmad. He will give speeches over three days and open the assembly, known as Jalsa Salana, by hoisting the Ahmadiyya flag and the German flag. According to his own understanding, the gathering is intended to spiritually enrich the believers and help them to improve themselves. At the first Jalsa Salana in Germany in 1976, 70 participants were counted in a mosque in Hamburg.

However, the Ahmadis have already used the site themselves: in 2017, the Ahmadiyya youth organisation held its annual meeting here with 8,000 participants. The current head of the organisation in Mendig, Ilyas Majok, told t-online: ‘The authorities have certainly had good experiences, but the requirements and conditions are now completely different on this scale.’ An information event was organised for residents of the region. There were no Islamophobic or racist outbursts, the main concern was possible traffic problems. The organisers are offering a shuttle service from the train station, but thousands of vehicles will also be parked on the airfield grounds.

The local police in nearby Mayen are familiar with events with large crowds thanks to the ‘Rock am Ring’ festival and expect few problems. No alcohol is consumed at the meeting, which often fuels aggression. The Ahmadis will provide security from their own ranks, which will also carry out airport-style entry checks at gates, says spokesman Malik. The ranks of the religious community also include believers who work for the police and the domestic intelligence service. Invited guests and registered interested parties from the region will also be admitted to the site.

50.000 Muslime in der Eifel: Zeltstadt für Kalif-Treffen (t-online.de)

France’s hard-left La France Insoumise (LFI) party has threatened to launch impeachment proceedings against President Emmanuel Macron.

The party alleges Macron has been disregarding the will of the people by refusing to appoint their candidate Lucie Castets as prime minister following the recent national election results.

Party leaders Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Mathilde Panot, and Manuel Bompard, argued in a statement published on August 18 in La Tribune du Dimanche that Macron’s actions represented “an abuse of power,” one that could trigger Article 68 of the French Constitution.

That article allows for the removal of a president who fails in his duties.

“It is clear that the refusal to take note of a legislative election and the decision to ignore it constitute a reprehensible breach of the elementary requirements of the presidential mandate,” LFI leaders asserted.

“The President of the Republic is not a monarch with a suspensive right of veto over the outcome of a democratic vote,” they warned.

LFI’s stance has stirred controversy within the broader left-wing coalition.

Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party, has distanced himself from the threat, emphasising the initiative was being pushed by LFI alone.

“This platform is signed only by the leaders of LFI. It only commits their movement. The response to the nomination of a PM who would not be in accordance with republican tradition is censorship,” he said.

Faure pointed out that even if LFI were to pursue impeachment, the process would be extremely complex.

“Beyond what anyone may think of the initiative, impeachment is impracticable. It requires a two-thirds majority in both assemblies,” he noted.

A two-thirds majority in both the National Assembly and the Senate is near-impossible given the current political landscape.

Many saw the move as a strategic ploy by LFI to apply pressure on Macron ahead of upcoming political consultations on August 23, potentially setting the stage for a significant political showdown.

On August 16, Castets expressed her eagerness for a political shift, declaring to the press: “I can’t wait for the cohabitation to begin.”

She emphasised the importance of respecting election results, warning that a failure to do so would erode trust in France’s institutions.

While the threat of impeachment may add to the pressure on the President, the practicality of such an undertaking remains highly questionable.

https://brusselssignal.eu/2024/08/french-hard-left-pushes-for-an-unlikely-macron-impeachment/

Messages of hate have been ‘adorning’ St Anthony’s Church in Vienna’s Favoriten district for months. An ‘alarming warning signal’, according to the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). Now the slogans are to be removed.

‘Islam will win‘, “Deen over Dunya” (’Religion over secular life”) and other hate messages have been “decorating” St Anthony’s Church (Favoriten) for months. As ‘Heute’ reported, the brick building near Reumannplatz was smeared by unknown persons at the beginning of May.
‘In view of the recently foiled terrorist attack in Vienna, such graffiti is an alarming warning signal that must not be ignored,’ said Vienna’s VP leader Karl Mahrer. ‘We are at a decisive turning point,’ he is convinced.

The recent graffiti on the walls of St Anthony’s Church would reveal ‘profound problems that are at the very heart of Vienna’. These problems of cultural segregation, particularly in migrant communities, are increasingly leading to the formation of a counter-society.
‘In order to send a clear signal against this threat’, the ÖVP now wants to pay for the removal. It should be ready by the end of August. ‘It is particularly important to us to stand by the church and its congregation. It should not be the case that places of worship have to pay for the cleaning of such desecrations themselves,’ continued Mahrer.

However, this should not become something commonplace: ‘Furthermore, we demand that the City of Vienna takes responsibility for the removal of such graffiti on public buildings in future,’ said the Vienna ÖVP leader.

ÖVP lässt Islam-Botschaften auf Antonskirche entfernen (msn.com)

The founder of an LGBT Pride organization in Surrey, UK worked with closely with local police while committing vile crimes against children. Stephen Ireland, 40, the head of Pride in Surrey, was ultimately arrested by the very officers who had been promoting his “anti-hate” efforts and campaign to teach gender ideology to local children.

On August 14, Ireland, along with one of the volunteers from his organization, were both arrested and jointly charged with 15 offenses, including conspiracy to kidnap a child and conspiracy to sexually assault a child.

Ireland was separately charged with an additional 22 offenses, including the rape of a child, the sexual assault of a child, and six counts of making indecent photographs of children. In all cases, the victim is said to be under the age of 13. His colleague, David Sutton, 26, was charged with an additional 7 similarly serious offenses.

Following Ireland’s establishment of Pride in Surrey in 2018, the organization was responsible for arranging the annual Pride festivities, which included activities for children and youth. As a result of his activism, Ireland garnered the support of Surrey Police, who regularly attended events he organized in cars outfitted with rainbow decals.

On June 6, shortly before Ireland was arrested on numerous child sexual abuse charges, Surrey Police visited local school Woking High with his organization to take part in “Pride engagement” work. The force would have already been aware of the charges prepared to be pressed against Ireland at this time.

Yet this was not the first time Pride in Surrey had worked with local law enforcement.

In 2021, Ireland was invited to speak at an LGBT History Month Seminar hosted by Surrey Police. In February of 2024, Pride in Surrey also shortlisted Surrey Police for a Community Champion Award. The page listing the event has since been scrubbed, but was viewed by Reduxx prior to its deletion.

In 2018, according to a social media post made by the Pride in Surrey account, Ireland was invited to speak at a training day for Surrey Police’s LGBT+ liaison officer task force.

For several years, local police officers were regular attendees of Pride events, and from their official social media account, encouraged citizens to follow Ireland’s activist group.

Our founder @StephenAIreland had the opportunity to speak at the @SurreyBeatLGBT training day. Some amazing ideas for Pride! "It's amazing at how much the liaison officers do for our community and how passionate they are about making Surrey a safer place to live"

— Pride in Surrey (@PrideInSurrey) September 21, 2018

Surrey Police has come under intense scrutiny since the publication of Ireland’s arrest, as this is not the first time they have been found to have been closely collaborating with an individual accused of child sex offenses.

As previously reported by Reduxx, Surrey Police has been known for harshly enforcing the complaints of convicted child sex offender Stephanie Hayden, a trans-identified male who frequently targets women critical of his trans activism.

On October 3, 2022, Surrey Police arrested mother Caroline Farrow in front of her children for posts she made on social media about Hayden. Her electronic devices were seized and she was subjected to intense interrogation for her views on gender ideology. The arrest, along with others initiated by Hayden, have prompted some to argue that Surrey Police display a particular favoritism towards the convicted pedophile.

Disturbingly, since founding Pride in Surrey, Ireland had been actively leading Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) seminars, and was a patron of the trans activist charity Educate and Celebrate.

The charity, founded by Dr. Elly Barnes, a teacher who received an MBE for her contribution to equality and diversity in education, sought to “embed gender, gender identity and sexual orientation into the fabric” of societal institutions.

To promote this goal, Educate and Celebrate created lesson plans and resources regarding gender identity for public schools aimed at children and teenagers.

In 2017, the charity placed books encouraging children to question their gender on their reading lists for nurseries and primary schools – meaning they would be accessible to children as young as three years old.

The organization ran a PRIDE Youth Network program targeted at children aged 11 – 18 years old, and encouraged youth to “campaign for social justice in their schools” while providing “a particular focus on gender identity and sexual orientation.”

Educate and Celebrate additionally boasted of its global reach, having partnered with international schools to have their resources used in classrooms in Thailand and Cambodia.

Ireland was a patron of Educate and Celebrate alongside leading LGBT activist Peter Tatchell, with whom Ireland has attended events and has praised as an “inspiration.” Tatchell has been widely regarded as a pedophile sympathizer by many, and, as previously reported by Reduxx, Tatchell has an unsettling history of downplaying the harms of child sexual abuse.

In 1986, Tatchell contributed a chapter to a book compiled by Warren Middleton, former vice-chairman of the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE), entitled “Betrayal of Youth: Radical perspectives on Childhood Sexuality, Intergenerational Sex, and the Social Oppression of Children and Young People”. PIE, which for a decade advocated for adult-minor sexual relationships to be decriminalized and called for abolishing the age of consent, was disbanded in 1984, and several prominent members were arrested for child sexual abuse offenses.

Yet Tatchell’s prior advocacy has not prevented him from continuing his career as an LGBT activist, nor has it irreparably damaged his reputation. His organization, the Peter Tatchell Foundation, currently works with the London Metropolitan Police in order to establish “collaboration and cooperation”, and last February, he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Gaydio Pride Awards in Manchester.

Ireland congratulated Tatchell on social media, saying, “Thank you for being such an inspiration and doing what you do for rights of so many people worldwide.”

Well deserved Peter! Thank you for being such an inspiration and doing what you do for rights of so many people worldwide. https://t.co/f2aEF2tj5n

— Stephen A Ireland (He/Him) (@StephenAIreland) February 11, 2023

Educate and Celebrate mysteriously shut down in January following years of controversy, including outrage after one of their patrons, trans-identified male comedian Jordan Gray, stripped naked on a live television program and played a keyboard with his penis.

Gray had claimed to have talked to students in schools about “gender” on behalf of Educate and Celebrate, adding that “toddlers kind of get it straight away.”

While in his leadership role with Pride in Surrey, Ireland promoted BDSM and fetish activities on social media.

In 2021, he posted a photo of himself celebrating International Fetish Day at Pride in Surrey with a young person identified only as “Pup Astro” sporting a collar and a lead.

But Educate and Celebrate was not the only trans activist group mired in controversy that Ireland had been associated with.

For years Ireland endorsed trans youth charity Mermaids, an organization that advocates for an affirmation-only approach to gender dysphoria in young people, promoting the use of puberty blockers, cross sex hormones, and surgeries for minors who claim to be transgender. In a statement issued March 12 condemning NHS England’s ban on the prescription of puberty-halting drugs, Mermaids argued that the medications were part of “holistic and supportive healthcare for trans youth.”

In October 2022, Mermaids received strong criticism after it was revealed that one member of their board of trustees, Jacob Breslow, an Associate Professor at the London School of Economics, had, on several occasions, made statements and published academic work that favorably portrayed pedophilia. Breslow had spoken at a conference hosted by pedophile advocacy organization B4U-Act, had shared child sexual abuse materials via a now-deleted blog, and argued for reframing pedophilia as a sexual identity comparable to homosexuality.

Absolutely loved my @Mermaids_Gender cookie in @StarbucksUK Woking.

Have you had one yet? It’s yummy!

50p from every cookie sale goes to Mermaids and if you buy one in Surrey, share a pic on socials with @PrideInSurrey using #morePride for a chance to win some Pride goodies! pic.twitter.com/QrusqI2UVs

— Stephen A Ireland (He/Him) (@StephenAIreland) February 5, 2020

Ireland had, for several years, also encouraged his supporters to donate to Mermaids, and continued to do so after it came to light that a pedophile activist had been in a leadership position at the trans youth charity, and after the Charity Commission for England and Wales announced a formal inquiry into Mermaids.

Yesterday, Pride in Surrey, Ireland’s organization, issued a statement revealing that they had been aware of an investigation into Ireland since June, but claimed they were unaware of what, exactly, he was being pursued for.

“On 12th June, Pride in Surrey were informed by Surrey Police of an ongoing investigation surrounding two volunteers. Both volunteers were immediately suspended from the organisation. Following this, a decision was made to remove them both from the organisation, as well as Stephen Ireland as a director. We were not aware of the exact nature of the crimes being investigated,” the statement read. “[On August 15] Pride in Surrey were made aware of the charges made against both volunteers via a social media post. We are appalled and horrified at the charges which have been brought against the two individuals. We will fully cooperate with Surrey Police in any way they require. Our thoughts are with the alleged victims and their families.”

Ireland and Sutton are next expected to appear in court on September 12.

Surrey Police are calling for anyone with information into the ongoing investigation to get in touch by quoting ref PR/45240080974 using the live chat on its website, the online reporting tool, or calling 101. Individuals who wish not to speak directly to police can report information to Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.

https://reduxx.info/lgbt-activist-facing-37-charges-of-child-sexual-abuse-worked-closely-with-police-endorsed-trans-youth-groups-promoting-puberty-blockers-and-gender-identity-to-children/

To ABSOLUTELY NO-ONE’S Surprise, once the famed Germanic investigation services were allowed to do their job minimally unimpeded, they have started handing out arrest warrants for the sabotage of the 2 year-old sabotage explosions of the Nord Stream pipeline – all to Ukrainians.

Most people here in TGP remember how the Mockingbird media made their best efforts to try to convince the world that Russians had blew up their own pipeline, erasing much needed income and depriving Germans of the inexpensive gas, sending its economy on a downward spiral.

Many other theories came to the surface including Pulitzer prize winner Seymour Hersh’s ‘insider sources’ guaranteeing CIA divers did the deed.

But as the German investigations draws to a close, the investigation maxim ‘Cui Bono’ (Who benefits?) is vindicated – all the present suspects are Ukrainians including a Volodymyr Z. who was living in Poland.

Meanwhile, LIberal Polish PM, Donald Tusk, a pro Kiev fanatic who never saw an Ukrainian crime he didn’t love, has an ‘interesting take’ on it all: the victims of one of the greatest economic terror attacks in history should “apologize and keep quiet.”

Yes, you read it right.

That ‘lovely’ comment came as one of his deputies denied claims that Warsaw was partly responsible for its damage.

Read more:

WHAT? After Germany Issues Warrant Against Ukrainians for Nord Stream Sabotage – Including one ‘VOLODYMYR Z’ – Liberal Polish PM Tusk Says they ‘Must Apologize and Keep Quiet’!

By Mike McDaniel

There are some brands strongly identified with America, with American values and ideals and with American design and quality. They’re known and coveted around the world, prestige symbols here and abroad. That’s why it’s so dumbfounding when the makers of those profitable, iconic, products do incredibly stupid things to fix what isn’t broken.

Remember “New Coke?” “Crystal Pepsi?” Those dimwitted marketing stunts were pre-woke, pushed by people who thought they knew better than Americans what Americans wanted. 

In the woke era in which we currently suffer, the most notorious example of marketing dimwittery is Budweiser’s abortive association with trans Tinkerbell Dylan Mulvaney. Not only did a newly minted marketing executive think that a good idea, she also insulted Bud’s customer base, telling them, in essence, they‘d better get with the woke program or be left behind. That bit of legendary marketing brilliance cost Anheuser-Busch nearly $7 billion in market capitalization virtually overnight, and knocked Bud Lite out of its top spot, a blow from which it has never recovered.

Bud struggled mightily to recover, firing the hapless customer insulter, and trotting out a variety of weak apologies. They tried to distance themselves from Mulvaney by teaming up with Harley Davidson:

They even had an expensive booth at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, that mecca of Harley culture. The bikers wouldn’t come within a mile of the booth; Bud couldn’t give away Bud Lite.

Amazingly, a number of other famous American brands, brands closely associated with traditional American values like hard work and patriotism, jumped on the woke bandwagon, brands like Tractor Supply, which hastily abandoned their woke lunacy, and John Deere—John Deere?!—which is still trying to figure out how much money and market share it wants to lose before reversing to sanity.

But the most bizarre example of an iconic American company flaunting its wokeness is… Harley Davidson?! Yes, that Harley Davidson.

It’s inexplicable. Harley owners have long been faithful to Harley, even when there was little to be faithful about. There were long stretches when Harleys were reasonably good machines, but not very good motorcycles, and other stretches when if a motorcycle was broken down at the roadside, it was a 99% certainty it was a Harley. Harleys have never been inexpensive. Yet through all that, Harley owners stuck to their brand and wouldn’t ride foreign-made motorcycles.

Their faithfulness was eventually rewarded. Harleys became much more reliable, retaining their big, rumbling V-twin character, while expanding into an ever-increasing model line of good, reliable, attractive motorcycles that met nearly every motorcycling need and look. For anyone wanting to buy American, Harley was the choice, though Indian has been making some inroads into that demographic. Harley was the all-American motorcycle, the mount of the proudly patriotic–American Iron–a motorcycle like no other.

And then, in 2020, Harley hired as CEO a German, one Jochen Zeitz. 

In a video just made infamous on Wednesday by Robby Starbuck, Harley-Davidson president, CEO, and Chairman Jochen Zeitz says he became the “Taliban” when he became a board member and says his job is to “take on capitalism and redefine it.”

“It’s important that we create new leadership,” Zeitz said, “that we get others to join a new thinking of a more sustainable business, of a better business that is more equitable in every respect. Socially, environmentally, and financially.”

What could Harley possibly have been thinking? Its CEO associated Harley Davidson with the Taliban?  He also wants all Harleys to be electric by 2030. That’ll please Harley riders who cherish the sound, feel and look of their bikes, the sound, feel and look that makes a Harley a Harley, known around the world.

David “Iowahawk” Burge, a man who knows more about American car culture than almost anyone else you’re likely to meet, just called it the “Possibly single most hilarious corporate self-immolation of all time.”

At this year’s Sturgis Rally, Zeitz was, to put it mildly, unpopular: 

“It’s branding suicide,” Vinny Terranova, the owner of Pappy’s Vintage Cycles in Sturgis, South Dakota, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

“A lot of bikers are switching over to Indian,” he said. “They killed Harley. It breaks my heart.”

Maybe Harley is only “mostly dead?”

“A Harley valued at $30,000 just a few years ago is now getting only $4,000,” said Terranova.

Could it be worse? It’s worse:

Some long-time Harley riders are saying on social media that they’re ditching their bikes for new brands with their next purchase; others are removing the Harley-Davidson name from their motorcycles.

Zeitz knows just what he’s doing, and that could bankrupt Harley, Harley dealers, the supply chain and which may give new meaning to: “get woke; go broke.”

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/08/harley_davidson_goes_woke.html

The UK under the Starmer regime has the same quality of justice and fair jurisprudence as Saudi Arabia.

A man who posted material on social media to stir up racial hatred during recent unrest across the UK has been jailed for three years.
Wayne O’Rourke, who had more than 90,000 followers to his X account, posted misinformation about the killing of three young girls in Southport on 29 July and praised the burning of a car in Sunderland.

The 35-year-old, of Salix Approach, Lincoln, admitted publishing written material online to stir up racial hatred between 28 July and 8 August.

Sentencing him at Lincoln Crown Court, Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight told him: “You were not caught up in what others were doing, you were instigating it.”

She added: “The flames fanned by keyboard warriors like you.”

The court heard among his posts on 29 July was a reference to the death of the three children in Southport, alleging it was a terrorist attack carried out by a Muslim.

The number of Muslims sentenced to anything for posting misinformation about events in Israel or the UK to justify violence is zero. Even driving around in a car making direct in person threats, not ‘keyboard warrior’ nonsense, is no big deal.

Charges of stirring up racial hatred have been dropped against two men who travelled to north London in a “Convoy For Palestine” during the war between Israel and Hamas in May last year.

In the viral video, cars with Palestinian flags were seen driving through areas of London with many Jewish residents, while protesters honk their horns and scream “F*** their mothers, rape their daughters.”

For that matter a Muslim threatening Jews with a knife is practically a victimless crime.

A knifeman who terrorised staff at a kosher supermarket has been spared a prison sentence by a judge.

Gabriel Abdullah, 34, was arrested in January after storming a Golders Green shop with a large blade and demanding to hear people’s views on “Israel and Palestine”.

Though police initially treated the attack as a hate crime, he was charged with affray and possession of a knife.

Abdullah pleaded guilty and has now been handed two concurrent suspended sentences, along with a nine month alcohol treatment requirement.

Reacting to the verdict, Yosef Reitman, who intervened to prevent the attack, told GB News: “When I first heard about the suspended sentence I was utterly surprised.

Speaking to the JC earlier this year, Evyatar Reitman, 48, said he had to fight off Abdullah when he approached them with “hate in his eyes”.

He claimed: “He came to ask about Israel Palestine and seemed to want us to say we were pro-Israel so he had a reason to attack.”

Reitman’s son, Yosef Chaim, used his martial arts skills to fight off Abdullah.

This isn’t about cracking down on racial hatred, it’s about terrorizing people into keeping quiet about Islamic violence and any opposition to the Starmer regime.

https://www.frontpagemag.com/uk-man-gets-3-years-for-islam-tweet-muslim-gets-suspended-sentence-for-threatening-jews-w-knife/