Author: fredalanmedforth

Winston Marshall, the former banjoist for the band Mumford and Sons, has called out his native Great Britain for creating a two-tier justice system that holds conservatives, populists, and other anti-establishment thinkers to a different standard than the rest of the population — one of the many unfortunate consequences of the country’s far-left swerve in recent years.

In a recent interview with PragerU, Winston Marshall held forth on a number of issues, including his run-in with left-wing cancel culture that ultimately resulted in his departure from Mumford and Sons. He also spoke about the rise of antisemitism in Europe.

During the conversation, Marshall addressed the many cases of British citizens facing prison sentences over social media posts that the government has deemed racist, while crimes committed by migrants and other favored groups receive relatively light sentences, or none at all.

“It’s so astonishing that I need to get these details right because you wouldn’t believe them,” he said, later adding: “This is the sense of ‘two tier’– one group are getting treated well and getting off the hook.

“He said the two tiers have been divided between “those who are culturally British against those who are not culturally British” — which he said doesn’t mean skin color or ethnicity, but rather a mindset and willingness to assimilate and embrace western values.

Unfortunately, those who fall in the culturally British category — especially white Christian males — are being subjected to unfair treatment under the law, he argued.

Marshall also discussed his departure from Mumford and Sons more than three years ago as a result of the leftist cancel culture mob that targeted him after he endorsed a book by journalist Andy Ngo exposing the inner workings of the violent left-wing group Antifa.

The attacks became so vicious that Marshall decided to leave the band to spare his bandmates the barrage of hostile publicity.

But Marshall said the unfortunate incident ultimately proved to be for the good.

“Since then, having made that sacrifice, I decided I’m going to speak out I’m going to say what I think and my life’s all the better for it,” he told PragerU.  “It took a long time. It took years to rebuild  — this is three and a half years ago — and the Lord rebuilt the temple and it’s  amazing.”

He added: “It takes time. I worked extremely hard… I feel very blessed, I’ve got a wonderful girlfriend who I wouldn’t have met if not for all of this and the Lord works in mysterious ways.”

Marshall addressed the surge in anti-semitism in England following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.

“England is not the same for October 7th,” he said “It’s made apparent how divided we are as a nation in the year since. There’s been over 20 protests through London, deeply anti-semitic protests I know because I’ve witnessed them. I’ve seen it for my own eyes — deeply anti-Israel.”

“They will claim now it’s ‘pro-Palestine’ and there are definitely ‘pro-Palestine’ members amongst them, but it is deeply anti-Israel anti-Zionist.”

Marshall discussed the rise of populism in the west in opposition to globalist elites, as embodied by World Economic Forum’s Klaus Schwab. He said the left’s effort to turn “populism” into a dirty word has failed.

“Just on language, populism for me is is a positive word. ‘Patriotism’ is definitely a positive word,” he said.

https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2025/01/15/mumford-and-sons-winston-marshall-slams-two-tier-justice-system-for-conservatives-in-uk/

Officials who are involved in the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party will be removed from service with the federal police, according to an internal memo leaked to the German newspaper Junge Freiheit.

The memo refers to a decree issued by Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, of the Social Democrats (SPD). Faeser has warned federal police officers against sympathizing with the AfD and also stated that they should not join the party as members.

“They should expect to be fired,” said Faeser.

The federal police have 54,000 employees, of whom 45,000 are police officers. It is unclear how many officers are currently members of the party, however, many police are members of other parties, which means the decree and threats from Faeser are not about maintaining political neutrality.

For example, the president of the federal police, Dieter Romann, is a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). A screenshot taken from the police intranet was shared exclusively with Junge Freiheit, which reads: “If membership in such a party becomes known, there are sufficient actual indications that justify the suspicion of a disciplinary offense, at least if the officer is actively involved in such a party.”

Finally, there is an open threat of termination for officers found to be members of the party. “If disciplinary proceedings are initiated in these cases, officers must expect disciplinary consequences up to and including dismissal,” the intranet site reads.

To underline the threat, the words “disciplinary consequences up to and including dismissal” are marked in bold in the text.

The police source who spoke to Junge Freiheit, and wishes to remain anonymous, told the paper: “For me, this represents a significant restriction on the free formation of my own will as a police officer. In my opinion, making involvement with a party that represents more than a fifth of the population a criminal offense is an unacceptable curtailment of the basic rights of civil servants — even taking into account the obligation of neutrality. Any activity for the AfD is prohibited.”

The internal memo is entitled: “Candidacy for a confirmed right-wing extremist party? Not a good idea as a federal civil servant!” It is clear, therefore, that this does not only apply to the police but a range of civil service professions.

Dismissal from the civil service is not only sought in the case of candidacy but also for “other behavior that requires a targeted adoption of the political content of such a party.” This is “to be regarded as activism in this sense.”

The memo reads that the constitutional state “cannot tolerate” this because “the free democratic basic order is rather endangered if the constitutional state remains inactive and allows officials who are entrusted with state tasks and who are obliged to stand up for the free democratic basic order to question the constitutional order in its absolute core.”

In this internal warning, the German Federal Police explicitly refers to a decree of the Federal Ministry of the Interior dated Aug. 29, 2024. This provides for the “mandatory initiation of disciplinary proceedings” if one runs for the AfD, which is classified as “certainly right-wing extremist” in the German states of Saxony and Thuringia.

Furthermore, the provision applies not only to membership in the AfD but also to membership in “right-wing extremist groups such as the ‘Free Saxons’ or the AfD’s youth organization, ‘Young Alternative.’

“In order to enable the new disciplinary measures against politically undesirable officials, according to the memo, Police Service Regulation 100 (“Leadership and deployment of the police”) was amended. The Federal Police informs its officers that section 1.5 “Leadership and Cooperation” has been revised.

The AfD is expected to become the second largest party in the Bundestag after the federal elections on Feb. 23 with polls currently placing them on 22 percent — its highest level of support for over a year.

https://rmx.news/article/police-officers-affiliated-with-afd-face-dismissal-under-government-decree-leaked-memo-reveals/

El Mofaddal was on trial in Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne) on Tuesday January 14 , 2025 for ‘direct public provocation to commit a crime’. On October 14 , 2023, on the Place Nationale, he is alleged to have uttered the phrase ‘Allah Akbar: the Jews must be killed’. He was acquitted on procedural grounds. The words are unequivocal. ‘Allah Akbar, the Jews must be killed’. El Mofaddal, 46, is said to have uttered this phrase drunk on October 14, 2023, in the early evening in the Place Nationale in Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne). Exactly one week after the atrocities committed by Hamas on Israeli territory and the start of the war between the Hebrew State and the terrorist organisation.

La Dépêche

A Somali national in Sweden has been jailed for eight years for multiple aggravated rapes against elderly women under his care, but cannot be deported after he attained Swedish citizenship.

Baasim Yusuf, 28, was sentenced this week by the Uppsala District Court after being convicted on two counts of aggravated rape, three counts of aggravated sexual assault, and five counts of possessing offensive photography after filming his victims in compromising positions, in addition to minor drug offenses.

The crimes pertain to his employment at Förenade Care’s home service in Uppsala from December 2023 to August 2024 during which he would visit vulnerable elderly clients to provide domestic care.

The court heard how he targeted four women aged between 77 and 88, two of whom suffered from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and forced them to commit sex acts and also forced himself on them.

During the trial, the public prosecutor described the offenses as particularly heinous due to Yusuf’s abuse of his position of trust, accusing the Somali of predatory behavior and exploiting the victims’ age, health, and dependence on him as their caregiver.

During one assault, Yusuf subjected a 77-year-old woman with dementia to a violent rape and filmed the ordeal. An 88-year-old victim with Alzheimer’s reported that Yusuf continued to rape her despite her pleas to stop, later demanding money and making taunting remarks.

In another instance, Yusuf forced a victim to perform sexual acts on him, acts that he also recorded. The assaults were part of a pattern of abuse that included five instances of offensive photography, where Yusuf filmed his crimes for his own gratification.

Yusuf’s behavior during the investigation further highlighted the brutality of his actions. During his initial police interview, he laughed when confronted with the charges. Although he admitted to certain actions, he denied intent to commit crimes, claiming that the victims had consented to intercourse and that he hoped to be compensated financially. These claims starkly contrasted with the victims’ testimonies, which described immense physical and emotional pain.

During sentencing, Uppsala District Court remarked on the particularly reckless and exploitative nature of Yusuf’s actions, stating that the severity of the crimes warranted a penalty exceeding the minimum for such offenses.

Yusuf received an eight-year prison sentence but cannot be deported under current laws due to holding Swedish citizenship since 2018.

Rapes committed by foreigners have been a talking point in Sweden this week following a report published by a research group at Lund University which showed that between the years of 2000 and 2020, 63.1 percent of all those convicted of rape, aggravated rape, or attempted rape were first or second-generation immigrants.

Just over half, 50.6 percent, were born abroad.

“It is a strong overrepresentation,” the report’s lead author Ardavan Khoshnood, an associate professor at the university, told Samnytt.

Somali jailed for raping multiple elderly victims in their own homes while employed as a caregiver in Sweden, but won’t be deported

Sweden’s government has called for toughening the country’s citizenship requirements by increasing the necessary time in the country to eight years and introducing a citizenship test.

“Citizenship must be earned, not be handed out unconditionally,” said migration minister Johan Forssell, announcing results of a new government study into naturalisation.

The study suggested “honest living” as a prerequisite for naturalisation and an increase in the required time in the country from the current five years.

It also called for a new test on Swedish society and values, and a language exam.

The government should “always be clear about what values apply in Sweden”, said Forssell. The country united people from different backgrounds under a “common Swedish identity”.

Gender equality, free choice in marriage, and an equal right of girls and boys to play football or go swimming were examples of these values.

“If you don’t accept that, Sweden is not the right country for you,” said the minister.

“It has been far too easy to become a Swedish citizen. Lax policies have made it possible for, for example, criminals to obtain citizenship in Sweden,” he argued.

The expert commission behind the citizenship study proposed the new rules come into force on June 1, 2026.

Kirsi Laakso Utvik, who chaired the commission, said it will be more difficult for people to obtain Swedish citizenship in the future.

New citizenship requirements would also demand people applying for citizenship be able to support themselves, and exclude criminals and individuals posing security threats.

The “honest living” requirement would also increasingly block administrative offenders and people in debt.

However, some immigrants’ rights organisations argued the new proposals were impractical.

“Research indicates that stricter citizenship requirements do not enhance integration incentives; instead, they foster exclusion,” claimed John Stauffer, head of the legal department at the NGO Civil Rights Defenders, in a statement to the AFP news agency.

Sweden has undergone big shifts in its immigration policies over the past decade.

Once known for an open and welcoming stance towards immigrants, the country has adopted a more restrictive approach after experiencing high crime and rising costs of living.

By 2025, approximately 2.1 million residents, or 20 per cent of Sweden’s population, were born abroad. The most common countries of origin for immigrants were Syria, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, and Afghanistan.

In reaction to the results of its previous open border policies, Sweden has shifted to the Right and voted for a new government with the hard-right Sweden Democrats now vowing to restrict migration.

In 2024, Sweden recorded negative immigration for the first time in 50 years, with 44,100 leaving the country, nearly double the previous year.

By the end of September 2024, only around 7,300 active asylum applications were registered, a 25 per cent drop compared to the previous year.

The government also planned to allocate funds for voluntary repatriation, increasing the grant for voluntary return in 2026 to 350,000 SEK (€34,450) per person. This amount is currently only 10,000 SEK (€870).

These policies were popular. Unlike in many other countries, the country’s centre-left Social Democratic Party was now also pushing for tougher laws on migration.

On January 14, the Social Democrats demanded increased deportations of foreigners who had committed rape.

Swedish government tightens naturalisation requirements with focus on ‘honest living’

Conversations overheard by bar staff could be classified as harassment by ‘third parties,’ according to recent reports—prompting fears that it could be last orders for discussing controversial topics in pubs.

Labour’s proposed changes to employment laws include a ‘workers’ rights’ component, supposedly designed to prevent employees from being within earshot of customers’ controversial or offensive talk.

Under the new proposals, ministers would require employers to protect their staff from harassment (already a criminal offence under existing laws) by customers or clients. Britain’s Equality and Human Rights Commission has warned that the new rules could “disproportionately curtail” freedom of expression and even cover “overheard conversations”. Classifying political debate as a type of harassment by customers raised “complex questions,” the commission said.

However, an earlier legal ruling protects “the expression of an opinion that may amount to a philosophical belief under the Equality Act 2010 and therefore attract protection from discrimination.” 

When discussing current affairs, will future pub patrons be guilty of harassment or merely expressing a philosophical belief? 

Pub landlords, wary of potential legal trouble with staff, will probably take a cautious route, warning or banning drinkers who they think might be expressing the wrong opinions. Last year, the Southern Belle pub in East Sussex did just this, without needing an ambiguous new law to justify its authoritarianism.

Penalties might start off retroactively, with pub owners kicking out anyone they think is being “offensive,” to avoid staff suing them for not stopping harassment. This application of landlords’ ‘right to refuse admission’ (ROAR) would likely extend to permanently banning guests feared to express the ‘wrong’ opinions from the premises—in a further blow to a trade that struggles already, due to the smoking ban, competition from supermarkets, hyperregulation of live music, and historic COVID-19 restrictions.

According to UK Hospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls

These are complex legal issues, which employers are not equipped to navigate and could impose disproportionate restrictions. We agree with the EHRC’s concerns and we don’t believe that the burden of policing these issues should fall upon employers.

Likewise, a statement to The Times from the British Beer and Pub Association said:

Any legislation must be carefully drafted to make sure it does not have unintended consequences, such as pub workers expected to decide whether private conversations between customers constitute a violation of law.

Despite (the myth of) an informal British etiquette about not discussing politics or religion, such activity does take place in public houses. It would be a disaster to lose this space under restrictive government legislation.

https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/british-barroom-chats-facing-government-regulation/

A German hospital announced plans to issue bodycams to all its employees, after a rise in violent attacks on staff by patients and their relatives.

The small cameras, which employees would wear as part of their uniform, can help to “de-escalate” conflicts, said Michael Kötzing, from Klinikum Dortmund in North Rhine Westphalia

“We want to see whether bodycams have the same effect in the hospital as they do for the police”, Kötzing continued.

German hospital workers across the board have seen a sharp rise in violent attacks in recent years.

73 per cent of all clinics said the number of violent incidents against hospital employees had risen over the last five years.

In a recent survey by the Association of German Hospitals (DGK), the majority of respondents said a “loss of respect for hospital staff” was behind the trend.

In September 2024, an attack on medical staff at a hospital in Essen in North Rhine Westphalia attracted national news.

After a relative died in the emergency room of the Elisabeth Clinic, members of a Turkish-Lebanese family began hitting and kicking clinic employees.

A 23 year-old woman was gravely injured, with five other employees sustaining light injuries.

Some of the aggressors were apprehended by police but were later released.

The incident marked a “turning point”, said Peter Berlin, manager of the Elisabeth Clinic.

“Here we observed an unseen level of aggression and violence towards our staff,” he said.

Souad Layas, deputy medical director of the hospital in Dortmund, told local media employees at his hospital had been hit as well as bitten.

The hospital employees in the Dortmund clinic will be able to decide themselves whether they want to wear the bodycams.

However, hospital staff will only be allowed to activate the body cameras in case of an altercation, due to data protection concerns.

https://brusselssignal.eu/2025/01/german-hospital-introduces-employee-bodycams-after-rising-violence

A number of trans-identified male prisoners who have been locked up across Germany have repeatedly sexually assaulted and harassed female inmates and correctional officers, according to a new survey by Die Welt. The survey, conducted in the 16 state justice ministries across the country, confirmed a number of incidents involving trans-identified male inmates who had been housed in women’s prisons.

In Vechta, a women’s prison in Lower Saxony, three sexual assaults were reported to have taken place by the same transgender perpetrator between 2023 and 2024. While the trans-identified male was not identified, it is known he had been convicted of the possession of child sexual abuse material. In North-Rhine Westphalia, another trans-identified male was involved in a physical assault on a female inmate.

One of the most egregious incidents that the survey learned of had first come to public attention in December of last year, when the Saxony state government finally admitted that throughout 2023 and early 2024, a trans-identified inmate had repeatedly ambushed and stalked multiple female inmates in the Chemnitz correctional facility, demanding sex and threatening to beat them if they didn’t comply. The man also repeatedly forced both female inmates and female correctional officers to watch him masturbate. According to the Freie Presse, the male inmate was eventually transferred back to a men’s prison.

Despite the Chemnitz incident being first reported in January of last year, the Saxony government only confirmed it following an initiative from Lasst Frauen Sprechen (Let Women Speak) seeking the figures on how many male sex offenders were being housed with women. A subsequent information request from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) sought data on the number of people with “deviating gender identities” that had been in the state prison system since January of 2020. Prior to this latest survey from Die Welt, all 16 state justice ministries denied that any incidents had taken place as a result of housing trans-identified males in women’s prisons.

Speaking to Reduxx in December, Hanna-Katarina Zippel of Lasst Frauen Sprechen said that she was “shocked” that men had been moved into female prisons before Germany’s radical Self-Determination Act had officially come into force in November. The law streamlined the process for an individual to change their legal name and sex, and imposed harsh punishments for those who fail to treat individuals in accordance with their self-declared gender identity.

GERMANY: The women's prison in Chemnitz has admitted to housing multiple trans-identified male sex offenders with female inmates after demanding over €1000 to release the data.

Some women at the prison have reported being sexually harassed by the men.https://t.co/TbRCKefjGz

— REDUXX (@ReduxxMag) December 16, 2024

“In order to fight for the withdrawal of self-identification law, it is crucial to educate people, especially women, about what it really means for them and to show them real-life examples,” Zippel told Reduxx at the time. “I hope that with our research we have reached many people who were not aware of the consequences of the new German self-ID law and that we have encouraged many people to speak out critically, so that hopefully one day no woman will have to endure being incarcerated with a man anymore.”

Across Germany, the number of trans inmates reported varies dramatically from state to state. In Berlin, 24 were found to have been incarcerated with women since 2020, with 15 of those being recorded just in the last year alone. In Hesse, there have been eleven since 2020, while Mecklenburg-Vorpommern declared there to be only four, the same number as in the city state of Hamburg by July last year.

Other states had older data, with Baden-Württemberg recording eight trans prisoners in February 2022, and Bavaria only having data from 2019, which noted that they had six. Some states, such as Brandenburg and Saarland, do not have any data available.

While the survey provides some insight into the consequences of housing trans-identified males with women, the full picture is impossible to discern. This is due to the fact that transgender and non-binary identifying prisoners are only recorded as such if they demand special accommodations due to their gender identity.

Speaking to Die Welt last year, René Müller, Federal Chairman of the Association of Prison Officers in Germany, said that not every incident would have even been recorded to begin with.

https://reduxx.info/germany-new-report-reveals-that-trans-identified-male-inmates-have-been-sexually-assaulting-harassing-female-inmates-in-womens-prisons/

Pubs could ban customers from speaking about contentious beliefs such as religious views or transgender rights over fears of falling foul of Labour’s workers rights reforms. The government has been warned by the equalities watchdog that rules could “disproportionately curtail” freedom of expression and be applied to “overheard conversations”. Ministers have proposed that employers must protect workers from being harassed at work by “third parties” such as customers or clients. If they fail to do so they could be sued. Our Senior Fellow Rafe Heydel-Mankoo discussed this with Julia Hartley-Brewer on Talk TV.