Tag: CHINA

Senior Sri Lankan officials ‘withheld intel on terrorist attacks’

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The head of Sri Lanka’s parliament has made damning accusations against senior officials in the government, alleging that they withheld intelligence about impending attacks on churches, hotels and politicians.

A series of Easter Sunday bombings at Sri Lankan churches andhotels killed at least 359 people. Authorities have made dozens of arrests in the aftermath.

“Some top intelligence officials hid the intelligence information purposefully. Information was there, but the top brass security officials did not take appropriate actions,” Lakshman Kiriella, leader of the parliament, said Wednesday

Kiriella claims that Sri Lankan authorities received a warning from Indian intelligence about possible attacks on April 4, and that this information was shared at a Security Council meeting, chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena, on April 7 but was not shared further.

“Somebody is controlling these top intelligence officials,” Kiriella added. “The Security Council is doing politics. We need to investigate into this.”

Meanwhile, former army chief and Minister of Regional Development Sarath Fonseka told parliament that he believed the attacks had been planned for some seven or eight years.

ALSO ON RT.COMTerrorists needed ‘at least 7-8 years’ to plan Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka

A confidential April 11 security memo contained names, addresses, phone numbers and movement patterns of the attackers from the National Thowheeth Jama’ath group suspected of carrying out the spate of attacks. Sri Lankan authorities also knew as far back as January that the group was stockpiling weapons and detonators.

Government minister Rauff Hakeem described it as a “colossal failure on the part of the intelligence services,” as in-fighting between Sri Lanka’s president and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe appears to have prevented effective action being taken to avert the danger.

“If the names of the persons involved were already known, why were they not arrested?” he added.

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WaPo headline linking anger at Sri Lanka terrorist attacks to ‘far right’ draws Twitter’s ire

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The Washington Post is under fire for printing a story with a contentious headline, implying that anger over the recent spate of bombings in Sri Lanka is unique to the “far right.”

Titled “Christianity under attack? Sri Lanka church bombings stoke far-right anger in the West,” the piece drew outrage online far and wide for its recklessly phrased headline.

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In its story, the Post cites right-wing leaders and activists across the US and Europe – such as Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s National Rally party – who view the bombings in Sri Lanka as part of a greater attack on Christianity.

While the Post does acknowledge that “Christian minorities are targeted around the world,” some took the piece itself to be a religious slight.

“If you [need] any further proof that the Washington Post is anti-Christian, check out this asinine headline,” one user said on Twitter.

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‘They are Christians’: Obama & Clinton lambasted for calling bombed Sri Lankans ‘Easter worshipers’

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Some people believe prominent Democrats deliberately avoided using the word “Christian” when condemning bombings of churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday as part of a policy to undermine Christian faith in the US.

The eight bomb attacks in Sri Lanka, which killed almost 300 people on Easter Sunday, sparked worldwide condemnation. But the way some US politicians expressed their condolences sparked a minor outcry among conservative Americans. Former President Barack Obama and the former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, were blasted for using the term “Easter worshipers” instead of “Christians” when referring to the victims of the attacks.

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Three Sri Lankan Christian churches were targeted by the perpetrators, implying that the Christian minority was in the crosshairs. Some commentators in the US said Obama and Clinton were in the wrong when they failed to name the religion.

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Particular ire was sparked by the fact that both US politicians didn’t hesitate to use the word “Muslim” when expressing condolences to the victims of last month’s massacre at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

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Notably, Obama and Clinton were not the only US figures, who used the term in remarks about the bloodshed in Sri Lanka. So did Adam Schiff, the Democrat chair of the House Intelligence Committee.

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And the same goes for US Attorney Trent Shores.

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The criticism is based on the perception that the Democratic Party is bent on downplaying America’s Christian roots for the sake of sensibilities of people adhering to other religions. The sentiment is probably best reflected in Fox News’ coverage of the supposed “war on Christmas” in the US.

In this particular case, however, the notion may be misplaced, one commenter pointed out. Christian churches are not exclusively Christian places of worship there, quite the contrary.

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In Sri Lanka, Christianity plays a unique role of serving as a bridge between people by welcoming both the Sinhalese and Tamil ethnic groups. Considering that Tamil separatism was behind a bloody 25-year-long civil war on the South Asian island, which ended just a decade ago, one can understand why this role is highly appreciated.

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‘Wait for the Next’ – Islamic State-linked Group Issue Notre Dame Threat

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By Jack Montgomery

A radical group linked to the Islamic State has threatened an attack on the damaged cathedral of Notre Dame, or possibly another historic Christian building.

Al-Munatsir, a radical group linked to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s erstwhile caliphate, disseminated an image showing Notre Dame’s iconic bell towers engulfed in flames, with the caption “wait for the next”.

The SITE Intelligence Group Enterprise counter-extremism organisation, which reported on the threat, appears to believe it was targetted at the Parisian cathedral — although it is possible “wait for the next” could refer to an attack on another Christian building.

The French authorities do not believe the Notre Dame fire resulted from arson or terrorism at present, saying it was likely an accident.

Islamic extremists were quick to celebrate it, however — including al-Munatsir, which published an earlier image of the burning cathedral with the caption “Have a nice day”.

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The threats come as France honours the Paris fire brigade, the Pompiers de Paris, who were able to save much of the cathedral from the flames, despite the destruction of its spire and ancient roof timbers.

“The country and the entire world were watching us and you were exemplary,” French president Emmanuel Macron told hundreds of firefighters at the Elysée Palace, where they were gathered so he could pay tribute to them on behalf of the nation.

“You were the perfect example of what we should be,” he added, saying they would be awarded medals of honour for their “courage and devotion”.

Anne Hidalgo, the left-wing Paris mayor, also praised the firefighters’ “boundless courage”, saying they had “saved part of ourselves” by preventing the historic cathedral from being entirely consumed.

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‘Don’t ever vote for white person’: South African ANC leader’s race-based call discussed on RT

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A leading member of South Africa’s ruling party has stirred controversy as he called on the country’s black population not to vote for white candidates. RT has asked a local politician and activist to weigh in.

With even members of his own party condemning the decision to “campaign along race lines,” the pressure is mounting against African National Congress secretary-general Ace Magashule. He has already found himself at the wrong end of a number of corruption scandals and has now been slammed for his “racist” remark.

A few weeks shy of the 25th anniversary of the end of apartheid, racial tensions remain an undeniable part of life in modern South Africa. And some in South Africa support Magashule’s sentiment.

ALSO ON RT.COMSouth Africa’s economic & social decline the worst of nations not at war

“White people are the beneficiaries of racism, all of them,” Andile Mngxitama of the pan-Africanist Black First Land First party told RT. He believes that the disproportionate amount of resources that remain in the hands of the country’s white minority is an indication that they “still maintain an apartheid hold on the economy.” Given the circumstances, Mngxitama asks “why any black person would vote for a white person?”

Self-described “disillusioned left wing South African” Helen Heldenmuth sees this outlook is destructive, and not the opinion of the majority. Having been arrested for raising black children during apartheid, she believes that the solution has to move beyond black and white. According to her, comments like Magashule’s don’t help to “mend” the damage from the past, and only serve to further divide society along racial lines.

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Facebook bans British anti-immigrant groups including EDL, BNP and Britain First

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Facebook has banned 12 high-profile, anti-immigrant British organizations and individuals including the English Defence League, the British National Party, Britain First and Jayda Fransen.

The silicon valley company said it took the decision because it bans users who “proclaim a violent or hateful mission or are engaged in acts of hate or violence.”

“Individuals and organisations who spread hate, or attack or call for the exclusion of others on the basis of who they are, have no place on Facebook,” it said in a statement.

The following organizations and people are now prohibited from the site: The British National Party and Nick Griffin, Britain First and Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen, English Defence League and Paul Ray, Knights Templar International and Jim Dowson, National Front and Tony Martin, and Jack Renshaw.

ALSO ON RT.COMTommy Robinson banned from Facebook, Instagram over ‘hate speech’They were all outlawed under Facebook’s ‘Dangerous Individuals & Organisations policy’. They will no longer be allowed a presence on Facebook or Instagram and posts and other content which expresses praise or support for them will also be banned.

“Our work against organised hate is ongoing and we will continue to review individuals, organisations, pages, groups and content against our Community Standards,” the statement added.

The Knights Templar International said it was “horrified” by the ban, and that it was investigating legal options. “Facebook has deemed our Christian organisation as dangerous and de-platformed us despite never being charged, let alone found guilty of any crime whatsoever,” it said in a statement. “This is a development that would have made the Soviets blush.”

In February the social media giant banned EDL founder Tommy Robinson from its platforms saying the prominent anti-immigration activist repeatedly breached its policies on Hate speech.

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FRENCH JOURNALIST: TWO CHURCHES IN FRANCE ARE VANDALIZED EVERY DAY AND NO ONE GIVES A F*CK

French Journalist: Two Churches in France Are Vandalized EVERY DAY and No One Gives a F*ck

“This government, this regime….including the Pope, including the cardinals, shut their mouth, say nothing”

 | Infowars.com – APRIL 17, 2019

French journalist Maxime Lepante warns that France’s history is “in the process of burning down” as a result of two churches being vandalized every day and that political and religious leaders don’t “give a f*ck.”

Lepante highlighted recently released statistics that show there were 1062 anti-Christian acts in 2018, compared to just 100 anti-Muslim acts. Throughout 2018, no less than 875 churches in France were targeted.

“Two churches were vandalized per day,” said Lepante, adding, “This government, this regime….including the Pope, including the cardinals, shut their mouth, say nothing when our churches are being vandalized, and in contrast, the minute there is a mosque that has a pot of pork sausage in front of it, there’s immediately arrest and prison for the person who did it….apologies from the whole of France, the stigmatization of racism and so on, it’s an absolutely unbearable double standard!”

Lepante then pointed out that the Notre Dame cathedral was vandalized a few years ago by feminist protesters who sprayed urine everywhere and that the left’s response was to laugh while the perpetrators were acquitted.

The journalist then cited the story of how a Pakistani migrant who had only been in the country two months caused “extensive damage” to the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris.

“I would like to remind you that in the week March 12th-19th, twelve French churches were vandalized,” said Lepante, before citing several examples of how leading leftist figures in France have openly called for the destruction of Paris’ historical buildings and monuments and how political leaders don’t “give a f*ck” about the situation.

“The situation is grave, the situation is scandalous, it’s the pride of our history that is in the process of burning down,” said Lepante.

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