Tag Archives: Paris

Featured, Gun Rights, Hot, International

Eagles of Death Metal Vocalist Says Gun Control Did Not Save Lives in Paris Attacks

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After living through a deadly terrorist massacre at the Bataclan theater in Paris, France where 90 people lost their lives and hundreds were injured, Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes’ opinion on gun rights has not changed.

Hughes, a politically-conservative, Donald Trump supporting National Rifle Association member, responded emotionally to a question about gun control posed during a Monday television interview on the French network iTélé.

“Gun control kind of doesn’t have anything to do with it, but if you want to bring it up, I’ll ask you,” he said to reporter Laurence Ferrari, “Did your French gun control stop a single f***ing person from dying at the Bataclan? If anyone can answer yes, I’d like to hear it, because I don’t think so. I think the only thing that stopped it was some of the bravest men that I’ve ever seen in my life charging head-first into the face of death with their firearms.”

[RELATED: France Declares State of Emergency, Military Enacts Full Control]

“Maybe, I know people will disagree with me, but it just seems like God made men and women, and that night guns made them equal,” Hughes added, fighting back tears, “And I hate it that it’s that way. I think the only way my mind has been changed is that maybe until nobody has guns everybody has to have them, because I don’t ever want to see anything like this ever happen again, and I want everyone to have the best chance to live, and I saw people die that maybe could have lived. I don’t know, but I wish I knew for sure if they could have had a better chance, because there were some real angels, real wonderful people in that show that aren’t alive today, and I really wish they were.”

The Guardian notes that Hughes also told Agence France-Presse, “I don’t go anywhere in America without a gun anymore. That sucks. And I’m not paranoid. I’m not a cowboy… but I want to be prepared.”

[RELATED: French Prosecutor: Suspected ‘Mastermind’ of Paris Attacks Killed in Police Raid]

Eagles of Death Metal is set for a defiant return to Paris on Tuesday for the band’s first concert in the city since the coordinated November 13 terror attacks. The concert will take place at the Olympia and will feature additional security. The band invited surviving victims of the previous attack at the Bataclan to attend the show, and psychologists and psychiatrists will be on hand to help those individuals if the need arises.

According to The New York Times, Hughes told the French cable channel Canal+, “[Tuesday’s] Paris [concert] isn’t just a show. It is not a rock show; it is a lot bigger than that. It has a much bigger purpose than just entertaining this time around.”

Survivors’ groups say the concert is an opportunity for some victims to heal and move past the event.

Hughes, who emphasized that he is “pro-freedom,” told iTélé, “I’m not a hero, but I love my friends. And I was raised that you have to be willing to give your life, or else it is not worth living, and you are not a member of a community. I’m not a hero, but if I had had a gun I could have changed something, and I would have been willing to do it.”

Follow Barry Donegan on Facebook and Twitter.

Civil Liberties, Featured, Foreign Policy, International

France Applies Emergency Anti-Terror Laws to Confine Activists

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FRANCE, November 29, 2015– Ahead of planned United Nations climate talks, the French government is utilizing emergency laws put in place after November’s Paris terror attack to hold climate activists under house arrest.

Immediately after the November terror attacks, the French government declared a state of emergency based on a rarely used 1955 law that allows the state to conduct warrantless searches of private property, impose curfews, restrict public gatherings and movements of people, confiscate weapons at will and take over the press.

Legal activist Joel Domenjoud said he had been served with a restraining order describing him as a “principal leader of the ultra-left movement,” a title he disputes, only a couple hours after a judge refused to hear an appeal against the ban on the climate demo Domenjoud had petitioned for. A neighbor informed Domenjoud that a swam of police were lined up the stairs waiting for him to arrive home.

“I feel angry about it because I think they made a big mistake,” Domenjoud said. “They weren’t looking for people like us activists– or if they were, it shows that they can target people for no reason at all and our civil liberties are in danger.”

On Saturday, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve confirmed that the French government had used the recently enacted emergency laws to place at least 24 Greenpeace activists under house arrest.

Cazeneuve claimed the activists are suspected of planning violent protests at the talks which kicked off on Sunday- a day ahead of the opening ceremony- and is scheduled to run through December 11.

“These 24 people have been placed under house arrest because they have been violent during demonstrations in the past and because they have said they would not respect the state of emergency,” said Cazeneuve.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace France director Jean-François Julliard says the activists under house arrest had never committed violent acts, nor had they ever been charged with anything.

“We have the feeling that [the government] wants to stifle criticism from the militants, but they are going about it in the worst possible way, this is repression,” Julliard said on BFM television.

Several sources claim that officers have also raided three squats in Paris- and more across the country- seizing computers, documents and personal items.

Regardless of the threat of house arrest, some climate protesters still took to the streets.

According to the Interior Ministry, more than 300 people have been placed on house arrest since the declaration of a state of emergency just over two weeks ago.

FOLLOW MICHAEL LOTFI ON Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

Foreign Policy, International, Politics

France Will Accept 30,000 More Syrian Refugees After Paris Terror Attack

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FRANCE, November 19, 2015– On Wednesday, French President Francois Hollande announced that France would still accept upwards of 30,000 Syrian refugees over the next two years despite the recent ISIS terror attacks on Paris that left at least 129 dead.

“30,000 refugees will be welcomed over the next two years. Our country has the duty to respect this commitment,” said Hollande.

Receiving a standing ovation, Hollande made the announcement while meeting with mayors from across France.

“We have to reinforce our borders while remaining true to our values,” said Hollande as he noted that it was France’s “humanitarian duty” to honor their commitments to refugees.

Meanwhile, the majority of American governors have called upon the federal government to not place Syrian refugees in the respective states.

[RELATED: Judge Napolitano: States Cannot ‘Refuse’ Refugees Under Federal Law]

While President Obama has made attempts to paint the refusal of accepting refugees as a partisan issue driven by Republicans, a handful of states controlled by democratic state legislators and governors have also demanded that no refugees be placed within their states including Massachusetts and Maryland, which are considered the most democratic states in America.

“As governor of Maryland, the safety and security of Marylanders remains my first priority,” said Maryland’s Democrat Governor Larry Hogan. “Following the terrorist attacks on Paris just four days ago, and after careful consideration, I am now requesting that federal authorities cease any additional settlements of refugees from Syria in Maryland until the U.S. government can provide appropriate assurances that refugees from Syria pose no threat to public safety.”

As of Tuesday, more than two dozen governors issued statements saying that they would not be accepting refugees. Meanwhile, another half dozen say they will, but not without increased vetting.

The move by these governors has created a constitutional crisis of sorts. Many, including President Obama, say that states have no say in the matter. Meanwhile, others disagree and believe the issue may make its way to the Supreme Court.

FOLLOW MICHAEL LOTFI ON Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

Civil Liberties, Election, Foreign Policy, Politics

Trump: ‘No Choice’ – Mosques Must Be Closed

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November 18, 2015– Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump says the United States has “no choice” but to close certain mosques around the country.

“Nobody wants to say this and nobody wants to shut down religious institutions or anything, but you know, you understand it,” Trump told Fox News’s “Hannity” on Tuesday. “A lot of people understand it. We’re going to have no choice, there’s absolutely no choice.”

Saying that “some really bad things are happening, and they’re happening fast,” Trump displayed a sense of urgency during the interview.

Tuesday’s statements aren’t a new direction for Trump. In fact, he was simply doubling down on the position.

On Monday, Trump renewed calls for domestic surveillance of mosques in the U.S. after Islamic militants claimed credit for last week’s attacks in Paris.

“You’re going to have to watch and study the mosques, because a lot of talk is going on at the mosques,” Trump said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

In an interview on Fox Business News last month, Stuart Varney asked Trump whether or not, if elected president, he would make similar moves as the British government, which has revoked passports of some people and closed select mosques.

“I would do that, absolutely, I think it’s great,” Trump responded. “If you go out, you go fight for ISIS, you can’t come back. Why can’t you do it? You can do it here.”

“Can you close a mosque? I mean, we do have religious freedom,” asked Varney.

“Well I don’t know,” Trump said. “I mean, I haven’t heard about the closing of the mosque. It depends, if the mosque is, you know, loaded for bear, I don’t know. You’re going to have to certainly look at it.”

FOLLOW MICHAEL LOTFI ON Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

Featured, International

Breaking, Developing: Paris Under Attack; Dozens Killed, Hundreds Held Hostage

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Update, November 13, 5:47 p.m.: The death toll has climbed to 60, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV.

Update, November 13, 6:31 p.m.: 5 more explosions and reports of automatic gunfire at theater with 100 hostages. Hostages possibly being killed one by one.

Update, November 13, 8:19 p.m.: France Declares State of Emergency, Military Enacts Full Control

Paris- Paris is under attack in at least three simultaneous attacks. As of this posting (and that number continues to change), at least 35 people are dead and possibly another 100 hostages are being held after three separate violent attacks.

paris hostage shooting map

Police say the gunmen—as many as six—were armed with kalashnikovs and grenades. They are all currently on the loose.

At least one of the gunman opened fire at a restaurant near a soccer stadium.  The soccer game between France and Germany was taking place at the time.  Early reports indicate that a Kalishnikov rifle and grenades were used in at least one attack.

Paris’s deputy mayor says it is too early to say if the attacks were coordinated acts of terror, but that it looks that way. US officials state the attacks were coordinated.

Truth in Media will provide updates as the story is developing.

Featured, International, Politics, US

Photo Op: World Leaders Don’t Really Lead “Unity Rally” in Paris

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On Sunday, a “unity rally” was held in Paris, France, in solidarity for the victims of the shooting that occurred at the French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, on January 7. Around 3.7 million people came to Paris to show their support, including 40 world leaders.

The leaders included Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, French President François Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Council President Donald Tusk, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

An iconic photo was taken of the world leaders in attendance, which appeared to show them leading the march. However, The Independent reported that when the camera is zoomed out to show the entire scene, it shows a “different perspective on the leader’s portion of the march,” which revealed that the front line of leaders was followed by “just over a dozen rows other dignitaries and officials,” along with a “significant gap” separating them from the “throngs of other marchers.”

Borzou Daragahi, a Middle East and North Africa Correspondent for Financial Times, tweeted a photo of the leaders, saying that rather than leading the actual march, they seemed to be conducting a photo op:

Ian Bremmer, an American political scientist and the president and founder of Eurasia Group, tweeted a similar picture, pointing out that the large gap between the leaders and the general public made it look as if the leaders were not actually “at” the rallies:

In addition to the photos that appear to show the word leaders running the march, the Jewish Orthodox newspaper Hamevaser is under criticism for a photo it published on its front page of the leaders. The photo was airbrushed to edit out the women present: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.

The Associated Press posted a photo of Hamevaser’s front page, claiming that the newspaper removed Merkel and Hidalgo from the photo “out of modesty.”

Courtesy of the Associated Press
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

The Daily Mail tweeted a photo showing the difference between the original photo of the world leaders, and the airbrushed version that was published:

Orthodox Israeli newspaper airbrushes female world leaders out of Paris march photos http://t.co/TUEwhqriUmpic.twitter.com/Pq3sDpdqRJ

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) January 13, 2015

Tablet Magazine, an “online magazine of Jewish news, ideas, and culture,” responded by creating an edited version of their own, in which every leader had a photoshopped version of Merkel’s head:

Politics

“What the Fu**!” Jon Stewart Bashes Obama For France Absence

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On Sunday, more than 1.2 million people rallied in Paris to participate in the largest demonstration in French history.

This Monday, Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart blasted President Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for refusing to attend a unity rally in Paris, France, which was held to repudiate Muslim extremism.

While Holder was in Paris, he did not attend the rally.

“What the f***?” says Stewart. “Eric Holder, you were in France! In Paris! At the time of the march and were like, ‘eh’?”

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Foreign Policy, International, US

NYPD on alert after ISIS video release

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The New York Police Department is on high-alert after ISIS re-released a propaganda video which tells people to murder “intelligence officers, police officers, soldiers and civilians” throughout the US.  

The specific propaganda video was originally released in September 2014, but following the events in France last week, the NYPD is taking the resurgence of the video seriously.

An internal memo released throughout the NYPD told officers to “remain alert and consider tactics at all times while on patrol,” according to FOX News. Similarly, the Sergeants Benevolent Association, a police union in New York City, sent out an email to union members which reads, “Pay attention to your surroundings. Officers must pay close attention to approaching vehicles . . . Pay close attention to people as they approach. Look for their hands.”

However, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for counterterrorism, John Miller, said according to CNN, “I don’t think that we are under any more threat … or any less threat than we were the day before.” Miller also said the NYPD has not detected any specific threats in New York City, but the NYPD has stepped up their police presence at central locations throughout the city, such as in Times Square.

Mayor Bill de Blasio told the citizens of New York City to also be on the lookout for anything suspicious. “We are the number one terror target, and that has created in us a sense of vigilance every day,” said de Blasio according to CBS New York. “There is no down day. There is no day when we’re less vigilant. We’re vigilant every day,”

The NYPD was not the only agency to take notice after the video resurfaced.

The FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are also taking the video seriously. These agencies released a nationwide bulletin to law enforcement offices with similar warnings found in the NYPD memo as well as the union released email.

Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said he hopes intelligence agents in the U.S. are prepared and ready to prevent attacks similar to those carried out in France last week. “What we have to do,” said Menendez, “is be able to create a sense in communities of the importance of high alert, of vigilance, of being able to share information.”

Featured, International, Politics

Breaking: French Terror Suspects Dead, Hostages Freed

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The French police have reportedly killed the two brothers wanted for the massacre of 12 people at a Paris newspaper on Wednesday.

According to RT, “the Hebdo suspects emerged firing on security forces, reported an AFP source. One policeman was reportedly injured in the operation. However, he is not in a critical condition.

Meanwhile, the hostages who were held at the grocery store in Porte de Vincennes in Paris are being released. The hostage taker is reportedly dead, after special forces entered the building and killed him, according to Le Monde.”

We will bring you more information as it becomes available.

Featured, International

Breaking: Suspects Named in Paris Terror Attack, May Have Been Trained in Syria

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Three suspects have been identified by French authorities in the brutal terror attack at the headquarters of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in central Paris.

The three attackers have been identified as Said Kouachi, 34, Cherif Kouachi, 32, and Hamyd Mourad, 18, AP reported citing French police.

This is the deadliest terror attack in France in 20 years. In 1995 bombings that killed 8 people. Those bombings were carried out by The Armed Islamic Group. That group is an Algerian Islamic group wanting to overthrow the Algerian government.

The two suspects Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi are reportedly brothers and are Franco/Algerians who came back from Syria this summer. That part of the story is worthy of deeper investigation. As we have extensively reported the U.S., Saudi’s, Jordan, Qatar and Israel have used special forces to train large numbers of jihadists in Syria to help with the over-throw of Assad.

Analysts have said that this attack was carried out by men who had formal military training and was carried out by men who acted like a “special forces unit”.

At least 12 people have been killed after gunmen opened fire around 8:30 AM Paris time.

Featured, International, Politics

Gunmen Ambush Paris Satirical Newspaper Office In Reported Terrorist Attack; 12 Reported Dead

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Paris- As many as 12 people have been killed after masked gunmen bombarded the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday and opened fire. At least 20 people have been reported injured.

The New York Times reported that Xavier Castaing, the head of communications for the Paris Police Headquarters, said that three armed men carrying AK-47s forced entry into the newspaper’s offices and fired shots into the lobby. The attack reportedly lasted for several minutes before the gunmen fled in a vehicle. Multiple news reports have stated that the incident was a terrorist attack. A U.S. official stated that the attackers had said that the Prophet Muhammed had been “avenged” according to social media reports.

Charlie Hebdo is known for its satirical cartoons mocking political and religious figures, including the Prophet Muhammed. The offices of the paper were attacked previously in 2011 in a firebomb attack after an issue of Charlie Hebdo, titled “Charia Hebdo”, was published with Prophet Muhammed jokingly credited as the “guest editor”.

A lawyer for Charlie Hebdo stated that several editors, staffers and cartoonists were killed, including the paper’s editor, publisher and cartoonist Stéphane Charbonnier, and cartoonists Jean Cabut, Georges Wolinski and Bernard Verlhac. Two police officers were also killed.

The gunmen have not yet been found.

“An act of indescribable barbarity has just been committed today in Paris,” said President Francois Hollande. “Measures have been taken to find those responsible, they will be hunted for as long as it takes to catch them and bring them to justice.”

“I am extremely angry,” said Hassen Chalghoumi, the imam of the Drancy mosque in Paris. “These are criminals, barbarians. They have sold their soul to hell. This is not freedom. This is not Islam and I hope the French will come out united at the end of this.”

President Obama released a statement saying that “France, and the great city of Paris where this outrageous attack took place, offer the world a timeless example that will endure well beyond the hateful vision of these killers. We are in touch with French officials, and I have directed my administration to provide any assistance needed to help bring these terrorists to justice.”