fascism is not an opinion - fascism is a crime!

U2 Drops Surprise Song to Honor ICE Victim

U2 just pulled a Bruce Springsteen. The band has released its first collection of new songs in nearly a decade, the six-song EP Days of Ash. The songs include a tribute to Renée Good called “American Obituary,” and are a reflection of the somber political times in the nation, as Bono hits ICE, Putin, Netanyahu, and more. “Renée Good born to die free / American mother of three / Seventh day / January / A bullet for each child, you see,” Bono sings of Good, the 33-year-old mother and American citizen gunned down by ICE last month. The scathing rebuke continues, “To desecrate domestic bliss / Three bullets blast, three babies kissed / Renee the domestic terrorist? / What you can’t kill can’t die / America will rise / Against the people of the lie.” “American Obituary” comes a few weeks after Springsteen’s “Streets of Minneapolis,” a song that also memorializes the “two dead left to die on snow-filled streets / Alex Pretti and Renée Good,” while blasting Donald Trump and his administration. Springsteen also released an anti-Trump EP “Land of Hope and Dreams,” which includes two of his onstage speeches calling the administration “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous.” At the height of Trump’s beef with Springsteen last spring, he declared that the music icon “ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT.” Bono defended Springsteen at the time, telling Jimmy Kimmel, “There’s only one boss in America.”

via daily beast: U2 Drops Surprise Song to Honor ICE Victim

siehe auch: U2’s new music honors Renee Good and draws inspiration from world events. U2 is returning with its first collection of new songs in nearly a decade, opening with a tribute to Renee Good, the Minnesota mom fatally shot by a federal agent during this winter’s massive immigration crackdown. The Irish rock band released the six-song EP “U2 – Days of Ash” on Wednesday. Its first track, “American Obituary,” is dedicated to Good, who died Jan. 7 in Minneapolis during an encounter with a Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. The song is a call for peace and a dedication to Good’s life. “Renee didn’t just believe in kindness; she lived it, fully and fiercely,” said Becca Good, her partner, in a statement released with the project. “She believed every person deserved the same compassion, care and dignity regardless of who they were.”

“Renee Good, born to die free / American mother of three / seventh day January / a bullet for each child, as you can see,” Bono sings on the hard rock song, after a forthright, pealing riff from the Edge. “Renee, the ‘domestic terrorist’? / What you can’t kill can’t die / America will rise against the people of the lie.”

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Far-Right Croatian MP Sparks Crisis by Singing About Fascist Leader

The Croatian Liberals have threatened to quit the governing coalition unless Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic takes action to curb a far-right Homeland Movement MP who hymned a World War II-era fascist on video. Far-right Homeland Movement MP Josip Dabro is back at the centre of attention in Croatian politics after appearing in controversial video footage again. Dabro was appointed a minister at the beginning of the current coalition government’s mandate in 2024 but was quickly dismissed after a video became public of him shooting a gun through a car window in a populated area. Then in January 2025, video footage was leaked of Dabro stripped to the waist and gleefully wielding an illegal Kalashnikov in a cornfield. The latest incident centres around a recording published on February 15 in which Dabro, with a glass in his hand and accompanied by an accordionist, sings a song that appears to glorify Ante Pavelic, who was the head of the Nazi-allied Independent State of Croatia from 1941 to 1945, when fascist Ustasha forces killed Jews, Serbs and Roma people

via balkan insight: Far-Right Croatian MP Sparks Crisis by Singing About Fascist Leader

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„Direkt aus dem Mund des Präsidenten“ – Weißes Haus verstrickt sich in Widersprüche

Wenige Wochen, nachdem das Weiße Haus einen Mitarbeiter für einen rassistisch kritisierten Beitrag auf Trumps Social-Media-Konto verantwortlich gemacht hatte, sorgt ein Statement von US-Pressesprecherin Karoline Leavitt für Aufmerksamkeit. Am Mittwoch (18. Februar) erklärte sie auf einer Pressekonferenz in Washington, dass alle Beiträge auf Trumps Plattform Truth Social „direkt aus dem Mund des Präsidenten“ stammten. Nach einem rassistischen Video-Post von Donald Trump wächst die Empörung, während das Weiße Haus abwiegelt. Zwar bezog sich Leavitt auf einen Post, den Trump kurz zuvor veröffentlicht hatte und der sich gegen ein umstrittenes Abkommen zwischen dem Vereinigten Königreich und Mauritius über die Chagos‑Inseln richtete. Dennoch steht ihre Verteidigung der Social-Media-Aktivitäten des Präsidenten im Widerspruch zu früheren Reaktionen des Weißen Hauses und Trumps selbst. Dies gilt insbesondere für Beiträge, die in den vergangenen Tagen für erhebliche Diskussionen gesorgt hatten. Trumps Video auf Truth Social löst Empörung aus – Obamas Gesichter auf Affenkörpern sorgen für Kritik Noch vor wenigen Tagen hatte ein auf Trumps Truth-Social-Account veröffentlichtes Video für viel Ärger gesorgt. Das Video stieß selbst bei einigen Kongressmitgliedern Trumps auf Kritik. Ein Mitarbeiter des Weißen Hauses erklärte gegenüber The Independent, dass der Beitrag „irrtümlich verfasst“ worden sei und nicht direkt vom Präsidenten stamme.

via fr: „Direkt aus dem Mund des Präsidenten“ – Weißes Haus verstrickt sich in Widersprüche

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Jeder Fünfte offen für autoritäre Ideen

Deutschland befindet sich im Wandel. Bei vielen Menschen löst das Verunsicherung und Skepsis aus – vor allem in strukturschwachen Regionen im Osten. Bundesweit gibt es laut Deutschland-Monitor Zuspruch zu autoritären Ideen. Die Wirtschaftskrise, der Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine und die von vielen als immer instabiler erlebte Weltordnung zwingen die Bundesregierung zu Veränderungen. Die meisten Menschen in Deutschland sind dafür grundsätzlich bereit, doch ungleiche Lebensverhältnisse setzen der Demokratie zu. Das zeigt der aktuelle Deutschland-Monitor 2025.Teile der Bevölkerung sind demnach offen für autoritäre Ideen. So stößt etwa die Forderung nach einer Einheitspartei, einem starken Anführer ohne parlamentarische Zwänge und der Diktatur als Staatsform bundesweit bei etwa jedem Fünften auf Zustimmung, in Ostdeutschland sympathisiert damit sogar jeder Vierte. Konkret stimmten im Durchschnitt knapp zwei Prozent folgenden gebündelten drei Aussagen voll zu: “Unter bestimmten Umständen ist eine Diktatur die bessere Staatsform”, “Entscheidungen sollten von einer politischen Führungspersönlichkeit getroffen werden – ohne Rücksicht aufs Parlament” und “Deutschland braucht eine einzige starke Partei”. 21 Prozent der Befragten sind zumindest empfänglich für ein autoritäres Weltbild.

via tagesschau: Jeder Fünfte offen für autoritäre Ideen

siehe auch: Wie tickt Deutschland – im Osten, im Westen und insgesamt? Gegenstand des Deutschland-Monitors ist eine jährlich wiederholte, regional differenzierte und konsekutiv im zeitlichen Längsschnitt vergleichend angelegte Untersuchung, mit der die Beständigkeit und die Veränderungen von politischen und gesellschaftlichen Stimmungslagen und Einstellungen der Bürgerinnen und Bürger in Ost- und Westdeutschland empirisch erhoben und wissenschaftlich analysiert werden.

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„Ich bin immer wieder erstaunt“ – Macron weist Meloni zum Tod eines Rechtsradikalen in die Schranken

Der Fall des in Lyon zu Tode geprügelten Quentin Deranque sorgt auch international für Aufregung. Italiens Ministerpräsidentin Meloni bezeichnet den Vorfall gar als „Wunde für Europa“. Frankreichs Präsident verbittet sich eine Einmischung. Der gewaltsame Tod eines jungen Rechtsradikalen in Frankreich hat zu einem ungewöhnlichen französisch-italienischen Schlagabtausch geführt. Frankreichs Präsident Emmanuel Macron warf der italienischen Regierungschefin Giorgia Meloni indirekt eine unerwünschte Einmischung vor: „Ich bin immer wieder erstaunt zu sehen, dass Leute, die nationalistisch sind und nicht wollen, dass man ihnen reinredet, immer die Ersten sind, die kommentieren, was bei den anderen passiert“, sagte Macron am Rande seiner Indien-Reise. Es wäre besser, jeder würde sich um seine eigenen Angelegenheiten kümmern, fügte er hinzu. Meloni hatte nach dem Tod des 23-jährigen Quentin Deranque bei einer gewaltsamen Auseinandersetzung von rechts- und linksextremen Aktivisten in Lyon von einem „Klima des ideologischen Hasses“ gesprochen, das sich ihrer Ansicht nach in mehreren Nationen ausbreite. Der Fall sei „eine Wunde für Europa“, schrieb sie auf X.

via welt: „Ich bin immer wieder erstaunt“ – Macron weist Meloni zum Tod eines Rechtsradikalen in die Schranken

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Némésis, the identitarian activists behind feminist masks

Named for the Greek goddess of retribution, the French group specializes in provocative protests and perpetually blames immigrants and Muslims for sexual violence. Since its creation in 2019, members have regularly infiltrated left-wing protests to shout their own slogans. With her face hidden under a cap and dark glasses, Alice Cordier, 27, walked up central Paris’s Rue Turbigo. In her hands, she held a sign reading “Jordan, faut qu’il se Bardella” – a pun on far-right leader Jordan Bardella’s name, saying he should “go away.” But it was a decoy. The sign’s brown paper wrapping hid another slogan beneath it, which she planned to reveal later. She marched toward the violence she herself would provoke. The head of a security service, hired for the occasion, walked beside her. Together, they joined a crowd of thousands of people who had gathered at Paris’s Place de la République to protest against the far right on the night of Thursday, June 27, 2024. The demonstration had been set up by a group of nonprofit organizations, independent media outlets and the CGT trade union. (…) Cordier made her way to the center of the gathered crowd. She was soon joined by nine other young women, all also carrying signs bearing anti-RN slogans, and surrounded by their bodyguards. It was almost 8 pm. Suddenly, the 10 young women ripped off the paper that covered their placards and revealed their actual slogans: A vote for the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire alliance, they accused, was a vote for radical left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, “convicted of rebellion and provocation,” for French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan, “summoned for advocating terrorism,” or for Mélenchon’s lieutenant Adrien Quatennens, “convicted of domestic violence.” The women chanted: “You’re not feminists!” (…) Provocative actions, anti-immigrant rhetoric, media presence and building up a brand: Némésis’s members are highly skilled at political communication. Its activists have been honing their methods over the past five years, and today they enjoy a growing audience, with tens of thousands of subscribers to their social media accounts. The group claims to have 200 activists, but its inner circle numbers just a few dozen people.

via lemonde: Némésis, the identitarian activists behind feminist masks

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BUDAPEST: NAZIS OPENLY MARCH IN SS UNIFORMS, WHILE HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR GETS BANNED, AND ROMANI PRIDE ORGANISER GETS PROSECUTED

On Sunday 14th February, neo-Nazis converged on the Castle district in Budapest to commemorate what is known to the extreme right across Europe as the ‘Day of Honour’. This was the failed breakout attempt by 28,000 Nazi Waffen SS and Wehrmacht units, and their Hungarian allies, as the liberating Soviet army encircled Budapest in early 1945. Most were killed or captured, and Budapest was liberated a couple of days later on 13th February, bringing an end to not just to the 50-day siege of the city, but also a halt to the frenzied and murderous onslaught against the Jews of Budapest by Arrow Cross militias. For the first time in years, there was no antifascist counter-demonstration. The police banned any such gatherings, citing the ‘antifa’ legislation passed last year. As reported by Mérce, one result of the law, was that Holocaust survivor Katalin Sommer was unable to deliver her planned speech at the Shoes on the Danube Bank Memorial. So, this year, while neo-Nazis were permitted to strut around the city in Arrow Cross and SS Uniforms and celebrate Hitler’s perpetrators, the Hungarian authorities denied Holocaust survivors and supporters the opportunity to bear witness and pay tribute to the victims of National Socialism.  What makes all of this especially obscene is the fact that the Városmajor site chosen by the Hungarian Legion to lay their wreaths in memory of ‘the fallen’ is mere yards away from the site of the atrocious massacre of patients and staff from the Jewish hospital in Maros utca. Between the 12th and 19th of January 1945, in the final days of the siege before the Soviets liberated Budapest, this neighbourhood witnessed some of the most barbaric atrocities by Arrow Cross militias. Under the command of the Catholic Franciscan monk, Father András Kuhn, the fascist militia launched raids against three Jewish health care institutions. The Arrow Cross slaughtered more than 300 mainly sick and elderly people while the Red Army was only a few blocks away. The staging of this overtly Nazi event, with a heavy police presence laid on by the authorities to protect the visitors from possible attacks by ‘antifa’, comes just days after the authorities filed criminal charges against Géza Buzás-Hábel, an activist of Romani origin, a teacher and human rights defender, for organising a peaceful LGBTQI+ rights march in Pécs. This case, as Amnesty noted, marks a troubling escalation in the criminalisation of LGBTQI+ expression and peaceful assembly in Hungary. On the same day, 9th February, supporters gathered outside the Pest Central District Court for the preparatory session of the Methodist pastor Gábor Iványi’s criminal trial. Charged with gang violence against a state official, Iványi told the court he would rather “accept a prison sentence than admit guilt” in what he considers a politically-motivated case ahead of Hungary’s parliamentary elections. Iványi, described by the Budapest mayor as “the living conscience of the city and the country,” has worked alongside and advocated for Roma, refugees, the poor and homeless. This trial is looking like a show trial.

via errc: BUDAPEST: NAZIS OPENLY MARCH IN SS UNIFORMS, WHILE HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR GETS BANNED, AND ROMANI PRIDE ORGANISER GETS PROSECUTED

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