fascism is not an opinion - fascism is a crime!

Enemies of the state – How being branded a ‘foreign agent’ affects those who stay in Russia

Russia’s notorious “foreign agent” law, which for years has been used by the Kremlin to intimidate would-be dissenters into silence, has left many of those it has targeted as virtual outcasts from society; unable to get a job, afraid of sullying the reputations of their friends, and with exile often appearing to be the sole solution. First introduced in 2012, just months after Vladimir Putin began his third presidential term following a wave of mass anti-government protests, the foreign agents law initially targeted organisations that received funding from outside the country, but has been expanded several times over the years and can now be applied to media outlets and private citizens, even in cases when there’s no evidence of overseas funding. “Foreign agents” cannot stand as candidates in federal, regional or local elections, cannot teach in schools or state-funded universities, or receive royalty payments or income from renting and selling property. Indeed, a 2022 amendment to the law expanded the criteria of what constituted a “foreign agent” to anybody who voiced criticism of the Kremlin’s policies. Since then there have been scores of new additions to the foreign agent register, which is updated by the Justice Ministry each week and now has over 900 names on it. While the list unsurprisingly includes a number of high-profile Kremlin critics such as former Novaya Gazeta editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov and Oleg Orlov, the chairman of Russian human rights group Memorial, hundreds of lesser-known journalists and activists have found their names added to the list in recent years as the Kremlin’s determination to silence any dissenting voice, however small, has grown stronger. Although many of those labelled “foreign agents” have left the country to live in exile, others continue to live in Russia albeit with their rights severely curtailed — for example, “foreign agents” cannot stand as candidates in federal, regional or local elections, cannot teach in schools or state-funded universities, or receive royalty payments or income from renting and selling property.

via Novaya Gazeta: Enemies of the state How being branded a ‘foreign agent’ affects those who stay in Russia

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Russia mulls creation of databases to track LGBT people and sex workers

Since early last year, Russia’s Interior Ministry has been considering the creation of databases to track both members of the LGBT community and sex workers in Russia, but has been hindered by the drain on resources caused by its staff leaving to fight in Ukraine, an investigation by Russian independent news outlet Meduza revealed on Monday. Citing anonymous sources both within the Interior Ministry and close to it, Meduza said that discussions had been taking place since spring 2024 on creating a “large-scale” system to track members of what Russia calls the “international LGBT movement”, which the country’s Supreme Court banned as an “extremist organisation” in 2023. The claims were corroborated by Dmitry Chukreyev, a member of the Civic Chamber of Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth largest city, who told Meduza that police had been keeping informal lists of LGBT individuals since the Supreme Court ruling was announced. In 2024, police conducted at least 42 raids on queer-friendly venues across Russia, with patrons often forced to lie on the floor for hours while their documents were checked, an investigation by independent news outlet Current Time and human rights organisation Sphere found. According to human rights activists interviewed by Meduza, such raids are aimed at exposing queer individuals who hold posts in government structures, with the organiser of one queer-friendly event in the Urals region revealing that police who raided the venue hoped to “catch deputies and other significant individuals” at the event.

via Novaya Gazeta: Russia mulls creation of databases to track LGBT people and sex workers

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KI-BILDER – Lauterbach in Handschellen und Habeck als Müllsammler – AfD-Video sorgt für Kritik

In einem KI-generierten Wahlkampfvideo der Brandenburger AfD werden Politiker als Straftäter und Migranten als gefährliche Verbrecher präsentiert. Es ist nicht das erste Mal, dass die Partei mit einem solchen Video provoziert. Anzeige Dunkelhäutige Männer, die in finsteren Gassen jungen Frauen auflauern oder Ausländer, die mit Drogen handeln: Die AfD Brandenburg hat mit einem neuen KI-Wahlkampfvideo für Kritik gesorgt. Das auf dem X-Kanal des Landesverbands veröffentlichte Video zeichnet ein dystopisches Bild von Deutschland. Verspätete Züge, prekäre Arbeitsbedingungen, finanzielle Unsicherheit – zu jedem Aspekt generierte die Partei eine dramatische Szene. Das Video zeigt etwa dunkelhäutige Männer und bringt sie mit „Übergriffen“ an Bahnhöfen und Drogenhandel auf den Straßen in Verbindung. Weiter sieht man ebendiese Männer, die junge, hellhäutige Frauen verfolgen und ihnen nachts auflauern. Weiter knöpft sich die Partei konkrete Personen vor, die sie für die Missstände im Land verantwortlich macht. Die Rede ist von Politikern, die einen „beruflichen Neuanfang“ machen müssten, da sie das Land in den Ruin geführt hätten. Eingeblendet sieht man Bilder von Karl Lauterbach, der in einem Gerichtsgebäude sitzt und schließlich in Handschellen abgeführt wird. In der nächsten Szene wartet Robert Habeck bei der Agentur für Arbeit und sammelt später Müll in einem Park ein.

via welt: KI-BILDER Lauterbach in Handschellen und Habeck als Müllsammler – AfD-Video sorgt für Kritik

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14 Jewish Groups Leave X as Elon Musk Doubles Down on Nazi Rhetoric

Musk has ramped up the far-right extremism even more since Trump won. Fourteen U.S. Jewish groups announced they were leaving the social media platform X on Monday. A statement from the groups cited the rise of antisemitism on the social media platform since Elon Musk purchased the site in late 2022, as well as the “coarsening of discourse that is so pervasive on X,” but didn’t specifically call out Musk’s recent Nazi-style salutes. The 14 groups released a joint letter explaining their decision to leave X, signed by leaders at the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, among others. “As Jewish groups committed to healing what is broken in our world, we aim to do our work through means that similarly foster repair,” the statement read. “In study after study, as well as our lived experiences, X has become a platform that promotes hate, antisemitism, and societal division. Under the leadership of Elon Musk, X has reduced content moderation, promoted white supremacists, and re-platformed purveyors of conspiracy theories.” The statement also called out the billionaire owner directly, noting that, “Musk himself has re-posted content that is antisemitic and xenophobic, promoting it to his millions of followers.”

via gizmodo: 14 Jewish Groups Leave X as Elon Musk Doubles Down on Nazi Rhetoric

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Fears for ‘security of Jews worldwide’ in wake of Elon Musk AfD speech

Top US Jewish advocate Halie Soifer calls Trump adviser’s address to far-right Germany rally ‘incredibly dangerous’ Elon Musk’s remarks to a German far-right party that Germans should not focus on their country’s Nazi past should prompt “deep concern” about “the security of American Jews” and “of Jews worldwide”, a leading US Jewish advocate has told the Guardian. “Speaking as a deeply concerned American Jew,” said Halie Soifer, chief executive of the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), “I am deeply concerned about the security of American Jews, of Jews worldwide, given our president’s clear alignment with dangerous rightwing extremists.” Musk, the owner of Tesla, SpaceX and X and the world’s richest person, donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Donald Trump’s campaign and is now a close adviser with an office in the White House complex. In a video address to the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party on Friday, Musk said it was “good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything”; said “children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great-grandparents”; and said there was “too much focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that”. He also gave two fascist-style salutes last week, during a speech at Trump’s inauguration. Soifer’s response comes after world leaders marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz, in Poland. (…) Soifer said it was imperative opponents of Trump and Musk continue to condemn extremist behavior and language, because “words and signaling have dangerous consequences and Trump and his allies, including Elon Musk, are giving a green light to extremists. “It’s important that that American voters, especially those who may have supported Donald Trump, open their eyes and see what’s right in front of them. He said he would be a dictator on day one, and for once he is making good on his promise.” On Monday evening, Soifer noted that Trump had then not issued a statement marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, a step he took each year in his first term, though in 2017 he caused controversy when his statement did not mention Jewish people. “Donald Trump is taking Elon’s advice to ‘move beyond’ the Holocaust,” Soifer said in a post on social media. “It’s (the end of) Holocaust Remembrance Day and Trump hasn’t said a word about it. But he did pardon the ‘Camp Auschwitz’ insurrectionist just in time for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.” That was a reference to Robert Keith Packer, now 59, who was sentenced to 75 days in prison for his part in the Capitol attack, during which he was photographed wearing a hoodie with “Camp Auschwitz” printed on the front.

via guardian: Fears for ‘security of Jews worldwide’ in wake of Elon Musk AfD speech

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Partei von Georg Maaßen Ex-AfD-Politiker Spaniel tritt WerteUnion bei – #resterampe

In der AfD galt der Bundestagsabgeordnete Spaniel als einer der schärfsten Kritiker von Parteichefin Weidel. Im Herbst trat er aus – und hat sich nun der konservativen WerteUnion angeschlossen.Der ehemalige AfD-Politiker und Bundestagsabgeordnete Dirk Spaniel hat eine neue politische Heimat gefunden: Er ist seit Dienstag Mitglied der konservativen WerteUnion. Sie sei die einzige Kraft, der er es mittelfristig zutraue, seriöse und ehrliche Politik in Deutschland umzusetzen, begründete er seine Entscheidung in einer Mitteilung der Partei.Bis Oktober hatte Spaniel noch die AfD im Bundestag vertreten – und galt als einer der schärfsten Kritiker von Parteichefin Alice Weidel. “In der AfD musste ich erleben, wie freie Meinungsbildung und demokratische Prozesse bereits innerparteilich unterlaufen und durch bedingungslose persönliche Loyalität zu Parteiführern ersetzt werden”, sagte er laut WerteUnion-Mitteilung.

via tagesschau: Partei von Georg Maaßen Ex-AfD-Politiker Spaniel tritt WerteUnion bei

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Bundestagswahl 2025 – URL-Trick aufgeflogen: AfD unter Druck

Eine irreführende Internet-Adresse leitet Hamburger Briefwähler automatisch auf die Seite der AfD um. Der Landeswahlleiter spricht von einem fragwürdigen Vorgehen. Ein fragwürdiger Domain-Trick sorgt im Vorfeld der Hamburger Bürgerschaftswahl für Aufsehen: Wie mehrere Medien übereinstimmend berichten, werden Bürger, die sich bei der Eingabe der offiziellen Briefwahl-Adresse leicht vertippen, automatisch auf die Webseite der AfD Hamburg umgeleitet. Konkret geht es um die Adresse “briefwahl-hamburg.de”, die der korrekten Behörden-URL “briefwahl.hamburg.de” täuschend ähnlich ist. Wer den Bindestrich statt des Punktes verwendet, landet statt beim offiziellen Briefwahl-Portal auf der Seite der AfD Hamburg. Dort werden Besucher zum Mitmachen, Spenden oder dem Besuch von Veranstaltungen aufgefordert. In der Nacht zum Mittwoch war die Domain mit dem Bindestrich dann plötzlich nicht mehr erreichbar. (…) Die Methode des sogenannten “Typosquattings” – das Ausnutzen häufiger Tippfehler bei der Eingabe von Internet-Adressen – ist nicht neu. Das Oberlandesgericht Köln hat in einem Urteil festgestellt, dass eine solche Praxis eine “gezielte Behinderung des Inhabers der betreffenden Domain” darstellt.

via t-online: Bundestagswahl 2025 URL-Trick aufgeflogen: AfD unter Druck

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