fascism is not an opinion - fascism is a crime!

Hat sich die AfD in Sachsen gerade selbst in die Luft gejagt?

Die AfD-Abgeordneten in Sachsen haben nicht ihren eigenen Kandidaten gewählt. Er bekam nur eine Stimme. Parteichef Tino Chrupalla musste tatenlos zusehen. Die Wahl des Ministerpräsidenten in Sachsen geriet für die AfD zur Blamage. Im zweiten Wahlgang stimmte nur ein einziger Abgeordneter für AfD-Fraktionschef Jörg Urban – und das, obwohl die AfD als zweitstärkste Partei über 40 Stimmen im Landtag verfügt. Der Grund dürfte darin liegen, dass die AfD geglaubt haben dürfte, mit einem Trick die Wiederwahl von Michael Kretschmer (CDU) verhindern zu können. So stimmten vermutlich die meisten AfD-Abgeordneten für den für die Freien Wähler angetretenen Gegenkandidaten Matthias Berger, der auf 39 Stimmen der insgesamt 120 Abgeordneten kam. Insgesamt elf Parlamentarier enthielten sich bei der Abstimmung. Die AfD-Leute hatten offenbar gehofft, dass auch noch andere Abgeordnete für Berger stimmen würden – und so ein Sturz von Kretschmer gelingen könnte. Um die anderen zu verwirren, zog die AfD jedoch ihren Kandidaten nicht zurück. Doch der Hütchenspieler-Trick, wie es ein Beobachter formulierte, funktionierte nicht. Nicht zuletzt, weil die AfD offenkundig mit niemandem Absprachen getroffen oder wenigstens informell sondiert hatte, wie sich die anderen verhalten würden. Am Ende steht Jörg Urban als der Verlierer da, als der Mann, den nicht einmal seine eigene Partei gewählt hat. Zugleich bewirkte das AfD-Gebaren das Gegenteil dessen, was die Partei wollte: Kretschmer geht mit 69 Stimmen und damit einer absoluten Mehrheit gestärkt aus der Wahl

via berliner zeitung: Hat sich die AfD in Sachsen gerade selbst in die Luft gejagt?

via GIPHY

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Andrew Tate: Police can seize over $3M in unpaid taxes from Tate brothers

A British court ruled Wednesday that police can seize more than 2.6 million pounds (US$3.3 million) to cover years of unpaid taxes from influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan. The Devon and Cornwall Police force went to court to claim the money, held in seven frozen bank accounts, from the Tates and a woman identified only as J. At Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring ruled that financial transactions by the brothers, including transferring almost $12 million into an account in the name of J, were a “straightforward cheat” of the tax authorities. A lawyer for the force said that the Tates were “serial” tax evaders who failed to pay any tax on 21 million pounds in revenue from their online businesses, including War Room, Hustlers’ University, Cobra Tate and OnlyFans, between 2014 and 2022. 0:33 Police raid Andrew Tate’s home in Romania Andrew Tate, 38, accused the government of “outright theft” for freezing his accounts and seizing “everything they could.” “This is not justice; it’s a coordinated attack on anyone who dares to challenge the system,” Tate said in a statement. “This raises serious questions about the lengths authorities will go to silence dissent.”

via globalnews: Andrew Tate: Police can seize over $3M in unpaid taxes from Tate brothers

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Nazi Symbol Prominently Displayed At Esports Tournament

A notorious Nazi symbol recently made waves in the esports (electronic sports) community when a team used it as their logo in a tournament. AnimeVesta, a team based in Mongolia, used the Sturmabteilung (SA) logo to represent them, a symbol also used by Hitler’s Brownshirts, a paramilitary wing of the Nazi party, prior to his ascendance to power in Germany. The symbol is still used by many neo-Nazis in lieu of a swastika to signal their ideology. The tournament, called the MESA Invitational 2024, was held from December 10-15, 2024, with a prize pool of $100,000. Tournament participants were playing Dota 2, a 5 vs. 5 format online multiplayer game developed by Valve Corporation, which also developed the video game storefront Steam (where Dota 2 is hosted), which regularly platforms extremist content.  Reddit users were quick to recognize and ridicule the symbol’s use, questioning whether tournament organizers “check new/unknown teams for this kind of stuff,” calling it a “nasty phenomenon.” The social media posts created a backlash against MESA, leading to AnimeVesta removing their logo. However, this enforcement came too late, as the symbol had already reached thousands watching gameplay, including archives of the tournament on YouTube. The video-hosting platform has historically allowed videos with hateful content and imagery to proliferate transnationally and in different languages, including several instances of extremist content related to gaming. Previous investigations by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) revealed extremist groups such as the Patriot Youth, which identifies closely with the white nationalist Patriot Front movement, sharing hateful content in the online multiplayer video game Roblox, Austrian Identitarian game studio Kvltgames, and content showcasing far-right conspiracist Alex Jones’ hateful video game NWO Wars all platformed, and in some cases, monetized, by YouTube.

via globalextremism: Nazi Symbol Prominently Displayed At Esports Tournament

A Nazi symbol used by a Dota 2 team in a tournament has reignited concerns about gaming as a platform for extremism. With esports' rapid growth, stronger measures are needed to prevent hate from infiltrating these spaces.Read more:globalextremism.org/post/nazi-sy…

— Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (@globalextremism.bsky.social) 2024-12-18T19:20:55.910Z
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California sheriff defends his past membership in the extremist Oath Keepers militia

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, right, with Riverside City Police Chief Sergio G. Diaz and a California Highway Patrol officer, in a photograph taken in 2019. Terry Pierson/MediaNews Group via Getty Images The sheriff of California’s Riverside County, outside Los Angeles, has acknowledged that he once briefly belonged to the extremist Oath Keepers militia in 2014 after emails from the group were leaked online. In an interview, Sheriff Chad Bianco sought to downplay his past affiliation with the organization, while also insisting that the aims of the Oath Keepers — which has emerged as one of the largest groups in the far-right patriot militia movement — have been misunderstood. In August, 17 Oath Keepers members were indicted in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

via npr: California sheriff defends his past membership in the extremist Oath Keepers militia

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What to know about the 15-year-old suspected school shooter in #Wisconsin – #terror

Natalie Rupnow’s social media featured mass shooter content, authorities said. A 15-year-old student accused in Monday’s deadly shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin appears to have shown interest in online content venerating neo-Nazi violence and school shooters, according to information provided to law enforcement. Natalie Rupnow, who went by Samantha, killed a teacher and another student, according to officials. She also injured six others, leaving two in critical condition. She was dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound when police arrived on the scene at about 11 a.m. on Monday. Rupnow had attended the school along with some 390 students in grades Kindergarten through 12, police said. Apparent interest in neo-Nazism, mass shootings on social media, authorities said In the aftermath of the shooting, police are beginning to piece together what may have led the 15-year-old to carry out the brazen attack. Several online accounts associated with Rupnow, including Tumblr and X accounts, are being examined by police, ABC News has learned. Several mentions of shooters and violence can be seen on these accounts. The portrait that is beginning to emerge from these social media accounts of a young person showing interest in neo-Nazi ideology and neo-Nazi violence, as well as demonstrating interest and engagement in online forums venerating mass shooters, according to information provided to law enforcement. Authorities will now review Rupnow’s online footprint in an effort to glean what ideology or blend of ideologies may have motivated her to open fire, officials said. (…) Other posts relating to school shootings include mentions of the Columbine High School shooting and the 2007 school shooting in Jokela, Finland. In November 2023, a GIF of a gun was posted on the Tumblr account, with text reading, “Happy birthday to me!!!” In a post on X, the account believed to be used by Rupnow shared a video from the 2015 school stabbing in Trollhattan, Sweden, where the suspect killed a teacher, seemingly targeting people with immigrant backgrounds, according to The New York Times’ reporting at the time. Another post, dated from Dec. 13, is a video of a person taking their own life at a shooting range. The most recent two posts to the X account were both shared on the day of the shooting at 11:45 a.m. ET and 11:50 a.m. ET, respectively. The first one was a picture of a person holding up three fingers, resembling the “OK sign” which is also known to be used as a “white power” sign. The intention of the image was not clear. According to the Anti-Defamation League, the “OK” hand symbol is a gesture displayed by shooters in the past. The second post on X allegedly shared by Rupnow was a Google Drive link with no explanation. ABC News has not been able to verify the contents of the link, but it was shared as a reply on the first post five minutes after the picture was posted.

via abc: What to know about the 15-year-old suspected school shooter in Wisconsin

siehe auch: Madison school shooter pictured with shotgun at firing range just months before her deadly rampage. The father of school shooter Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow, who killed two people and wounded six others at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, encouraged the 15-year-old to practice her weapons-handling skills in the months leading up to Monday’s bloodshed, according to a review of his online activity. In August, Jeff Rupnow – who was unable to be reached on Tuesday – posted a photograph on Facebook of what appears to be his shotgun-wielding daughter shooting clay pigeons at a local gun club. “Is that kiddo?” a friend commented. “Sure is!!!!” Rupnow replied. “We joined NBSC this spring and we have been loving all [sic] every second of it!” The North Bristol Sportsman’s Club, or NBSC, is located in Sun Prairie, a suburb of 35,000 roughly 20 miles northeast of Madison. Individual memberships cost $75 yearly, and family memberships go for $90, plus an annual rifle/pistol range premium of $25. The NBSC youth program welcomes kids as young as 9, according to the club’s website.

Abundant Life Christian School - panoramio (cropped).jpg
By Corey Coyle, CC BY 3.0, Link

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Recherche deckt Vergewaltigungsnetzwerk auf Telegram auf

In einer Online-Doku wird systematische sexuelle Gewalt an bewusstlosen Frauen belegt. Die Behörden wirken hilflos. In dutzenden Telegram-Gruppen tauschen sich Nutzer offen darüber aus, wie sie Frauen betäuben und sexuell missbrauchen können. Ein investigatives Rechercheteam hat über ein Jahr hinweg systematisch diese digitalen Kommunikationskanäle beobachtet und dokumentiert. Die Chatverläufe enthüllen ein erschreckendes Muster: In Chatgruppen werden sexuelle Übergriffe geplant und koordiniert. Es werden Anleitungen veröffentlicht, wie man die Opfer betäuben kann. Im Anschluss werden Fotos und Videos der Vergewaltigungen gepostet. Die Täter geben häufig an, dass ihre Opfer aus ihrem näheren Umfeld stammen – Ehefrauen, Partnerinnen oder Familienmitglieder. Manche behaupten, dass ihre Partnerin damit einverstanden sei. Wieder andere schreiben stolz, dass sie nichts wisse. (…) Das Rechercheteam hat Behörden in den USA, Kanada und Deutschland auf die Fälle aufmerksam gemacht und konnte in einem Fall sogar den Täter identifizieren. Die Reaktion der deutschen Behörden fällt sinnbildlich aus: “Erkenntnisse zu den von Ihnen genannten Telegram-Gruppen bzw. sexuellen Übergriffen liegen hier weiterhin nicht vor”, hieß es vom deutschen Bundeskriminalamt, nachdem die Journalistinnen und Journalisten Einladungen in diverse Vergewaltigungsgruppen an die Behörden übermittelt haben. Auch die Antworten aus den USA und Kanada klangen ähnlich. Auch Telegram selbst hat sich in einer der seltenen Stellungnahmen dazu geäußert: Man verfolge eine Null-Toleranz-Politik gegenüber Missbrauch und werde Nutzer, die dabei erwischt werden, sofort sperren.

via standard: Recherche deckt Vergewaltigungsnetzwerk auf Telegram auf

siehe auch: K.o.-Mittel im privaten Umfeld Vergewaltiger-Netzwerk auf Telegram aufgedeckt. In Dutzenden Telegram-Gruppen tauschen sich Nutzer dazu aus, wie sie Frauen betäuben und missbrauchen können. Aufnahmen davon werden anschließend geteilt. STRG_F hat entsprechende Chatverläufe, Fotos und Videos dokumentiert. Über ein Jahr lang hat ein Rechercheteam von STRG_F Dutzende Chatgruppen auf dem Messenger-Dienstes Telegram beobachtet, Chatverläufe, Fotos und Videos aus Gruppen mit Hunderten bis zu teils Zehntausenden Mitgliedern dokumentiert, unter ihnen auch deutsche Nutzer.In diesen Chats tauschen Nutzer Anleitungen aus, wie man Menschen für sexuelle Übergriffe bis hin zu Vergewaltigungen unbemerkt betäuben kann. Sie stacheln sich gegenseitig an und bieten ihre Partnerinnen anderen Nutzern zur Vergewaltigung an. Vergewaltigungen werden angekündigt und entsprechende Aufnahmen geteilt.

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Syrian mass graves show the worst abuses ‘since the Nazis,’ top prosecutor says

“We are talking about a system of state terror,” Stephen Rapp, former U.S. war crimes ambassador at large, said of how people lived in Syria under the Assad regime. Video shows reported mass grave site near Damascus. Mass graves uncovered in Syria in the days since President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown are exposing evidence of some of the worst abuses since the Nazis, a top international war crimes prosecutor said. More than 100,000 people were tortured and killed in the state-run “machinery of death,” Stephen Rapp, former U.S. war crimes ambassador at large, told Reuters on Tuesday after visiting two mass grave sites in the towns of Qutayfah and Najha near Damascus. “I don’t have much doubt about those kinds of numbers given what we’ve seen in these mass graves,” said Rapp, who led prosecutions at both the Rwanda and Sierra Leone war crimes tribunals and is now working to help document evidence of war crimes in Syria. Rapp, who also spoke to BBC News, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Images have emerged showing Syrian Civil Defense crews, known as the White Helmets, recovering the remains of those buried in some of the country’s mass graves, with some photos showing piles of bones and skulls in body bags. Past satellite imagery has also indicated large burial sites.

via nbc: Syrian mass graves show the worst abuses ‘since the Nazis,’ top prosecutor says

siehe auch: Ermittler über Massengräber in Syrien: „So etwas haben wir seit den Nazis nicht mehr gesehen“ Nach dem Sturz von Baschar al-Assad tauchen Berichte über Massengräber in Syrien auf. Sie könnten Antworten auf die während des Bürgerkriegs verschwundenen Menschen liefern. Zum ersten Mal seit dem Sturz von Baschar al-Assad haben internationale Ermittler Orte in Syrien aufgesucht, an denen sich mutmaßliche Massengräber befinden. In nur einem von ihnen, in Nadschha, südöstlich der Hauptstadt Damaskus, könnten nach Schätzungen des ehemaligen US-Sonderbotschafters für Kriegsverbrechen, Stephen Rapp, Zehntausende von Leichen verscharrt worden sein. Rapp sprach von einer „Maschinerie des Todes“ während Assads Herrschaft. Er habe keinen Zweifel daran, dass die Zahlen extrem hoch sein werden, fügte er hinzu. „So etwas haben wir seit den Nazis nicht mehr gesehen“, so Rapp gegenüber Reuters. (…) Nach Angaben der Internationalen Kommission für vermisste Personen (ICMP) mit Sitz in Den Haag werden bis zu 150.000 Menschen in Syrien vermisst, von denen die meisten während der Herrschaft von Baschar al-Assad verschwanden

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