Student-teacher strikes across France are met with even more heavy-handed policing

Already beleaguered by pension reform protests and the Yellow Vest movement, France is now grappling with yet more protests, this time by students and teachers fighting new reforms to the country’s baccalaureate high school exams.

In a rare display of solidarity between erstwhile enemies since time immemorial, students and teachers alike blocked-off schools and engaged in brief clashes with police as they resisted the introduction of continuous assessment (E3C (Common Continuous Control Tests)).

The Minister of Education Jean Michel Blanquer announced last week that he wanted to simplify the ‘Bac’ and, ever since then, blockades have taken place in front of exam centers across the country. Many offerings of the test have been forcibly cancelled due to a lack of sitting candidates.

Eyewitness photos and video shared online shows similar scenes across France as improvised blockades made of chairs, desks, bins and other materials appeared in front of schools and test centers.

In what is now a common sight in Macron’s France, heavy-handed police have been involved in clashes with the protesting students between the ages of 15 and 17, and multiple arrests have been made in what many have decried as intimidatory tactics by authorities.

"To intimidate high school students and ensure that these tests take place at all costs, there has been a recent explosion in the number of young people placed in police custody," a family Lawyer told French media.

The E3C, Common Continuous Control Tests, are spread across three sessions throughout the academic year; however, they take place at different times depending on the region and under different conditions. The protesters argue that this fails to guarantee equality of opportunity for students.

https://www.rt.com/news/480568-schools-blocked-throughout-france-protests/

Bernie Sanders backtracks on pledge to release medical records: 'We have released a substantive part'

'I mean, you can start releasing medical records and it never ends'

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) once said that he was going to release his medical records before the Democratic primaries started, but that was before he had a heart attack a few months ago. Now he's backtracking on that pledge.

While appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, host Chuck Todd brought up the pledge and how his heart attack a few months ago has affected his follow through.

"In September of 2019, before your heart incident, you had said the following about your medical records," Todd stated before playing a tape of Sanders pledging to release them.

"The American people have the right know whether the person they're going to be voting for for president is healthy, and we will certainly release our medical records before the primaries," Sanders said on the tape. "It will certainly be before the first votes are cast."

After the clip played, Todd asked Sanders, "The first votes have already been cast, you did not release your medical records. You released a few letters. Nobody interviewed your doctors. You did have a heart attack, apparently. Shouldn't voters see your medical records before Super Tuesday?"

Sanders responded that his campaign had "released as much documentation, I think, as any other candidate."

To that, Todd countered that "no other candidate has had a heart attack."

After the two went back and forth about Sanders' activities on the campaign trail, Todd pointed out that some voters have been concerned about the 78-year-old candidate's age.

"I mean, you can start releasing medical records and it never ends," Sanders replied. "We have released a substantive part, all of our background. We have doctors who have, cardiologists who are confirming that I am in good health. I am in good health."

Sanders was already fielding concerns about his age before he had the heart attack in October, after which his campaign was accused of an "inexcusable three days of silence" for staying keeping people in the dark on what had happened. As he was recovering, the candidate said that he would "change the nature of the campaign a bit," adding that he planned to cut down on rally attendance. In December, he released letters from three doctors, saying that he was fit to serve in office.

When Todd asked what changes he's made since the medical episode, Sanders answered that he's trying to trying to walk a little bit more, but "the schedule doesn't allow me" and "I'm trying to sleep a little bit better, sometimes that's hard. But I'm feeling great."

Now, as his polling numbers in the 2020 Democratic field have started to move him toward the head of the pack, it remains to be seen whether or not his primary opponents will use the backtrack to stymie the senator's momentum.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/bernie-sanders-backtracks-on-pledge-to-release-medical-records

DOJ Gave $500,000 Grant To ‘Hookers for Jesus’ For Alleged Anti-Human Trafficking Efforts, Whistleblowers Reveal

A whistleblower complaint revealed that the Department of Justice has given over $500,000 in anti-human trafficking grants to the organization “Hookers for Jesus” instead of the recommended charities.

A DOJ memo from September, obtained by Reuters, shows that two long-established nonprofits — Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Palm Beach and Chicano Por La Causa of Phoenix — were well-rated by outside contractors and were originally on the anti-human trafficking grant program list as recommended grant winners.

However, the grant money was distributed between two organizations that contractors had given lower ratings, Hookers for Jesus and the Lincoln Tubman Foundation. Hookers for Jesus was given $530,190 and Lincoln Tubman Foundation was given $549,355, in grant money over three years.

Another memo obtained by Reuters says that the funding decision was made in order to “distribute funding across as many states as possible.” In December, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees local 2830 filed a complaint asking the inspector general to investigate whether there were politics involved in deciding the two grant winners.

The Lincoln Tubman Foundation was founded by the daughter of a prominent local Republican who supported President Donald Trump as a delegate at the 2016 convention and is close to South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott. Chicanos Por La Causa has opposed the Trump Administration’s immigration policies, and the head of the Catholic Charities in Palm Beach has participated in past Democratic National Committees.

Hookers for Jesus is controversial for its strict rules in their safe house. Founded by former sex worker and sex trafficking victim Annie Lobert in 2007, the organization operates Destiny House, a one-year safehouse program for sex-trafficking victims and women trying to leave sex work.

The rules in the safehouse include banning “secular magazines with articles, pictures, etc. that portray worldly views/advice on living, sex, clothing, makeup tips,” and mandatory attendance of the organization’s Christian religious services, although Lobert denies that residents are forced to attend.

Hookers for Jesus also, according to reviewers, has little experience with males, minors, or foreign victims of human trafficking. The Lincoln Tubman Foundation, founded in 2018 by Brooke Burris, has “little to no experience” according to reviewers.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/02/11/doj-grant-hookers-for-jesus-human-trafficking-whistleblowers/

Police Scotland at odds with England & Wales forces, as they suspend controversial facial recognition software

The rollout of controversial facial recognition software is to be put on hold by Police Scotland following a report by MSPs that claimed it was “unfit” for use, as England and Wales police continue to operate the technology.

A justice sub-committee of lawmakers in the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood published the report on Tuesday, concluding that there would be “no justifiable basis” for Police Scotland to invest in the software due to privacy and human rights concerns.

The police force had previously stated that they would like to use the technology from 2026, but have now put those plans on hold to take part in a wider debate about the implications of the software.

The report shockingly certified that the live facial recognition technology – which cross-references CCTV images with police databases – was “known to discriminate against females and those from black, Asian and ethnic minority communities.” It critically added that its use “would be a radical departure from… [the] fundamental principle of policing by consent.”

Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Duncan Sloan said that they would now conduct a public consultation on the live software and keep a “watching brief on the trialing of the technology in England and Wales.”

While Scotland has – albeit momentarily – decided that the software is “unfit” for use by its police force, England and Wales have ostensibly deemed it workable.

In January, London Metropolitan Police announced that they would be deploying facial recognition cameras for the first time on the streets of the capital within the next month. It comes after recent pilots of the new surveillance technology in London and South Wales.

Its deployment has provoked criticism from privacy groups such as Big Brother Watch, which have warned that the new development in technology represents “an enormous expansion of the surveillance state and a serious threat to civil liberties in the UK.”

https://www.rt.com/uk/480569-police-scotland-facial-recognition/

Boris Gives Green Light to £100+ Billion HS2 Railway in Tax Money Spending Spree

The United Kingdom will press ahead with a costly high-speed railway, Boris Johnson confirmed on Tuesday, despite its cost continuing to spiral apparently beyond control, serious doubts about the value of the project, and already massive government debt.

Speaking in a statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson noted he had taken the “difficult and controversial” decision to press ahead with the project to build another railway heading north from London, a move proponents say will shave time off the journey to a host of English and Scottish cities while growing overall capacity on the network.

The longstanding 140-mile project — which has already cost the taxpayer nearly £8 billion despite zero miles and chains of track having been laid to date — had attracted enormous controversy, not least from those communities slated to be bulldozed to make way for the lines.

One of the key objections to the project has been the way its cost has soared, and continues to rise. Projected at £32 billion in 2011 when the build was first launched by the Cameron-Osborne government, it has since more than trebled to at least £106 billion, and there is no indication that as things presently stand, it won’t continue to rise.

Even at the original build cost, critics questioned whether the pay-off would be worth the huge investment. While the government has promoted the project as a way to spread prosperity out of London into the rest of the country, reviews of the project have claimed the main beneficiaries would actually be those already in London, not the other way around. These critics and others say the money would be better used to improve local transport and smaller railways in the north, rather than in a country-spanning vanity project.

In the meanwhile, giveaways to coax the paying public into backing the project — like rebuilding the much mourned Euston Arch as part of the central London terminus for the new line — have been quietly dropped.

Mr Johnson attempted to answer this Tuesday when he joined critics of the way the project has been managed so far, vowing to reign in costs. The Prime Minister said:

When it comes to advocating HS2, it must be said that the task is not made easier by HS2 Ltd, the company concerned. Speaking as a member of parliament whose constituency is on the route, I cannot say HS2 Ltd has distinguished itself in the handling of local communities.

As everybody knows, the forecasted costs have exploded. But poor management to date has not detracted — in my view — from the fundamental value of the project.

Singing the praises of the railway, Mr Johnson countered that building a whole new line would bring a “vast increase” in overall capacity and faster travel times. He claimed: “Passengers arriving at Birmingham airport will be able to get to central London by train in 38 minutes. Which compares favourably… with the time it takes to get to Heathrow [London’s main airport] by taxi… and considerably faster than by [the London Underground].”

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/02/11/boris-gives-green-light-100-billion-hs2-railway-tax-money-spending-spree/

Migrant Apprehensions at Border Drop 11 Percent in January amid 8-Month Decline

The apprehension of migrants illegally crossing the border between ports of entry fell in January by more than 11 percent as an eight-month decline continues. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials believed in early January that the numbers would increase.

Border Patrol agents apprehended approximately 29,200 migrants who illegally crossed the border between ports of entry in January. This is down 11 percent from December 2019 when agents apprehended 32,858 migrants, a senior CBP official told reporters during a briefing on Monday. From the peak in May 2019 when agents apprehended 132,856 migrants, the number of apprehensions fell by nearly 80 percent.

The current apprehension rate runs at just under 950 per day. This compares to the daily apprehension rate of 4,286 per day in May 2019, according to CBP statistics.

The success of policies put in place by the Trump Administration last summer, Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras provided a regional solution to the problem of mass migration through Mexico to the U.S. border, the official stated.

During a just-ended trip to these countries, Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan met with a wide array of government and law enforcement leaders on topics relating to border security, human trafficking, asylum agreements, reducing illegal migration, and trade opportunities.

“The long-term economic prosperity of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras is vital to addressing the flow of illegal migration to the United States,” Morgan said in a written statement. “We are actively engaged in these partnerships between nations and they are absolutely essential to strengthen our efforts in the U.S. to control our borders and uphold the rule of law. We must also continue to discourage migrants from these nations from risking the lives of their family by making the dangerous and potentially deadly journey north to the United States.”

During the Monday briefing, the CBP official stated these new policies empowered the countries of Mexico and the Central American Northern Triangle to address the mass migration in an effective regional solution.

These new policies forced transnational criminal organizations engaging in human smuggling to shift their tactics and operations.

CBP officials reported a record high of more than 20,000 Brazilian nationals made their way across the U.S. southwestern border during Fiscal Year 2019 (which ended on September 30, 2019). “This trend is continuing in FY20,” the senior CBP official stated. The number of Mexican nationals apprehended at the border is also increasing.

CBP says it is now applying a legal consequence to 95 percent of those who illegally cross the border — “all but ending the catch and release” policies of the past. Those consequences include removal to Mexico and Guatemala under the Migrant Protection Program, prosecution for illegal entry into the U.S., increased prosecution for those who re-enter after being removed, the return of Mexican migrants deep into the Mexican interior instead of just across the border, and other consequences.

As to the reports of migrant caravans forming in Honduras, the CBP official responded, “Do not put yourself or your family at risk by embarking on this dangerous journey.”

“We are encouraged by the January apprehension numbers,” the CBP official concluded. “Our efforts have been undeniably successful.”

The official release of the January apprehension numbers in the Southwest Border Migration Report is slated for 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning. That report will include a breakdown of family units, unaccompanied minors, and single adult migrants. It will also include details about apprehensions by sector and countries of origin of the apprehended migrants.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2020/02/11/migrant-apprehensions-at-border-drop-11-percent-in-january-amid-8-month-decline/

South Dakota Republicans Shoot Down Bill Opposing Child Sex Changes, Cross-Sex Hormone Injections

The government has no role in protecting children from surgeries that permanently mutilate their genitals or injections of cross-sex hormones that can cause irreversible damage, at least according to a group of top South Dakota Republicans.

From Sioux Falls Argus Leader, "South Dakota transgender bill defeated by Senate committee after emotional testimony":

A Senate committee on Monday rejected a bill that would have prohibited medical professionals from providing hormone treatments and gender confirmation surgeries to transgender youths.

The decision by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee followed emotional testimony from both advocates and opponents of the bill. About 20 opponents who rallied against the proposed legislation prior to the hearing helped pack the hearing room where the crowd filled the floor space and spilled out into the hallway.

The vote was 5-2.

Sen. Wayne Steinhauer, R-Hartford, made the motion to defeat the bill. He called it a "gut wrenching" issue, but one that should be left with families and not the Legislature.

"I believe the building block of society is the family," Steinhauer said.

Yet he will do nothing to protect families from this madness.

Next, are these senators going to repeal the laws banning kids from smoking and using drugs?

It's not the role of government to decide what "families" do in the privacy of their own homes, right?

But Sen. Lance Russell, R-Hot Springs, argued the bill allowed families to bring an action if a young person was damaged from transgender treatment.

"I don't see this as paternalistic on the part of the government," Russell said.

Sen. Deb Soholt, R-Sioux Falls and the committee chairwoman, opposed the measure, but she said both sides shared a common thread of caring for children.

http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=61185

Irish election result is a victory for Nationalism

Once upon a time Gerry Adams, the leader of Ireland’s nationalist party, Sinn Fein, could not be heard speaking on the BBC. He was branded a terrorist and his voice was dubbed. How times have changed. Now his party, led by Mary Lou McDonald, has stormed to victory in the Irish elections. Having won the largest percentage of the vote at 24%, Sinn Fein has ended the decades long domination of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail in what was effectively a two-party political system.

McDonald now seeks to form a government with other left-wing Irish parties and although she doesn’t expect to form a coalition with Fine Gael or Fianna Fail, she would still participate in talks with representatives of the parties: “I also have consistently said that I will talk to and listen to everybody, I think that is what grown-ups do and that is what democracy demands.”

Fianna Fail’s leader, Michael Martin, said however that there were ‘significant incompatibilities’ to working with Sinn Fein. His party, along with Fine Gael have cited Sinn Fein’s previous links to the Irish Republican Army (IRA) – the paramilitary group – as a reason for not working with them. However Mary Lou McDonald has said it is “not sustainable” for either party leader to rule out talks with Sinn Fein. Given the sizeable chunk of the Irish population that voted for her party, you can see she has a fair point.

The Taioseach, Leo Varadkar, has now been forced to admit that Ireland has a three-party system. It may be a marginal win, and one which will force Sinn Fein into a coalition, but it is nevertheless a highly significant turn of events. Although the party won due to its left-wing domestic agenda and promises to combat poverty and rising homelessness, it cannot be ignored that this win is part of a broader, Europe-wide trend. Nationalism is on the rise across Europe, call it populism if you will, but people are increasingly voting for parties which put the nation state first over further European integration. Centrist parties are failing to compete with those offering a nationalist, eurosceptic agenda.

People don’t like to be dictated to. The arguably authoritarian decision by state broadcaster RTE not to include Mary Lou Mcdonald in their leaders’ debate quite possibly only generated more support for her party. It was reported that prior to the election Sinn Fein sent the broadcaster a legal letter asking it to reverse its decision. The Irish establishment will now have to catch up with the reality that Sinn Fein is now an equal player in the political landscape, and a force to be reckoned with.

The nationalist vibe in the air has now awoken the idea of Irish unity. A poll conducted earlier in 2019 demonstrated that two thirds of Irish people are now supportive of Irish reunification. Of 3000 people questioned, 65% said they were in favour of northern and southern Ireland becoming one nation again. Brexit, which has brought with it a surge in English nationalism, along with a Westminster government increasingly detached from the reality of the everyday struggles of working people, has encouraged more people north and south of the Irish border to rethink their stance on a topic few dared to broach in the past due to the violent conflict between nationalists and unionists. Under the Good Friday Agreement, it is indeed possible for Northern Ireland to secede the United Kingdom if a referendum result were to decide this.

Sinn Fein’s stance on the EU is not entirely clear-cut, but the win could be interpreted as a victory for Euroscepticism. The party is against further European integration, campaigned for a ‘No’ vote in the Irish referendum on joining the European Economic Community in 1972 and criticised the proposal of a European Constitution in 2002. Although it did support Britain remaining in the EU in the run-up to the 2016 EU referendum, it has criticised the European Union in the past for its policies of neoliberalism. When it comes to post-Brexit trade talks with the UK, the new Irish government with Sinn Fein at the helm is likely to take a tougher stance.

In addition, it’s likely that under Mary Lou McDonald’s leadership, we will see a referendum on Irish unity. If the outcome is for unification, it will put more pressure on a UK government currently facing a real threat from growing Scottish nationalism. As Irish and Scottish nationalist movements gain popularity, the United Kingdom cannot be taken for granted any longer. As elections continue to demonstrate, the status quo is under threat and it’s becoming increasingly possible that we will see the dissolution of the United Kingdom within our lifetimes.

https://alethonews.com/2020/02/11/irish-election-result-is-a-victory-for-nationalism/

Turkish Police Recover Stolen jewish Torah Scrolls Decorated With Satanic Illuminati Symbolism

Turkish Police arrested Faylaq al-Rahman fighters who were trying to sell two rare, ancient, gold-plated jewish Torahs in the northwestern province of Bilecik. The Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah said that Police had confiscated the two ancient Torahs during the arrest. Syrian opposition sources confirmed that Faylaq al-Rahman fighters had stolen the ancient Torahs from a historical 2,000 years old synagogue in the Jobar district, east of the Syrian capital of Damascus. They contain plenty of more Satanic symbolism such as the demon Baphomet, Illuminati triangle with the all seeing eye, blood libel, serpents, kabbalah hand signs, owls and many other things.

http://www.renegadetribune.com/turkish-police-recover-stolen-jewish-torah-scrolls-decorated-with-satanic-illuminati-symbolism/

Trump Overflow Crowd So Huge It Has Its Own Overflow Crowd at New Hampshire Rally

President Trump held a huge campaign rally at a jam-packed 12,000 seat SNHU arena in Manchester, New Hampshire Monday night on the eve of that state’s first in the nation presidential primary. Supporters started lining up in the cold and rain two days in advance, with several thousand remaining outside to watch the rally on a Jumbotron after the doors were locked when the venue hit full capacity. Amazingly, there was an overflow crowd of hundreds apart from the overflow crowd of thousands outside the arena that gathered way across the street to view and hear the Trump rally on the Jumbotron from a distance.

More

http://www.cuzzblue.com/2020/02/trump-overflow-crowd-so-huge-it-has-its.html

RBNZ launches direct phone line and email for whistleblowers in banking

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is formalising its procedures with a phone line and dedicated email inbox for whistleblowers.

The move comes as the regulator beefs up its prudential function and as it continues with its review alongside the Financial Markets Authority on the conduct of banks and major insurers.

The work so far has found weak governance within financial institutions and regulators have been critical of the pace of change within them.

RBNZ general counsel Nick McBride said the bank typically heard from two to three whistleblowers each year, but since the conduct review began there have been more. In the past, emails had often come through the central bank's general enquiry system and so the RBNZ wanted to streamline this.

"It's been triggered by the conduct and culture review and we've been behind the times honestly, and want to remedy that," he said.

Phone calls and emails will be dealt with by the bank's compliance team. The central bank stressed it does not take complaints from customers but is looking for employees or former bank employees with information.

The move surprised the NZ Bankers' Association, which has been working on its own industry-wide scheme to provide an independent alternative to the banks' current whistleblowing services.

A spokesman said its initiative was a response to the regulators' reviews but was still in progress.

McBride said its offering was "complementary" to what the banks provide and it was natural for a regulator to have something that employees would trust.

The RBNZ encouraged employees to look at their own internal policy first. If they did not feel that was appropriate, either because they thought their employer may cover up the issue, or had not resolved the matter despite the disclosure, they should get in touch with the regulator.

"The banks' internal whistleblower schemes are actually quite good and we have had some people take issues through to their head office and we've been impressed by the extent to which complaints have been taken seriously. There's no evidence to say they are not taken seriously but we should have something external," McBride added.

The lawyer said the move was part of a wider beefing up of the central bank's enforcement and investigations function.

Victoria University of Wellington professor of public administration Michael Macaulay said it was always good to have independent avenues but whether more whistleblowers would now come forward was unknown.

"In the vast majority of cases the reason why people don't blow the whistle isn't because they are scared of the consequences, it is because they don't even realise what they are in," the whistleblowing expert said.

The Commerce Commission already has a whistleblowing tool which allows users to submit information through an anonymous mailbox.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12307704

Fuckery afoot?

Germany signs $43m gas deal with Egypt despite appalling human rights crisis

Egypt has signed a new oil and gas exploration deal with the German company Wintershall DEA with minimum investments of $43 million, according to the state-run Al-Ahram.

Under the terms of the deal Wintershall will explore oil and gas in the East Damanhour Bloc in the Nile Delta.

Since his rise to power Egypt’s General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has pledged to kickstart the economy by attracting foreign investments through its oil sector after investors pulled out following the 2011 revolution.

In December last year the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek Al-Molla said that since 30 June 2013 – when the country’s first democratically elected civilian President, Mohamed Morsi, was overthrown – Egypt has made 103 petroleum agreements.

Egypt’s desperation for foreign investment has meant oil giants are securing highly favourable deals. In 2015 BP secured a deal to sell 100 per cent of the gas produced from two offshore blocks in Egypt, despite the fact that the traditional foreign investor’s share is 20-30 per cent.

Former Egyptian MP Hatem Azzam has previously estimated that BP’s deal cost the Egyptian people some $32 billion.

European countries have been criticised for pursuing deals in the gas sector regardless of the violations that are taking place in Egypt.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200211-germany-signs-43m-gas-deal-with-egypt-despite-appalling-human-rights-crisis/

Turkey Says They Killed 101 Syrian Troops in Retaliation

Five Turkish soldiers slain in shelling of Afrin

Early Monday morning, five Turkish soldiers were reported killed in fighting with the Syrian military in the Syrian town of Taftanaz. The town is in rebel-dominated Idlib Province, which Syria is looking to reclaim.

As in previous confrontations, Turkey responded with massive military retaliation against Syria. Turkey reported hitting 115 targets in Syria, all government sites. The Turkish Defense Ministry added that 101 Syrian soldiers were killed.

In addition to killing the soldiers, Turkey hit a Syrian government helicopter, destroyed three tanks and two artillery pieces. They also reportedly hit some air defenses in the area.

Turkey has been eager to engage in massive military engagements to keep northern Syria from being totally reclaimed by the Syrian government, even if that means fighting to keep al-Qaeda under control of some territory.

This comes after weekend deployments by Turkey of more forces into Idlib Province, specifically because they envisioned a new military confrontation. They clearly weren’t waiting, and the confrontation was almost immediate, reflective of Turkey putting its troops into areas that are being contested.

https://news.antiwar.com/2020/02/10/turkey-says-they-killed-101-syrian-troops-in-retaliation/

Journalist Abby Martin Sues State of Georgia Over Law Requiring Pledge of Allegiance to Israel

After refusing to sign a pledge of allegiance to the state of Israel, the state of Georgia shut down a media literacy conference featuring journalist and filmmaker Abby Martin at Georgia Southern University. Martin had recently released a documentary critical of the Israeli government called Gaza Fights for Freedom. Now she is suing the state, claiming the decision is a violation of the First Amendment. Along with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF), today she filed a federal free speech lawsuit against the university system of Georgia.

Martin was dismayed by the university’s decision: “This censorship of my talk based on forced compliance to anti-BDS laws in Georgia is just one level of a nationwide campaign to protect Israel from grassroots pressure. We must stand firmly opposed to these efforts and not cower in fear to these blatant violations of free speech,” she said.

Twenty-eight states have already mandated loyalty pledges to Israel as a means to outlaw dissent. But in December, President Trump passed legislation effectively criminalizing the Boycott Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) movement that aims to put pressure on the Jewish state through economic action, along the lines of the anti-Apartheid struggle in South Africa. The law mandates that any public institution would be subject to losing all funding if the government deems that they are not doing enough to stamp out anti-Semitism, which, it explicitly states, includes any criticism of the Israeli government. In December, MintPress reported that the British government under Boris Johnson is planning to introduce similar legislation.

“The hyperbolic notion that conservatives are the ones being persecuted on college campuses has made blatant censorship campaigns against people for criticism of Israel, or other progressive protests, go completely ignored,” Martin wrote.

CAIR’s Legal Defense Fund Senior Litigation Attorney Gadeir Abbas said,

There is no place where free speech is more important than on campus. And this attempt to suppress Abby’s views ­– denying students, academics, and others from hearing her lecture – is as brazen as it is illegal. In adopting this anti-BDS law, Georgia has prioritized the policy preferences of a foreign country over the free speech rights of Americans, like Abby, who speak on this state’s college campuses.”

https://www.activistpost.com/2020/02/journalist-abby-martin-sues-state-of-georgia-over-law-requiring-pledge-of-allegiance-to-israel.html