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Jewish security group warns Jews to stay away from pro-Palestinian rally on Shabbat calling to ‘Flood Brooklyn for Gaza’

(New York Jewish Week) — A local Jewish security group is advising Jews to avoid the area near the Brooklyn Museum on Saturday afternoon, where a hardline pro-Palestinian group will hold a rally advertised as “Flood Brooklyn for Gaza.”

Crown Heights Shmira, a local patrol group that works closely with the NYPD, shared a social media post “advising the community to stay away from the area of the Brooklyn Museum on Eastern Parkway this Shabbos, October 28th, at 3:00PM where a pro-Palestinian protest is scheduled to take place.” 

Crown Heights is the home base of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, whose Eastern Parkway headquarters are a little over a mile away from the museum.  

The rally, held by the activist group Within Our Lifetime, comes after protests featuring rhetoric celebrating Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel have unnerved some Jewish New Yorkers. On the day of the attack, in which terrorists killed and wounded thousands, and took hundreds captive, Within Our Lifetime posted on Instagram, “Supporting Palestinian liberation is supporting whatever means necessary it takes to get there.”

Another of the groups backing Saturday’s rally, Decolonize This Place, has in recent days shared videos of the Hamas invasion under the caption, “Palestinian anti-colonial struggle: 101.” Saturday’s rally’s name recalls the name of the Hamas operation, “Al-Aqsa Flood.” It comes three weeks into Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza, in which Israeli airstrikes have killed thousands, and as Israel’s military has expanded ground operations in the coastal territory. 

The protest will begin Saturday afternoon at the Brooklyn Museum. Pro-Palestinian rallies typically feature speeches followed by a march down city streets accompanied by police. The NYPD said Friday that the route for most rallies is not determined until the day of the event.

Demonstrations in recent weeks in New York have not seen significant physical violence or injuries, unlike those held during and after Israel’s 2021 conflict with Gaza terror groups including Hamas. Mitch Silber, director of the Community Security Initiative, a local Jewish security group, told the New York Jewish Week earlier this week that police had exercised stringent enforcement this year during and after protests.

Antisemitic incidents have spiked in New York City and the United States in recent weeks, according to data collated by the New York Police Department and Jewish security groups.

Within Our Lifetime holds protests that are attended by thousands, calls for the eradication of Israel and also calls on followers to “Globalize the intifada.” Palestinian terror attacks during the second intifada, two decades ago, killed approximately 1,000 Israelis. Activists who have protested with the group have been convicted of hate crimes against Jews.

Within Our Lifetime has previously expressed support for U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The group led a large protest in Lower Manhattan on Thursday and has held a series of other events since Oct. 7. Its “rally toolkit” includes the chants “Resistance is justified” and “Smash the settler Zionist state.”


The post Jewish security group warns Jews to stay away from pro-Palestinian rally on Shabbat calling to ‘Flood Brooklyn for Gaza’ appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

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Germany’s Scholz Rebukes Vance, Defends Europe’s Stance on Hate Speech and Far Right

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks to the media after he met former prisoners following the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West in decades, at the military area of Cologne Bonn Airport in Cologne, Germany, August 1, 2024. Photo: Christoph Reichwein/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivered a strong rebuke on Saturday to US Vice President JD Vance’s attack on Europe’s stance toward hate speech and the far right, saying it was not right for others to tell Germany and Europe what to do.

Vance lambasted European leaders on Friday, the first day of the Munich Security Conference, accusing them of censoring free speech and criticizing German mainstream parties’ “firewall” against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

“That is not appropriate, especially not among friends and allies. We firmly reject that,” Scholz told the conference on Saturday, adding there were “good reasons” not to work with the AfD.

The anti-immigration party, currently polling at around 20% ahead of Germany’s February 23 national election, has pariah status among other major German parties in a country with a taboo about ultranationalist politics because of its Nazi past.

“Never again fascism, never again racism, never again aggressive war. That is why an overwhelming majority in our country opposes anyone who glorifies or justifies criminal National Socialism,” Scholz said, referring to the ideology of Adolf Hitler’s 1933-45 Nazi regime.

Vance met on Friday with the leader of AfD, after endorsing the party as a political partner — a stance Berlin dismissed as unwelcome election interference.

Referring more broadly to Vance’s criticism of Europe’s curtailing of hate speech, which he has likened to censorship, Scholz said: “Today’s democracies in Germany and Europe are founded on the historic awareness and realization that democracies can be destroyed by radical anti-democrats.

“And this is why we’ve created institutions that ensure that our democracies can defend themselves against their enemies, and rules that do not restrict or limit our freedom but protect it.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot added his voice to the defense of Europe’s stance on hate speech.

“No one is required to adopt our model but no one can impose theirs on us,” Barrot said on X from Munich. “Freedom of speech is guaranteed in Europe.”

UKRAINE

The prospect of talks to end the Ukraine-Russia war had been expected to dominate the annual Munich conference after a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin this week, but Vance barely mentioned Russia or Ukraine in his speech to the gathering on Friday.

Instead, he said the threat to Europe that worried him most was not Russia or China but what he called a retreat from fundamental values of protecting free speech – as well as immigration, which he said was “out of control” in Europe.

Many conference delegates watched Vance’s speech in stunned silence. There was little applause as he delivered his remarks.

Asked by the panel moderator if he thought there was anything in Vance’s speech worth reflecting on, Scholz drew laughter and applause in the crowd when he responded, in a deadpan manner: “You mean all these very relevant discussions about Ukraine and security in Europe?”

The post Germany’s Scholz Rebukes Vance, Defends Europe’s Stance on Hate Speech and Far Right first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Trump Team to Start Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks in Saudi Arabia in Coming Days, Politico Reports

US Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) speaks on Day 1 of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, July 15, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar

Senior officials from US President Donald Trump’s administration will start peace talks with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Saudi Arabia in the coming days, Politico reported on Saturday, citing sources familiar with the plan.

US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Saudi Arabia, the report said. Special envoy for Ukraine-Russia talks, Keith Kellogg, will not be in attendance, according to the report.

The post Trump Team to Start Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks in Saudi Arabia in Coming Days, Politico Reports first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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UN Peacekeeping Mission Deputy Commander Injured After Convoy Attacked in Beirut

FILE PHOTO: A UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicle is seen next to piled up debris at Beirut’s port, Lebanon October 23, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

The outgoing deputy force commander of the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) in Lebanon was injured on Friday after a convoy taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport was “violently attacked,” UNIFIL said.

The mission demanded a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities and for all perpetrators to be brought to justice, it said in a statement.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun condemned the attack on Saturday, saying that security forces would not tolerate anyone who tries to destabilize the country, according to a statement from his office.

The French government also condemned the attack.

“France calls on the Lebanese security forces to guarantee the security of blue-helmet peacekeeping forces, and calls on Lebanon’s judicial authorities to shed all light on this unacceptable attack and to go after those responsible,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Lebanon’s Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar called for an emergency meeting before noon on Saturday to discuss the security situation, Lebanese state news agency NNA reported.

“He affirmed the Lebanese government’s rejection of this assault that is considered a crime against UNIFIL forces,” NNA reported, citing the minister.

He also gave instructions to work on identifying the perpetrators and referring them to the relevant judicial authorities.

The minister told reporters on Saturday that more than 25 people had been detained for investigation over the attack.

The United States earlier condemned the attack. A State Department statement said the attack was carried out “reportedly by a group of Hezbollah supporters”, referring to the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon.

The post UN Peacekeeping Mission Deputy Commander Injured After Convoy Attacked in Beirut first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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