Category Archives: human rights

Pope, ending synod, excoriates bishops with ‘closed hearts’ | Reuters

It was the latest in a series of admonitions to bishops by the pontiff, who has stressed since his election in 2013 that the 1.2 billion-member Church should be open to change, side with the poor and rid itself of the pomp and stuffiness that has alienated so many Catholics.In his final address, the pope appeared to criticize ultra-conservatives, saying Church leaders should confront difficult issues “fearlessly, without burying our heads in the sand.”He said the synod had “laid bare the closed hearts which frequently hide even behind the Church’s teachings or good intentions, in order to sit in the chair of Moses and judge, sometimes with superiority and superficiality, difficult cases and wounded families”.He also decried “conspiracy theories” and the “blinkered viewpoints” of some at the gathering, and said the Church could not transmit its message to new generations “at times encrusted in a language which is archaic or simply incomprehensible”.

Source: Pope, ending synod, excoriates bishops with ‘closed hearts’ | Reuters

Germaine Greer defends views on transgender issues amid calls for cancellation of feminism lecture – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

“I don’t even talk about it, they’re not my issue. I haven’t published anything about transgender for years,” she said.”I’ve had things thrown at me, I’ve been accused of things I have never done or said, people seem to have no concern about evidence or indeed, even about libel.”When asked whether she will still deliver the lecture, Greer appeared pessimistic.”I’m getting a bit old for all this. I’m 76. I don’t want to go down there and be screamed at and have things thrown at me,” she told BBC News.”Bugger it. It’s not that interesting or rewarding.”

Source: Germaine Greer defends views on transgender issues amid calls for cancellation of feminism lecture – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Thousands demonstrate in Tel Aviv: ‘No security without a solution’ | +972 Magazine

Thousands of Israelis participated in a protest march in central Tel Aviv Saturday night against the Netanyahu government’s policies in the West Bank and the continuing violence.The demonstrators, many of them from Peace Now — which organized the event — and the left-wing Meretz party, along with several members from the Arab-Jewish Hadash party and Da’am Workers Party, marched from Habima Square to the IDF headquarters on Kaplan Street, waving Israeli flags and holding signs that read “Intifada government, go home” and “There is no security without a solution.”Among the speakers was Peace Now head Yariv Oppenheimer, who accused the government of “taking an entire country hostage in an unnecessary religious war, and we are all paying the price. You have turned the state into a violent, racist, and hopeless place. We have come here to call for an end to the hatred and the incitement, for a struggle against racism, and to demand a political solution — two states for two people.”

Source: Thousands demonstrate in Tel Aviv: ‘No security without a solution’ | +972 Magazine

I’m “bien”, says French journalist beaten by Jewish thugs | PNN

A FRENCH journalist assaulted by masked far-right Israeli nationalists has reported he is safe and well.David Perrotin, who works for Buzzfeed, was viciously attacked outside the Paris offices of the Agence France Presse news agency on Thursday.Dozens of activists from the Jewish Defense League hit him on the head and back with batons after one of the group recognised him and pointed him out to the others.Earlier, they had tried to storm the building, thrown eggs, and waved Israeli flags, chanting: “We’re coming to get you”. Riot police used tear gas to break up the protest.But the respected correspondent, who has written about the extremist group in the past, told fans on Twitter last night (Friday) that all was “bien”.

Source: I’m “bien”, says French journalist beaten by Jewish thugs | PNN

anisie-piece: midnight-sun-rising: sophisticantsophia: pregnan…

anisie-piece:midnight-sun-rising:sophisticantsophia:pregnantparentingprochoice:“When I was pregnant, patients often asked me if it was hard/weird to do their abortion.My response was simple, ‘Not at all. It is not the right time for you, but it is for me. Later on, if you decide to become a parent, I will be by your side then too.’”Pratima Gupta, MD, MPHThat’s beautiful ☺YES. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. AND SHE’S A DOCTOR OF COLOR. YES.

Jimmy Carter: A Five-Nation Plan to End the Syrian Crisis – The New York Times

Iran outlined a general four-point sequence several months ago, consisting of a cease-fire, formation of a unity government, constitutional reforms and elections. Working through the United Nations Security Council and utilizing a five-nation proposal, some mechanism could be found to implement these goals.The involvement of Russia and Iran is essential. Mr. Assad’s only concession in four years of war was giving up chemical weapons, and he did so only under pressure from Russia and Iran. Similarly, he will not end the war by accepting concessions imposed by the West, but is likely to do so if urged by his allies.Mr. Assad’s governing authority could then be ended in an orderly process, an acceptable government established in Syria, and a concerted effort could then be made to stamp out the threat of the Islamic State.The needed concessions are not from the combatants in Syria, but from the proud nations that claim to want peace but refuse to cooperate with one another.

Source: Jimmy Carter: A Five-Nation Plan to End the Syrian Crisis – The New York Times

Source: SPIEGEL ONLINE

Then there was the man who called Dorothea Moesch, a local SPD politician in Dortmund, late in the evening on June 30. “We’re going to get you,” he threatened. “We’re at your door.”

Another local SPD politician in Hesse, district administrator Erich Pipa, has been similarly threatened. “We can have you taken out at any time,” he was informed in a letter.

And in Bernau in the eastern state of Brandenburg, graffiti scrawled on the wall of a warehouse namechecking the local mayor reads, “First Henriette Reker (the mayoral candidate stabbed in Cologne last weekend), next André Stahl.”

These are but a few examples — four politicians who have taken a stand, and, if the threats are to be taken seriously, may now need to fear for their lives. Kutschaty fell into the crosshairs for saying, “Pegida is not about protecting the Western world, it’s about its demise.” Moesch, for her part, attracted ire because she organized a protest against right-wing extremism. Pipa became the target of hatred because he was recently awarded a Federal Cross of Merit, Germany’s highest civilian honor, for his longtime lobbying work on behalf of refugees. Finally, Stahl was the subject of denigration because of his public declaration that he wants refugees to feel welcome in his city.

So far, none of them have scaled back their political work. They all still say it’s more important than ever. But since the knife attack against Reker last Saturday on the eve of her election as mayor of Cologne, they can no longer feel entirely safe. District administrator Pipa is wondering whether he should take police advice and wear a bullet-proof vest.

Sweden school killer fueled by ′racist motives′ | News | DW.COM | 23.10.2015

The motives behind a 21-year-old sword-wielding attacker who killed two people and wounded two others at a school in Sweden became clearer on Friday as media reports began to describe a background of xenophobia and racism. Police sources had already told the press after the incident on Thursday that they were investigating a “political motive.””We are convinced that the assailant was driven by racist motives when he carried out the act,” police chief Niclas Hallgren told Swedish radio.”We have reached this conclusion based on what we found when we searched his apartment and his behavior during the act, and also on the basis of how he selected his victims.”Earlier reports by Swedish news also claimed the assailant had a YouTube channel in which he glorified Hitler and spoke critically of Islam and immigration to Sweden.

Source: Sweden school killer fueled by ′racist motives′ | News | DW.COM | 23.10.2015