Critics say statue immortalizes Nazi collaborator

Under the watchful glare of Roman Shukhevych, the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex in North Edmonton hosts meetings, weddings and banquets. Aside from the occasional photobomb, the military general immortalized on the front lawn has remained low-key for 45 years.

Last month, the Russian Embassy's Twitter account thrust the general back into the spotlight, questioning why Canadians are tolerating a statue depicting a Nazi corroborator.

It was certainly a political attack fuelled by escalating tensions from the conflict in Crimea and Canada’s recent passing of the Magnitsky Laws, sanctioning Russian businesses.

“Russian propaganda has been doing this for centuries, defaming people who fought against them,” said Ukrainian-Edmontonian Igor Broda. “They malign and denigrate people who were opposed, and in this case, it is those who fought for an independent Ukraine.”

Nonetheless, the tweets have sparked condemnation of the statue from Canada and abroad. Even many Ukrainians find it hard to ignore some dark chapters in Shukhevych’s life.  (more...)

Critics say statue immortalizes Nazi collaborator

Background:

Canada's Monumental Embarrassment: Blaming Russia doesn’t change history if it’s true

Milton teacher facing sexual assault charges

A teacher in Milton is facing sexual assault charges, Halton Regional police say.

Charges were laid after police spoke with several female students at Tiger Jeet Singh Public School .

The school sent a letter to parents Monday afternoon, informing them that the suspect has been on home assignment since Nov. 7, which is when the Halton District School Board learned about the allegations.

“(The suspect) will not be teaching at Tiger Jeet Singh Public School or at any other school in the Halton District School Board until this matter is resolved through the judicial system,” the letter says.

“This is clearly upsetting news for all students, parents and staff at the school."

Hazem Kabbara, 37, is charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual interference.  (more...)

Milton teacher facing sexual assault charges

Protesters converge on downtown Montreal to denounce racism, hate

More than 160 groups gathered in downtown Montreal to protest against racism and hate.

The march made its way from the corner of De Maisonneuve Boulevard and Berri Street to Place du Canada.

“This year there’s been a resurgence of far right and more racist acts and discourse,” Anas Bouslikhane, Solidarity Across Borders member, said.

“People are not taking it seriously. There’s an actual threat happening.”

Some in attendance took aim at specific issues like Quebec’s controversial religious neutrality bill.

Bill 62 does not allow people receiving or giving public service to have their face covered.

“It renders these women even more vulnerable and insecure in collective spaces, in public spaces,” Marlihan Lopez, co-vice-president of the Fédération des femmes du Québec, said. “If you limit their access to social services, to public spaces that’s discriminatory.”  (more...)

Protesters converge on downtown Montreal to denounce racism, hate

Related:

Massive Anti-Racism March and Rally in Montreal

Extreme far-right groups putting aside differences to keep out refugees, promote populism: study

Horrified: Tens of thousands from Europe's far right march in Poland

The official celebration of Poland’s 99th independence day proceeded innocuously, with ceremonies in the capital. There was even a visit from the European Council’s internationalist president, who insisted to Politico that Saturday’s festivities would proceed “with a smile on our face and with joy in our hearts.”

But for blocks and blocks and blocks beyond the central towers of Warsaw, a much larger crowd swelled beneath a cloud of red smoke. The tens of thousands of people came from across Poland and beyond, and reporters documented their signs:

“Clean Blood,” as seen by Politico.

“Pray for an Islamic Holocaust,” per CNN.

“White Europe” streaked across another banner, The Associated Press reported — as about 60,000 people chanted and marched through Warsaw in an annual gathering of Europe’s far-right movements, which have by now grown to dwarf the official version of Poland’s independence day.  (more...)

Tens of thousands from Europe's far right march in Poland

Fascist Falanga insignia on display at the march

Wikipedia: National Radical Camp Falanga

This is an ugly movement championed by US + Canadian far/alt-right https://t.co/lLhrHCEjFK

— Alheli Picazo (@a_picazo) November 11, 2017

Is Germanification in Poland's future?

Germany Clumsily Admits To Supporting Regime Change In Poland

Solidarity with anti fascists facing the courts in Poland

There Is A Revolt In Europe That Is Being Backed By Very Powerful Forces To Bring About The Mass Extermination Of Christians

Let us beseech the Church for a strong response to these Nazi agendas:

Why would a Catholic flirt with white supremacy?

The Jewish neo-Nazi: How a former skinhead became an anti-racism advocate

John Daly was an officer of a major neo-Nazi group, but once his religious secret was discovered, white supremacists almost succeeded in killing him.

John Daly got into the neo-Nazi skinhead movement in the usual way. Like most recruits, he was a young man feeling angry and vulnerable in his little hometown, Ocala, Fl., in the late 1980s.

“Getting to know these guys (skinheads) I felt like I had a sense of belonging and I felt like I had people who would help protect me, should I so need it, and with jocks in a small town, you need it,” he said in an interview. “More than once I had cars stop, guys get out, and just beat me up on the side of the road…. I was trying out the facade.”

That made Daly typical. But he is a rare outlier for two reasons. The first is that he got out of organized white supremacy clean, and now pursues anti-racism advocacy, including a speaking tour of Canada that begins this week in Halifax. The other, more bizarrely, is that he is devoutly Jewish, and after his religious secret was discovered and his fellow neo-Nazis almost succeeded in killing him, he moved to Israel, where he lives today in Ashkelon near the Gaza border.  (more...)

The Jewish neo-Nazi: How a former skinhead became an anti-racism advocate

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Ever found yourself in a Room 18? I have, several times. They are surprisingly common, and easy to stumble into -- and difficult to extract yourself from.

abcde10

Paradise Papers: media ignores the real tax culprits

High in their opulent CBD eyries, the architects of global tax avoidance must be indulging in a quiet chuckle, a nervous chuckle perhaps, because the media has once again missed the forest for the trees.

The Queen, Michael Hutchence, the Russians, Lewis Hamilton, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have had thousands of column inches devoted to them, blanket coverage; as has the usual bevy of headline corporate names such as Apple, Nike and Glencore, but what of the Big Four accounting firms who sign off on the multinational audits and concoct the tax avoidance strategies as well? What about the masterminds?

The Paradise Papers is a stunning leak, the biggest in history, a damning indictment of the world economic system, and yet another revelation of how the rich are robbing the poor, but KPMG, Deloitte, Pwc and EY – are getting away scot free as usual.

When the story broke, the only mention this reporter could find was in Madrid newspaper El Confidencial:

América del Norte representa la mayor carga de trabajo para la firma (Appleby). Entre sus principales clientes aparecen las mayores consultoras –KPMG, EY y PWC– y grandes bancos y empresas de inversión, incluyendo Citigroup, Bank of America, HSBC, Credit Suisse y Wells Fargo.

This roughly translates the Americans provide most of the work for the “offshore services” law firm at the centre of the leaks, Appleby, and alongside Appleby’s clients are the Big Four consulting firms and the big banks. Deloitte was not named, although it is no doubt there too. EY, PwC and KPMG were named.

In the Australian press and elsewhere however there was very little tampering with the finely burnished reputations of the Big Four. Were they studiously ignored or is this about cowardice, censorship or ignorance as to the way the system works?  (more...)

Paradise Papers: media ignores the real tax culprits

Related:

Are the activities uncovered in the Paradise Papers ‘legal’ – a plea to journalists

#Collusion is just one of the things that @transparency_it is watching out for as they monitor public procurement. If competition is not fair, taxpayers don't get value for money. All contracts should be #cleancontracts! > https://t.co/YK5ic4Faq0 1/2

— Transparency Int'l (@anticorruption) November 9, 2017