News: Europe – Page 67 – Eye on Islamism

EU has concrete plans to combat anti-Muslim hatred: official ‘We proposed the preparation of a document by mapping the phenomenon of hatred against Muslims,’ says new EU anti-Muslim hatred coordinator

July 14, 2023 Zuhal Demirci

(Anadolu) The European Union has concrete plans to combat Islamophobia, Marion Lalisse, the new EU coordinator on combating anti-Muslim hatred, said Thursday. Lalisse, who was appointed to the position on Feb. 2, held a press conference in Brussels and answered questions from […]

Officials: PM did not discuss Thrace Muslims with Erdogan

July 14, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Kathimerini) Greek officials said Friday that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis never discussed issues that concern Greek citizens or the country’s sovereign rights with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The officials were responding to claims by Erdogan that the “problems of Western Thrace” […]

Erdogan claims ‘Western Thrace’ was ‘main issue’ he raised with Mitsotakis

July 14, 2023 Manolis Kostidis

(Kathimerini) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed that the “problems of Western Thrace” was the “main issue” he raised with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at their meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius on Wednesday. “We want to […]

Poland charges 18-year-old with planning Islamist bomb attack — security agency

July 14, 2023 Alan Charlish

(Reuters) An 18-year-old Polish man has been arrested and charged with plotting with Islamist militants to bomb a government building, the internal security agency said on Friday. The young man was arrested in southern Poland in June and had collected information and […]

Two West Midlands men charged with terrorism offences

July 14, 2023 Unlisted Author

(BBC) Two men from the West Midlands have been charged with terrorism offences. Roshman Azad Wali Saeed, 28, from Birmingham, is charged with two counts of distributing terrorist publications. Tshko Ahmad Mohamad, 32, from West Bromwich, meanwhile is accused of fundraising for […]

EU says Quran burning has ‘no place in Europe’ but leaves ban debate open Top official says burning a 'book that is considered to be holy is not in line with our fundamental values'

July 13, 2023 Tim Stickings

(National-UAE) The EU’s co-ordinator on combating anti-Muslim hatred told the National on Thursday that the bloc sees Quran-burning protests as having “no place in Europe” but said it was up to individual countries whether to ban them. Marion Lalisse said EU states […]

Italy’s Meloni faces reality check as migrant flows rise relentlessly

July 13, 2023 Crispian Balmer and Angelo Amante

(Reuters) Just as King Canute failed to hold back the seas, so Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has floundered in her efforts to stop the flow of migrants to Italy since she took office last October. Despite pledges before last year’s national election […]

West Midlands Police arrest two men on suspicion of terror offences

July 13, 2023 Unlisted Author

(BBC) Two men from the West Midlands have been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences. An 18-year-old from Birmingham and a 22-year-old from West Bromwich were detained on Wednesday during a pre-planned operation. They were held in connection with disseminating terrorism material […]

Channel migrant deaths: Boat pilot beaten and threatened, jury told

July 12, 2023 Sara Smith and Bob Dale

(BBC) A teenager accused of killing four migrants while crossing the Channel has told his trial he was beaten and threatened by people smugglers. Ibrahima Bah, 19, from Senegal, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of manslaughter. At least four people […]

UN rights body passes disputed motion on religious hatred after Koran burning

July 12, 2023 Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber

(Reuters) The United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday approved a disputed resolution on religious hatred in the wake of the burning of a Koran in Sweden, prompting concern by Western states who say it challenges long-held practices in rights protection. The […]

York gets emergency ‘grab bags’ in case of terrorist attack

July 12, 2023 Unlisted Author

(BBC) Emergency “grab bags” have been installed around York city centre for use in the event of a terrorist attack. York council said the bags contained “information and equipment that will aid the early response” before emergency services arrive at the scene. […]

France’s anti-immigration far right gets boost from riots over police killing of teen

July 12, 2023 Elaine Ganley

(AP) Widespread riots in France sparked by the police killing of a teenager with North African roots have revealed the depth of discontent roiling poor neighborhoods — and given a new platform to the increasingly emboldened far right. The far right’s anti-immigration […]

Ex-rapper, notorious IS suspect goes on trial in Spain

July 12, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) Former British rapper and notorious Islamic State suspect Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, who was arrested in Spain in 2020, went on trial in Madrid on Wednesday. The 32-year-old former rapper from west London, who allegedly posted an image of himself holding a […]

UN human rights body takes up concerns about Quran burnings in Europe

July 11, 2023 Jamey Keaten

(AP) The U.N. human rights chief used a special debate on Tuesday about burnings of the Quran in Sweden and other European countries to tread a fine line between freedom of expression and respect for religious beliefs, while broadening his call for […]

Rishi Sunak says small boats plan is ‘working’ — despite record number of crossings at weekend The prime minister spoke as his flagship Illegal Migration Bill heads back to the Commons after suffering a number of defeats in the House of Lords.

July 11, 2023 Alexandra Rogers

(Sky News) Rishi Sunak has insisted his plan to stop small boat crossings in the Channel is “working” — despite more than 1,000 people making the journey over the weekend. The prime minister said he has always acknowledged that crossings “will increase […]

Emergency crews carry out terror attack response drills

July 11, 2023 Unlisted Author

(BBC) Emergency services have taken part in joint training exercises to test its response to a terror attack or mass-casualty incidents. It comes after a public inquiry found a catalogue of failings by the emergency response to the aftermath of the Manchester […]

UK terrorist tied to Manchester bomber will soon be up for parole (LINK ONLY) [Edited headline]

July 11, 2023 EoI News

Eye on Islamism is no longer printing excerpts from articles published by certain news sources. To read the original article, click here.

Birmingham brothers admit planning to join Islamic State

July 11, 2023 Oprah Flash

(BBC) Two brothers have admitted planning a trip to Afghanistan to join a branch of Islamic State (IS). Muhammad Abdul Haleem Heyder Khan, 21, and Muhammad Hamzah Heyder Khan, 18, from Ward End in Birmingham appeared at the city’s crown court on […]

German court convicts Syrian IS member of war crimes for torturing captives

July 11, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) A German court convicted a Syrian man Tuesday of torturing captives while he was a member of the Islamic State group in Syria. The Berlin regional court found Raed E. guilty of war crimes, membership of a foreign terrorist organization and […]

Austria court acquits four in Syrian general case

July 10, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) A Vienna court on Monday acquitted four ex-officials of allegedly granting asylum to a Syrian former general suspected of crimes against humanity in the latest case to throw the spotlight on Austria’s spy service. The three former intelligence agency officials and […]

Greek PM says not fair to manage EU migration problem alone

July 10, 2023 Renee Maltezou and Lefteris Papadimas

(Reuters) Greece should not be burdened with the task of managing migration for the European Union, or be accused of not saving people at sea, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday, a month after a deadly shipwreck. The Greek coast guard […]

Suspect in Channel drowning of 27 jailed in France: judiciary source

July 10, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) A key suspect in the 2021 drowning deaths of at least 27 people trying [to] cross the Channel in a dinghy has been charged in France, a judiciary source said Monday. He was extradited on Friday by Britain, where he had […]

Quran burned, thrown in front of mosque in Germany Investigation of incident has been launched, according to director of Mimar Sinan Mosque

July 10, 2023 Cuneyt Karadag

(Anadolu) A Quran was burned and thrown in front of a mosque in southwestern Germany, the Turkish-Muslim umbrella group DITIB said on Monday. The incident happened in front of the Mimar Sinan Mosque in the town of Maulbronn, located in the state […]

Belgium summons UAE ambassador over ‘Muslim Brotherhood smear campaign’ Emirati intelligence paid millions to Swiss company to create files on over 1,000 people in Europe, according to data leak

July 9, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Middle East Eye) Belgium summoned the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ambassador in Brussels on Friday, following reports of the Gulf state’s alleged involvement in a smear campaign that sought to link at least 1,000 individuals in Europe to the Muslim Brotherhood. The […]

Will France’s riots benefit far-right Le Pen?

July 8, 2023 Adam Plowright

(AFP) In her first speech in parliament as France’s riots ebbed this week, far-right leader Marine Le Pen accused the government of turning the country into a “hell” that she had foreseen. “The reality is that you didn’t want to hear any […]

Tariq Ramadan ordered to face trial for rape in France

July 8, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Swiss Info) The Swiss scholar Tariq Ramadan will stand trial at a Paris criminal court for rapes alleged to have taken place between 2009 and 2016, two judges decided on Friday. The judges, however, partially dismissed allegations made by two of the […]

Durham prisoner admits distributing Islamic State radicalisation magazine

July 8, 2023 Unlisted Author

(ITV) A prisoner has admitted distributing so-called Islamic State radicalisation magazines. Denny De Silva, 31, from Luton, Bedfordshire, pleaded guilty to disseminating two issues of Dabiq magazine in January 2021. The online magazine was used by the so-called Islamic State terrorist group […]

French court rejects move to overturn controversial burkini ban on beach Nice Administrative Court says municipality's decision aimed at preventing disruption of public order

July 8, 2023 Esra Taskin

(Anadolu) A court in France rejected a request Friday to overturn a controversial burkini ban on beaches in Mandelieu-la-Napoule. The request by the Human Rights League France was rejected by the Nice Administrative Court on grounds that the municipality’s decision was aimed […]

Dutch government collapses over bitter migration row

July 7, 2023 Danny Kemp and Jan Hennop

(AFP) Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s coalition government collapsed Friday over “insurmountable” differences on how to tackle migration, with elections expected in November. Rutte, 56, the Netherlands’ longest-serving leader and one of Europe’s most experienced politicians, said days of crisis talks between […]

Poland’s lawmakers open the way for a national referendum on whether to take in more migrants

July 7, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) Poland’s lawmakers on Friday approved law amendments that open the way for a national referendum on accepting migrants to be held in conjunction with the country’s general election, which is expected this fall. Poland’s conservative government has vetoed the European Union’s […]

Channel deaths: Boat pilot was threatened, court told

July 7, 2023 Tanya Gupta

(BBC) A man accused of killing four migrants has claimed he had to pilot the boat they used to cross the Channel to Kent because he was threatened with death. Ibrahima Bah, 19, from Senegal, denies four counts of manslaughter at Canterbury […]

Man denies Ealing and Birmingham mosque attacks

July 7, 2023 Sophie Madden

(BBC) A man accused of setting alight two elderly men as they left mosques has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder. Mohammed Abbkr, 28, is accused of injuring his alleged victims in Ealing, west London, in February and the second in Birmingham […]

7/7 anniversary: London remembers victims of 2005 attacks

July 7, 2023 Unlisted Author

(ITV) Emergency workers and the mayor of London have paid tribute to the victims of the July 7 bombings on the 18th anniversary of the terror attacks. Coordinated attacks in 2005 on three London Underground trains and a double-decker bus killed 52 […]

France halts mass repatriations of jihadist wives from Syria

July 7, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) France has repatriated all of the French women and children who want to return home from Kurdish-run jihadist prison camps in Syria and will not be organising any more flights, a diplomatic source said on Friday. Another 10 women and 25 […]

Majority of Swedes think it should be illegal to burn the Quran

July 6, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Local) A majority of Swedes believe it should be illegal to burn the Quran or the holy books of other religions, like the Bible or Torah, in public, according to a new survey. Over half of Swedes, 53 percent, agreed that burning […]

Sweden convicts a Kurdish man with attempting to extort money for a group that’s outlawed in Turkey

July 6, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) A Turkish man was found guilty Thursday of attempted aggravated extortion, weapons possession and attempted terrorist financing, saying he was acting on behalf of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party. The Stockholm District Court sentenced Yahya Güngör to a total of 4.5 […]

Germany, Netherlands arrest 9 over an alleged plan for attacks in line with Islamic State group

July 6, 2023 Geir Moulson

(AP) Nine people from Central Asia were arrested in Germany and the Netherlands on Thursday over alleged plans to carry out attacks in Germany and for collecting money for the Islamic State group, authorities said. Seven men arrested in Germany were accused […]

Sweden is considering law change to stop public Koran burnings — Aftonbladet

July 6, 2023 Johan Ahlander

(Reuters) The Swedish government is examining whether it could change the law to stop people setting the Koran on fire in public, as recent burnings of the Muslim holy book have damaged Sweden’s security, Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told Aftonbladet paper on […]

Brussels terror attacks: Last day of trial before jury deliberates

July 6, 2023 Maïthé Chini

(Brussels Times) Today (Thursday) is the last day of the Brussels terror attacks trial before the jury will deliberate whether the accused men are guilty and on what counts. In early December, the trial on the 2016 terror attacks at Brussels Airport […]

Quran burnings have Sweden torn between free speech and respecting minorities

July 5, 2023 Karl Ritter and Jan M. Olsen

(AP) A Quran burning and a string of requests to approve protests involving the destruction of more holy books have left Sweden torn between its commitment to free speech and its respect for religious minorities. The clash of fundamental principles has complicated […]

Manchester Arena bomb officer’s evidence under scrutiny again

July 5, 2023 Unlisted Author

(BBC) A file of evidence regarding a police officer’s comments in reviews of the Manchester Arena bomb is being passed to the Crown Prosecution Service. Ch Insp Dale Sexton was working in the control room for Greater Manchester Police on the night […]

Wakefield school apologises after serving non-halal meat labelled halal

July 5, 2023 Unlisted Author

(BBC) A primary school has apologised to parents and carers for serving non-halal meat that was labelled as halal. The principal of Outwood Primary Academy Greenhill in Wakefield said he discovered last week that not all the meat served to pupils in […]

The leaders of Italy and Poland say European Union should focus on stopping migration

July 5, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) The European Union should put a priority on stopping illegal migration instead of trying to persuade the 27 member nations to share responsibility for people who arrive without authorization, the prime ministers of Italy and Poland said Wednesday. Italy’s right-wing leader, […]

Birmingham brothers completed IS application forms, trial hears

July 5, 2023 Andy Giddings

(BBC) Two brothers filled in application forms to join the Islamic State group in Afghanistan, a trial has heard. Muhammad Abdul Haleem Heyder Khan, 21, and 18-year-old Muhammad Hamzah Heyder Khan both deny preparing for acts of terrorism. The prosecution at Birmingham […]

French senator sparks outcry with ‘ethnic’ riot comments

July 5, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) One of the most senior figures in France’s mainstream right-wing party was accused of “crass racism” on Wednesday after claiming that immigrant-origin people who took part in riots over the past week had undergone “a regression to their ethnic roots.” Bruno […]

Manchester Arena bombing inquiry: Chairman raises concerns about slow uptake of recommendations to monitor security services Chairman Sir John Saunders has suggested ways to track the progress of MI5 and Counter Terrorism Policing including an unpaid check-up meeting by his inquiry team.

July 4, 2023 Duncan Gardham

(Sky News) There is no mechanism to make sure improvements have been made by MI5 after they made “mistakes” over the Manchester Arena bombing, the chairman of the inquiry has said. Sir John Saunders said there is no agreement on how to […]

Turkey says Quran burning in Sweden raises questions about its reliability as a possible NATO member

July 4, 2023 Suzan Fraser

(AP) Turkey’s foreign minister said Tuesday that Swedish authorities’ failure to prevent Quran-burning protests in their country is raising security concerns and questions about Sweden’s credentials for possible NATO membership. But Hakan Fidan said Turkey would still approve Sweden’s membership in the […]

Dutch man to appear in court over Koran protest

July 4, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) A Dutch man will appear in court on insult charges after tearing up a Koran outside parliament and likening Islam’s holy book to Hitler’s “Mein Kampf,” prosecutors said Tuesday. Edwin Wagensveld, 54, who heads the Netherlands’s chapter of the German anti-Islam […]

France repatriates 10 women, 25 children from Syria camps

July 4, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) France on Tuesday repatriated 10 women and 25 children being held in prison camps for suspected jihadists in northeast Syria, the latest return of citizens amid international pressure to bring back all detained nationals. It was the fourth repatriation operation over […]

VOX leader hints ‘anti-EU’ Muslims fuel French riots

July 3, 2023 Fernando Heller, Sarantis Michalopoulos and Théo Bourgery-Gonse

(Euractiv) The leader of the far-right party VOX, Santiago Abascal, indirectly accused radical Muslims living in the European Union of fuelling and masterminding recent rioting and looting in France. The French authorities are still on alert in Paris, although the sixth night […]