European Union

Demonstrations

Police in Berlin ban pro-Palestinian New Year rally Authorities in Berlin have said the planned pro-Palestinian rally would carry a risk of 'crimes,' including displays of antisemitism and glorification of violence.

December 30, 2023   

(Deutsche Welle) Berlin police announced on Saturday that a pro-Palestinian rally scheduled for New Year’s Eve in Berlin’s Neukölln district should not take place. Officials said the decision had been taken because of an imminent danger “that the gathering will result in […]

News: Europe

‘Threat-board flashes red’ over Gaza radicalisation spilling into Europe Continued Israeli military operation is driving more people into the arms of extremists, experts tell the National

December 22, 2023   

(National-UAE) Widespread terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists in Europe are a genuine prospect as a result of the mounting deaths in Gaza, security analysts have told the National. While increased state surveillance has made it difficult to mount spectacular attacks such as […]

Law Enforcement

German police raid pro-Palestinian feminist group The raids were part of a probe into allegations that members of the group Zora were using emblems of the PFLP, which Israel, the EU and the US have designated a terrorist organization.

December 20, 2023   

(Deutsche Welle) Police in Berlin, Germany’s capital, conducted on Wednesday a raid targeting members of a pro-Palestinian, left-wing feminist group, German media reported. The Zora group is accused of backing the radical, left-wing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The European […]

Law Enforcement

Cage director banned from entering Switzerland to address meeting at UN Muhammad Rabbani held overnight after being stopped at Geneva Airport in latest incident which he says is a consequence of France adding his name to a European no-entry database

December 13, 2023   

(Middle East Eye) Border authorities in Switzerland have stopped the director of a UK-based human rights group from entering the country to address a meeting at the United Nations office in Geneva “after a request from France.” Posting on social media on […]

Government & Politics

Germany’s CDU redefines stance on Islam in new manifesto Under Friedrich Merz, Germany's Christian Democratic Union is revising its manifesto, sparking controversy with its new stance on Islam and migration. The party's new direction marks a departure from the Merkel era.

December 12, 2023   

(Deutsche Welle) The new color scheme a few months back was only a cosmetic step. Now, Germany’s center-right Christian Democrats are going under the hood. For the first time since 2007, the party that ruled Germany for most of the republic’s young […]

Academics & Education

Sweden shuts down publicly funded school over jihad links The shutdown comes amid a longstanding debate on scrapping all faith-based schools in Sweden.

December 7, 2023   

(European Conservative) Swedish authorities have shut down a school in Stockholm after the Swedish security police Säpo produced evidence that the students attending the school were at risk of becoming radicalised as several staff members have ties to jihadism. The Swedish Schools […]

Citizenship

Germany: CDU fears Islamist bloc as millions of Turkish migrants to be granted voting rights Progressive plans to naturalise millions of migrants, many of them Turkish, [are] unsettling German conservatives as Turkey continues its collision course with the West.

December 7, 2023   

(European Conservative) New German citizenship laws that expand voting rights to up to 2.5 million recent migrants are unnerving even the usually complacent CDU, with one conservative lawmaker airing fears that the new arrangement could enable a potential Islamist bloc to attain […]

Children & Teens

ISIS propaganda seducing ‘new generation of teenagers’: French domestic intel Security chief warns Islamist ideology is likely to exist for a very long time to come.

December 6, 2023   

(Politico) A new generation of French teenagers is being wooed by the Islamic State terrorist group — infamous for its on-camera immolations of captives in Iraq — and seems ominously susceptible to the group’s propaganda, according to the head of France’s DGSI […]

Interfaith

Germany on guard against terrorism Against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war and one-off attacks closer to home, German authorities are confronting a 'complex threat situation.' Some observers warn against exaggerating the danger.

December 5, 2023   

(Deutsche Welle) A handful of isolated but high-profile incidents have put politically motivated crime high on Germany’s security agenda. The renewed fears follow a German tourist getting stabbed to death in Paris last weekend, allegedly by a man with a history of criminal […]

Demonstrations

MOT: Russia planned Islamophobic campaigns in Finland, Sweden to delay Nato membership The Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) confirms that they were aware of the Russian intelligence service's plans to incite such demonstrations.

December 4, 2023   

(Yle) Russia made plans to disrupt Finland and Sweden’s accession to joining Nato, according to a secret intelligence report obtained by an Yle MOT investigation. The report found that a Russian intelligence service planned to organise disruption campaigns disguised as demonstrations before […]

Government & Politics

More EU countries threaten to close Russian borders amid migrant surge Latvia and Lithuania say they are monitoring the situation, after Finland accused Moscow of ‘cynical’ actions.

December 4, 2023   

(Politico) A growing number of asylum seekers arriving on the EU’s eastern frontier is forcing Baltic countries to consider border closures with Russia, due to fears the Kremlin is weaponizing desperate people to create a migration crisis on the continent. Latvia, Lithuania […]

Demonstrations

‘Clash of civilizations’ looms over EU elections Far-right parties are cashing in on decades of campaigning against Islam and migration, as they move to the center ground.

December 1, 2023 and   

(Politico) Geert Wilders may be just the tip of the iceberg. Following the anti-Islam politician’s shock election win in the Netherlands, European elites are nervously scanning the political landscape for signs of what’s to come — including further surprise wins from far-right […]

Government & Politics

German intelligence warns of heightened terror risk Germany's domestic intelligence agency says the danger of a terror attack in the country is 'higher than it has been for a long time.' It cited the October 7 Hamas attacks and the subsequent Israel-Hamas war as factors.

November 29, 2023   

(Deutsche Welle) Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the [Constitution] (BfV) on Wednesday said the danger of an Islamist terror attack on German soil had significantly increased. The agency said the raised risk of attacks against the Jewish community or “the […]

Clothing

It’s OK to ban wearing religious symbols at work, EU top court rules A public administration may prohibit staff from wearing items such as an Islamic headscarf, CJEU says.

November 28, 2023   

(Politico) The EU’s top court on Tuesday ruled that a public administration may ban staff from visibly wearing any sign which reveals philosophical or religious beliefs, in order to create a “neutral administrative environment.” “Such a rule is not discriminatory if it […]

Government & Politics

Far-right leader’s anti-mosque remarks could undermine Sweden’s NATO bid: former Swedish envoy Jimmie Akesson's suggestion to demolish mosques is extreme, unfortunate, says Michael Sahlin, Sweden's former ambassador to Türkiye

November 26, 2023   

(Anadolu) A far-right Swedish politician proposing blocking new mosques and demolishing existing ones could undermine the country’s NATO hopes, warned a former Swedish diplomat on Sunday. Jimmie Akesson, leader of the country’s far-right Sweden Democrats, on Saturday proposed a ban on the […]

Interfaith

German police raid suspected Hamas and Samidoun properties Berlin had banned activities related to Hamas — a designated terrorist group — and the international pro-Palestinian network Samidoun at the beginning of November.

November 23, 2023   

(Deutsche Welle) The German Interior Ministry on Thursday said police had conducted raids on properties in four federal states connected to suspected Hamas and Samidoun members. Germany, along with the US, the EU and others, has designated Hamas a terrorist organization. Samidoun […]

Government & Politics

Dutch election: Far-right surge gives Geert Wilders late boost One poll puts the anti-Islam euroskeptic in joint first place ahead of Wednesday’s knife-edge vote.

November 21, 2023   

(Politico) A sudden surge in support for far-right firebrand Geert Wilders has electrified the Dutch election as the campaign enters its final hours. Wilders’ anti-Islam and anti-EU Freedom Party (PVV) has been buoyed by last-minute gains, with one poll even putting the […]

Crime

Maryland hate crimes commission member under fire for pro-Hamas posts Zainab Chaudry, the Maryland director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, took to Facebook to call Hamas terrorists ‘freedom fighters’ and compare Israel to Nazi Germany

November 20, 2023   

(Jewish Insider) When Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced the inaugural members of the state’s Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention in August, he said Maryland residents “deserve a safe and inclusive state” and pledged to develop strategies to address hate […]

Government & Politics

Attempted murder of right-wing Spanish politician being investigated as ‘terrorist’ incident Alejo Vidal-Quadras, former head of Spain’s Popular Party in Catalonia and former vice president of the European Parliament, was shot in the face last week in Madrid.

November 13, 2023   

(Politico) Spain’s National Court (Audience Nacional) is investigating the attempted assassination of right-wing politician Alejo Vidal-Quadras as a potential terrorist case, Spanish media reported on Monday. Vidal-Quadras, former head of Spain’s Popular Party in Catalonia and former vice president of the European […]

Government & Politics

Belgium’s terror attack blunders tarnish its upcoming EU presidency Tunisia reveals that it had previously requested the extradition of gunman Abdesalem Lassoued — but that a prosecutor allowed the request to collect dust.

October 29, 2023   

(Politico) Belgium had big plans for its upcoming Council presidency. But its handling of the October 16 shooting spree by Tunisian gunman Abdesalem Lassoued, which left two Swedish football supporters dead, has since led to a series of embarrassing revelations. Lassoued was […]