Dialog International

"Putin TV" Seeks to Undermine Democracy in Germany

Russian disinformation on American social media was critical in the 2016 election of Donald Trump.  It tried but did not succeed in the 2020 election, but still fomented political polarization and racial discord through tens of thousand fake Facebook and Instagram accounts. 

In this morning's newsletter, Gabor Steingart writes about Putin's ambitious media plans for the German market:

"Der russische Präsident will – ermuntert durch die Erfolge seiner verdeckten Medienarbeit in den USA – nun auch ganz offiziell auf dem deutschen Marktplatz der Meinungen seinen Stand eröffnen. Noch in diesem Jahr plant der Kremlherrscher, einen eigenen Fernsehkanal in Deutschland zu starten. Hier sind die vier Fakten, die jeder dazu kennen sollte:

1. Ausgangspunkt der Putin’schen Pläne ist der vom russischen Staat 2005 gegründete und finanzierte Auslandsfernsehsender RT, der bis 2009 Russia Today hieß. Das Ziel von RT ist es, dem Publikum die ‚russische Sichtweise‛ auf das internationale Geschehen vorzustellen und ein Gegengewicht zu ‚westlichen Medien‛ zu bilden. Nach eigenen Angaben wird RT in mehr als 100 Ländern weltweit von rund 664 Millionen Menschen gesehen.
2. Bis Ende dieses Jahres soll das im November 2014 gegründete deutschsprachige Internetangebot RT Deutsch, das bis jetzt ausschließlich online bereitsteht und zusätzlich einen YouTube-Kanal betreibt, zu einem eigenen Fernsehsender ausgebaut werden: Für den „modernen und dynamischen TV-Sender“ (RT Eigenwerbung) sollen nach eigenen Angaben 200 neue Mitarbeiter eingestellt werden: Redaktionsleiter, Redakteure, IT-Administratoren, Moderatoren, Korrespondenten, Kameraleute und auch PR-Fachkräfte.

"RT DE, wie das Portal nun heißt, ist auf dem Studiogelände in Berlin Adlershof angesiedelt, wo auch die Talkshow von Anne Will produziert wird.

No doubt "Putin TV" will find many enthusiastic viewers among the "Putin-Versteher" in the far-right AfD and far-left DieLINKE parties. 

Ken Jebsen Must Be Banned From YouTube

I strongly support the First Amendment and freedom of speech.  But spreading false information on social media that potentially endangers the safety of the public violates this basic freedom.  Ken Jebsen has been spreading conspiracy theories for years on his KenFM YouTube channel.  Most of this is the usual drivel about how the CIA and Mossad (or Israel) are the root of all evil in the world (Jebsen stated once that the Holocaust was a public relations stunt).  The content was dumb but basically harmless - much of it was a regurgitation of conspiracies promoted on the Russian propaganda outlet RT Deutsch. 

But recently Jebsen's profile in Germany has been enhanced by the coronavirus pandemic and the containment/prevention policies of testing, social distancing and contact tracing implemented by public health officials and Chancellor Angela Merkel.  Jebsen promotes the conspiracy theory that the pandemic is a giant hoax concocted by Bill Gates - who "owns" the World Health Organization as well as the entire media and political establishment of Germany. Jebsen has "proof" that Gate's intention is to further enrich himself by producing an unsafe vaccine and then forcibly injecting it into all Germans through an "Impfpflicht" (mandatory vaccine).  Also, Gates is behind the requirement to wear protective face masks in order to inspire fear in the population. The coronavirus, Jebsen insists, is no more dangerous or deadly than the seasonal flu. These "theories"  are of course totally preposterous and should just be ignored - except that hundreds of thousands of Germans seem believe there is some truth to this conspiracy.  Jebsen outlined his "theory" in a video - Gates kapert Deutschland ("Gates is hijacking Germany"), which has been viewed over 3 million times. Last weekend there were large "resistance" demonstrations in Berlin, Stuttgart, and elsewhere where demonstrators carried banners and placards attacking Gates and the chancellor.  The danger is that these demonstrators - who refuse to wear masks or adhere to social distancing - are risking infections of themselves or people they come into contact with.  The longer-term danger is that when an effective vaccine does become available  a large segment of the population will refuse to get vaccinated because they follow Jebsen, RT Deutsch, and other conspiracy outlets. 

I have contacted YouTube, Google, and the YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki about blocking KenFM on the platform.  In a recent interview Wojcicki spoke about YouTube's policy concerning false information pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic: 

YouTube Susan Wojcicki has suggested that the video platform will remove content that contradicts the World Health Organization's advice on COVID-19.In an interview with CNN published Sunday, Wojcicki said YouTube would be "removing information that is problematic" including "anything that is medically unsubstantiated."For example, she said, content that claimed vitamin C or turmeric would cure people of COVID-19 would be "a violation of our policy" and removed accordingly.She continued: "Anything that goes against WHO recommendations would be a violation of our policy and so remove is another really important part of our policy." Wojcicki acknowledged that YouTube had had to quickly update its policies in response to the virus, and the accompanying spread of misinformation.

Clearly Ken Jebsen - through his KenFM YouTube channel (half a million subscribers) is spreading false and dangerous misinformation and should be immediately removed from the platform.

Covid-19: Let the Conspiracy Theories Begin

As the scope of the coronavirus pandemic became apparent, it didn't take long for conspiracy theories to begin circulating.  As is customary in Germany, the United States plays a prominent role in many of these theories.  The Hamburg politician Mehmet Yildiz - a prominent member of the Left Party (Die LINKE)- stated recently at a public forum that the virus was "developed in a laboratory", presumably by the US military, as a "weapon of war" to attack America's political rivals China and Iran:

„Die USA haben unter dem Vorwand des Schützens der Menschenrechte, der Bekämpfung des Terrorismus oder dem Akteuren wie der syrischen Regierung ohne Beweise zugeschriebenen Einsatz von Chemiewaffen Kriege gegen andere Länder begonnen aber sie werden China keinen Krieg erklären. Aufgrund dieses Virus wurde nun jedoch die chinesische Wirtschaft empfindlich getroffen. Iran und Italien, die nach China die meisten Infektionen haben, sind ebenfalls erklärte Feindbilder der USA (Iran) oder einer der größten Handelspartner Chinas (Italien)."

On the far-right, Compact Magazin, published a similar theory about the origins of the corona virus where again the US is the bogeyman:

„Mehrere Forschungsgruppen haben berechnet, dass sich das Virus etwa Mitte November 2019 auszubreiten begann – was die These unterstützt, dass die Ausbreitung vor den mit dem Markt verbundenen Fällen stattgefunden haben könnte.“ Es könnte, so Zhao, zu diesem früheren Zeitpunkt durch US-Athleten eingeschleppt worden sein, die im Oktober an den Internationalen Militärspielen (Military Games) in Wuhan teilnahmen. Die US-Sportler ihrerseits hätten sich zuvor an einem „amerikanischen“ Coronavirus angesteckt, der aus dem Biowaffenlabor auf dem US-Militärstützpunkt in Fort Detrick entwichen sei. Tatsächlich hatte das US-Seuchenamt CDC Detrick im August 2019 geschlossen."

Did these proponents. of the "American Virus" come up with this conspiracy theory on their own?  No, it was spread by a "reliable source>" 

"Laut einem aktuellen EU-Papier soll Russland aktuell eine „bedeutende Desinformationskampagne“ gegen den Westen gestartet haben. Demnach sollen Fake News in Englisch, Spanisch, Italienisch, Deutsch und Französisch verbreitet werden, damit es den Staaten der EU schwerer fällt, ihre Reaktion auf die Corona-Pandemie zu kommunizieren. Russland wolle „Panik erzeugen“, „Misstrauen säen“ und „die Auswirkungen des Coronavirus verschlimmern“, wie die Nachrichtenagentur Reuters aus dem EU-Papier zitiert. „Das übergeordnete Ziel der Desinformationsstrategie des Kreml ist eine Verschärfung der Krise der öffentlichen Gesundheit in westlichen Ländern“, heißt es in dem neunseitigen Papier."

Funny how the far left and far right both embrace Putin and his propaganda network. 

Der Spiegel's Fake Journalist Reinforced Ugly Anti-American Stereotypes

In early 2017 Der Spiegel sent its star journalist Claas Relotius to a small town in rural Minnesota that had voted for Donald Trump in he 2016 presidential election.  Claas would stay for a month so that he could interview as many residents as possible and write a definitive piece on what makes these Trump supporters tick. 

An einem Dienstagmorgen im Januar, vier Tage nachdem Donald Trump als Präsident der Vereinigten Staaten vereidigt worden ist, steht neben dem Willkommensschild am Ortseingang noch ein zweites Schild, halb so hoch, aber kaum zu übersehen. Jemand muss es in der Dunkelheit aufgestellt haben. Auf diesem Schild, aus dickem Holz in den gefrorenen Boden getrieben, steht in großen, aufgemalten Buchstaben: "Mexicans Keep Out" - Mexikaner, bleibt weg.

Aha! Evidence of the racist undercurrents in this lily-white town.  Problem was, there was no such sign "Mexicans Keep Out".  Relotius had simply fabricated it.  In fact nearly everything in the 7,000 word piece was fabricated.  But the image fit the stereotype of the ignorant racists in rural America.

In the long piece "In einer kleinen Stadt" the townspeople literally worship their idol Donald Trump:

Der Gottesdienst beginnt mit einem Gebet für den Präsidenten. "Herr", predigt der Pastor, ein Mann in grauer Strickjacke, "beschütze unseren Bruder Donald, stehe ihm bei, und lass ihn Amerika beschützen, verleih ihm Stärke, und lass ihn unser Anführer und Hirte sein." Die Menschen in der Kirche schließen die Augen, sie falten die Hände.

That sermon never happened.  Neither did the cowboy-themed festival, nor the Super Bowl party, nor the high school field trip to New York City mentioned in the article.  None of this ever happened. 

The long piece is filled with vivid portraits of Fergus Falls residents.  One recurring citizen is "Neil Becker", whose hands are blackened from the coal dust from the power plant where he has toiled for many years:

Neil Becker ist 57 Jahre alt, verheiratet, ein Mensch mit tiefer Stimme und einem Gesicht, in dem selten Fragen zu finden sind. Er ist kein Farmer, er arbeitet nebenan im Kohlekraftwerk, seine Hände sind immer schwarz davon. Er sagt, dass sie am Flughafen in Washington einen Muslim, einen Jungen, der war erst fünf Jahre alt, verhaftet hätten. Dass die paar Mexikaner, die er kenne, "anständige Menschen" seien. Er schlägt dabei mit seiner schwarzen Hand auf den Tisch.

Problem is, the accompanying image of "Neil Becker" is actually photo of Doug Becker, who works for UPS and has run the Fergus Falls Fitness Center for years.  But this is the modus operandi of Claas Relotius:  include photographs of residents to lend an authentic flavor to the piece and then fabricate stories about each one of them. 

No doubt Relotius thought the townspeople of Fergus Falls were too dumb to actually follow up and read his piece - published in a foreign language in a magazine published in a distant land.  After all, the people depicted in his article are virtually illiterate  dumme Amis. But, unfortunately for Relotius,  some of the good citizens of Fergus Falls did follow up.  Two residents - Michele Anderson and Jake Krohn - dissected the long article paragraph by paragraph and exposed the massive deception: Der Spiegel journalist messed with the wrong small town.

As Anderson and Krohn point out, Rolotius' journalistic fraud has caused hurtful, lasting damage for the people of Fergus Falls:

Unfortunately now, even if it is in German, there is false historical documentation of our community that is not only completely wrong, but that our faces, our landscapes and our community’s name were used for, in service of perpetuating an ugly and exaggerated stereotype during a time when we, in both urban and rural places, need to find ways to understand each other more than to be divided.

And the sad fact is, a real journalist could have written a compelling and fascinating story about the real residents of Fergus Falls and the real and complex challenges they - along with much of rural America - face:

This is just a hunch, but it seems to me that Relotius’ overseas readers might appreciate knowing that small American towns are more complex than they imagine — that die-hard liberals like me can still magically live alongside conservative Republicans — that sometimes we even find some common ground and share a meal together, and take the time to try to understand each other’s viewpoints. You see, we’re definitely not perfect here in Fergus Falls, and many of us feel a lot of responsibility right now, considering that our friends, family and neighbors voted against their own interests in 2016. But we also know how it feels to be ignored in policy and media for decades only to be lectured by ignorant articles such as this after so much silence about our challenges.

Typology of the German News Media

This is timely in light of all the discussion about Fake News and the "Lügenpresse". Dr. Sandra Busch-Janser of the Think Tank Polisphere has put together this helpful InfoGraphic to show where the various news outlets - both print and online - stand in terms of reliable, serious journalism and their political perspective.  For the most part, I agree with this graphic.  I personally like to read articles from both the left-liberal and conservative viewpoints, and therefore try to read Die Zeit, FAZ, NZZ, and Tagesspiegel, where I find both good reporting and thoughtful opinion pieces.   But I often find good and thought-provoking articles in diverse outlets such as der Freitag and Cicero. 

In any event, the Free Press is still alive and well in Germany - despite the best efforts of the Kremlin and legion of Conspiracy Theorists and Fake News outlets.  I very much appreciate the hard work and dedication of the reporters/journalists and publishers. Our freedom and democracy depends on them.

(Click on the image to enlarge).

Soros Conspiracy Theories Dominate German Far-Right and Far-Left

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has an excellent article on the Kopp Verlag - the anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi media company that is an important source of conspiracy theories and Fake News in Germany through its numerous books and Web site.  A favorite target of the publisher and its cadre of writers is George Soros - who acts as a proxy for  the Weltjudentum ("world Jewry).  The article mentions the anti-Semitic writer Peter Orzechowski, who often writes about Soros:

Peter Orzechowski (referiert) über einen Lieblingsfeind der antisemitischen Rechten, den Finanzinvestor George Soros. .. Die Nato und die EU seien „bösartige Organisationen“, die von den Vereinigten Staaten eingerichtet worden seien. Es sei kein Zufall, dass seit dem unkontrollierten Flüchtlingszustrom kein Versuch zur Friedensstiftung mit dem „demokratischen Staatschef Assad“ gemacht worden sei, die Amerikaner wollten die Weltherrschaft und die Scheichs in Saudi-Arabien die Islamisierung Europas. Orzechowski spricht dann über die „Agenda des Volksaustausches“, die hinter der Flüchtlingskrise stehe. Verantwortlich sei ein Mann wie George Soros mit seinen Stiftungen. „Wir müssen nichts phantasieren, wir müssen nur schauen, was diese Herrschaften wollen.“ Orzechowski erwähnt mit keiner Silbe, dass Soros aus einer jüdischen Familie aus Ungarn stammt, aber in seinem Referat ist Soros Inbegriff des bösen, kapitalistischen Juden, der im Hintergrund die Fäden zieht und angeblich Interesse daran hat, Europa durch die Aufnahme von Migranten zu schwächen und politisch zum Einsturz zu bringen. „Unsere Politiker sind gekauft, wir glauben immer noch, dass die für uns kämpfen, das können Sie vergessen“, sagt Orzechowski. Weil Soros an einer Firma beteiligt sein soll, die Wahlautomaten produziert, unterstellt ihm der Redner letztlich sogar, für Wahlfälschungen mitverantwortlich zu sein. Der Staat werde von Großunternehmen und Geheimdiensten gesteuert.

("Peter Orzechowski lectures on the bogeyman of the anti-Semitic Right, the financier George Soros.  NATO and the EU are "evil orgnizations" that were created by the US. It is no coincidence that since refugees began streaming into Europe there has been no attempt to reach a peace settlement with the "democratic head of state Assad": the US wants global dominance while the Saudi sheiks seek the Islamization of Europe.  Orzechowski then speaks about the "Volks-Replacement" that is behind the refugee crisis.  The man responsible for this is George Soros and his foundations. "We don't need to fantasize, we simply just have to watch what these overlords want." Orzechowski doesn't mentin that Soros comes from a Jewish family in Hungary, but in his report Soros is the epitome of the evil, capitalist Jew, who secretly pulls the strings and whose mission is to weaken Europe - bringing it to collapse - by taking in the flood of immigrants. "Our politicians are all bought, but we still think they are fighting on our behalf - you can forget that," says Orzechowski. Since Soros has a financial stake in a company that manufactures voting machines, the speaker implies that he is behind massive voter fraud. The state is controlled by big corporations and the secret service (CIA).")

It is hardly surprising that Soros is a convenient target of the anti-Semitic Right in Germany.  But what about the Left? It turns out that Soros is equally hated by left-wing groups in Germany, mainly because he is seen as a obstacle to Putin and Russian expansionism. The left-wing Web site NachDenkSeiten blames Soros for everything from the refugee crisis, to the "fascist Putsch" in Kiev that expelled Putin's vassal Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych to Hilary Clinton's candidacy in the US.  Likewise the Fake News impresario Ken Jebsen - who once called the Holocaust a "publicity stunt" - blames Soros for most of the ills in Germany and the EU.  The anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist Paul Schreyer sees Soros acting in consort with the CIA to block Putin; the "Open Society" promoted by Soros is nothing more that a giant conspiracy to achieve global dominance by the Jews "Elite".  Schreyer has written extensively about the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks and promotes the theory that the planes were guided by "remote control" - rather than by the terrorists. Who was at the controls?  Schreyer doesn't say, but presumably it was Soros himself - or Mossad acting under Soros' commands.  Schreyer is a frequent contributor at the Fake News site NachDenkSeiten.

Sahra Wagenknecht attacks Western media on Putin's RT propaganda channel

After the Kremlin successfully hacked the US elections and put Donald Trump in the White House, Putin is now turning his sights on Germany and its upcoming 2017 elections.  His task in Germany is made much easier since he has the support of a number of "helpers"  - such as Sahra Wagenknecht , the leader of the opposition party Die Linke.  In a remarkable interview this week on the Russian propaganda channel RT, Frau Wagenknecht attacked the German chancellor Angela Merkel, NATO, and, of course, her favorite target the United States.  But she also claimed that German media outlets are controlled by the US:

SS: The EU Parliament adopted a resolution aimed at countering Russian propaganda. In this resolution it says that RT is trying to ‘divide Europe’. Will Russian media be muffled in Europe? And why is an alternative point of view considered as a threat?

SW: Well, this issue is worth discussing. Of course, media are under pressure. There’s evidence that the U.S. exert influence on European media. For instance, there are journalists – including German journalists – who have close ties with the U.S. But nobody has ever discussed this or criticised them. So I don’t think it’s appropriate to say that the Russian media have problems, since the American influence on the media has never raised any questions.

Naturally, various media co-operate with different parties. But democracy requires media pluralism; there shouldn’t be any dominant sides. I, personally, believe that the real problem is that Germany’s media is controlled by a small group of people and that private publishing houses belong to billionaires who put pressure on the media to meet their private interests. The real problem is that media pluralism is weakening, there are more and more newspapers controlled by small groups of people. Something should be done in this respect. I’m talking not only about Germany but about other European countries as well.

SS: Sahra, but I’m worried about the fate of our channel - RT. Why is an alternative point of view considered as a threat?

SW: Well, what can I say? This channel, naturally, has its own agenda like other pluralistic media. But I believe you can hardly say that your channel is trying to divide Europe. If I thought RT is able to divide Europe, I probably wouldn’t agree to be interviewed by your channel.

SS: But I still can’t believe this subject can be seriously discussed. You know, in that same resolution they condemn information warfare by  Islamic State and Al-Qaeda. Can Russian media be as dangerous as terrorist groups?

SW: Well, I think, it’s absurd to say that. We shouldn’t talk about pseudo-threats – we need to combat Islamic terror groups because we suffered terror attacks in Europe. So that’s what we should concentrate on.

By attacking the Western media on Putin's RT, Sahra Wagenknecht spits on the graves of Anna Politkovskaya, Ilyas Shurpayev,Yury Shebalkin,Konstantin Borovko,Leonid Etkind and scores of other journalists - all of whom were murdered by Putin's thugs for daring to report on the widespread corruption in Russia.  And, according to Freedom House, the situation for journalists has gotten much worse following the Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine: 

Physical assaults on journalists were reported in a range of Russian regions in 2014. Several reporters investigating the deaths of Russian soldiers in Ukraine were threatened and attacked. In August, Lev Shlosberg, a Pskov-based newspaper publisher and member of the opposition Yabloko party, suffered a serious assault that left him unconscious. Shlosberg said the attack was related to his paper’s investigation into the secret deployment of Russian troops from the Pskov region to eastern Ukraine.

I won't go into the dire position of journalists in Crimea following its "liberation" by Russian forces in 2014.  Suffice it to say that all reporters critical of the situation in Crimea have been either beaten into silence or imprisoned.

 

 

 

Alt-Right Hate Site Breitbart News Coming to Germany?

One of the more disturbing developments of the current presidential campaign has been the total destruction of mainstream conservatism by the "Alt-Right Movement."  Never heard of Alt-Right?  Most Americans haven't either, but it has taken over the Republican Party and has as its champion Donald Trump. And the Alt-Right Movement has its own media group that broadcasts its hateful ideology to millions of Americans. Breitbart News has become the go-to site for followers of the Alt-Right movement as well as the unofficial site for the presidential campaign of Donald Trump.  Breitbart News has become a social media juggernaut, drawing more than 18 million visitors to its Web site last month.  Its chairman - Stephen K. Bannon - was picked last month by Trump to become CEO of his campaign.

Ben Shapiro, a former editor at Breitbart News explains the difference between Alt-Right and traditional conservatism:

Constitutional conservatives can’t stand the alt-right. Conservatives — real conservatives — believe that only a philosophy of limited government, God-given rights and personal responsibility can save the country. And that creed is not bound to race or ethnicity. Broad swaths of the alt-right, by contrast, believe in a creed-free, race-based nationalism, insisting, among other things, that birth on American soil confers superiority. The alt-right sees limited-government constitutionalism as passé; it holds that only nationalist populism on the basis of shared tribal identity can save the country. It’s a movement shot through with racism and anti-Semitism.

But the owners of Breitbart News are not content with wrecking conservatism and  fomenting racism and antiSemitism in America.  Evidently they have their sights set on Europe:

Direkt nach der Präsidentschaftswahl kümmert sich „Breitbart News“ um Europa. „Wir schauen uns auf jeden Fall einige Plätze in Europa an“, sagte der „Breitbart“-Chefredakteur Alexander Marlow. Als mögliche Standorte gelten Brüssel, Paris, vielleicht auch Deutschland. Eine „Breitbart“-Ausgabe für Großbritannien gibt es schon, nun soll eine für Kontinentaleuropa folgen. Für Brüssel spricht, dass sich „Breitbart“ auf die EU einschießen will, in Frankreich würde das Portal auf die Gefolgschaft des Front National setzen. Sicher sein darf man, dass „Breitbart“ landet, wo nationalistische Strömungen zunehmen - welche Bannons Truppe dann noch weiter stärken wird.

("Right after the presidential election Breitbart News will turn its attention to Europe. "We're already looking at several places in Europe," says Breitbart editor-in-chief Alexander Marlow. Possible locations include Brussels, Paris and maybe Germany as well.  There is already a Breitbart edition for Great Britain, now one for the European continent is to follow. Brussels is attractive since Breitbart is looking forward to attacking the EU; it France is can attract the followers of the Front National.  In case, one can be certain that Breitbart will be present where ever nationalist movements are growing - which Bannons troop will only nurture further.")

This is one American import Germany doesn't need.  Yes, there are many similarities between the American Alt-Right movement and the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party as well as various neo-Nazi and Querfront groups.  But Germany already has its share of online hate portals such as Kopp-Online, KenFM, and Compact-Online  - it definitely does not need another. 

Jan Böhmermann and Freedom of Speech in Germany

Eleven months before the Pearl Harbor attack, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke to the nation about the Four Freedoms: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, Freedom from Fear.  Of the Four Freedoms, Freedom of Speech is the most important; Freedom of Worship is derivative, since with free speech we can insist God is Not Great.  Also, the state has limited capacity to ensure freedom from want and fear. 

Similarly, German Basic Law (Grundgesetz) guarantees freedom of expression (in Article 5): 

1) Jeder hat das Recht, seine Meinung in Wort, Schrift und Bild frei zu äußern und zu verbreiten und sich aus allgemein zugänglichen Quellen ungehindert zu unterrichten. Die Pressefreiheit und die Freiheit der Berichterstattung durch Rundfunk und Film werden gewährleistet. Eine Zensur findet nicht statt.

Now that basic freedom is under attack in Germany after the comedian Jan Böhmermann read a crude poem about the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on German public television: This incident has provoked an international crisis: 

TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan has all but crushed domestic criticism of his regime by taking over newspapers, jailing journalists, and bringing slander cases against more than 1,800 people, including children who make fun of him. Now he is attempting to export his repression by demanding that Germany prosecute a comedian who read an insulting poem about him on television. It’s a case that ought to produce nothing more than guffaws about Mr. Erdogan’s megalomaniacal delusions. Instead, alarmingly, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is at least pretending to take it seriously.

Unbelievably, there is an obscure law in the German Criminal Code which makes deliberate slander against a foreign head of state a crime punishable up to 5 years in prison.  Paragraph 103: 

(1) Wer ein ausländisches Staatsoberhaupt oder wer mit Beziehung auf ihre Stellung ein Mitglied einer ausländischen Regierung, das sich in amtlicher Eigenschaft im Inland aufhält, oder einen im Bundesgebiet beglaubigten Leiter einer ausländischen diplomatischen Vertretung beleidigt, wird mit Freiheitsstrafe bis zu drei Jahren oder mit Geldstrafe, im Falle der verleumderischen Beleidigung mit Freiheitsstrafe von drei Monaten bis zu fünf Jahren bestraft.

The crisis comes at a bad time for the chancellor, since she is now looking to Turkey as a buffer against the wave of migrants flooding into Germany.  However, freedom is non-negotiable:

We’d like to believe Ms. Merkel’s rejection of any prosecution of Mr. Böhmermann is a foregone conclusion. Even so, her waffling is likely to encourage Mr. Erdogan’s and other regimes — China’s comes quickly to mind — that are trying to suppress critical speech outside their borders as well as within. “The cornerstone of the constitution, freedom of expression, is non-negotiable,” Ms. Merkel had her spokesman say Monday. That should have been her only response.

Angela Merkel knows first-hand what it's like to live in a country without this basic freedom. Hopefully she -and the criminal court system - will do the right thing here and resist the interference of the petty tyrant in Ankara. 

Ken Jebsen in Aachen: "Germany must get out of NATO!"

I wasted nearly 45 minutes watching this video of Ken Jebsen's "presentation" in Aachen.  Rarely have I heard anything quite so incoherent - the man is a wannabe demagogue who jumps from one topic to another in staccato tempo without any evident rhyme or reason- punctuating each sentence with "Okay?"  Why he has such a large and growing following in Germany is a mystery to me.  His themes are certainly popular: America is evil. Capitalism is evil.  Israel is evil. The established media is evil.  And so on.... The entire presentation was a variation on these central themes.

What really made me depressed, however, is that the audience applauded everything Jebsen said.  And when he shouted "Deutschland  muss raus aus der NATO; und die NATO muss raus aus Deutschland!" there was prolonged applause.

(Note: this is just a "teaser" to Jebsen's presentation.  The presentation itself cannot be embedded, but you can view it here.

 

The event was organized by the Evangelische (Lutheran) Church (!).  Were they channeling Martin Luther's rabid anti-Semitism?

If you missed this presentation, you can still plan on attending Werner Rügemer's presentation in April on how (Jewish) Wall Street bankers started BOTH World War One and World War II:

"Herrscher und Vasallen
8. April 2016, 19 Uhr
Aachen, Haus der evangelischen Kirche
Hören Sie den Vortrag von Dr. Werner Rügemer, Publizist und Referent aus Köln, über die schrittweise Eroberung Europas seit dem ersten Weltkrieg."