The Toxicity of Amir Abdel Malik Ali and Abdul Alim Musa

Hat tip Memri TV and Deb

This article first appeared in Times of Israel Blogs

Amir Abdel Malik Ali speaking at UC Irvine

Oakland-based imam, Amir Abdel Malik Ali, who has made a career speaking at California universities, spreading his hate for Israel and Jews in general, spoke last September at UC Berkeley as a guest of the Muslim Student Association. As is his wont, his words were full of threats as he predicted that a new Muslim caliphate would be born, hopefully, according to him, in Gaza. His rant at UCB has been documented and reported by Memri TV. He even praised Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas, who was killed by Israel last year in the aftermath of the horrendous October 7, 2023 attack against innocent Israeli civilians and the resultant war between Israel and Hamas. 

Note the constant references to martyrdom spoken by Ali. That is a persistent theme in his speeches. He talks about Muslims fighting and dying for the cause of Islam and Palestine. Yet we don't see him going over to the Middle East to join the jihad. He preaches jihad and martyrdom from the comfort of his Oakland mosque and university lecture halls. In addition, he delights in calling various individuals "Zionist Jews", literally spitting out the words.

Note in the Memri TV report that Ali is a member of the As-Sabiqun group of Muslims, founded by another radical imam, Abdul Alim Musa, a real loon full of conspiracy theories and hate for America, Israel, and Jews. Almost 20 years ago by sheer accident, I happened to catch the tail end of a speech he was giving at UC Irvine  (where I was teaching at the time). After his speech concluded, I called him an idiot, and it was this experience that led me to become an activist standing up to Jew haters and America haters on our campus. Subsequently, I attended many speeches by Ali at UC Irvine and interacted with him both during and after the Q and A. 

Amir Abdel Malik Ali (r) and I at UC Irvine in December 2009

In spite of their relationship in As-Sabiqun, there is a vast difference between Musa and Ali. Musa is a complete buffoon, a clown, a court jester, if you will. You see it as soon as he opens his mouth. His original name was Clarence Reams. He came out of Arkansas and served prison time for drug trafficking after years on the run in places like Algeria. It was in prison that he converted to Islam so he could find new enemies to blame for his failed life. In addition, he is a supporter of the mullah regime in Iran. On one occasion, he was interviewed by Iran's Press TV. Watching the video, I had the impression that even his Iranian interviewers could tell he was a nutjob. 

Abdul Alim Musa (center)

Ali, on the other hand, is not a buffoon, though, like Musa, he believes in wild conspiracies. Ali is educated, having been student body president at San Francisco State University. His original name was Derek Gilliam, which was changed when he converted to Islam. He is a charismatic and captivating speaker, which makes him more dangerous. One-on-one, he lowers his tone and becomes more respectful. On one occasion at UC Irvine, his talk was centered around the need to avoid drugs. Yet, one of the reasons he gave was that Muslims needed to maintain their minds "for the struggle" (read jihad). I have often felt that he has wasted a sharp mind on a twisted cause. He is an anti-Semite, and I have told him that to his face. But he is no idiot, as is Ali.

The Muslim Student Association chapters (at UC Irvine, it is the Muslim Student Union) that have invited Ali and Musa to speak on their campuses have shown their true colors. Their styles are different, but their beliefs are the same. It has been years since I saw either one speak in person, but they are still around. It is sad to see how they poison the minds of young people to hate their own country, to hate Jews, to believe in some twisted version of martyrdom, enjoining others to join the jihad to destroy Israel and establish some sort of caliphate. On one occasion, while speaking at UC Irvine, Ali said something to his mostly-Muslim audience that I took away and have never forgotten.

"Islam is coming. Islam is coming."

I want to say this carefully because I am not advocating violence or deprivation of civil rights against anyone, especially innocent, peaceful Muslims. But I'm afraid Ali is right. We should take that seriously. It is something that we in the West must strongly resist, especially the hateful As-Sabiqun vision as expressed by Amir Abdel Malik Ali and Abdul Alim Musa.

Attack on Turning Point USA by Leftist Thugs at UC Davis

                               

The University of California at Davis has had its share of problems in recent years, much of it having to do with pro-Palestinian agitation, swastikas on buildings, and BDS resolutions by its student government. On April 3, Turning Point USA, the conservative organization established by Charlie Kirk, which focuses largely on campus free speech issues, set up an information table and tent on the UCD campus. Predictably, a group of leftist radical thugs-in masks, of course- descended on the TPUSA table and proceeded to rip things up as a handful of campus cops watched in amazement. TPUSA's own videos of the incident can be viewed here. and here. Not surprisingly, there were zero arrests.

Chancellor Gary May came out with a template statement, similar if not identical to statements made by so many other university presidents as their campuses are being ransacked. Zero tolerance, but zero arrests.  Here is the official campus statement. 

And here is how the campus newspaper, The Aggie, reported it, predictably attempting to stay neutral even though it was obvious who started things. Of course, campus newspapers never want to upset the little rascals. "Physical altercations".

Enough. It is time for the Trump administration to do what it has done with Harvard and a few other schools- halt federal funding to UCD.

France: Three Men Arrested for Suicide Terror Plot

Three young men, ages 19 to 24, have been arrested in France for plotting terror attacks with the use of suicide belts in the name of the Islamic State.

The article from Le Point below is translated by Fousesquawk.

Planned Kamikaze attack in the north: Three youths detained

A case has been opened by the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office. Two suspects have been detained, and a third has been placed under judicial supervision.

Lola Dhers for Le Point

Posted April 7, 2025 at 00:11

Caption: Ages 19 to 24, the three suspects were arrested by police of the  General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI).

It would be at least the second plan of Sunni jihadist-inspired violent action thwarted since the start of 2025 in France. Three men, ages 19 to 24, were arrested this week by police of the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) and placed in custody in the framework of a case opened by the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office (Pnat) for "criminal terrorist association", "possession of incendiary substances or product", and "explosives in relation to a terrorist enterprise", and "failure to report a crime", Le Parisien revealed Sunday, April 6.

Appearing before an anti-terrorist judge in Paris and charged this Sunday, the suspects are from Lille and Dunkirk. Two of them were placed in provisional detention, the third was released under judicial supervision. The police were reportedly alerted last week by a relative of one of the young men who feared the commission of an act because the suspects had shared their willingness to commit an attack in the name of the Islamic State organization on social media. Morad M., the youngest and the leader of the group, reportedly called for "the unbelievers to drown in their blood."

Several attack targets mentioned

According to Le Parisien and RTL (News), Morad M. was already known to territorial intelligence police but was not listed in the files of radicalized persons (FSPRT). He had already taken part in the network of videos supporting the perpetrators of attacks in France, such as Khamzat Azimov, a 20-year-old Chechen, who carried out the knife attack in the Opera quarter in 2018, and the Bataclan terrorists. 

During the search of his residence, the investigators reportedly found a homemade belt capable of holding explosive devices and which would be used in a kamikaze attack. The three men were also interested in the making of TATP on the Internet, an explosive popular with terrorists. A letter of allegiance to the Islamic State group, as well as attack targets, were also reportedly among the discoveries. Several targets were mentioned, according to RTL. Among them, a youth center in the north, a nightclub, and a site belonging to the Jewish community. 

*Update (April 9, 2025): From CNews (France), the below video is translated by Fousesquawk. (Hat tip RAIR Foundation USA, Vlad Tepes, and Gates of Vienna for subtitling.)

France: Muslim planned attack to make unbelievers drown in blood

0:00 / 0:00

15 seconds

15 seconds

Netherlands: Edwin Wagensveld (Pegida) Burns Koran in Amsterdam

Hat tip Gates of Vienna

Edwin Wagensveld, the leader of Pegida in the Netherlands, has burned another Koran, this time in front of the opera house (Stopera) in Amsterdam. Wagensveld, who has burned Korans on other occasions, was protected from counter-demonstrators by police, who had to remove some of the protesters by force.  Some protesters burned an Israeli flag and stuffed it into the mailbox of the Amsterdam city council.

The below article from Nieuwes.nl is translated by Fousesquawk.

Pegida leader burns Koran in front of Stopera (Opera House) in Amsterdam

April 3, 2025 at 16:52

Amsterdam (ANP): On Thursday, Pegida leader Edwin Wagensveld set fire to a Koran in the center of Amsterdam. He did so in front of the entrance to the Stopera, seen by an ANP reporter.

Wagensveld had announced the Islamophobic action on the Amstel (river) beforehand. Before Wagensveld burned the Koran in front of the Stopera, he said that his right to demonstrate was not guaranteed. The square in front of the Stopera was cordoned off by the police, who, among other things, were present with horses.

On Thursday afternoon, the police judge in Arnhem sentenced Wagensveld to 20 hours of community service and a one-week jail suspended sentence in another case. The judge found Wagensveld guilty of insulting the Islamic community in the Netherlands, insulting the Arnhem mayor, Ahmed Marcouch, and violating a ban on (him) entering Arnhem. In addition to community service, he must pay 500 euros to the violent crimes damages fund. 

University of Pennsylvania Problems Continue

Hat tip Philadelphia Jewish Exponent

Liz Magill

Remember in December 2023 when the president of the University of Pennsylvania, Liz Magill,  was forced to resign in the face of her disastrous testimony before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce? The reason she was called to testify in the first place was due to the recent disruptions and complaints of anti-Semitism at UPenn following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Previously, in November 2023, the Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights launched an investigation into complaints of anti-Semitism on the campus.

It appears that UPenn has failed to learn its lesson  In the spring of 2024, like many other campuses across the nation, UPenn was plagued by a pro-Hamas campus encampment. On May 10, 2024, Philadelphia police had to come onto the campus and take 33 "campers" away.

-WHYY/PBS

Most recently, on March 31, 2025, the University of Pennsylvania Hillel chapter hosted a talk by survivors of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Notwithstanding the solemn nature of that event, about 75 pro-Hamas protesters were outside with their bullhorns protesting the event. (Philadelphia Jewish Exponent)

-The Daily Pennsylvanian

Here is how the UPenn campus paper, the Daily Pennsylvanian (DP), reported it. In addition, DP has posted a short video here. Notice in the video that someone is holding a banner stating that "Amerika (sic) is the head of the snake".In the former posting, I have picked out a couple of interesting paragraphs that speak volumes about the nature of these protests:

"A few individuals in the protest formed upside down triangles — a symbol used by Hamas to indicate military targets — with their hands and directed them at the fraternity." 

“I'm happy because it shows where their true commitments stand: not to their students, but with Jewish fascism,” the individual said. “Let them hang an Israeli flag on top of College Hall … let them fly the flag of the oppressor.” (Emphasis mine)

As for the first paragraph, it appears that for these protesters, a Jewish Hillel site is a Hamas military target in their eyes. As to the second, note the use of the word Jewish, not Israeli, not Zionist, but Jewish. As to the Israeli flag, pro-Israel rallies in the US routinely feature Israeli flags and US flags side by side. On the other hand, pro-Palestinian flags feature only Palestinian flags, occasionally with flags from Arab nations. Rarely, if ever, will you see a US flag at a pro-Palestinian event. 

Here is more from Pennsylvania Post, an independent newspaper at the university..

Whatever one thinks of the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the war that ensued after the above horrendous attack against innocents, it should be remembered that campus Hillel sites are places for Jewish students to gather in religious fellowship and are there for the purpose of making Jewish life on campus more comfortable. In recent years, I have been critical of various Hillel chapters for their seeming unwillingness to stand up and fight back against pro-Palestinian aggression on various campuses. It should be noted that there are differences between one University Hillel chapter and another. In recent years, Hillel at the national level has wrestled with the question of whether to admit members who have divergent views on Israel.

All that aside, it strikes me as beyond obnoxious for people to take their anti-Israel protests to a Hillel site, especially an event involving the October 7 survivors. I say let the mourners mourn. But this is par for the course for pro-Palestinian (pro-Hamas) protesters. Across the nation, they routinely disrupt Jewish events on campuses. Anyone who dares speak in support of Israel can expect to be disrupted by these brown shirts. It's just what they do.

It must be noted that these pro-Hamas people are not shocked, saddened, or embarrassed by October 7 and the sheer butchery that occurred that day. They celebrate it. The statement below says it all.

"The speaker went on to describe October 7 as a moment of “revolutionary fire” that represented Gazan resistance and that there were people at Hillel “who are claiming to be victims of October 7”. The speaker noted that the State of Israel “will come to an end” and that Zionism cannot be grappled with, discussed, or negotiated with. The speech ended with the following assertions: “Long live the intifada! Long live the Palestinian resistance! And long live Al-Aqsa Flood!” The “Al-Aqsa Flood” is the term given to the October 7 attack by Hamas."

-Pennsylvania Post 

Brown University Reportedly to Be Hit With Withholding of Federal Funding

The Trump administration is reportedly going to halt federal grants to Brown University, a private Ivy League university in Rhode Island. The reasons are complaints of anti-Semitism on campus and Brown's DEI policies. The amount in question is reportedly 510 million dollars.

The University is steadfastly denying that the campus is hostile to Jews, instead arguing that Jewish life is "thriving" on campus (hat tip JNS).

Here is how the campus newspaper, the Brown Daily Herald, is reporting the news.

Setting aside the DEI issue, I would like to focus on the anti-Semitism part of this story. Contrary to what Brown administrators and the Chabad chapter at Brwon are claiming, Brown has been a problem for years when it comes to anti-Semitism on campus, so much so that I dubbed it "the Brown University", for reasons I explained in 2021 here. (I urge the reader to click the link to the Amcha Initiative database entry for Brown.) Three years after that posting, in 2024, Brown came under investigation  by the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights for complaints of anti-Semitism.

"From the river to the sea....."

The idea that Jewish life is thriving at Brown strikes me as absurd, given what has been going on there for years. It brings to mind the years I spent at UC Irvine (1998-2016) when certain Jewish leaders and organizations that should have known better were telling the public that Jewish life was "thriving" at UC Irvine. It was not then, and it is not now.

It is my hope that the Trump administration will follow through on the withholding of federal funds to Brown and make the decision final. As with Columbia and other universities that have been hit with this measure, it should not be settled by negotiations that would restore the funding. Any negotiations should be centered around future funding in exchange for real, not cosmetic reform. If the withheld funding is restored, the university will just go back to its old practices while instituting cosmetic changes that do not solve the problem. 

Taking away the money is the only message the universities will understand. For them, it is all about the money. There is no obligation for the American taxpayers to pay for these out-of-control; institutions, especially those, like Brown, which are private.

In addition, the administration must take a hard look at the funding universities are receiving from countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia and for what purposes those funds are spent.

The answer to campus anti-Semitism is not to be found in educational training programs, proclamations by university presidents,  or sensitivity training. Those are examples of what I mean by cosmetic changes. The problem will be solved when the perpetrators of campus anti-Semitism and unruly behavior are removed permanently from campus. It will only be found in banning organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine from campus-not suspended, but permanently banned. And this is not for their opinions about the Middle East conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. It is about violence, illegal encampments, occupations, and most of all, harassment and intimidation of Jewish students and disruptions of their events. 

Changing the culture of our universities is a mammoth task. Doing it by government fiat is a dangerous proposition in a democracy. But being a democracy does not require that corrupt universities that discriminate and refuse to protect their Jewish students be provided with hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.

Germany: Afghan on Trial for Throwing Paving Stones at First Responders

Hat tip Remix News (Hungary) and Gates of Vienna

Last August in Frankfurt, Germany, rescue workers were attending to a woman who had fainted on the street. While they were treating the woman, a 30-year-old Afghan male (not further identified) allegedly threw at least 3 paving stones at the rescue workers, narrowly missing the head of one of them. Arrested a short time later, the man is now facing trial for attempted serious bodily injury.

Yet another Afghan success story in Europe.

The article below from BILD is translated by Fousesquawk. 

Prosecutor assured 
Man (30) hurls paving stones at first responders

Caption: The man hurled paving stones with full force at Frankfurt first responder Michael Wehner and his colleagues
Frankfurt/Main- Another incredibly cowardly attack on rescue personnel. In Frankfurt, a man hurled three paving stones at rescue personnel, one barely missing the emergency paramedic Michael Wehner (46).
A 30-year-old Afghan was arrested by patrol officers shortly after the attack on August 7, 2024, and is in custody. Now the state prosecutor's office has filed charges. The charge: Suspicion of attack on rescue personnel with attempted dangerous bodily injury.
Senior State Prosecutor Dominik Mies to BILD: "Anyone who attacks rescue personnel must feel the entire weight of the law."
Caption: "A picture from the scene of the crime: Michael Wehner photographed one of the at least three stones that were thrown at the rescue personnel.
Stones thrown at rescuers
A look back: Altogether, there were 6 rescue workers on the bank of the Main River in the train station quarter of Frankfurt, (and) two were already treating a woman who had fainted. According to the charges, "without any discernible reason, the suspect allegedly took gravel stones weighing about 400 grams from an old railway track and threw them at the rescuers".
Out of the corner of his eye, Wehner saw a man with a hood and screamed at him to stop. But it got even worse! The Afghan allegedly then aimed and threw another stone with great force, "in which the stone hit and damaged the rescue wagon at the level of the witnesses' head," according to the prosecutor's office. 
The paramedic of the Worker-Paramedic-Federation (ASB):  "If it had hit our heads, my colleagues or I would have been at least seriously injured." The fragments could have caused a traumatic brain injury, in the worst case, fatal.
Increasing attacks against rescue personnel
The fact is: Violence against police, firemen, and rescue workers has been increasing for years. Every day, 54 police officers are injured through acts of violence.

Caption: Frankfurt chief prosecutor Dominik Mies
This is the sentence facing the stone thrower
Chief public prosecutor Dominik Mies: "An attack upon rescue personnel, while they are saving lives, is about the most contemptible thing one can imagine. Therefore, we are taking consistent action against such suspects."
The jurist continues: "The accused is facing a sentence of 6 months to 10 years." A trial date has not yet been set.
Rescue worker Michael Wehner: "Way too often, the perpetrators of such attacks (are treated) leniently or the investigations come to nothing. But what if, the next time, the stone-thrower has a knife and attacks us with it?"

Italy: Condemned Moroccan Calls Judges "Sh-- Racists"

-RAI

"Heigh ho, heigh ho,

It's off to jail I go".

Tarik El Ghaddassi, a Moroccan residing in Italy, was convicted on June 11, 2024, of murdering his wife, Ilaria, at their residence in Ancona province on the night of October 10-11, 2022. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. Now an appeals court has confirmed the conviction and sentence to the great indignation of the defendant. On his way out of the court, he yelled profanities at the judges and called them "racists".

-Il Giornale

The below article is translated from today; Il Giornale by Fousesquawk. 

"Racist, sh-- judge". Sentenced for the death of his wife, the Moroccan insults the (judge)

Tarik El Ghaddassi beat his wife to death before the eyes of his children, ages 4-7.

Francesca Galici 4 April 2025 14:42

Tarik El Ghaddassi, a Moroccan living in Italy, on the night of 10-11 October 2022, beat his wife  to death in Padiglione di Osimo in Ancona province. The appeals court confirmed his life sentence. For him, the charge of voluntary homicide, aggravated by cruelty, trivial motives, abuse in the presence of two children, minors aged 4-7 at the time of the incident, and committing a homicide during the period he was under house arrest. The appeals court confirmed all of the sentencing from the criminal court, (which was) issued last June 11, 2024. 

For the accused, the motive was reportedly jealousy, but El Ghaddassi's defense always denied the voluntary (nature) of the homicide, maintaining the theory of an argument and an accidental fall down the stairs on the part of the wife. The defendant admitted to having abused her, but not with the intention of killing her. For this reason, acquittal was requested, or as an alternative, conviction for manslaughter. The appeal to the court of cassation has already been announced, but at the moment of leaving the Ancona tribunal courtroom, which confirmed the conviction, the Moroccan gave vent to his anger, making serious accusations against the judges. "Racist, sh-- judges," El Ghaddassi shouted, implicitly maintaining that his conviction was the result of prejudice against him, coming from his foreign origin. The body of Ilaria was found in the bedroom, covered in bruises all over her body. El Ghaddassi stated that he was not aware of the gravity of what had happened until the following morning.

"We are happy with the sentence, but quite shaken from having to relive the tragedy over the course of the trial. There was a lot of tension in the hearing today, but he got what he deserves," said Daniele Maiorano, Ilaria's brother. "Nobody can give her back to us," said a former schoolmate and good friend of Ilaria.

The condemned man, who has been in jail since the day of the crime, will also have to pay compensatory damages of 400,000 euros to each child, 250,000 euros to Ilaria's mother,  Silvana Salvatore, and 165,000 euros to her brother, Daniele.

UW-Eau Claire: The (Departmental) Chair Flips Over a (College Republican) Table

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                 

Fox News is reporting today that the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire has placed a professor-the chair of the English Department, no less, Jose Felipe Alvergue, on administrative leave after he allegedly flipped over a College Republican's table on campus Tuesday. The Fox link is no longer available, but The College Fix has a report here.

Checking in the Spectator, the campus newspaper, I see no mention of this incident, but if it's a weekly paper, they may have it in their next edition. In the meantime, their opinion section has an interesting op-ed about unreported news. As I commented in the comment section, hopefully, this story will not go unreported in the Spectator. I would hate to think, after all, that the College Republicans are a "marginalized" group on campus.

Sweden: Father Sentenced to Life in Prison for "Honor Killing" of Daughter

(l-r) The brother, father, victim

Last May, an Afghan woman (22) was murdered by her family in a so-called "honor killing" in Sweden. Now her father and brother have been convicted and sentenced in a Swedish court. The father has been sentenced to life imprisonment, and the brother to 16 years.

The article below in today's Dagens Nyheter is translated by Fousesqwuawk.

Life in prison for honor killing in Lessebo

Updated 15:47  Posted 14:24

Lima Khan on the same day she was murdered. She had taken on a new name and was previously named Shahida. Photo: Police

22-year-old Lima Khan was strangled to death by her brother on the orders of the father. The body was afterward burned by a windbreak. The father, Azizu Rahman Azizi, has been sentenced to life in prison for honor killing, and the brother to 16 years in prison. The mother, however, who was also charged with the crime, was acquitted by the district court.

The district court believes that the prosecution "in a convincing manner" has shown that the motive for the murder was to restore the family's honor," which is considered an aggravating factor in judging the sentence.

Azizu Rahman Azizi is sentenced to life in prison, while the older brother, who was under the strong influence of his father, is sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Caption: Azizu Rahman Azizi gets life in prison. Photo: Police

Both will also pay 110,000 kronors each in damages to each of Lima Khan's siblings.

The 22-year-old lived under threat from her Afghan family, who tried to control her and limit what she could do and who she could associate with. She also accused her father of sexual abuse.

She married against her parents' wishes and was given a new identity and a new name, Lima Khan, instead of Shahida Azizi. But last spring, she was persuaded by the family to move back home.

Caption: Lima Khan's body was found badly burned in a windbreak. Photo: Police

The 23-year-old older brother confessed that he strangled his sister after the father "forced him". Both were in the car where the murder took place, and the mother was also at the scene. They were supposed to talk about Lima Khan's accusations against her father, but in reality, the father and the older brother had planned to kill her. 

During all questioning, Azizu Rahman Azizi denied involvement, while the older brother finally broke down and told what happened. The mother also finally told (what happened), but said that she did not know what would happen, and that she was beaten by her husband when she tried to help her daughter.

However, the district court found that the information from the son and wife were so supported by the technical evidence that it was "beyond reasonable doubt that the father participated in the murder in such a manner as he should be considered as the perpetrator," the Växjö District Court writes in a comment in the judgment.

Holocaust Denial: Why It Makes No Sense

This article first appeared in New English Review.

Former Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Hoess testifying at Nuremberg

 There have been polls recently that indicate that a growing percentage of the younger generation of Americans believes that the Holocaust was a myth or was greatly exaggerated.  Given the state of education in America and the resurgence of anti-Semitism, largely inspired by the pro-Palestinian movement, this might not seem surprising.

Even though it makes no sense whatsoever.

Aside from the photographic and film evidence gathered at concentration camp sites and the obvious question of where those 6 million people disappeared to, there are other points, which, all too often, are forgotten.

First of all, Germany has acknowledged it.

In the aftermath of the war, it is true that Germany was late in coming to terms with the Holocaust. In West Germany, the standard response was: "I was never a Nazi", or "We knew nothing about it". In the former East Germany, the standard position was that only West Germans were Nazis, which was ridiculous on its face. In the late 1960s, however, with youthful unrest that was sweeping the West, young Germans started asking hard questions to their parents' generation as to the Holocaust and other atrocities committed in the war. Added to the evidence that had previously been presented in the numerous war crimes trials, there was no option but for Germany to face it head-on. Since then, several generations of German youth have been fully taught in schools about what happened during the Nazi period. In addition, there was the much-publicized 1970 visit of then-Chancellor Willy Brandt to Warsaw, where he knelt before the Warsaw Ghetto monument.

German Chancellor Willy Brandt at Warsaw Ghetto monument

So, if the Holocaust was a myth or greatly exaggerated, why would Germany fully acknowledge its guilt? Why would Germany pay reparations to Jewish survivors?

Secondly, and more specifically, there were many major perpetrators who confessed to their participation in the mass murders of Jews. None other than Rudolph Hoess, who was the commandant of Auschwitz during a period of its maximum activity, confessed after being captured. He was brought to Nuremberg, where he testified in the first (and most famous-there were 13 in all) war crimes trial against the major defendants (Hermann Goering, etc). He fully described the process of gassing arriving Jews at the Birkenau extermination camp. In addition, during his captivity, Hoess put his confession into writing, which has become a book. The English edition is entitled: "Death dealer-The Memoirs of the SS Kommandant of Auschwitz, by Rudolph Hoess, Da Capo Press, 1996. Hoess was eventually transferred to Poland, where he stood trial, was convicted, and hanged at Auschwitz itself.

He was not the only one.

Paul Blobel was the commander of a unit that was part of Einsatzgruppe C, one of 4 such units that followed the Wehrmacht into the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa in 1941. Their task was to round up civilians, Jews, and partisans in occupied areas and murder them. Einsatzgruppe C  was active in Ukraine, and it was in Kiev that Blobel oversaw the infamous Babi Yar massacre of some 33,000 Jews in September 1941. Blobel was also active in disintering murdered civilians and burning their bodies to erase all evidence of the mass massacres as the Wehrmacht was retreating before advancing Soviet forces.

Paul Blobel being sentenced at Nuremberg

In 1947-48, Blobel and others stood trial in Nuremberg as part of the Einsatzgruppen trial. Without remorse, he described his actions, but only admitted to 10-15,000 deaths. The court found he was guilty of many more, possibly 60,000. In 1951, he was hanged at Landsberg Prison in Bavaria.  Here is a post-war deposition by Blobel from the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Israel.

Another defendant in that trial was Otto Ohlendorf, the commander of Einsatzgruppen D, which was mostly active in southern Ukraine, Romania, and Moldavia (Moldova). Prior to his own trial, Ohlendorf testified at the Nuremberg trial of the major war criminals on January 3, 1946. He described the orders his unit was operating under and his own role in the murder of 90,000 Jews and other civilians. His testimony can be read here. He was later convicted in the Einsatzgruppen trial and was hanged at Landsberg Prison in 1951.

Then there was Adolf Eichmann, who stood trial in Israel for his crimes in 1961, was convicted, and hanged the following year. He did not deny the Holocaust or his role. He was merely following orders. Here is his final plea to the court.

Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem

The Einsatzgruppen, like other units and death camps, were required to send detailed reports to their superiors in Berlin as to the numbers of Jews and other civilians killed. Many of these documents were recovered and used as evidence in the trials.

Karl Jaeger report (Einsatzgruppen)

German Federal Archives

Aside from the names above, there were others who admitted to their roles in the Holocaust, and there were other trials aside from the Nuremberg trials. Trials were held against war criminals in Dachau, and the British conducted their own trials in their zone of occupation, including the trial of female guards in various death camps (several of whom were hanged). However, I think the point has been made. In their book, Forgotten Trials of the Holocaust, Michael J. Bazyler and Frank M. Tuerkheimer (New York University Press 2014), make the point that in virtually all of the above trials conducted against Nazi war criminals after World War 2, virtually none of the defendants denied the Holocaust. Their various defenses were that they were following orders, were innocent, or had no knowledge of the events, let alone participation. But none of them tried to make the case that the Holocaust was a lie or did not happen. 

Yet today, there are people who deny the Holocaust. How can they be so ignorant? There are several reasons; hatred of Jews, Israel, or both, being indoctrinated, and the lamentable fact that this history is no longer receiving the attention it deserves in our schools and universities, especially at a time when it is more relevant than ever. With the passage of time and the passing of the people who were either victims, perpetrators, or witnesses, the first-hand accounts are silenced. The field is increasingly left open to the propagandists, the conspiracy theorists, and the simple lunatics and idiots. 

The documentation is still there, however. It is incontrovertible and must be used to counter the lies. It is incomprehensible that what people from Hermann Goering to Rudolph Hoess to Adolf Eichmann did not deny, what the nation of Germany does not deny, is denied by people today, either out of sheer ignorance or sheer malice.

France: Marine Le Pen Convicted of Misappropriation of Public Funds

 

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Yesterday, Marine Le Pen, leader of the conservative French party, Rassemblement National (RN), was convicted by a Paris court of misappropriation of public funds. She was sentenced to 4 years in prison, 2 of which were suspended, and the remaining two to be served under house arrest with an electronic bracelet.

 In addition, the court has declared her inelegible to run for office for 5 years. She had been considered the front runner in the 2027 presidential election race, according to polling. Le Pen denies the charges. Her supporters are charging that the French court has interfered in the electoral process by removing her name from the election. 

 The specific allegation against her and 8 RN deputies was that European Parliament funds were misappropriated to the benefit of RN.

 The above video in Le Parisien is subtitled by Vlad Tepes, Gates of Vienna, and RAIR Foundation USA. Translation is by Fousesquawk.