Mass Migration - a plan, or just a consequence of some other plan

[sToRmR1dR]

MIGRANT CRISIS: TURKEY DOES NOT RETURN AS MUCH MIGRANTS FROM GREECE AS EU EXPECTED

http://katehon.com/news/migrant-crisis-turkey-does-not-return-much-migrants-greece-eu-expected

The number of migrants and refugees returning to Turkey from Greece as part of a recent deal between the European Union and Turkey has fallen short of the EU's expectations, raising concerns that a fresh wave of arrivals could overburden the Aegean Islands this summer. The European Commission is set to present its third report Monday on efforts to deal with the influx of migrants and refugees.

Fewer than 400 of the 8,500 people who arrived on the Greek islands since the controversial EU-Turkey deal was signed have been returned to Turkey, the Financial Times reported. Under the deal, Ankara is to take back all migrants and refugees who cross the Aegean to enter Greece illegally, including Syrians. In return, the EU will take in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and also provide money, visa-free travel and fast-track Turkey's progress toward EU membership. The deal caps the resettlement and return at 72,000 refugees, according to the EU's existing commitments.

EU brokers secret deal with Sudan to stop refugees: Report

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/16/465845/Sudan-EU-secret-deal-refugee-crisis-Omar-alBashir

The European Union has reportedly brokered a controversial deal with Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir in an effort to stop refugees entering the continent from Africa.

The ambassadors of the 28-member-state bloc held a meeting on March 23, during which they agreed to work together with Bashir to stop the refugees' flow to Europe, German newspaper Spiegel reported.

Under the deal, the bloc will provide eight African countries, including Sudan, with £40 million over three years to secure their borders, the daily has found.

The European Commission warned that “under no circumstances” should the public learn about the agreement.

Classified documents obtained by Spiegel indicate that Europe also will provide cameras, scanners and servers to the Sudanese government to register refugees.

Under the project, led by Germany, Sudanese border police will be trained and Germany will construct camps and detention rooms for Sudan.

According to Sudanese authorities, several people from Germany visited the African country in recent weeks to discuss the construction of closed camps.

Sudan, Africa's third largest country, is a key route for refugees from Eritrea, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic, who make their way via Khartoum to Libya, where they take boats to Europe.

The EU deal with the Sudanese president has concerned rights groups since Bashir faces International Criminal Court (ICC) charges of genocide and war crimes in the 2003 conflict in the western region of Darfur.

Europe is struggling with the biggest refugee crisis since the World War II. Refugees are fleeing conflict-ridden zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria to reach Europe.

Sudan's cooperation to stop the refugees, however, is questioned within the EU since the Sudanese government is accused of working with criminal networks in illegal crossing of refugees. According to a report by the human rights group, the Sudanese police and military have been selling refugees to human smugglers.

 

[Hesper]

Thanks for sharing sToRmR1dR

Fewer than 400 of the 8,500 people who arrived on the Greek islands since the controversial EU-Turkey deal was signed have been returned to Turkey, the Financial Times reported. Under the deal, Ankara is to take back all migrants and refugees who cross the Aegean to enter Greece illegally, including Syrians. In return, the EU will take in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and also provide money, visa-free travel and fast-track Turkey's progress toward EU membership. The deal caps the resettlement and return at 72,000 refugees, according to the EU's existing commitments.

Well you don't say - terror state Turkey is not a reliable partner in the refugee deal? Well they have said that their visa-free travel is the linchpin for the entire thing, and they've reached an impasse with the European Commission on that:

Turkey has said that talks with the European Union on a deal providing visa-free travel in return for stopping a flow of refugees into Europe had reached a deadlock.

Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/turkey-talks-eu-visa-free-travel-reach-impasse-160513170522207.html

As for Sudan, this sounds pretty ominous to me:

The European Commission warned that “under no circumstances” should the public learn about the agreement. [...]

Under the project, led by Germany, Sudanese border police will be trained and Germany will construct camps and detention rooms for Sudan. [...]

Sudan's cooperation to stop the refugees, however, is questioned within the EU since the Sudanese government is accused of working with criminal networks in illegal crossing of refugees. According to a report by the human rights group, the Sudanese police and military have been selling refugees to human smugglers.

All these 'secret agreements' and deals between terrorist states and human smugglers, man it just gets worse by the day.

There's more on the history of Sudan and South Sudan, and Israel's meddling in the area, on SOTT:

Israeli arms, training and psychopathic ideology fuel atrocities in Africa

 

[angelburst29]

While the large-scale migration crisis has been shaking Europe for months, French politician Bernard Carayon has joined the chorus of those accusing US billionaire and speculator George Soros of masterminding the refugee influx via over a hundred of NGOs, which “whisper in the ear of the European Union to encourage the settlement of migrants.”

Soros-Funded NGOs ‘Whisper Into EU’s Ear’ to Encourage Refugee Influx
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160516/1039692024/soros-ngos-europe-refugees.html

“One hundred NGOs advocate and encourage the settlement of these migrants in Europe,” former French politician and a former member of the French parliament said in an interview with French news website Atlantico.

A third of them are being subsidized by the European Union and the Open Society of George Soros, a “network of foundations, partners, and projects in more than 100 countries,” the political analyst explained.

The Hungarian-American billionaire and speculator, Carayon reminded, gained notoriety in the past for having broken the Bank of England in 1992 – earning $1.5 billion in just a single month by betting the British pound and several other European currencies were overpriced against the German deutsche mark.

He was the same very man to attack the Thai and Malaysian currencies in 1997 and to speculate against the franc in 1993.

His fortune is immense, valued at nearly 25 billion dollars, the politician says, and the income from his capital was and still is being used to fund “color revolutions” and NGOs, including those advocating the refugee influx into Europe (spending around one billion dollars per year for this purpose).

Carayon explains that The Open Society of George Soros and Washington-based US think tank “Migration Policy Institute” have published a joint report “Welcoming Engagement: How Private Sponsorship Can Strengthen Refugee Resettlement in the European Union.”

The report, he says, welcomes the European Commission’s engagement and encouragement of private sponsors and NGOs to resettle over-quota migrants in the EU member states.

Another NGO directly involved in the crisis is the Brussels-based "Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants" (PICUM), which has considerable influence within the European institutions.

It recently came up with a guide, following the directive of the European Union “on the rights of the victims,” on an advance access of undocumented migrants to protection services, and justice. This time again, Carayon says, the NGO is funded by the European Union and the Open Society.

The third organization is the NGO Oxfam, which regularly cooperates with the Open Society. Together they finance the “Enough is enough” movement in Senegal, which, in fact, is a “customary attempt” of Soros to launch a “color revolution” in the country.

Oxfam has also invested in the fight against coal, on the occasion of COP 21 (The 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) at the Paris Climate Change Conference in November 2015).

This NGO is particularly supported by the European Union, which paid it €75.3 million in the 2013-2014 financial year, the French political analyst states.

In October 2015, Oxfam published the report “Solidarity with the Syrian people” where it demanded France step up its resettlement programs, criticizing Paris for not contributing enough to the refugee programs and advocated the acceleration of procedures for family reunification, the acceleration of community sponsorship arrangements and opportunities for fellowship and pay based on work.

Another actor in support of immigrants is the “UNITED for Intercultural Action”, a network, composed of leftist activists and funded by the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the Open Society.

Another very influential think tank working on the issue is the US think tank” European Stability Initiative” which, in fact, is behind the October 2015 “Merkel Plan.” This plan recommends Germany welcome more migrants and issue them no-cost visas to move freely across the country.

“Behind this obscure think tank, we still find the Soros Open Society, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and other American financiers,” Carayon says.

And so everything brings us back to the very same man, George Soros, he concludes, who is also behind the so-called Panama papers scandal.

Through these NGOs he puts weight on European institutions and government programs, such as the one forced on Germany to host illegal migrants.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Thanks for sharing sToRmR1dR

As for Sudan, this sounds pretty ominous to me:


The European Commission warned that “under no circumstances” should the public learn about the agreement. [...]

Under the project, led by Germany, Sudanese border police will be trained and Germany will construct camps and detention rooms for Sudan. [...]

Sudan's cooperation to stop the refugees, however, is questioned within the EU since the Sudanese government is accused of working with criminal networks in illegal crossing of refugees. According to a report by the human rights group, the Sudanese police and military have been selling refugees to human smugglers.

All these 'secret agreements' and deals between terrorist states and human smugglers, man it just gets worse by the day.

There's more on the history of Sudan and South Sudan, and Israel's meddling in the area, on SOTT:

Israeli arms, training and psychopathic ideology fuel atrocities in Africa

You're welcome Hesper! :)

It's ominous indeed,but can we understand this as "an attempt for saving Merkel?"


UN rapporteur raps EU-Turkey deal to stop refugees

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/16/465897/EU-Turkey-United-Nations-Francois-Crepeau-Athens

The United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights of refugees, has strongly denounced a recently signed agreement between the European Union and Turkey over curbing the flow of asylum seekers to Europe.

Speaking in the Greek capital Athens, François Crepeau said the March agreement between the EU and Turkey to send back refugees reaching Europe required “much stronger legal instruments to ensure legal accountability.”

The UN envoy also criticized the EU response to the refugee crisis, saying the 28-nation bloc lacks vision and is operating under legal ambiguity. Crepeau further said that the EU approach to the refugee crisis lacks legal clarity and promotes the detention of newly arrived refugees in Greece.

Athens has been detaining refugees and sending many back to Turkey under a deal signed earlier this year.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the UN envoy expressed concern that children were among those detained, and urged an immediate change in policy.

Under the deal, Turkey has committed to taking back all the asylum seekers and refugees, who had used the Aegean Sea to illegally reach Greece.

In return, Ankara was promised financial aid, the acceleration of visa liberalization talks and progress in its EU membership negotiations.

Granting visa waiver to Turkey, a country of 75 million, is highly controversial among EU states where some fear it would open the way for more refugees to the bloc already struggling with its worst migration crisis in decades.

Last year, more than 1.1 million refugees entered Europe through Turkey and Greece and then made their way through the Balkans to Germany and other northern member states of the bloc.

Meanwhile, a senior German politician says Chancellor Angela Merkel has made the EU very dependent on Turkey in dealing with the refugee crisis, accusing her of having exposed the bloc to blackmail by Ankara.

Carsten Schneider, the deputy chairman of the Social Democrats (SPD), Merkel's junior coalition partner, accused the chancellor of making Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan central to her refugee policy.

He warned that if Erdogan stopped cooperating, “the extent of Germany's isolation in Europe will become clear again.”

Europe is now concerned that the continent would face another refugee influx after Erdogan warned that Turkey would allow the refugees to enter Europe if it failed to meet its commitments.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees are still fleeing conflict-ridden zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria.

 

[gdpetti]

Another very influential think tank working on the issue is the US think tank” European Stability Initiative” which, in fact, is behind the October 2015 “Merkel Plan.” This plan recommends Germany welcome more migrants and issue them no-cost visas to move freely across the country.

“Behind this obscure think tank, we still find the Soros Open Society, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and other American financiers,” Carayon says.

And so everything brings us back to the very same man, George Soros, he concludes, who is also behind the so-called Panama papers scandal.

Through these NGOs he puts weight on European institutions and government programs, such as the one forced on Germany to host illegal migrants.

And they all seem to be birds of a feather, don't they? Here's one possible reason why. http://82.221.129.208/ifyouareinamericayouprobablycantseethisag4.html

Now that the EU is crumbling, it is time for a re run!

Merkel is an old East German communist
Jim Stone, June 1 2016

Merkel has a history of being a prominent East German Communist, who's parents moved from West Germany to East Germany when she was still a baby, most likely to undermine the Protestant Church. After growing up in East Germany, she was an extremely prominent and positive voice for Russia throughout the cold war.

She has done nothing but leech a ride on the backs of, and good image of Christians for political gain. After riding a Christian horse to power in free Germany, she then felt it would be great to flood free Germany with Muslims. I have nothing against Muslims (I do not believe the B.S. propaganda being spread about them) however, to make it policy to bury the Christian base under a wave of people from a different religion, who were lower class where they came from, reeks solid of an old world communist attack on Western civilization.

Given Merkel's history, where in East Germany she was a member of the East German Communist Party who functioned as a mid-level propaganda commissar for the Free German Youth, (the Young Communists) she cannot possibly pass the sniff test as the leader of a supposedly free nation. In her position in the Free German Youth, she performed the role of secretary for agitation and propaganda. A double whammy. That puts her on Putin's KGB turf, but it is not known if she ever met him when he was a KGB agent, despite the fact that Putin worked in East Germany as an agent at the same time.

In addition to working heavily in propaganda for the communist regime, Merkel also held high rank in the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschland (SED), which was the leading Marxist-Leninist party of East Germany. Members of this party enjoyed a number of special privileges denied to ordinary Germans in East Germany after the Second World War. Among these privileges was the right to travel to "capitalist" and "western" countries and additionally, Merkel was permitted to watch Western television, with a prominent roof top television antenna pointed directly into West Germany. For an ordinary German, having that get discovered at all would mean a trip to the gulag. The only East Germans who shared this privilege were senior officials and closely trusted members of the communist party.

Thousands of East Germans who were imprisoned or killed for protesting against the communist regime did not garner any sympathy from Merkel, who accepted, propagated and collaborated with the East German regime at a high level against the free thinking people in East Germany.

Merkel managed to climb to the highest levels of power after the dissolution of the Eastern bloc, by joining the Christian Democrats (CDU), where eventually she became chancellor of free Germany in 2005 and continues to rule over a united Germany. She flawlessly went from hardline communist propagandist to globalist capitalist virtually overnight, mirroring the behavior of a cold-blooded chameleon.

Merkel obviously seeks the destruction of free Germany
Merkel's immigration policy, which marches forward against the democratic will of the people, is as communist as it gets and shows her roots and intentions of destroying Germany as clearly as anything possibly could. Only a communist dictator will go directly against the will of the people, who have clearly said no to more migrants. By accelerating immigration dramatically as the German people were demanding a stop to it, Merkel has with dictatorial flair signaled the end of the free German nation. A free people have the right and ability to make their country what they want it to be. They have clearly said no to the immigrant invasion, and Merkel in response accelerated it, and buried their protests under communist style "hate crimes" legislation which is a hallmark of Communist behavior.

Anyone with enough brains to keep even a solitary tooth in their mouth can see the writing on the wall: Merkel will definitely destroy the German people, and she will accomplish it via social dilution and hate crimes legislation. And who seeks hate crimes legislation? The Jewish people, who use hate crime bills to make it illegal to criticize anyone, including them. They are willing to do away with criticism of all groups if it means people will be forced to turn a blind eye on their actions. Merkel a Protestant? NOT HARDLY. Merkel is a crypto Jew with parents that went into the Protestant community of East Germany to rip it's guts out, and when she grew up, SHE PROVED THIS by working to propagandize and imprison dissidents. She is no more Protestant than a camel's @ss, beyond what it takes to get her filthy Jewish hands on public policy and destroy a nation.

bnp.org.uk/news/national/angela-merkel-s-shameful-communist-past
breitbart.com/london/2014/07/03/how-close-was-young-communist-merkel-to-east-german-regime-americans-want-to-know
This puff piece that makes this filthy communist look like an angel actually had several key pieces of info I cut her to pieces with: www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/angela-merkels-unlikely-journey-from-communist-east-germany

 

[bjorb]

You ought to read this, it's nothing short but the start of the second holocaust. Notice that he says: Moslems versus Extreme Right. Not Radical Muslems versus Extreme Right. He is talking about all Moslems and mentioned that we are only 1/2 terror attacks away from civil war. He should know, this is exactly what the PTB are after, orchrestrating the clash of civilisations.

It's striking how many in the comment section (Not only the dailymail) are eager to join the far-right in this upcoming 'civil war' and genocide. Well I am eager to stand against them when it happens. But there are so many of them, and many more silent supporters who will not care or do anything. How again are we supposed to win this?



France is 'on the verge of a civil war' which could be sparked by a mass sexual assault on women by migrants, intelligence chief warns
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3685561/France-verge-civil-war-sparked-mass-sexual-assault-women-migrants-intelligence-chief-warns.html

France is on the verge of 'civil war', the country's head of intelligence says
Patrick Calvar said mass sexual assault of women by migrants may start it
Believes situation so tense another terror attack could also spark backlash
More than 1,000 women sexually abused in Germany on New Year's Eve

Growing tensions between the ‘extreme Right and the Muslim world’ have pushed France to the ‘verge of a civil war’, the country’s most senior security chief has warned.

Patrick Calvar, head of the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) – France’s equivalent of MI5 – made his claim in the wake of last year’s terrorist attacks on Paris.

A total of 147 people were murdered by terrorists in the capital during atrocities in January and November.

Many of those responsible were French passport holders with North African backgrounds, leading to far-Right politicians calling for a massive clampdown on immigration.

But Mr Calvar, 60, warned there is evidence that radical Right-wing French groups have been massing arms in preparation for their own attacks on mosques and synagogues.

Gladio A versus Gladio B

‘I think we will win against terrorism,’ Mr Calvar said, but predicted the ‘confrontation between the extreme Right and the Muslim world’, adding: ‘We’re on the verge of a civil war. I think this confrontation is going to happen. One or two more attacks and it will take place. It is up to us to anticipate and stop all those groups who would trigger clashes.’

The closed inquiry was held on May 24, but Mr Calvar’s dramatic comments were leaked to French media yesterday. He said: ‘Where is the spark going to come from that will light the powder, transforming France into an uncontrollable country where groups take up arms and hand out their own justice? Who sees a crumbling country where violence and vengeance alternates between two camps, where the spiral of attacks does not stop?

Nothing is excluded in a country which is already as eruptive as France today.’

Mr Calvar said he particularly feared ‘punitive expeditions in the suburbs’ to make immigrants pay collectively for alleged crimes by a minority. Referring to the mass sex attacks in Germany on New Year’s Eve, Mr Calvar said French Right-wingers could hand out summary justice for the kind of ‘gang rapes committed by North African immigrants in Cologne’.

There have been no convictions for rape following the Cologne incidents, with German police saying CCTV evidence was not good enough to charge suspects.

Mr Calvar also said his nightmare scenario could just as easily be applied to European neighbours, including Britain. ‘It’s this that worries me when I talk to all the European colleagues,’ he said. ‘We will, at one time or another, have to generate resources to deal with other extremist groups, because the confrontation is inevitable.’

Mr Calvar said all extremist groups – Left, Right and Islamist – know that there is enough weakness in the European security apparatus for a small group to ‘cause maximum chaos’.

He specifically called for more money to be put into armaments and other resources for the security forces, and for greater legal powers to carry out surveillance and arrest suspects.

He also said he is ‘convinced’ that Islamic State will change its tactics in France, and increase its firepower, which until now has mainly relied on outdated AK-47 rifles and suicide belts.

He said he feared a move towards car bombs and more conventional explosive devices, allowing terrorists to attack without risking their own lives, and that he believed Islamist extremists will look to use booby-trapped cars in the future.

He said: ‘I’m convinced they’ll go to booby-trapped vehicles and bombs, thus upping their power.

‘We know very well they’re going to use this mode of operating.

‘They’re going to end up sending commandos whose mission is to organise terrorist campaigns without necessarily going to the assault with death awaiting them.’

He also raised the possibility of extremists using ‘dirty bombs’ and the natural poison ricin, saying several radical groups had studied the toxin in the past.

The Armed Islamic Group, which caused terror in Algeria in the early 1990s, was looking to put the substance on car door handles to create a panic effect, Mr Calvar said, and this tactic was also studied in northern Iraq and in the remote Pankisi Valley in Georgia, once a stronghold of Chechen militants.

Earlier this week a leaked report revealed a staggering 1,200 women were sexually abused in German cities during the New Year's Eve celebrations.

The police document said detectives believe 2,000 men were involved across various cities but that the bulk of the crimes were committed in Cologne and Hamburg, where 600 and 400 sexual assaults on women were reported respectively.

Of the 2,000 perpetrators, only 120 have been identified, and about half of them were foreign nationals who had only recently arrived in Germany.

Eyewitnesses described the night of December 31, which saw many Arab and North African asylum seekers and immigrants gang rape and attack hundreds of women, as being akin to a war zone.

The warning from Mr Calvar follows similar concerns expressed by prominent police, army and security experts from across Europe.

In May the former head of MI6, Richard Dearlove, said Europe would face a 'populist uprising' if its governments did not take control of the migrant crisis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was also told by security experts last October that middle class citizens in Germany were becoming 'radicalised' because of her open borders migrant policy.

She was warned that it could lead to widespread disorder.

 

[angelburst29]

It's reports like this that make me physically sick. Funds and donations that were collected and placed into the hands of a Catholic clergyman to help settle refugees from Syria and Iraq into Canada is now being claimed - as lost - due to a suppose "gambling problem"? Some gambling might be involved but due to the large amount of money involved, I suspect a large portion was squirreled away in a little private nest egg some where? These clergy tend to only get dismissed from their post and even if they get arrested, they are set free and end up with just a slap on the hand.

A Catholic priest in Canada has been legally charged with theft and gambling away more than 500,000 Canadian dollars (US$380,000) in donations for the resettlement of Syrian and Iraqi refugees arriving in the country.

Canadian priest charged with gambling away refugee funds
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/07/16/475389/Canada-Ontario-Chaldean-Catholic-church-Amer-Saka-Bishop-Emanuel-Shaleta-Syrian-refugees

The 51-year-old clergyman of the Iraq-based Chaldean Catholic church, identified as Amer Saka, had allegedly collected the funds from over 20 donors under the pretext of providing support for the refugees, Canadian police authorities said.

“This investigation spanned throughout the province of Ontario, the United States and other countries where refugees were attempting to come to Canada,” police in London, Ontario, said in a statement.

This is while the head of Canada’s Chaldean Catholic church Bishop Emanuel Shaleta told the local London Free Press that Saka had contacted him to confess he had indeed gambled and lost all of the collected funds.

According to the report, the Catholic priest had been involved in a sponsorship program for refugees for a number of years. He was reportedly sacked by the diocese of Hamilton, Ontario, after local police launched a probe into the case back in February.

Meanwhile, Saka was taken into custody on Wednesday and granted bail after being formally charged with fraud and a related possession charge. Additionally, the daily reported, a court ordered Saka not to enter any casino.

Church officials originally reported to police after Father Amer Saka told his bishop at St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic church in February that the funds intended for Syrian refugees has disappeared.

“We believe that Father Saka has a serious gambling problem and that these funds may have been used for that purpose,” Shaleta said at the time as quoted by the UK-based Guardian daily.

However, no charges were brought against Saka until the alleged theft was investigated by police.

The Chaldean Catholic church represents Catholics from a number of Middle Eastern states and is overseen by the Vatican.

The parish was working with the Roman Catholic diocese of Hamilton to bring the refugees to Canada, and was one of about 30 groups they were working with to raise funds to sponsor Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

 

[bjorb]

Following story is about how a Facebook-page of hate with the intent of deporting all Muslims received the right response.

http://www.joop.nl/kijk-nou/moslims-maken-uitzwaaidag-islam-tot-onverwacht-groot-en-hilarisch-succes

Name of the FB page= ''Islam farewell day for 15 march, 2017.''

This is the day that Wilders may come to power in the Netherlands. He promised mass deportation.

But instead of Muslims and others responding in anger. They responded massively with kind words, sarcasm and humor.


In overall it's not a story that has any impact on our geopolitical situation in the world. But I think it's important. It uplifts the human spirit and exposes the hate agenda of the MSM who wants us to believe that Muslims are hateful and vile creatures.

 

[bjorb]

I figured this would be the best topic to place the following ?


Ayaan Hirsi Ali has published a new book in which she tries to convince the World in her own words:

http://newsmonkey.be/article/35951
“Alle appels in de mand van de islam zijn rot”: er bestaan geen gematigde moslims volgens Ayaan Hirsi Ali

All apples in the basket are rotten, moderate Muslims don't exists.


The only reason why she has publicity is because the media makes it so. Besides spreading hatred and prejudices about Muslims she is also a member of an American neocon think tank and part of an Atlantic council. Making sure we don't forget to hate the Russians also. She is a busy women.

 

[bjorb]

Intelligence services being again in bed with radicals :

MI5 ‘blocked’ arrest of ISIS-supporting radical preacher Choudary ‘for years’
https://www.rt.com/uk/356707-mi5-police-choudary-isis/

Counterterrorism officers were repeatedly blocked by British security service MI5 from pursuing criminal investigations against Britain’s highest-profile radical preacher, Anjem Choudary, it has been claimed.

Last week, Choudary was found guilty of supporting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS, ISIL), which seized territory in Iraq and Syria and inspired terrorist attacks across Europe.

Following his conviction, it was revealed that the 49-year-old former lawyer had been linked to at least 15 terrorist plots since 2001. Police also believe he has connections to as many as 500 of the 850 young British Muslims who have traveled abroad to join IS.

According to the Telegraph, counter-terrorism officers often felt they had enough evidence to build a case against the cleric, only to be told to hang fire by MI5 because he was crucial to one of their ongoing investigations.

The situation led to a build-up of tension between the two sides, with police feeling “frustrated” that Choudary was not being brought to justice, a source told the newspaper.

He was eventually prosecuted after swearing an oath of allegiance to IS and posting YouTube videos in which he praised the group.

You can overrule the police, but not the public when they get to aware that the authorities are letting him preach hatred. After years of giving him the freedom to do so, he obviously got to carried away by making his allegiance clear for all to see on youtube.

One counterterrorism source says the decision not to prosecute him earlier came from MI5.

“I am gobsmacked that we allowed him to carry on as long as he did. He was up to his neck in it, but the police can't do full investigations on people if the security service say they are working on a really big job, because they have the priority,” he told the Telegraph.

“That is what they did constantly. While the police might have had lots of evidence, they were pulled back by the security service because he [Choudary] was one of the people they were monitoring.

“It was very frustrating and did cause some tension, but we were told we had to consider the bigger picture.”

Bigger picture is that radicals are usefull to incite the clash of civilizations, progression of the Police State and creating a false pretext to invade countries under the false guise of preventing terrorism

Security expert Will Geddes said while police and security services had a good record of working together, there was often a difficult balance to strike between prosecuting evidence and gathering intelligence.

“Whilst the cops always want the collars the spooks want the information and it is a challenge getting the right balance.

“Choudary was certainly clever and knew where the line was, and that was part of the reason it took so long to get him. But it was certainly possible that MI5 wanted to continue to monitor him because he was the focal point of so much,” Geddes told the Telegraph.

“Given how influential he was in terms of setting up the forums for those guys to get inspired, it made perfect sense for the intelligence agencies to say ‘we haven’t exhausted this yet.’

“In the end though he got caught because he believed his press too much and he got carried away by his own media profile."

Choudary faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on September 6.

Whenever the extreme right isn't sending false mails to people houses that Sharia Law is coming to town, torment priests who aren't anti-Muslim enough, or beat up people who don't look Western.

They pretend to be from ISIS and wage fake terror attacks.

Beards, guns and … a camel: Islamophobic group stages fake ISIS attack in Prague (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
https://www.rt.com/news/356688-prague-fake-isis-attack/

An anti-immigrant group staged a fake Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) attack in Prague’s center that, unsurprisingly, ignited a chaotic panic among the crowd, resulting in “several tourists” being injured.

The group entered the Old Town Square equipped with an Islamic State flag, a military vehicle, army clothing, a camel, stick-on beards and fake guns which they fired in the air while shouting Allahu Akbar.

Police had given the planned demonstration their approval, but stopped the performance just before the group were going to play out a public execution of “prisoners”, because several tourists mistook the blanks for genuine gunfire and became panicked.

The activists say they were trying to demonstrate how their country would look and feel under Muslim rule.

"I'm from Belgium and I'm telling you, it is very dangerous," said one tourist to Czech newspaper Ceske Noviny.

A police spokesman told Ceske Noviny that people who didn’t know it was a demonstration, thought it was a real terrorist attack and hid in the square fearing for their lives, some said they ran into nearby restaurants’ kitchens for cover.

The group’s leader Konvicka Martin claimed the exercise was a total success and took to Facebook to slam reports of any distress among the crowd.

“Until a few Muslims started shouting aggressively and push towards the performers, everything went very peacefully,” he wrote.

They traumatised people just so that they could express their deep hatred for Muslims. Yet they blame Muslims for trying to stop it.

Hungary official thinking that spiking pig heads will keep migrants away, just like garlic stops Vampires ... I tell you, people who are not seeking real solutions for the migrants crisis are just racially motivated. All they intent is trying to incite deep mistrust and hatred, the only solution they grave is the 'final solution'

Hungary's Problem With Migrants and the Pig Head 'Thought Experiment'
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160823/1044547255/hungary-pig-head-migrants.html

A Hungarian MEP has sparked uproar my suggesting that migrants could be deterred from crossing into Hungary by dead pig's heads placed along its border fence.

Gyorgy Schopflin, a former BBC employee and London-based professor, is an MEP for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's conservative Fidesz party.

In a Twitter spat with Andrew Stroehlein, Human Rights Watch's Brussels-based European media director, Schopflin made his swine-based policy recommendation.

Andrew Stroehlein initially posted photos showing root vegetables carved into shapes of human faces, which had been put up along the Hungarian Serbian frontier.

These images had earlier appeared on a Facebook page that supports Hungary's border troops, with the caption:

"Instead of scarecrows, these are 'scarepeople' made from sugar beet. Seems to work, nobody cut through the fence here in four weeks."

Stroehlein objected to the images, writing:

"Refugees are fleeing war and torture, Hungary. Your root vegetable heads will not deter them."

Then, on Saturday (20 August), Gyorgy Schopflin replied to Stroehlein:

"Might do so. Human images are haram," he said, referring to acts that are forbidden under Islam.

"But agree, pig's head would deter more effectively."

The response has been swift on social media, with many decrying Schopflin as ignorant.

Schopflin has since back pedaled on his comments, telling Reuters that it was part of a "thought experiment."

When everything fails, just say it was an experiment

Nonetheless, the episode highlights the ongoing deep divisions across Europe on how to best manage the huge influx of migrants, many fleeing death and destruction in the Middle East and Africa.

Under Prime Minister Orban's leadership, Hungary has already take one of the toughest stances on this year's crisis.

The United Nations refugee agency — the UNHCR — condemned Hungary's actions and disputed Hungary's designation of Serbia as a "safe third country" alternative to entering the EU.

Hungary's next step will be decided on October 2, when Hungarians vote in a referendum on whether Hungary should accept future EU quotas on resettling refugees, which would not require the consent of Hungary's parliament.

The Hungarian government has repeatedly claimed that there is a link between immigration and terrorism, with Orban insisting that voting no would be in support of Hungary's independence.
In July, Hungary declared a national border emergency and erected a razor wire fence along its southern frontier with Serbia, a non-EU nation. Some 10,000 police and soldiers have been deployed to seal the border. Many migrants have been forced to turn back.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

‘Not Germany’s waiting room’: Austrian defense chief lashes out at Merkel’s refugee policy

https://www.rt.com/news/357246-austrian-minister-merkel-migrants-deportation/

The German chancellor’s “we can do it” approach to refugee crisis is “irresponsible” as it lures more migrants to Europe instead of capping their number, Austria’s defense minister said, calling on European leaders to promptly convene a “summit on deportation.”

“This is not a policy, if Europe stays here in agony and sticks its head in the sand,” Hans Peter Doskozil, who is also a member of the ruling Social Democratic Party, told Austria’s Krone newspaper in an interview published Thursday. Referring to what he believes is the lack of political will in Europe to offer viable solutions to the crisis instead of repeating past mistakes, Doskozil said Chancellor Angela Merkel committed one such mistake by establishing a “welcoming culture” for potential migrants.

By repeating the “we can do it” mantra, Merkel created a new “attraction factor” with her rhetoric boosting the refugee influx, he claimed.

“The ‘we can do it’ policy is irresponsible,” and counterproductive as it harms Europe as a whole, including Austria, Doskozil said.

“Austria is not a waiting room for Germany,” he said, alluding to the fact that many of the aspiring migrants are crossing to Austria in a hope of eventually settling in Germany, seemingly wooed by the impression they will be welcomed here.

Austria remains overwhelmed by its refugee inflows, with over 100,000 arrivals having been registered since the beginning of the year, according to the observation posts data cited by Defense Ministry experts.

To qualify for refugee status, someone should present evidence that his or her wellbeing is threatened in their home country. The majority of the applicants are coming not from war-torn Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan, but from African countries with no active warfare.

Some 20 percent of the asylum seekers to Austria stem from Nigeria, 12 percent from Eritrea, while Gambia, Côte d’Ivoire, Sudan and Guinea account for 7 percent each.

Europe needs urgent action from its politicians if it does not want to relapse back to 2015 when the crisis reached its pinnacle, the Austrian official stressed, proposing to urgently convene a special “Summit on deportation at the European level” to determine necessary steps and enter into negotiations that will allow to return the migrants back to their home countries.

“It is a mystery to me, why the right lessons have not been drawn from the events in 2015,” he said.

In order to work out the coordinated “deportation policy” the EU-member countries shall also form an alliance with “all those affected” by the refugee wave.

While Doskozil is sure that a chance to reverse the migrant trend lies in the common effort of the EU countries, he doubts the benefits of the cooperation with Turkey given the tumultuous state of affairs in the post-coup Turkey.

“The Turkish government can no longer be taken seriously after the recent events and statements,” Doskozil noted, adding that the visa liberation which was one of the EU-Turkey refugee deal key stones is “far away” from implementation as Turkey is “far away from the European standards.”

Given that, Ankara’s possible withdrawal from the refugee deal also should be not be deemed a setback as European countries, which “are able to protect their borders” on their own, Doskozil argues.

Earlier, Chancellor Christian Kern hinted Austria can declare a state of emergency over a refugee crisis, if it manages to negotiate the agreements on readmission of refugees with Hungary as well as Slovenia and Italy.

The decree would enable Austrian authorities to turn away refugees directly at the border and detain illegal arrivals even if they file an asylum application.

 

[angelburst29]

A report has been released by a British law lecturer shedding light on human organ trafficking in Egypt. Organized crime allegedly involves prostitutes who are luring migrants into selling their organs, while hospitals are trying to hide this network.

Report Sheds Light on How ‘Illegal Organ Trading in Egypt’ Involves Prostitutes
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160903/1044935373/report-egypt-human-trafficking.html

According to the report the traffickers are targeting African migrants primarily because they do not have the required documentation and have no money.

The report was compiled by Sean Columb, a law lecturer at Liverpool University in Britain, who spent weeks in Egypt talking to brokers and donors. He found out that legislation is ambiguous regarding organ transplants in Egypt.

Purchasing a kidney is illegal, but paying for a transplant procedure is within the rules. Some people have paid up to $100,000 for a new organ, with the deals made in public places like cafes, the report said.
“(One pimp) used the services of sex workers as leverage when negotiating fees with both sellers and buyers. A night with a sex worker was offered as an extra inducement to sell.”

According to a report, “Human trafficking is a global problem and one of the world’s most shameful crimes, affecting the lives of millions of people around the world and robbing them of their dignity.”

The traffickers deceive women, men and children from all corners of the world and force them into exploitative situations on daily basis.

“While organ sales remain public knowledge, the process has become more hidden. Private clinics and analytic labs [where the majority of sellers are matched with buyers] have proliferated, making it increasingly difficult to monitor the treatment of organ recipients and organ sellers,” the report read.

When a transplant professional [surgeon] suspects that an organ has been donated illegally there is no legal duty to report this to the relevant authorities. Allegedly the doctors don't want to know anything. They take the money without question. According to the report there are “numerous stakeholders involved in the organ trade, each with different roles, functions and identities that often overlap, i.e. transplant professionals, hospitals, brokers, service providers, law enforcement, etc.”

The report comes as support to earlier claims of horrifying organ trafficking practices. In July, the Times newspaper reported that African refugees were being killed for their organs in Egypt if they failed to pay their smugglers.

“The Egyptians come equipped to remove the organ and transport it in insulated bags,” people smuggler Nouredin Atta told the investigation following his detention, as cited by the Times. Egypt is known to be a center for migrants and is a transit point for those who want to travel to Europe. Around one in 10 refugees arriving in Italy have sailed via Egypt since the start of 2016, the International Organization for Migration said. The rest went through Libya.

 

[bjorb]

French Goebbels? Writer claims French Army will clear Muslims from France as Israel did in Gaza
https://www.rt.com/news/358766-french-writer-israel-gaza/

Social media is furious after controversial French writer and TV personality Eric Zemmour said that the French Army will reconquer its metropolitan areas and suburbs and clear them from Muslims as Israel did in Gaza.

Zemmour was talking to the French RTL news channel about his latest essay “A five-year term for nothing,” published Wednesday.

“French people have become foreigners in their own land,” he said.

Zemmour said that in all metropolitan areas “there are no French people, but there are only Muslims.”

“When a woman is totally veiled [wears a Muslim veil], when a man wears clothes resembling the ones of the prophet of the 7th century, when they [Muslims] call a young girl “a -jezebel-” for wearing a mini-skirt, when they look [with disapproval] at people drinking alcohol, then it’s not France.”

Zemmour criticized the French policy of integrating Islam into society.

“We build mosques, we organize ‘Islam for France’ [movements]. This is the worst solution to solve the problem,” he said, adding that French society should be “de-Islamized.”

One of the extracts of his book speaks about a possible operation against Muslims led by France with the help of Israeli military consultants.

“The General Staff of the [French] army knows that a day will come when he will regain the lands [in France] which have become foreign in our own soil. The plan has already been developed, it is called ‘Operation Ronces,’” the writer says.

According to Zemmour, the plan “was developed with the help of Israeli army specialists who have shared their experience in Gaza with their French colleagues.”

When the RTL anchor asked Zemmour about who provided him with the information, the writer answered that it was a “source close to the General Staff of [the French] Army.”

Social media has expressed outrage over the recent comments by Zemmour. Some even compared him to Joseph Goebbels, Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany.

“No media should give the floor to Zemmour. His Islamophobia does not fit into the framework of freedom of expression,” wrote @dtbbabs.

Zemmour is already delirious, he is consumed with hatred for others,” added @Umani_2B.

Some users slammed RTL France for inviting Zemmour for their show. “RTL France, this show is inaudible,” wrote @ MSCcaroF1.

“How can we allow such crap on a prime time radio!?” wondered @LeHavreLutte.

Others simply did not take his words seriously.

“So I get up at 8 am to hear Zemmour say France is invaded and colonized? So I went back to bed,” joked @No_ippo2 on Twitter.

Zemmour is known for his controversial comments about immigration and Muslims. In 2014, he was sacked from the iTELE channel for saying that Muslims should be deported to avoid “chaos and civil war.” His comments sparked a heated debate, with some on the right defending him and leftists denouncing him as a racist.

In 2011, the Seventeenth Criminal Court of Paris gave Zemmour a suspended fine of €2,000 ($2,254) for his racists views. In particular, he said that most traffickers are “Arabs or Blacks” and employers have the right to reject them.

Zemmour, born to Algerian Jews who immigrated to France in the 1950s, is also well-known for his bestselling book, “The French Suicide,” which has sold over 250,000 copies. It touched on problems in French society which he believes stem from increased immigration, feminism, and homosexuality.

 

[Pierre]

Soros Is "Investing" $500 Million In Europe's Refugees And Migrants: He Explains Why

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-09-20/soros-investing-500-million-europes-refugees-and-migrants-he-explains-why

Confirming once again that he is the silent puppet master behind Europe's refugee crisis, overnight billionaire investor, and stalwart Hillary Clinton supporter, George Soros said in an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal that he would invest $500 million to meet the needs of migrants and refugees.

Soros' investment comes in response to the Obama administration's "Call to Action" initiative, asking U.S. companies to help ease the migrant crisis. Soros, founder of the Open Society Foundations, also said he plans to work closely with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Rescue Committee to guide his investments.

* * *

The announcement will hardly come as a surprise to regular readers.

One month ago, in the aftermath of the DCleaks hack, we reported that "Soros Hack Reveals Plot Behind Europe's Refugee Crisis." As a reminder, according to one of the many leaked memos, Europe’s refugee crisis should be accepted as a “new normal,” and that the crisis means “new opportunities” for Soros’ organization to influence immigration policies on a global scale. OSF program officer Anna Crowley and program specialist Katin Rosin co-authored the May 12 memo, titled “Migration Governance and Enforcement Portfolio Review.”

The nine-page review made three key points: OSF has been successful at influencing global immigration policy; Europe’s refugee crisis presents “new opportunities” for the organization to influence global immigration policy; and the refugee crisis is the “new normal.”

As the authors write in the introduction, one of the purposes of the review “consider the effectiveness of the approaches we have used to achieve change at the international level.” A section of the review titled “Our Work” describes how America’s least transparent think tank has worked with “leaders in the field” to “shape migration policymaking and influence regional and global processes affecting the way migration is governed and enforced.”

In a section titled, “Our Ambitions,” the authors explain: “Our premise for engaging in work related to governance was that, in addition to mitigating the negative effects of enforcement, we should also be supporting actors in the field proactively seeking to change the policies, rules, and regulations that govern migration.”

They write that “we also believed that advances at the regional or international levels could create impetus for policy change or implementation of existing norms at the national level. We deliberately avoided the term ‘global governance’ because there is no single system at the global level for managing migration.”

The same section later states that IMI “has had to be selective and opportunistic, particularly at the global level, in supporting leaders in the field to push thinking on migration and better coordinate advocacy and reform efforts. We have supported initiatives, organizations, and networks whose work ties directly to our aims in the corridors.”

“Early on, IMI identified a handful of organizations able to engage on migration globally and transnationally, elevating IMI’s corridor work beyond the national level,” reads another section of the memo, entitled “Our Place.”

“These included key think tanks such as the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) and advocacy networks such as the International Detention Coalition (IDC).” (The authors later note that MPI, a strong advocate of amnesty for illegal immigrants in America, “is sometimes criticized for its closeness to governments, [but] flexible funding from OSF has allowed it to maintain some independence from the governments it advises.”)

The memo also notes that “IMI played a central role in establishing and influencing the goals of two new [European Programme for Integration and Migration] sub-funds on the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and immigration detention.

More importantly, the memo explained how Europe’s refugee crisis is opening doors for Soros’ organization to further influence global immigration policy.

The authors note that “the current refugee crisis is creating space to reconsider the governance of migration and the international refugee regime.” One reason for this is that the developing countries that make up the Group of 77 at the United Nations were motivated by the refugee crisis to keep immigration issues on the “global agenda,” the memo states. “The refugee crisis and the fear that the interests of migrants fleeing poverty, climate change, generalized violence, or natural disaster would be overlooked at these fora have generated a push from G77 countries to ensure other migration issues remain on the global agenda.”

They also explain that the current crisis provides “new opportunities” for influencing immigration policy on a global scale.

“The current climate presents new opportunities for reforming migration governance at the global level, whether through the existing multi-lateral system, or by bringing together a range of actors to think more innovatively. Our long-standing interest and investment in global work means we have many of the right partners and are positioned to help others navigate this space.”

The review states, “The refugee crisis is opening new opportunities” for “coordination and collaboration” with other wealthy donors.

It is almost as if Europe's refugee crisis was planned and prepared, not just by the Soros organization, but others who would benefit from a shift in the change of regional "migration governance", i.e., the reimposition of sovereignty terms, as Greece found out the hard way several months ago when its sovereignty was relegated to the country's willingness to participate in Europe's refugee scheme.

It will hardly come as a surprise that according to the review, immigration policy-makers need to accept the refugee crisis as a “new normal.” One of the conclusions listed in the memo is, “Accepting the current crisis as the new normal and moving beyond the need to react.”

* * *

In light of the above, it is clear that Soros and "Open Society", which have already invested hundreds of millions into reshaping Europe in a way that avoids the term "global governance", yet accomplishes precisely that by determining the inflows of millions of foreigners into Europe, will continue sinking more cash to facilitate the entry of "migrants and refugees" into Europe's even if it means taking down Angela Merkel, whose collapse in the polls has emerged as the biggest surprise from Soros' "plot" to shape the face of Europe for generations to come.

And now, Soros is focusing on America and the rest of the world too.

* * *

His full WSJ op-ed is reposted below.

Why I’m Investing $500 Million in Migrants

I will invest in startups, established companies, social-impact initiatives and businesses founded by migrants and refugees

The world has been unsettled by a surge in forced migration. Tens of millions of people are on the move, fleeing their home countries in search of a better life abroad. Some are escaping civil war or an oppressive regime; others are forced out by extreme poverty, lured by the possibility of economic advancement for themselves and their families.

Our collective failure to develop and implement effective policies to handle the increased flow has contributed greatly to human misery and political instability—both in countries people are fleeing and in the countries that host them, willingly or not. Migrants are often forced into lives of idle despair, while host countries fail to reap the proven benefit that greater integration could bring.

Governments must play the leading role in addressing this crisis by creating and sustaining adequate physical and social infrastructure for migrants and refugees. But harnessing the power of the private sector is also critical.

Recognizing this, the Obama administration recently launched a “Call to Action” asking U.S. companies to play a bigger role in meeting the challenges posed by forced migration. Today, private-sector leaders are assembling at the United Nations to make concrete commitments to help solve the problem.

In response, I have decided to earmark $500 million for investments that specifically address the needs of migrants, refugees and host communities. I will invest in startups, established companies, social-impact initiatives and businesses founded by migrants and refugees themselves. Although my main concern is to help migrants and refugees arriving in Europe, I will be looking for good investment ideas that will benefit migrants all over the world.

This commitment of investment equity will complement the philanthropic contributions my foundations have made to address forced migration, a problem we have been working on globally for decades and to which we have dedicated significant financial resources.

We will seek investments in a variety of sectors, among them emerging digital technology, which seems especially promising as a way to provide solutions to the particular problems that dislocated people often face. Advances in this sector can help people gain access more efficiently to government, legal, financial and health services. Private businesses are already investing billions of dollars to develop such services for non-migrant communities.

This is why money now moves instantaneously from one mobile wallet to another, drivers find customers by using only a cellphone, and how a doctor in North America can see a patient in Africa in real time. Customizing and extending these innovations to serve migrants will help improve the quality of life for millions around the world.

All of the investments we make will be owned by my nonprofit organization. They are intended to be successful—because I want to show how private capital can play a constructive role helping migrants—and any profits will go to fund programs at the Open Society Foundations, including programs that benefit migrants and refugees.

As longtime champions of civil society, we will be focused on ensuring that our investments lead to products and services that truly benefit migrants and host communities.

We will also work closely with organizations such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Rescue Committee to establish principles to guide our investments. Our goal is to harness, for public good, the innovations that only the private sector can provide.

I hope my commitment will inspire other investors to pursue the same mission.

 

[Pierre]

Merkel Caves To Pressure On Migrant Policy: "Germany Has Done Enough", As Support For AfD Hits All Time High

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-09-25/merkel-seemingly-caves-political-pressure-migrant-policy-germany-has-done-enough

After getting pummeled in recent elections and polls, Angela Merkel seems to be finally coming around to the notion that German citizens may not be that supportive of her "open-door" policies which have resulted in over 1 million migrants flowing into Germany in just a year. Speaking in Vienna at a meeting with nine other heads of government, Merkel proclaimed that "Germany has done enough" and called on the rest of the EU to do more saying "other EU countries will have to jump in.”

The Vienna summit included leaders of nations along the Balkans migrant route and was called in a bid to unblock disagreements at the heart of the immigration problem. Per the Sunday Express, Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern commiserated with Merkel saying “you will never be able to close a border completely, but for Germany it’s been too much and I understand the concern.”

As for Austria, Kern has called for a financial deal with Northern African countries as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan along the same lines of the EU-Turkey deal that would involve returning migrants in exchange for travel visas and financial aid.

The controversial EU-Turkey deal gives Greece the ability to send back Syrian migrants to Turkey in exchange for the EU providing Turks with visa-free travel across Europe as well as financial aid. That said, the agreement has stirred some controversy in Europe as Turkey has refused to change its counter-terror policy, and even pulled its border control guards from Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. The disputes have left thousands stranded on Greek islands after Austria and its Balkan neighbors shut their borders, closing off the migrant route to western Europe.

As a result of the growing tensions with Turkey, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is famous for his hardline on immigration and has built reinforced fences on his borders, has called for preparations to be made in the event the EU-Turkey deal collapses. Orban said that backup plans must be established now because "when the migrants descend on us and trouble arrives it will be too late to reach for blueprints, for fences, for physical barriers, for new police and soldiers."

All of this comes after the CDU's latest disastrous showing in last week's Berlin election, which as reported last week saw Germany's conservative party end second with only 17.6% of the vote, dropping 5.7% from the 2011 election, and marking its worst performance in the capital since German reunification. Angela Merkel took responsibility for her party’s disastrous showing in Berlin's state election, "admitting mistakes in her handling of last year’s refugee crisis."

As reported by the Guardian, in an unusually self-critical but also combative speech, the German chancellor said she was “fighting” to make sure that there would be no repetition of the chaotic scenes on Germany’s borders like last year, when “for some time, we didn’t have enough control” adding that “no one wants this to be repeated, and I don’t either.”

Merkel also admitted she had in the past failed to sufficiently explain her refugee policy, and that her phrase “Wir schaffen das” (“We can do it ”) had “provoked” some of those who didn’t agree with her political course. Her words will be interpreted as an olive branch to the leader of her CDU’s sister party, the Bavarian CSU, who have in recent months repeatedly called on her to distance herself from the much-cited slogan.

The 62-year-old also rebutted the CSU’s calls for a “static upper limit” to the amount of asylum seekers Germany could accept in 2016, arguing that it “would not solve the problem”. Banning people from entering the country on the basis of their religion, she said, would be incompatible with Germany’s constitution and her own party’s “ethical foundation”.

Of course, Merkel is seemingly starting to wake up to the fact that the only alternative is watching as her approval rating implodes in not so slow-motion, and as her CDU continues to tank in future elections.

And speaking of the surge in AfD, late last week Reuters reported that the the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party would capture 16% of the vote if a federal election were held now, according to an opinion poll on Friday, the most support it has drawn in a poll in history.

The poll released by public broadcaster ARD said Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives would get 32% of the vote, while the Social Democrats, junior partner in the ruling coalition, would get 22%. Together they would have 54 percent, enough for the ruling "grand coalition" to continue, at least for the time being.

The AfD made huge gains in two regional elections this month and will now have seats in 10 of 16 state assemblies, benefiting from a backlash against Merkel's open-door refugee policy and the arrival of nearly a million migrants last year. The next federal election is a year from now. The party's latest score of 16 percent is more than three times the 5 percent it would need to win seats in the Bundestag or parliament for the first time.