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France Is Latest EU Country To Ban & Sanction Israel's Finance Minister

A growing list of Western countries have imposed individual sanctions and travel bans on two Israeli hardline ministers who advocate for Jewish supremacy over the Middle East, evidenced in their expansionist policies from the West Bank to Gaza to Syria.

The two in question are Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. France is the latest country to ban Smotrich, after the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway already did the same.

via EPA

Spain, Slovenia and most recently Ireland have also banned both, citing that they call for violence against Palestinians on the basis of their ethnic identity. 

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot this week explained that France is banning Smotrich because he "actively promotes the annexation of the West Bank, which he openly claims, the creation of new settlements in the West Bank, the re-colonization of Gaza, the economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority and its harmful consequences for the Palestinian population."

"This is a policy that the overwhelming majority of the international community, firmly committed to the two-state solution, cannot accept," Barrot wrote on X.

The legal action targets "those responsible for the escalation of settlement activity and violence in the West Bank," Barrot said.

As expected, Israel's foreign ministry in turn quickly condemned the sanctions as "disgraceful."

The Israeli "government has condemned some settler violence, but that rings hollow when there is scant accountability" - the UK had earlier said of similar measures it adopted.

Smotrich as national finance minister bluntly stated last year that the Gaza Strip is a "real estate bonanza." Further he claimed at the time that he was talks with the Americans on how to divide the enclave up once the Palestinians are kicked out.

There is "a real estate bonanza" in Gaza that "pays for itself" and he had "already started negotiations with the Americans," he said at a past conference in Tel Aviv, according to local media.

"We have poured a lot of money into this war. We have to see how we are dividing up the land in percentages," Smotrich said, explaining that "the demolition, the first stage in the city’s renewal, we have already done. Now we just need to build."

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/12/2026 - 04:15

The push comes as advocates argue the measures conflict with constitutional protections.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney has filed a motion calling for payments relating to a $4 billion settlement for sex abuse victims – which is the largest in US history – and sensationally claimed that 81% of claims could be fraudulent. 

The first flight under the arrangement could depart as early as Thursday and is expected to carry roughly 20 people.

Thornton says the show's mix of emotion, drama, humor, absurdity and danger appeals to audiences everywhere.

Thornton says the show's mix of emotion, drama, humor, absurdity and danger appeals to audiences everywhere.

CJ Hopkins: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The New Normal Reich

Authored by CJ Hopkins via ConsentFactory.org,

So the German Supreme Court has ruled on my case. Their ruling is that they will not rule on my case. They sent my attorney a letter to that effect. It literally says:

“The constitutional complaint will not be accepted for a ruling. No explanation is provided. This ruling is incontestable.”

So I am now officially a “hate criminal” in Germany. I was already pretty much a “hate criminal” in Germany, but now it’s official. This is Germany’s supreme court. There is no higher court to appeal to.

OK, sure, there’s the European Court of Human Rights, the international court of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, but it doesn’t have the power to enforce its rulings, and the German authorities and courts have made it clear that they couldn’t care less about anyone’s opinion of their paranoid and authoritarian behavior.

So I’ll be going back to Berlin District Court for sentencing.

I was originally acquitted by the Berlin District Court, but the district prosecutor wasn’t happy with that verdict, so the prosecutor appealed to the Berlin Appellate Court, which overturned my acquittal, which prompted me to appeal to the Federal Constitutional Court (i.e., the Bundesverfassungsgericht, Germany’s supreme court) which has now basically told me to go fuck myself, so now I have to go back to the court that acquitted me to be sentenced for the crime I didn’t commit.

I assume that most people reading this column are familiar with my case by now, but, if you’re not, here are a few of my previous columns and some press coverage that will bring you up to speed.

Press coverage:

What Happens Where Free Speech is Unprotected, The Atlantic
Where “hate speech” censorship is worse than on U.S. campuses, Washington Post
Satirist C.J. Hopkins Sentenced in German Speech Case, Racket News
Der Provokateur, Die Zeit
Meinungsfreiheit in Gefahr durch Strafjustiz in Deutschland, Neue Zürcher Zeitung
Autor C.J. Hopkins verurteilt, Berliner Zeitung
Der kafkaese Prozess gegen C.J. Hopkins, Multipolar
The American Author Living An Orwellian Nightmare, Discourse Magazine
Scandalous verdict: US author C.J. Hopkins found guilty, Aya Velázquez
„Das ist verrückt,“ Multipolar
The Thought Police Are Here, Crisis Magazine

My columns:

The Global Crackdown on Dissent
Modern Book Burning in New Normal Germany
A Visit by the German Thought Police
Fear and Loathing in New Normal Germany
The People’s Court of New Normal Germany
The Verdict
The Criminalization of Dissent (Revisited)

The short version is, back in 2022, I posted two tweets protesting the Covid mask mandates, and I put the cover art of my book, The Rise of the New Normal Reich, in those tweets. The German authorities didn’t appreciate that, so they censored the tweets, banned my book, and prosecuted me for “disseminating propaganda, the contents of which are intended to further the aims of a former National Socialist organization.” I would include an image of the cover of my book, but, if I did, the German police would probably raid my house again and steal my new computer.

However, here’s the cover of an issue of Der Spiegel …

My book cover art is more or less exactly like that, except the swastika on my book is behind a medical-looking mask, instead of a German flag, as on the Spiegel cover.

It goes without saying that the German authorities are not prosecuting Der Spiegel for “disseminating propaganda, the contents of which are intended to further the aims of a former National Socialist organization.”

If you’re wondering why the German supreme court decided not to rule on my case, and why the judges refused to provide any explanation for their decision … well, just imagine if they had been forced to explain, in writing, for the record, why the Spiegel cover is legal, but the cover of my book is a “hate crime.”

That might have been a bit embarrassing, professionally.

I don’t want to antagonize the supreme court, or the Berlin district prosecutor, or any other German authorities, or they’ll send the police to raid my home again, but, if you happen to be a journalist, and you want to ask them to explain the difference between the Spiegel cover and the cover of my book, the judge you want to talk to is Professor Doctor Stephan Harbarth, LL.M. (Yale). He’s the big honcho at the German supreme court, and is the one who was in charge of reviewing my appeal.

And you could also ask Stephan about my second appeal, or constitutional complaint, as they call it here in Germany. That one is regarding the police raid of my home, and the confiscation of my computer, and the German authorities’ attempt to force me to stop distributing my book worldwide. As I noted, they already banned it in Germany.

That appeal, or complaint, is still pending at the supreme court. I’m certain, after he reads this column, the professor will make sure that it receives proper consideration according to the German constitution, and the rule of law, and basic democratic principles, which the Federal Republic of Germany holds in the highest regard.

Oh, and, if you live in Germany, and want to read more about my prosecution, and other adventures with the New Normal authorities, you can buy my book, Fear and Loathing in the New Normal Reich, which was published by Skyhorse Publishing last year. The Germans haven’t banned that one yet.

I imagine they’ll get around to it eventually.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/12/2026 - 03:30

This reader asks Dear Abby what he should do about his sister's affair with an older, wealthy man.

FBI investigators identified Robert Jacob Hoopes using facial recognition technology.

New Pakistani Strikes On Afghanistan Kill 13 Civilians, Taliban Says

Several months ago, close in time to when the US-Iran war started, a separate conflict had erupted further east, along the Af-Pak border and even reaching as deep into Afghanistan as far as Kabul (where Pakistani airstrikes rained down).

Hostilities have abruptly flared up again along the Afghan-Pakistan border overnight as cross-border airstrikes launched by the Pakistani military killed 13 civilians, according to Afghan Taliban officials.

Getty Images

The aerial attacks impacted the Afghan border provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika, stated Zabihullah Mujahid, according to Afghan officials.

There has been relative calm in the situation as a months-long ceasefire largely held, but the new bombardment marks the deadliest single episode in several weeks.

The Pakistani side has made no mention of civilians, but instead says its operation killed over two dozen armed militants:

Pakistan's government said on Wednesday that 26 "militants" linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group were killed in the attacks. 

"In the aftermath of recent terrorist incidents in Pakistan .... precise and calibrated Strikes were carried out along Pakistan Afghanistan border areas on hideouts and safe havens," Pakistan's information minister Attaullah Tarar posted on X.

He did not comment on any civilian casualties after Afghan authorities, who have denied Afghanistan is used for militancy, said at least 12 people, including children, were left dead in the strikes.

An AFP correspondent has offered a vastly differing account, with on report saying: "An AFP journalist saw a house completely destroyed in the southeastern province of Khost, where residents were digging graves to bury those killed in the overnight attack."

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid stated in the aftermath that "11 children, one woman, and one elderly man were killed" in strikes on Khost, Kunar and Paktika provinces.

Pakistan's military released footage and its own counter-narrative:

Pakistan's Information Minister: 26 terrorists killed in strikes on hideouts along the Afghanistan border. pic.twitter.com/22r3dnMV8V

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 10, 2026

Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which share the disputed 1,600-mile Durand Line, have shifted from cautious engagement to open hostility.

The history has been marked by shifting from one-time allies to on-and-off again enemies. Many analysts are pointing to 'blowback' for Pakistan after sponsoring the Taliban's rise in the first place, decades ago (which also had the help of the CIA in 'Operation Cyclone'). Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of sheltering Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants who carry out cross-border attacks.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/12/2026 - 02:45

At least three tornadoes battered communities outside Chicago on Thursday, leveling homes and ripping down trees and power poles, while storms grounded flights for some and knocked out power for hundreds of thousands in the Midwest and Northeast.

Long before OG Anunoby became an NBA Finals hero, he was the quiet kid wandering the halls of Indiana and showing up at frat parties in Bloomington.

A boozed-up driver who arrogantly dangled his car keys at bar patrons begging him not to get behind the wheel pleaded guilty Thursday to a drunken crash that killed a beloved Long Island cop, authorities said.

"The guy pulls the trigger, and it hits my daughter in the left arm and goes through her side."

Satou Sabally continues to look more like herself, her performance in Thursday’s 104-90 win against the Dream being the latest example.

A Texas State University freshman was killed in a police-involved shooting as the deputy who allegedly fired off the fatal shot was fired.

'Full Force Of The Law': British PM Threatens Belfast Anti-Immigration Rioters While Lowe Says 'Millions Must Go'

Via Remix News,

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has threatened Belfast’s nighttime rioters with the “full force of the law” after they conducted arson attacks on cars and homes on Tuesday night after a brutal video went viral featuring a Sudanese man trying to behead a disabled Scottish victim.

“The scenes in Belfast last night were shocking and completely unacceptable. There is no justification for the violence and disorder that we saw threatening our communities, nor for those who encouraged it, online or elsewhere. It is clear that people were targeted last night because of their background and I will not tolerate it. Those responsible will feel the full force of the law,” wrote Starmer on X.

The scenes in Belfast last night were shocking and completely unacceptable.

There is no justification for the violence and disorder that we saw threatening our communities, nor for those who encouraged it, online or elsewhere.

It is clear that people were targeted last night…

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 10, 2026

On the other end of the spectrum, Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe says “millions must go” in response to the attack on disabled 44-year-old Scottish victim Stephen Ogilvie.

Lowe went even further, stating that “civil servants, judges, and politicians” must be “held to account for what has been done to this country.”

“If they have knowingly placed unvetted dangerous third world savages in our communities, near our children, then a Restore Britain Government will aim to prosecute them. If that includes Reform’s Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman, then so be it. When they held the power – they welcomed that Sudanese monster into our country and handed him a visa. An attempted beheading followed their decision,” he continued.

Millions must go. pic.twitter.com/hHXXYa2bwQ

— Rupert Lowe MP (@RupertLowe10) June 10, 2026

I want people finally held to account for what has been done to our country.

Civil servants, judges, politicians.

If they have knowingly placed unvetted dangerous third world savages in our communities, near our children, then a Restore Britain Government will aim to prosecute…

— Rupert Lowe MP (@RupertLowe10) June 10, 2026

Starmer’s Labour Party has accused tech billionaire Elon Musk of fueling the nighttime riots in Belfast. Protests turned violent on Tuesday evening after a shocking video showed a Sudanese man violently attacking Ogilvie with a knife before he was saved by locals who beat the perpetrator.

Houses are being burned down in Belfast in response to yesterday's attempted beheading of a man by a Sudanese migrant.

Videos are surfacing of several HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation — properties frequently contracted by the UK Home Office to accommodate asylum seekers)… pic.twitter.com/X7kD94nWX9

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) June 9, 2026

Yesterday evening, dozens of masked men gathered in residential areas and set fire to several houses, a shop, and numerous vehicles.

Labour Party leader Anna Turley partly blamed Musk and his news platform X for the riots after Musk shared several posts on Tuesday that had called for protests. Turley told Times Radio: “I think we need to acknowledge and see that social media plays a role in this. And I think there are actors with evil intentions who are often sitting many, many kilometers away.”

The knife attack follows a range of other heinous attacks and high-profile incidents involving foreign nationals in Great Britain. Numerous people shared calls for demonstrations, which were also picked up and further disseminated by Elon Musk.

While rallies in London, for example, were peaceful, groups of masked rioters gathered in Belfast before sunset and began setting fire to cars and buses. In the later hours, they directed their anger at houses where migrants also lived. A Middle Eastern supermarket was also set on fire.

Read more here...

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/12/2026 - 02:00

The memorial, designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is described as a “classically inspired amphitheater” with a ribbon – made of reclaimed steel for combat operation and covered in vegetation –  that arches over the marble surface of the monument. 

"I’ve just never been a real fan of children."

"I’ve just never been a real fan of children."