Europe

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According to Section IX of Ukraine’s 1990 Declaration of State Sovereignty:

The Ukrainian SSR solemnly declares its intention of becoming a permanently neutral state that does not participate in military blocs and adheres to three nuclear free principles: to accept, to produce and to purchase no nuclear weapons.

A poll commissioned by Bild showed that 14% of voters would vote for the Union - the same as for the SPD, which is represented by Chancellor Scholz.

Two more coalition pro-government parties - the Greens and the Free Democrats - would gain 12% and 4%, respectively, in a hypothetical election to the Bundestag.

At the same time, the right-wing Alternative for Germany, which also advocates ending support for Ukraine and accepting Ukrainian refugees, would score 18%.

The next elections to the Bundestag will take place in autumn 2025.

more about the party https://responsiblestatecraft.org/sarah-wagenknecht/

War-torn Syria, although it remains partially under U.S.-Turkey occupation, is still a geopolitical obstacle for the Western order in the Middle East. Iran remains the main state supporter of the Palestinian struggle. These forces initiated the alliance of the Global South to call for an immediate cease-fire, for the defeat of [Zionism’s régime] as a racist, neocolonial promoter of Western interests and for the formation of a democratic state in historic Palestine.

Western élites have waged an aggressive propaganda campaign in order to justify the massacre of the Palestinian people and legalize the neocolonial […] entity. They cultivate Islamophobia. They try to wage hate against the Islamic world, because Islam has functioned as a unifying means against their global dominance in an important part of the world. Using an [abusive] rhetoric, these élites try to present any condemnation of [Zionist] crimes against humanity as antisemitism. Despite this campaign, hundreds of thousands of people have demonstrated in support of Palestine — even in the Western countries.

Facing this brutal enemy, Palestine needs even stronger support from all who fight for democratic rights, for self-determination against [neo]imperialism and [neo]colonialism and for a new international order. Preventing the extermination of Palestinians and overthrowing the Western neocolonial plan in Palestine with the perspective of forming a democratic state will have a serious positive impact on all the current and imminent anti-imperialist struggles in the world.

In, for once, a positive bit of news from across the pond, Irish President Michael Higgins took the opportunity in his Christmas message to the Irish nation to thank migrants for their presence in Ireland. Higgins said, "may I express my gratitude to the migrants who now call Ireland their home. Their presence enriches our culture, contributes to our society, bringing as they do experiences, traditions, and perspectives that make us stronger as a nation."

Imagine any American president thanking migrants for coming to the United States. We'll wait.

(Taken from an email sent to me by Never Again Action.)

The main loser in the conflict, apart from Ukraine itself, is Germany, according to a prominent German publicist Gabor Steingart.

The journalist put it this way:

No one in Germany should be surprised if one day in the not-too-distant future you no longer see headlines about victories from Kiev, even fake ones, on the newsstands. President Zelensky, the hero of German dreams, has become a hero on call.

Apart from Ukraine, Germany is likely to be the main loser in this war. Signs of this are appearing already now. Our country is losing security, prosperity and reputation in the world,” the journalist admitted.

According to Steingart, Germany has already lost a key supplier of cheap gas, which “has been a reliable trading partner for decades”. At the same time, Germany has lost an important market for its own products. The journalist recalled that during the heyday of German-Russian economic relations, the volume of foreign trade accounted for up to 4 per cent of total exports from Germany.

"The strengthening alliance between Russia and China does not bode well for German exporters either. At the same time, the United States is increasingly urging Germany to sever ties (with China), including in the interests of its own industry”

Finally, the situation for official Berlin is complicated by the growth of isolationist sentiments in the United States and the reorientation of Washington’s foreign policy focus from the situation in Ukraine to further strategic rivalry with China.

“The Americans are leaving the European battlefield. In a few weeks, the last part of the multi-billion dollar aid package approved by the US Congress will be spent. The Republicans have reverted to the principle of ‘America First’. Now Donald Trump is hungry for victory, but not in a show of solidarity (with Ukraine). Not in Europe, but in Iowa. His opponent is now not Putin, but Biden”

According to the journalist, the loss of a “guardian” in the person of the United States, especially in the context of the necessary military build-up, will be a blow for Germany. Increased defence spending will require cuts in social budget items, which will only increase public discontent in the “welfare state”.

“Following the US, Germany is one of the main donors of military aid to Ukraine. In terms of GDP, however, Germany spends much more (0.5 per cent of GDP) than the US (0.3 per cent). If the Americans do stop supplying, Germany will have to spend about 16% of its federal budget for 2024 to provide Ukraine with the same level of support that the US was able to provide in 2023. Otherwise, military defeat will be inevitable”

To sum up, Steingart notes that Germany must finally adapt “to a different life – life in the neighbourhood of Russia without an American guardian”. This means that Berlin is required to rethink its foreign and security policy.

MSI is a continuation of Mussolini’s fascist party after the end of WW2. Francesco Rocchi, head of the Lazio region, and Miguel Gotor, adviser for cultural affairs in the Meloni government both were present at the rally. There was no condemnation or commentary on the surging crowd in central Rome.

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https://archive.ph/93VI1

Greenstein has yet to be charged and was released on bail the same afternoon. But both his laptop and phone were seized and not returned. Napier’s phone was also confiscated.

The police imposed draconian bail conditions on both men.

Napier told The Electronic Intifada that the police who bundled him into a caged van at the protest on Saturday said that he was being arrested on “religiously aggravated” charges.

His bail conditions include a complete ban on attending any protest in Scotland at all, as well as a ban from entering the center of Glasgow, the city where he grew up and spends much of his time.

He pleaded not guilty to all five charges at a hearing on Tuesday and is next set to appear in court on 9 January.