Spain: Does the Term ‘Islamist’ Constitute Hate Speech?
Spanish prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation to determine whether the secretary general of Vox, a fast-rising Spanish populist party, is guilty of hate speech for warning of an “Islamist invasion.”
by Soeren Kern
- “The external enemies want to tell us how to run our country…. Angela Merkel and her fellow travelers, George Soros, the immigration mafias, believe that they can tell us who can and cannot enter our country. They demand that our boats pluck so-called castaways out of the sea, transfer them to our ports and shower them with money. Who do they think we are?” — Ortega Smith, Secretary General of the Vox party, Spain.
- “These…. groups stand out not because of prejudice (‘Islamophobia’ or racism) but due to their being the least assimilable of foreigners, an array of problems associated with them, such as not working and criminal activity, and a fear that they will impose their ways on Europe…. Other concerns deal with Muslim attitudes toward non-Muslims, including Christophobia and Judeophobia, jihadi violence, and the insistence that Islam enjoy a privileged status vis-à-vis other religions” — Daniel Pipes, historian, “Europe’s Civilizationist Parties,” Commentary, November 2018.
- “We all know about the lack of freedom, if not direct persecution, suffered by women and Christians in Islamic countries, while here they enjoy the generosity characteristic of freedom, democracy and reciprocity, of course, all of which they systematically deny….” — Santiago Abascal, President of the Vox party, “Trojan Horse,” Libertad Digital, December 2014.
- “The left defends any gratuitous offense, even the most beastly ones, against Christians as ‘freedom of expression.’ At the same time, the mere fact of criticizing Islam is branded as ‘Islamophobia.’ …. Is this still Spain or are we in Iran?” — Elantir, blogger, Contando Estrelas.
 Vox, a fast-rising Spanish populist party, describes itself as is a socially conservative political project aimed at defending traditional Spanish values from the challenges posed by mass migration, multiculturalism and globalism. Vox’s foundational mission statement affirms that the party is dedicated to constitutional democracy, free-market capitalism and the rule of law. Pictured: Santiago Abascal, President of Vox, arrives at a party rally in Granada, Spain on April 17, 2019. (Image source: David Ramos/Getty Images) |
Update:
She is like a chef touting the wonders of the death cap mushroom, deadly poisonous as its name implies, by claiming the mushroom itself is beautiful and healthy, and that the poison dwelling in every aspect of the mushroom has nothing to do with the mushroom itself. Yet the two are impossible to separate.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani used an address at an Army Day parade in Tehran on Thursday to call on “righteous” Muslim countries across the Middle East to unite against Israel and the United States.
Here is a little background first from Maxime Lépante, our French correspondent in France:
Notre-Dame was one of the most important jewels of all human history. It started the “Gothic” architecture revolution, that was, from 12th to 15th century called “francigenum opus” (“French art”) before being called “gothic” by the Italians. It’s the epitome of Western civilization and Christian art. The framing of the roof, which was one of the biggest masterpieces of human carpentry, is permanently destroyed. The stained glasses (biggest and most ancient rose windows in Europe) are probably saved.
Some other information :
1) the workers who were refurbishing the roof of Notre-Dame are among the best specialized craftsmen in the world, concerning the restauration of medieval monuments (their title is “Meilleur Ouvrier de France”).They love their work, and take all the necessary precautions. They have worked in many rooms of the Castle of Versailles, they have restored many churches and cathedrals. For example, they worked during more than 20 years on the marvelous Strasbourg cathedral (I lived in Strasbourg and saw their progress), and there was never a single problem.
2) the workers stopped at 6:00 PM, the fire started at 6:50 PM, near scaffoldings, used to climb there.
3) no electricity was allowed near the roof because it was made in wood and as a matter of security, every inflammable thing was banned too. So, to have a fire there, someone needed to bring something.
Here is the latest update from Maxime Lépante, our French correspondent in France (emphasis is mine):
This is an update about what we know today about the fire that destroyed the roof and parts of the vaults of Notre-Dame:
1) Restoration work hadn’t started on the roof. The scaffolding were still being put in place. The architect in chief of the “Monuments Historiques” (“Historical Monuments”, the administration that maintains and repairs monuments in France), Philippe Villeneuve, who was responsible for the refurbishing of the spire of Notre-Dame, has stated that: “Work had not started yet, scaffoldings were still being built”.
2) Everything was done to avoid any source of heat near the wood of the roof. No electrical plug, no welding were allowed. So, Philippe Villeneuve says: “The hot spot hypothesis is therefore not the right one”.
3) The head of the company that was building the scaffoldings (Europe Echafaudage) (Europe Scaffolding), Julien Le Bras, was interviewed by a French TV (BFM) : “All I can say for the time being is that at the moment of the fire, absolutely none of the employees of my company was present on site”.
4) He added: “All safety procedures on the Notre-Dame de Paris site have been respected”.
5) One of my friends sent me an email concerning the security on the roof of Notre-Dame. She has a diploma in Art history and studied in the “Ecole du Louvre” (“Louvre School”, were students learn art history and restoration processes) : “I visited the framing of Notre Dame with architects of the “Bâtiments de France” (“Buildings of France”, the highest rank for an architect in France), some years ago. This 13th-century timber frame was extremely protected. Each intervention is always accompanied by historians, architects, experts; no work is envisaged without extreme caution; no source of heat, no torch, no electrical apparatus is allowed; a high-performance alarm system is in place, and very strict supervision of all people allowed there. I think we will eventually learn that this was arson.”
6) So, as I said yesterday, with all these security measures, to have a fire on the roof of Notre-Dame, someone had to bring something there and lit it up.
Sources :
For 1 and 2, see the article of “Le Monde”, reserved to the paying members, but the important parts have been copied here:
For 3 and 4, see the article of the “Journal du Dimanche”, here.