Islamophobic shooting in Christchurch, NZ

[Tender Branson]

Kalwejt, why are you constantly removing my posts ?

[Tender Branson]

Guys, I understand emotions are running high, but I've just deleted (mostly without infractions) questionable posts of all variety and attempts at thread derailing. Please keep it decent, as befitting the tragic occasion.

You have deleted my posts (not sure why).

Let me repeat the points I made:

First off, it's neither right nor appropriate time. Second, this kind of ahat-aboutism, no matter how cleverly disguised, is simply unacceptable. Just as well as trying to normalize, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the motivations between that utterly despicable act. And it's not like an occassional slip, when one considers your behavior.

If you have a post deleted/moderated and disagree with the decision, try to take it up via proper channels (Atlas board or by messaging moderators), instead of repeating your offense in the same thread.

This is unacceptable.

You are deleting my posts randomly out of a personal assumption that I'm "disguising" or "normalizing" something ?

WTF ?

That's not moderating but dictatorial censorship.

[Tender Branson]

https://twitter.com/sebastiankurz/status/1106456959862087680

https://twitter.com/HCStracheFP/status/1106490863402790913

"The terrorist attack in New Zealand affects me deeply. This barbaric act must be condemned in the strongest terms. My sympathy is with the relatives of the victims and the New Zealanders."

https://twitter.com/vanderbellen/status/1106451690675490816

[Tender Branson]

I was wrong to assume an event like this was more likely in the US (with lax gun laws) or Europe (which has seen a lot of extremist Muslim terror attacks).

Turns out that NZ‘s gun laws are not as strict as I would have imagined and they are reformed now ... (which is good).

I thought NZ would be more like the UK in terms of gun laws, but they are more like the US.

[Tender Branson]

Turns out the Christchurch killer has visited my district last year (Krimml Waterfalls) + Salzburg City and Vienna.

He also was in Bavaria and several Eastern European + Balkan countries to visit sites of historic battles against the Ottoman Empire.

https://derstandard.at/2000099768198/Christchurch-Attentaeter-postete-mehrere-Fotos-aus-Oesterreich

[Tender Branson]

Jacinda Ardern has been put onto the Burj Khalifa in Dubai:



Nice.

[Tender Branson]

Reuters: Austria's Kurz confirms link between Christchurch attacker and Identitarian Movement

Looks like the Austrian government will crack down on the now.

Yes, "link" in terms of a large donation they received + the FPÖ was very quick yesterday to distance themselves from the Identitarian Movement (which they had many contacts with over the past years and which served as a "talent agency" for the party).

Now, the FPÖ says: "we have never had any intercourse with these people" (LOL) and the FPÖ media team only yesterday or so deleted a post from Strache where he praised the Identitarians a few years ago.

Also: it seems Martin Sellner (the IM leader) only became aware of that donation (1.500€ btw) from the serial killer after the attack. Of course, at the time of the donation he thought he was only a guy from Australia/New Zealand, sympathetic to their cause. And because of that donation only (and no other links to him), it will be very difficult for ÖVP+FPÖ to actually dissolve the IM. A donation alone is not a reason enough to dissolve a group like this. They need to engage in serious criminal offenses, which until was not the case.

https://derstandard.at/2000100336603/FPOe-und-Identitaere-Zusammen-auf-Demos-beim-Wirt-und-im

https://derstandard.at/2000100291943/Bundesregierung-prueft-Aufloesung-der-Identitaeren

[Tender Branson]

The NYT has a very informative article about the Christchurch terrorist and the Austrian Identitarians:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/27/world/europe/new-zealand-attack-europe-far-right.html

Tarrant has been to Austria with a rental car last November for a week (coming from Hungary by train), the Interior Ministry confirmed, and travelled a total of 2.000 km in the country (almost 1.500 miles), which is a lot for a small country like Austria ...

He also visited my district.

[Tender Branson]

There has been a heated debate today in the Austrian parliament about connections of Tarrant and the Identitarians here and the connections of the FPÖ to them:



The SPÖ tried hard to connect the FPÖ with the Identitarians and therefore to the terrorist. We will have to wait and see if the FPÖ will drop in the polls as a result of it (like they did early last year after their far-right fraternity scandal).

https://orf.at/stories/3116796

[Tender Branson]

Martin Sellner‘s ESTA visa waiver application to the US has been cancelled:

https://www.krone.at/1893354

This means he cannot visit the US any longer and his US girlfriend Brittany Pettibone and they also cannot marry in the US this summer.

Sellner goes on a rant and blames Strache, Kurz and Trump for it.

[Tender Branson]

The NYT has a very informative article about the Christchurch terrorist and the Austrian Identitarians:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/27/world/europe/new-zealand-attack-europe-far-right.html

The new "Profil" magazine cover:

"How dangerous are the Identitarians ? The global network of modern-day far-right extremism - and why they are becoming a challenge for the FPÖ."

[Tender Branson]

Kurz speaking a word of power (in the direction of his coalition partner FPÖ):

FPÖ should take a clear position

"I expect the FPÖ to take a clear stance and, if there are connections with the Identitarians, to intervene and separate them, any kind of intertwining with the Identitarians has to be cut. Looking the other way is not possible." stressed The Chancellor. "Right-wing radicals are no better than Islamist extremists, and both radical ideologies pose a threat to our country and have no place in our free and liberal society," Kurz said in the Oberösterreichische Nachrichten.

https://kurier.at/politik/inland/kurz-ruegt-fpoe-kein-umgang-mit-dieser-rechtsextremen-bewegung/400453402

[Tender Branson]

Tarrant also sent donations worth 1.000s of €s to the French Identitarians, not just the Austrians ones ...

Tarrant, who travelled extensively in Europe, including in Austria, raised money from speculating on crypto-currency, amassing some 200,000 Australian dollars (127,000 euros), "The Standard" reported.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/christchurch-gunman-brenton-tarrant-repeatedly-donated-to-european-extremists-report-2017932

[Tender Branson]

I've considered Kurz to be a PR project and a useful idiot for the far right, so I'm pleasantly surprised now.

We need to wait and see. Maybe he has the skills to drive the ÖVP up to 40% and the FPÖ below 20% in the long run ...