Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Anti-Christian hate crimes on the rise in Europe

Published 27 November 2023
– By Editorial Staff
A recent report by OIDAC Europe shows that anti-Christian hate crimes are on the rise.
2 minute read

A new report from the observatory on intolerance and discrimination against Christians in europe (OIDAC Europe), which was published last week, shows an increase in the number of hate crimes against Christians in europe over the past year.

The Austria-based non-profit organization OIDAC Europe presented its annual report for 2022/2023 last Friday, on the International Tolerance Day.

Just last year, reliable reports of 748 anti-Christian hate crimes in 30 different countries were received. The attacks included arson, graffiti, desecrations, thefts, physical attacks, insults, and threats.

Discrimination increases

The report further points out that the number of hate crimes committed by radicalized members of ideological, political, or religious groups, which have always expressed hatred towards Christians, is increasing.

OSCE representative and professor Regina Polak at the University of Vienna expressed her concern about the increasing number of attacks on european Christians.

– The increasing number of anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe reported by OIDAC is deeply worrying. It is highly necessary to raise both governmental and societal awareness for this problem and undertake political measures to tackle and combat it decidedly, Polak said in a statement.

Lund, listerby church in ronneby. Photo: Jonas Carlberg/CC BY 2.0

Dismissed from Jobs

OIDAC Europe has also examined various forms of discrimination against Christians. Over the past year, several Christians have been fired from their jobs, suspended, or brought to criminal court for publicly expressing peaceful religious opinions.

Christians who have followed their denominations’ biblical teachings have been prosecuted for alleged “hate propaganda”. Among the most notable cases are British teaching assistant Ben Dybowski and school priest rev. Bernard Randall.

– The criminalization of expressions of mainstream religious teachings – which do not incite violence or hatred – as ‘hate speech’ is dangerous on various levels: It stigmatizes legitimate conscience-related convictions and at the same time weakens the severity of actual incitement to hatred, says Anja Hoffmann, executive director of OIDAC Europe, in a press release.

TNT is truly independent!

We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.

Consider a donation to keep our independent journalism running…

Portugal set to ban burqas

Published today 7:37
– By Editorial Staff
NOTE: The image is an archive photo from Denmark, 2021.
2 minute read

The Portuguese Parliament has voted to ban face coverings in most public spaces.

The proposal was initiated by the Chega party and is justified as a measure to strengthen gender equality and women’s rights in society.

Burqas and niqabs are expected to be banned in public places in Portugal if the bill is approved by the country’s president.

The measure applies when these are worn for “reasons related to gender and religion” and carries fines of between €200 and €4,000 for violations. Anyone who forces someone to wear a face covering also risks up to three years in prison.

If the law comes into force, Portugal would join other European countries that have already introduced full or partial bans on burqas and niqabs, including France, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa can, however, veto the bill or refer it to the constitutional court for review.

André Ventura, leader of the Chega party, said during the debate: – Protecting female members of parliament, your daughters, our daughters, from having to use burqas in this country one day.

Women from left-wing parties oppose the proposal

Several female parliamentarians from left-wing parties opposed the proposal and confronted Ventura in the chamber, but the bill was approved with support from the center-right coalition governing the country.

This is a debate on equality between men and women. No woman should be forced to veil her face, declared Andreia Neto from the Social Democratic Party before the vote.

Only a small minority of Muslim women in Europe wear full face coverings, and in Portugal they are very rare. However, due to immigration from Muslim countries, their use is gradually increasing.

Full veils such as niqabs and burqas have long been a highly controversial issue in Europe, where critics argue that they symbolize gender discrimination, religious fundamentalism, or may pose a security threat.

The bill in Portugal has therefore become a central issue in the debate about balancing religious freedom, gender equality, and security. If finally approved, it is expected to resemble the rules already in place in several other EU countries.

Portugal and the burqa ban

  • Ban on: Burqa and niqab in public places in Portugal
  • Origin of the bill: Introduced by the Chega party (a Portuguese right-wing populist party)
  • Fines: €200–€4,000 for violations
  • Imprisonment: Up to three years for anyone who forces someone to wear a burqa or niqab
  • President's role: Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa can veto or refer the proposal to the constitutional court
  • European comparisons: Similar to laws in France, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands
  • Background: Only a small minority of Muslim women wear face coverings in Portugal. However, the trend is increasing somewhat due to immigration

Slovakia: EU must prioritize economy over Ukraine

The new cold war

Published 17 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's Slovakia is one of the few EU countries that has refused to deliver weapons to Ukraine and opposed Ukrainian NATO membership.
2 minute read

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico accuses the EU of concealing its own fundamental problems by constantly focusing on Ukraine – and refuses to discuss new Russia sanctions until the union’s economic crisis is taken seriously.

Ahead of next week’s European Council summit, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is launching a frontal attack on the EU’s priorities. In a post on X, he states that the union’s constant focus on Ukraine masks its inability to handle the bloc’s own serious challenges.

At the summit, EU leaders are expected to discuss increased defense spending, military cooperation and continued support for Kyiv. But Fico argues this is happening at the expense of more urgent problems within the union.

“Not interested”

On Wednesday, the Slovak leader stated that he is “more and more convinced” that the EU, by “”constantly discussing Ukraine, we in the EU are covering up our inability to deal with our most fundamental challenges and problems”. He says he has raised the issue with European Council President António Costa.

Fico then issues an ultimatum:

— I am not interested in dealing with new sanctions packages against Russia until I see, in the conclusions of the EC summit, political instructions for the European Commission on how to address the crisis in the automotive industry and the high energy prices that are making the European economy completely uncompetitive.

Automotive industry and energy prices in focus

The criticism doesn’t come from nowhere when it comes to Slovakia. The country’s economy is heavily dependent on automobile manufacturing, a sector under severe pressure from EU green policies and global competition. At the same time, Slovakia remains heavily dependent on Russian gas and crude oil under long-term contracts, despite Brussels demanding a complete phase-out of Russian energy imports by 2027.

Bratislava plans to present more concrete proposals on the automotive sector and energy prices at the summit than what is currently in the draft conclusions.

Fico continued:

— I refuse to let such serious issues be handled in the EC conclusions with general phrases, while detailed decisions and positions are devoted to aid for Ukraine and support for the war.

Divergent line

Slovakia stands out among EU countries in its stance on the war in Ukraine. Unlike most member states, the country has refused to deliver weapons to Ukraine, opposed Ukrainian NATO membership and repeatedly turned against EU sanctions on Russia.

The majority of EU countries maintain that Western support for Ukraine must continue and support rapid military rearmament, citing the alleged threat from Russia. The Kremlin has dismissed these claims as “nonsense” and accuses Western governments of using them as a pretext for increased military spending.

Italian editor-in-chief: “We are importing poverty”

Migration crisis in Europe

Published 16 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
A group of migrants demonstrates in Treviso, Italy.
3 minute read

Recent statistics from Istat, the Italian national statistics institute, show that people with immigrant backgrounds account for a significant portion of the country’s absolute poverty. At the same time, poverty levels are declining among households where both parents are Italian.

The figures have once again fueled the debate about the socioeconomic consequences of mass immigration.

The statistics show that more than one-third of immigrants, 35.6 percent, live below the poverty line – a level that is five times higher than among the Italian population.

Maurizio Belpietro, editor-in-chief of the Italian daily newspaper La Verità and an influential political commentator, has written a widely discussed column in which he argues that Italy is effectively “importing poverty”.

Belpietro highlights that while non-EU citizens make up less than one-tenth of the population, they nevertheless represent just over one-third of all those living in poverty.

“Of the 2.2 million households living in poverty, i.e., do not have enough income to support a minimum standard of living, 1.5 million are Italian and 733,000 are foreigners”, he writes in the newspaper.

Poverty among mixed families

Among families where one parent is Italian and the other is foreign-born, the poverty rate is 30.4 percent, according to Istat. By comparison, families where both parents are Italian citizens have a poverty rate of 6.2 percent.

Political commentator Francesca Totolo has commented on the figures on X and questions the notion that labor immigration benefits the pension system.

“It is and will be Italians who have to pay for assistance, subsidies, housing, and pensions to foreigners without resources”, she writes.

Large differences between immigrant groups

The debate about immigration’s economic effects is also ongoing in other European countries. The argument that large-scale immigration would be the solution to pension system challenges has increasingly been questioned as research data is presented.

However, there are significant differences between different immigrant groups. EU citizens, particularly from certain member states, often contribute positively to the economy and tax revenues, while the pattern looks different for citizens from countries outside the union.

A Dutch study showed that migration had cost the state approximately €400 billion during the period 1995-2019, and in Germany, the annual costs of mass immigration are estimated at at least €50 billion.

At the same time, analysts emphasize that calculations of migration’s economic costs often underestimate the actual expenses, which in reality tend to be significantly higher than the forecasts.

“Costs more than it brings in”

French researcher and author Jean-Paul Gourévitch stated in a radio interview with Radio Sud in 2021 that employment figures do not support the picture that immigration to France provides net economic gains.

— I have studied this topic extensively and today everyone in France, from the left to the right agrees that immigration costs more than it brings in, Gourévitch explained.

He pointed out that economists with different political backgrounds estimate the costs differently. Left-leaning analysts indicate an annual deficit of €6 to €10 billion, while right-leaning ones point to figures between €40 and €44 billion.

— My own scientific research shows that the deficit is €20 to €25 billion, he said in the interview.

Germany’s pension shock: people must work until at least 73 years of age

Welfare collapse

Published 9 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
In Germany's increasingly deteriorating welfare climate, Chancellor Merz is now signaling a dramatic increase in the country's retirement age - while money continues to flow to Ukraine.
3 minute read

While Berlin sends billions to Ukraine and turns a blind eye to migration costs in Germany, voices are being raised for Germans to work longer to save the welfare system. German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) is preparing the country’s residents for a longer working life.

According to a new proposal, the retirement age in Germany could gradually be raised to 73 years as part of the government’s attempt to save an increasingly strained welfare system. Critics warn that the ideas about retirement age 73 lack both realism and fairness.

Friedrich Merz has stated that Germans must get used to the idea of less leisure time and longer working lives to finance pensions, healthcare and elderly care.

Meanwhile, economic analyses show that the country’s former strength as the EU’s economic engine has turned into stagnation. The deficit in public insurance systems is growing rapidly and several German states report shortages of both personnel and funding in healthcare.

The government’s expert council now warns that demographic developments require decisive action – more workers, higher fees and later retirement.

Money to Ukraine prioritized

But while Germans are urged to work until well after 70 years of age, Berlin continues to send billions to Ukraine. According to German media, the military and humanitarian support amounts to well above 40 billion euros since 2022.

Critics argue that the current government simultaneously fails to address the homeland’s own financial problems. The growing national debt, rising energy prices and weak industrial production have put welfare under severe pressure – but aid to Kiev remains unchanged.

Many Germans therefore wonder how the country can afford to finance the war abroad but not its own pensions.

Tens of billions of euros in German taxpayer money go to Ukraine every year. Montage. Photo: U.S. Marine Corps/Sgt. Samuel Fletcher, President Of Ukraine

Immigration’s impact

The official explanation for the crisis is an aging population. But several economists argue that the problem rather lies in the extensive immigration over the past two decades.

According to calculations by pension researcher Bernd Raffelhüschen, many newcomers contribute less to the social system than they receive back, especially during their first years in the country.

In an interview with German tabloid Bild from October 2024, he said that immigration will not save either the economy or welfare – rather the opposite.

Other experts also argue that integration problems and low employment among certain immigrant groups have become a long-term structural concern for the German economy. Despite this, the issue receives limited space in political debate.

Montage. Photo: Amisom, Pexels

The chancellor’s dilemma

The Federal Chancellor thus faces a double dilemma. On one hand, the finance ministry demands reforms to avoid collapse in the welfare system. On the other hand, new cuts and raised retirement age risk increasing discontent among voters who already feel that burdens are distributed unfairly.

The opposition, particularly Alternative for Germany (AfD), has quickly exploited the situation and describes the proposal as a betrayal of the country’s workers. Meanwhile, Merz tries to maintain a hard line against criticism and present the reform as a necessity.

But more and more Germans are now asking the question: why should citizens work longer, while billions continue to flow to both Ukraine and a costly migration system that few still believe will pay for itself?

FACT BOX: Germany's welfare system under pressure

  • Pension system: The statutory retirement age in Germany is currently 67 years, but proposals exist to gradually raise it to 73.
  • Economy: Germany's GDP growth has fallen to below 0.5 percent during 2024–2025, resulting in high inflation and reduced industrial production.
  • Support to Ukraine: Since 2022, Germany has allocated over 40 billion euros in military, economic and humanitarian aid – the second largest contribution within the EU after the USA.
  • Migration: Around 17 million people in Germany have foreign backgrounds. Integration and social expenditures are estimated to cost the state over 30 billion euros annually.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
Consider a donation.

You can donate any amount of your choosing, one-time payment or even monthly.
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Dont miss another article!

Sign up for our newsletter today!

Take part of uncensored news – free from industry interests and political correctness from the Polaris of Enlightenment – every week.