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Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/world/german-journalist-sentenced-to-prison-for-satirical-meme/

World

German journalist sentenced to prison – for satirical meme

Totalitarianism

Published 11 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD).
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

A court in Germany this week sentenced journalist David Bendels to a suspended prison sentence for a satirical meme targeting Social Democrat Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. According to the court, the meme “offends the reputation of the Interior Minister”.

On April 7, the court in Bamberg, Upper Franconia, convicted journalist David Bendels – editor-in-chief of the conservative newspaper Deutschland-Kurier – of defamation, Spiegel reports.

In February 2024, the newspaper published a satirical meme on platform X, in which Interior Minister Nancy Faeser is seen holding a sign that the newspaper changed from ‘We Remember’ – part of a Holocaust remembrance event – to ‘I hate freedom of expression’.

The court considers that the meme “offends the reputation of the Minister of the Interior” and thus violates Section 188 of the German Criminal Code, which is supposed to protect public figures from defamation.

The court sentences David Bendels to seven months of suspended imprisonment and places him on two years of probation. In addition, the court has ordered Bendels to issue a written apology to Nancy Faeser.

As Bendels has no previous criminal record, the court opted for a suspended sentence, but the verdict marks the first time a German journalist has been sentenced to prison for a similar offense.

To be appealed

Bendels does not accept the verdict and plans to appeal. He defends the meme as satire and an expression of normal press freedom.

–We will not accept this verdict and will challenge it by all legal means. Deutschland-Kurier and I will personally continue the fight for freedom of the press and expression – firmly, consistently, and with all consequences necessary for the continuation of democracy in Germany.

Many warn that the penalty could lead to self-censorship among journalists, with legal experts arguing that the law could clash with Germany’s constitutional protection of freedom of expression.

Early this year, US Vice President JD Vance criticized what he called “Orwellian” German free speech laws, citing an interview with three German prosecutors who explained that insulting someone in public or online is a criminal offence.

In the past, organizations such as Reporters Without Borders have expressed concern about similar restrictions on press freedom in Europe.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/world/conservative-commentator-the-courts-decide-who-becomes-french-president/

World

Conservative commentator: The courts decide who becomes French president

Totalitarianism

Published 7 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The conviction of Marine Le Pen is not unique, says Rachel Marsden. On the contrary, court cases are systematically used to "erase" political challengers in France.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The conviction of National Coalition leader Marine Le Pen has sent shockwaves across Europe, with many describing it as a political attack and another assault on French democracy.

Conservative pollster Rachel Marsden notes that Le Pen’s conviction follows a clear pattern of French courts systematically siding with the political establishment to fight and get rid of challengers perceived to threaten those in power.

Officially, Le Pen has been convicted of fraud-related crimes, and according to the court, it has been proven that she has illegally and systematically used tens of millions of euros in EU funds to pay party employees in France.

However, Marsden points out that the verdict is very timely and seems to be an attempt to make the highly popular politician a pariah ahead of the 2027 presidential election. At the same time, she argues that the tactic is doomed to fail.

“If you were looking for a foolproof way to supercharge support for Le Pen’s party, congratulations, French judiciary – you nailed it. There’s no better way to fire up a political movement than to turn its leader into a martyr of a state that looks to be meddling with citizens’ democratic options“, she writes in Russian RT.

Marsden draws parallels with Romania and how the country’s authorities annulled the election results and prevented the winner of the first round, Călin Georgescu, from running again – citing various accusations of “fascism”, “extremism” and alleged foreign funding. This in turn led to widespread protests and a plunge in trust in Romanian politicians.

“Distinct pattern”

The pollster further notes that it was President Emmanuel Macron’s party that ensured that politicians convicted of various crimes were also disqualified from standing in elections – and that the changes were introduced a couple of years after the Brussels elite began to perceive Le Pen as an emerging threat.

Rachel Marsden also notes that Le Pen is not the only anti-establishment politician to disrupt Macron’s plans in various ways and is being or has been investigated for alleged corruption-related crimes – highlighting left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon as another such example.

“If Trump had been French, and convicted on some of his own election-related charges, like those in Georgia, he wouldn’t have been able to run for president“, she said.

“There’s a distinct pattern here: every time a candidate starts looking like a real threat to the establishment, the legal system suddenly finds a reason to hit the brakes”, the commentator continues.

Never the ruling party on trial

She cites several other examples of uncomfortable political challengers suddenly being accused, investigated and convicted of various forms of scandalous criminality – and removed from the public eye and all forms of influence. Former prime minister François Fillon and ex-president Jacques Chirac, according to Marsden, both suffered just that.

As for Marine Le Pen, many of her allies believe she has a good chance of appealing the verdict and that she has a good chance of becoming the next president of France. However, Marsden does not have such high hopes and points out that it is neither certain that she will be successful in an appeal nor that the legal process will be completed before the 2027 presidential election.

Even if Le Pen ultimately wins a court case, the opinion leader does not rule out the possibility that the French legal system, with the help of the EU, will suddenly “discover” new obstacles to the nationalist politician’s candidacy.

“Because if history tells us anything, it’s that French elections aren’t just won or lost at the ballot box – they’re also decided in courtrooms. And somehow, the ruling party never seems to be the one on trial”, she concludes.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-banks-and-police-launch-joint-intelligence-center/

Sweden

Swedish banks and police launch joint “intelligence center”

Totalitarianism

Published 4 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The police and the banking sector are now entering into a deeper relationship.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

On April 1, the Swedish National Police Board established a Financial Intelligence Center in cooperation with the Swedish Economic Crime Authority, the Swedish Tax Agency and the financial sector. The aim is to make it more difficult for criminals to exploit social structures and legal systems, an economy that is estimated to have an annual turnover of SEK 100-150 billion (€9-14 billion).

– In this work, the authorities and banks will collaborate and exchange operational information between each other and through proactive work make it more difficult for crimes to be committed, explains Karin Berggren, head of the new center.

The center will facilitate the exchange of information between authorities and banks in order to detect and prevent financial crime, such as tax evasion, fraud and welfarefraud. Work will start on April 1, 2025, and from September 1, representatives from the relevant authorities and banks will be based in a common location.

– Banks welcome the initiative to establish a Financial Intelligence Center. An increased and simplified exchange of information is fundamental to tackling the criminal economy, says Erik Wendeby, legal counsel at the Swedish Bankers’ Association.

The aim is to create effective forms of cooperation where information is translated into concrete actions. The center will be fully developed by 31 December 2027 and will be based on existing legislation.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/europe/romanian-election-authorities-ban-georgescu-from-presidential-race/

Europe

Romanian election authorities ban Georgescu from presidential race

Totalitarianism

Published 10 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
National conservative presidential candidate Călin Georgescu enjoys strong popular support in Romania.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

National conservative politician Călin Georgescu will not be allowed to run for re-election in May, Romania’s electoral authority announced on Sunday. The decision has sparked protests in the capital Bucharest, where demonstrators are demanding justice and democracy.

Romania’s Central Electoral Authority (BEC), decided on Sunday to disqualify Călin Georgescu from participating in the upcoming presidential elections, scheduled to be held in May.

Georgescu, who somewhat unexpectedly won the first round of the presidential election last November, has since been the subject of extensive legal investigations and political attacks.

The December election was annulled by Romania’s Constitutional Court just two days before the second round was due to take place, leading to widespread protests across the country.

Arrested on vague grounds

In the aftermath of the court’s decision, Georgescu was arrested on what appear to be politically motivated charges. Romanian authorities have also carried out dozens of raids across the country against Georgescu’s supporters, including people linked to his election campaigns.

The court cited alleged Russian interference in the election, via social media, and campaign financing as reasons for the annulment – allegations that Moscow rejects.

Călin Georgescu has called the decision “a formalized coup d’état” and claims it is an attempt to undermine democracy in the country, based on the fact that powerful interests simply did not appreciate the election results.

“Freedom!”

After the election authority’s announcement, hundreds of Georgescu’s supporters gathered outside the authority’s office in Bucharest, chanting “Freedom!” and tried to break through security barriers, leading to clashes with police, reports Al-Jazeera and others. Security forces used tear gas to disperse the crowd and several people were arrested during the protests.

Călin Georgescu has continued to lead the pre-election polls with around 40% of voter support. He has previously promised to “restore Romania’s dignity” and reduce the country’s dependence on international organizations such as NATO and the EU.

On social media, Georgescu criticized the electoral authority’s decision, calling it “A direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide! I have one message left! If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall! This is just the beginning. Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!”

Support from the US government

US Vice President JD Vance and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk have also expressed support for Georgescu and criticized Romania’s handling of the election.

In February, Vance accused Romania of invalidating the election on the basis of “weak suspicions” from Romanian intelligence and pressure from neighboring countries. Elon Musk describes the electoral authority’s decision as “crazy”, on his platform X.

Georgescu now faces a range of criminal charges, including disseminating false information about campaign financing, supporting fascist organizations and sedition against the constitutional order. He denies all charges and says they are entirely politically motivated.

At the time of writing, not a single piece of evidence that stands up to objective scrutiny has so far been presented by the Romanian Central Election Authority or other Romanian authorities.

Decision under appeal

The decision of the electoral authority can still be appealed to Romania’s Constitutional Court, which is expected to make a final decision by Wednesday this week. Meanwhile, protests continue in Bucharest, with demonstrators demanding justice and freedom for Georgescu to run in the elections.

The disqualification of Călin Georgescu from the presidential elections has created a political crisis in Romania, with accusations of violations of democratic principles.

As his supporters protest in the streets, the question remains whether or not he will be allowed to participate in the elections – a decision that could have far-reaching consequences for both Romania and Europe.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/europe/von-der-leyen-eu-citizens-must-be-vaccinated-against-disinformation/

Europe

Von der Leyen: EU citizens must be “vaccinated” against disinformation

Totalitarianism

Published 7 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Ursula von der Leyen and other EU leaders from the EPP group at the Leaders retreat in January.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has long been accused by critics of exhibiting totalitarian tendencies.

Speaking at the Democracy Summit in Copenhagen, she called for a new “European democracy shield” against “disinformation”. She likened this to a “virus” that the EU should work to “vaccinate” citizens against so that they become “immune”.

In her May appearance, Von der Leyen pointed out that the development of artificial intelligence has been very fast and that it is now possible to create fake – but very realistic – movie clips and images (deepfakes) and that these fakes can be used, among other things, to shape opinion during election campaigns.

According to the EU leader, this is why Brussels has already put in place some guidelines on AI and ethics, and she stressed that the Union needs to do even more than today to fight both AI fakes and what it calls disinformation.

– It takes resilience. As technology evolves, we need to build up societal immunity around information manipulation. Research has shown that pre-bunking is more successful than de-bunking. Pre-bunking is the opposite of debunking. In short, prevention is preferable to cure, she argued.

– Think of information manipulation as a virus. Instead of treating an infection once it has taken hold, that’s the de-bunking, it is better vaccinate, so that our body is inoculated. Pre-bunking is the same approach, von der Leyen continued.

Recurring virus likenesses

According to the President of the European Commission, “disinformation relies on people passing it on to others” and it is therefore necessary that “people know what malign information’s influence is” and of the different disinformation techniques.

– As that knowledge goes up – our chances of being influenced goes down. And that builds up the societal resilience that we will need, it said.

Von der Leyen declared that EU leaders “must be vigilant and uncompromising” and ensure that “malign information or propaganda” must be quickly removed and blocked. She also pointed out that social media giants are also obliged to act in accordance with EU law.

Censorship of dissenters

The conference took place before von der Leyen was re-elected as President of the European Commission, and she said she wants to set up a “European democracy shield” to track down and delete “fraudulent” online content together with member states’ national authorities.

Critics argue that in practice this is more about stifling dissent within the Union, as has repeatedly been the case in controversial policy areas such as migration policy, cultural policy, COVID policy, climate policy and foreign policy. In this context, it is pointed out that it is ironic that von der Leyen likens disinformation to a virus that needs to be vaccinated – as criticism of the experimental mRNA vaccine was systematically censored during the coronavirus crisis. The EU chief was also a driving force behind the mass vaccination campaigns, advocating for the injections of the mRNA preparations to become compulsory.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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