Today in Labor History June 24, 1525: The Church reconquered the Anabaptist free state of Munster. The Anabaptists had created a sectarian, communal government in Munster, Germany, during the Reformation. They controlled the city from February until June 24, 1525. They were heavily persecuted for their beliefs, which included opposition to participation in the military and civil government. They saw themselves as citizens of the Kingdom of God, and not citizens of any political state. Their beliefs helped radicalize people during Germany’s Peasant War, a revolt against feudalism and for material equality among all people. Some of the early Anabaptists practiced polygamy and polyamory, as well as the collective ownership of property. The more conservative decedents of the Anabaptists include the Mennonites, Amish and Hutterites.
The Munster rebellion has been portrayed in several works of fiction. My all-time favorite is “Q,” (1999) by the autonomist-Marxist Italian writing collective known as Luther Blissett. They currently write under the pen name Wu Ming. Giacomo Meyerbeer wrote an opera about it 1849, Le prophète.
[…] Unlike rogue states, pariah states do not have a fixed definition, but only characteristics that indicate possible violations. These include, above all, the production and use of weapons of mass destruction, tolerating terrorism, a lack of freedom of expression and democracy and violations of human rights. Unlike rogue states, a pariah state does not necessarily pose a threat to other states. Instead, the grievances are often directed only against one's own population.
Benny Landa, who was born in Canada and immigrated to Israel in the late 1970s, is described as a pioneer of the Israeli tech industry. He made his fortune selling Indigo to HP, and recently showcased his latest digital printing machines at a major printing industry event in #Germany.
He tells Globes business news site:
[…] "Not long ago, I had a conversation with one of the potential European distributors of the product. He told me: 'If you think you're going to manufacture this in Israel - forget about it, Israel is becoming a pariah state.' It was shocking. And this was said by a senior, reliable person who is very knowledgeable. We are in a very sensitive position right now, and anyone who thinks that what is happening now is not the biggest threat to Israel's economy is mistaken."
In the interview Globes correspondent Assaf Gilad repeatedly undermines Israel’s war crimes in #Gaza, yet Landa expresses major concerns about Israel's economic future due to the ongoing conflict. He believes if Israel's trade and ability to attract investment is severely damaged, it could cripple the economy and national security. The world increasingly views Israel through a lens of Palestinian suffering.
He argues the only long-term solution is separating into two states for Israelis and Palestinians, otherwise Israel risks becoming a bi-national Israeli-Palestinian entity against its wishes. However, he is pessimistic about influencing the government on this issue.
Landa's core mission now is growing Israeli industry and hitech employment to contribute 2% of GDP during his lifetime, but fears this may not be possible given current conflicts deterring investment and trade.
Why there are no reporters in Europe like him any more?
They all have turned into cowards at best or genocide supporters at worst. The disgusting dirty and disgusting atmosphere created by Israeli supporters and right wing media owners not to forget the sold out politicians and indifferent public (on top of racism and islamophobia) have created a vaccume of strong, knowledgeable and brave reporters who are not afraid of telling the truth.
With Robert Fisk gone, The independent have also turned into a echo chamber of pro Israeli voices. German and Swedish media are not even worth reading any more and I get better news from Israeli media criticizing the fascist regime of Netanyahu than any of the so called progressives and liberals in those countries.
They suck fighting in the battlefield and only can win against those with no heavy weapon, no airforce, no navy or air defense. Will their attack against Lebanon teach them a lesson they never forget?
Of course before it happens, uncle Sam. Step dad macron and sugar daddy Schultz will come to rescue in the name of fighting Iran. Hezbollah' have already kicked their ass twice in the past despite Israel destroying Lebanon in revenge, will this be any different?
But for now, all they can do is to post calls for genocide in yet another country in a sick and sarcastic way.
"We are going through some weird stuff right now. But we have gone through weird stuff before, and I do think that we can learn from it, and that we urgently need to."
“One dark and snowy night in December 1940 in German-occupied Paris, a strange funeral took place when German soldiers carried the coffin of Emperor Napoleon II into Les Invalides. Why was a Napoleon receiving a Nazi funeral?”
Caliphate protests in Hamburg: What is Muslim Interactive?
"This is a group that organizes itself through social media, such as TikTok," she told DW. "That makes it all the more dangerous. At least a mosque would give people a place to go and ask questions." #germany #deutschland #islam #terrorist #caliphate #tiktok @palestine @israel
It's not @israel aid that @Bundesregierung is delivering, but lethal weapons. Palestinian civilians been killed with ammunition marked for test purpose. So, it's a shame that the @cij_icj didn't support the strong moral arguments against #Germany.
Hypothesis: The reason #Germany fully supports the path @israel is on is because Germany would no longer be the country that killed the most Jews in history.
Another asshole on mastodon who got mad about my post about German police attacking a man carrying Jews against genocide.
Supporting police brutality against those protesting against ongoing genocide while crying over lack of free speech for those denying the Holocaust is the lowest I have seen.
Extreme right and so called liberals seems to be united in their fight against Palestinian protesters (as always).
The #Germany foreign office has criticized @israel for shutting down Al Jazeera. Remember, the German foreign office defines all criticism of Israel as antisemitism and Nazism, which is to be punished by a lifelong ban from the Schengen area. Now let's see if it obeys its own rules.
After rejecting the suggestion that the October 7th massacre should be understood in context, many pro-War supporters of Israel now claim that its actions in Gaza should also be understood “in context” (presumably self defense or right to exist etc.) But there are of course fundamental differences. Israel is an occupyer. It’s not “defending itself” it’s fighting to continue the occupation of Palestinian lands, while subjugating millions of people to life of misery and hopelessness.
Historically, Palestinians’ right for self determination was ignored at the first opportunity such a question needed to be discussed, at the end of WWI, prioritizing Western interests in the Middle East over anything else. This is the context in which understand Pankaj Mishra’s essay.
From the abstract:
Memories of Jewish suffering at the hands of Nazis are the foundation on which most descriptions of extreme ideology and atrocity, and most demands for recognition and reparations, have been built. Universalist reference points are in danger of disappearing as the Israeli military massacres and starves Palestinians, while denouncing as antisemitic or champions of Hamas all those who plead with it to desist.
——
Among other things, Mishra argues that the Israeli occupation of Gaza fosters a system of domination similar to Nazi Germany, generating "counter-memory" narratives that attempt to erase the suffering of Palestinians (a direct result of the Nakba and the ongoing occupation of Palestine).
Two argument struck me as powerful in this comparison, since they’re intuitive and well understood (at least by anyone who passed through the Israeli education system, or served in the army), regardless of everything else discussed in the essay:
Israeli narratives demonize Palestinians and justify occupation through security concerns.
The international community's silence and selective condemnation empower the Israeli occupation.
Two points that happen to echo the rise of Nazi germany and the world’s indifference to the #holocaust.