live blogging from the Copenhagen protests and…

more from the EU agenda…Our neighbor, Greece is having real economic problems, aftermath of Berlusconi attack and more…

Reclaim Power Cop15

Danish police abuse climate-change demonstrators

from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow

Zoran sez, “Earlier this week (12th Dec), a massive, peaceful protest of 100,000 people — the largest demonstration for climate justice in world history — was met with a heavy-handed response by the Danish police. Thousands of riot police swarmed the march route, blocked off streets surrounding large groups of protestors, and arrested almost 1,000 people. Arrestees were cuffed and forced to sit in rows for hours, as the temperatures dipped below freezing; numerous people urinated on themselves after being denied use of toilets.”

Dispatch from Copenhagen: Demands for Climate Justice

from Global Voices Online by Saffah Faroog

Minaret referendum updates (2)

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more about “Newsy | Swiss Move to Ban Minarets | …“, posted with vodpod

Newsy.com videos analyze and synthesize news stories from multiple sources. Its unique method of showing how different media cover the news helps viewers better understand complex stories. [Thanks Helen!]

Racism, intolerance still a reality in Europe, report shows

from EurActiv.com

Ethnic and religious minorities in Europe continue to suffer from discrimination and prejudice and face disadvantages in a whole host of areas, from employment and education to housing and policing, a report published yesterday (3 December) by the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) reveals.

German-Turkish Director Fathi Akin Boycotts Swiss Over Minarets: http://www.google.com/hostedn…

Minaret referendum updates

last updated: 4 Dec 2009- 14:00

One year later:

via

Vatan daily calls Sarkozy a fascist after his support for the minaret ban in Switzerland

Turkey joins Swiss minaret row – Religion : news, world | euronews

Bağış asks Muslims to abandon Swiss banks – Hurriyet

Swiss minaret crisis. Less reaction than expected?

Maybe because I was busy with my all daily stuff, I missed it, but in classes and in corridor talks Swiss minaret referendum was not in the agenda at all. Students made fun of Switzerland mostly in passing. It is portrayed as a parochial country (!) in the middle of Europe. Many columnists added the case as another case of growing intolerance in Europe; Erdoğan gave the expected reaction and Egemen Bağış, our chief EU negotiator made my day: He used the issue for pragmatic purposes. “Rich Muslims should transfer their money from Swiss banks to Turkish banks who are ready for investment.

Conflict over mosques in Europe – Policy issues and trends by Stefano Allievi

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the lawmakers of his Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009. Erdogan criticized a ban on the building of new minarets in Switzerland. A Swiss ban on minarets could violate fundamental liberties, Europe’s top human-rights watchdog said Monday in an indication that the heavily criticized vote could be overturned. The referendum was approved by 57.5 percent of the population Sunday, forcing the government to declare illegal the building of any new minarets in Switzerland.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Muslim Reactions to Swiss Vote: Turkey’s Erdogan Says Minaret Ban is Sign of Fascism – SPIEGEL ONLINE – News – International

Turkey angry over Swiss ban on minarets – The National Newspaper

Mosques in Switzerland, churches in Turkey

by ORHAN KEMAL CENGİZ

This last referendum in Switzerland on the banning of minarets was inherently racist, and its result is quite humiliating for both the Swiss people and Muslims living there.

Minaret controversy in Switzerland – Wikipedia

As of the date of the vote, there were four minarets in Switzerland, attached to mosques in ….. Swiss voters back ban on minarets in referendum Reuters, …

Background – Support – Opposition – Popular Initiatives Explained

In Switzerland, Fascism seems to be getting ground…

last updated: 30 Nov 2009- 02:30

Even fundamentalist Islamic countries did not vote about the shape of religious institutions…

It is a sad day. The referendum result made me really angry first but now sadness prevails. This is such a stupid referendum and a stupid result. Switzerland is known to be a peaceful and civilized place and whatever the reasons behind the ban, it just doesn’t fit. How come a country like Switzerland can do something like that? It is basically beyond reason. As a Swiss friend of mine, Ariane Beldi, stated in Facebook, this small, rich and civilized country declared itself to be the first officially anti-Muslim country in Europe! Discrimination against Muslims has become unashamedly constitutional… My goodness. Again in Ariane’s words “in their haste to protect the Judeo-Christian heritage against Islam, a good deal of people seem to be forgetting some essential elements of this heritage, like intellectual rigour, rationality, honnesty, tolerance, etc…”

Some Eurobloggers reacted fast and they deserve an applause. A growing roundup follows…

Swiss appear to back minaret ban

from BBC News | Europe | World Edition

Projections from exit polls suggest Swiss voters have backed a referendum proposal to ban the building of minarets.

Swiss minaret referendum today.

Swiss Minaretxia

from tabsir.net

Cows will no longer give milk in Switzerland if minarets are allowed to stand.

The rightwing political parties in Switzerland are up in arms, preparing for a vote on Sunday to save their alpine paradise from the dreaded cultural eyesore of mosque minarets. This proposed ban on minarets comes from the same friendly yodelers in the nationalist Swiss People’s Party that has previously campaigned against

CHP’s views on the Kurdish Question

Main opposition party, CHP, has recently opened up an office in Brussels. Some thought it as a good sign that finally CHP would actually support the EU process. There has not been any positive signs though. In the mean time, Brussels office sends email-bulletins. The last one was about CHP’s views on the Kurdish Question. EU leadership proves to be more and more naive and I guess in this respect good, abstract but without substance statements may have an impact on EU public. If only ignores the fact that CHP triggers more nationalist hysteria than nationalist MHP does…Below, there is also a roundup on the EU-TR relations and TR’s Foreign Policy moves…

CHP VIEWS AND PROPOSALS ON THE KURDISH QUESTION

The Turkish Parliament debated the government’s initiative on the Kurdish question on November 10th and 13th.

Background: In 1991, the first proposal of law in Turkey on the abolishment of all obstacles to the use of the Kurdish language was a social-democratic initiative. It was signed and introduced by Mr Deniz Baykal and his colleagues. In 2002, during the rule of the coalition government (Social-Democrats-Liberals-Nationalists) several reforms were adopted to allow the teaching and broadcasting in Kurdish. Recently, the Turkish government declared its intention to implement a new reform on the ethnic issues without making public its proposal. CHP responded in reminding its previous comprehensive reports on the Kurdish question and its very recent concrete proposals.

Berlusconi; I know, I trust he can make it, he can fix his latest problem:)

And more from Europe

Zurich allows anti-minaret poster

The Swiss city of Zurich allows a controversial campaign poster showing missile-shaped minarets and a burka-clad woman.