Extremists storm mosque in historic Poitiers

October 21, 2012

Paris, October 21: A group of extremists has stormed an unfinished mosque in the historic city of Poitiers in western France in a display of animosity toward Islam.

Seventy-three protesters travelled from all over France to the city to take part in the anti-Islam demonstration on Saturday.

They gathered at the mosque before dawn, and disrupted a prayer, chanting and waving banners protesting against the construction of mosques and the immigration of Muslims.

They also climbed onto the roof of the mosque and unfurled their banners.

"We are thunderstruck… these are people who are stuck in the year 732, and who don't see that the world has changed,” local Muslim leader and imam Boubaker al-Hadj Amor said, referring to the Battle of Tours, which occurred in Poitiers in that year, with Charles Martel leading the Christian army in a victory that halted the Muslims' furthest advance into Europe.

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault “firmly” condemned the action as a “provocation that reveals an unacceptable religious hatred.”

Interior Minister Manuel Valls also condemned the "hateful and inadmissible provocation" and the "questionable confusion" of the group.

The International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism called the occupation a “demonstration of hate.”

According to the regional prefect, Yves Dassonville, the protesters dispersed when police arrived and detained four people, who said they were the organizers, for questioning.

The police started investigating “an unauthorized demonstration, incitement to racial hatred, participation in a gathering with a view to carrying out joint damage.”

Charges of theft are also probable as they also removed ten of the mosque's carpets and took them to the roof, where they were damaged by rain.

“We were planning to stay longer, but as we had no intention whatsoever of a physical confrontation, we are leaving with the police in a good mood without an unhappy ending,” a spokesman for the demonstrators said.

Finally, the extremists were compelled to evacuate the mosque at 1:00 p.m.

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Spain blocks arms ship from India to Israel amid ongoing Gaza genocide

News Network

May 18,2024

In a humanitarian move, Spain has refused entry to a ship carrying arms from India’s Chennai to Israel to dock at one of its ports, its Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has said.

The Denmark-flagged cargo ship Marianne Danica sailed from Chennai on April 8 when people in Gaza were observing Ramadan fasting, and was headed to the port of Haifa in Israel, according to maritime tracking portals and Spanish media.

Spain has been extremely critical of the rising civilian casualties due to the Israeli offensive in Gaza and, along with Belgium, has suspended arms exports licenses to Tel Aviv.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal, at the weekly press conference, only said that they have seen the report of the ship and will revert with more information.

Meanwhile, a source said, “Investigation will reveal if the items on board were cleared for export and if the end user is the same as reported by The Guardian because there are items that are not banned for exports.”

Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Thursday on the issue, Mr. Albares had said, “This is the first time we have done this because it is the first time we have detected a ship carrying a shipment of arms to Israel that wants to call at a Spanish port.”

“This will be a consistent policy with any ship carrying arms to Israel that wants to call at Spanish ports. The Foreign Ministry will systematically reject such stopovers for one obvious reason: the Middle East does not need more weapons, it needs more peace,” he stated.

The ship was carrying 27 tonnes of explosives according to local reports. It was to make a port call at Cartegena in Spain.
In February, Mr. Albares said that they had suspended arms export licences to Israel since October 7, which he said made them “realise” the importance of a “fair and lasting solution” to the Palestinian cause.

The incident comes amid an ongoing row between Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s party and his coalition partners over another ship, Borkum, that was due to dock at Cartegena port on Friday over allegations that it was carrying arms meant for Israel. However, the Spanish government has said that the arms it is ferrying are meant for the Czech Republic.

Belgium had suspended two arms export licences to Israel.

“We welcome the decision of the Spanish government to deny the transit authorisation of the vessel Marianne Danica, in accordance with Tratado (treaty) on Arms Trade and Spanish law,” Amnesty International Spain said on social media platform ‘X’.

The timing also coincides with the Israeli ground offensive inside Rafah. According to the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) at least 6,30,000 Palestinians have been forced out of Rafah since the launch of the incursion on May 7.

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