#french citizenship questions

[sissa-arrows]

by settler/coloniser do you mean like, west bank settlers and the like (i mean actively settling or whatever. i hope you understand what im trying to say) or like all descendants of settlers who may no longer have a settler role like idk some guy in jaffa whose grandparents were settlers but he himself is just. a guy and doesn't own property etc etc.

asking bc in the first sense i fully agree with you but i saw too many leftists embrace a practically ethnic definition of coloniser which i find rather disagreeable

ps this is not meant to be like an attack i am curious

First of all this is how I personally view things and I’m Algerian not Palestinian so my definition is not a rule. At the end of the day my opinion, our collective opinions don’t matter in the scale compared to Palestinians’ opinions. I’m still choosing to answer because I don’t think Palestinians should carry that burden alone BUT if a Palestinian read this and think I’m overstepping send me a DM I will delete my post without any arguing.

Now to answer the actual question. All Israelis are settlers excluding the rare Palestinians who have the citizenship but then those are Palestinians not Israelis. Settlers = colonizers = non indigenous people permanently living in a settler colony.

The difference between the settler in the West Bank and the settler in Jaffa is not that it’s them doing the settling or their grandparents. Both live on stolen land that does not belong to them and never will. So both are settlers. The difference is somewhere else. The settler in the West Bank is fucked. He is unredeemable because he is doing the colonizing himself right now. He should leave that’s the only option. Now the guy in Yaffa there’s more nuance to it.

That guy whose grandparents were settlers and therefore stole Palestinian land… he is still living on stolen land even if he is not a land owner even if he didn’t do the stealing himself… he is still benefiting from settler colonialism. He doesn’t get to just wash his hands and pretend he is not involved because his grandparents did it not him.

Is he actively fighting against Israeli colonialism? Is he in favor of giving ALL the land back to indigenous people aka Palestinians with the right of return for the Palestinian refugees and one single Palestinian country where those who fought for its liberation could stay and live with equal rights regardless of religion? If the answer is yes he is still a settler BUT he is a redeemable settler he can get rid of his status of settler by helping get rid of settler colonialism. If the answer is no if he just sits there thinking the status quo is good enough thinking the problem is Netanyahu or any other politician when the real problem is Israel itself because it’s a settler colony, then he is a settler AND he can go fuck himself too.

Living in a settler colony as a non indigenous person means that you cannot be neutral. You cannot just exist. You are either a settler trying to end settler colonialism (and in the process put an end to your status as a settler) or a settler supporting settler colonialism.

The “suitcases carriers” I mentioned. They were still settlers (excluding the mainlanders who helped Algerians in France). They just made the right decision and stood for the liberation of Algeria. That decision led to the end of French settler colonialism which put an end to their settler status. By fighting to end settler colonialism they freed themselves of being settlers. It even allowed those who wanted to stay to do so and stay as Algerians.

Lastly I want to add that a settler colony cannot create people who do not have racist bias against the indigenous people of the land they occupy. So one also needs to actively work to unlearn those bias because even settlers who fight for the liberation of indigenous people have those bias.

[tanadrin]

It sounds like you likely side against the protesters in New Caledonia who were apparently protesting about France giving people who moved there recently the right to vote in local elections. (i.e. the native minority doesn't want the colonizers to have the right to vote)

I probably would! If you live somewhere, and pay taxes there, and use the public services and utilities there, you should have full political rights. That policy seems like an overcorrection for historical injustice--e.g., the French not granting Muslims voting rights in North Africa.

And there are other awkward questions you could pose for my open-borders-and-free-citizenship stance--like the fact that the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy was driven in part by immigrants of American background who felt excluded from representation (but who in turn wanted to exclude Asian immigrants from representation), or how small countries that suddenly find themselves in an advantageous economic position often find their demographics rapidly changing (Qatar, Hawaii in the early 20th century).

But the alternative--the whole hog of blood-and-soil nationalism, with a bit of anti-colonial lipstick--seems pretty bad to me. People move around. Places change. Cultures change. We can and should do everything in our power to ensure those changes and that movement is the result of, like, free individual choice, and not war or violent seizure of land or systems of brutal economic exploitation. And sometimes despite those changes, the things people love about their traditional cultures can persist--especially now, in a world that pays much more attention to the rights of (for example) minority language speakers than it used to.

But the desire for the world to remain culturally, linguistically, and economically static is basically reactionary. I mean really, it's the aesthetic heart of reaction. It's also an absurdity. Even perfectly isolated societies can change in dramatic ways. And, of course, very often "tradition" is a cudgel simply wielded in the service of entrenching a different kind of elite power: I am no more supportive of the Hawaiian monarchy, one born of bloody conquest by an imperialistic dynasty, than I am of the British; the British one just happened to be more historically successful, but the underlying principles are the same. Cf. also the way land tenure works in American Samoa, a system that is billed as keeping land in native hands--which it does, by institutionalizing the colonial system of blood quantum and being explicitly racist, and simply serving to prop up a different set of elites (in this case, traditional tribal elites rather than colonial ones).

I think the only way you can really escape the trap of reaction and nationalism is to refuse to play the game in the first place--to put the primacy of your bond to your fellow human beings, regardless of culture or race or origin, and thus inherent political equality (and solidarity) above other considerations. Tribalism, pillarization, byzantine ethnicity-based power-sharing arrangements, special rules for land tenure or voting rights--all these have a nasty way of turning into new forms of exploitation, of someone figuring out how to do the economic and political arbitrage at someone else's expense. The central insight of 1789 was correct here: the only solution is the universal equality of all human beings. The trick is to carry that insight through to its logical conclusion.

[thetourturedwritersclub]

I've seen ppl do the marauders being teachers and the subjects they would teach. And hers are my 2 cents.

James he would teach PE. Argue with the wall. Also he'd be that one teacher everyone loves bc he cares for the students. All the students who have PE with him would be fit bc James cares so much abt the students health. He would organise basketball, football /soccer and volleyball games between the other classes.

Sirius On the popular belief of Sirius teaching French, I actually think he would teach art. That doesn't mean that I think that he isn't intelligent, I think he's creative and he would rather teaching a subject which requires u to be creative. He would take the kids to art galleries.

Remus to no one's surprise, I think he would teach English /Literature. And he would make it INTERESTING. They'd be studying Romeo and Juliet , the kids would feel like they are in Verona, Italy watching it happen. Also smth that's so precious for me is Remus having movie hrs, watching films that we are adapted into movie form and they would analyse the differences between the two.

Peter I think Peter would teach home Economics. Also he would be that teacher that u either love and appreciate or hate with a burning passion. He would be a shy introverted nature but also funny and tolerant.

Lily she would teach citizenship. Yes she would be that teacher that would make sure u were mindful, empathetic and grateful. She would make sure kids understood everything u need to know abt being a good citizen. She would also organise field trips which would be in parks, town halls etc etc.

Marlene Listen, I think she would be a history teacher. Her compassion loving nature and ability to tell a story give rlly much history teacher vibez. The kids would be hypnotised listening to every word Marlene was speaking abt a revolution or a glorious monarchy.

Mary Now Mary would teach theatre. Say what u want but I'm a Theatre teacher Mary believer. She would take it super seriously and she would teach all of the kids how to act. Also she would analyse the kids chemistry (basically how much chemistry they have with each other) and she would play match maker with that information. She'd be hitting the bullseye everytime.

Dorcas She would be teaching mathematics. Again argue with the wall. She would be that strict teacher with a heart of gold. Also she would check in with every kid to see if they need help and would be that teacher who wouldn't make u feel bad for not understanding something.

Pandora She would teach Chemistry. Why? Idk she just gives off chemist vibez. And she would always take her class to the lab. And instead of assigning projects, she and her class would conduct research on certain topics and try out formulas.

Barty :Barty would teach physics. He is super smart and in my eyes physics is smth that he would find interesting. He would be teaching the kids with practical examples, like dropping stuff when they have to learn abt gravity and ect.

Evan He would teach biology. Argue with the wall. He would love dissecting bodies and the students in his class would be horrified at his excitement. Also he would be such an inspirational and dedicated teacher. He wouldn't be that strict of a teacher but he would keep his class focused.

Regulus He would teach a foreign language like French. He would be so strict and his class would low-key fear him. He wouldn't have that high of expectations and his test wouldn't be that hard. Also he would explain the kids important facts abt French and he would be an incredible teacher. When he would assign classwork he'd go around the class asking if they needed help. Also he'd be that teacher who wouldn't mind answering questions after class.

So yeah that was soo fun! Lmk if u like it or want me to do stuff like this more often! Would you attend this school if you could?

[ms-hells-bells]

a kiwi just finished a swimming heat and a sky sports on site anchor went to interview him after the race, and he had a strong non kiwi accent and i was '????', but there are plenty of people with dual citizenship that choose the other country to represent if it's easier to qualify, so i didn't question it. ad break, return from break, and the studio anchor goes 'so.....that wasn't the new zealand swimmer we interviewed, we don't know who that was'.

lmaooo. imagine being like a french or spanish swimmer, and being interviewed as soon as the race finishes by a random kiwi reporter, calling you by someone else's name, and you just go along with it because you're tired af and don't know what's going on.

[nordickies]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but could you tell us more about Åland? 😅 What even is it? Is it a country, a state/province, or something else? (sorry, I have never heard of it before joining the Hetalia fandom)

I love your art, and I would love to see more of your OCs in the future!😊

Hello, anon! Don't worry, that's not a stupid question at all! I'm willing to bet most people are in the same situation as you, so I'd love to help out.

Åland Islands are an autonomous and demilitarised region of Finland. This self-governing region is made up of over 6,700 islands; only of which 65 are inhabited.  In addition, there are around 20,000 smaller islands and skerries! The biggest island on the archipelago, and where 90% of the population lives, is Fasta Åland; which is only 45 km long and 55 km wide. The Åland Islands are connected to mainland Finland via the Finnish archipelago and its island clusters. But Åland's easternmost point is only 40 km away from mainland Sweden. The capital, Mariehamn, is located at an almost exact midpoint between Turku and Stockholm.

Up until the 19th century, roads were sparse, in bad shape, and thus practically useless in Nordic countries. The fastest way to transport resources, people, and information was by waterways. Thus, Åland acted as a vital connection between Sweden and Finland, especially when those two countries used to be one massive kingdom. Over the centuries, the islands developed a unique identity, shaped by the isolating harsh nature and influences from both the West and East.

Even though Åland is part of Finland, its only officially recognized language is Swedish. Since 1921, The Åland islands have had special privileges provided by the hembygdsrätt, which roughly translates to "home regional right." Simply put, a person is required to obtain this right before it's possible for them to own property on the island, vote in the local elections, or run a business - having Finnish citizenship is not enough. These rights were created to protect Ålandic identity during a time when Sweden and Finland fought over who the islands should belong to.

To be granted hembygdsrätt, certain conditions must be met; you must have Finnish citizenship, have satisfactory Swedish language skills, be registered in the Åland islands, and have lived in Åland for at least 5 years. Alternatively, if one of the parents has this right, it is also inherited by their child. However, you can also lose hembygdsrätt if you lose Finnish citizenship or live outside of Åland for more than 5 years.

Due to its location in the middle of the Baltic Sea, Åland has always been critical, and powers in the area have wanted to control it; it has been occupied by Swedes, Finns, Danes, Germans, Russians, French, and the English. This geopolitical importance is a reason why the islands have been demilitarized since the 1850s after the events of the Crimean War. Also, while Finland is a military conscription country, Ålandic men (with hembygdsrätt) are exempted from this duty.

Åland is not a sovereign country, but it has self-governing rights and its own government. Åland joined the Nordic Council in 1970 and has two representatives in it. Åland also held a separate referendum, and in 1995, it joined the EU at the same time with Sweden and Finland. Åland has a special status in the European Union, as it's considered a "third territory," meaning it's not part of the EU's value-added tax (VAT) or excise duty area.

Ålanders have a strong and separate national identity, even though they have a Finnish passport and speak Swedish as their native language. However, the separatist movement barely exists nowadays, and Ålanders generally don't see a reason to change the status quo. All the granted special laws and privileges by Finnish and international law are perhaps more helpful and prospering to this tiny island than seeking full independence.

As of December 2019, in a survey conducted by Åland Gallup, 78% of island residents supported Åland continuing to be a self-governing region of Finland. It has been a trend in gallups for decades at this point. Being part of Sweden was the least popular option, only getting 4% support, and becoming a fully integrated part of Finland got 5% of the support. 9% of respondents would support the full independence of Åland. In a survey by the Statistics and Research Institute of Åland (ÅSUB, 2008), 90% of the respondents stated that they were Ålandic and 60% felt that they were "completely Ålandic." On the other hand, only a quarter of the respondents considered themselves "completely Finnish," and one-fifth considered themselves "Swedish at some level." The option "European" was more popular than "Finnish," "Swedish," or "Finnish-Swedish". In the ÅSUB 2018 survey, most responders also felt a higher sense of belonging to "Nordic countries" than they did to "Finland" or "Sweden." Another interesting statistic: In Åland Gallup's May 2019 survey, 80.4% of Åland's residents said they would support Finland, and 19.6% said they'd support Sweden if Finland and Sweden were facing each other in an ice hockey match.

I could go on about the Ålandic history and what makes its identity unique, but let this be a quick introduction to this place! Feel free to ask more if you're interested. I could have simply answered it's not a country, but I think that would leave out a lot of important context. Maybe this also explains why I think Åland should have a separate personification from Finland. I hope this helps even a little bit!

[the-perfect-wagnerite-again]

Are Jewish people a religion to you or a race, and if the latter how distant does one have to be from that heritage to no longer be Jewish in your eyes

To be frank I think it's neither. E Michael Jones loosely defines the Jews as the body of peoples that systematically reject Christ, the ordering principle of the universe, the Logos. That might sound a bit romantic, but I tend to sympathize with this definition. When Christ was crucified and the Holy Mother was weeping at the foot of the cross, would we call her a Jew in the sense that Jews mean it today? Certainly not, despite the fact that she was clearly "ethnically" Jewish.

Becoming a citizen of Israel requires that you not be a Christian, a fact that many ethnic Jews found out the hard way in the second half of the 20th century. In fact, in the late 80s, Israel announced that even being a Messianic Jew (whatever that means) disqualified you from citizenship. So to the Jews themselves, there's very apparently more to it than a simple ethnic distinction.

As for the Jewish question in the modern day, the simple fact is that all of modernity is Jewish in nature. Our music is Jewish, our entertainment is Jewish, our education is Jewish, our governments are Jewish. We haven't espoused "Christian values" since before the French Revolution. America itself was founded on revolution and rebellion, the stock and trade of the Jew in every nation they've parasitized since Christ walked the earth. To be a Jew in the modern day is to take refuge in Jewish values: liberation, independence, and progressivism, elegant euphemisms for licentiousness, atomization, and chronological snobbery. All of these are fuel for the Jewish Revolutionary Spirit, the natural mental and spiritual state of eternal restlessness and nomadicism of the Jew since their rejection of Christ and order for blood and chaos.

[a-roguish-gambit]

If Gambit participated in a cooking competition TV show, which would it be?

Ok realistically, with his luck if he ends up on a cooking show he probably ends up on mojo's programing where he's forced to like cook over radiation or fight and defeat the ingredients before he cooks them.

The cooking show he would most want to be on is diners, drive-ins, and dives. Cause he wants to hang out with guy fieri and try hole in the wall places.

For a competition he would sign up for, I feel like he signed up for hells kitchen but through horrible x men luck and a wacky turn of events in the BBC his application ends up on the table of the great British bake off, who are really excited to have an "ethnic French American" on the show as a special contestant. The x men have land ownership in Scotland with Muir island so. He technically counts for duel citizenship (right?). He agrees cause he can bake as well as he can cook but dude is too well traveled for that show. He is side eyeing every international dish and does not appreciate being treated like some kind of novelty. Someone comments on his speech pattern and how broken it is, he turns on them and recites Shakespeare at them word for word. In french. People ask him invasive questions about being a mutant which leads to him retorting in sassy remarks

"I hear you can get operations to get the color of your sclera changed...have you considered it?"

"Have you considered dying yours black?"

"what? No that's dangerous I could go blind!"

"DEN WHY DA HELL WOULD GAMBIT DO IT HUH?!"

He gets on Mexican food week and curses so many people out. Shuts down the whole thing when he sees the examples and throws a fit and is just like "NAH we ain't doin dis. We ain't disrespectin Mexican cuisine like dis! Dat shit ain't a taco! It ain't even worthy of a taco bell menu! Let gambit show you sometin'" proceeds to hold the whole crew hostage to show them what actual Mexican food is like, force them try it so that they understand it, and gets kicked off the show subsiquently. His entire presence was then censored from that season and he has been banned from returning.

.....rogue was also banned from the great British bake off set. Because when she heard that contestants and crew members insulted him and his way of speaking she kind of lost it and flew over to have a very strong conversation with the producer of the show. It truly was just a conversation but he was kinda scared shitless of her busting into his office and refused to leave until she was finished telling him off for his shows bullshit.

....needless to say the great British bake off has been banned from charles' mansion.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jennifer Rankin at The Guardian:

French judicial authorities on Sunday extended the detention of the Russian-born founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov, after his arrest at a Paris airport over alleged offences related to the messaging app. His arrest at the Le Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday was the latest extraordinary twist in the career of one of the world’s most influential tech icons. The detention of Durov, 39, was extended beyond Sunday night by the investigating magistrate who is handling the case, according to a source close to the investigation. This initial period of detention for questioning can last up to a maximum of 96 hours. When this phase of detention ends, the judge can decide to free him or press charges and remand in further custody. French investigators had issued a warrant for Durov’s arrest as part of an inquiry into allegations of fraud, drug trafficking, organised crime, promotion of terrorism and cyberbullying.

Durov is accused of failing to take action to curb the criminal use of his platform and was stopped after arriving in Paris from Baku on his private jet on Saturday night. “Enough of Telegram’s impunity,” said one investigator who expressed surprise that Durov flew to Paris knowing he was a wanted man. In a statement on Sunday evening, Telegram said: “Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act – its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving.

[...] Durov lives in Dubai, where Telegram is based, and holds citizenship of France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He recently said he had tried to settle in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco before choosing Dubai, which he praised for its business environment and “neutrality”. In the UAE, Telegram faces little pressure to moderate its content, while western governments are trying to crack down on hate speech, disinformation, sharing of images of child abuse and other illegal content.

Telegram offers end-to-end encrypted messaging and allows users to create channels to disseminate information to followers. Especially popular in the former Soviet Union, the app is widely used by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and his circle, as well as politicians throughout Ukraine, to release information about the war. It is also one of the few places where Russians can get unfiltered information about the conflict, after the Kremlin tightened media controls in the wake of the full-scale invasion. Its apparently unbreakable encryption has made Telegram a haven for extremists and conspiracy theorists. Investigative journalists at the central European news site VSquare said it had become the “‘go-to’ tool for Russian propagandists, both leftwing and rightwing radicals, American QAnon and conspiracy theorists,” concluding it was an “ecosystem for the radicalisation of opinion”. The app was also used widely by far-right agitators plotting anti-immigration rallies in England and Northern Ireland in the wake of the stabbing of three children at a Southport dance class last month. The anti-racism campaign group Hope Not Hate concluded that Telegram had become the “app of choice” for racists and violent extremists and “a cesspit of antisemitic content” with minimal moderation or effort from the app to curb extremist content.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested in France over the weekend based on an inquiry into allegations of fraud, drug trafficking, organised crime, promotion of terrorism and cyberbullying, and child sex abuse material (aka child pornography) on the social media app.

Telegram is popular in Russia and most of the former Soviet countries, and in the west, a hub for far-right conspiracy theorists.

The arrest of Durov has ZERO to do with “free speech”, despite right-wing spin claiming otherwise.

See Also:

The Guardian: What is Telegram and why has its founder Pavel Durov been arrested?

CNN: A Russian Elon Musk with 100 biological children: Meet Pavel Durov

NBC News: Telegram founder Durov's arrest is part of a larger investigation into alleged 'complicity' in child exploitation and drug trafficking

[sissa-arrows]

i have a question ab france and les pieds noirs. is that a word to refer to any white french person opposed to algeria’s independence who got thrown out of algeria? so basically pieds noirs are just racists? and can you be non french and pied noir? thank you for your reply

Pieds noirs is the word used to refer to any white European settler in Algeria during the colonial period. If you’re white lived or were born in Algeria anytime between 1830 and 1962 you are a pied noir. The majority of them were huge pieces of shit and white supremacists so I never use the term nicely or neutrally. On top of it every time I met a French white supremacist face to face in France they had a pied noir in the family so it doesn’t play in their favor.

So like I said the term is used for white European settlers the majority were French but some of them were Spanish, Portuguese and a tiny minority were Italians. But by becoming settlers in Algeria they were given the French citizenship and equal rights (unlike the indigenous people). A lot of their descendants like to pretend they were oppressed and didn’t have anything to do with colonialism because in the mainland the French hated them but at the end of the day in Algeria they were seen as white and were just colonizers.

You’ll find some people using the expression “pieds noirs” for European settlers in Morocco and Tunisia as well but it’s historically inaccurate. Pieds noirs is for Algeria only.

Lastly the porteurs de valises (suitcases carriers) a tiny tiny minority of settlers who were in favor of independence were technically pieds noirs it’s just that they became Algerians by fighting for Algeria’s liberation so I always use porteurs de valises or suitcases carriers when talking about them. (The rule was fight for Algeria and you will become an Algerian brother like the rest of us no matter your blood, fight against Algeria and you will never be an Algerian brother like the rest of us no matter your blood)

[bisexualseraphim]

15 questions

Tagged by the lovely @butmakeitgayblog cheers love ☺️

Were you named after anyone?

Nope! My mum just liked the meaning of my birth name and had an interest in name meanings. All my new names (yes I have several) have just been because I thought they sounded cool.

Do you have kids?

HA! No. And definitely never will. I’d be the worst dad 🥴

When was the last time you cried?

Yesterday lol, I started my first ever proper job and was shitting myself with anxiety. It went well though!

What sports have you played/do you play?

I was a dodgeball champion in primary school before I got chronically ill! Played a bit of football too (real football not that poundshop rugby Americans play 😒) and I do miss it a little but not much to be done about it I suppose. I had fun while it lasted!

Do you use sarcasm?

Nah I’ve been around over 2 decades and have never been sarcastic in my life

First thing you notice about people?

This sounds faggy as fuck but their smile 😅 Where I live people are so miserable that when someone has a lovely smile it’s so noticeable to me haha

Scary movies or happy endings?

Ooh cheeky question! I looove horror movies and they’ve been a huge special interest of mine since I was probably too young to be watching them 🤭 BUT I do love a happy ending IF it feels earned. So I guess it depends! But scary movies overall I think.

What are your hobbies?

Reading, writing, playing instruments, video games, watching movies, just chatting with friends.

What is your eye colour?

Fuck knows genuinely, I had a friend whom after years of knowing me one day suddenly screamed OH MY GOD YOUR EYES ARE BLUE WHAT THE FUCK on a sunny day so. Call me Alycia Debnam Carey cos my eye colour changes with the weather apparently 🧿🧿

Any talents?

Ummm I mean I guess I technically class as a multi-instrumentalist but I don’t think I’m that great at any of them 😅 The one thing I know for certain I’m good at is writing but I hardly bloody do it 🥴

Where were you born?

I have dual citizenship because I was born outside the EU and that’s all I’ll say 😌

Do you have any pets?

I did have a lovely sweet kitty whom I had since I was little and she was a kitten, meaning we literally grew up together, but she sadly passed away in January and it’s hit me harder than anything else in my life 😞 I think I’m finally ready to accept another baby into my life though so we’ll see if that works out!

How tall are you?

Just under 5’7 when the weight of being a trans disabled queer man in the UK isn’t compressing my spine

Favourite subject in school?

Definitely Film Studies and Media Studies! I also loved French (still do!) and Religious Studies was the highlight of my day because my teacher was a fuckin legend. Miss that fella every day honestly

Dream job?

I want to be a published author that has a semi-decent fanbase. I don’t need to be on Neil Gaiman levels of fame, I just want more than like 20 people to read and enjoy my stories 😊

I’ll go ahead and tag @lexa-griffins @dysphoria-things @northern-punk-lad @sadiewayne @reallygroovyninja @dreamsaremywords and anyone else who’d like to do it! Just make sure you tag me 😘

[jellogram]

I have landed in Quebec! I still have a connecting flight but I made it through customs. Was questioned on why I was gonna be here for 91 days. I said I'm a digital nomad. Agent stares at me, clearly unaware what that means, and I stare back, with no clue how to say it in French. Was wishing I brought my Canadian citizenship papers. Then she just let me in. Not going to question that.

[darkmaga-retard]

The reported grounds for arresting the free speech advocate are vague and dubious. Probably no coincidence that Russian military uses Telegram.

John Leake

PAVEL DUROV. The libertarian founder of Telegram leads an ascetic lifestyle, abstains from alcohol and drugs, and espouses the virtues of mental clarity and physical strength.

On August 24, 2024 Pavel Durov—founder of encrypted free speech platform Telegram— was arrested in France on criminal charges relating to an alleged lack of content moderation on Telegram and refusal to work with police, which allowed the alleged spread of criminal activity. Durov holds French citizenship and was arrested at Le Bourget Airport in Paris while on a refueling stop in his private plane. I find this an intriguing detail, as it suggests he did NOT know that French authorities were deeply unsatisfied with his purported lack of cooperation with their purported criminal investigation of Telegram users.

On the face of it, it’s hard to imagine how Pavel could maintain an encrypted free speech platform while at the same time making it readily accessible to state authorities. In none of the (characteristically superficial) reporting I’ve seen on Pavel’s arrest in the mainstream media have I seen any mention of French police obtaining a wiretap warrant from a French judge to access a Telegram user’s account.

A recent report in Politico states that arrest warrants for Pavel and his brother Nikolai were issued on March 25. Does this mean that Pavel and his brother were NOT informed they they would be arrested if they did not honor a wiretap warrant? The Politico report touches on this question, but doesn’t clarify it.

[frithwontdie]

Back to my previous question, if I may:

Was Napolean supposed to happen? Or was he the monster created by their own actions?

When speaking of Napoleon’s genius as a statesman, we must never forget (among other things) that it was he who finally reduced the Gallican Church to ruins, thus irretrievably delivering over the great majority of the French to Rome and destroying every possibility of a genuine national Church. He it was also who enthroned the Jews. This man — devoid of all understanding for historical truth and necessity, the impersonation of wicked caprice — is a destroyer, not a creator, at best a codifier, not an inventor; he is a minion of the Chaos, the proper complement to Ignatius of Loyola, a new personification of the anti-Teutonic spirit. — Houston Stewart Chamberlain, Foundations of the Nineteenth Century (1899).

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was the product of the French Revolution and the leading figure, that the Jews extended the gains they had made in France to much of the rest of Europe. Ghettos were abolished, granted them civil rights, lifted all restrictions on Jewish activities, not only Emancipated them in France every country he conquered, unleashing bloodshed and tyranny and anyone who spoke out against the Jews was in danger of being put before a military firing squad.

In 1807, Napoleon issued decrees to help promote equality among the jews. His third decree, the Decret infame (infamous decree) limiting the extent to which Jewish moneylenders could prey on the French peasantry, the Jews screamed in rage against him.

Although its aim was to grant equal citizenship, it restricted Jewish money lending (Catholics were not permitted to commit acts of usury, that is, the charging of interest as profit on loans), annulled all debts owed to Jews by married women, minors and soldiers, voided any loan that had interest rates exceeding 10 percent, and limited the residency of new Jewish peoples in France by restricting their business activities, while allowing work in agriculture and craftsmanship. The combination of these decrees severely weakened the financial position of once dominant rural French money lending Jews.

Despite all the wonderful things he did for the Jews and the positive things he said about them. It is clear on many different occasions, that Napoleon personally despised them. "The Jews are a vile people, cowardly and cruel,” he said in reference to some of the atrocities committed by Jews during the Reign of Terror. They are “the most despicable race in the world.”

In a letter of March 6, 1808, to his brother Jerome, Napoleon wrote:

"I decided to improve the Jews. But I do not want more of them in my kingdom. Indeed, I have done all to prove my scorn of the vilest nation in the world."

In 1815, Jewish Zionists James Rothschild of France and Nathan Rothschild of England finance Wellington’s victory over Napoleon at Waterloo. As a form of revenge against Napoleon over the Decret infame. Leading to Napoleon’s own end.

[xcorbassax]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/06/germany-israel-citizenship-requirement/

BERLIN — A commitment in writing for the “right of the State of Israel to exist” is now a requirement to become a German citizen in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, a local official announced.

Regional Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang said Tuesday that the decree was issued at the end of November, underlining that Israel’s “right to exist” is a “raison d'état” for Germany. The French term, meaning a fundamental principle of state, was first used by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Knesset in 2008, and repeated by leading politicians since Oct. 7, to describe Germany’s historical responsibility for the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were murdered.

Any applicant who fails to submit the declaration should be denied naturalization, the decree reads. Zieschang said attention should also be paid to whether an applicant shows “indications that antisemitic attitudes are present.”

The letter sent to local authorities adds that naturalization should be denied if an applicant pursues “activities that are against the liberal democratic basic order,” as described in Germany’s constitution. This also includes “antisemitic offenses or the denial of Israel’s right to exist,” the letter states.

While limited to the state of Saxony-Anhalt for now, the new requirement reflects a wider debate in Germany over the country’s planned citizenship revision that is expected within a matter of months.

The biggest parliamentary opposition group, the conservative CDU/CSU, has also called for a signed statement confirming “Israel’s right to exist” as a prerequisite for citizenship.

The conservative draft law also proposes that non-German nationals convicted of a crime deemed to have had “antisemitic” motives should result in the “loss of humanitarian protection in Germany,” which would usually result in deportation, while dual German nationals should lose their German citizenship if they receive a prison sentence of at least one year for a crime judged to have had “antisemitic” motives.

The three governing parties, the Social Democrats, the Greens and the business-friendly Free Democrats, want to stipulate that “antisemitic attitudes or actions” rule out naturalization.

Following a crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices in Germany in recent weeks, concerns are growing that Germany’s federal citizenship revision will target voices critical of the Israeli government and naturalization could be denied to anyone who has expressed support for Palestinians.

As the nationality law currently stands, applicants for naturalization are required to score at least 50 percent on a 33-question citizenship test, show proficiency in at least intermediate German, provide proof of independent financial support and have resided in Germany for eight years — in some cases less.

The revision plans could see the residency requirement slashed to five years, or in some cases three, and also enable dual citizenship for non-European Union citizens, which for now is only possible in exceptional cases.

[sollannaart]

Józef  Poniatowski’s children and descendants

Because a couple of months ago there’s been a discussion about Napoleon marshal’s children I decided I out to share with you the info about Józef Poniatowski’s issues and descendance.

Though never married, prince Józef nevertheless had two illegitimate sons.

The oldest one was Józef Szczęsny Mauricy Chmielnicki, born on the 17th of September, 1791.

The mother of the boy was most probably Poniatowski’s mistress of that time, the actress named  Małgorzata Magdalena Wiktoria “Zelia” Sitańska (though there are as well versions it might have been another woman, for example, Zelia’s step-mother, also an actress - more on the topic I wrote here)

Zelia and here step-mother, a colored engraving 

As for the fate of the boy - in his youth (before 1807) he started a military career in the Army of... Austria. Most probably it was prince Józef himself who arranged it, because his career started in the Austrian army too. (Another question is why Poniatowski didn’t “transfer” his son into the Army of the Duchy of Warsaw after the latter had been created, but, I’m afraid, we’ll never know the answer.)

And when in 1809 Austria attacked the freshly created Duchy, Józef Chmielnicki took part in the war... on the side of the Austrians. (And his father kinda accepted this, because in his will written 3 years later, in 1812, Poniatowski mentioned not only his firstborn but as well the fact that the latter was an officer in the Austrian Army.) 

Chmielnicki fought as well in the next coalition wars, in 1812-1815 (against Napoleon as well), in 1831 he fought in defense of the Roman ecclesiastical state against local insurgents; for this he received the papal Order of St. Gregory. He also had the Austrian Military Cross. In 1856 he retired with the rank of colonel. He died unmarried in Vienna in 1860.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find any image of Józef Chmielnicki, but in his military service records there is a little bit on his appearance:

Tall, of good health, very lively temperament and honest and reliable character. Polite and tidy; sometimes a bit violent and not always consistent. Zealous and active, with a special penchant for service in rifle units. He was wounded twice. He is fluent in German and Polish in speech and writing, speaks French and a little Italian. A very good staff officer, suitable for a regiment commander.

More do we know about Prince’s Józef’s other son, who was born on the 18th of December, 1809 in Warsaw and was then was given the name Józef Karol Ponitycki.

Józef Peszka, Portrait of Józef Ponitycki, 1815

As for Józef the second mother - there are no doubts in it, it was prince Poniatowski’s another mistress,  Zofia Czosnowska née Potocka (more about her - here).

Though Czosnowska was married, prince Józef acknowledged her child and mentioned him in his will.

A miniature showing Ponitycki at the age of ten

The boy’s mother, however, didn’t care for her child much. Having divorced her official husband she married again in 1815, then placed her son in the custody of his aunt, prince’s Józef sister countess Maria Teresa Tyszkiewicz.

In the 1821 countess Teresa became the boy's legal guardian (Czosnowska officially gave him up) and in 1828 adopted him, changing his surname from  Ponitycki to Poniatowski and adding Maurycy (Maurice) as his third name, thus making the boy the namesake of her long-term love Charles Maurice de Talleyrand.

And a little bit before, in 1826, Józef the younger gained French citizenship, and at the age of 18 (1827) he volunteered to join the French army.

An anonymous painter, Prince Józef's son grieving after his father, 1820

The enlistment papers say that he was a healthy, blue-eyed, tall (1.79 m) blond, oval face, strong chin and aquiline nose. After graduating from school, he took part (as chasseur sergeant) in the Greek campaign in the Peloponnese (1829), later he was transferred to Algiers (1830), but he quickly returned to France.

During the July Revolution in Paris that year Poniatowski was among those soldiers who were putting it down, but when a year later the November Insurrection broke out in Poland he, together with his friend, Count of Montebello, a son of the Marshal Lannes, went to Poland to join the uprising. After the fall of the uprising, Józef returned through Galicia to France, where joined the rifle regiment as a captain and took part in the war in Algiers with Abd del-Kader in the years 1832-1836.

Józef Ponitycki-Poniatowski charges the camp of Emir Adb-el-Kader, a drawing by a French painter Eugène Chaperon

In 1839, driven by longing for his homeland, Poniatowski came to Kraków and made efforts to obtain permission to return to Warsaw. But the Russian Governor Paskevich refused him entrance and even tried (unsuccessfully) to confiscate) properties Józef inherited from his father and aunt.

Not being allowed to return to Poland, Poniatowski returned to France and to his regiment. He died on February 15, 1855 in Tlemcen, Algeria, and was buried there.

As for Józef Karol Poniatowski’s private life - in 1836 he married an Englishwoman, Maria Anna Semple. They have two children - a son, Józef Stanisław, born in 1837, and a daughter, Maria Teresa, a year younger.

Józef Stanisław joined the army at the age of 17 and went on the Crimean campaign. During the siege of Sevastopol, he was appointed lieutenant for his bravery. He then served in the cavalry regiment. He left the service due to ill health. In 1866 he married Léonide Marie Victoria Charner, the daughter of a French admiral, the chief commander of a sea expedition to China.

Six weeks after his marriage with Léonide Charner in 1866 he became mental ill. From 1880 until his death July 20, 1910 in Geel, Belgium, where he resided as a psychiatric patient in the wellknown Geel "Colonie des Aliénés''. (Many thanks to Werner for providing me with this information).

As for Józef Stanisław’s issue - there we have a kind of discrepancy. According the Polish sources like, for example, the Genealogy of the Descendants of the Great Sejm , he died childless but according his profile at geni.com he did have a son, named André whose descendants still live in the US. (The site doesn’t allow to see all the data but it is highly probably that the  direct male line continues till our days.)

Maria Teresa, after the death of her father, was taken care of by the Duchess d'Eckmühl, the widow of the Marshal Davout. In 1859, Maria Teresa married Louis de Guirard, Comte de Montarnal, grandson of Marshal Ney. He was an official in the Ministry of Treasury. They had seven children: three sons and four daughters. But neither of those, according both the Genealogy of the Descendants of the Great Sejm and Geni.com had issue.

What’s more, according Geni.com Józef Karol Poniatowski after the death of his first wife married again. That time he took as a wife a woman named Elżbieta Fuchs, and they have a son named Wojciech Józef. That Józef, it looks like, was married, but no information about his issue is provided.

[mariacallous]

At around 8 pm on Saturday evening in France, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested as he exited his private jet at Le Bourget Airport, outside Paris. He was flying in from Azerbaijan. According to TF1Info, the French outlet that first broke the news of his arrest, Durov was accompanied by a bodyguard and a woman. As best as anyone can tell, he spent the night in a French jail cell.

Durov’s unexpected detainment came after an arrest warrant was issued by OFMIN, a new law enforcement office that began operations in November and is tasked with preventing violence against minors. Durov’s arrest is reportedly part of a preliminary investigation into a startling array of alleged offenses—drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, and the promotion of terrorism—deemed to have been permitted on Telegram, which Durov claimed in July has 950 million users.

Investigators speaking to French media were unsure why Durov risked landing in the country given that he was on France’s wanted persons list. According to an unnamed police source who spoke to Reuters, investigators saw Durov’s name on a passenger list ahead of his private jet’s arrival.

Representatives from OFMIN declined to answer questions about the investigation and redirected WIRED to France’s Ministry of Justice, which did not immediately respond. The Paris Prosecutor’s Office said in an email that a full press release is expected to be published on Monday.

Durov is reportedly in the crosshairs of French authorities due to both a lack of moderation on Telegram and a lack of cooperation with police requests. Reuters reported that a cybersecurity gendarmerie unit and France's national antifraud police unit were leading the investigation. The investigative judge is also specialized in organized crime.

Telegram did not respond to requests for comment from WIRED. John Hyman, Telegram’s chief investment officer, declined to comment “currently.” The Telegram News channel posted on Sunday evening that it was “absurd” to claim that an owner or its platform were responsible for abuses of that platform, noting that Durov has “nothing to hide” and travels frequently in Europe. “We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation.”

Although France has yet to officially confirm the arrest, the Russian embassy in Paris was quick to accuse French authorities of not clarifying the reasons for Durov’s detention or facilitating consular access. “As of today, the French authorities are, at the present time, not cooperating on this issue,” the embassy said in a statement. “We are in contact with P. Durov’s lawyer.” Durov became a French citizen in 2021. Based in Dubai, Durov also has United Arab Emirates citizenship.

Questions over lack of moderation on Telegram have plagued the company for years. Islamist extremists and far-right activists have both organized on the platform, and at times used it to incite violence. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the war in Gaza, Telegram has found itself at the heart of geopolitics—both as a vital source of information for people on the ground and a dangerous source of disinformation and sometimes graphic content. Durov always claims to be “neutral” and to have no political affiliations.

“Civil society has had a complicated relationship with Telegram over the years,” says Natalia Krapiva, a lawyer at the digital rights group Access Now. “We have defended Telegram against attempts by authoritarian regimes to block and coerce the platform into providing encryption keys, but we have also been raising alarms about Telegram’s lack of human rights policies, reliable channel of communication, and remedy for its users.” Krapiva stresses that French authorities may try to force Durov to provide Telegram’s encryption keys to decrypt private messages, “which Russia has already tried to do in the past.”

The hashtag #FreePavel has been spreading online, including via X’s CEO, Elon Musk, who has posted numerous times about Durov’s arrest. “POV: It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme,” he wrote on Saturday night in response to a post about the Telegram CEO’s detention. “The need to protect free speech has never been more urgent,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who on Friday endorsed Donald Trump for US president, wrote on X, where he referred to Telegram as “uncensored” and “encrypted.”

While Telegram is frequently described as an encrypted messaging app, messages are not end-to-end encrypted by default, and senior executives previously told WIRED that they view the platform as a social network. This is largely due to Channels—a one-to-many broadcast feature that allows unlimited subscribers to view posts.

One of the posts that has gained the most traction on X was by right-wing former Fox News journalist Tucker Carlson, who alluded to the oft-repeated but debatable story that Durov left Russia because the government tried to take over his company. “But in the end, it wasn’t Putin who arrested him for allowing the public to exercise free speech. It was a western country,” Carlson wrote in a post that has so far been viewed at least 5.7 million times. Carlson also linked to an hourlong interview he did with Durov earlier this year, one of the first and only interviews the Telegram CEO has given in recent years.

In Durov’s absence, Telegram’s future looks uncertain to some: “I am in shock, and everyone close to Pavel feels the same,” says Georgy Lobushkin, former head of PR at VK, a social network Durov cofounded, who is still in regular contact with Durov. “Nobody was prepared for this situation.” Asked if he worried about Telegram’s future and who could run the company in Durov’s absence, Lobushkin says: “[I] worry a lot.”

TF1Info, which first broke the news in France of Durov’s arrest, reported that it was “beyond doubt” Durov would remain in custody during the investigation. “Pavel Durov will end up in pretrial detention, that's for sure,” one unnamed investigator told reporters.

“No one in Telegram was prepared for such a scenario,” says Anton Rozenberg, who worked with Durov from the early days of VK in 2007, before working for Telegram from 2016 to 2017. Rozenberg foresaw Durov acquiring the best legal defense money could buy. “But without him, the messenger may have huge problems with management, all crucial decisions, and even payments,” he added, given Durov’s personal involvement in running the company. Rozenberg saw no obvious replacement for Durov, who makes key decisions on nearly all matters at Telegram—financing, development strategies, product design, monetization, and content moderation policy.

For now, everything can be expected to continue as normal, says Elies Campo, who directed Telegram’s growth, business, and partnerships from 2015 to 2021. “Depending on how long this is going to last, it’s like a government, right? There’s this structure, there’s self-momentum.” Campo adds that the company’s staff is small enough—around 60 employees—that the infrastructure won’t be affected.

The challenge, Campo concedes, would be if Durov needs to be physically present to pay providers—something Rozenberg also flagged.

“As far as I know, Pavel did the payments,” Campo says. “So what's going to happen when there needs to be some payments for infrastructure providers, or providers in terms of connectivity—and he's still under arrest?”