Copenhagen, Denmark - Last year, Christian Hansen's 10-year-old son returned from school asking who Rasmus Paludan was. "He told me that the pupils had been playing the 'Paludan-game' in the school yard, dividing each other into Christians, Jews and Muslims. The Christians then had to catch the Jews and Muslims and put them in [imaginative] cages and insult them," said Hansen, a 42-year-old software company owner in southern Denmark. Hansen was frightened that Paludan's message had reached his son through social media. "This is extremely dangerous," he said, "because his hateful views become a part of these children's early understanding of minorities." Since founding his party in July 2017, far-right politician Rasmus Paludan, a Danish lawyer, has risen to virtual stardom for his Quran-burning demonstrations in Muslim-majority neighbourhoods - stunts which have triggering counter protests. Paludan - who did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment - tells his supporters … [Read more...] about Rasmus Paludan: Danish Islamophobe rises to political stardom
Politics
Betting on politics: Who’s going to win the European elections?
Whether it’s placing a bet on your favorite political party’s election chances or on Michel Barnier to win the European Commission’s top job, betting on politics is a popular pastime for many Europeans. It is also our job. So, when the UK recently signed up to participate in the upcoming European elections, at least one group of people were delighted: the bookmakers. The prospect of another election is good news for our business and our customers. The Brexit referendum in 2016 was a huge betting event; it broke all records for UK bookmakers and saw thousands of people place their first-ever political bet. That trend continued with the shock victory of Donald Trump in the US — although it was a disaster for at least one betting company, which was so sure of Hilary Clinton’s success that it paid out bets on her winning two weeks before the election. At a recent POLITICO event in Brussels on the upcoming European elections, I explained that creating betting … [Read more...] about Betting on politics: Who’s going to win the European elections?
How political is the Eurovision Song Contest?
This is hardly the first time there has been a political dimension to the ESC, Echo 24 points out: “Politics have always played a role in the contest, alone through the voting system. Often the quality of an act was not what decided the outcome because political alliances have always been more important. The Scandinavians, the Balkan countries and the post-Soviet states stick together. The 'imperial' block of Great Britain, Ireland and Malta functions as such, and Turkey can rely on its diaspora in Germany. In 2016 Ukraine won - as a reaction to the occupation of Crimea. And when Europe does not have problems for a change, then bizarre creatures win, like the bearded Conchita Wurst in 2014.” … [Read more...] about How political is the Eurovision Song Contest?
Turkey, China to hold political consultations
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 15 By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend: Turkey and China will hold political consultations, Trend reports with reference to the Turkish Foreign Ministry May 15. The political consultations between the parties will be held May 16 in Beijing, during the meeting of Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkey Sedat Onal and Deputy Foreign Minister of China Le Yucheng. “The parties will discuss a number of international and regional issues, including the development of bilateral political and economic relations,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Follow Trend on Telegram. Only most interesting and important news … [Read more...] about Turkey, China to hold political consultations
Fermoy politics has been like a game of musical chairs
Local politics in Fermoy has been a game of musical chairs of sorts with representatives not just giving up county council positions for Dáil seats, but also swapping parties since the last local elections.Of the six councillors elected in the Fermoy Municipal District in 2014, just two will stand again in the electoral area for the same party. Kay Dawson (Fine Gael) and Fianna Fáil’s Frank O’Flynn will run again as they did last time around.But 2014 poll topper Noel McCarthy has since switched from Labour to Fine Gael, while June Murphy has swapped Sinn Féin for the Social Democrats and the Fianna Fáil duo of Kevin O’Keeffe and Ian Doyle have left the Fermoy area for the Dáil and the Kanturk Local Electoral Area, respectively. Ms Dawson and Mr McCarthy will run again for Fine Gael and Ms Murphy will expect to hold her seat for the Social Democrats. The O’Keeffe machine in Mitchelstown will be tasked with maintaining Fianna … [Read more...] about Fermoy politics has been like a game of musical chairs