In today's episode of, "the European People's Party helps its dictator ally in Hungary", a new delaying tactic: a "task force". 🙄

The @EPP could have decided to #ExpelFidesz at any point for years. They continued backing it instead.
politico.eu/newsletter/bru… Image
I was worried it might be a new committee or an advisory group, but a task force... Wow! That really shows they mean business now! This isn't a way for the EPP to continue supporting the dictatorship it helped take hold in EU member Hungary. No, not at all. A task force, people!
People, people... Why isn't this sinking in? It's a task force! A TASK FORCE! This is HUUUUUGE!

It may even lead to guidelines!
OK, OK, apologies for my excitement. As many people have now cautioned me in the replies, the @EPP's new task force may not lead to guidelines directly but only to a white paper on recommendations for guidelines, but still, this is HUUUUUGE!

Hungary's dictatorship is quaking!
Now the serious point: the fact that the European People's Party has for years refused to #ExpelFidesz shows that the @EPP/@EPPGroup support their ally, Viktor Orbán. They backed him as he created a dictatorship in Hungary, and they back him to this day.
Some have noted quite correctly that I should have said, "YUGE", instead of, "HUGE", in this thread. My sincere apologies.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Andrew Stroehlein

Andrew Stroehlein Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @astroehlein

15 Jan
People frustrated with the negative sides of Twitter sometimes ask me what they can do about it. Here's a thread with some ideas.

Whether you have 100 followers or a million, you can do something to help… 📢
1) Don't share the ugly stuff, not even to expose its ugliness, if it’s just powerless fools looking for attention. (If you just can’t help yourself, use a screenshot, never a link or RT.)
Do expose the ugly stuff from elected officials and others with power. Frame your tweets to be clear you are calling it out. And use a screenshot, not a link or RT, so you don’t send them any clicks of encouragement.
Read 13 tweets
15 Jan
3 Polish women are on trial for offending religious feelings by making posters of the Virgin Mary with a rainbow halo.

They face up to 2 years in prison if convicted.

Poland's authorities seem desperate to turn the country into Europe's Saudi Arabia.
politico.eu/article/poland… Image
A review of the Polish authorities' take on free speech:

- incitement to violence: perfectly fine (as long as it's against people the authorities hate);

- making a poster: absolutely unacceptable (if the poster offends the authorities).

All clear?

In EU member Poland...

...making a poster can get you 2 years in prison.

In the EU.

In 2021.
Read 5 tweets
14 Jan
How the Belgian government got caught up in human smuggling...

An ugly tale of how things worked under then State Secretary for Asylum & Migration @FranckenTheo of the Flemish nationalist party @de_NVA.

euobserver.com/migration/1505… ImageImage
You may recall that Francken is known for:

- working with agents of Sudan when it was run by a man wanted for genocide, just to illegally deport asylum seekers.
bit.ly/2LPWycM
You may also recall that Francken is known for:

- celebrating the birthday of a Nazi collaborator.

- tweeting of extremist anti-Muslim hate propaganda.

- attacking human rights activists online.

Read 5 tweets
14 Jan
As we say goodbye to Merkel, let's have some reality about her legacy:

Merkel (and her dominant position in the EU & @EPP) is a key reason the EU let a dictatorship arise in Hungary.

The EU ceased being a club of exclusively democracies on her watch.
politico.eu/article/not-re… Image
And I say that as someone who was very pleased to see her actions in 2015, when she fought for allowing some 1 million desperate refugees into Germany.
And yes, I also realise that both of those actions - supporting Hungary's extremist dictatorship and welcoming refugees - may possibly stem from the same exact political leaning: the urge to meet the demands of German businesses for cheap labour.
Read 4 tweets
13 Jan
Some coverage our World Report around Europe...

@politiken: "Human Rights Watch: Trump has been a disaster for human rights"
politiken.dk/udland/art8060…

#Rights2021 Image
“The good news is, despite Trump's four-year disaster, the global struggle for human rights continues” - @KenRoth to @mperosino for @LaStampa
lastampa.it/topnews/primo-… ImageImage
"It is not enough for Joe Biden to just undo what Donald Trump did. He should prioritize human rights so that whoever comes after him cannot destroy everything." - @KenRoth to Michał Kokot for @gazeta_wyborcza.

#Rights2021

wyborcza.pl/7,75399,266797… ImageImage
Read 9 tweets
10 Jan
In recent days, I've been in touch with some Trump supporters I know in the US. Not anyone you would have heard of, just regular middle class whites, mostly in the northeast.

I've tried to maintain contact & just listen over the years, so I understand their thinking. 1/
This was the first time all of them literally screamed at me.

They're not upset at last week's mob riot; they're hoping for more of it. 2/
Some even talked about killing specific politicians. I'm not worried these people will be on the news one day, because they have neither the means nor the physical ability to do it. Still, they're very keen to see it happen. 3/
Read 9 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!