Islamic Trojan horse

'Desperate fledglings' vs. 'barbaric hordes' – Polish citizens speak out on the inflow of Middle Eastern and North African refugees into Poland, as Europe’s biggest migration crisis since World War II continues to escalate.

A participant of anti-immigration protest in Warsaw on Saturday. Photo: PAP/Marcin Obara 

"Immigrants are welcome" was the slogan of Saturday's march in the Polish capital, held in support of Middle Eastern and North African refugees arriving in Europe's southern flanks.

Three thousand people walked along Warsaw’s Krakowskie Przedmieście thoroughfare, calling for compassion and solidarity with asylum-seekers.

"If we pride ourselves in being a country cherishing the spirit of solidarity, it's time to practice what we preach," said one of the participants of the pro-migrant march.

Such statements were echoed in other similar demonstrations held in cities such as Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań and Białystok.

But fears of an impending inflow of migrants run deep among thousands of Poles who gathered at counterdemonstrations to manifest their opposition to what they deem a threat to their country’s culture and economy.

"We're simply afraid of their fanatic following of the Qur'an and what their holy scripture stands for, and what they could do to us," said one of 7,000 protesters who rallied against the “Islamic Trojan horse” in Warsaw. Several thousand more took part in counterdemonstrations across the country.

anti islam march in Poznań 17.09.2015. #refugeesNOTwelcome

BBC: "Turkey isn't at war. People will ask why didn't you stay there, take refuge there?" https://vine.co/v/eUtAjAdEXvr

British jihadist Anjem Choudary said in February 2013:

“We are on Jihad Seekers Allowance, We take the Jizya (protection money paid to Muslims by non-Muslims) which is ours anyway. The normal situation is to take money from the Kafir (non-Muslim), isn’t it? So this is normal situation. They give us the money. You work, give us the money. Allah Akbar, we take the money. Hopefully there is no one from the DSS (Department of Social Security) listening. Ah, but you see people will say you are not working. But the normal situation is for you to take money from the Kuffar (non-Muslim) So we take Jihad Seeker’s Allowance.”

Croatia to redirect migrants to Hungary

Migrant girl grabbed & forced towards the teargas for a western media photo opportunity. 

Protesters prepare for larger NATO demonstration

CHICAGO (AP) — Protesters gathering in Chicago for the NATO summit were gearing up for their largest demonstration Sunday, when thousands are expected to march from a downtown park to the lakeside convention center where President Barack Obama and dozens of other world leaders will meet.

 

Several hundred demonstrators wound through the city's streets for hours Saturday, testing police who used bicycles to barricade off streets and horseback officers to coax them in different directions. Increasingly tense clashes between protesters and police resulted in 18 arrests, Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said.

Most of Saturday's demonstrations remained relatively small and peaceful, including one march to the home of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Obama's former chief of staff. But a later march stretched for hours as protesters zigzagged back and forth through downtown, some decrying terrorism-related charges leveled against three young men earlier in the day.

Organizers pledged a larger crowd when protesters from the Occupy movement will join forces with an anti-war coalition to mark the opening day of the summit later Sunday.

"We want the world to focus on NATO — they're not important and have no mandate anymore," said Micah Philbrook, an Occupy Chicago spokesman, who criticized the large police presence Saturday. "They're pushing us around and not letting anyone get out of the protest even if they want. They're very aggressive."

McCarthy said police would be ready with quick but targeted arrests of any demonstrators who turn violent Sunday.

"If anything else happens, the plan is to go in and get the people who create the violent acts, take them out of the crowd and arrest them," warned McCarthy, at the scene of protests after dark. "We're not going to charge the crowd wholesale — that's the bottom line."

He said officers had been hit by batteries and bottles thrown by protesters during the day.

"You can't control what other people are going to do, but I can tell you our cops are doing a great job, and they're prepared," he said.

Security has been tight throughout the city, as the heads of state from about 60 countries began arriving to discuss the war in Afghanistan, European missile defense and other issues. As police gathered en masse on street corners, near parks and key landmarks, the city's streets remained largely vacant and many downtown buildings closed.

"It's strange because downtown is empty," said Gabe Labovitz, a 44-year-old economist out for a walk near his home. "The police presence is reassuring but unnerving."

Three activists who traveled to Chicago for the summit were accused Saturday of manufacturing Molotov cocktails in a plot to attack Obama's campaign headquarters, Emanuel's home and other targets. But defense lawyers argued that the police had trumped up the charges to frighten peaceful protesters away. They told a judge it was undercover officers who brought the firebombs to an apartment in Chicago's South Side where the men were arrested.

Occupy Chicago protesters, some wearing masks, sit in the street outside Mayor Rahm Emaunel's house during a march and demonstration in Chicago Saturday, May 19, 2012. Security has been high throughout the city in preparation for the NATO summit, where delegations from about 60 countries will discuss the war in Afghanistan and European missile defense. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

This combo made from undated photos released Saturday, May 19, 2012 by the Chicago Police Department shows from left, Brent Vincent Betterly, 24, of Oakland Park, Fla., Jared Chase, 24, of Keene, N.H., and Brian Church, 20, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The three men arrested Wednesday, May 16, 2012, in Chicago, accused of making Molotov cocktails with plans to attack President Barack Obama's campaign headquarters, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's home and other targets during this weekend's NATO summit, according to prosecutors at a court hearing Saturday. The three were arrested in a nighttime raid of an apartment in the city's South Side Bridgeport neighborhood ahead of the two-day meeting. (AP Photo/Chicago Police Department)

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