Europe

A criminal network is behind the fireworks attacks against the police in Amsterdam’s Floradorp neighborhood on New Year’s Eve, National Police Chief Janny Knol said in the television program Pauw de Wit.

On New Year’s Eve, the police intervened multiple times after groups set fires on Dotterbloemstraat in the Floradorp neighborhood. Riot police had to disperse crowds so that firefighters could extinguish the fires. During these confrontations, people in the crowds pelted officers with fireworks. The unrest followed tension in Floradorp after Mayor Femke Halsema banned the city’s annual bonfire due to safety concerns.

Statement by President Macron of France, Chancellor Merz of Germany, Prime Minister Meloni of Italy, Prime Minister Tusk of Poland, Prime Minister Sánchez of Spain, Prime Minister Starmer of the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Frederiksen of Denmark on Greenland.

Arctic security remains a key priority for Europe and it is critical for international and transatlantic security.

NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European Allies are stepping up. We and many other Allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries. The Kingdom of Denmark – including Greenland – is part of NATO.

Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders. These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them.

The United States is an essential partner in this endeavour, as a NATO ally and through the defence agreement between the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States of 1951.

Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.

• Russia is intensifying covert attacks on key infrastructure in Germany as a possible prelude to a wider conflict, according to a military document.
• Germany expects to be targeted by Russia covertly via hybrid attacks on energy and defense infrastructure as it positions itself as NATO's main hub in Europe.
• The defense ministry views Russia as "the greatest and most immediate threat to Germany's security" and says hybrid measures are a tool used by Russia in its security policy and fight against the "collective West".

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“The hybrid measures and attacks that have been identified, particularly those carried out in Germany, should be seen as a tool deliberately used by Russia in its security policy and its fight against the ‘collective West.’ At the same time, these measures could also serve as preparation for military conflict,” the German defense ministry said.

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The defense ministry plan ... cited national and foreign intelligence that suggested Russia is seeking to develop capabilities and strategic options to wage and survive a large-scale war against NATO.

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“However, Russia will do everything in its power to prevent or at least hinder the deployment of NATO forces on the eastern flank for the purposes of deterrence and, if necessary, defense,” it said.

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The defense ministry concluded that Russia is deliberately targeting and exploring possible weak links in cooperation between different levels of German government with hybrid measures designed to unsettle citizens.

“The aim is to prevent the early detection of these hybrid measures and their actual extent and impact, and to slow down and paralyze our decision-making and response capabilities of the various responsible parties at federal, state and local level.”

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cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/6508428

Archived version

Police [in the UK] are investigating after Chinese officials were accused of photographing protesters outside Beijing’s proposed new mega-embassy in London.

Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, has been told that the incident — reported by a Hong Kong dissident who fled persecution under China’s draconian security laws — could be part of a wider pattern of intimidation and surveillance of exiles and democracy activists in the UK.

Chi Hei Dai, who was part of the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, took part in two peaceful protests against the planned embassy on February 8 and March 15 last year and says he and other demonstrators were photographed by Chinese officials from inside the Royal Mint Court buildings.

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The Royal Mint Court, a historic site near the Tower of London, is at the centre of a political row over China’s plans to build a vast new embassy complex. The government estimates the new facility could bring as many as 200 extra Chinese diplomats to the capital, sparking alarm among human rights groups and exiled communities who fear it could become a hub for surveillance and intimidation. A final decision on whether to grant the site planning permission is expected on January 20 — Sir Keir Starmer is due to travel to Beijing at the end of the month.

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Chi reported the incident to the Metropolitan Police on December 22 under Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, which criminalises assisting foreign intelligence services and covers conduct likely to materially help such services with UK-related activities — even if done covertly. The law was designed to counter foreign interference and protect national interests, extending well beyond traditional espionage.

He had not made a report at the time because he believed the Royal Mint had diplomatic status, shielding it from police investigations. When he realised this might not be the case, in the last fortnight he attended Sutton police station, where officers created an “intelligence report”.

The information has now been passed to Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London and specialist officers are assessing whether further action is required.

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[Conservative MP} Duncan Smith initially condemned the police response as “astonishing” and “crass” after Chi was advised by one officer to contact the Hong Kong embassy and police force — despite the fact that Hong Kong does not have an embassy and is part of China.

“I am surprised that someone in the employment of the Metropolitan Police doesn’t seem to realise that Hong Kong is now part of China which has imposed the Chinese national security law in contravention of the Sino-British agreement and are arresting peaceful democracy campaigners like Chi Hei Dai,” Duncan Smith wrote. “In light of the threats Hong Kong dissidents face, such advice looks crass.”

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Another officer reportedly told Chi to seek help from Citizens Advice, rather than treating the matter as a potential national security problem.

The legal status of the Royal Mint Court is central to the case. Unlike the Chinese consulate in Manchester, where Chinese officials assaulted a Hong Kong protester in 2022, the Royal Mint Court is not a diplomatic premises and is therefore not covered by diplomatic immunity. This means that Chinese embassy employees at the site are subject to UK law, including the National Security Act 2023.

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The incident is the latest in a series of alarming episodes involving Chinese officials targeting dissidents and activists in the UK.

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Human rights organisations have documented a sophisticated campaign of transnational repression by the Chinese state, targeting Hong Kong democracy activists, Uighurs and other dissidents in the UK. Tactics include physical and digital surveillance, threats to family members in China, online harassment, and the misuse of international legal mechanisms to pursue critics abroad.

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Switzerland has frozen assets held in the country by Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro and associates, the Swiss government said on Monday, following his arrest by U.S. forces in Caracas and transfer to the United States.

A spokesperson for the Swiss Foreign Ministry said the order affects 37 people. The spokesperson said the ministry could not provide any details on the value of the assets in question.

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/56427459

Martin described his meeting with Xi on Monday as a "warm and constructive engagement", covering a range of issues including bilateral and EU-China ties.

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/56420476

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/56379266

The European Commission has stopped short of condemning Donald Trump’s renewed claim to take over Greenland, even as international outrage mounts after the dramatic abduction of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.

Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://euobserver.com/eu-and-the-world/arbf240533

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/56379268

Brussels also suggested that Washington’s military intervention "can create an opportunity" for the overthrow of Maduro's regime

Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://www.euractiv.com/news/eu-says-too-early-to-assess-legality-of-us-attack-on-venezuela/

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. will revisit its stance on Greenland in the coming weeks.

Asked if he expected to take action on the territory, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday: "Let's talk about Venezuela, Russia, Ukraine. We'll worry about Greenland in about two months. Let's talk about Greenland in 20 days."

He added: "We need Greenland from a national security situation. It's so strategic."

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“We will get a fair solution only once Russian elites have concluded that the original invasion was a mistake and that the aim of rebuilding the Russian empire is unachievable,” Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski [said], warning Western partners against seeking quick compromises that could leave Ukraine vulnerable to renewed aggression.

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The foreign minister warned against repeating past diplomatic failures, pointing to the Minsk agreements that followed Russia’s earlier aggression against Ukraine in 2014. Those deals, he said, were negotiated over the heads of Central and Eastern European countries and failed to prevent a full-scale invasion in 2022.

“We don’t need a Minsk three,” Sikorski said. Any settlement, he added, must leave Ukraine with defensible borders and the freedom to integrate with the European Union. “Otherwise, it’s just kicking the can down the road.”

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