International
Chancellor Scholz to Vance: We will not accept intrusions in democracy and elections
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz responded this Saturday to US Vice President JD Vance that the Central European country will not accept that foreigners meddle in democracy and the German elections with their support for the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and calls to eliminate the cordon sanitaire that the other parties have imposed on it.
“The AfD is a party, which, from its ranks trivializes as ‘bird shit’ of German history National Socialism and its monstrous crimes – crimes against humanity, such as those committed in (the Nazi concentration camp of) Dachau,” Scholz said in his speech at the Munich Security Conference.
The Chancellor recalled that Vance had visited the day before his controversial speech in which he criticized European democracy precisely in the extermination camp northwest of Munich, where he said that this terrible place – where at least 41,500 people died of hunger, diseases, torture, murders and the consequences of imprisonment – reminds everyone the reason why “we must work so that this does not happen again.”
Therefore, Scholz stressed, the commitment to the “never again!” is not compatible with support for the AfD, and “that is why we will not accept strangers intervening in our democracy, in our elections and in the formation of democratic opinion in favor of this party.”
The social democratic politician, who is running again as a candidate for chancellor in next Sunday’s general elections, emphasized that this “is not acceptable, and even less among friends and allies,” in reference not only to Vance and his speech in the middle of the German election campaign, but also, although without naming him, to the explicit support of technological billionaire Elon Musk to AfD.
“We firmly reject it. We decide for ourselves what happens to our democracy. Us and no one else!
The German chancellor maintained that “current democracy in Germany and Europe is based on the historical certainty that democracies can be destroyed by radical anti-democrats.”
“That is why we have created institutions that make our democracies defenses against their enemies. And rules that do not restrict our freedom, but protect it,” he insisted.
Vance’s speech has created great discomfort in Germany and among several European leaders who listened to his words in Munich, since his central thesis was that the main threat to Europe did not come from either Russia or China but from the interior of the continent itself.
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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