Europe

Hundreds of thousands of people have marched in street demonstrations across France as trade unions held a day of strike action to pressure the new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, to rethink budget cuts and act on wages, pensions and public services.

There was disruption to public transport as train, bus and tram drivers went on strike, hospital staff joined protests and nine out of 10 pharmacies were closed as pharmacists protested against pricing policies. About one in six teachers at primary and secondary schools went on strike, as well as school canteen staff and monitors. Several high schools from Paris to Amiens and Le Havre were blockaded by students. Protesters held more than 250 demonstrations and marched in cities from Paris to Marseille, Nantes, Lyon and Montpellier.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/4620708

Archived link

Two men and a woman have been arrested in Essex on suspicion of assisting the Russian intelligence service, the Metropolitan Police has said.

A 41-year-old man and 35-year-old woman were arrested at the same address in Grays. A 46-year-old man was arrested nearby.

All three have been released on bail.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s counterterrorism unit, said: “We’re seeing an increasing number of who we would describe as ‘proxies’ being recruited by foreign intelligence services."

“Two young British men are awaiting sentencing after they were recruited by the Wagner Group — effectively the Russian state — to carry out an arson at Ukrainian-linked warehouse. They are facing potentially lengthy custodial sentences, although, to be clear, today’s arrests are in no way connected to that investigation."

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“Anyone who might be contacted by and tempted into carrying out criminal activity on behalf of a foreign state here in the UK should think again. This kind of activity will be investigated and anyone found to be involved can expect to be prosecuted and there are potentially very serious consequences.”

The European Parliament has publicly identified five of its lawmakers implicated in an ongoing bribery scandal investigation linked to the Chinese technology conglomerate Huawei Technologies. This revelation marks a significant development in a probe spearheaded by Belgian federal prosecutors, who allege that Huawei engaged in illicit lobbying practices involving bribery and undue influence within EU institutions.

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On Wednesday, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola publicly named the five lawmakers targeted by Belgian prosecutors. They are:

• Daniel Attard, Maltese Socialist MEP
• Nikola Minchev, Bulgarian centrist MEP from Renew Europe
• Salvatore De Meo, Italian member of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP)
• Fulvio Martusciello, Italian EPP member
• Giusi Princi, Italian EPP member

All five are accused of accepting gifts or illicit payments from Huawei in return for lobbying efforts benefiting the Chinese tech giant’s interests within the Parliament.

These accusations include details of undisclosed financial incentives, extravagant hospitality such as football match tickets, and all-expenses-paid trips to China. Belgian authorities suspect the gifts were systematically used to influence the lawmakers’ positions on technology and digital infrastructure policies, notably concerning 5G rollout debates in the EU.

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The lobbying process itself is not unknown and is not illegal, as long as the limits of lobbying are not exceeded. In this case, there are strong suspicions that Huawei exceeded the limits of what is permitted in the lobbying process.

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Archived version

Russia is an acute threat to “every sane country” and Europe is only at the beginning­ of rebuilding its defences, the Estonian prime minister Kristen Michal has said.

Michal called for the European Nato allies to start jointly procuring weapons and seize almost €200 billion­ in frozen Russian state ­assets to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction.

Like Poland and its Baltic neighbours Lithuania and Latvia, Estonia directly borders Russia and sees the alliance’s ability to deter Moscow from attacking the eastern flank as a question of existential importance.

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After Russia sent at least 19 drones across the Polish border and violated Estonian airspace with an Mi-8 military helicopter last week, Michal, 50, said his country’s repeated warnings about Russian aggression had been fully vindicated­.

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Michal suggested that if a peace deal or a “frozen conflict” situation were to be reached in Ukraine, tens of thousands of demobilised Russian soldiers would spill out and destabilise regions far beyond Europe, like the Wagner private military company has done.

He said: “Russia has more men under arms than before the war. They are ­getting higher salaries, they have fighting capabilities. Some of them are criminals and they have to be treated as ­heroes in Russia.

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cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/4614706

• Ukraine is stepping up international cooperation in defense manufacturing to maximize production, drive innovation, and protect critical industrial infrastructure from Russian strikes.
• Kyiv launched the “Test in Ukraine” platform to allow international defense companies to learn from Ukrainian innovation and test their new weapons and technologies in real combat conditions.
• Ukrainian companies have also scaled up production and created numerous new prototypes of weapon systems and cruise missiles. Their effectiveness, however, will depend on Ukraine’s ability to mass-produce them and Western assistance in sourcing components.

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Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced that Ukrainian defense company Fire Point will begin a production line in Denmark. Fire Point specializes in the production of long-range strike drones and cruise missiles.

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Ukraine’s experience and innovations have attracted the interest of an increasing number of partners. For example, Gaël Veyssière, the French ambassador to Ukraine, expressed France’s willingness to involve French defense and automotive companies in joint production with their Ukrainian counterparts. A project for the joint manufacture of drones is already in the works ... On September 3, at the International Defense Industry Exhibition in Poland, Ukraine signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Taiwanese and Polish delegations, focusing on drone production (Taiwan News, September 3). Additionally, Yuliia Fediv, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Philippines, announced that the two countries are working toward signing an MOU on defense cooperation by October. A high-level Ukrainian delegation, including officials from the Ministry of Defense, is expected to visit Manila to discuss the draft agreement and the possibility of jointly producing Ukrainian-style drones, specifically uncrewed surface vessels.

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The Ukrainian government is seeing increased success in developing its defense industry, particularly through international cooperation in the forms of investments, relocation of production, and the creation of joint companies. Despite bureaucratic, financial, and security obstacles, the Ukrainian defense sector is showing rather positive dynamics and becoming more attractive to international partners ... For the Ukrainian military, this may soon mean that missile and drone production catches up with Russian production. For Kyiv’s international partners, the current environment gives them a chance to gain access to cutting-edge expertise and technologies, as well as to test their own products in real combat conditions.

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Archived version

Latvia's State Security Service (VDD) said Wednesday that it arrested one of its citizens on suspicion of spying for Russia.

Authorities in the Baltic country claimed the Latvian man, who was not identified, had shared the locations and security protocols of Latvian and NATO troops with his contacts inside Russia.

"According to information at VDD's disposal, the man has also shared other information with the Russian intelligence and security service which could be used against the national security interests of Latvia and other Baltic region states," the VDD said in a statement.

Authorities launched a criminal investigation. They said the man has been held in custody since late August.

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Authorities in all three of the Baltic countries have in recent years arrested individuals they accuse of spying on behalf of Moscow. An Estonian court last year sentenced Russian political science professor Vyacheslav Morozov to six years in prison on espionage charges.

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cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/4595270

Russia is operating a potentially unprecedented system of large-scale re-education, military training, and dormitory facilities capable of holding tens of thousands of children from Ukraine for long periods of time, the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) writes in a report.

Here is the report (pdf).

• Children from Ukraine have been taken - either temporarily or indefinitely - to at least 210 locations in Russia and temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. The actual number is likely higher, as there are multiple sites still under investigation by the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) and additional locations may exist that have not yet been identified. The facilities in this study have been active since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
• Children have been taken to at least eight different location types: cadet schools, a military base, medical facilities, a religious site, secondary schools and universities, a hotel, family support centers and orphanages, and most frequently, camps and sanatoriums.
• Re-education activities have occurred at the majority of locations identified. Re-education activities involving children from Ukraine have occurred in at least 130 sites (61.9%) identified in this study. The activities constituting re-education include cultural, patriotic, or military programming that aligns with pro-Russia narratives.
• Children from Ukraine underwent military training in at least 39 locations (18.6%) identified by HRL. At least 34 of these facilities are newly identified. HRL identified activities that constitute militarization programs, including combat training, ceremonial parades and drills, assembly of drones and other materiel, and education in military history.
• Russia’s government directly manages more than half of the locations identified in this report. According to publicly available Russian incorporation data, at least 106 of the 210 locations identified are managed by Russian federal or local government bodies. Russia’s government manages 55% of the locations where re-education activities occurred and 58% of locations where militarization of children from Ukraine occurred.

In March 2023, the U.N.'s International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin, and for Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, the commissioner for children's rights in the Office of the President of Russia, accusing them of committing "the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation."

https://www.swissinfo.ch/ita/italia:-acca-larenzia,-centinaia-per-il-presente-con-saluto-romano/88688449

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/4595376

Archived

Romanian prosecutors on Tuesday indicted right-wing former presidential candidate Calin Georgescu on six charges, including complicity to undermine the constitutional order, spreading false information and founding an anti-Semitic organisation. ...

Prosecutor general Alex Florenta told a press conference that Georgescu had also been “the beneficiary of Russia’s hybrid war actions,” which included cyberattacks on key institutions, disinformation campaigns and aggressive promotion on social media, much of it generated with artificial intelligence

Georgescu, a populist politician known for his NATO-sceptic and pro-Russian views, was charged in February and faces ten to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

According to prosecutors, Potra, a dual Romanian–French national, planned to incite unrest and overthrow the government after the 2024 presidential election was cancelled. At that time, he allegedly travelled armed to Bucharest to stir up rallies in support of Georgescu. Media reports described him as leading a criminal, paramilitary organisation with ties to the far-right. He has since fled Romania and remains at large.

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I feel like it is important to highlight those politicians that are against chat control. So far Anna Cavazzini is the only one who responded (I have written to all German MEPs). Of course it is a copied response, but that's completely fine given how many requests they probably get.

Translated via deepl because I am lazy (German original below). If you think something doesn't make sense let me know and I will double check and correct. I gave it a quick scan to fix obvious issues.

1. Why we reject ‘chat control’

The Greens/EFA Group is fundamentally opposed to any attempts to introduce mass surveillance of European citizens. The European Commission's original proposal would have allowed the indiscriminate screening of private messages, emails and chats of all individuals. This would amount to blanket surveillance and place every person under general suspicion. Such measures are not only disproportionate – they also directly undermine the fundamental rights to privacy and confidentiality of communication, as enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights.

We reject the dangerous logic that security can only be achieved by undermining the privacy of millions of innocent people. Mass surveillance does not make us safer – it opens the door to abuse, false accusations and a loss of trust in digital communication. Worse still, it would set a precedent for authoritarian surveillance that has no place in a democracy.

2. Our approach: targeted measures instead of mass surveillance

Thanks in no small part to our efforts, the European Parliament now clearly rejects any form of indiscriminate surveillance. Scans should only be permitted if there are concrete, individual grounds for suspicion against specific individuals – not against the general public. Encryption, a cornerstone of secure digital communication, remains protected in our position. We also advocate effective measures to protect children – such as simpler reporting channels, safer platforms and targeted law enforcement – without sacrificing the rights and freedoms of all.

3. The current debate in the Council

The real threat currently comes from the Council of the European Union, where some governments are trying to revive mass surveillance under the guise of child protection. The Danish Presidency is aggressively pushing for a vote on a proposal that would effectively legalise mass surveillance, even though the Council's own legal service warns that such measures are illegal under EU law.

One thing is clear: mass surveillance is not the answer to child abuse. It is a dangerous misguided approach that jeopardises everyone's privacy without addressing the root causes or really helping those affected. We therefore call on citizens to keep up the pressure – not only on MEPs, but especially on national governments and the ministers responsible for home affairs and digital issues.

4. Our commitment

The Greens/EFA Group is firmly committed to protecting privacy, digital security and children's rights. We will continue to fight any introduction of mass surveillance in the EU and count on the support of committed citizens.

1. Warum wir die „Chatkontrolle“ ablehnen

Die Fraktion der Grünen/EFA ist grundsätzlich gegen jegliche Versuche, eine Massenüberwachung europäischer Bürgerinnen und Bürger einzuführen. Der ursprüngliche Vorschlag der Europäischen Kommission hätte das wahllose Durchleuchten privater Nachrichten, E-Mails und Chats aller Menschen ermöglicht. Dies käme einer flächendeckenden Überwachung gleich und würde jede Person unter Generalverdacht stellen. Solche Maßnahmen sind nicht nur unverhältnismäßig – sie greifen auch direkt die Grundrechte auf Privatsphäre und Vertraulichkeit der Kommunikation an, wie sie in der EU-Grundrechtecharta und der Europäischen Menschenrechtskonvention verankert sind.

Wir lehnen die gefährliche Logik ab, dass Sicherheit nur durch die Aushöhlung der Privatsphäre von Millionen unschuldiger Menschen erreicht werden könne. Massenüberwachung macht uns nicht sicherer – sie öffnet Missbrauch, falschen Beschuldigungen und dem Vertrauensverlust in digitale Kommunikation Tür und Tor. Schlimmer noch: Sie würde einen Präzedenzfall für autoritäre Überwachung schaffen, der in einer Demokratie keinen Platz hat.

2. Unser Ansatz: Zielgerichtete Maßnahmen statt Massenüberwachung

Nicht zuletzt dank unseres Einsatzes lehnt das Europäische Parlament inzwischen jede Form der wahllosen Überwachung klar ab. Scans sollen nur dann zulässig sein, wenn es konkrete, individuelle Verdachtsmomente gegen bestimmte Personen gibt – nicht gegen die Allgemeinheit. Die Verschlüsselung, ein Grundpfeiler sicherer digitaler Kommunikation, bleibt in unserer Position geschützt. Zudem setzen wir uns für wirksame Maßnahmen zum Schutz von Kindern ein – etwa durch einfachere Meldewege, sicherere Plattformen und gezielte Strafverfolgung – ohne dabei die Rechte und Freiheiten aller zu opfern.

3. Die aktuelle Auseinandersetzung im Rat

Die eigentliche Bedrohung geht derzeit vom Rat der Europäischen Union aus, wo einige Regierungen versuchen, die Massenüberwachung unter dem Deckmantel des Kinderschutzes wiederzubeleben. Die dänische Ratspräsidentschaft drängt aggressiv auf eine Abstimmung über einen Vorschlag, der faktisch die Massenüberwachung legalisieren würde – und das, obwohl der juristische Dienst des Rates selbst vor der Rechtswidrigkeit solcher Maßnahmen nach EU-Recht warnt.

Klar ist: Massenüberwachung ist keine Antwort auf Kindesmissbrauch. Sie ist ein gefährlicher Irrweg, der die Privatsphäre aller aufs Spiel setzt, ohne die eigentlichen Ursachen anzugehen oder den Betroffenen wirklich zu helfen. Deshalb appellieren wir an die Bürgerinnen und Bürger, den Druck aufrechtzuerhalten – nicht nur auf die Europaabgeordneten, sondern insbesondere auf die nationalen Regierungen und die zuständigen Minister für Inneres und Digitales.

4. Unser Einsatz

Die Fraktion der Grünen/EFA steht fest für den Schutz der Privatsphäre, digitale Sicherheit und die Rechte von Kindern ein. Wir werden weiterhin jede Einführung von Massenüberwachung in der EU bekämpfen und zählen dabei auf die Unterstützung engagierter Bürgerinnen und Bürger.

OC text by @[email protected]

The US energy secretary says the quiet part out loud: the tributary $750 billion in energy purchases the EU has promised in its Trump deal is meant to lock Europe into "long-term" energy dependence.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is urging EU member states to support proposals to suspend the trade part of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The European Commission has published an option paper for the EU to reimpose duties on EU-Israel trade in response to Israel’s assault on Gaza.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/4586739

Archived

The Council of the European Union has declined a request to remove Anastasia Ignatova — the stepdaughter of Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov — from its sanctions list, according to a report by the investigative outlet Sistema, which cited a draft letter prepared by E.U. officials for Ignatova’s legal team.

Ignatova is contesting the sanctions, claiming that she does not benefit from her stepfather’s assets. However, E.U. officials maintain they have sufficient evidence to suggest otherwise.

Among the supporting evidence the E.U. cites is Ignatova’s appearance in the high-profile 2017 Pirelli calendar, which featured international celebrities such as Nicole Kidman, Penélope Cruz, and Uma Thurman. Ignatova was described in the calendar as a “professor of political theory at Moscow State University and a special guest,” with her participation attributed to an invitation from the photographer.

E.U. officials, however, argue that the “only plausible explanation” for her inclusion is the business partnership between Pirelli and Rostec. The two companies operate a joint venture, Pirelli Tyre Russia, which owns tire factories in the Russian cities of Voronezh and Kirov. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Pirelli suspended investments in both facilities.

In communications with Ignatova’s legal team, E.U. officials also referenced three other assets allegedly linked to her connection with Chemezov: a Belize-registered offshore company named Elsamex, a villa in Marbella, Spain, and a $110 million yacht called Valerie. Ignatova’s lawyers contend that the offshore company was a gift from her mother, and that both the villa and yacht have since been sold.

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Archive: https://archive.ph/2025.09.16-031603/https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/poland-reactions-russia-ukraine-war-cf53ca4c

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/4578719

Archived version

The swarm of Russian drones that flew into Poland this past week sparked outrage across Europe and dire warnings about violating NATO airspace — but no overt retaliation from a military alliance trying to avoid conflict with a nuclear-armed neighbor.

European officials blamed Moscow when the navigation system faltered this month on a plane carrying the president of the European Union’s executive branch. Officials say the plane was swept up in an intensifying Russian jamming operation, but in that case, too, they took no overt action.

Both incidents could have had deadly consequences, but instead, they fell short of anything that would provoke a forceful response. Such provocations are a hallmark of so-called hybrid or gray-zone warfare, which seeks to antagonize and destabilize countries through a combination of covert military, economic and disinformation-related measures, without overt attacks.

The episodes fueled a continuing debate among European diplomats and military officials over whether NATO or the European Union should impose stiffer penalties in response to ensure that Russia does not continue undaunted, but without risking outright armed conflict.

Russian sabotage operations in Europe more than tripled from 2023 to 2024, as the West supported Ukraine in fighting the Russian invasion, a recent report found. Over the past year alone, officials say, Russia and other adversaries have disrupted Western energy systems, meddled in national elections, plotted to put incendiary devices on cargo planes, and hacked into health service networks and legal records in shadowy strikes designed to conceal the culprit.

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The Sept. 11 attacks were the only time that NATO has invoked Article 5, which holds that an attack on one ally is considered an attack on all. Some Europeans are pushing to invoke it in response to hybrid strikes — a powerful statement, though what action would result from that, if any, is unclear.

Other potential responses could include retaliatory hybrid warfare, more military support for Ukraine and further economic penalties against Russia.

Officials identified the drones that flew into Poland this past week as cheap, plywood-and-styrofoam models that are typically used as decoys to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses, allowing the more sophisticated explosive drones to penetrate.

They did not kill anyone, but they disrupted commercial flights and stoked anxiety across Eastern Europe, where Russia has long been seen as a more immediate threat than in the West. In its immediate response, NATO invoked Article 4, which enabled members to start urgent discussions within the alliance. Militaries also stepped up air patrols across the region.

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Archived link

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The number of such centers [where abducted Ukrainian children live in Russia] are similar to Soviet-era youth camps and have mushroomed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Critics warn they are being used to indoctrinate children and prepare them for eventual service in the Russian military.

Human rights experts say the so-called re-education of deported Ukrainian children has become state policy in Russia since early 2022 when the all-out invasion began. Researchers describe a “lost connection syndrome” among abducted children, which is the result of deliberate efforts to sever them from their cultural and social roots.

“Russian officials are trying to portray the deportation of Ukrainian children as care and protection. In reality, this propaganda only obstructs efforts to bring the children home,” human rights defenders said.

Between 2023 and 2024, at least 8,270 children were confirmed transferred to 98 facilities in Russia and occupied territories, with 102 separate cases of forced relocation recorded.

Meanwhile, Russians have opened more than 250 “specialized” classes, nearly 100 of them with a military focus, in schools across the occupied part of the Luhansk region this academic year.