The Netherlands: ‘Urban Chess’ initiative continues to expand in the Netherlands

Jesús Medina Molina initiated a national program in the Netherlands which promotes the placement of public chess tables in open spaces. Medina has succeeded in getting his initiative approved in 21 Dutch cities so far, with the first three public tables inaugurated in Máxima Park in Utrecht back in 2018.

Not only has Medina worked in IT and tourism, but he also holds a Bachelor’s degree in education. Fluent in Dutch, Spanish, English and Italian, he learned to play chess when his daughter was struggling in school — he thought that chess might help her to strengthen her calculation skills.

Read more at: ‘Urban Chess’ initiative continues to expand in the Netherlands | ChessBase

Turkey’s post-coup crisis arrives in Europe, dividing the diaspora

The showdown between Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen following the July 15 coup is not only dividing Europe’s Turkish communities but it's also sowing discord within the diaspora.

In the southern German city of Stuttgart, 15 members of a local football team quit last month after threats vowing to “drink the evil in our blood” targeted the club on social media sites. In the picturesque French town of Sens, a cultural centre was vandalised and burned just a day after the failed July 15 coup in Turkey.

Meanwhile in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, a cultural centre was pelted with stones for two nights in a row, and in Beringen, Belgium, a building used by a Belgian-Turkish NGO was attacked when a mob descended on the premises and reportedly tried to set fire to the building.

From a local German football club to a Dutch cultural centre to a Belgian meeting room, the one thing linking these places is their real or alleged links to the Gulen Movement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blamed the movement’s founder, Fethullah Gulen, for the failed July coup, an allegation the US-based cleric has denied.

But that has not stemmed the purges and crackdowns in Turkey, where more than 70,000 people have been either suspended or fired for alleged links to the movement.

Read more: Turkey’s post-coup crisis arrives in Europe, dividing the diaspora - France 24

The Netherlands; Geert Wilders Exposed By BBC Hard Talk As "Simplistic Populist Fascist"

In a recent BBC Hard Talk interview Geert Wilder's fascist ideology & arguments were torn to bits by  BBC Hard Talk Anchor Stephen Sackur, who forced Wilders to sidetrack answers to 'real' questions.

In this interview Wilders ends up engaging in rhetorical polemic & Stephen Sackur finds it hard to control himself from smirking off at Wilders' shocking views.

One observer who watched the BBC Hard Talk show with Wilders commented: "Hitler also had a funny hair style and always used fake statistics... xenophobic lies...racial and religious baiting... to protect the "Aryan Culture".  Wilders just substitutes "Islam" for "Jewish" as the enemy to scapegoat, all in the name of protecting the FATHERLAND ( Netherlands) ."

"Wilders might not be wearing a swastika but that doesn't mean he's not a fascist. Unfortunately like Hitler his simplistic hate filled rhetoric has found a great deal of admiration with a large segment of the Dutch voters who are willing to believe in Fairy Tails. The question is,  how long will this charade go on before even those "misinformed" Wilders supporters wake up to reality? "

Click here for part 1 of the BBC Hard Talk interview , here for part 2,  and here for part 3  

 EU-Digest