cafebabel.com

What is the difference between a revolution and a coup d’etat?

('Katrina',) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:30:00 -0000

In the midst of the popular revolts which have seen the fall of dictatorships across the Arab world, almost 31 years have passed since the events of '23-F', an attempted coup d’état against the Spanish government on 23 February 1981

Riots: Britain's boring thugs and Europe's burning thread

('Metsa Rahimi',) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:23:02 -0000

Don't synonymise the London rioters with the protesting Greeks or Syrians; it is just plain offensive. Yes, Londoners mobilised for four days, but it can't compare to the months of social, political and economic agitation across Europe and the Arab world

Roma and Hungary’s extreme right: the hunt in Gyöngyöspata

('Annie Rutherford',) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:08:30 -0000

In Hungary, a village of 2, 500 inhabitants outside Budapest embodies tensions between the Roma (gypsy) community and the extreme right. Since March, paramilitary militia have been arriving in Gyöngyöspata to march the town's streets. On top of that, Oszkár Juhász, a member of the extreme right-wing party Jobbik, has been elected as mayor

French perspectives on London riots: 'so 2005'

('hkeet',) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:20:55 -0000

Rioters were brought before the courts, police failings were discussed. What were the causes of the unprecedented violence that the UK witnessed in August? The authorities, driven by traditional populism and reactionary politics, refused to analyse them in-depth in the moment. Perspective from across the channel

Double discrimination: roma women in central and eastern Europe

('ZoeBBee',) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:30:00 -0000

Romania has recently announced plans to evict roma from the northern town of Baia Mare, in a move which could leave hundreds homeless. The move emphasises the continued urgency of the theme ‘roma women in central and eastern Europe’, discussed during the European women's lobby’s conference in Budapest on 7 April this year. The lobby aims to bring the double discrimination that roma women endure to the attention of European decision-makers. Interview with Brigitte Triems, the lobby's president

Estonian, Austrian, Czech, Swedish and Dutch press on Norway killings

('euro topics',) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:39:17 -0000

The presumed perpetrator of the attacks in Oslo and on Utøya island is in court on 25 July. The 32-year-old, who has been classed as a Christian fundamentalist, has confessed to killing at least 93 people on 22 July. Europe's right-wing populists are the intellectual instigators of this attack, say some commentators, while others say more attention should be paid to the fears of islam and multiculturalism

Lisbon, London: the problem with SlutWalks or Who's afraid of feminine sexuality?

('Madalina Pierseca',) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:49:55 -0000

Europe has been celebrating three months of the Canadian-exported 'SlutWalks', with the next protest against the equation 'sexy clothing does not mean slut' taking place in Lisbon on 25 June. 11 June saw the phenomenon hitting British shores

Aleksandar Radivojevic of ‘A Serbian Film’: it’s catharsis more than ‘torture porn’

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 09:00:00 -0000

In Belgrade artistic culture and creativity seem to be menaced by the muzzle of conformism and the dictatorship of political correctness. Many believe that Serbia’s entry into the 27-nation European union could make the situation worse. We meet the co-writer of a controversial 2010 horror film, which he says is the perfect 'plastic metaphor' onscreen of the indignant cry of an art which wants to break free

Port du Rhin: Strasbourg’s problem suburb (which is also on the border)

('Molmash',) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:30:00 -0000

The suburb of Strasbourg which is part of the Franco-German border is famous for having staged anti-Nato protests in 2009. It's all the more reason for its politicians and town planners to realise the urban planning policy set in place to improve living conditions for its population. Mission accomplished?

Denmark 2011 Oscar for In A Better World - but not a very Danish movie

('Juliane Dybkj\xc3\xa6r',) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 12:55:15 -0000

Susanne Bier’s ‘Hævnen’ is a story about blood, thirst and justice and the hard realities of life. But how did a movie about such dark subjects come out of Denmark, the country with the happiest people on earth?

Mohamed Elhamdi: are Italian pilots attacking Libyans?

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:45:00 -0000

African mercenaries, commissions on civil assassinations and the alleged support of Italy in the repression are some of the horrors of today’s ‘Libyan genocide’. The president of Libya House (Casa Libia) in Spain left his country 38 years ago, devoting himself to socio-cultural issues, until the revolution kicked off on 17 February. Hundreds have died; interview

Belfast riots 2010: Orange Order, not girl guides

('Tim Mac an Airchinnigh',) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:01:16 -0000

More bad news from the North? On the evening news in the Irish Republic, a report on the Belfast riots in catholic districts came third after a local car crash and economics reports. In the shadow of the 1998 peace process, the riots are the product of raging frustration in a shattered community

Interview with psychic Paul, the German octopus

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:15:00 -0000

A slew of tanned, ageing football commentators aside, he was the only one to correctly predict Spain's glory and Germany's shock defeat at the 2010 world cup. He's also an octopus, hatched in 2008, who lives at the Oberhausen aquarium in a North Rhine-Westphalia zoo. Three questions for the eight-armed prophet

German clown Marenka: 'hit a woman and it's almost taboo'

('Jessie L.',) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:41:48 -0000

For seven years, the 37-year-old has acted in German-language performances throughout Europe, a trade she refined in Hannover, France and California - how does her public react to her clownish mishaps?

British star MIA's 'Born Free' video: hair-raising food for thought

('Monica Mircescu',) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 10:30:00 -0000

Imagine a world where redheads or strawberry blonds are not only mocked but tracked down and exterminated. This is the premise of French director Romain Gavras’s latest short which provides the music video for the Sri Lankan British star

Spain vs EU: gender violence clash

('Elaine Jordan',) — Thu, 27 May 2010 17:52:50 -0000

The proposals are for a monitoring system and a single helpline number under the Spanish presidency of the EU. But discussions on a European protection order remain up in the air because of responsibilities across institutions

Louis-Georges Tin, the man behind 'international day against homophobia and transphobia'

('Nicola Potter',) — Mon, 17 May 2010 14:30:00 -0000

17 May has marked international day against homophobia and transphobia since 2005. Its international recognition is largely due to the hard work of the IDAHO committee and its founder-president. As a researcher the Martiniquan was convinced that the deconstruction of gender prejudices was the best way to fight prejudice

Casa Pound Italia: Neo-fascists on the rise

('sarhanh',) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:27:35 -0000

Casa Pound Italia is at the heart of the Italian Neo-fascist movement. 'We will build the world that we want!' cry the militants across the website of the group, inspired by a poet, and dedicated to action. Meanwhile there is no shortage of complaint, between accusations of violence, and questions being raised in parliament. A look at a movement inspired by fascism, but that refuses the label of 'extreme right'

Anderlecht, Molenbeek, Schaarbeek: spot the crime in Brussels

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:21:47 -0000

Petty crime and unemployment rates (17.6%) are high in inner city Brussels, which registers a low violent crime rate in Europe. Nevertheless, police arrested 12 Belgian Albanians linked to a crime gang on 15 February*, whilst certain districts remain dangerous. Is this down to the crisis?

Italy fails in integrating migrants

('euro topics',) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:09:06 -0000

The clashes between african harvest workers and locals in the southern Italian city of Rosarno have unleashed a debate on the treatment of immigrants in the country. Italy has done far too little to integrate foreign migrants, commentators argue. The French, Italian and Greek press react

The 'M' word: breaking the Bulgarian complex

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:27:34 -0000

In January 2009, Sofia’s then-mayor and current PM banned anti-government protests after citizen disillusion with the country’s corruption; Bulgaria is officially the poorest EU state, according to Transparency International. One year on, the remnants of a ‘protest culture’ lie in the urban, cultural and mediatic fragmentation of a society rooted in tradition, the past - and the mafia, to an extent

Would only a mentally ill man attack the Italian prime minister...

('euro topics',) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Silvio Berlusconi, 73, has spent his second night at the San Raffaele hospital with face wounds after being attacked on 13 December by Massimo Tartaglia, a mentally ill man, during a rally in Milan. The attack has launched a broad discussion about Italy's poisoned political climate. The German, Spanish, Polish and Italian press react

Calling Europe’s anarchist class 2008-2009: no need to smash bank windows

('james whyte',) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:42:38 -0000

Today, anarchy has nothing to offer the public; a five-year-old sat in McDonalds could think of a better way to govern the people. Those that push it – the protesters on Europe's streets, as most popularly depicted in the media - are merely self-serving fools who ignore what democracy has done for us, and who are driven by some sort of warped fantasy of idyllic life

Czech Republic: 'we are leaving behind the eggs and going to vote'… for the right

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:08:51 -0000

The new generation of the Czech right-wing is waging its political war. Its weapons are eggs and Facebook contacts. Practices of suspect ideology. The result? A huge mishmash of ideas that mix anticommunism, liberalism and support for both Tibet and Israel. The maxim on the agenda: we do not revolt without eggs, and lots of them

Greece youth: violence in the name of education

('Elina Makri',) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:30:00 -0000

9 December. As the funeral takes place of a young boy, whose death led to days of continuous rioting in Greek cities three days earlier, a look at where the rebellion is coming from. Voice from Athens

Third day of violence in Athens after 15-year-old rioter dies

('euro topics',) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:45:57 -0000

Alexandros Grigoropoulos was allegedly hurling stones at a police car when officials shot him on 6 December. The incident has sparked riots, with protests held in Corfu and Germany. Ahead of a strike on 10 December, Greek, Italian, Swiss and German newspapers analyse the causes and the consequences for the government

Photos: Prague Spring, forty years on

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:30:00 -0000

On 21 August Prague commemorated forty years of it’s famous democratic ‘spring’, which ended revolt in the capital this past century. The spontaneous protest caught the world by surprise, before it was reprimanded by the Soviet regime. Images

Modern pirates use GPS in Somalia

('Erin Woycik',) — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 -0000

Recent attacks on Spanish and French ships highlight the insecurity of maritime activities. The EU is confronted by a challenge which puts its capacity to create a policy protecting common security into question

Roger Woolger: 'it's not psychosis'

('Elisa Marengo',) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

The British psychotherapist from Sussex, 63, brings together Jung theory and eastern philosophy in his 'deep memory process'. His theory on reincarnation: our past lives help us resolve our present neuroses

Eyewitness: Tibet out of control

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0000

As the tension between the Tibetan monks versus Chinese control escalates, we hear a 25-year-old Swiss tourist's version of events after a week in the capital, Lhasa

Euthanasia: Noel Martin wants to die

('Andrew Burgess',) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 06:38:00 -0000

The British citizen of Jamaican origin, has been a paraplegic ever since he was attacked by a band of neo-Nazis. In 2007, he made headline news in Germany and is still fighting to be able to decide the date of his death

As drugs and violence rise, Mexico's democratic hopes fall

('John Smith',) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0000

Mexicans are losing confidence in their institutions, justice is absent, women are murdered and narcotics traffickers keep the pressure on an increasingly violent society

AddioPizzo - end of protection money for the Mafia

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

The Italian committee strikes back against the Sicilian Mafia, but consumers and businessmen are increasingly saying no to the ‘Pizzo’, or the protection money blackmailed from them by the Mafia

Paris suburbs: 'place of exile'

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

'Banlieue' is the colloquial reversal of 'lieu du ban', literally, 'place of exile'. In the French suburbs, out of work labourers are holed up in prison-style buildings, along with their children, to whom they pass on their despair

Jan T. Gross: Poland's 'anti-semitic' attitude

('Sarah Turpin',) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Public opinion in Poland is stirred after the American professor's post-war publication is released

Ho Che Anderson: I never actually said 'hey mom, this is my sex book'

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0000

The London-born Canadian graphic novelist, 38, is relaxed and frank as he discusses being chosen as the only black cartoonist to portray Martin Luther King, a series which took him ten long years to complete

EU-Darfur conflict: stepping up to the plate

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 12:00:00 -0000

EU defence ministers meet in Portugal on 28 September for the final go-ahead for the deployment of EU troops in Chad and CAR, after the UN approved a resolution on 26 September

Beer over Gaudi

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0000

In Barcelona, unlicensed street performers, sleeping on park benches and drinking and urinating on its streets is illegal. How has the civic by-law affected society one year on?

Sandra Camps: Barcelona's journalist as Africa's social worker

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Her reports on dwarfism and the mass tide of immigrants to the Canaries are gracing German screens - the Catalan journalist gives a voice to those without

Georgian women, invisible citizens

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Women’s rights are neglected in the Caucasus, as illustrated in Tblisi, Georgia's capital

The economy of stress

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 04:59:00 -0000

A whopping three out of four employees in Europe suffer from anxiety. How much is stress costing the Union?

Paul Verhoeven: 'So what if it’s commercial?'

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 12:00:00 -0000

The 68-year-old Dutch film director behind ‘Total Recall’, ‘Robocop’ and ‘Basic Instinct’ is back home in Europe to complete a different project

'Women in Quebec are more violent towards men - not the other way round'

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 12:00:00 -0000

Every third day in France, a woman dies at the hands of a violent partner. The case is different on the other side of the francophone world

Violent men: Europe's static south-north gradient

('Emily Griffins',) — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 12:00:00 -0000

Currently, one in five women in Europe is a victim of violence. Despite the lack of official statistics, the situation in the south mirrors that of the north

Disappearing in the crowd: Vietnamese immigrants in Poland

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 12:44:00 -0000

Thousands of Vietnamese are repressed in their home country and are forced to leave Asia and try their luck abroad. For those who choose Poland, the transition is sometimes tough

Newsha Tavakolian, Iran's inside story

('Kate Stansfield',) — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 17:48:00 -0000

At the inauguration of Perpignan's 19th festival ‘Visa pour l'image’, the Iranian photojournalist focuses on the situation of women in the Middle East

Squabbles and wrangles in the Muslim world

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 07:29:00 -0000

Despite a population of 15 million Muslims in Europe, stereotypes are still strong: Islam = terrorism. Muslim organisations fail to tackle the identity crises that destabilise their communities

Europe’s anti-terror alert systems are out of tune with each other

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:24:00 -0000

The planned terror attacks uncovered in London are putting the alert systems of every European country to the test. Find out how these work and which alert levels are currently in place.

Escalating threats and anti-terrorist measures

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 02:00:00 -0000

In response to escalating violence and fear, Europe has equipped itself with a real arsenal to counter threats

Europe - USA: back to french fries

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 02:00:00 -0000

Though support for Europe’s soft power grows in American liberal bastions, the military EU institutions still lack credibility in the US