Iraq: Evangicals spark outrage by praying 'to break power' of Yazidi temple

A video posted by the Light a Candle organisation appeared to show activists praying against the 'Satanic curse' of the temple

An activist from Light a Candle prays at a Yazidi temple in Iraq (screenshot)

By Alex MacDonald
Published date: 21 April 2023

A video apparently showing evangelical Christians praying at what they brand a "Satanic" Yazidi temple in northern Iraq has sparked outrage.

Light A Candle, an organisation that professes to "shine the light and love of Jesus by preaching the Gospel", on Thursday posted a story on its Instagram page showing a number of its missionaries praying outside the temple overlayed with a caption reading "We see chains broken and the enemy's power defeated.

"So right now we just break the power of this temple, we break the power of the Satanic curse that it places on people who enter Jesus... and we curse all of the enemy that is attached to this, we say it will come to nothing," one of the activists can be heard saying in the video.

Social media users identified the temple as being near the Yazidi-majority town of Ba'adre, which is located in a region disputed between Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), though the latter is currently in control of the town.

Middle East Eye could not independently verify the location, however.

Yazidis have for centuries faced persecution from other Abrahamic religions which claim that Melek Taus, the central figure in the Yazidi religion, is analogous to Satan.

Accusations of Satanism have been used to justify numerous attacks on the group, including the massacre of thousands of Yazidi men, and the enslavement of thousands more Yazidi women, by the Islamic State group in 2014.

Online outrage

The video sparked outrage online with many questioning why the local authorities had allowed the visit to take place.

MEE contacted Light a Candle to ask if they stood by the implication of the Yazidi religion as akin to Satanism, but had received no response at time of publication.

Narin Briar, a Kurdish human right activist, said that the act was particularly offensive considering the "centuries of genocide and erasure" that Yazidis had faced.

'American Christian missionaries are hunting Yazidis , falsely labelling them as "Satanic" in their social media posts, in hopes of forcefully converting them and erasing their ancient culture even further'

- Narin Briar, activist

"Just recently, the Yazidis fled the Ezidi Genocide at the hands of [the Islamic State]" she told MEE.

"Now, through an organisation called Light a Candle, American Christian missionaries are hunting Yazidis , falsely labelling them as 'Satanic' in their social media posts, in hopes of forcefully converting them and erasing their ancient culture even further."

Light a Candle was founded by Sean Feucht, a singer-songwriter and activist who claims to have had four number one albums in the Christian Worship section of iTunes.

The group has been involved in distributing aid to displaced people in northern Iraq, including Yazidis, but has also been accused of attempting to recruit Christian converts during their visits.

In the pinned tweet of his Twitter account, Feucht claims leftists have "hijacked" the minds of the younger generation and calls for "REVIVAL" as the solution, while lambasting such policies as student loan forgiveness, "open borders", abortion and LGBTQ rights and the "mutilation of children’s bodies".

A profile in Rolling Stone characterised Feucht as having a "far-right Christian nationalist agenda" and being a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump. It also suggested he had made considerable sums of money out of his work, owning homes in the US valued at over $2m.

MEE also contacted the KRG for comment, but had received no response at the time of publication.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for YEZEDI 

'Threatened to burn mosque down': Canadian Muslims reel after botched attack in Markham

The attack on the Islamic Society of Markham is the latest in a number of Islamophobic incidents in Canada

The Islamic Society of Markham held a press conference on 10 April 2023 in Markham, Ontario, Canada (Courtesy Islamic Society of Markham)

By Azad Essa
Published date: 10 April 2023 

Muslims in Canada are calling for more protection and a serious engagement with Islamophobia after a man entered a mosque brandishing a weapon, threatened congregants, damaged mosque property, and tried to run over worshippers in the parking lot.

At a press conference at the Islamic Society of Markham on Monday, Qasir Nasir Khan, the mosque's president, said the incident had shocked the community.

“It was shocking. It could have resulted in serious injury or, God forbid, even fatalities,” Khan said. “Make no mistake, we could have been at a funeral today," Khan said.

"He threatened to burn the mosque down," Khan added.

The incident, which took place late last week, is just the latest in a spate of Islamophobic attacks in Canada that has left experts and observers pondering over the rise of hate-based crimes in the US.

"Those who frequent this Markham mosque, and their loved ones, have been deeply anxious this weekend. We must do all we can to counter the hate that threatens our rights and freedoms and hold perpetrators accountable," Amira Elghawaby, the country's newly appointed special representative on combating Islamophobia, said in a statement.

On Sunday, local police said it had charged 28-year-old Sharan Karunakaran with several criminal offences after a suspected hate-motivated incident.

Several commentators have speculated that Karunakaran has ties with Hindu far-right groups, but the police have so far said they didn't believe the suspect had links to such groups.

Nadia Hassan, from the Islamic Society of Markham, reiterated that the connections were mere speculation and that "police were still investigating all angles".

"They have faced other incidents and threats but nothing quite like this," Hassan told Middle East Eye.

York regional police did not reply to MEE's request for comment.

 
Calls for accountability

The attack on the mosque, located around 30km from Toronto, also prompted condemnations from several elected officials.

On Monday, Helena Jaczek, the member of parliament for Markham, said she was "appalled to hear of the violent hate crime the Islamic Society of Markham was subject to, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. Muslim Canadians deserve to feel safe in our community".

Likewise, Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng said she was "deeply disturbed to hear of the violent hate crimes and racist behaviour at the Islamic Society of Markham. To Muslims in Markham and Canada, I stand with you."

Assault in Toronto mosque highlights alarming rise of Islamophobia in Canada

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The incident comes just days after police opened a case into a possible hate crime in Toronto, after a local mosque was vandalised, raising additional questions over the safety of Muslims in the country.

There has been a rise in Islamophobic incidents in Canada in recent years. Observers say that the rising Islamophobia has exposed the myth of Canadian multiculturalism.

In August 2022, government agency Statistics Canada reported that hate crimes against Muslim communities across Canada had increased by 71 percent in 2021 alone.

In June 2021, four members of a Muslim family were killed when a 2o-year-old man ran them over with his pick-up truck in London, Ontario.

In 2020, a mosque caretaker was killed in the Toronto area, while three years earlier, a gunman killed six Muslim men at a mosque in Quebec City.

Following the attack on worshippers at the Quebec City Mosque in 2017, the Canadian parliament passed Motion 103, a non-binding resolution, that condemned Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism.

Navigating hate and death threats: What it's like working for Ilhan Omar

Azad Essa, Umar A Farooq
8 March 2023 | Last update: 2 days 10 hours ago

The Black and visibly Muslim Congresswoman continues to face a deluge of abuse even after the end of the Trump presidency, with her young staff often caught in the crosshairs

In Representative Ilhan Omar's office, the answering machine is something of an albatross.

Beneath the daily questions and concerns from constituents, selected praise from the well wishers, and the usual requests for meetings from lobbyists, lies a bottomless pit of hateful messages.

"I'll put a bullet in your f***ing head. I'll f***ing kill you," says one.

"Ilhan Omar!!! You will not be going back to Washington, your life will end before your 'vacation' starts ... They say we can't get the Somali stink out of the clean Minnesota air, but we are going to enjoy the adventure," says another.

On a daily basis, the Black and visibly Muslim legislator is inundated with obscene, racist and hate-filled messages at her Capitol Hill offices.

One congressional aide, who asked not to be named, told Middle East Eye that some of the language in the voicemails were so vicious and outrageous they ought "not to be repeated".

But as is protocol, her staff, made of up mostly women, listen through every single one. Before disconnecting. And narrating them to senior staff. Several senior staff interviewed by Middle East Eye say that four years since Omar came to office, the threats simply won't dissipate.

And while much of the media's attention has naturally focused on Omar, given the threat to her life, the aide admits that the abuse can be difficult for staff to shake off.

The level of hate has become so noxious that a fair share of their work has revolved around developing systems and strategies to protect their younger colleagues, especially the women and men of colour, often on the front lines, to the abuse meted out over the phone, on social media or on the answering machine.

"There have been times where it's been challenging for me personally and depressing to carry these messages," the aide added.

"It definitely has made me disappointed at times, sad that this is the state of our world, and depressed that our interns are also answering those calls," the congressional aide added.

Constant state of worry

In January 2019, Omar became the first Somali-American and one of two Muslim women to be sworn into Congress.

Her meteoric rise to Congress was marked by a commitment to improving the lives and economic opportunities of working-class Americans.

But the moment she entered Congress, she would come to be defined by her trenchant criticism of US militarism and other aspects of US foreign policy.

As a result, she's been the subject of relentless attacks from right-wing commentators, Republicans, and even members of her own Democratic Party.

'Getting a death threat is pretty disturbing. You can't just pick up and pivot and go off and do your work'

- Mona Lena Krook, Rutgers University

As one of the historic progressive entries into Congress known as the Squad, following the election of Donald Trump, Omar became a lightning rod for conservatives.

Her every move scrutinised. Her every comment facing deliberate distortion by conservative media outlets, and Trump himself.

Trump used Omar as the very embodiment of the enemy that had to be defeated for him to "Make America Great Again".

"She would like to make the government of our country just like the country from where she came - Somalia. No government, no safety, no police, no nothing, just anarchy," Trump said in one of his rants about the US lawmaker in 2020. In other barb, he called her a "hate-filled, America-bashing socialist".

Omar's aides declined to get into specifics, but told MEE that the representative had received thousands of threats since entering office in 2019.

Omar said at the time that Trump's vitriol had directly led to an increase in death threats.

In December 2021, Omar publicly shared an example of a message received by the office which she blamed emphatically on Republican rhetoric.

"We see you, you Muslim sand n***** b****," the message began.

"Don't worry, there are plenty who would love the opportunity to take you off the face of this f***ing earth," the voicemail continued. "You will not live much longer b****, I can almost guarantee you that."

The threat was one of several Omar publicly shared.

'Historically high'

Threats against members of Congress have risen sharply in recent years, according to data provided by the United States Capitol Police, a law enforcement agency charged with protecting US legislators.

In October, Reuters reported that cases related to "concerning statements and threats" increased from 3,939 in 2017 to 9,625 in 2021.

The Capitol Police told MEE that for security reasons it can't divulge information regarding specific threats against members of Congress, but the number of cases was "historically high".

It added that while the department is expanding its resources to investigate these threats, "continuing to decrease violent political rhetoric across the country is the best way to keep everyone safe".

Connor McNutt, Omar's chief of staff since 2019, told MEE that violent threats were documented and reported to Capitol Police and the Sergeant at Arms, who are in charge of protecting members of Congress, but the entire process was incredibly time-consuming.

"Sadly, reporting these threats, corresponding with Capitol Police and other law enforcement, and communicating with prosecutors is an all too frequent occurrence and a part of my regular - sometimes daily - duties," McNutt said.

"That's not to mention the staff who answer phones throughout the day and have to listen to routinely violent rhetoric or death threats against the Congresswoman."

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in a meeting with members of her staff 

(Courtesy of Omar's office)

Mona Lena Krook, an American political scientist based at Rutgers University, told MEE that aides to lawmakers often face the brunt of assaults.

Add in the dimension of America's erratic and toxic gun culture and the fears are in no way exaggerated or unwarranted. And an attack on a member of Congress has happened before.

In 2011, then-US representative Gabby Gifford was shot in the face as she spoke outside Congress. Gifford miraculously survived, and is now a major anti-gun advocate.

Omar's team was naturally horrified in September 2020 to see then-Republican candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene pose with an assault rifle along with images of Omar and her congressional colleagues, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, as part of a campaign ad titled: "Squad's Worst Nightmare".

Marjorie Taylor Greene's Campaign ad in September 2020

The inciteful ad leaned directly into right-wing talking points that utilised any opportunity to characterise these three powerful women of colour as outsiders or enemies of the white state.

It also underscored how a candidate like Taylor-Greene - now a sitting member of Congress - was prepared to use violent imagery to oppose their presence in the House.

Taylor-Greene's office did not reply to MEE's request for comment.

Krook says that whereas it was Omar or Tlaib or Ocasio-Cortez's images on the advertisements, it is often their staff members who have to navigate the daily salvos of hate hurled at their bosses.

"Staffers [are] the ones who do a lot of the work. They're drafting the speeches, they're writing the drafts of legislation. I can't imagine the kind of impact it has on their own mental state of having abuse rain down on you," Krook said.

"Getting a death threat is pretty disturbing. You can't just pick up and pivot and go off and do your work," she added.

"It's the kind of thing that sort of nags at you and makes you lose sleep," Krook said.

But the hateful rhetoric spouted on nightly television segments on right-wing television shows like Fox News’s Tucker Carlson had another consequence for Omar's staff: it made their job harder.
Subject of ridicule

McNutt, Omar's chief of staff, said the abuse made it considerably more difficult to get lawmakers from across the aisle to sign onto legislation, even if they believed in it.

"We, probably more than any other Democratic member of Congress, have a harder time getting a Republican to cosponsor legislation with us, even if it's an idea that they support.

"It's just by virtue of not wanting to be on a bill with the congresswoman," he told MEE.

Krook noted that she had worked with Congresswoman Tlaib's office on a resolution opposing violence against women.

In 2021, when Tlaib along with Omar and other women lawmakers tried to get Republican co-sponsors, no other congresswomen joined.

"It was really sad to see that even on that issue, like basic issues like safety of officials, they just couldn't do it," Krook said.

McNutt, who has worked with Omar since 2016, when he joined her team when she was a state legislator in Minnesota, says he knew early on that working with Omar was likely to be eventful.

Barely weeks into his new role as aide to the new and exciting Minnesota legislator, McNutt watched as his new boss would face a dizzying array of personal and professional insults that just didn’t seem to end.

They ranged from false smears to the absurd.

Later they would become terrifying.

Is anyone more hated?

As a state legislator, Omar was accused of marrying her own brother in order to facilitate his US citizenship. She was then accused of financial irregularities in the state legislature.

Both allegations were rubbished by Omar and state officials, and it was assumed they were laid to rest.

But not for the right wing. They were just getting started.

'There is no one on Capitol Hill who has faced as many insults, attacks and censures as Ilhan Omar'

- Connor McNutt, chief of staff for Ilhan Omar

When she became the first refugee to join the US Congress, the rate of threats and attacks on her simply escalated.

"The level of hate we were seeing increased exponentially," McNutt told MEE.

"[She] sort of became this fixation for the right-wing media - your Tucker Carlsons, your Free Beacons, The Examiner. They [turned] her into this caricature of what the right-wing sort of hates.

"There is no one on Capitol Hill who has faced as many insults, attacks and censures as Ilhan Omar," McNutt added.

Fox News did not reply to MEE's request for comment.

The accusation that Omar married her own brother continues to circulate in right-wing circles.

But where these comments looked to dehumanise and ridicule her, she faced an onslaught of other attacks from the right-wing media that made her a target. First, her comments about the September 11, 2001 attacks were distorted to make it seem like she was minimising the incident that killed 3,000 Americans.

Trump even tweeted a video in April 2019 juxtaposing Omar with footage of the twin towers falling. Omar wrote a day later that the tweet had led to an increase in death threats.

Then, her remarks about US militarism and support for Israel were deemed to be anti-American.

It was, however, a remark in February 2019 that members of the US government were being influenced by money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) to support the state of Israel that brought the most criticism. Omar was immediately accused of antisemitism.

The pro-Israel lobby is known to spend millions of dollars to influence politics in the US. In the face of mounting pressure from her Democratic Party colleagues, Omar apologised.

"Antisemitism is real, and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of antisemitic tropes," Omar said. "At the same time, I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry," she added.

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Trump called her apology "lame" and suggested she resign from the Foreign Affairs Committee.

And the accusations of antisemitism would continue to haunt her. Each time she critiqued Israel, she was accused of “having a problem with Jews".

It was on the basis of this accusation and her support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a Palestinian civil society movement working to build international opposition to Israel’s illegal occupation and mistreatment of Palestinians that purportedly prompted her ousting from the Foreign Affairs Committee in February this year.

Omar is Muslim, a refugee, a woman, and Black. These provided a perfect recipe for the right wing to rail about.

"She's being targeted for her identity and not for what she did or said," the staff member, who asked to remain anonymous, said.

"It is as if she cannot speak up on American values or on behalf of America or for the rest of the world. People still call every day complaining and wanting her out of Congress just because of her existence as a Black woman," the aide added.

Krook, who has written a book on violence against women in politics, said that "it would be accurate to say that Omar's office receives probably some of the highest levels of threats.

"Part of it is ideological. She's a well-known progressive and unapologetic about it," she said. "But also, I think it has a lot to do with her identity, being a woman, being Muslim, being young, being of refugee background."
The role of the Democratic Party

Several observers noted that while some within the Republican Party and its acolytes have been racist towards Omar, the Democratic Party itself had a lot to answer for.

Writing in the Intercept, Akela Lacy argued that even if the vote had been split along party lines, it was the Democrats who had paved the way for the vote that would oust Omar from the House Committee.

Indeed, her own Democrat colleagues have publicly berated her for her foreign policy remarks and often chosen to stay away from her bills.

Somali. Black. Muslim. Woman. Refugee. American: The making of Ilhan Omar

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"I don’t need any of you to defend me against antisemitism. My friend Ilhan Omar and I have worked together toward the values that I treasure as an American Jew and that she treasures as an American Islamic woman, the only one on the Foreign Affairs Committee," Democratic colleague, Representative Jan Shakowsky, said ahead of the vote.

But when Hakeem Jeffries, the House Minority Leader spoke, he described Omar as having made mistakes including "using antisemitic tropes," referencing her comments in 2019 for which she had apologised at the time. Jeffries added that Omar would learn from her mistakes and pointed out that Republican Party had not disciplined their own members for their own transgressions.

McNutt acknowledged that the Democratic Party had failed her in the past.

He said he would even wager that had the vote for her ousting from the Foreign Affairs Committee taken place in 2019, Omar may not have received the support from the Democratic Party that she did in February.

The unified show of support from the party during this recent impasse showed Omar's team had made in-roads with their colleagues.

"Would we have liked to have our Democratic colleagues react differently in the past? I think we probably would have. But I think, through the work that she and the office, we were able to be really united and have full support from the Democratic Caucus," McNutt said.

"I do think this targeting of her, the spending a million dollars demonising her across the country, has really had a negative impact on how she in our office is perceived here. But that hasn't stopped us from leaning in to have those tough conversations," he added.
'We will keep speaking out'

Since coming into office in 2018, Omar has become known for championing local causes and foreign policy issues that have grated the rank and file of the Republican Party leadership as well as Democratic leaders on the other wing of the party.

Omar's dedication to economic issues has shown itself in her support for Medicare For All, in her calling for housing to be regarded as a human right, and in the expansion of benefits for working-class Americans.

She has criticised the Biden administration on its immigration policies on the southern border and urged the administration to increase the refugee cap. On Capitol Hill, her office staff are among the first to have been unionised in Congress, a move lauded by the Congressional Workers Union.

Her commitment to matters of democratic principles and human rights abroad and at home has seen her spearhead the Stop Arming Human Rights Abusers Act, and call for US President Joe Biden to pardon Daniel Hale, a military analyst who leaked government documents revealing the civilian toll of Washington's drone programme.

She also remains among the few US lawmakers to speak on the declining democratic values in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and has been a vocal proponent against Islamophobia, leading the way with the Combating International Islamophobia Act.

But her close shave with losing out to re-election in 2022 following a very tight primary in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District has prompted observers to suggest she has decided to "move into the mainstream".

Writing in the Minnesota Reformer, Doug Rossinow argued that Omar’s decision to vote for H.Res.92, a resolution condemning antisemitism and recognizing Israel as an ally, the same day she was ousted from the Foreign Affairs Committee, "mended ties" with the Democratic Party.

US: Ilhan Omar removed from foreign affairs committee for 2019 ‘antisemitic’ remarks

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The Jewish Telegraphic Agency wrote that Omar’s name was "sandwiched between the names of Reps Brad Schneider and Josh Gottheimer, two of Congress’ most vocal pro-Israel lawmakers."

Omar had previously voted for H.R4373, a foreign aid appropriations bill, containing $3.3bn in military aid to the Israeli government, in July 2021.

But Omar's staff say the Congresswoman has no intention of softening on foreign policy.

“We are always of the mind that we are working hard, but that we can always improve and do better. And I think determining whether it's good faith or bad faith is kind of a holistic approach of where is the criticism or feedback coming from."

Reflecting on his nearly seven years working with Omar, McNutt, from a small rural town in Minnesota, says he initially took the opportunity to work with Omar as a way to shine a light on neglected communities in Minnesota. He has no regrets. “It helps that she is a great boss. Of course, I am biased,” McNutt says with a laugh.

The other staff member who asked not to be named said she too had wanted to work for “somebody who represents my identities and who has the same progressive values that I do.

"That's kind of what inspired me to work for the congresswoman," the staff member said.

Despite being removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Omar remains on the Education Committee and influential Budget Committee, which focuses on government spending and fiscal policy.

According to Jackie Rogers, Omar’s deputy communications director, Omar's removal from the Foreign Affairs Committee only served to highlight her office's work on foreign policy issues.

If anything, it may have just given her team a bigger megaphone.

"This is a priority for her. She has a lived experience that we have raised, she has an important perspective. And we will keep speaking out," Rogers said.

Why Greece is clamping down on these refugee rights activists

NGO workers denounce Greek's 'criminalisation' of advocacy for refugees, warning it could lead to more deaths and deter others from carrying out humanitarian work

Ruhi Akhtar, founder of the Refugee Biriyani & Bananas aid group

 (MEE/Nick Paleologos)

By Patrick O. Strickland in Athens
Published date: 22 April 2023 

When refugee rights activist Panayote Dimitras learned that he was being charged in connection with his work, he knew the authorities “wanted to shut me down as quickly as possible”.

The director of Greek Helsinki Monitor, Dimitras had been advocating for refugees and migrants making the risky journey from Turkey. Part of that advocacy meant documenting arrivals on Greek islands and reporting their locations to police so that they couldn’t be pushed back, or illegally expelled from the country.

But in December, a prosecutor on Kos Island charged Dimitras and another advocate, the Norway-based Tommy Olsen of Aegean Boat Reports, with crimes related to alleged smuggling.

“We’ve been the pain in the ass of the Greek authorities because we have documented pushbacks and related violence,” Dimitras told Middle East Eye, describing the charges as a form of“revenge”.

Now waiting for the case to move forward, Dimitras has had to pay a 10,000-euro bail, has been banned from international travel, must check in twice a month at a police station and has been barred from conducting work related to the Helsinki Monitor.

Dimitras and Olsen weren’t the first humanitarians Greece targeted with similar accusations. Critics accuse the Greek government of creating an environment of fear to deter people from working with refugees and migrants.

The crackdown comes amid a broader effort by the Greek government to deter refugees and migrants from trying to enter the country.

In January, a court on Lesbos Island dropped misdemeanor charges against 24 aid workers. The aid workers, including Irish-German activist Sean Binder and Syrian refugee Sara Mardini, had stood accused of espionage, disclosure of state secrets, unlawful use of radio frequencies and forgery.

But the group still faces a handful of felony charges, including aiding smuggling networks, being members of a criminal organisation and money laundering.
Accusations of pushback

In 2015, the number of refugees and migrants reaching Europe, including Greece, spiked amid armed conflict in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as economic and political instability elsewhere.

More than 900,000 people arrived in or passed through Greece in 2015, but that number has since slumped.

In 2021, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) documented some 9,157 arrivals to Greece by land and sea, while 2022 saw some 18,780 people reach the country.

'All of us have witnessed a systematic, organised effort to crack down on NGOs [and] criminalise migration and solidarity'

- Alexandros Georgoulis, lawyer

In the July 2019 elections, the right-wing New Democracy party came to power after campaigning on promises to ramp up deportations and further bulk up patrols on Greece’s land and sea borders.

Since the start of the pandemic in early 2020, the Greek government has stood accused of carrying out widespread pushbacks.

Greek officials deny that authorities have used pushbacks. In December, Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi appeared on the state broadcaster ERT and claimed pushback allegations were part of an “organised attack” on the country.

Dismissing allegations of pushbacks, Mitarachi argued that critics of the Greek government’s migration policies “want Europe to reopen its borders and let millions of people pass through”.

But in December, the Border Violence Monitoring Network, a coalition of aid groups and watchdogs, published the Black Book of Pushbacks. The Black Book includes more than 3,000 pages of testimonies on pushbacks and violence on European borders.

Commissioned by the Left political group, the dossier details instances of beatings, threats and intimidation against refugees and migrants on borders, including in Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary and Croatia.

Chilling effect

Ruhi Akhtar, founder of the Refugee Biriyani & Bananas aid group, said the Greek government’s clampdown is part of a campaign to create a chilling effect among humanitarians.

Akhtar, who has been targeted by a criminal investigation but not charged, said there is a concerted effort to intimidate humanitarians and rights groups, especially those who sound the alarm on pushbacks.

The “criminalisation” of refugee advocacy and aid, she added, could “lead to more deaths” and deter others from “doing humanitarian work”.

'This kind of criminalisation of those who are helping asylum seekers at the border is really, really dangerous'

- Yonous Muhammadi, Greek Forum of Refugees

“In recent months, it’s about [targeting people for] raising awareness and advocating for people at risk of pushbacks,” she told Middle East Eye.

In May 2021, police on the Greek island of Chios arrested Madi Williamson, a nurse who works with refugees and migrants, as she prepared to leave the island. She said police detained, questioned and strip-searched her, as well as confiscated her laptop and phones.

Nearly two years on, she has little clarity about what will happen in her case. Like Ruhi Akhtar, she hasn’t been charged with any offences.

Williamson had worked on and off in Greece for years, she said, but had never had any issues with the authorities.

“What we’ve been told up until this point is that information that they collected from me about me and the people I work with is being used in a criminal investigation,” she told Middle East Eye.

Williamson described Greece’s investigations into humanitarians as a “widespread intimidation tactic” that has “no validity in the eyes of the law”.

Yonous Muhammadi (MEE/Nick Paleologos)

Yonous Muhammadi fled Afghanistan and came to Greece as a refugee more than two decades ago. For years, he has spoken out against vigilante violence targeting migrants as well as Greece’s increasingly strict border policies.

As president of the Greek Forum of Refugees, Muhammadi receives calls and messages from desperate people trying to reach the country nearly every day. “I’m afraid most of the time I end the conversation because I know my phone is [monitored] by the authorities,” he told Middle East Eye.

He added, “This kind of criminalisation of those who are helping asylum seekers at the border is really, really dangerous. At any minute, they can condemn you as a trafficker, so it’s very difficult.”

The way Muhammadi sees it, the clampdown also makes it more dangerous for refugees and migrants who depend on aid workers. “Many people are dying,” he explained. “It is really horrible what is going on at the borders.”

Alexandros Georgoulis, a lawyer based on Chios Island, has represented asylum seekers and humanitarians (MEE/Nick Paleologos)

Alexandros Georgoulis, a lawyer based on Chios Island, has represented both asylum seekers and humanitarians alike. The way he sees it, the ramped-up pressure on refugees and migrants is part of “a wider EU policy”.

“All of us have witnessed a systematic, organised effort to crack down on NGOs [and] criminalise migration and solidarity,” he told Middle East Eye.

Meanwhile, Greece’s alleged use of pushbacks has forced many refugees and migrants to take riskier and deadlier routes in hopes of reaching Europe. In some cases, boats leaving Turkey have tried to bypass Greece altogether, he explained.

“We’re talking about a distance that is a hundred times longer, and a result, a journey that is a hundred times more dangerous,” Geourgoulis added. “We’ve seen many shipwrecks.”

Last October, at least 22 refugees and migrants died in separate shipwrecks off Greek islands. One of the boats had crashed near Lesbos Island, while another had reportedly tried to bypass the country to reach Italy directly.

‘Breach of their own law’

According to the UNHCR, more than 2,000 people either died or went missing trying to reach Greek territory between 2015 and 2022.

During the first three months of 2023, more than 441 died while crossing the central Mediterranean Sea between northern Africa and Europe, according to the International Organization for Migration.

That death toll made it the deadliest three-month period in six years, although the true number of those who died is likely much higher.

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Mary Lawlor, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, has criticised the Greek government over the pressure on humanitarians and aid workers.

Lawlor had visited Greece in June 2022 to research the situation for human rights defenders in the country, including those who work with refugees and migrants. In March, she presented her findings to the UN Human Rights Council.

In her report, Lawlor noted that “human rights lawyers, humanitarian workers, volunteers and journalists [covering migration] have been subjected to smear campaigns, a changing regulatory environment, threats and attacks, and the misuse of criminal law against them, to a shocking degree.”

In response to Lawlor’s report, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias insisted that the ongoing investigations and prosecutions of humanitarians were not baseless.

Dendias wrote in February that “criminal prosecution can be instigated in cases of suspicion of illegal collaboration between anyone, including any NGO members, and cross-border criminal networks engaged in illegal activities”.

For his part, Dimitras, from the Greek Helsinki Monitor, says “almost every step taken” by authorities is “a breach of their own law”.

He added, “It’s not the kind of climate you find in states that have supposedly properly functioning democracy.”

Robots with ultra-bright lights deployed in fight against deadly fungus

By Jacob Geanous
April 22, 2023 

The Xenex LightStrike Germ0Zapping UV robot is more than 99% effective at deactivating the Candida auris fungus, according to a study.

Xenex

At least half a dozen New York City area hospitals are using $100,000 robots that deploy high-intensity light to combat a deadly drug-resistant fungus spreading across the country and state.

Xenex UV LightingStrike Robots have a 99% success rate in stopping the spread of Candida auris, the potentially fatal drug-resistant fungi first identified in Japan in 2009, according to a study by Netcare Hospitals.

Last year, New York state saw record number of cases of Candida auris — a “diabolical” fungal infection that can cause sepsis if it enters the bloodstream.

Xenex Disinfection Services — which told The Post it has disinfecting robots in local hospitals and at least 130 veterans hospitals nationwide — applied for approval from the Federal Drug Administration earlier this year for the device that uses xenon light, which is commonly found in vehicle headlights.

The light is 4,300 times more intense than the standard bulb, and kills germs more quickly than mercury-based UV bulbs in other machines, according to the company.

“It’s the difference between a Porsche and a [Ford] Model A,” Morris Miller, the company’s CEO said.

The company said the robots are currently being put into use at local hospitals including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which has locations around the New York City area, North Shore University Hospital in Long Island, and Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow.

At least half a dozen New York City area hospitals are using $100,000 robots that deploy high-intensity light to combat a deadly drug-resistant fungus.

Xenex

Miller said the robots are being put to use in at least 130 Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs hospitals across the country.

Xenex

Miller also said that the robots were designed by two epidemiologists.

Morris said that his company’s robot can be used to disinfect a hospital room in about 10 minutes.

“On an ultra-serious and scary pathogen your talking about 15 minutes [on the] left [side of the room], 15 minutes [on the] right [side of the room], you’re done,” Morris said.

The company said the robots are currently being put into use at local hospitals including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which has locations throughout New York State.

Christopher Sadowski

Dr. Donna Armellino, an infection prevention specialist at Northwell Health, said that she and her colleagues use UV devices, including Xenex robots and similar devices from Leviant Inc, on top of traditional cleaning methods.

Armellino said the robots are also used in the neonatal intensive care units.

What do you think? Post a comment.

Armellino added that the federal government has yet to set standards regarding UV devices and there is still more to learn about the devices, as well as the best ways to use them.

“There needs to be more literature and controlled studies,” she said.

ZOO'S ARE ANIMAL PRISONS

RIP
Ailing elephant which evoked a wave of public sympathy dies in Karachi zoo

The pachyderm had undergone surgery after videos of the sick and struggling Noor Jehan in her enclosure had gone viral on social media

.

Veterinarians examine Noor Jehan at the Karachi Zoo on April 18, 2023. Photo: AFP (AFP)

An ailing elephant at a Pakistan zoo died on Saturday, vets said, calling on the menagerie to evacuate her “mourning” partner to avert a second tragedy.

Named after Noor Jehan, the queen of the fourth 17th-century Mughal emperor Jehangir, the 17-year-old pachyderm was operated on by foreign veterinarians last week at Karachi Zoo but did not recover properly, with her condition worsening to an alarming extent, Kanwar Ayub, the director of Karachi Zoo, told Anadolu.

Noor Jehan, which was brought to Karachi Zoo along with three other elephants some 13 years ago, was mainly suffering from a huge hematoma, or a pool of clotted blood, inside her abdomen in addition to intestinal issues.

Earlier this week, she had fallen into a pond and could not pull herself out due to her weak hind legs, badly affected by the illnesses she had been suffering from for months, apparently because of inadequate care and treatment.

Later, on the recommendation by Four Paws, a global animal welfare organisation, the zoo staff used a crane, ropes and belts to pull her out.

She was one of the last four captive elephants in Pakistan, all in Karachi, including two at the zoo.

A video of Noor Jehan showing her limping and struggling to stand, apparently due to weakness, went viral on social and mainstream media last week, sparking a public outcry and calls for shutting down the zoo.

“It saddens us immensely that Noor Jehan’s story came to a heartbreaking ending. We would like to thank everyone who worked day and night during these challenging times to try and give Noor Jehan a chance at survival.

“We hope the authorities in Pakistan will take Noor Jehan’s sad fate as an example and do better for captive wild animals in the country in the future,” Four Paws said, welcoming the government’s decision to consider closing down Karachi Zoo permanently.

A team of Austrian and Egyptian vets was scheduled to arrive in Karachi next week to assess Noor Jehan’s condition.

(AFP)

Four Paws had also arranged the transfer of 36-year-old Kaavan, the country’s “loneliest” elephant, to a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia in November 2020 to spend its remaining years following a years-long campaign by animal lovers from across the globe.

Animal rights groups have long been blaming the zoo management, which is already understaffed and without trained vets, for neglect and maltreatment that has resulted in the deaths of several wild animals in recent years.

The veterinarians have already suggested shifting Madhubala, now the only elephant at Karachi Zoo, to “specific species housing,” fearing that she might suffer a similar fate due to “inappropriate” conditions at the facility.

Last year, an Austrian veterinarian team operated on Madhubala, an 18-year-old elephant named after a legendary Indian actress, to relieve her pain caused by a broken tusk infection.

Endorsing the suggestion, Ayub said that arrangements are being made to relocate Madhubala to the city’s only Safari Park, where another two elephants are living in an “adequate environment.”

In April 2020, a court ordered the only zoo in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad to shut down after poor facilities and mistreatment of the animals there were revealed.

Source: TRTWorld and agencies

Pakistan elephant dies, leaving ‘mourning’ partner in limbo

Zoo staff stand near the dead body of elephant Noor Jehan at an enclosure in Karachi Zoological Gardens in Karachi on April 22, 2023. (AFP)

AFP
Published: 22 April ,2023

An ailing elephant at a Pakistan zoo died on Saturday, vets said, calling on the ill-equipped menagerie to evacuate her “mourning” partner to avert a second tragedy.

Pakistan’s zoos are frequently accused of being blase about animal welfare, and the plight of Noor Jehan was cited by animal rights activists campaigning to shut the wildlife exhibition in southern Karachi city.

This month the 17-year-old African elephant underwent emergency treatment for a tumor which had crippled her back legs, but while in recovery she became trapped in her enclosure’s pool.

Zoo workers hauled out the 3.5-ton pachyderm but she was unable to stand and lay stricken for nine days, “a life-threatening situation for elephants,” said animal charity Four Paws International.

Experts were considering euthanasia but before a decision was taken “she suc-cumbed to her critical condition,” said a statement from the charity, which organ-ised last-ditch medical efforts to save her.

Karachi Zoo director Kanwar Ayub confirmed Noor Jehans death on Saturday and an AFP reporter saw her caretaker openly weeping outside her enclosure.

“It’s very sad,” said Four Paws International’s Austria-based chief vet Amir Khalil. “Noor Jehan deserved a chance.”

But the deceased elephant's pen pal Madhubala “should not have the same fu-ture,” he told AFP, saying he plans to arrive in Pakistan on Sunday to assess her health and organize her evacuation.

“Karachi Zoo does not fulfil international standards and is not equipped to take appropriate care of elephants,” the Four Paws International statement said, ex-pressing support for a forced closure.

“It is now more urgent than ever that the remaining elephant, who is mourning her long-time companion, is transferred to a more species-appropriate location as soon as possible, to prevent another potential tragedy.”

In April 2020, a court ordered the only zoo in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad to shut after poor facilities and mistreatment of the animals there were revealed.

The facility had drawn international condemnation for its treatment of an Asian elephant named Kaavan, who was later airlifted to retirement in Cambodia in a project spearheaded by US popstar and actor Cher, and carried out by Four Paws.

Thomas Replaced Thurgood Marshall’s Vision With One More Amenable To The Powerful Than The Powerless

By Daniel Kiel
April 22, 2023 

This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It was originally published at The Conversation.

As public attention focuses on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ close personal and financial relationship with a politically active conservative billionaire, the scrutiny is overlooking a key role Thomas has played for nearly three decades on the nation’s highest court.

Thomas’ predecessor on the court, Thurgood Marshall, was a civil rights lawyer before becoming a justice. In 1991, in his final opinion before retiring after a quarter century on the court, Marshall warned that his fellow justices’ growing appetite to revisit – and reverse – prior decisions would ultimately “squander the authority and legitimacy of this Court as a protector of the powerless.”

His prediction has been quoted by Supreme Court decisions since, including a three-justice dissent from the June 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling that declared there was no constitutional right to reproductive choice and overturned Roe v. Wade.

In his concurrence with the majority decision in that case, Thomas declared his opposition to Marshall’s principle, lamenting that the court had not done more to pare back its prior work. “In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents,” Thomas wrote – directly implicating Americans’ rights to sexual privacy and same-sex marriage.

Throughout Thomas’ tenure he has pushed the Supreme Court to revisit prior decisions that embraced robust rights for society’s most vulnerable, and to replace Marshall’s vision with one more amenable to the powerful than the powerless. And in writing my book tracing the lives and work of both justices, I have seen the fruits of this effort multiply over the past decade.

A shield for those in need

Few phrases could so aptly capture Thurgood Marshall’s vision of the court’s work as “protector of the powerless.” And few, if any, Americans have done as much to make that vision a reality.

Marshall’s work to advance Black citizenship is well known, but he also fought for expanded rights for women and the indigent, the accused and convicted, adherents to marginalized religions and those with unpopular viewpoints.

At the root of Marshall’s jurisprudence was a hope that while law could be a powerful tool of oppression, it might also be a shield.

As he wrote in that final dissent, in Payne v. Tennessee, enforcement of constitutional rights “frequently requires this Court to rein in the forces of democratic politics,” to protect the powerless from the tyranny of the majority.

While his Payne dissent criticized the court for reversing itself, Marshall was no stranger to calling for reconsideration of established law. Marshall’s signature accomplishment as a lawyer in Brown v. Board of Education was to convince the court to overturn the doctrine of separate but equal that had emerged after the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision.

The three attorneys who won Brown v. Board of Education stand outside the Supreme Court after their victory: from left, George E.C. Hayes, Thurgood Marshall and James Nabrit Jr. Bettmann via Getty Images

As a justice, Marshall argued passionately and repeatedly that the death penalty violated the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, leading to a brief period where it was considered unconstitutional.

The distinction between Marshall and Thomas is not really about whether the court should reverse past decisions but simply which ones.

While Marshall willed the court to become a “protector of the powerless,” Thomas has, I believe, argued not only to scale that vision back, but to advance the interests of the powerful.

Power as a key factor

While last summer’s abortion decision is an obvious example, Thomas has led the court’s assault on precedent in other areas as well.

For example, years before the court invalidated portions of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder, Thomas had argued that the lack of modern voting discrimination made the act unnecessary.

Similarly, recent decisions have followed Thomas’ lead in weakening the vitality of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which fortifies the separation between church and state.

Thomas has even called for the court to reconsider its ruling in Gideon v. Wainwright, which established a constitutional right to a lawyer for indigent criminal defendants.

In each case, it is the powerless who stand to be most significantly affected.

Those in need of constitutional protection in Thomas’ view are more likely to be property owners, corporations making campaign contributions or gun owners.

On affirmative action

Perhaps no topic better captures the distinction between the two men’s views than affirmative action, which the court is considering in a pair of cases from Harvard and the University of North Carolina to be decided this term.

The distrust of government that fuels many of Thomas’ perspectives is never more personal than in cases about the use of race in college admissions. He has railed against affirmative action, saying it brands Black people in prominent positions with a “stigma” about “whether their skin color played a part in their advancement.”

Indeed, Thomas claims his position requiring colorblindness is a better path toward full Black citizenship. He has made that claim even in situations where he knew it would result in more limited access to opportunities for Black students in the short term.

Marshall always looked at the issue from a different perspective, arguing that access to opportunities was essential not only for the Black students affected but for the nation at large.

“If we are ever to become a fully integrated society, one in which the color of a person’s skin will not determine the opportunities available to him or her,” Marshall wrote in 1977, “we must be willing to take steps to open those doors.”

It was access for the powerless that Marshall thought ought drive the thinking of the court.

But this summer, the court may finally embrace a different vision on affirmative action, coming again to a position Thomas has been advocating for decades.

That turn would be yet another reversal squandering Marshall’s vision of the court.

Daniel Kiel is a FedEx Professor of Law and the Author of The Transition: Interpreting Justice from Thurgood Marshall to Clarence Thomas at University of Memphis

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

INTERNATIONAL REPORT

Rights groups accuse Erdogan of trying to silence independent media

Issued on: 22/04/2023 - 

With Turkey amid hotly contested elections, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing for the first time a powerful independent media. But international rights groups watchdogs accuse Erdogan of seeking to silence critical journalism as he faces his most formidable reelection bid.

Dokuz8 Haber broadcasts news programs and produces reports with its nationwide network of reporters. It is one of a growing number of independent media platforms using social media and the web to cover May's presidential elections.

Media control

In previous polls, one of President Erdogan's key advantages was his vice-like grip on media coverage but not anymore.

"It's a time of change in Turkey, and this is something that is reflected in the media," explains Gokhan Bicici, Dokuz8Haber editor-in-chief.

"There are new moves a powerful independent media is developing, such as the growth of news channels and the enlargement of their sphere of influence," continues Bicici.

"I can even say that in terms of the number of viewers on election day, the audience and the followers of independent organizations will be much more than mainstream media. Thus, the effort of the government to establish a monopoly failed; they lost," he concluded.

But the government-controlled media regulatory authority, RTUK, is stepping up its fines on independent media stations- prompting condemnation by twenty international media and freedom of expression watchdogs.

"if there is a duty of regulation, this should not be weaponized against a critical TV station before these crucial elections," said Erol Onderoglu, Turkey representative for Paris-based Reporters without Borders.

"One of the most important and concerning feet of this problem is the weaponization of high audiovisual border, which is supposed to be independent of any kind of political interference, but which is precisely one of the weapon or crackdown tools under the hand of this government," added Onderoglu.

As elections loom in Turkey, Erdogan pulls plug on opposition social media

Partisanship charges

The government denies the charge of partisanship. But for independent stations like Halk tv, it says fines are a part of doing business but warns the real threat is closure ahead of the May elections.

"In our broadcasts, they can always find a reason for a penalty, a sentence, an interview, or a statement. And that is why we are always on alert," explains Halk TV News Editor in Chief, Bengu Sap Babaeker.

"We are always in expectation. Managers and fellow journalists are responsible for keeping this channel open. We are responsible for preventing a penalty that will close this channel down," she added.

A month from Turkey's elections, soaring inflation shakes up political loyalties

Despite the risk of closure and fines, stations like Halk during February's deadly earthquake exposed government shortcomings, drawing large audiences. Analysts say such coverage has helped build independent media's reputation ahead of elections for fair but critical coverage.

"We're facing a renaissance of the Turkish media. It became evident in the earthquake period because we would not hear about the incapacity of the government had there not been the new voices of the media. They really did good reporting," observed Sezin Oney, a columnist at the Politikyol news portal.

"Good reporting is enough in itself," continued Oney. "It doesn't have to be just voicing the opposition's narrative or giving a voice to opposition politicians. But it's just reflecting what's happening on the ground, and that's really important for the election night as well."

New independent media tv channels have been launched in the run-up to the polls, with many reporters who've quit the industry returning to help cover an election that all sides claim is one of the most important in the Turkish republics' history.

By: Dorian Jones

Investors hope for answers in Credit Suisse, UBS results


By AFP
Published April 22, 2023

Credit Suisse had suffered a string of scandals over several years

 - Copyright AFP/File Fabrice COFFRINI

Nathalie OLOF-ORS

When Credit Suisse’s unveils what are likely its final quarterly results Monday, investors will be seeking clues to the magnitude of the challenges awaiting UBS, after it was strongarmed into taking over its stricken rival.

Credit Suisse pushed forward its result release to come out the day before those of UBS, as Switzerland’s largest bank prepares to swallow its long-time main domestic rival.

The results, which will be presented in a statement without the usual accompanying press conference and analyst discussion, will be closely studied for the mass withdrawals that took place as panic engulfed the bank last month, prior to the hastily arranged takeover.

Absorbing Credit Suisse will be a complex task, and “we won’t have all the answers we need,” Swissquote analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya told AFP, pointing out that “the merger is fresh and (even) UBS didn’t have enough time to dive in Credit Suisse’s business”.

The answers to the many remaining questions around the depth of crises dogging Credit Suisse will arrive “gradually”, the analyst said, adding that she expected UBS over time “to take control of the situation and structure the bank in a healthy way.”

– ‘Very weak’ –

Credit Suisse had suffered a string of scandals over several years, and after three US regional banks collapsed in March unleashing market panic, it was left looking like the weakest link in the chain.

Over the course of a nerve-wracking weekend, Swiss authorities organised an emergency rescue, pressuring UBS to agree to a $3.25-billion mega merger on the evening of March 19.

Justifying the move to parliament earlier this month, Swiss President Alain Berset said that “without intervention, Credit Suisse would have found itself, in all likelihood, in default on March 20 or 21”.

Monday’s quarterly report will likely be Credit Suisse’s last one, depending on how quickly the UBS deal closes, Vontobel analyst Andreas Venditti said in a research note.

He predicted that once released, “the market will focus on the magnitude of outflows across businesses”.

Some numbers are already circulating.

According to data compiled by US financial services firm Morningstar, the bank saw around 4.6 billion euros ($5.1 billion) withdrawn from funds during the month of March alone, marking the biggest monthly outflow on record.

Venditti said he expected Credit Suisse’s first quarter report to “reveal very weak underlying results”.

He estimated that the bank would post a net loss of around 700 million Swiss francs ($784 million), with an 800-million-franc gain from the sale of its Securitised Products Group helping it avoid falling far deeper in the red.

– UBS results ‘a sideshow’ –

In 2022, the bank suffered a 7.3-billion-franc loss, with 110.5 billion francs in outflows in the final quarter alone.

That stood in stark contrast to the $7.6 billion profit raked in by UBS last year.

Venditti said he expected UBS on Tuesday to post a first quarter profit of nearly $1.7 billion, below the $2.1 billion it made during the same quarter a year ago.

He said he expected a poorer performance primarily due to “lower recurring fee income”, but said that would be “partially offset by higher net interest income” amid higher rates.

But investors will be most “interested in receiving additional details of the CS deal,” Venditti said, adding though that “we do not expect much additional information, given that the transaction has not closed yet.”

Analysts with the Zurich Cantonal Bank (ZKB) also acknowledged that UBS’s results would be “a sideshow”, with all eyes on “the uncertainties surrounding the planned merger with Credit Suisse”.

Expo recounts rebirth of soul-searching Matisse in 1930s Paris

Issued on: 22/04/2023 

02:36“ Matisse. Cahiers d’art, the Pivotal 1930s” at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris is on until the 29 May 2023. © RFI

Text by:Ollia Horton with RFI

The "Matisse: Cahiers d’Art, the Pivotal 1930s" exhibition revisits a decisive decade for the French painter Henri Matisse. Although extremely successful, he had begun to call into question his place on the avant-garde scene. The exhibition traces this soul-searching period that ultimately took him in a new and bold direction.

Although many exhibitions have been dedicated to Matisse (1869 – 1954), very few have focused on the 1930s, a long period of soul searching, in which Matisse trying his hand at experimental drawings, paintings and sculpture.

At the end of the 1920s, “Matisse was going through a creative breakdown, despite being at the height of his career,” curator Cécile Debray told RFI.

What’s interesting is to see a side to an artist we don’t often see,” Debray explains.

“We’re more often likely to see the smooth, polished side of an artist’s work, rather than the turmoil,” she says, adding that Matisse was fond of expressing his artistic process, and didn’t seek to hide the difficulties he had.

The 1930s also holds interesting parallels with the present day, she says. “It’s was period of great complexity, violence and uncertainty,” all themes explored in Matisse’s works.
Behind the scenes

His artistic rebirth was documented in detail by the Cahiers d’Art, a magazine created by Christian Zervos in 1926.

“Cahiers d’art played a role in Matisse’s artistic comeback,” Debray says because they showed the “behind the scenes” reportages of the painter’s work in progress.

The original editions of the magazine punctuate the exhibition, providing a guide for the visitor, marking the ebb and flow of Matisse’s career.

“Matisse. Cahiers d’art, the Pivotal 1930s” at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris is on until the 29 May 2023. © RFI

Tahiti retreat

He was featured regularly in the publication alongside artists of his time such as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Juan Miro, Fernand Léger, Wassily Kandinsky, Mondrian, Le Corbusier and Marcel Duchamp.

Part of getting “back in the avant-garde game” involved a long trip to Tahiti, where he spent time immersing himself in the local culture and admiring the landscape.

Debray points out that he didn’t produce much more than a few sketches and photographs during this time, which turned out to be more like a spiritual retreat.Two Basquiat exhibitions in Paris shine light on art superstar

However, he gathered inspiration for his later works, among them “The Dance”, a giant fresco displayed for an art collector at the Barnes Foundation in the United States from 1933.

His method of painting pieces of paper and adding them progressively to the fresco opened new doors to his technique.

Some works have rarely been exhibited in France, including “Large Reclining Nude” from Baltimore, “The Song from Houston” and the 1938 “Romanian Blouses” series, all held in various American museums.

Matisse. Cahiers d’Art, the Pivotal 1930s” at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris until 29 May 2023.