Khaled and his wife Sumaia live seemingly normal lives

'Walking the streets'

In our modern political dumpster fire, there has never been an art so refined and illustrious as pointless pearl-clutching.  In this, the ninth year of 2016, most everyone is fairly desensitized to the political drama emanating from the Left’s ardent claims that any conservative policy or protest is an appeal to fascism as their own organizations and protesters set fire to cities (and sometimes themselves). Republicans pass a bill banning sexually explicit content in public schools from kindergarten to third grade? Florida Democrats and media labeled it fascism. A U.S. Supreme Court justice’s wife flies a Revolutionary War flag commissioned by George Washington? Salon’s senior writer described Justice Samuel Alito and his wife as “extremely invested in the semiotics of American fascism.” The New Republic, The Guardian, taxpayer-funded PBS—any time a Republican so much as upholds parliamentary procedure, defends former President Donald Trump, or questions the surge of gang and cartel members amid waves of illegal immigrants—these outlets are ready in the wings to call any to the right of Chairman Mao a fascist. The latest banner of fascism to be shouted down in a “Two Minutes Hate” session out of Orwell’s “1984”: flying the flag of the United States upside down. The horror! As ridiculous as it might sound—the group that has spent the past eight years defending those who burn, shred, and desecrate the U.S. flag is suddenly outraged over many in the nation who have flown the U.S. flag upside down in a symbol of distress over Trump’s political prosecution and conviction. Many on the left and precious few on the right have taken to social media to lambast those who would fly the U.S. flag upside down as “disrespectful,” “treasonous,” and “idol-worshipers.” Is this the case? Are those who reacted to Trump’s felony convictions in New York City simply bowing at his feet in a brutal backstabbing of the United States? Is this heinous, unspeakable act the very hallmark of fascism and the alleged “cult of personality” that the Left has predicted for almost a century? Of course not, and you know that. We needn’t walk down the halls of easily accessible history to discern how this wrist-shattering pearl clutch is both hypocritical and ignorant. But we’ll do so, not out of necessity but because heaping good data en masse against poorly constructed arguments is entertaining. First and foremost: Flying the flag of the United States upside down is not disrespectful, illegal, treasonous, or even unprecedented. Although 4 U.S. Code § 8, commonly referred to as the “Flag Code,” isn’t legally enforceable (because U.S. citizens retain First Amendment rights to do with their own flags whatever they wish), flying the flag upside down under appropriate circumstances wouldn’t violate the law. The law clearly states: “The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.” (The “union” refers to the patch of blue with 50 stars.) Thousands in the U.S. have flown our flag upside down to express their “dire distress” in such instances over the past century. Leftists consistently flew the U.S. flag upside down throughout Trump’s presidency to signal their deep disquiet and fear, from Washington state to Louisiana. Democrats in New Jersey resolutely flew the flag upside down in protest of Trump’s inauguration in January 2017. Some Republicans flew their flags upside down when Barack Obama was reelected in 2012. The American flag has been flown upside down as “a tribute to veterans’ sacrifice,” and was one of the many symbols of protest against the Vietnam War used by leftist demonstrators in the 1960s. The Flag Code doesn’t specify what “extreme danger to life or property” entails, nor does it restrict such interpretation to a physical danger or a political one. Might there be a situation today in which many Americans feel in deep distress over a perceived danger to the life and property of their republic? Never before in American history has a former president, much less one running for office again, been charged and convicted in such a kangaroo-court fashion that even his political adversaries note the insanity of the circumstances. In an extremely heated presidential election campaign, indicting one of the two frontrunners would be considered enough of an anathema—but the case of New York v. Trump was more than precarious, it was a circus.  Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, ran on the promise of doing anything he could to find something to indict Trump with. Outside his jurisdiction, Bragg used a federal election statute—which the Federal Election Commission already had stated Trump didn’t violate—as a convoluted lever to turn 34 counts of “falsifying business records,” misdemeanors that by this point were outside New York’s statute of limitations, into felonies. As if that weren’t enough, Judge Juan Merchan’s refused to allow a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission to testify, refused to allow the defense to speak to the jury before deliberation, and informed jurors that to convict they didn’t have to reach a unanimous decision on what crime was committed. Such actions by Merchan set a nation on fire even as trust in institutions already was wavering. Elie Hornig, a former federal and state prosecutor, wrote for New York magazine, an extremely liberal publication: “Prosecutors got Trump—but they contorted the law.” Hornig pointed out that never before in U.S. history has there been a state prosecution using federal election law. You’ll notice that I haven’t mentioned Trump’s sex life, his character, or his business decisions—in fact, many of those expressing extreme distress at this forded Rubicon aren’t being protective of Trump like he was some kind of nonsensical religious idol.  Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who have spent the past few years as Trump’s chief opposition within the GOP, both called this case and conviction despicable.  When a reporter asks President Joe Biden whether he used this case to politically persecute Trump and he casts a wicked grin in her direction, how is the nation supposed to respond? Reporter: "President Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly. What's your response to that, sir?"Biden: *smiles*pic.twitter.com/CZY8JUMvKO— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) May 31, 2024 Why is the left side of the aisle afforded the right to ride through towns and cities shouting about the impending doom of the republic like some bastardized caricature of Paul Revere, and the right side isn’t allowed to call out the very sham John Adams unpopularly fought in court to prevent? Spare me your clutched pearls, neoconservatives. Your faux dignity and condescension at the concerns of Americans whose carcass of a justice system is paraded openly don’t move me.  I don’t have to defend Trump’s personal life and sign onto a “cult of personality” to recognize that each of us has a right to be free from political persecution and election interference.  Commentator Alyssa Farah’s silly claims that flying the flag upside down signals “selling out” are as pathetic and hypocritical as the rest of the cast of “The View” with whom she clucks and quacks about abortion rights, gun confiscation, and anti-Catholicism. Whistling past the graveyard and sending a “strongly worded letter” have only mired us further in the muck of Third World antics. I reserve the right to fly my flag upside down to signal my extreme distress at this danger to the life and property of the republic I love, and I’ll do so whenever I find it appropriate. The post Bedwetting and Pearl-Clutching Over Flying the Flag Upside Down appeared first on The Daily Signal.

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Republicans seen as insufficiently strong on border security should proceed with caution, warns a political action committee that plans to spend more than$1 million to defeat them in the 2024 elections. “If you support open borders and illegal immigration, you will find no safe haven in state legislatures,” Katie Miller, chairwoman of Stand for Us PAC and a former Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman, told The Daily Signal. “We will find you and defeat you.” After helping defeat the Republican president of the West Virginia state Senate in the GOP primary there on May 14, Stand for Us PAC decided to increase its initial investment to more than $1 million to defeat Republican incumbents elsewhere who accede to the Left’s plans to subsidize health care for migrants. An ad previewed exclusively with The Daily Signal highlights the group’s plans to thwart the campaigns of officeholders and candidates who support 340B, a federal drug-subsidy program, that if expanded could be used to subsidize health care for illegal immigrants. Blair supported West Virginia Senate Bill 325, which opponents said expands 340B in the state. It passed the state Senate on April 23. “Rather than fight for us, West Virginia Senate President Craig Blair sided with Democrats,” the PAC’s video says. “Blair led the expansion of 340B, a federal program that subsidizes health care for illegals.” Challenger Tom Willis bested Blair in a three-candidate primary, taking 44% of the vote to Blair’s 32%. Stand for Us PAC said it spent more than $400,000 to defeat Blair, who first arrived in the state Senate in 2013. Willis is a lawyer, a former U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret, and current member of the West Virginia National Guard.  “Blair sided with illegals, but voters sent a clear message: They said ‘no’ to health care for illegals and no to Craig Blair,” the ad says. Stand for Us used direct mail, digital display ads, texts, and phone calls to inform the state Senate president’s constituents of his support for strengthening a federal program using taxpayer dollars for illegal immigrant health care. “Take it from [Blair]: Support 340B, and pay the price,” the ad says. Next in Stand for Us PAC’s sights could be the Republican primary in the Missouri gubernatorial race on Aug. 6. A bill in the state legislature could expand 340B. Stand for Us’ mission is to “hold Republicans across the country accountable for capitulating to [President] Joe Biden’s dangerous open-border agenda,” according to its website. More than 10 million illegal aliens have crossed the U.S. border during Biden’s presidency. Nearly 30% of Americans cited immigration is their top concern in the 2024 election in a February poll. The post EXCLUSIVE: PAC Targets Republicans Seen as Weak on Illegal Immigration for Defeat appeared first on The Daily Signal.

In a move that’s good news for drivers nationwide, Virginia has declared its independence from California’s latest automotive standards. Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday that, starting next year, their state will comply with federal standards. “[Electric vehicle] mandates like California’s are unworkable and out of touch with reality, and thankfully the law does not bind us to their regulations,” Miyares said in a written statement. The previous Virginia governor, Democrat Ralph Northam, signed a bill in 2021 to embrace the automobile standards of the California Air Resource Board. These 2021 standards would have forced auto dealers to sell a certain share of battery-powered cars in 2025 or face penalties. But California’s new Advanced Clean Car II standards, passed in 2022, require 35% of new passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs sold in the Golden State to be electric or hydrogen-fueled by 2036, and 100% by 2035. This is far stricter than the Virginia bill signed by Northam, as Miyares notes in his opinion. Virginia was one of 16 states and Washington, D.C., that signed on to California’s 2021 standards. Returning to the federal standard isn’t only in the best interests of the commonwealth of Virginia, but also in the best interests of the United States. Virginia is the first state to abandon California’s new regulations and may start a tidal wave as others leave too. The commonwealth’s economy depends on reliable, affordable transportation for people and businesses. Farmers can’t use electric tractors. Small businesses rely on gasoline-powered pickup trucks. Construction workers need inexpensive cars to get to sites far from mass transit. Regulations requiring sales of electric vehicles are highly unpopular, and Youngkin’s opponents will lose by challenging him. California’s auto regulations aim to reduce total global carbon emissions, of which America’s share is 13%, but these rules may not succeed. A battery-only EV has no tailpipe emissions, but emissions are generated from making the electricity, as well as from producing batteries, mining battery ingredients such as lithium, shipping batteries from China, and disposing of spent batteries. Even if America were to stop using all fossil fuels today, worldwide temperatures would be only two-tenths of a degree cooler by 2100, according to government models. Americans aren’t choosing EVs for four reasons. 1. EVs cost more than the equivalent gasoline-powered vehicles. The Ford Lightning, the electric version of the Ford 150 pickup truck, one of America’s top-selling vehicles, costs an additional $17,000. Tesla’s prices begin at $42,000 for a Model 3 and reach $100,000 for a Model X. 2. Owning an EV is convenient for drivers who can charge them at home overnight and who don’t travel out of range. For others, stopping for an hour to recharge during the day while out on business, or while on a vacation trip, is a major drawback. 3. EVs are smaller and it’s hard to fit three car seats in the back row. Plus, with kids, who wants to have to stop to recharge? 4. EVs lose 40% of their battery range when the temperature dips below 20 degrees Fahrenheit and when the heating is on. That’s why Wyoming has only 840 registered EVs, North Dakota has 640, and Alaska has 1,970. In addition, China makes 80% of the world’s electric batteries and controls 60% of the world’s critical minerals that are used to make the batteries. Required use of EVs, rather than U.S. oil and natural gas resources, makes America depend on China. Youngkin wisely rejected a Ford partnership with Chinese battery giant CATL in 2023. Apple has withdrawn from developing an electric vehicle. Ford lost $100,000 per EV sold in the first quarter of this year and announced a pause in its delivery of the new F-150 Lightning, citing quality-control problems. Mercedes no longer plans to go all-electric by 2030. General Motors abandoned its goal of selling 400,000 EVs by this month. Dealers’ lots are overflowing with unsold EVs. More than 4,500 auto dealers wrote to President Joe Biden asking him to delay the Environmental Protection Agency’s mandate that 70% of new cars sold must be electric by 2032. Compulsory EVs increase poverty. With cars more expensive, Americans either have no car or are forced into less reliable used cars, with a smaller choice of jobs or schools. As long as people have a choice, they won’t buy EVs in numbers that California regulations require. Fortunately, Virginia is taking a smarter route. Originally published by MSN The post Virginia Breaks Free From California’s Extreme Car Restrictions appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Part Deux: Biden Campaigns in France

Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant conceded defeat in a weeks-long effort to force X (formerly Twitter) to censor content she didn’t approve of across the globe.  On June 5, Grant dropped her Federal Court complaint against X after a federal judge blocked her application for the extension of an injunction against the social media platform. Grant still has a separate ongoing case against X-owner Elon Musk over the same content. Musk celebrated the win in a post on X, “Freedom of speech is worth fighting for.” Notably, Meta, Microsoft, Google, Snap, TikTok, Reddit and Telegram all caved to Australian government pressure to block the video for the entire world. After Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel of was stabbed during Mass at Assyrian Orthodox Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakely, Australia, the Australian eSafety Commissioner demanded that X and other platforms censor the video of the terrorist attack.  However, Musk refused to take the content down under pressure from the Australian government, but unfortunately censored the video for Australian users of the platform. While the commissioner was trying to dictate what the entire world has a right to see, the victim in the video she was trying to suppress — Bishop Emmanuel — spoke out in favor of free speech.  Bishop Emmanuel, having lost sight in his right eye, took to the pulpit and told his congregation, “Every human being has the right to their freedom of speech and freedom of religion, every human being, and for us to say that free speech is dangerous, that free speech cannot be possible in a democratic country, I’m yet to fathom this.” Twitter Files author Michael Shellenberger repudiated the rest of Silicon Valley in a post celebrating the eSafety Commissioner’s defeat. “Free Speech Victory! Only Elon Musk's X stood up to the censors in Australia, and now they've won,” Shellenberger wrote. He went on to explain the struggle between Musk and the eSafety Commissioner and say that “we owe Musk a debt of gratitude for fighting for free speech.” Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency and an equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

WNBA player Cameron Brink said that young, white players in the league have privilege because they appear more feminine than some of the more "masculine" looking women in the league.Brink was the second-overall draft pick for the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2024 WNBA draft, only behind Caitlin Clark.The 6'4'' player was asked about her first few games in the professional league and how she hopes to change it for the better. Brink was asked what the most tired narrative around women's sports was and referred to herself and Clarke as having certain expectations placed upon them.She said the idea that veteran players are "against the rookies" or the "old-school versus new-school" narrative was one that she didn't particularly buy into."I feel like Caitlin Clark has that the worst right now, but even I get that. ... We're expected to be perfect. We were drafted to high-drafting teams coming off of losing seasons, which is fine. It's a learning process. But people expect us to be perfect, and it's freaking exhausting."'I will not rest until the W is even more iconic than it is now.'Brink was also asked in her interview with Uproxx what part she wants to play in making the WNBA a more "iconic" league.She responded by saying that she wants to grow the fan base to "support all types of players." By that Brink appeared to mean that she would prefer if fans also supported players who don't look "feminine.""I will acknowledge there's a privilege for the younger white players of the league. That's not always true, but there is a privilege that we have inherently, and the privilege of appearing feminine. Some of my teammates are more masculine," Brink claimed. "Some of my teammates go by they/them pronouns," she added.Brink partially blamed herself for dressing "femininely" and said that she wants players to be popular for reasons other than their looks."I want to bring more acceptance to [masculine women, pronoun users] and not just have people support us because of the way that we look. I know I can feed into that because I like to dress femininely, but that's just me. I want everyone to be accepted — not just paid attention to because of how they look."The basketball star was asked to finish the sentence "I will not rest until ..." to which she replied, "I will not rest until the W is even more iconic than it is now."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Thursday is the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.At Mercury One, in our museum, we have one of the most awe-inspiring and precious items in the collection. It is a flag that was on a landing craft that brought men and tanks across the channel on D-Day. The ship was sunk by the Germans on Omaha beach, and one of the sailors went down to rescue the flag. Let us not forget what honor truly looks like and try to emulate that in our own lives — every day, beginning today.That one flag tells the entire story of D-Day. It is ripped to shreds, frayed, yet the stars are still together. This was the biggest military operation in world history. Three million allied troops were sent across the channel. No one knew whether it would succeed or fail. No one knew whether Hitler was expecting them, whether he was still there. His troops were on high alert. If he hadn't looked elsewhere, we would have failed. Imagine being on the shore of England getting ready to go across the channel knowing that one of the most battle-hardened and technologically-sound armies was waiting on the beach for you. Eisenhower wrote a letter. He wrote it to everyone who was going, and it was distributed in pamphlets to every soldier preparing for Operation Overlord. He wrote: You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely. But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory! I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory! Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.As they were reading that, launching one by one into the channel, Franklin Roosevelt was on the radio talking about the fall of Rome. The next day, once they had gotten onto the beach and were making progress, FDR took to the airwaves again in what would be one of the most outrageous speeches if it were given today. Imagine your president coming on the air, and saying this: Last night, when I spoke to you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment, the troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the channel in another and greater operation. And it has come to success, thus far. But in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer. That's where the president today, if he said even that much, would leave it. But Roosevelt went on: Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith. They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph. They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war. For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home. Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom. And for us at home — fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas — whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them — help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice. Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts. Give us strength, too — strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces. And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be. And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose. With your blessings, we shall prevail over the unholy force of our enemy. Help us conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil. Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen.Could you even imagine hearing our president speak like that today? We have a real problem in today's world where we don't even really want to admit our own faults. If we’re honest about what we're facing today, it's all our own fault. We let our love of unbridled freedom conquer our duty of responsibility. We let our wants become our needs, and there is no one to blame anymore — or at least, there is no one who will take the blame. Dwight Eisenhower has become one of my favorite people in history. He took ownership as a leader, not only in his successes, but also in failure. While he said the words, “The eyes of the world are upon you, and we are going to win,” in his pocket on that day he had written a letter for release if things did not go well. He said: Our landings have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold. And I have withdrawn our troops. My decision to attack at this time, and place, was based on the best information available. The troops, the air, the navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. Any blame or fault that attaches to this attempt, it is mine alone.Right now, our politicians are trying to do something. They think they are very brave and noble, but they haven't even told us what they're truly fighting for. It's not Ukraine that is driving up the gas prices. It’s their fight for climate. It is their fight for the earth, and they will blame the repercussions on anything. It is the money-printing of greedy politicians and an absolute criminally incompetent Fed. Neither our commander in chief nor his government puppets will show us what true leadership looks like. They will never own up to the responsibility of their own actions. It will always be someone else’s fault. Let us not forget what honor truly looks like and try to emulate that in our own lives — every day, beginning today. Want more from Glenn Beck? Get Glenn's FREE email newsletter with his latest insights, top stories, show prep and more delivered to your inbox.

With the European parliamentary elections just days away, radicals in the streets and in the media appear to have ramped up their attacks against right-wing politicians. The right-leaning Alternative for Germany, poised to secure new seats Sunday, is a popular target for such attacks. On Tuesday evening, one radical slashed 62-year-old AFD politician Heinrich Koch with a carpet knife in the southwestern German city of Mannheim, roughly five miles away from where an Afghan migrant went on a stabbing spree Friday. According to the German publication Junge Freiheit, Koch — a Rheinau district council member and an AFD candidate for Mannheim city council — spotted a leftist tearing down his campaign posters around 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday, near the market square where Islamic terrorist Sulaiman Ataee murdered a police officer Rouven L., stabbed politician Michael Stürzenberger, and cut up four other anti-jihad demonstrators. Footage of the incident shows Koch run over to confront the vandal tearing down the posters only to realize he was armed with a knife. Police indicated the 25-year-old suspect, who previously damaged and stole several election posters, stabbed Koch. AFD Bundestag member Markus Frohnmaier told Junge Freiheit that Koch was taken to the hospital with injuries to his stomach and face. AFD cochairman Tino Chrupalla said in a statement, "Our members and representatives are the most frequent victims of political violence and destruction. That cannot stop us. Get well soon, Heinrich!" Alice Weidel, cochairwoman of the AFD, assigned some blame to the AFD's leftist political opponents and the media, claiming they "are creating a climate in which even extreme physical attacks are no longer shied away from. We condemn this violence and call on people to finally return to the basic democratic practices!" Markus Frohnmaier, the regional chair of the AFD, said, "It is unacceptable that this mental agitation against our party continues, with surveillance and an attempt to push us out of the democratic political consensus in Germany. Because incidents like the one in Mannheim are the result of this!" Hans-Georg Maassen, former president of Germany's domestic security agency, similarly suggested the German left has set the stage for future attacks. "We are currently seeing the seeds sprout," Maassen told Junge Freihei. "We must finally return to social reconciliation, and that can only work if the political left refrains from treating its opponents like enemies." Mannheim Mayor Christian Specht, who previously intimated the anti-jihad demonstrators stabbed last Friday were partly responsible for their attacker's rampage, said in a statement Wednesday, "This cowardly act is abhorrent and cannot be justified in any way. Anyone who attacks election candidates is calling into question our free, equal, general, direct and secret elections — and thus the basis of our democracy." "This despicable incident is one of a series of attacks on campaign workers and politicians that are currently being observed throughout Germany," continued Specht. "The hatred and willingness to use violence that are currently breaking out in our society are unbearable." The AFD has drawn the ire of the left, in part, by criticizing the fallout of Germany's immigration policies and officials' refusal to deport criminal noncitizens. For instance, Marie-Thérèse Kaiser, a member of the AFD, generated outrage in 2021 for citing government statistics in an X post that showed Afghan and African asylum seekers disproportionately engaged in certain types of violent crimes. Despite the veracity of her statements, Kaiser was charged and convicted with incitement to hatred. Weeks after her May appeal fell through, there were two instances of migrant knife attacks: one in Mannheim and another in the northeastern German town of Bergen. In Sunday's election, EuroNews indicated that AFD stands to secure 15 seats in the European Parliament. A June 5 German voting intention poll showed AFD trailing the center-right Christian Democratic Union-Christian Social Union alliance in second place. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!