Belgium censors internet to protect pedophile privacy

Quote: “We now take note of the fact that the first observed case of Belgian Internet censorship is not an attempt to stop child pornography on the net, but a bizarre attempt to guarantee the legislative privacy of convicted pedophiles in Belgium.”

According to an article published today in Belgian Daily “Tijd” (‘Time’) [in English, by Google], the Belgian federal government has quietly introduced technical measures that redirect Belgian surfers to this updated STOP page when entering URLs that contain content the Belgian government considers to be illegal [fccu.be is the Belgian Federal Computer Crime Unit, a part of the federal Police]. Apparently major ISPs have voluntary agreed to accept this form of yet unclear censorship. The news came as a total shock and I’m still busy checking which sites have been affected. Update: “Big Belgian Firewall activated“ -translation by Google: Belgium is apparently blocking a Dutch site that does not respect “the privacy of convicted paedophiles”… I’m not kidding: Belgium does not actively block sites that cater to child molesters, but now does block one single site that lists those sex offenders. [Leading newspaper report]

Check out what is being blocked: http://www.stopkinderporno.eu (“stop child porn”): blocked (use a non-Belgian proxy from within Belgium). Welcome to Belgium: the charming country protecting the “privacy of child molesters by censoring the sites that list them”. Coming soon to a pc near you: mind-blowing tales covering the  pathetic Belgian state attempts to censor a billion “illegal” pages. Or how a tiny, virtually bancrupt country showed the planet how to censor the entire WWW in order to uphold its own obscure ideas on what should not be available on the net.  [Background:  "Towards full Belgian Internet censorship"]

US State Department criticizes Belgium for human rights abuses

According to an article in the Belgian EUobserver, the US State Dept found it necessary to state in its 2008 US government report on worldwide human rights (issued Feb 25, 2009) that “the Belgian government “generally respected the human rights of its citizens,” (oh, really? I hadn’t noticed) but found several human rights ‘problems’, such as overcrowded prisons, lengthy pre-trial detention, poor detention conditions prior to expulsion and “ethnic discrimination in the job market.“

Local Belgian sources acknowledged Belgium experienced, like most EU countries, ongoing social issues, but ever so kindly suggested that the US State Dept would consider buying full-sized mirrors and a free trip down memory lane to take a long, careful look at the abysmal human rights track record of the USA.  “We don’t kill our prisoners”, “nor do we deny our gay citizens basic human rights” one Belgian source noted with rising indignation. Do you personally feel the US has regained its “moral authority” to start pointing fingers at the world regarding “human rights abuses” in other countries?

The day I stopped running from the ghosts trying to silence me

Yes folks, I’m back. I know, I only just claimed I needed a sabbatical, but after some elaborate legal consultations (always handy to have a lawyer in the family) I realized I should stop running from the ghosts trying to silence me. I’m a Belgian citizen expressing my free speech rights (articles 19 and 25, Belgian constitution), without breaking any laws that might limit that universal EU privilege (art. 10).
[image: Belgian military staff on the job looking here  for...boobs]

Exposing the abuses carried out by government personnel by posting legally obtained images, showing gross misbehavior by members of the [censorship] is no press offense, nor does it entail any punishable crime such as libel. Posting pictures of said abuse while satirically commenting on those pictures is no criminal offense.

OK, now we got that cleared up, I’ve got an urgent message for the Belgian .gov and  [censorship] ‘readers’ who have been stalking me: I won’t post your disgraceful pictures. I won’t.  Being a small time blogger with only 500 visitors a day, well, it’s just not worth the effort. I have however acted like a real Belgian patriot: when my home country is under attack by the disgraceful behavior of those who have sworn to defend it, it’s time to call superman my friendly newspaper editor. Your shameful pictures are currently being processed by an expert legal team. It may be prudent and wise to check the national headlines any day soon.

So, I’m going back to blogging about what really matters: my cat.  And if that cat is found dead one day, I’ll get you, you sick b*stards.

Censorship in Belgium: pulling the plug on my blog posts

No, rest assured, I won’t be closing down this blog. However, during the past few days I’ve been repeatedly intimidated by local government personnel, just for posting verifiable facts in a couple of high-profile older blog posts dating back to a long forgotten era. I feel like the Dixie Chicks when they were told “shut up and sing”.

Unlike the US, Belgium doesn’t have such a far reaching constitutional 1st amendment, offering citizens elaborate freedom of expression, protected from government interference. We enjoy “real free speech, until someone finds a way to shut us up”. Remember the Belgian barmaid fired in New York after blogging unfavorably about the Belgian minister of defense?

Belgian defense minister De Crem (Catholic-Conservative) having a beer or two

So with profound regret I’m pulling the plug on several of the best investigative posts in Dutch I’ve ever written. Obviously, I will continue to post, be it much more sanitized, trying to make sure that I don’t end up producing generic pieces of thin air about my cat.  Have you ever been forced or felt compelled to take down (or simply “not write”) a post, due to pressure from an external source?

Turkey 2008: the Muslim cartoons

During these cold Belgian winter months browsing through my summer vacation photos and videos often makes me discover a rare gem, one that I’d overlooked while processing over 1,000 shots and numerous videos. You may recall that I spent September of 2008 in and around Bodrum, Turkey, the undisputed crown of the Turkish Riviera, harboring expensive yachts, an upscale local (sometimes topless) beach clientèle, along with a most amusing mix of Muslim traditions with Turkish everyday commercial reality, anno 2008.

[My video:] Don’t you love the way these enterprising Turks know what really counts ? I couldn’t help but smile at this Bodrum cartoon artist, totally ignoring the Muslim invitation to start praying emanating from the Mosque behind him. He kept on drawing his hilarious but provocative cartoons, admired by tourists. Business first, just like in my friendly local Turkish corner shop.

Palin’s America: hate, racism, ignorance and fear

I know I promised to shut up about the US elections, but video reports like these shock the world on a daily basis. Is this really America?

Antwerp also has its fair share of racists, but (if you’re American) can you begin to fathom the impact of these (selected) images?

YouTube Quote: “Idiocy and paranoia are epidemic after 8 years of Bush, and the racism quotient is about what it was in 1958.”

The 100 bottle birthday party – remembering 9/11

While waiting whether my travel plans to Turkey will be confirmed – my SO’s dad is having health trouble and his dearest mother is pushing for a cancellation (oh, well..) I attended a birthday party. Yes, those were the flowers I picked, and no, I’m not in the habit of posting these kinds of trivia that nobody cares about.

The second shot is even more trivial: some of my neigbo(u)rs had yet another party and I doubt whether anyone walked home sober. I counted over 50 empty bottles at the local glass container on 9/11, a date that was further enhanced by depressing commemorations of the 9/11/2001 attacks in the US.  I should have avoided watching “United 93“, it sure was no uplifting movie to wind down to on a day like this. if you’re in a better mood, just let me know

Belgium: the country that never existed

It’s July 21, independence day in Belgium, [live TV video] a tiny kingdom by the sea that basically never existed. It’s raining, as usual. There’s still no federal government. It has taken a couple of years, but the Dutch and the French speaking Belgian communities are both finally living on entirely different planets.

An imported king who speaks a language that’s not mine will go on national TV and read a boring speech about “finding new ways of living together”. Tomorrow he will board a private jet, fly off for 2m to the Mediterranean with his Italian born wife, trying to get away from a country that couldn’t care less about its national independence day. Let’s drink another ‘Belgian’ Stella and try to find someone who can fake being  “proud to be Belgian”    [Confused about Belgian crisis news? So am I: check out my best posts on Belgium right here]

Just in case you’re the last Belgian patriot: the National Anthem, in Dutch/French/German (watch the Belgian Royals and have a laugh)

Happy 4th of July America, from all the folks in Europe!

To my American readers: I wish you all a very peaceful Independence Day. If any “fire” is really needed, please focus on the barbecue

If the 4th turns into a boring “we’ve done this all before’ event: just spice it up, as suggested by the European Union. By the way, I, along with the Dutch speaking majority in Belgium, will be celebrating July 11th, with the official Belgian July 21st celebrations being largely ignored in my area. I spent my Belgian 4th of July shopping  downtown – a favorite American recreational pursuit

No pictures: We’re Muslims

It was a perfect morning, last Monday. An unexpected 25°C/80°F, lots of sunshine and the inviting warm water of the Antwerp left bank Olympic open-air pool and recreational complex, right on the city riverbanks. A passing ocean liner, countless sailing boats: life felt good.

As it was still very early, the 50m/yard pool along with the grounds were virtually deserted, allowing me to take some shots of a place that tends to get very crowded during the summer. I talked with the life-guards, ignored the sour-faced lady at the ticket booth and generally enjoyed the water with my s/o. As more people entered the grounds I saw the opportunity to take an amazing shot: the river, the passing container ships and ocean liners, the superb elevated open-air pool and some very multicultural visitors: it would have made a great shot. Especially Moroccan juveniles and migrant families from across the globe have turned this pool into their favorite summer spot. As I’m living in a multicultural city with over 100 nationalities, I’m quite comfortable with lifestyles that strongly differ from my own. Live and let live.

But as soon as I pointed my camera towards a bathing Moroccan family all hell broke loose. “AAAAA”, a migrant woman screamed frantically as if she was being hit by a bus, pointing her finger in my direction, “STOP that PERVERT!”. Oh my… Given that she was wearing enough clothes to sink to the bottom of this pool instantly, I remained calm and stopped taking pictures. Hey, this was a public place and I had every right to take general scenic shots, but this dearest Muslim lady felt otherwise.

With this place being under camera supervision due to previous ethnic riots, it took less than 30 seconds before some very friendly staff intervened. While the woman kept on screaming, I quietly showed the pictures I had taken. The staff member agreed I had every right to make some scenic shots, but by now the whole Muslim family almost went into full frontal attack mode, somehow convinced that taking a Muslim woman’s picture virtually equaled rape. Hey boys, I’m GAY Unexpectedly the conversation totally escalated, with the Moroccan Berber Muslims throwing insults like “you filthy gay racist” in my direction, no matter what I did or said. “Time to call it quits”, my s/o said, “just leave these fanatics”. Reluctantly, I left the pool (not the grounds), making clear to the Moroccan screamer that I hoped she’d have a great time in the water, veiled with enough layers of clothing to make her sink to the pool bottom asap.

Looking back, this was insane. These Muslim migrants have lived in this town for years, facing the fact that this is a European city, with European laws and rules. Nobody forced this family into the left-bank open air pool and grounds. The knew what they could expect, and they sure knew people do take snapshots. Belgium has been very tolerant towards the behavior and lifestyle of Muslim migrants: ten local Mosques, a generation of unemployed juveniles and a religion that in its fundamental form is hardly compatible with Belgian customs.

Really, I couldn’t care less about religious or cultural habits. But hey, nobody is taking over my pool.
How would you react?