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Tag: ban
July 23, 2025
News
World

‘Path to Civil War’ — Majority of Germans Oppose Banning Populist Opposition.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A majority of Germans oppose efforts to ban the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, with many viewing it as an attempt by the government to stifle opposition.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), former Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, AfD leadership, and German voters.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The classification of AfD as “right-wing extremist” occurred in May, with recent polling conducted by the Allensbach Institute.

💬KEY QUOTE: Andreas Rödder of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz called such a ban a “sure path to civil war.”

🎯IMPACT: A ban on the AfD could undermine faith in German democracy, with 54 percent of respondents believing a similar party would emerge if the AfD were disbanded.

IN FULL

A recent poll has revealed that more than half of German voters are against banning the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, despite its classification as “right-wing extremist” by the country’s domestic intelligence agency. In May, under then-Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) designated the AfD as an extremist organization. This decision, which could enable increased surveillance and even lead to a formal ban, is currently being challenged in court.

While some members of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens have pushed for outlawing the party, the idea is not widely supported among the public. According to a survey of 1,054 voters conducted by the Allensbach Institute, 52 percent of Germans oppose banning the AfD, while only 27 percent are in favor and 21 percent remain undecided.

Although 54 percent of respondents believe the AfD qualifies as a right-wing extremist group, personal views on its supporters are more nuanced. The poll found that many Germans know someone, whether a friend or family member, who backs the party, yet only five percent of respondents described those individuals as extremists.

The survey also revealed concerns that targeting the AfD could be perceived as a political maneuver to suppress legitimate opposition. Currently serving as the official opposition in the Bundestag (federal legislature) and ranking as the second-largest party, the AfD’s removal would be undemocratic. Over half of those surveyed, 54 percent, said they believed that banning the party would not significantly change the political landscape, since another group with similar views would likely take its place.

Some political experts have warned of the risks such a move poses to Germany’s democratic stability. Professor Andreas Rödder of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz cautioned that banning the AfD “would eliminate all votes for the AfD and thus lead to [a left-wing] parliamentary majority,” calling the prospect a “sure path to civil war.”

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July 2, 2025
NatSec
UK

UK Lawmakers Have Voted to Classify This Pro-Palestinian Org as a Terrorist Entity.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Members of Parliament (MPs) in Britain’s House of Commons voted to proscribe the Palestine Action group as a terrorist organization under the Terrorism Act 2000.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: MPs in the House of Commons, pro-Palestinian demonstrators, and government officials, including Security Minister Dan Jarvis and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The vote took place on Wednesday in the House of Commons, with further debate expected in the House of Lords on Thursday.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Proscription is rightly ideologically neutral. It judges an organisation on its actions and the actions it is willing to deploy in pursuit of its cause.” – Security Minister Dan Jarvis

🎯IMPACT: The decision criminalizes support for Palestine Action and could result in sentences of up to 14 years for offenses related to it.

IN FULL

Britain’s House of Commons has voted to designate Palestine Action, an extremist group responsible for acts of sabotage at British military bases and defense industry facilities, as a terrorist organization under the Terrorism Act 2000. The decision passed with a majority of 359 votes, as 385 MPs supported the motion and 26 opposed it. The legislation now moves to the House of Lords for further debate—although the British upper chamber’s powers to restrain the lower chamber are far weaker than the U.S. Senate’s.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis defended the move, stating that the proscription would “reaffirm the UK’s zero tolerance approach to terrorism, regardless of its form or underlying ideology.” The move follows a high-profile incident in which Palestine Action activists broke into a Royal Air Force (RAF) base and sabotaged crucial military aircraft, and a raid last year on a defense industry facility that saw police officers injured with sledgehammers.

The decision has sparked criticism from far-left MPs and activists. Independent Muslim MP Zarah Sultana described the move as a “deliberate distortion of the law to chill dissent, criminalize solidarity, and suppress the truth.”

Palestine Action claims to be a non-violent direct action group targeting companies linked to Israel‘s defense industry, despite attacking police with sledgehammers last year. The group has vowed to challenge the proscription in court. They argue that their actions are necessary to oppose what they call “genocide, apartheid, and occupation” in Gaza.

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June 30, 2025
News
World

Efforts to Ban Top European Nation’s Populist Opposition Are Forging Ahead.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Germany has launched an effort to ban the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party—the second-most popular party in the country—citing alleged extremism.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: SPD leader Lars Klingbeil, the Federal Constitutional Court, and the AfD.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The SPD’s resolution was adopted during their three-day party congress in Berlin, Germany.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The moment at which domestic intelligence says this is a confirmed right-wing extremist party, there is no more room for tactics.” – Lars Klingbeil

🎯IMPACT: A ban would dissolve the AfD, confiscate its assets, and prohibit its re-establishment.

IN FULL

Germany’s leftist Social Democratic Party (SPD), which led the federal government until May, has officially launched an effort to ban the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. SPD delegates voted unanimously on June 29 to establish a “federal working group” to collect and present evidence of the anti-mass migration party’s alleged extremism, which they claim is already “overwhelming.”

The SPD accused the AfD, which placed second in this year’s federal elections, of undermining Germany’s constitution and eroding democracy, citing the party’s advocacy for “remigration” as a violation of human dignity. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil stated, “Based on historical experience, we have a constitution that provides the necessary instruments.” He added, “The moment at which domestic intelligence says this is a confirmed right-wing extremist party, there is no more room for tactics.”

In Germany, the European Union’s most populous country and top economy, only the Federal Constitutional Court can ban a political party, requiring a two-thirds majority of its Justices. If successful, a ban would dissolve the party, confiscate its assets, and outlaw its symbols and logos. Efforts to re-establish a banned party under a similar name would also be prohibited.

The legal push comes amid growing support for the AfD, particularly in eastern Germany, where recent elections have shown the party gaining significant traction. A recent survey placed the AfD at 32 percent, ahead of the SPD by nine points. Critics argue that the SPD is attempting to ban its political rival rather than compete with it democratically.

The move follows the designation of the AfD as an extremist group by Germany’s intelligence agency, the Bundesamt für Verfassungschutz (BfV), which enabled increased surveillance of the party. Critics, including X CEO Elon Musk, have condemned the proposed ban, labeling it “an extreme attack on democracy.” Newly elected Chancellor Friedrich Merz, of the notionally conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), formerly led by Angela Merkel, conceded, “Ten million AfD voters—you can’t ban them. You have to engage with them factually and on substance.”

The BfV decided to pause the classification after the AfD launched a lawsuit to appeal the move. Germany also came under pressure from the Trump administration, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating, “That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise. What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD—which took second in the recent election—but rather the establishment’s deadly open border immigration policies that the AfD opposes.”

Image by Olaf Kosinsky.

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December 2, 2024
William Upton
1A
News

This Town Just Banned American Flags and the U.S. Constitution at City Council Meetings.

The town of Edison, New Jersey, has moved to prohibit so-called ‘props’—including American flags and the U.S. Constitution—at city council meetings, claiming their display is disruptive. The ban was enacted through a new local ordinance that also limits how long a resident can address the council.

Established after a nearly five-hour-long council meeting, many Edison residents contend the city government is attempting to stifle complaints about how their tax dollars are being spent and from voicing concerns regarding public safety. “To consider the American flag and the Constitution a prop when someone raises it is an insult to what the flag is, what the flag stands for, and what this country is,” Edison resident Maryann Hennessey said at the recent meeting where the council approved the ordinance. She continued: “For you to consider the use of the American flag a prop is disgusting.”

Another resident,  Joel Bassoff, was removed from the meeting after pulling out a small American flag and waving it while speaking before the city council members. “He is in violation; he can be removed,” ordered Council President Nish Patel, the sponsor of the ordinance banning the display of the American flag and U.S. Constitution.

In addition, the enacted measure bars residents from wearing costumes or masks without a medical reason. Speakers can also be removed if they’re deemed disruptive or too loud.

Other residents say they fail to understand why the council is punishing those living in the town at large when only a handful of individuals tend to disrupt their meetings. “It’s juvenile to fight this war; you’re losing. It’s just making people more agitated and more determined to do something to provoke getting thrown out. Let it go,” Edison resident Sue Malone-Barber said.

WATCH:

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The town of Edison, New Jersey, has moved to prohibit so-called 'props'—including American flags and the U.S. Constitution—at city council meetings, claiming their display is disruptive. The ban was enacted through a new local ordinance that also limits how long a resident can address the council. show more
October 2, 2024
Christopher Tomlinson
Lawfare
Politics
World

German Globalists Seek BAN on Election-Winning Populist Party.

Members of several parties in the German parliament are set to introduce a motion to begin the process of banning the anti-mass migration Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is currently seeing success after success in regional elections. More than the 37 German lawmakers required to introduce the motion support it, including members of the ruling Social Democrats (SPD) and their Green coalition partners, the Left Party, and the notionally center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) formerly led by Angela Merkel.

The parliament cannot outright ban political parties by itself, so the motion calls on the German Constitutional Court to begin proceedings to ban the AfD. It also argues that the AfD should be cut off from all public party financing.

However, not all lawmakers support the motion. SPD politician Gesine Schwan warns the ban process could be “politically counterproductive” and actually increase public support for the AfD.

Sahra Wagenknecht, whose left-populist BSW party has also seen recent election success, called the move “the stupidest application of the year.” While economically left-wing, Wagenknecht shares some of the same concerns about mass migration as the AfD and is seen as socially conservative on many issues.

German politicians have been talking about banning the AfD for at least a year, with CDU lawmaker Marco Wanderwitz drafting legislation last October. Since then, the AfD has come second in state elections in Saxony and Brandenburg and finished first in Thuringia. Support among the German youth is surging for the party, with some polls showing it to be the most popular among young voters.

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Members of several parties in the German parliament are set to introduce a motion to begin the process of banning the anti-mass migration Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is currently seeing success after success in regional elections. More than the 37 German lawmakers required to introduce the motion support it, including members of the ruling Social Democrats (SPD) and their Green coalition partners, the Left Party, and the notionally center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) formerly led by Angela Merkel. show more
June 14, 2024
2A
Breaking

Supreme Court Overturns Bump Stock Ban.

The U.S. Supreme Court has invalidated a ban on bump stocks instituted in 2017 following a mass shooting in Las Vegas. The decision was reached by a 6-3 vote, with the majority concluding that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) had exceeded its statutory authority by categorizing bump stocks as machine guns.

The dissent was led by left-wing Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and the far-left Ketanji Brown Jackson.

The case originated from a challenge by Michael Cargill, a Texas gun shop owner, supported by the New Civil Liberties Alliance, an advocacy group linked to libertarian financier Charles Koch. The ban had made possession or sale of bump stocks punishable by prison time.

Bump stocks increase firing speeds by sliding the stock back and forth, facilitating rapid trigger pulls, which does not meet the definition of a machine gun.

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The U.S. Supreme Court has invalidated a ban on bump stocks instituted in 2017 following a mass shooting in Las Vegas. The decision was reached by a 6-3 vote, with the majority concluding that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) had exceeded its statutory authority by categorizing bump stocks as machine guns. show more
Other Apps TikTok Ban
April 24, 2024
William Upton
NatSec
TECH

LIST: Other Chinese Apps That Could Get Caught in the TikTok Ban.

A provision in the foreign aid supplemental funding bill passed late last night by the United States Senate — and by the House of Representatives last Saturday — would force the Chinese-owned technology conglomerate ByteDance to either divest itself from TikTok or face its ban in the U.S. However, TikTok isn’t the only ByteDance-owned app that the bill will impact once it is signed into law by Joe Biden. The divestment language mirrors that of legislation passed by the House in mid-March.

An additional number of Chinese-owned companies could face having to find a buyer for their U.S. operations or being banned from American markets as well. ByteDance alone offers several other apps in U.S. digital app stores that fall under the same provisions impacting TikTok. The National Pulse has compiled a list of ByteDance-owned apps and other products that could be impacted below.

  • CapCut – A video editing app often used by TikTok content makers.
  • Hypic – A ByteDance-owned photo editing app.
  • Gauth – An AI homework assistant.
  • Lemon8 – A social media app with features similar to that of Pinterest.
  • SoundOn – An app that pairs with TikTok and allows users to distribute original music creations.
  • Lark – A software product similar to Microsoft‘s Office productivity suite or Google‘s Workplace.
  • BytePlus – A cloud-based storage and computing service.
  • 8th Note Press – A digital publishing platform.

In addition to ByteDance’s U.S. offerings, their foreign market products will likely face a ban on use in the United States. These include:

  • Toutiao – An app that serves as a news aggregator.
  • Xigua Video – A social media platform that allows users to share video content.
  • Douyin – China‘s domestic version of TikTok.
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A provision in the foreign aid supplemental funding bill passed late last night by the United States Senate — and by the House of Representatives last Saturday — would force the Chinese-owned technology conglomerate ByteDance to either divest itself from TikTok or face its ban in the U.S. However, TikTok isn't the only ByteDance-owned app that the bill will impact once it is signed into law by Joe Biden. The divestment language mirrors that of legislation passed by the House in mid-March. show more
March 13, 2024
NatSec
TECH

WATCH: Kassam Walks Through the TikTok Ban Legislation (No, It Can’t Censor Elon’s ‘X’).

The National Pulse’s Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam has produced a brief explainer on the TikTok ban legislation, walking you through the specifics amidst the cash-fuelled Chinese propaganda being touted on Capitol Hill.

The legislation, Kassam explains, cannot be used to target U.S. companies nor individuals, and it is very specific about that.

WATCH: 

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The National Pulse's Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam has produced a brief explainer on the TikTok ban legislation, walking you through the specifics amidst the cash-fuelled Chinese propaganda being touted on Capitol Hill. show more
abaya
August 28, 2023
Jake Welch
News
World

France Bans Islamic ‘Abaya’ Robe In Schools.

France has announced a ban on Muslim girls wearing the abaya – an Islamic robe designed to be loose-fitting and cover one’s body– on the grounds that the clothing contravenes the nation’s secular-based education. The ban will come into force on September 4.

“When you walk into a classroom, you shouldn’t be able to identify the pupils’ religion just by looking at them,” stated the French Education Minister, Gabriel Attal, over the weekend.

“Secularism means the freedom to emancipate oneself through school… [the abaya is] a religious gesture, aimed at testing the resistance of the republic toward the secular sanctuary that school must constitute,” Attal added.

The French government has already banned headscarves in public schools for nearly 20 years, citing similar reasoning. The country has also made the then-unprecedented move among Western nations in 2010 to ban the wearing of full-face veils.

The prohibition of religious symbols does not merely apply to Islam as Christian symbols, such as crosses, have been banned in French schools since the 19th century.

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France has announced a ban on Muslim girls wearing the abaya – an Islamic robe designed to be loose-fitting and cover one's body– on the grounds that the clothing contravenes the nation's secular-based education. The ban will come into force on September 4. show more