#43: GLOBAL SUPPORT FOR TUCKER CARLSON AFTER FOX NEWS DEPARTURE
Criminal lawsuits filed against Ursula von der Leyen over Pfizer contracts + Germany sentences blogger to eight months in prison for insulting minister + boycott of Ukrainian grain grows + MORE!
TUCKER CARLSON FLOODED WITH GLOBAL SUPPORT AFTER FOX NEWS DEPARTURE
Conservative voices from the UK, Netherlands, Hungary, and Italy have rallied behind US commentator Tucker Carlson following his unexpected departure from Fox News on Monday.
Among those voices was Balázs Orbán, chief political director to the Hungarian Prime Minister, who expressed his appreciation for Carlson after appearing as a guest on his show earlier this week.
“It was an honor to be featured in one of Tucker Carlson's final broadcasts,” said Orbán.
“Thank you Tucker Carlson for setting the gold standard in journalism with your unwavering integrity. The people of Hungary are behind you & wishing you all the best in your future endeavors!”
The president of the Italian conservative think tank Fondazione Tatarella also expressed his admiration for Carlson on Twitter.
“Tucker Carlson, Fox's top anchorman, will no longer work for the American TV channel. When I met him in the residence of the Hungarian prime minister, he proved to be a great friend of Italy. Come on Tucker, even the Italian conservatories are with you!” tweeted Francesco Giubilei.
Dutch farmer protest leader Eva Vlaardingerbroek, who recently appeared in a documentary produced by Carlson, took to social media to throw her support behind the pundit.
“Tucker is the best of the best in the industry. He tells the truth like no one else does, in a way no one else can. I stand with him 100%,” tweeted Vlaardingerbroek.
In the UK, former Brexit Party leader and political commentator Nigel Farage called Carlson “irreplaceable.”
“Tucker Carlson is irreplaceable. This will hurt Fox News,” tweeted Farage.
Fellow GB News commentator Calvin Robinson also called the decision for Fox News to part ways with Carlson “interesting timing.”
“What is going on with these news companies lately? Tucker has my full support. Interesting timing, given his recent viral video about the battle between good/evil. Being on TC Tonight is great - you always know he’ll ask the right questions and let you speak truth,” tweeted Robinson.
In Canada, renowned author Jordan Peterson called Carlson’s departure from Fox News a loss for the network.
“Fox News and big Pharma might think that Tucker Carlson has just been cancelled but the reverse could easily be true: I think that the former, at least, just signed its death warrant,” tweeted Peterson.
VON DER LEYEN FACES MULTIPLE CRIMINAL LAWSUITS IN BRUSSELS OVER PFIZER DEAL
A lobbyist has filed a lawsuit in a Brussels court against EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen concerning her role in negotiating Pfizer contracts during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Frédéric Baldan’s lawsuit alleges that von der Leyen’s secretive dealings with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla violated Belgium’s finance laws and undermined public confidence in “the state as an institutional power that works for the common good.”
Another association called “Bon Sens” has also filed a civil lawsuit against the Commission President, alleging “destruction of public documents” and “illegal advocacy and corruption” charges.
The lawsuit is seeking access to a number of deleted text messages between von der Leyen and Bourla which she has refused to publish.
"We asked for this data to be made available to us and once again the phone has disappeared. We see the same modus operandi here. In addition, the plaintiffs are of the opinion that von der Leyen acted outside the EU treaties and outside of its mandate on behalf of the member states,” wrote the plaintiffs.
The court has not yet ruled on the admissibility of either lawsuit.
GERMANY SENTENCES BLOGGER TO 8 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR INSULTING MINISTER
A popular right-wing blogger and former policeman has been sentenced to serve eight months in prison for the crime of insulting Germany’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock.
YouTuber Tim Kellner, who is undergoing cancer treatment, was slapped with a penalty order earlier this month.
According to the Cologne public prosecutor’s office, Kellner is accused of insult and defamation against people in political office.
His penalty also requires Kellner to donate €1,500 to the United Nations.
“I’m going to jail for eight months because I published a little funny clip about Baerbock,” explained Kellner in a video.
Kellner has pledged to appeal the ruling.
MORE COUNTRIES JOIN CRACKDOWN ON UKRAINIAN GRAIN
Several European countries have joined an import ban on grains and other food products coming from Ukraine following pressure from agricultural producers.
So far, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary have imposed a unilateral ban on the goods, citing a need to protect farmers.
Bulgaria is also considering a similar ban. Protests have flared up throughout many neighboring countries of Ukraine, as farmers claim that grain imports are undercutting local producers.
A backlog of Ukrainian grain has remained and is being sold in many of these countries, instead of being re-exported, as originally intended.
“We will never leave farmers without help,” said Poland’s prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Hungary announced a wholesale ban on farm products coming out of Ukraine like fruits, vegetables, dairy, beef, pork and eggs until June 30 “in the absence of meaningful EU measures.”
The European Commission has called the crackdown “unacceptable.”
AUSTRIA BUILDING LARGE-SCALE EDIBLE INSECT BREEDING FACTORY
Austria has announced it is building a large-scale edible insect breeding facility months after the European Union approved several bug-based products for consumption within the region.
The company EcoFly hopes to breed “black soldier fly” larvae in Schärding.
When completed, the facility is expected to produce 2,400 tonnes of the larvae to be used in cosmetics, oils, animal feeds and fertilizers.
The People Freedom Fundamental Rights provincial party in Upper Austria has criticized the move.
In an official statement, the party said that instead of turning Austria into a leader of insect food, the government should “continue to put the grown, natural and country-specific products and forms of production first.”