#38: WOMAN FACES JAIL FOR INSULTING MACRON ON FACEBOOK
Village of 1,800 forced to accommodate 400 refugees + socialist politician spent €32K in public funds on prostitutes + Italy bans lab grown meat + MORE!
ARRESTED FOR INSULTING EMMANUEL MACRON
A woman in France was arrested for insulting French President Emmanuel Macron on social media, as his government faces a wave of protests over its decision to roll back the retirement age and reform pensions."
On Mar. 24, Valérie Lorsque was taken into custody by three police officers. After questioning, she was charged with contempt of a person holding a public office.
At the center of the issue was a Facebook photo of Valérie Lorsque smiling in front of graffiti reading “Macron Garbage”.
During police questioning, Lorsque denied having created the graffiti herself. However, upon further inspection of her Facebook page, the police discovered another post with similar language
“The garbage will speak tomorrow at 1 pm, for people who are nothing, it's always on television that we see this garbage,” wrote Lorsque.
This was enough evidence to pin charges on the 50-year-old woman.
"I asked them if it was a joke, as I had never been arrested," she told La Voix Du Nord. "I am not public enemy number one."
She could face a penalty of up to €15,000 and one year in prison for insulting a person of public authority.
Lorsque's story has sparked widespread support in France and has led to the trending hashtag #MacronGarbage being used.
For several weeks, France has been rocked by scenes of violent rioting and brutal clashes with police as Macron’s popularity with the people falls to a low of 22%.
WIND POWER THREATENING VULNERABLE BALTIC PORPOISE
Supposedly “climate friendly” wind power is threatening an at-risk species in Europe, according to local conservation authorities.
There are currently about 500 harbour porpoises remaining in the Baltic Sea that are at risk of extinction.
According to the head of the nature conservation unit at Kalmar County in Sweden, nearby offshore wind farms are disrupting the habitats of the porpoises, which rely on echolocation to find food.
"Underwater noise can lead to both hearing damage and death. The porpoises are completely dependent on being able to use their clicking sounds to navigate and find food,” said Magnus Bolt.
“When their hearing deteriorates or disappears completely, they risk starving to death.”
Wind power is booming in Sweden, as it is in other European nations seeking to switch to more sustainable forms of electricity.
Currently, there are about 25 ongoing applications for wind farms in the Scandinavian nation.
RESORT VILLAGE FACES 20% REFUGEE POPULATION
A picturesque resort village in Germany, home to approximately 1,800 inhabitants, may soon have to accommodate refugees that would make up roughly 20% of its population.
Despite pushback from residents, the state of Lower Saxony has pushed forward with mandatory refugee placements in the Hohenkirchen hotel complex.
The local mayor, Mario Szlezak, expressed concern about the lack of consultation from the government and issued demands to state authorities, asking them to ensure that school operations and medical care for the general public would not be disrupted.
Szelezak has also requested that the facility's operations be limited to a maximum of 24 months.
“The district administrator and I were informed much too late and involved in the planning,” said Szelezak.
"These (requests) are non-negotiable and must be implemented in such a way as not to over strain the tolerance and acceptance of the Wangerland and to preserve social peace."
SOCIALIST POLITICIAN SPENT €32K IN PUBLIC FUNDS ON PROSTITUTES
A former director of the Regional Government of Andalusia and affiliate of the Spanish Socialist Worker's Party is requesting that a court annul the dates of a corruption trial relating to embezzlement charges. The charges are related to spending 32,566 euros of public funds on prostitutes.
Fernando Villén is accused of “taking advantage of his position” and carrying out “on a continuous basis, an illegal disposition of the funds of said public entity, diverting them from their own purpose.”
Court documents go on to state that Villén used the public money in the form of credit cards “to pay the services received in different hostess venues in Seville and other Andalusian provinces that he frequented.”
Prosecutors are asking for six years in prison for the accused.
His lawyers are arguing that the dates be annulled for the upcoming municipal elections in May.
ITALY TO BAN LAB GROWN MEAT AND SYNTHETIC FOODS
Those who violate regulations regarding the sale of lab-grown or other artificially produced meats could face a fine of up to €60,000 if a bill introduced by Italy's right-wing government is passed.
Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida's proposed legislation seeks to impose strict regulations on alternative proteins, such as insect-flour.
The bill has been praised by local farmers' groups as a way to protect the country's domestic industries.
"Laboratory products do not guarantee quality, well-being and the protection of the Italian food and wine culture and tradition, to which part of our tradition is linked,” said Lollobrigida.
The bill would apply to lab-produced fish and synthetic milk as well as meat grown from cells of living animals.