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Rafah crossing reopens under strict Israeli restrictions

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(Photo credit: AFP)

The Cradle

The reopening of the crossing for the first time in almost two years comes hours after over 30 Palestinians were killed in brutal strikes across Gaza

Southern Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt was reopened on 1 February from both sides for the first time in over a year and a half, under strict restrictions imposed by Tel Aviv.

The exit and entry of Palestinians via the crossing will begin on 2 February, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced on Sunday.

It said the crossing has been opened for tests and an assessment of operation.

“The movement of residents in both directions, entry and exit to and from Gaza, is expected to begin tomorrow,” COGAT explained.

Hours earlier, Tel Aviv said the crossing would be opened for an “initial pilot phase.”

“As part of the pilot for the initial operation of the crossing, all involved parties are carrying out a series of preliminary preparations aimed at increasing readiness for full operation of the crossing,” COGAT said.

Around 80,000 Palestinians who were forcibly displaced from Gaza during the genocide are seeking to return.

There are also over 20,000 wounded and ill Palestinians who are in need of leaving the strip for urgent medical care.

“We are closely monitoring what is happening at the Rafah crossing, and several parties will be overseeing traffic at the crossing,” said Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Gaza Government Media Office.

A Palestinian Authority-linked (PA) group of 40 security officers has arrived at the Egyptian side of the crossing, in line with Cairo’s previously announced initiative to train Palestinian officers for post-war Gaza.

The US-endorsed technocrats, who were previously barred from entering, are expected to be allowed in within the coming days.

Around 150 Palestinians will be allowed to leave daily. This includes 50 medical patients, each allowed two companions. Another 50 will be permitted entry into Gaza per day.

The Palestinians entering will be subject to strict restrictions. Individuals must register their names, which Egypt will then send to Israel’s Shin Bet security service for screening and approval.

All travelers will be subject to a checkpoint run by the PA and EU representatives, as well as an Israeli checkpoint, including body searches, X-ray screening, and biometric verification. Those leaving must also register and go through PA, EU, and Israeli-run checkpoints.

They will be required to undergo facial recognition screening.

According to a recent Reuters report, Israel is working to make sure that those exiting via the Rafah crossing are greater in number than those entering, in an effort to facilitate the outflow of Palestinians from Gaza and ethnically cleanse the strip.

The crossing’s reopening comes as Israel has escalated its daily violations of the ceasefire agreement. A massive wave of Israeli strikes targeting shelters, tents, and residential buildings killed at least 31 civilians across Gaza on Saturday.

Since the ceasefire was reached in early October, Israel has killed over 490 Palestinians, destroyed thousands of buildings, and expanded its presence inside Gaza in violation of the agreement.

[…]

Via https://thecradle.co/articles/rafah-crossing-reopens-under-strict-israeli-restrictions

Hamas leader: Commitment to Gaza ceasefire agreement hinges on Israel’s compliance

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Hamas’s Gaza chief, Khalil al-Hayya

Press TV

The leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip has stressed that the Palestinian resistance movement’s commitment to and respect for the ceasefire agreement requires obligating Israel to abide by the accord and refrain from its ongoing crimes and atrocities against the Palestinians.

His remarks on Saturday evening come as the Hamas leadership has established intensive contacts with mediators and other international parties, in which the group has vigorously rejected and condemned Israel’s behavior and its continued aggression against the Gaza Strip.

Hayya said Hamas has underlined that Israel bears full responsibility for the failure to reach a solution to the issue of the resistance fighters in Rafah, who are positioned in an area under the Israeli military control.

In his communications with mediators and international actors, Hayya warned against the repercussions of near-daily crimes and massacres carried out by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, as well as flagrant violations of the ceasefire agreement.

The senior Hamas leader emphasized the need to compel Israel to stop such violations.

Earlier in the day, Hamas roundly dismissed Israeli claims that recent bombings in Gaza are a “response” to the resistance movement’s violations of the ceasefire agreement, emphasizing that such allegations “are nothing but a blatant and pathetic attempt to justify the horrific massacres against civilians” in the coastal sliver.

“These baseless and flimsy claims confirm the [Israeli] occupation’s contempt for the mediators, the guarantor states, and all the parties involved in what is called the Board of Peace,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem said in a statement.

Since the ceasefire took effect in early October last year, Israeli strikes have killed 524 Palestinians and wounded 1,360 others, committing 1,450 violations, the Gaza media office stated on Saturday.

The media office added that the Israeli army has abducted 50 Palestinians since the agreement took effect, kidnapping them from areas far from the so-called “yellow line” and from within residential neighborhoods.

Concerning the humanitarian protocol, the office reported that Israel has permitted 28,927 trucks for aid, commercial goods, and fuel to enter, from a total of 66,600 trucks stipulated in the agreement, reflecting a compliance rate of 43%.

The Gaza ceasefire agreement ended a two-year Israeli genocidal war that killed nearly 71,800 Palestinians and wounded more than 171,480 others

The bloody campaign has destroyed roughly 90% of the civilian infrastructure in the coastal territory, with UN estimates placing reconstruction costs at about $70 billion.

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VICTORY! Amazon Shuts Down Checkout by Palm Scans Because Not Enough People Use It!

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Amazon OneBy Brian Shilhavy

This is how we defeat the Technocrats – don’t use their products! It really is that simple…

From Al.com (https://www.al.com/business/2026/01/amazon-shuts-down-payment-method.html):

You know those little screens at Whole Foods checkouts where you can pay by just scanning your palm, like tech from science fiction or a spy movie?

The service is called Amazon One. And it’s going away.

According to tech news site GeekWire, Amazon, the online retail juggernaut that owns Whole Foods Market, will remove Amazon One palm readers from all Whole Foods locations by June 3, per a support page at amazonone.aws.com.

“In response to limited customer adoption, we’re discontinuing Amazon One, our authentication service for facility access and payment,” an Amazon spokesperson told GeekWire.

“All customer data associated with Amazon One will be securely deleted after the service ends.”

Amazon One palm readers debuted in 2020. According to Grocery Dive, they were first introduced at a couple Seattle locations of Amazon Go, before rolling out to hundreds of Whole Foods locations, and eventually other Amazon properties including Panera Bread chain restaurants

Amazon One palm readers have also been used in sports stadiums and arenas, including those hosting some NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL teams.

In September 2021, concert promoter AEG announced plans to use Amazon One tech at iconic Colorado venue Reds Rocks Amphitheatre for ticketless entry.

But those plans were later scrapped, after protests from hundreds of musicians, including Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello.

Spearheaded by advocacy group Fight for the Future, the anti-Amazon One ticketless entry campaign claimed, “the spread of biometric surveillance tools like palm scans and facial recognition [transforms venues] into hotspots for ICE raids, false arrests, police harassment, and stolen identities.”

[…]

Via https://t.me/healthimpact/3004

Harun al-Rashid and Baghdad’s House of Wisdom

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The House of Wisdom aka Bayt al-Hikmah | Impressive 8th Century Abbasid ...

Episode 3 – Arabian Nights Caliph: Harun al-Rashid

Islamic Golden Age (2017)

By Eamon Gearon

Film Review

Earmon devotes this lecture to the life of Harun al-Rashid, the fifth Abbasid caliph depicted in the legendary Arabian Nights (1001 Nights).

Harun al-Rashid, the fifth Abbasid Caliph, was born in 766 AD near Tehran. His mother was a former slave from Yemen and his father Mohammad al-Madi, the third caliph of the Abbasid caliphate. Al-Rashid’s great uncle al-Safāh (from Bactria in Afghanistan) led the revolt against the Umayyad caliphate in 747 (see The Emergence of Islamic Culture) and served as the first Abbasid caliph. Al-Safāh was succeeded by al-Rashid’s grandfather al-Mansour, who was succeeded by al-Madi, who was succeeded by al-Rashid’s brother al-Hadi. At age 21, al-Rashid became caliph after al-Hadi died under mysterious circumstances.

Under al-Rashid’s reign, Baghdad had a population between 800,000 and 1 million, the largest city outside China. Despite the caliphate’s growing territorial control and wealth, al-Rashid was very concerned it lagged culturally behind Persia, China and Byzantium. He especially admired Persian culture and surrounded himself with Persian advisors.

He also established Baghdad’s House of Wisdom, home to a major translation, movement employing scholars fluent in Greek, Persian, Chinese Aramaic, Hebrew, Latin, Assyrian and Syriac to translate classical literature. Al-Rashid engaged other scholars to engage in research in astronomy, astrology, medicine, physics,  mathematics and metallurgy, as well as  Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian to translate religious texts. The researchers developed methods to accurately measure the earth’s circumference, as well as track the calendar dates and time.

The Umayyad dynasty had imported paper making technology from China, and the House of Wisdom produced all manner of algebra, geometry and trigonometry texts, star tables and almanacs (to predict eclipses).

Baghdad’s private sector (wealthy merchants and military leaders) also hired scholars to engage in translation and research.

Al-Rashid experienced numerous revolts during his 23 year reign. In 798 AD the Idrisid dynasty in Morocco broke away from the Abbasid caliphate and in 799 AD the Ahglabid dynasty in Tunisia also achieved independence.

In 798 Charlemagne, king of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor sent a diplomatic mission to Baghdad seeking leverage against the Byzantine empire and the Umayyads (in exile in Spain). In 801 and 803 Harun al-Rashid sent delegations to Charlemagne in Aachen (now part of Germany) with numerous lavish gifts, including an elephant and water-powered clock (it would be nearly 500 years before Europeans developed mechanical clocks). A formal alliance between the two never came to pass.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/5756987/575699

FDA Requires Vaccine Makers to Include Febrile Seizure Warning on Flu Shot Labels

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Amber Baker

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified six influenza vaccine manufacturers on Jan. 9, 2026 that they must add a warning about the risk of febrile (fever) seizures to their product information labels, citing newly identified postmarketing safety data. The notices, issued under the FDA’s statutory authority to mandate safety labeling changes, were sent to Sanofi, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and CSL Seqirus.1

According to the FDA, observational analyses conducted during the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 influenza seasons identified a statistically significant increase in seizures caused by fevers occurring within one day of vaccination among children aged six months through four years, prompting the agency to conclude the findings constitute “new safety information” requiring disclosure in product labeling. In its notification letter, the FDA stated that the results of the analyses “suggest a causal relationship”—language the agency typically avoids unless compelled by evidence.2

The data suggested an “estimated attributable risk of 21.2 excess febrile seizure episodes per million standard-dose quadrivalent influenza vaccinations” and “an attributable risk of 44.2 excess febrile seizure episodes per million standard doses of trivalent [influenza] vaccinations.”

Risk of Febrile Seizures May Increase After Childhood Vaccinations

The Mayo Clinic website states that in some infants and young children fevers can cause convulsions (seizures). Doctors generally describe “simple” febrile seizures as associated with fevers over 100 F, short-lived and typically harmless, although “complex” febrile seizures can last longer than 15 minutes and occur more than once in a 24-hour period.3

It has been acknowledged in the medical literature that convulsions can include an increased risk of future epilepsy (uncontrolled seizure disorder).4 5 Febrile seizures have also been associated with a spectrum of brain dysfunction and rarely, severe brain injury or death.6 7

Bioengineer Brian Hooker, PhD said he disagrees with febrile seizures being characterized as harmless. He said:

Any seizure is bad, period. Mild’ febrile seizures can double a child’s chance of an epilepsy diagnosis and ‘complex’ febrile seizures—lasting more than 15 minutes —can increase that risk up to 10 times.8

On the topic of febrile seizures and childhood vaccines, Mayo Clinic states:

The risk of febrile seizures may increase after some childhood vaccinations. These include the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine and the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. A child can develop a low-grade fever after a vaccination. The fever, not the vaccine, causes the seizure.9

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledges that some vaccines are associated with a higher risk of febrile seizures than others, particularly in infants and young children, and that the risk increases when certain vaccines—such as the influenza, pneumococcal (PCV13), and DTaP vaccines—are administered during the same visit.

The agency also notes that measles-containing vaccines, especially the MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella) combination, are associated with a higher risk of febrile seizures than their single-component counterparts, and that these events tend to occur within specific post-vaccination time windows. Still, CDC guidance emphasizes that the overall risk is small, that febrile seizures are typically short-lived and without lasting harm, and that vaccination should continue according to the recommended schedule.10

“Harmless” Febrile Seizures Can Have Long-Term Health Consequences

A 2023 scientific review published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology found evidence that febrile seizures occurring during early brain development may have long-term consequences later in life.11 According to the review, these outcomes can include conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), epilepsy, and cognitive decline in adolescence and adulthood.

For decades, parents have been told by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and doctors administering vaccines to children that febrile seizures are short-lived and harmless.12 However, the 2023 study provided more evidence that seizures occurring while the brains of infants and children are still developing can cause brain dysfunction that does not become fully apparent until years later.8

Dr. Hooker argues that pharmaceutical companies routinely minimize and normalize vaccine-related adverse events while failing to adequately consider how seizures may disproportionately affect certain populations, including children with autism. “Too many children are being harmed,” he said. “The rate of seizures in autistic people can be as high as 20 percent—with the damage swept under the rug.”8

Flu Shot Label Update Follows Years of Denial About Febrile Seizure Risk

The FDA’s decision follows years of messaging by public health officials and doctors administering vaccines that characterized vaccine-associated febrile seizures as rare and typically harmless. In 2024, a study examining febrile seizures following COVID-19 vaccination in young children confirmed a short-term increase in risk but was widely framed as clinically insignificant, with critics of the study’s conclusions characterized as exaggerating or misinterpreting the findings.

Commentary surrounding the 2024 study emphasized that febrile seizures are “usually harmless,” classified them as “rare” in absolute terms, and an expected consequence of fever rather than the vaccine itself. Often when parents have reported their children were having seizures after vaccination, those reports from parents were dismissed as “coincidental” rather than causal. Yet information published in the medical literature and from institutions such as the Mayo Clinic acknowledges that febrile seizures can and do occur after childhood vaccinations.10

Like many pharmaceutical product warning label updates that occur years or even decades after products are licensed and approved, the febrile seizure risk following influenza vaccinations only became apparent after widespread real-world use and reports of seizures following administration of flu shots to infants and children. A number of adverse events with permanent adverse health outcomes are not detected (or are dismissed by investigators as “coincidental”) during pre-licensure clinical trials of new vaccines, with trial participants often monitored for only a few days or weeks, a limitation critics argue makes it easier for relatively rare but serious harms to remain unnoticed until after widespread use.

The FDA’s citing of a causal relationship between febrile seizures and influenza vaccines requiring a new warning label for flu shots underscores that post-marketing safety signals, even when labeled “rare” or considered to be “coincidental,” still warrant public disclosure.

The FDA has instructed influenza vaccine manufacturers to include the following language on their labels:

In two separate postmarketing observational studies, an increased risk of febrile seizures was observed during the first day following vaccination with standard dose trivalent (2024–2025) and quadrivalent (2023–2024) influenza vaccines in children 6 months through 4 years of age.9

Manufacturers have 30 days to either accept the revised language, propose alternative wording, or submit a formal rebuttal.2

[…]

Via https://thevaccinereaction.org/2026/01/fda-requires-vaccine-makers-to-include-febrile-seizure-warning-on-flu-shot-labels/

Iowa Bill Would Require Medical Examiners to Include Vaccine Records in Infant Death Investigations

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by Brenda Baletti, Ph.D.

Iowa legislators are considering a bill that would require medical examiners to document recent immunizations on the death certificates of children who died from unknown causes, KIMT3 News reported.

Bill sponsor Rep. Samantha Fett of Warren County said this information is important to understand what might be behind deaths categorized as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

“The U.S. continues to have a high SIDS rate compared to every other industrialized nation,” Fett told The Defender. “I believe it is time to start gathering this information for the parents of the children who have died.”

Fett said health departments also should have this information so health officials and medical examiners can ensure that every medication a child takes is taken into consideration when trying to determine why a child died.

Medical researcher Neil Z. Miller, author of numerous books on vaccine safety, told The Defender that “of course” the bill is a good idea.

“A child never dies from ‘unknown causes,’” Miller said. “There is always a reason for death. Often, that reason is vaccines. But medical examiners may be ‘hesitant’ to list vaccines as the probable cause due to intense pressure from medical colleagues.”

The proposed bill would relieve that pressure.

Critics of the bill say the medical review conducted when a child dies is already extensive. A local physician, Dr. Austin Baeth of Polk County, Iowa, said that even considering the bill “gives the signal to Iowans out there that vaccines are dangerous.”

Miller disagreed. “No, the actual harm may be yet another child’s death labeled as being from unknown causes, which can serve as a euphemism for a vaccine-related death.”

A Wright County medical examiner told KIMT3 that there are approximately 30 child deaths per year in Iowa that are attributed to unknown circumstances.

“That is in Iowa alone, a state with a relatively small population,” Miller said. “Conservatively, that would translate to a minimum of 1,500 such deaths nationwide.”

The Republican bill was introduced on Jan. 15. On Monday, a subcommittee advanced the bill to the House Health and Human Services Committee for consideration.

Similar bills have been introduced in Florida, Minnesota and Mississippi. Sen. Paul Rosino of Oklahoma is slated next week to introduce similar legislation in his state.

SIDS linked to vaccines

Fett said that recent studies comparing health outcomes between vaccinated and unvaccinated children put the issue of vaccines and SIDS on her radar.

She also cited a recent analysis of data from the Louisiana Department of Health showing that infants vaccinated in their second month of life were more likely to die in their third month than their unvaccinated counterparts. That study was conducted by scientists from Children’s Health Defense.

A SIDS diagnosis is given when an infant under age 1 dies suddenly, typically during sleep, and an investigation into the death fails to yield a cause. However, 95% of SIDS deaths occur in the first six months of life, peaking at ages 2-4 months.

Each year, the U.S. records more than five infant deaths per 1,000 live births, far exceeding the rates in other high-income countries.

However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) monitoring of the sudden deaths of infants and young people is not comprehensive. A recent study published in JAMA Network Open found that the CDC underestimates the rate of sudden unexplained deaths in childhood and that certification of sudden unexplained pediatric deaths is inconsistent.

After birth defects and prematurity, SIDS is the third leading cause of death among infants. Yet the medical industry claims to remain puzzled about the cause.

The SIDS diagnosis didn’t exist until the late 1960s, when the category was created in response to a rise in sudden unexplained infant deaths.

In the early 1960s, the number of vaccines administered to most U.S. infants increased.

The federal government began appropriating money so the CDC could work with local health departments to vaccinate all children. In 1972, the agency designated the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) as a federal advisory committee. ACIP makes the recommendations for vaccines to be listed on the childhood immunization schedule.

As SIDS rates rose, so did parental concern that SIDS was connected to vaccination. However, health officials assured parents that unexplained death following vaccination was “merely coincidental,” according to Miller’s research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Toxicology Reports.

He also said that before 1979, the ICD included cause-of-death classifications associated with “prophylactic vaccination” as an official cause of death. However, in 1979, the ICD was revised and that category was eliminated. As a result, “medical examiners are compelled to misclassify and conceal vaccine-related fatalities under alternate cause-of-death classifications.”

Instead of examining the link between vaccines and SIDS, public health researchers developed a “triple-risk model” for explaining SIDS.

According to that model, SIDS occurs when a baby has an unknown medical condition, is going through an important period of development where the body changes quickly, and it encounters an outside stressor, such as sleeping on its stomach.

Because this model offers the prevailing theory on causes of infant death, it’s not uncommon for law enforcement to blame parents for the death of babies who die following vaccination.

Police are not educated about possible links between vaccination and SIDS, and information about vaccination is typically not included in coroner’s reports — a gap Iowa’s proposed legislation seeks to correct.

[…]

Via https://tdefender.substack.com/p/iowa-bill-require-medical-examiners-include-vaccine-records-infant-death-investigations

The Epstein Dam Has Broken

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Political Film Blog

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Via https://politicalfilm.wordpress.com/2026/01/31/the-epstein-dam-has-broken/

Epstein files: FBI says Trump compromised by Israel

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A protester holds a placard displaying photographs depicting Jeffrey Epstein (L) and US President Donald Trump (R) while taking part in a demonstration against the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on January 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Press TV

A declassified FBI document released as part of the so-called Epstein files says that US President Donald Trump was compromised by Israel, according to information from a confidential intelligence source.

Trump was vulnerable to Israeli influence through financial and political leverage, the source said.

The Justice Department on Tuesday released more than three million pages of files linked to its long-running investigation into convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, revealing sweeping charges involving powerful political and business figures, including Trump.

Among the disclosed material is a declassified FBI report citing a confidential human source that says Epstein operated as an intelligence asset and was used to exert influence over US political and financial elites.

The report states that Trump was considered susceptible to foreign leverage, particularly from Israel, and describes Epstein as having links to Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad. It says that foreign powers — including Israel, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates — sought influence over US officials through financial ties, political access and compromising material.

The FBI pointed out that much of the material is based on unverified intelligence reporting.

The memo also identifies Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, as a central power broker within both the Trump Organization and the presidency, citing ties to Israeli intelligence-adjacent networks, opaque foreign money flows, and politically connected organizations.

It further references the presidential pardon granted to Kushner’s father as part of what the report characterizes as a broader web of influence.

One section flags Trump’s real-estate dealings, including a Beverly Hills property purchased for about $41 million and later sold for $95 million to a shell company with foreign connections.

The document suggests the transaction may have involved the routing of overseas funds into US projects, though it offers no conclusive evidence.

The report also claims that Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz was “co-opted” to cultivate elite political networks, and that Epstein served as a conduit to senior figures across politics, finance and academia.

Other high-profile names referenced in the files include Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton and Britain’s Prince Andrew.

The White House rejected the allegations. In a statement cited by CNN, the Justice Department described reports involving Trump as “unfounded and false,” claiming many references stem from unverified tips.

The release marks the largest disclosure to date in the Epstein case — a scandal the Trump administration has repeatedly struggled to put behind it due to the president’s past association with the disgraced financier.

For years, Epstein-related investigations have fueled speculation, conspiracy theories, and accusations of government cover-ups, with critics demanding a full public accounting.

Among the documents is an FBI list compiled in August 2025 detailing sexual assault allegations connected to Trump, included within the millions of files made public by the Justice Department.

[…]

Via https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/01/31/763259/Epstein-files-FBId-documents-indicate-Trump-compromised-by-Israel

Hundreds line up in Calgary to sign petition urging vote on Alberta separation

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Alberta Independence Movement Surges as Thousands Sign Referendum ...

By Adam MacVicar
Hundreds of people lined up Monday at Calgary’s Stampede grounds to sign their names on a petition calling for the Alberta government to hold a referendum on the province’s separation from Canada.

Calgary is the most recent stop for a group called Stay Free Alberta that has been given the OK by Elections Alberta to gather names.

They need almost 178,000 signatures by May, and similar long lines have been seen in recent weeks in other locations.

“I think this is a really strong message to the government of Alberta that Alberta is going to be a free and independent country so they better get their heads around it,” said Jeffrey Rath of Stay Free Alberta.

The push for independence comes amid ongoing suggestions from the U.S. government that perhaps Alberta would like to join its neighbour to the south.

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Some of those in the lineup on Monday said they want to join the U.S., while others said no.

Some say separation might be the only way to fix what they call a toxic relationship with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government.

Meanwhile, Alberta’s opposition New Democrats are calling on all government MLAs to sign a pledge declaring whether or not they support separation.

“We’ve got to take this seriously and we have to stand up on the side of Canada and Team Canada,” said NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi at a news conference in Calgary on Monday.

“We cannot repeat the mistakes of 1995 in Canada, we cannot repeat the mistakes of Brexit, so I’m reaching out to all Albertans, saying let’s stand up for what we really believe in.”

The NDP says the separatism debate is proving harmful to the province’s interests, potentially costing jobs.

The UCP caucus did not say whether they’d sign the pledge, calling it a distraction, and accusing Nenshi of fearmongering.

Premier Danielle Smith has said she supports a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada, a phrase that Nenshi called nonsensical “word salad.”

A new Ipsos poll suggests 29 per cent of Albertans support the province’s separation from Canada, but when faced with the costs and consequences of doing so, only half of those interested in separatism are truly committed to following through.

“I think there are a lot of questions about clarity and even though the question is clearly ‘Do you want to leave?’, the motive for voting yes in this referendum is quite unclear,” said Lori Williams, a political science professor at Calgary’s Mount Royal University.

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Via https://globalnews.ca/news/11638672/calgary-lineup-alberta-separation-petition/