K Ghoul

It’s not fear mongering, it’s a discussion of a situation that has been in the political talks for quite some time now: “Russia says it may be forced to deploy mid-range nuclear missiles in Europe Dec 13 (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday it may be forced to deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe in response to what it sees as NATO's plans to do the same. The warning from Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov raised the risk of a new arms build-up on the continent, with East-West tensions at their worst since the Cold War ended three decades ago. Ryabkov said Russia would be forced to act if the West declined to join it in a moratorium on intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) in Europe - part of a package of security guarantees it is seeking as the price for defusing the crisis over Ukraine.“ https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-says-lack-nato-security-guarantees-would-lead-confrontation-ria-2021-12-13/

The US should have their nuke deterrents in high alert right now. Who knows what Russians have up their sleeve in terms of nuclear arsenal (how fast their warheads travel).

Putin has been conducting Iskander trainings etc. and making public comments how any country who tries to oppose or try to interfere with what he’s doing will see “consequences never seen before in the history of their country”. This is hardly a surprise.

if I die I become you

same thing no idea i don’t think so

x D hey purp check it, this is what bes means in Russian:

Get well soon

I’d flash him before killing him

no purp, nothing like that I’m just a simple person who likes to live in simple ways.

Hmmmm. Considering the fact that I have no national identity or sense of allegiance/belonging to any country and no family/loved ones to live for, I would most likely join the military and spend my last days playing with guns and shooting the enemy. Hopefully would get gunned down as opposed to getting captured, tortured and raped but those are the risks that I am willing to take

Many still maintain myopic views towards it and are unable to see how Ukraine got played.

"Facebook will temporarily allow its billions of users to praise the Azov Battalion, a Ukrainian neo-Nazi military unit previously banned from being freely discussed under the company’s Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy, The Intercept has learned. The policy shift, made this week, is pegged to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and preceding military escalations. The Azov Battalion, which functions as an armed wing of the broader Ukrainian white nationalist Azov movement, began as a volunteer anti-Russia militia before formally joining the Ukrainian National Guard in 2014; the regiment is known for its hardcore right-wing ultranationalism and the neo-Nazi ideology pervasive among its members. Though it has in recent years downplayed its neo-Nazi sympathies, the group’s affinities are not subtle: Azov soldiers march and train wearing uniforms bearing icons of the Third Reich; its leadership has reportedly courted American alt-right and neo-Nazi elements; and in 2010, the battalion’s first commander and a former Ukrainian parliamentarian, Andriy Biletsky, stated that Ukraine’s national purpose was to “lead the white races of the world in a final crusade … against Semite-led Untermenschen [subhumans].” With Russian forces reportedly moving rapidly against targets throughout Ukraine, Facebook’s blunt, list-based approach to moderation puts the company in a bind: What happens when a group you’ve deemed too dangerous to freely discuss is defending its country against a full-scale assault? According to internal policy materials reviewed by The Intercept, Facebook will “allow praise of the Azov Battalion when explicitly and exclusively praising their role in defending Ukraine OR their role as part of the Ukraine’s National Guard.” Internally published examples of speech that Facebook now deems acceptable include “Azov movement volunteers are real heroes, they are a much needed support to our national guard”; “We are under attack. Azov has been courageously defending our town for the last 6 hours”; and “I think Azov is playing a patriotic role during this crisis.” The materials stipulate that Azov still can’t use Facebook platforms for recruiting purposes or for publishing its own statements and that the regiment’s uniforms and banners will remain as banned hate symbol imagery, even while Azov soldiers may fight wearing and displaying them. In a tacit acknowledgement of the group’s ideology, the memo provides two examples of posts that would not be allowed under the new policy: “Goebbels, the Fuhrer and Azov, all are great models for national sacrifices and heroism” and “Well done Azov for protecting Ukraine and it’s white nationalist heritage.” In a statement to The Intercept, company spokesperson Erica Sackin confirmed the decision but declined to answer questions about the new policy. Azov’s formal Facebook ban began in 2019, and the regiment, along with several associated individuals like Biletsky, were designated under the company’s prohibition against hate groups, subject to its harshest “Tier 1” restrictions that bar users from engaging in “praise, support, or representation” of blacklisted entities across the company’s platforms. Facebook’s previously secret roster of banned groups and persons, published by The Intercept last year, categorized the Azov Battalion alongside the likes of the Islamic State and the Ku Klux Klan, all Tier 1 groups because of their propensity for “serious offline harms” and “violence against civilians.” Indeed, a 2016 report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights found that Azov soldiers had raped and tortured civilians during Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine. The exemption will no doubt create confusion for Facebook’s moderators, tasked with interpreting the company’s muddled and at time contradictory censorship rules under exhausting conditions. While Facebook users may now praise any future battlefield action by Azov soldiers against Russia, the new policy notes that “any praise of violence” committed by the group is still forbidden; it’s unclear what sort of nonviolent warfare the company anticipates. Facebook’s new stance on Azov is “nonsensical” in the context of its prohibitions against offline violence, said Dia Kayyali, a researcher specializing in the real-world effects of content moderation at the nonprofit Mnemonic. “It’s typical Facebook,” Kayyali added, noting that while the exemption will permit ordinary Ukrainians to more freely discuss a catastrophe unfolding around them that might otherwise be censored, the fact that such policy tweaks are necessary reflects the dysfunctional state of Facebook’s secret blacklist-based Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy. “Their assessments of what is a dangerous organization should always be contextual; there shouldn’t be some special carveout for a group that would otherwise fit the policy just because of a specific moment in time. They should have that level of analysis all the time.” Though the change may come as welcome news to critics who say that the sprawling, largely secret Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy can stifle online free expression, it also offers further evidence that Facebook determines what speech is permissible based on the foreign policy judgments of the United States. Last summer, for instance, Motherboard reported that Facebook similarly carved out an exception to its censorship policies in Iran, temporarily allowing users to post “Death to Khamenei” for a two-week period. “I do think it is a direct response to U.S. foreign policy,” Kayyali said of the Azov exemption. “That has always been how the … list works.” Source: https://theintercept.com/2022/02/24/ukraine-facebook-azov-battalion-russia/ Note: Check with Leo first if Actualized.org supports this idea before you start posting images of symbols that resemble black swastika on a yellow background.

By Yarno Ritzen and Al Jazeera Investigative Unit Published On 10 Jul 2020 Facebook used extensively to spread neo-Nazi music. "Last year, Facebook announced it would no longer allow white supremacist content on its platform, claiming, “these concepts are deeply linked to organized hate groups and have no place on our services”. An Al Jazeera investigation identified some 120 pages belonging to bands with openly white supremacist and racist views. Facebook has removed several pages belonging to music groups espousing white supremacist ideology following an investigation by Al Jazeera into the prevalence of such bands on the social media platform. Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit identified more than 120 pages from mostly heavy metal groups and record labels with direct ties to white supremacy. The pages had gained a total of more than 800,000 likes and some have been online for more than 10 years. After sending five examples to Facebook, the platform initially removed three of the pages of such bands, adding that the two others were under review. Later, one other page was removed. The four removed pages of the SoldierSS of Evil, Whitelaw, Frakass and Frangar groups all violated Facebook’s policies, according to the social media giant. However, other pages identified by Al Jazeera are still online in breach of the company’s policies on hate speech. The news comes the same week Facebook released an internal audit that heavily criticised the company’s record on addressing civil rights and preventing hate speech. The findings also come two weeks after more than 500 companies, including Coca-Cola and Starbucks, pledged to no longer advertise on Facebook as long as it does not take concrete steps to block hate speech amid a national and international reckoning over racism following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, at the hands of white police in the United States. Anti-semitic lyrics and swastikas Al Jazeera discovered the majority of the pages have been online for years, with many actively posting news on upcoming performances, music releases and advertising for merchandise, sometimes using white supremacist imagery. One of the more popular pages belongs to M8l8th, a black metal music act from Ukraine, whose full name means Hitler’s Hammer. The two 8s refer to the letter H, the eighth letter in the alphabet. Both 88 and the double H are common shorthand in neo-Nazi circles for Heil Hitler. In its songs, M8l8th uses parts of a speech by Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels and the Horst Wessel-Lied, the official anthem of the Nazi Party from 1930 to 1945. The band’s founder, a Russian national named Alexey Levkin, is closely linked to Ukraine’s far-right nationalist Azov Battalion, which is currently fighting in Ukraine’s continuing conflict against Russian-backed separatists. Levkin is also one of the organisers of Asgardsrei, a neo-Nazi music festival held annually in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. Festivalgoers have been seen waving swastika flags and making Nazi salutes. Al Jazeera identified Facebook pages belonging to bands that have performed at Asgardsrei, including Goatmoon, a Finnish black metal band whose page has more than 12,000 likes. Despite denying links to white supremacy, an image posted on the band’s Facebook page shows a picture of one of the guitarists with a tattoo blurred. Uncensored pictures indicate that the tattoo is of a swastika." Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/7/10/exclusive-facebook-used-extensively-to-spread-neo-nazi-music There seems to be concrete reasons why someone would associate Azov Battalion with neo-Nazism.

Finally, someone who could explain these terms to me. Thank you!

can anyone suggest the best/confirmed brand that provides full protection from noises? I used to get construction grade ear plugs from a local store but they closed (they are yellow on a blue string, don’t know which brand) Has anyone also tried switching from wearing ear plugs to listening to white noise instead? I listen during the day but I don’t know how safe it is on the brain to listen at night as well /suggest

same here

Okay let's just wait. I will try my best not to engage anymore haha

You can't be serous... Would you like me to switch my thesis and the subject of research? Or would you like me to just sit silently in the corner and not say a word - would that help get you off my back?

I am writing a research paper on the issue of National Socialism and white supremacy that exists in our society, if you must know. This article is relevant to what I am working on and interested in. You or someone else having a problem with things that interest me is just not something that I care about.

@K Ghoul Please see below: Do you distinguish between the terms neo-NAZI and National Socialist, or you use those terms interchangeably? This needs to be clarified. What are your thoughts on Alexey Levkin?

That was me being lazy. As I have already explained

@hello1234 The title of the article "Facebook allows praise of neo-Nazi Ukrainian battalion if it fights Russian invasion" wasn't my choice - I copy-pasted it from the original source - https://theintercept.com/2022/02/24/ukraine-facebook-azov-battalion-russia/ Neither it was Putin's choice to call Azov Battalion neo-Nazis - that's pretty much international consensus to use this terminology on them. If you could now address the questions that I presented earlier, that would be helpful for the discussion.

Do you distinguish between the terms neo-NAZI and National Socialist, or you use those terms interchangeably? This needs to be clarified. What are your thoughts on Alexey Levkin? Here's a bit of a background info in case you are not familiar with who he is: "In Ukraine, tickets for WSE (white supremacist extremists) concerts are available for purchase by the public, vetting of attendees is often not required, and the venues are large, with some hosting up to 1,500 people. One of the most notable NSBM concerts, the Asgardsrei festival, occurs every December in Kyiv. The 2019 Asgardsrei festival hosted NSBM bands from across Europe and beyond, including Goatmoon from Finland, M8L8TH from Russia, and Evil from Brazil. A total of 15 bands from eight different countries performed. Asgardsrei was originally founded in Russia by Russian WSE Alexey Levkin, who moved to Ukraine to fight with the Azov Battalion and brought the festival with him. Asgardsrei now plays a large role in the broader Azov movement’s publicity efforts. In addition to Asgardsrei, Kyiv also hosts Fortress Europe at the same venue as Asgardsrei." Source: https://www.congress.gov/117/meeting/house/111244/witnesses/HHRG-117-BA10-Wstate-Gartenstein-RossD-20210225.pdf

@Leo Gura Title updated

Sorry, didn't know it wasn't allowed so I just copy-pasted. It's not letting me modify it. Could you edit it? Here's the updated title: Facebook allows praise of neo-Nazi Ukrainian battalion if it fights Russian invasion