Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts

Sunday, January 31, 2021

The St. bartholomew massacre

St. Bartholomew's Day massacre - Wikipedia
THE NAME FRANCE IS DERIVED FROM THE FRANKISH WORD FRANK (GER. FREI) WHICH MEANS FREE AS IN: "THEREFORE IF THE SON MAKES YOU FREE, YOU SHALL BE FREE INDEED (ST. JOHN 7:36).

Here is an English language quote based on a true history of France entitled Franco-Gallia by a Massacre survivor named François Hotman:

Gaul returned to a tradition of more freedom with the arrival of the Franks. They were originally a Germanic tribe living on the coasts of northern Europe, between the Rhine and the Elbe. Their very name reflects their love of freedom, as frank means "free" in German. The Franks were originally a fairly small band, but other Germanic peoples entering Gaul adopted their name out of admiration for their leading role in overthrowing the tyranny of the Romans. (Kingdon, Myths About the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, p. 143).

The old Frankish language was replaced by the French language which is a Romance language derived from Latin with only a few Frankish words remaining to remind the French of the liberty-loving Franks.

The French Christians were given the derogatory name "Huguenot" by the Jesuits. Unlike the word "Protestant," which came from the corrupt Latin Vulgate Version, the origin of that word is still obscure.

Satan is the same in every country, so Empress Tzu Hsi engineered a Chinese St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1900.

On August 15, 1534, Ignatius Loyola and 6 of his companions founded the Jesuit order on a hilltop outside Paris. The deadly 6 founders were: Ignatius Loyola, Francis Xavier, Alfonso Salmeron, Diego Laínez, Nicolás Bobadilla, Peter Faber, and Simão Rodrigues. Francis Borgia, the grandson of Pope Alexander VI, and the éminence grise behind the new order–was not present at that time. 

On August 15, 1534, the Jesuit order was founded on a hilltop outside Paris called Montmartre. It was originally a Druid shrine where human sacrifices were made to Esus.

A basilica to the Sacred Heart of Jesus now dominates Montmartre.

The original French name of the Jesuits was la Sociéte des Pères du Sacré-Coeur de Jésus.

In 1540, Pope Paul III officially recognized the "new" Militia of Zeus and Minerva....In reality, the Jesuits were just warmed-over or incognito Franciscans....They were the shock troops or special forces of the Counter-Reformation. They were excused from chanting the Psalms; they did not have to wear the round tonsure, they were allowed to wear civilian clothes, and their general was elected for life. 

The planning for the Massacre began immediately after the founding of the Jesuits. The glorious Reformation, begun in Germany on October 31, 1517, had spread to France–and was joyfully received. A great change had come over the people as industry and learning began to flourish, and so rapidly did the Truth spread that over a third of the French population of 20,000,000 embraced the Reformed Christian Faith.

True Christianity was also making progress at the highest echelon of French society. In 1521, Anne Boleyn—the future queen of England—returned from a 5-year-stay at the French Court . . . burning with zeal to rescue her nation from Papal darkness. 

Walsingham "hid" in the British embassy and escaped the Massacre. He was not even FIRED for incompetence . . . but was promoted to become the queen's Secretary of State in 1573....That was an incredible failure of intelligence for the legendary British Secret Service!!

The Massacre happened at a time of great friendship and ecumenical goodwill between the French Christians and the Vatican. The French Christians were derisively called "Huguenots" by the Latin

Alarmingly for the Jesuits, the French Christians ignored the Bull of Borgia granting the entire New World to Spain. In 1562, Jean Ribault led a colonizing expedition to South Carolina . . . which was brutally wiped out by the Spanish. 

Catherine married Henry II of France in 1533. For the first 10 years of their marriage she produced no children. In desperation, she entered into a pact with Lucifer himself, and eventually produced 10 "children." One of her daughters, Elizabeth, married Philip II of Spain. 

Charles was the eldest son of King Francis II (1544–1560), who suffered an untimely death in a jousting tournament. Charles was only 10-years-old at that time, so his mother Catherine became Regent, and de-facto ruler of the country. Unlike England, French Salic law prohibited females from inheriting the throne, otherwise Catherine would have joined Elizabeth of England and Mary Queen of Scots as an independent sovereign.

The lure to get the admiral to Paris was the wedding of King Henry III of Navarre to Marguerite de Valois. Marguerite was the daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici.

Admiral Coligny was without doubt the most famous man in France, and a leader in the French effort to plant the New Israel in the New World. The 1562 colony that was founded by Jean Ribault in South Carolina was wiped out by the Spanish Inquisition. 

On the morning of Friday, August 22, Admiral Coligny was walking back from the Louvre after a meeting with King Charles. The admiral was near home when suddenly he bent down to tie his shoelace. At that moment a shot rang out, wounding . . . but not killing the admiral:

On the morning of Friday, 22 August, the government recess for the marriage celebrations being now over, Admiral Gaspard de Coligny left his lodgings on the rue de Béthizy–today No. 144 rue de Rivoli–for a council meeting that was to start at nine o'clock. He had wished to press for French military intervention in Flanders, but to his frustration he found Anjou presiding over the meeting as the King had risen late. Anjou left the meeting early and when matters had been concluded the Admiral came across the King on his way with Téligny and the Duke of Guise to play a game of tennis. Charles begged Coligny to join him for a game but the Admiral refused. They parted at around eleven o'clock and Coligny left the Louvre for his short walk home, reading a document while he did so. As he approached the window at which Maurevert was hiding a binding on one of his shoes came loose and he bent down to fix it. Just as he did so, a shot rang out. The bullet broke his left arm and almost tore the index finger off his right hand. Had he not bent over at the critical moment he would have been mortally wounded. (Frieda, Catherine de Medici, p. 259).

 Charles de Louviers, seignor de Maurevert, lay in wait for days to kill Admiral Coligny . . . but in the end his attempt ended in failure. 

Catherine didn't care if her son was killed in the "assassination" attempt because she was the real ruler of France. This false flag operation was similar to the Gunpowder Plot in England....Our Great JEHOVAH brought their wicked council to nothing:

JEHOVAH brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect
(Psalm 33:10).

In preparation for the Massacre, friendly diplomatic relations also began between long-time rivals England and France. The Treaty of Blois was signed on April 19, 1572, between Queen Elizabeth and Catherine de' Medici. Based on the terms of the treaty, France and England relinquished their historic rivalry and established an alliance against Spain:

In June, the Queen Mother sent to London, as ambassador extraordinary, the Duke of Montmorency, with powers to ratify the Treaty of Blois and formally offer Alencon as a husband for the Queen. Elizabeth was a gracious hostess, entertaining the embassy lavishly and investing the Duke with the Order of the Garter, but she was noncommittal about the marriage proposal, citing her reservations about Alencon's age and appearance. When Montmorency left, she promised that she would consider the matter and give King Charles her answer within a month. She then told Burghley to instruct Walshingham to submit a full report. (Weir, The Life of Queen Elizabeth I, p. 285).

Sir "Francis" Walshingham was the queen's "spymaster" and eyes and ears throughout Europe.

To distinguish between the murderers and the French Christians, a white cross was sown on their hats.

It is true that England and France were always bitter enemies . . . but that was Papal England and Papal France!!           

 References
Algrant, Christine Pevitt. Madame de Pompadour, Mistress of France. Grove Press, New York. 2002.
Bernier, Olivier. Louis the Beloved. The Life of Louis XV. Doubleday & Co., Garden City, New York, 1984.
Crowdy, Terry. The Enemy Within: A History of Spies, Spymasters and Espionage. Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, 2006.
Erickson, Carolly, The First Elizabeth. St. Martin's Press, New York, 1983.
Frieda, Leonie. Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France. HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 2003.
Hotman, François. Franco-Gallia: or, an Account of the Ancient Free State of France. Tim. Goodwin, London, 1711.
Haynes, Alan. Walshingham: Elizabethan Spymaster and Statesman. Sutton Publishing, Gloustershire, UK, 2007.
Kingdon, Robert M. Myth's About the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MASS, 1988.
Lever, Evelyne. Madame de Pompadour. A Life. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2000.
Nicolini, G.B. History of the Jesuits. George Bell & Sons, London & New York, 1893.
Noguerès, Henry. The Massacre of Saint Bartholomew. The Macmillan Company, New York, 1959.
Smith, H.C. The Bonapartes. The History of a Dynasty. Hambledon & London, London & New York, 2000.
Somerset, Anne, Elizabeth I. St. Martin's Griffin, New York, 1991.
Weir, Alison. The Life of Queen Elizabeth I. Ballantine Books, New York, 1998.

         Reformation

The horrible St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

August 24, 1572, was the date of the infamous Jesuit engineered St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. On that day, over 400 years ago, began one of the most horrifying holocausts in history.

The Massacre began with the brutal murder of Admiral Coligny . . . in his bedroom.

Henry, Duke of Guise
Henry, Duke of Guise
(1550–1588).
 

At 2 A.M., on the morning of August 24, Henry, duke of Guise, led about 300 soldiers to the home of Admiral Coligny.

The murders entered his house by force and found the admiral by his bedside praying.

The admiral was brutally stabbed to death and his body thrown out the window.

 
The brutal murder of
The brutal murder of
Admiral Coligny.

When Catherine de Medici heard news of his death, she ordered the big bell of St. Germain L'Auxerrous to be rung. That was the agreed on signal for the Massacre to begin. Soon other church bells throughout the city began to ring and the deadly holocaust commenced.

The Church of Saint-Germain L'Auxerrois.
The Church of Saint-Germain L'Auxerrois.
 

The signal for the Massacre to begin was the ringing of the bell of Saint-Germain L'Auxerrois.

The Cardinal de Lorraine was in Rome at that time, but thousands of Certificates of Indulgences (certificat d'indulgence), were preprinted with his signature.

The priests and friars used these licenses to kill to encourage the murderers and absolve them in advance!!


The Cardinal de Lorraine (1524–1574).
The Cardinal de Lorraine
(1524–1574).

If the murderers happened to be killed in the carnage, the priests and friars assured them that their Certificates would cause the doors of Paradise to open wide for them.

Catherine de' Medici exults over the dead bodies of the Huguenots.
Catherine de' Medici rejoiced over the
dead bodies of the
French Christians.


The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre was one of the greatest crimes in the history of the world.

Total victims numbered over 100,000 Christians throughout France.

When confronted with the choice of the mass or death, very few choose the mass.


Blood flowed like a river in the streets of Paris.
The Catholics were acting like Muslims
during the Massacre!

When dawn broke on the morning of August 24, such a sight of carnage had never been seen in the entire history of the world. Paris was a literal Dante's Inferno slaughterhouse....Men, women, and children were stripped naked and their bodies horribly mutilated.

Catherine de' Medici came out to gloat over and inspect the bodies of the slain. She wondered if the bodies of the Christians were normal because they could not be seduced by her courtesans.

After the brutal murder of Admiral Coligny, his head was cut off, and taken to the royal palace as a trophy for the king and queen mother. It was later embalmed and sent to Rome as a "present" for Pope Gregory XIII.

King Philip II (1527-1598).
King Philip II (1527-1598).
King from 1554 to 1598.


King Philip II of Spain financed the Massacre with New World gold and silver.

When news of the Massacre reached him, he "laughed for the first time on record."

Jesuit general Francis Borgia was the overall coordinator of the Massacre.


Francis Borgia (1510–1572).
Francis Borgia (1510–1572).
Jesuit general from 1565 to 1572.

Beginning in Paris, the Massacre spread rapidly to all the cities, towns, and villages....The streets were awash with blood and the rivers were filled with dead bodies. Men, women, and children were all consumed by the murderous conflagration. Total victims exceeded 100,000. Not until the atomic bombing of Hiroshima were so many people killed in so short a time.

Queen Elizabeth heard the news on September 3:

By 22 August, the Queen had arrived at Kenilworth to be entertained by Leicester, who had arranged all kinds of 'princely sports.' But on 3 September, while she was out hunting one day, a messenger arrived with a dispatch from Walsingham in Paris that caused her to burst into tears, cancel all further entertainments and send de la Mole back to France. A Spanish agent in London informed Alva that she had 'sent all her musicians and minstrels home, and there are no more of the dances, farces and entertainments with which they have been amusing themselves lately, as they have some less agreeable things to think about.' (Weir, The Life of Queen Elizabeth I, p. 287).

Queen Elizabeth put on a good act of "grieving," while Mary Queen of Scots stayed up all night celebrating. Pope Gregory XIII was beside himself with joy.

Pope Gregory XIII (1502-1585).
Pope Gregory XIII (1502–1585).
Pope from1572 to 1585.

 

Pope Gregory XIII was delirious with joy when he heard of the Massacre.

The Gregorian calendar—now universally used—is named after him!

 

The Massacre Medal of Pope Gregory XIII.
The Massacre Medal of Pope Gregory XIII.

 
After the Massacre, Pope Gregory celebrated a Te Deum mass. Italian artist Giorgio Vasari painted 3 frescoes which still hang in the Sala Regia Palace next to the Cistine Chapel. A commemorate medal was struck with Gregory's portrait and on the obverse a chastising angel, sword in hand, and the legend UGONOTTORUM STRAGES ("Massacre of the Huguenots"). Pope Gregory designated September 11 as a joint holiday (Feast of the unholy Rosary) to celebrate the Battle of Lepanto and the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre!!
The Massacre was a staggering blow to France from which it never fully recovered. Most of the Christians were artisans and belonged to the middle class. Many of them found a refuge in Germany, Switzerland, England, and Ireland and those countries benefited greatly by their industry and maritime skills.        
 
References
Algrant, Christine Pevitt. Madame de Pompadour, Mistress of France. Grove Press, New York. 2002.
Bernier, Olivier. Louis the Beloved. The Life of Louis XV. Doubleday & Co., Garden City, New York, 1984.
Crowdy, Terry. The Enemy Within: A History of Spies, Spymasters and Espionage. Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, 2006.
Erickson, Carolly, The First Elizabeth. St. Martin's Press, New York, 1983.
Frieda, Leonie. Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France. HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 2003.
Hotman, François. Franco-Gallia: or, an Account of the Ancient Free State of France. Tim. Goodwin, London, 1711.
Haynes, Alan. Walshingham: Elizabethan Spymaster and Statesman. Sutton Publishing, Gloustershire, UK, 2007.
Kingdon, Robert M. Myth's About the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MASS, 1988.
Lever, Evelyne. Madame de Pompadour. A Life. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2000.
Nicolini, G.B. History of the Jesuits. George Bell & Sons, London & New York, 1893.
Noguerès, Henry. The Massacre of Saint Bartholomew. The Macmillan Company, New York, 1959.
Smith, H.C. The Bonapartes. The History of a Dynasty. Hambledon & London, London & New York, 2000.
Somerset, Anne, Elizabeth I. St. Martin's Griffin, New York, 1991.
Weir, Alison. The Life of Queen Elizabeth I. Ballantine Books, New York, 1998.
 

Monday, November 30, 2020

Paris in flames

Express  Nov 28, 2020

Thousands of people across France took to the streets to protest and demand a free press. The protests have been ongoing during the past week after a video of police allegedly beating Black music producer Michel Zecler sparked anger about a draft law that is seen as curbing the right of journalists to report on police brutality. In Paris, protesters set street furniture on fire and clashed with police as they tried to block access to certain streets. Gérald Darmanin, Mr Macron’s interior minister, tweeted: "37 police officers and gendarmes injured in provisional results during the demonstrations. I once again condemn the unacceptable violence against the police."

Friday, July 31, 2020

French archbishop calls for monthly 'lockdown Sunday'

French archbishop calls for monthly 'lockdown Sunday'

The Tablet June 2020

People work out at a fitness center in Lille, northern France, June 15, 2020. In a televised address to the nation on Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron declared 'a first victory' over the pandemic, announcing a return to normalcy.
Sebastien Courdji/Xinhua/PA

French bishops conference head Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort has said the recent pandemic shutdown had shown both the planet and its people needed "a real day of Sunday rest" and suggested France designate one Sunday a month as a locked-down day.

Responding to President Emmanuel Macron’s call for the faiths to share their post-lockdown reflections, he said the 10 weeks of “suspended time” had made people realise how modern life had led to "the constant acceleration of time”.

He said in his written reply: "Many have heard the birds again and have been able to observe the arrival of spring like never before in their lifetime.” Admitting it was probably “a waking dream”, he suggested a monthly “real Sunday rest … for people, but also for cities (and) the Earth.”

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

New Zealand, France plan bid to tackle extremism on social media

Reuters. April 23, 2019
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - In the wake of the Christchurch attack, New Zealand said on Wednesday that it would work with France in an effort to stop social media from being used to promote terrorism and violent extremism. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement that she will co-chair a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on May 15 that will seek to have world leaders and CEOs of tech companies agree to a pledge, called the Christchurch Call, to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Merkel: EU leaders should one day consider “a real, true European army”

The Guardian   13 Nov 2018
Angela Merkel has said EU leaders should one day consider “a real, true European army” shortly after Donald Trump ramped up a Twitter attack on Emmanuel Macron over the same idea.

Speaking to the European parliament in Strasbourg, the German chancellor backed the bold step in European defence policy, as part of a speech extolling the need for EU cooperation in migration, climate change and counter-terrorism. “The times when we could rely on others is past,” she said.

To a mix of applause and jeers from Eurosceptic MEPs, she said: “We have to look at the vision of one day creating a real, true European army.” The chancellor said the idea would complement Nato, but gave no details on when the ambitious idea could become reality.

Her words echoed those of the French president, who in an interview said Europe needed to better defend itself.

Trump took umbrage at what he saw as a call by Macron for a European army as protection against the US, conflating earlier comments from the French president on cyber threats. The US president escalated his attack on Tuesday with a number of insulting tweets.

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Global marches seek urgent action on climate change

PARIS — More than 18,000 people marched Saturday in Paris as part of an international mobilization to show popular support for urgent measures to combat climate change in advance of a San Francisco summit.

Crowds overflowed a plaza in front of City Hall before marching east to the Place de la Republique, carrying an urgent message that it’s up to the public to put global warming at the top of the political agenda.

“Planet in Danger,” read some banners.
Activists around the world encouraged “Rise for Climate” protests before the summit taking place Sept.12-Sept. 14. California’s governor proposed the event after President Donald Trump vowed to pull the U.S. out of a landmark 2015 climate accord.

The international agreement was negotiated in France, and the French capital’s march was more successful than ones held Saturday in other French cities or elsewhere in Europe.
Environmental groups said the organized hundreds of events around the globe Saturday to highlight the issue.

Thousands of people took to the streets of San Francisco, marching about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the city’s piers to City Hall. Demonstrators banged drums, sang and hoisted signs that said “Rise for climate justice” and “Not a penny more for dirty energy.” They called for politicians to spearhead a transition to 100 percent renewable energy.

Friday, August 17, 2018

French doctor treating homosexuality by homeopathy faces medical investigation

RT 16 Aug, 2018
A French doctor who claimed that homosexuality can be treated by alternative medicine is facing a Swiss government probe. The Geneva-based homeopath Jean-Yves Henry said homosexuality is “not a pathology but a special symptom.”
Henry published a paper saying that homosexuality is a symptom of illness, and can be treated with homeopathy and alternative medicine depending on the patient’s gender. Geneva regional health minister Mauro Poggia has urged the government body that oversees health professionals and patient rights in the Swiss canton to investigate the doctor’s practice.
“For him, it would seem that homosexuality is an illness to cure. This element is enough to justify opening an investigation,” Poggia told Le Courrier daily. The case was brought to Poggia’s attention following significant backlash on social media, with Twitter users dubbing the French doctor a “clown,” an “insult to science,” and a “charlatan.”

Sunday, April 29, 2018

Remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron that he wanted to repair church-state ties caused uproar


 


France24 2018-04-11 

The Catholic Church and the state were for centuries virtually indistinguishable in France but the 1789 Revolution and 19th century modernisation saw the two formally separated by a 1905 law.

Macron, who prides himself on tackling difficult issues head-on, told a meeting of bishops Monday that he hoped to repair relations with the Church through a "dialogue of truth".

"A president of the French republic who takes no interest in the Church and its Catholics would be failing in his duty," he said.

Former socialist prime minister Manuel Valls, who backed Macron for president in 2017, tweeted that "secularism is France".

"Secularism is the jewel in our crown. That is what a president of the republic should be defending," newly-installed Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure said in a tweet.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, lead of the left-wing France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party, said Macron's remarks were "irresponsible".

"Macron in full-on metaphysical delirium. Outrageous. One expects a president, one gets a little priest," Melenchon said in a tweet.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, who is responsible for government relations with religious groups, said Macron's remarks reflected the need for greater spiritual awareness and did not undermine France's secular traditions.

"What he is saying is that for human beings, there is not only the material world but also the search for absolute values, for spirituality, to find meaning in life," he said.

"It is perhaps a new tone but in no way does it break with the great tradition of secularism."

Opinion polls show the French roughly split between believers and non-believers while the role and place of religion in the country remains sensitive.

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

French president Emmanuel Macron has declared he will govern France like Jupiter, the Roman king of the gods

by Jack Montgomery4 Jul 2017
Summoning over 900 politicians from both houses of the French parliament to a rare Congress at the palace of Louis XIV – the ‘Sun King’ – in Versailles, he threatened to overrule lawmakers with a referendum if they try to frustrate the “reforms” he wishes to impose on the legislature. Such assemblies are usually reserved for times of national crisis.
Reuters reports him as saying he desires to reign as a “Jupiterian” president – “a remote, dignified figure, like the Roman god of gods, who weighs his rare pronouncements carefully".
This bizarre statement of intent comes just days after Macron scrapped the president’s traditional Bastille Day press conference, with an Elysée Palace official claiming the 39-year-old’s thoughts are “too complex” for journalists.
Macron’s “complex thought process lends itself badly to the game of question-and-answer with journalists”, the spokesman explained – prompting much mockery in the French press.
It has been speculated that Macron is keen to cultivate an aloof, almost imperial aura after being derided as a placeman for the unpopular socialist François Hollande, in whose government he served as economy minister, or as a poodle for Angela Merkel, the German chancellor widely regarded as the European Union’s driving force.
“You are the heir of François Hollande,” scoffed nationalist rival Marine Le Pen during their head-to-head election debate. “We now call you Baby Hollande; Hollande Junior!”
She added that, whatever the outcome of the election, “France will be led by a woman: either me or Mrs. Merkel.”
Much of the commentary on Macron’s alleged natural submissiveness hints at his relationship with his wife – twenty-five years his senior – with Italy’s larger-than-life former president Silvio Berlusconi teasing that he is “a nice lad with a good-looking mum”.
Efforts by the EU loyalist to strengthen his public standing by picking fights with the governments of Central Europe, who have been resolutely defiant in the face of attempts by Brussels to impose compulsory migrant quotas on them, have been less than successful.
Hungarian premier Viktor Orbán gently dismissed him as “a new boy” who had yet to find his feet.
“Macron’s entrance wasn’t too encouraging, as he thought the best way to show friendship was to immediately kick Central European countries. This isn’t how we do things around here, but he’ll soon get to know his way around,” he added.
Posing as the EU’s champion against President Donald Trump has also backfired, with a pointed, public snub of the U.S. leader in favour of Angela Merkel and other Europeans at a NATO summit ending in embarrassment when the 70-year-old manhandled him with a powerful handshake.
Macron was clearly rattled by the exchange, granting a brief interview with journalists in order to emphasise that another handshake with President Trump – in which the Frenchman clung on for dear life – was a “moment of truth” in which he supposedly demonstrated that he “would not make small concessions, not even symbolic ones”.       Breitbart

Monday, December 7, 2015

France wants to ban internet encryption & free Wi-Fi after terror attacks

France wants to introduce security measures which could outlaw the use of encrypting software for anonymous connections and public Wi-Fi but critics say authorities are using the November 13 Paris attacks to clamp down on internet freedom.
The French government is pondering whether to introduce measures which could make the use of Tor, the free anonymizing software, illegal and to make it harder for terrorists to contact one another over the internet, according to an internal document from the Ministry of the Interior, as seen by Le Monde. However, the software is also used by journalists and whistleblowers as a safe way to correspond to avoid government surveillance.
Paris is thinking of moving to outlaw the use of public Wi-Fi during a state of emergency, however, it also wants “to block or forbid communications of the Tor network,” a step which Le Monde says could be introduced by January.
To encrypt communications, Tor uses Onion Routing, a software system that allows users to browse the web anonymously by preventing website and network operators from knowing a person’s location and the websites the person has been viewing. It does this by passing the connection between thousands of relay points to make it impossible to pinpoint where it came from.
The right to use encrypted software has even been defended by the UN.
"Encryption and anonymity, separately or together, create a zone of privacy to protect opinion and belief," a written report by David Kaye, a special rapporteur in the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in May.
Last week, the French government said it wanted to change its constitution to allow a state of emergency to last for six months. The country has been in a state of emergency since the multiple terror attacks in Paris which killed 130 people last month.
The news came after Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the current state of emergency could be extended beyond its scheduled conclusion on February 26.
"Obviously, we can't rule out that possibility, depending on the level of danger, and we have to act with a great deal of responsibility," Valls told Europe 1 radio.
Created during the Algerian war in 1955, France's state of emergency law allows the government to conduct warrantless searches, put people under house arrest, seal the country's borders, and ban demonstrations.
The protest ban has been met with fierce opposition from those who say they have the fundamental right to demonstrate.
“This state of emergency grants the forces of order like the police and the army exceptional powers that put people’s liberties at risk – whether it’s night-time raids on their homes, house arrests, or the ban on demonstrations," lawyer Patrick Baudouin, Honorary President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), told The Local.
This is not the first time the French government has tried to introduce surveillance legislation. In the wake of January’s Charlie Hebdo attacks, parliament approved new snooping rules which would allow the government to spy on the emails and phone calls of anyone linked to terror suspects, without authorization from a judge.
However, the move led to protests, with hundreds rallying in Paris against the government’s plans, while the co-founder of an internet surveillance watchdog slammed the move.
“It’s not just about terrorism; it allows the intelligence agencies to resort to surveillance for a broad range of motives: scientific, economic espionage or monitoring social movements,” said Felix Treguer, co-founder of La Quadrature du Net.
“So it’s really not just about terrorism and some of the measures really come down to legalizing mass surveillance. This is of course a very dangerous path,” he added.   RT