The case against Robinson is about as strong as a case can be. It’s not just that there isn’t a reasonable doubt, there is simply no doubt. And that’s been obvious for quite some time. But that doesn’t stop the conspiracy theorists. They thrive on something about human nature: cynicism, suspicion, the urge to doubt authorities (an impulse which, unfortunately, is sometimes quite justified), and the need to feel superior to the common gullible masses.

It’s also a kind of club thing: we are the cognoscenti and you are not. Or maybe a sorority, because people who study such things say that Owens’ followers tend to be women. Although it’s certainly possible that a great many are bots, I have little doubt that a significant number are real people. There is a big market for such things – including and perhaps especially the virulent Jew-hatred that Candace spreads.

It’s certainly not limited to Jew-hatred, either, although that’s a large part of it. Owens also has been viciously attacking Ericka Kirk, whom she’s painted not only as being in on her husband’s murder, but as having never been what she says she is but rather is – among other things – a child trafficker. Owens acolytes (and/or bots) roam around the internet, commenting on videos featuring Kirk and casting her as a villainess extraordinaire. It is actually a sickening thing to behold.

As a result of the overwhelming evidence against Robinson in the legal proceedings, will conspiracy theorists abandon the murky webs they’ve spun regarding Kirk’s death? There might be a couple of people here and there who do so, but not the major players and not the bulk of their followers. They will simply wiggle out of it or change the focus slightly. Not only is it a money-making endeavor for people like Owens, but for her followers it has become a deep belief.

[NOTE: Over the years, I’ve written many posts about the Kennedy assassination conspiracy theorists. The majority of Americans still do not think that Oswald killed Kennedy or that he acted alone (see this). However, the evidence that he did is totally overwhelming, as I’ve explained in many previous posts.

I’m not going to rehash it here, having already spent so much time doing so. Suffice to say that I recommend the book Reclaiming History to anyone interested. You can find the text (or at least most of it) online here. As I said, I’ve written many posts on the subject, but here’s one of my posts that’s an overview.]

The post The Charlie Kirk murder conspiracy theorists and the Tyler Robinson evidence appeared first on The New Neo.

Israel’s ban on Palestinian workers has left families hungry and parents unable to pay for their children’s school fees. Still, the ban is being justified in the name of security, and shows no signs of abating.

It reminds me of the old joke about the man who murdered his parents and threw himself on the mercy of the court because he’s an orphan.

As Katie Pavlich writes on X:

Israel is a sovereign country and Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank have zero right to work in that country – especially after Israelis who lived on the border with Gaza invited Palestinians into their homes to work and break bread. Gaza Palestinians returned the favor by taking notes about where safe rooms were, layouts of the homes, if there were dogs, etc. in plans for their ultimate slaughter, pillaging and rape on October 7. Dozens of Americans were murdered at the NOVA peace festival down the road.

So yeah, they’re not allowed to work in Israel anymore. Maybe you should be asking the governments of Gaza and the West Bank to foster economies that benefit their people so they don’t have to go work in the country next door.

However, it’s actually more complicated than that. There were indeed early reports that many Gazan workers spied on the kibbutz residents and helped Hamas with gathering information for the slaughter. But this spying was apparently not as widespread as initially reported – or was it? I’m referring to this report:

According to a Channel 12 report on Wednesday, the Shin Bet has investigated some 3,000 Gazans who had permits to work in Israel to assess if they had provided the terror group with information about the communities it was planning on attacking and has concluded that no such concerted effort was made.

The report noted that the Shin Bet did not completely rule out the possibility that some individual laborers had cooperated with the terror group.

“There’s no concern that the people who were investigated passed information to Hamas as a result of their work in Israel,” Channel 12 quoted the Shin Bet as saying. There was no immediate confirmation of the report from the agency, which rarely responds to inquiries.

What is the political bent of Israel’s Channel 12? I’ve read in that past that it’s on the left, and Google AI seems to think it’s center or center-left. At any rate, the issue is that this is (a) a report about a report, with no confirmation (b) a report based on interviews with 16% of the workforce; but who comprised this 16% and how were they made available for interrogation? (c) a report that there was no “concerted” effort.

What does “concerted” mean in this context – does it mean sheer numbers or does it mean coordination? Were the 16% typical of the group as a whole? How did Shin Bet determine whether they were telling the truth or not? Does the report even exist? If it does, is it being fairly represented? Not only is it not available for reading, but Shin Bet hasn’t even confirmed the story.

I don’t know the answers. What I do know is that Hamas is the government of Gaza and at the time of the attack had the support of the vast majority of the people of Gaza. It’s harder to tell how people in Gaza feel now, but I think it’s safe to say that many continue to harbor an intense hatred of Israel. Hamas itself is dedicated to Israel’s destruction. Israel is under no obligation to employ any of the people of Gaza.

Another response to the New Yorker tweet asks the question: why can’t Egypt employ the unemployed Gazans? After all, they’re next door and many are of Egyptian descent. But we all know why: Palestinians have been a destabilizing element wherever they go.

In other news of Israel and Hamas, it appears that Israel continues to make inroads in Gaza, if this report is true:

The post Israel and Gaza: you’re mean if you don’t hire your sworn enemies to work for you appeared first on The New Neo.

Then all of them moved away as it became more and more dangerous to live there.

In 2020 I wrote this lengthy piece on Newark, describing its decline. But now I read – in a British paper, of all places – that things are looking up in Newark:

A New Jersey city once known as the car theft capital of the world has transformed itself over the last three decades from a blighted crime metropolis to one of the hottest real estate opportunities on the East Coast.

Located just 30 minutes from Manhattan, Newark has been ranked as the most competitive housing market in the nation, according to a spring market report from Redfin.

Real estate values have surged as criminal activity has fallen in Newark, with violent crime down by 19 percent last year, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.

Money talks:

“Newark has been rediscovered,” real estate broker Michael Rosa told HousingWire, who said a wave of luxury apartment construction has helped revive the city. “More recently, there’s just been so much investment going on over here.”

I have to say I read the article with a great deal of skepticism. Is this some sort of delusional Newark boosterism? The commenters there seem to think so; the article is regarded as a sick joke, and lots of people assert that Newark is basically a cesspool. Then again, are they correct?

When I searched, I found a great many articles about improvements in the Newark airport’s on-time record, which apparently had been abysmal. It also seems that, for whatever reason, in 2024 there started to be articles such as this one describing an increase in investment:

There’s the ongoing $190 million capital investment project at Newark Penn Station; the $570 million AirTrain Newark Replacement, with construction slated for 2025 through 2029; the $110 million “High Line”-like Pedestrian Bridge traversing McCarter Highway to Newark Penn Station; and, of course, Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport.

“People who haven’t been here or turned their backs on Newark are missing out on the most amazing urban transformation,” says Vincent Baglivo, executive director of the Ironbound Business Improvement District and Board Member for the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Deputy Mayor Allison Ladd, director of the Department of Economic and Housing Development, says following the COVID-19 pandemic, investors and developers are still bold and bullish on growth in Newark.

Though largely focused on arts, health, and wellness, Newark’s incredible transformation is now attracting hundreds of new tech startups and higher-income residents.

Who knows? I’m not travelling there to find out, either. But I like to think it’s true. Once a city declines it’s very difficult to reverse the process, but I wish Newark well.

Years ago I also wrote about Newark’s extremely leftist mayor, Ras Baraka. It was in 2014, when he was first elected. At the time, he was one of the most “progressive” (that is, far left) mayors in the US. Well, guess what? To my surprise, he’s still the mayor there, serving his fourth 4-year term. From that Wiki page:

Politico has described Baraka as “one of the most progressive Democrats in New Jersey, and possibly the nation”.

During his tenure as mayor, Baraka has earned praise for improving Newark’s economic prospects.

Make of it what you will. Also this:

The city has now achieved a historic 60-year low in violence.

Violence has gone down in a lot of cities. But a 60-year low might actually mean something – although relatively speaking, violence isn’t actually low there. Some statistics from a 2025 discussion:

Many people still ask, “is Newark NJ safe?” The answer depends on where you go and when. While some neighborhoods have made notable progress, others continue to face persistent challenges.

The article goes on to get very specific about that.

You may ask, why am I writing about Newark? Basically I have a soft spot in my heart for it and I’d like to see it improve.

Lastly I’ll point to this comment in a Reddit thread about Newark’s declining crime rate:

Sticking to police reform was huge. The community policing element put former gang members in direct contact with at-risk youth in tough neighborhoods to get to them before they got in trouble or entered the cycle of retaliation.

The city’s population has gone up quite a bit. So there’s way less vacant housing that can be used for criminal activity.

This is the part that everyone ignores. The city has actually gentrified more than people think; it’s just middle class minorities doing it. If you go to parts of the West and South Wards, you’ll find Black people who had been priced out of Harlem, Bed-Stuy, and Crown Heights are becoming homeowners, which basically added a middle-class to poor neighborhoods. This is the reason why Downtown Newark has like 5 expensive African restaurants/nightclubs now.

The national trends have been helpful too. Crime is down pretty much everywhere, despite the fear-mongering.

Again, make of it what you will.

[NOTE: I wrote another post about Baraka in 2025, focusing on his arrest for causing a brouhaha around ICE.

And by the way, Baraka’s father is Leroi Jones.]

The post Newark renaissance? appeared first on The New Neo.

McWhorter made this statement that Kate posted in her comment:

Young Black men need to be told not to fall for the idea that being dissed justifies physical violence.

Well, yes, as far as it goes. But “physical violence” covers quite a range. A fistfight – are those out of style? – used to be the way it was commonly done. A stab through the heart was not the norm, nor is it today. After all, it’s not as though most young black men are murdering people, although the murder rate is certainly higher in that population. Most young black men manage to learn that being dissed doesn’t merit stabbing anyone in the heart.

Plus, who was dissing (disrespecting) whom? McWhorter doesn’t highlight the fact that it was Anthony who was disrespecting the other team. Although McWhorter describes it he doesn’t characterize it that way. It was Anthony who crossed a boundary by coming to the other team’s tent, and who would not leave when asked many times. He defiantly stayed and even insulted (dissed) people there.

McWhorter writes about it this way:

Anthony sat down under a team’s tent. Anthony was neither on the team nor a student at its school, and an unwritten but widely known rule is that only team members are permitted under a team tent. Multiple student witnesses – and not just “whitenesses,” as several were Black — testified about what happened next. Anthony was told several times to leave the tent but refused, including a profane epithet, culminating in warning “Touch me and see what happens.” Team member Austin Metcalf shoved Anthony, who pulled a knife out of his bag, stabbed him in the chest, threw the knife into the stands and ran away. Caught by the police, he immediately admitted to the stabbing, reportedly saying “He put his hands on me. I stabbed him.” Metcalf died in his twin brother’s arms.

Anthony was the provocateur. He also came prepared with a knife, which was prohibited by the schools involved. Since he never took the stand, we’ve never heard his excuse for having a knife there, nor have I heard anyone else explain it. The venue was not the inner city, either; it was a relatively prosperous and peaceful area of Texas with a lower-than-average crime rate.

McWhorter goes on:

There is no reason to think Anthony was trying to kill Metcalf. He was trying to hurt him severely, putting him in the hospital, for shoving him, as he indicated in at first saying “He’s not gonna die.”

What on earth? That’s absurd, and McWhorter is dreaming there. No one stabs someone in the chest, with force, without trying to kill them. And “hurting someone severely” always carries the risk of death anyway. Anthony was not a child, nor was he dumb or insane. Perhaps he lived in a video-game or cartoon world, in which people stab people in the chest and the victims spring up again perfectly fine. But I very much doubt it. And “he’s not gonna die” is probably just a hope at that point, since Anthony realized he himself would be in big big trouble if Metcalf died.

McWhorter adds this:

Also, claims such as prosecutor Bill Wirskye’s that Anthony meant “Touch me and see what happens” as a provocation are based on a misreading of Black English. “Touch me and see what happens” is not a command to touch. It means “If you touch me, you will find out.”

McWhorter is a professor of linguistics at Columbia, and one of his specialties is black English. I’ve seen him in many podcasts and sometimes agree with him and sometimes disagree, but here he’s not making any sort of sense that I can see. The two statements – “Touch me and see what happens” and “If you touch me, you will find out” – seem very much the same and both are indeed provocations or dares.

McWhorter is by no means the worst commentator on Karmelo Anthony’s crime, but I find him quite annoying because he knows better.

[NOTE: Much of McWhorter’s “X” essay has to do with explaining Anthony’s behavior in terms of Sowell’s book in which he traces some of the violence in black culture back to the influence of certain strains in the southern whites among whom black people lived early on in the US. That entire topic interests me little at this point, because the historical roots no longer matter; it’s the current behavior that matters all these centuries later.]

The post John McWhorter on Karmelo Anthony appeared first on The New Neo.

World War II was the deadliest military conflict in history. An estimated total of 60–75 million deaths were caused by the conflict … This represents about 3% of the estimated global population of 2.3 billion in 1940. Deaths directly caused by the war (including military and civilian fatalities) are estimated at 50–56 million, with an additional estimated 19–28 million deaths from war-related disease and famine. Civilian deaths totaled 50–55 million. Military deaths from all causes totaled 21–25 million, including deaths in captivity of about 5 million prisoners of war.

Those are estimates, of course. But we won’t quibble here; the point is that a lot of people died and a great many were civilians. Many civilians died from bombing that deliberately targeted civilians, or from killing fields and camps that performed mass murder of the premeditated kind. The US was spared those civilian deaths, but certainly saw the suffering that resulted from them abroad.

Atomic weapons targeting civilians ended the war with Japan. It is a paradox that the enormous number of civilian casualties in Hiroshima and Nagasaki probably spared the deaths of many more by hastening the Japanese surrender (see my posts here).

By the time of the Vietnam War, our opponents had learned a thing or two. This was a guerilla war and a war of propaganda. The enemy read the US very well, and realized we didn’t have the stomach to go on and on and on. Also, it was as a result of the Vietnam War that the US draft ended and our military became all- volunteer, which removed most citizens from much knowledge of the calculations involved in fighting a war.

Later, instruments of war became more accurate. Our bombs are now relatively “smart,” certainly compared to in WWII or Vietnam. That doesn’t mean there is no collateral damage in which civilians die. But we don’t target civilians, and we have very little tolerance for the death of civilians even when it occurs by accident. These are not bad things; I think it’s a good thing to have compassion for civilians in war and even to try not to have many military casualties in war, if possible. But the unintended consequence is that it becomes more and more difficult, despite our technology, to definitively end a war against a foe who’s determined to resist and to use against us our reluctance to inflict massive harm on civilians or to put our own boots on the ground.

Terrorists and terrorist regimes have no such reluctance. Au contraire; they target civilians. Not only do they target civilians in terrorist attacks, but they also willingly put their own civilians in harms’ way, the better to accuse us of barbarity when we inevitably kill some of them.

[NOTE: See also this previous post of mine on clean hands in war, as well as this one.]

The post The dilemma of modern warfare appeared first on The New Neo.

It’s not as though Mangione’s lawyers have a lot of options. There’s little doubt that he murdered United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in cold blood, shooting him in the back. What can they plead? That Thompson deserved it, which is the basic argument of the left and of Mangione’s fangirls (who seem to be themselves suffering from “emotional disturbance,” but they’re not on trial)? Certainly not.

“Extreme emotional disturbance” wouldn’t get Mangione off entirely, nor would it get him a stint in a mental hospital. It would, however, reduce his sentence, if the jury found it was present:

Luigi Mangione plans to assert a psychiatric defense at his state murder trial, claiming he was suffering from extreme emotional disturbance when he gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a judge said Wednesday. It wouldn’t absolve him of the Dec. 4, 2024, killing, but could free him from prison sooner.

If a jury accepts that defense, the panel would convict Mangione of manslaughter and he would face up to 25 years in prison. Alternatively, the jury could reject the extreme emotional disturbance defense and convict him of murder, which carries a potential life sentence. That defense isn’t available in his federal case.

His state case is due to begin September 8 and his federal case October 13. Each state has its own murder laws, and Mangione is being tried in New York. “Extreme emotional distress” as a defense is not common in states in the US; this site claims it’s only available in NY (how convenient for Mangione), although I’ve read it also exists in Arkansas. Basically, it’s somewhat similar to the old “heat of passion” defense although it’s not exactly the same, and it reduces the crime to manslaughter.

In New York:

To establish the defense of Extreme Emotional Disturbance, the defense must prove:

(1) The defendant was under the influence of an extreme emotional disturbance at the time of the killing, and

(2) There was a reasonable explanation or excuse for the emotional disturbance, determined from the viewpoint of a person in the defendant’s situation under the circumstances as they believed them to be.

Unlike the insanity defense, EED does not require proof of mental illness, though psychiatric evidence is often used to support the claim. It is a partial defense focused on emotional volatility and human response to extreme stress, provocation, or trauma.

I sincerely hope it requires more than the statement “I’m a hothead, and I got upset and killed him.” It is probably requirement #2, the “reasonable explanation or excuse” part, that raises the bar and makes it more difficult to prove than that. Traditionally, I believe it functions when there is major and personal trauma that directly involves the murderer and the victim, not some sort of generalized trauma like being upset about a divorce and then killing some random person on the street. Nor does it involve something like losing your job – which is upsetting but which most people seem to survive without killing anyone – and murdering your boss.

Here are examples of how it works in New York:

The courts look for cases where the defendent:

– Was provoked by a triggering event that created overwhelming emotional stress
– Reacted immediately or after a short period during which the emotional disturbance remained active
– Had no reasonable opportunity to regain self-control before committing the act
– Was under the influence of emotional trauma that a reasonable person in their situation might have experienced similarly

Examples include:

– A person killing a spouse after discovering infidelity in a shocking and unexpected way
– A parent reacting violently after prolonged abuse or threats against their child
– A victim of long-term domestic violence lashing out in a moment of uncontrollable fear or despair

You can see what I mean about the direct connection between the killer and victim.

I suppose everything depends on the jury composition, and it’s possible – because this is New York – that the jury will at least be deadlocked or hung. But I don’t think all the jurors would accept a defense like this for Mangione, even in New York. The crime was heinous, there was a relative long period of planning, and the previous connection between Mangione and Thompson was basically nil as far as we know.

What on earth will the defense claim to be the cause of his emotional disturbance? I’ve read Mangione had some back pain and a spinal fusion surgery – that apparently was successful, and that his insurance company was not United Healthcare. So, what would the distress have been? That he was upset by a news story about the health insurance business? It seems preposterous to me, but perhaps his lawyers will get creative. I don’t think they’ll win, but you never know with juries and New York is a funny place.

The federal charges don’t allow that sort of defense, and so I think Mangione will be going to prison for a long long time one way or the other.

The post Luigi Mangione intends to plead “extreme emotional disturbance” in his defense appeared first on The New Neo.

At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth. Before I returned to office, Joe Biden opened our Southern Border to millions of Illegal Criminals, and allowed this foreign army to rape, maim, and murder American Citizens with total impunity. During my Campaign, I pledged to expel these monsters from our Country, and bring Justice to the families of those they slaughtered, including the precious 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, 22-year-old Laken Reilly, and countless other beautiful souls. With this action, the United States Military has brought retribution for them, their families, and their loved ones. Early in my Administration, I delivered on my promise to designate Tren de Aragua as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, deport thousands of evil criminals, and wage war against the Cartels, who have long been waging war against our Citizens, while weak leaders left America helpless and defensive. This action was coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well.

Several things are coming together here: the changes in Venezuela, and the designating of Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization. Venezuela was active in this operation:

The strike happened earlier this week alongside Venezuelan security forces, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday.

He did not give a specific date, but said the strike targeted a compound housing Tren founder and leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as Niño Guerrero. …

“We extend our gratitude to the Venezuelan security forces for their support to the successful joint operation against a Tren de Aragua compound that resulted in the death of the narco-terrorist organization’s leader,” said Gen. Francis L. Donovan, head of US Southern Command.

“Guerrero was a wanted fugitive charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with ordering, directing, and facilitating acts of terrorism and violence in the United States,” he said.

So much has been going on lately that it’s easy to forget the developments in Venezuela that began with the arrest of Maduro.

The post The leader of Tren de Aragua is no more appeared first on The New Neo.

One of these people is Karmelo Anthony’s grandmother, who spoke to the pro-Anthony demonstrators after the trial:

? WATCH: Karmelo Anthony’s grandmother riles up the crowd by REPEATEDLY screaming “RACIST, BIASED, PREJUDICED” as she left the courthouse

“They sent a MESSAGE that a white person can hit a black boy and get away with it! They can do whatever the F—K they want!”

This entire… pic.twitter.com/p80ibpTnTF

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 10, 2026

Karmelo Anthony’s grandmother riles up the crowd by REPEATEDLY screaming “RACIST, BIASED, PREJUDICED” as she left the courthouse

“They sent a MESSAGE that a white person can hit a black boy and get away with it! They can do whatever the F—K they want!”

So Austin Metcalf “got away with it”? Being murdered wasn’t punishment enough to satisfy this lady? What else would she have liked to see happen to Austin Metcalf and his family? Perhaps she’d prefer something of this sort?:

Twisted Karmelo Anthony supporters are bombarding the family of slain high school football player Austin Metcalf
with sickening death threats, including a disgusting message saying Austin’s twin brother, Hunter, should have also been killed.

It’s almost irrelevant to point out that Austin Metcalf is not reported by witnesses to have hit Karmelo Anthony, because even if he had done that it wouldn’t have given Anthony license to kill him. It used to be that just about everyone understood that. But for some, the rule is now, “if you lay a hand on me, even if I’ve been asked to leave a school tent because it’s not my school, and then I refuse to do so and insult and curse at you, I get to kill you.” Or maybe just, “if you lay a hand on me I get to kill you.”

At least this was Anthony’s grandmother saying it; she is expected to be understandably upset at the fact that he’s going to prison. But people deal with upset in any number of ways, including apologizing to the real victims – the Metcalf family and anyone who witnessed the killing – and looking inward rather than deflecting blame outward. That this woman chose the latter route is telling.

But then there are people who are supposed to be leaders. For example, there’s Jasmine Crockett, who made a series of extraordinary statements on the case, including this one:

Rep. Crockett: "Black women live in agony every day that I promise the Metcalfs had never lived through" pic.twitter.com/GVielzMf51

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 10, 2026

Pure intersectionality. Black women rank very high on the all-important victimhood ladder, according to Jasmine Crockett.

Also see this from Crockett about the size of the knife wielded by Anthony, although that’s irrelevant, and about motive and the self-defense justification. This woman is a lawyer and knows better, but her need to whip up racial anger is strong:

Some of Karmelo’s crazed supporters are now reportedly randomly punching white people. Do the white people get to stab them in the heart? Assuredly not.

ADDENDUM:

This Legal Insurrection post features a number of comments by black people who agree that Karmelo Anthony is clearly guilty of murder and needs to pay the price. I think their position represents that of the majority of black people, despite the attention-getting behavior of those who consider Anthony a victim.

The post The reaction to the Karmelo Anthony verdict: he’s the victim! appeared first on The New Neo.

The man who was viciously stabbed on a Belfast street by a man from Sudan has lost an eye. He’s fortunate he didn’t lose two – at least, that hasn’t happened yet:

The victim of the stabbing remains in serious condition and the court has heard he lost his left eye and has severe damage to his right eye in the attack as well as deep cuts to his head and face, and long lacerations on his back.

The attack was only stopped by some brave onlookers, including this man:

Among the heroes was Maitiu Mág Tighearnán, known as Matt, who stumbled upon the scene after returning home from a night out.

Grabbing a wooden hurley stick – used in the Irish sport of hurling – the young dad charged towards the knifeman.

Police later said the actions of courageous members of the public and responding officers had “undoubtedly” saved the victim’s life.

I originally thought, from the name, that Maitiu might be from the Pacific Islands or some other foreign place. But then I realized that no, the spelling of the name is a Gaelic thing. Here’s some information:

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Mág Tighearnán said he had just returned from hurling practice with his son, when he noticed a car in the area reverse as “if to get away from something”.

He then exited his vehicle with his friend, named as Andre, when the pair noticed the attacker stabbing the man.

Mr Mág Tighearnán said “instinct took over” as he confronted the man.

“Andre was a few seconds behind and he came running in and tried to subdue the attacker with an ankle-hold so he could free the victim,” he added.

“I hit this guy again, hard, but it didn’t seem to phase him. He did stumble back, though and dropped the knife. I think another man who’d been watching came in and kicked the knife away.”

He also told the newspaper the victim appeared to “scream” but couldn’t due to stab wounds to his neck.

“I’m glad we intervened when we did. It was pure chance that we’d gone that route to the petrol station,” he continued.

“People have called us heroes but to be honest I’d like to think most people would’ve got stuck in and helped if they could. I just hope the victim pulls through and manages to recover as best he can.”

Heroes nearly always claim they’re nothing special. But they’re very special.

As for the perpetrator, he had nothing to say for himself when he appeared in court (via videolink):

Hadi Alodid has appeared before the city’s magistrates’ court on Wednesday morning.

The 30-year-old, with an address at Duncairn Avenue in Belfast, is charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvy, threatening to kill an NHS radiographer on the same day and with the possession of a knife.

He appeared in court via videolink. He refused legal representation and made no reply to charges which were put to him through an Arabic interpreter.

He was refused bail. The threats against the NHS worker have not been further explained as far as I can tell. My guess is that this happened first, and was the beginning of the perp’s frenzy that culminated in the stabbing. Why was Alodid interacting with an NHS radiographer? Was he being worked up for some problem?

I’ve read a few other things from sources I don’t think are necessarily trustworthy, although I don’t know. For example, some are saying that Ogilvie had helped Alodid move into a flat just a few days earlier. Others say that Ogilvie is developmentally disabled. Each of these things may or may not be true.

The event sparked riots, and of course the riots were condemned by people like Starmer. It really does seem that he’s more upset about the riots than about the attack, although he did condemn the attack. But Starmer will not sympathize with the rage of people who feel their country has been invaded by a large number of newcomers who are culturally incompatible and many of whom are not assimilating. Nor will he sympathize with the rage they feel towards people like Starmer himself who have encouraged the huge number of third-world newcomers.

Starmer said:

“The scenes in Belfast last night were shocking and completely unacceptable.

“There is no justification for the violence and disorder that we saw threatening our communities, nor for those who encouraged it, online or elsewhere.

“It is clear that people were targeted last night because of their background and I will not tolerate it. Those responsible will feel the full force of the law.”

Oh, that’ll calm them down.

NOTE: On the rescuer’s name, Google AI has this to say:

Yes, the name Maitiu (often spelled Maitiú) is distinctively Irish. It is the traditional Gaelic/Irish form of the English name Matthew, which traces its ultimate origins to Hebrew.The second part of the name, Mág, is a traditional Gaelic prefix (a variant of Mac) meaning “son of.” It is typically combined with another Gaelic word, such as Tighearnán (meaning “lord” or “master”), to form a full Irish surname (e.g., Mág Tighearnán, Anglicized as McKiernan)

So we might call him Matthew McKiernan.

The post The Belfast stabber and his victim appeared first on The New Neo.

Anthony must pay the price. But what will the price be? It really depends; he was 17 when he killed Metcalf and perhaps the jury will be lenient for that reason. …

I have a hunch, though, that … Anthony will get less than the maximum sentence.

The maximum was life or 99 years. The crime was a heinous one. And the carrying of the knife to a school track meet, plus witnesses saying Anthony kept his hand in his bag (apparently at the ready with the knife) during basically a verbal spat, indicates the murder was not a sudden “heat of the moment” thing. Premeditation can involve a short time; it doesn’t have to be hours or days. Also, a knife plunged that deeply into the chest would almost certainly be known to be a mortal blow, so it would be very difficult for Anthony to successfully claim that he didn’t mean to kill Metcalf.

Therefore there was a very good argument that Anthony should have gotten life. The death penalty is not allowed if a perpetrator is under 18 and without other special circumstances, and since Anthony was 17 at the time of the murder and the requisite special circumstances were not present, life in prison was the maximum allowed.

Why did Anthony not get a life sentence? The jury didn’t deliberate long, and I don’t think they explained their sentencing decision; at least, I haven’t found an explanation. But I think – as I wrote earlier – it was his youth. Also his baby face. He will have a long time in prison to think about what he did, especially if he ends up serving most of it. But even if he only serves half of it (the minimum, because he would be eligible for parole then), when he gets out he would be around 34 because he’s 19 now. That will have to do.

Meanwhile, the scene in the courtroom during the penalty phase was absolutely heart-rending. I’m not primarily referring to the fact that Anthony himself was weeping during the sentencing phase. Was he weeping mostly for himself? Probably, but I’m not a mind-reader and perhaps the intense sorrow voiced by Metcalf’s family may have moved Anthony. It’s nice to think so, anyway:

Anthony sat with his head on the table moments before the sentence was delivered and appeared to be sobbing, NBC DFW reported.

He stood when asked, but still kept his head angled down, NBC reported.

Metcalf’s mother, Meghan, delivered a powerful statement calling her slain son their family’s beloved peacemaker.

“There was a part of him you can never take from me, the strength I still get from him every day, because I know what it was like to be loved by him. My son was murdered. He didn’t just die. He was taken from us. Just as he was starting to live,” Meghan said.

“You may have just been given a sentence of 35 years, you should feel lucky because I’ve been sentenced to a life without my son.”

Meghan’s sister imparted a poignant question that has haunted Metcalf’s loved ones since his murder.

“One question will always be with me. Why? Why could you not have just left?” she asked.

Anthony kept his head down the whole time – even when Metcalf’s father, Jeff, ordered him to look up, according to the report.

Jeff smacked the podium while reading his statement, telling Anthony that he doesn’t “belong in this community” and detailing how Metcalf’s murder “destroyed the person I used to be.”

Anthony finally raised his head when Metcalf’s twin brother, Hunter, asked him to look him in the eye.

“You took a son, a brother, a friend, and my best friend, from this world. You took someone from me who was supposed to be an uncle, godfather to my kids. Now I want everything taken from you,” Hunter choked.

Hearbreaking.

Meanwhile, Anthony’s family did not behave well:

After the hearing, Anthony’s mother, Kala, and his brother blasted the killer’s conviction and sentence as “racist and biased” to cheering supporters who chanted “free Karmelo.”

Were these the sort of values Anthony was taught by those who should have been guiding him? Apparently. And yet, of course, they are suffering too.

Here’s some background information about the Anthony family:

By all appearances, the Anthonys look like a typical family. Karmelo has several siblings and the family’s social media showed a comfortable life like vacations, a lavish home and expensive cars, per Distractify. Three years before the incident, they had relocated to North Texas. “Three years ago, my family moved to North Texas, searching for a better life,” Kayla said in a press interview after Karmelo’s arrest, she described their family as loving and said they had provided their children with opportunities to succeed.

The emotional toll of the trial on the family was visible in court. On Monday, Anthony’s parents were summoned into the courtroom for a private visit with their son during a two-hour delay. His mother came out of the courtroom alone and sobbing and had to be escorted to the restroom by security. His father followed shortly after, also in tears. It was not clear what was said during the private meeting, Daily Mail reported.

Did they ever teach Karmelo a sense of personal responsibility? Or was everything bad that happened to him due to racism? I simply don’t know enough to come to any conclusions. But the behavior of his mother and brother now, inflaming crowd passions and calling the verdict racist, may give us a hint.

[NOTE: This Daily Mail article contains more of the victim’s family members’ statements. Very sad.]

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