Holocaust survivor, 91, dies in Mariupol

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I'm going to raise the current case of Gonzalo Lira who went missing in Kharkov, Ukraine on April 15th....and is since suspected murdered by their security services. I'll paste some recent commentary on his case.

'When Belorussian authorities pulled Roman Protasevich, a blogger who had served a combat tour in the neo-Nazi Azov battalion before working for Radio Free Europe’s Belarus channel out of Prague, off an airplane in May, 2021, on charges of inciting a political opposition (roughly the equivalent of sedition), the world went crazy, accusing Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of trampling on free speech. Protasevich is alive and well, living under house arrest while awaiting trial.

When reports emerged that Gonzo Lira, a Chilean social media “influencer” who resided in Kharkov, Ukraine, and who published online content critical of the Ukrainian government, was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by the Kraken Unit, part of the Azov battalion affiliated with the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), the West is silent.

Free speech isn’t a one way street. To remain silent in the murder of Gonzo Lira is to be complicit in his death, and the deaths of all journalists who pursue the truth, even if it runs counter to the mainstream narrative. Critical thinking should not be a death sentence. Unfortunately for Gonzo Lira, it seems it was.'

[Link]

I've known about this guy for years as a vblogger who was anti feminist, anti woke but against many of the other ideas on the dissident right. So in some sets of thought but out of others...I'd describe him more as a figure on the 'manosphere'.

He was living in the Ukraine for a few years and once this war began was critical of the Ukrainian regime and took a pro Russian stance. I listened to a few streams where he would sometimes appear as a guest and, if half of what he said was true, it was food for thought. That said I found him irritating due to the lack of any balance and his continual pro Russian stance put me off...He was told many times that what he was doing was dangerous and that people in Kharkov were looking for him after he'd gone into hiding.

That said, annoying vbloggers or not, murder of political opponents is obviously completely unacceptable. It can only be hoped that he is under arrest and that reports of his torture and murder aren't true.

If this guy is indeed dead, then he is yet another statistic added to the death toll of those murdered away from the battlefield by militias.

It's notable that his case, even though the mainstream media will be well aware of it, has been met with silence and no commentary as yet.

It's another case of many that I hope is investigated once this madness ends.

Edited by Stirlingsays (21 Apr 2022 4.22am)

Attachment: Lira.JPG (37.12Kb)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

Despite some early mistakes and some dogged resistance from Ukraine (although at least partly based on embedding their forces with innocent civilians that are largely sympathetic to the Russians in the east) the war is going to plan for the Russians who have effectively unlimited supply from across the border and can rotate out their forces when needed to re-equip and supply. Russia now have a very modern army of up to 1m troops with serious generals who are tactically savvy.

At the same time, the War has galvanised Russians on the home front in favour of Putin who lost some 30 million people in WW2 as they are fighting troops who are in significant numbers avowed and unreconstructed Nazi's. There will be no imminent ousting of Putin as our media are trying to suggest and based on the reaction of western politicians and diplomats their inability to even consider a negotiated solution we can look forward to more of this in future with China especially being emboldened. The west are weak militarily and now we really look it.

Basically, pretty much everything you are hearing is bollocks which is why we are no longer allowed access to RT or Sputnik for example.

Just a cursory look into Zelensky (and how he is treating his political opposition) and the history of Ukraine should be enough for most people to take a much more measured view on this. Russia is a former failed Soviet Union republic run by Oligarchs but so is Ukraine.

Just more clown world unfortunately but this time with genuine suffering. and even more dangerous consequences.

I suspect that the Russians will hold war crimes tribunals when this war ends and a lot of the truth will have to come out as I've seen the footage of what these scum have done. Most people in the west will be guilty of supporting the ideology of the people their Grandfathers gave everything up for.

RIP Gonzalo Lira

Lots of fast-jet low-flying action over Cardigan Bay and Brecon Beacons. Either RAF pilots doing prep-work, else training Ukraine pilots.

I disengage, I turn the page.

Good.

You support murdering critics?

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)