I'm in the same spot. And when I ask the same questions the responses are in typical shilly format. But the stories of the destruction and chaos in europe is obviously a right wing propaganda platform. So, it is really hard to know what to believe.

I'm not sure either but another piece to the puzzle is the EU taking unprecedented steps to build their own military.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-defence/eu-signs-defense-pact-in-decades-long-quest-idUSKBN1DD0PX

That's mostly about two things.

1) Money - 1 military would be a lot cheaper/more efficient than 28. That's why for now it's mostly about common procurement of arms.

2) The US and EU shifting apart in foreign policy. For the whole cold war it was basically "do whatever the US does, they'll protect us in return". But without the Soviet Union priorities are changing. Started to first show with the Iraq war in 05.

It's probably the same media who are trying to paint a picture of America in a civil war since Trump took over office.

A large majority of Americans are living their life just like they did under Obama and Bush not understanding a thing of what people are talking about when they say cultural war and so on.

We are in a conspiracy forum and my theory is that there is some nations that are benefiting of Europe and America in turmoil. Not that they will take over our nation's but they will benefit economically if we fight among ourself.

I agree. But at the same time there is a civil war going on. The illusion is how many participants there are. It feels like everyone is at each others' throats, but it is probably only 10% or so of the whole population who is involved in this "civil war".

It’s interesting how people just adapt to the ruler. We lived our lives under slick Willie, Bush, Obummer and now we are adapting to trump. China and Russia stand to gain from this sort of turmoil going on.

China and Russia surpased their growing pains after communism, is not necessarily getting stronger because the US 'turmoil'

I live in the UK.

Stories of "no go zones" are total fabrications.

There are "bad" areas in many cities but no city in Europe sees the same violence as say areas of Chicago or LA.

From discussions I've had online, the situation is vastly over blown in US Conservative media.

I used to regularly drink in a pub in a supposed 'sharia no-go zone', nobody mentioned it to me.

Right?

This isn't to say there are no problems in these areas, but imo these issues are issues related to the usual suspects - poverty, lack of social mobility, too many youths with nothing to do and so on.

It has very little if anything to do with Muslims.

Same here in Sweden. I live in Rosengård, the famous swedish no-go zone. I have never been robbed, raped or killed. I walk my dog at nights and once in a while meet kids hanging about. Nothing.

But only two houses away they shot and killed a gang member.

Yes the problems are bigger now than they were 20 years ago. But it feels like the entire world has been made more unsafe the last 20 years.

But it feels like the entire world has been made more unsafe the last 20 years.

Key right here. Not necessarily that the world IS more unsafe, but we're led to believe it is by dishonest reporting and sensationalist headlines.

Fucking headlines, man. BREAKING and shit. There's a Ted talk somewhere that uses cold statistics to tell that we are living in the basiclically safest time ever. But the headlines are looking for blood and post it in every detail.

Nice try Mohammed.

How is this comment helpful in your mind?

It's a round about way of saying if course they haven't had any trouble with migrants.

Where in the UK do you live?

Luton, why?

Pretty bourgeois area, no?

It's one of the most diverse regions in the UK.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2006/oct/06/communities.raceintheuk

By your measure. How many left handed people? How many O-Negative? Come back when you have some real diversity.

Not by measure, by the measure of The Office for National Statistics.

Those statistics may be available but I'm not certain.

Why are some minorities considered minorities and others not?

What are you talking about specifically because I have no idea.

Lol, true dat. How many gingers, though?

Chicagoan here.... You want to know what a "no-go" zone is? Try the west side or the south side....I promise you they are very real.

I saw a Louis Theroux documentary and he was in Chicago and it was brutal man. People chilling on their porch having to run from seemingly random drive by shootings. Limited police, suspects never caught...its horrifying.

What's worse is I have two brothers which are Chicago police officers and they say the kids today have no fear of anything or anyone. They have no problem shooting at police.

About 3 months ago I was in a crappy part of Chicagos west side and I see a group of about 10 dudes run across the street. 5 seconds later every one of them pulls out a gun and starts firing at some kids selling dope on a porch...it was surreal....like I was in a movie.

Once the shooting stopped they casually walked back across the street like nothing happened...no running ...no panic just another day in Chicago. It's sad the people here are so desensitized to shootings it doesnt surprise anyone.

I'm talking about things like a 8 yo boy playing basketball behind his house and shot execution style due to his father screwing with the wrong people. Or a guy getting stabbed to death over a $5.00 dice game..each day brings more and more suffering to an amazing city with a majority of hardworking blue collar citizens.

At the age of 43 i wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I've traveled quite a bit. Chicago has feel like no other city I have visited... I don't know if it's my bias but the diversity of people, the museums, the lakefront and countless other attractions make it unique.

If you ever get a chance to visit this great city, come in the summer....you will fall in love with it.

you should leave your nazi facebook bubble from time to time and breathe some fresh air

How does your comment help and inform our OP? keep doing your part, I guess

UK here yes it's happening. Paedo rings have been uncovered in Rotherham over and over again. There's videos on YouTube of Muslims trying to enforce Sharia law on the streets of the UK. I live on the second biggest council estate in Europe and there's hardly any Muslim people on it. frankly I think it would lead to some major chaos if they tried to enforce that here. I can get in a car right now travel 5 miles in a car walk down the street with a can of lager in my hand and I would get the shit royally kicked out of me. Weird times here and I can safely say it's why the uk have voted to leave the EU. One because of a massive influx of eastern European workers coming here to work but less than minimum wage putting UK residents out of work and 2assive influx of muslims coming through our borders from the European union not to work but for free housing and benefits.

Rotherham and most of the other cases were Asians (Pakistanis). Yes they're probably Muslims but not the same as the recent refugee influx from the Middle East. Pakistanis and Indians have been in the UK for a lot longer. Both countries have a serious rape problem which has no doubt carried over into Europe as well. Cultures of sexual repression? There's definitely something wrong at a society level.

Correct man. Nothing more to say and if I do I'll sound racist or I'm pushing an agenda.

German here: The latest crime statistics showed increasing numbers for refugees among criminal suspects.

As far as I'm concerned, beside the political discourse, nothing has changed since the start of the "refugee crisis".

Swede here. We do have problems with gangs related to immigration,we do have problem areas (I live in one so called no-go zone Malmö Rosengård) and it is probably the worst suburbs in Sweden.

But it is not as bad as some propaganda are trying to make it out to be.

This summer we had a crime wave of Eastern Europeans doing burglaries, one rape and killing of a young swedish girl and so on. Nothing we ever talk about either.

I used to live in Los Angeles and felt more unsafe there than I do in my "no-go zone"

Yes I am white and male.

well LA is a no go zone for me.

While on the topic I just wanna mention something about Eastern European gang crime. You have gangs committing crime from burglary to running prostitution rings. Barely a peep stateside. Nowadays if a Muslim or non European commits a crime you have a bunch of right wing websites spreading and exaggerating the stories, if not outright fabrication, and those same places quiet about gang related crimes. There was a map of Germany, I don;t remember the name, that tracked refugee crime. Only the map lists simple kitchen fires i.e. someone burned some food, as arson. Its almost comical honestly. For years I've seen people describe NYC as some SJW hellhole gone crazy, or some crime ridden dump. And I'm like "I lived there for 30 years that's bullshit." OP simply put people are pushing an agenda.

As a European living in Europe, I've not experienced any horrible violence committed by Muslim refugees, nor have I heard on the national news or local news about any such violence, or at least not anything out of the ordinary or any violence that's more attributable to any particular culture, other than the usual higher crime rates in poorer areas that is a similar pattern the world over. The idea of there being whole areas of cities that are 'no go zones' that i've read about is ridiculous and just not the case as far as I'm aware as someone who lives here and travels around quite a bit.

Europeans are told it's their fault and they need to be better and need to change to make it easier for the refugees. They have even just given up on policing some small cities becuase the refugees simply run the police out and short of an army you can't get back in. Germany has even blamed the victims of rape, german women, for not following sharia law. It's getting bad out there little by little. But hey it's not their fault, its ours for not understsnding their archaic laws and barbaric stance on women's rights.

German here. Refugees might have a slightly increased part of the crime statistics but its no where near the levels propagated by the likes of Breitbart etc.

No go areas aren't a thing, same as sharia zones. The brunt of the refugee crisis in germany has been managed.

To see the real picture you have to put it in perspective, assuming the statistics are true, nothing major is going on. Google for migration statistics or maps.

https://blog.euromonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/6a01310f54565d970c01bb08456bd9970d-800wi.png

Italian here. Small criminality (not mafia or corruption related) situation has worsened after the mafia flooded the streets with drugs in the late 80s. Most alarming crimes for the population are violent burglaries commited by estern europeans or albanians, this trend started in the 90s and is now less frequent luckily. Still many burglaries (and people are rightfully pissed), but violent ones are fewer and fewer.

I don’t know about no-go zones, I know that train stations and some parks can be dangerous in the night (but thay are since the drug flood of the 80s) and that sometimes police twarts what we call here baby-gangs, ie. groups of young idiots that bully or even rob other young people, they sometimes are composed of second generation immigrants or are mixed or exclusively italians. High percentage of immigrants in jail because many work as pushers for the mafia.

In the 60s-80s many people who lived in small towns never even bothered to close their doors, now their life is grimmer. Still there are many happy places where this kind of trust is still possible; my grandfather now closes his door, but only because he found a group of tourists in his living room once or twice :-)

Refugees crisis has an huge media and political impact, but seems under control. This doesn’t mean that it is well managed, but as far as crime is concerned it’s not a huge problem. The vast majority of economic migrants seem like people that were promised some sort of paradise and are now trapped in a legal limbo. Actual refugees have to wait a long time to see their status recognized, given that thay are in the midst of huge numbers of economic migrants.

The same refugee crisis, together with the alledged rise in small criminality (mainly drug related or muggings) is a good way to avoid treating the main problem of Italy (and Europe): mafia.

What pisses people the most is the incompetence and corruption on the management of immigration and the unfathomable legal system that seems to be easier on violent criminals than on trivial crimes.

Let’s say that if they magically legalized all the drugs and put them under the direct control of the state jails would be half empty, police could concentrate on violent crimes and mafia with their full force (they still do an amazing job, given the circumstances and their underfunding). Also prostitution is something they need to address, possibly jailing for a night or two the johns.

Mark my words: Italy (obviously) and Europe have a huge problem, and its name is mafia (especially ndrangheta). Its tendrils are now in all of Europe, they manage the european drug market and have infiltrated many financial and lobbying institutions; sooner or later we will have to clean this filth once and for all.

I do the same, to understand I read all the possible angles. The process is slow and, because of obvious time concerns, cannot be made for ALL the news, but is necessary to get a grip of current trends. I hope that real journalism will come back in the near future.