Politics & Government
Media Coverage of Norway Bodnariu Controversy - April 16 Rallies
Media coverage heightens in advance of the global April 16 human rights rallies against Norway's Barnevernet child welfare agency.
More details about the April 16 rallies and how you can get involved are in my previous article. Here is more about the media coverage.
Media Coverage in Europe
Here’s an article summarizing what likely will be shown in the April 15 BBC TV special. Not only the Bodnariu family’s case will be discussed, but also the grandfather of the baby girl of a Norwegian man and an ethnic Chinese woman who was “taken into care” because of “insufficient eye contact” is interviewed. This respected Norwegian civil servant now finds himself at odds with his own government.
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The BBC will have a half hour news special Friday, April 15 on the eve of the worldwide rallies. No doubt there will be TV coverage of the rallies in Europe. It remains to be seen what coverage will be given here in North America.
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Here’s the promotional blurb: "Norway is widely regarded as one of the world's most progressive societies, yet it's at the centre of an international storm over its child protection policies. Campaigners say social workers remove children from their parents without justification, permanently erasing family bonds. A number of them are from immigrant backgrounds. Tim Whewell meets desperate parents who say they've lost their children because of misunderstood remarks or "insufficient eye contact" - and Norwegian professionals who call the child protection agency dysfunctional and dangerous. Is a system designed to put children first now out of control?"
Social Media Suggestions
Marius Bodnariu has relatives in Portland, Oregon and Chicago, Illinois. The rally in Chicago is supported by the Romanian ethnic community there and globally.
Here is a Facebook message sent to a Norwegian civil rights attorney who has gotten involved in many of the Barnevernet cases and has visited Chicago. Perhaps the Guinness Book of World Records will record the total number of participants in this, the largest simultaneous human rights rally in history: 90 cities worldwide.
Global Rally locations
Contact and information at: bodnariu.protest@gmail.com
Global Protest April 16 – USA & Canada locations
(19 locations across USA & Canada)
USA
- Chicago, Illinois – 10:00 AM
Location: Daley Plaza Downtown, 50 W Washington St, Chicago, IL 60602
Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/495218790678729/ - Atlanta, Georgia – 10:00 AM
Location: 1000 Robert E. Lee Blvd., Stone Mountain, GA
Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/246876708994324/ - Boise, Idaho – 2:00 PM
Location: Idaho State Capital Building, 700 W Jefferson Street Boise, Idaho 83720 - Charlotte, North Carolina – (waiting for approval)
- Detroit, Michigan – 2:00 PM
Location: Hart Plaza, 1 Nelson Mandela Dr, Detroit, MI 48226
Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1002944373122954/ - Hollywood, Florida – 9:00 AM
Location:Young Circle, Hollywood, FL - Honolulu, Hawaii – 2:00 PM
Location: Banyan Tree, Kalaua Avenue
Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1076222969107544/ - Houston, Texas – will follow
- Los Angeles, California – 10:00 AM
Location: Federal Building West, 11000 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles 90024 - New York, NY – 11:00 AM
Location: Norwegian Consulate, 825 3rd Ave, New York - Phoenix, Arizona – 10:00 AM
Location: Cesar Chavez Plaza, 201 W. Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85003 - Portland, Oregon – 10:00 AM
Location: Director Park, 815 SW Park Ave., Portland, OR 97205
Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1668298920101621/ - Sacramento, California – 11:00 AM
Location: Capitol Building- West Side, 1315 10th St, Sacramento, CA 95814 - Seattle, Washington – 9:00 AM
Location: 401 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101 - Saint Louis, Missouri – 1:00 PM
Location: Poelker Park, 1200 Chestnut Street, Saint Louis, MO 63103
CANADA
- Calgary, Canada – 1:00 PM
Location: Husky Bulding, 707 8 Ave SW, Calgary - Ottawa, Canada – 1:00 PM
Location: Norwegian Embassy, 150 Metcalfe Street, Ottawa, ONTARIO, K2P 1P1
Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1708091726135132/ - Toronto, Canada – 11:30 AM
Location: Legislative Assembly of Ontario, 111 Wellesley St W, Toronto, ON M7A 1A2
Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1599438677045594/ - Vancouver, Canada – 11:00 AM
Location: 1188 West Goergia, Vancouver
Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/500840236767849/
Contact and information at: bodnariu.protest@gmail.com
Global Protest April 16 – Europe locations
(36 cities in 16 countries)
Global Protest April 16 – Australia & New Zealand locations
More details about the April 16 rallies and how you can get involved are in my previous article. Thanks for your support.
Other articles
In previous blog posts, I began telling the story of my brain tumor and the depression which followed it. The second article in the series described my faith in God which sustained me through both trials.
Having recently started a word-by-word translation of Martin Luther’s Bible from German to English, I introduced the project and published Matthew Chapter 1. Later I wrote commentary on it; my church background and theological training is in my USA Melting Pot bio.
Dale Murrish writes on history, travel, technology, religion and politics for the Troy Patch and USA Melting Pot club. You can help this non-profit club by making your Amazon purchases through the link on the left side of their website. You can also see over a dozen ethnic presentations from people with firsthand knowledge under Culture & Country (right hand side), and outdoor presentations (Hobby & Fun), including posts on bicycling, skiing and camping.
Other interesting articles on the USA Melting Pot website have recently been written by Bilal Rathur on his hajj to Saudi Arabia (Part 6) and by Carl Petersen. Thanks to both of them for their contributions.
Phoenix rally news story Saturday evening:
PHOENIX (KPHO/KTVK) -
Thousands marched outside the Arizona Superior Court building in central Phoenix on Saturday to protest the actions of Norwegian Child Protection Services, which forcibly removed five children from their parents last year in Norway.
Saturday’s event downtown attracted more than 2,000 people, who showed up to support the return of the Bodnariu children, one of whom is still less than a year old.
Arizona Congressman Trent Franks, who has made a name for himself supporting child welfare issues in Congress, addressed the crowd. He was joined by the Romanian-Americans for Reunification of Bodnariu Family Coalition, a group of community and religious leaders, businessmen and civic leaders.
The event was coordinated by the North Valley Romanian Church.
