MADISON, Wis. –

The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted unanimously Friday to fire a communications professor who wanted to keep his job after he was fired as chancellor of one of the system’s campuses for producing pornographic films.

Joe Gow, who served as UW-La Crosse’s chancellor for nearly 17 years, argued last week that he should retain a teaching position on campus. But the university’s lawyers argued that he behaved unethically, violated the terms of his employment contract, damaged the university’s reputation and compromised its mission.

The regents met in closed session Friday morning before publicly voting to fire Gow. There was no public discussion before the board vote.

Gow said he is considering filing a lawsuit to keep his teaching job. He did not immediately respond to a message Friday morning.

Gow has been on paid leave from his faculty position since the regents fired him as chancellor in 2023, shortly after university leadership became aware of the videos posted on pornographic websites.

The case has drawn national attention both for the salaciousness of a high-ranking university official making and speaking publicly about pornographic films and for the questions it raises about free speech rights.

Gow argued that his videos and two e-books that he and his wife Carmen published about their experiences in adult films were protected by the First Amendment. The university’s attorney argued that Gow’s videos themselves were legal, but that they were not protected by his employment contract.

Zach Greenberg, an attorney with the free speech advocacy group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, called the regents’ decision “a major blow to academic freedom and the right to free expression.”

“FIRE has said time and time again: Public universities cannot sacrifice the First Amendment to protect their reputations,” Greenberg said. “We are disappointed that the UW has caved to donors and politicians by alienating a tenured professor.”

Republican lawmakers already view Wisconsin’s university system as a liberal incubator. Last year they forced the company to scale back its diversity initiatives. System President Jay Rothman has tried to avoid further angering conservatives as he seeks approval for an $855 million increase in the next state budget.

Gow’s hope of teaching in the classroom again was rejected by his department head, Linda Dickmeyer. She said that because Gow had not taught in 20 years, he would be assigned general education courses, but she declined to allow him to return to teaching in any capacity.

Gow was criticized in 2018 for inviting porn actress Nina Hartley to speak on campus. She received $5,000 from tuition fees for her performance. The university said he came up with the idea of ​​bringing her to campus after filming a pornographic video with her.

Gow and his wife’s e-books were written under the pseudonyms “Monogamy with Benefits: How Porn Enhances Our Relationships” and “Married with Benefits – Our Real Adventures in the Adult Industry.” But they also star in a YouTube channel called “Sexy Healthy Cooking,” in which the couple cooks meals with porn actors.

Die Auswirkungen des Regens und der Winde von Hurrikan Helene verursachen Schäden in ganz Ost-Tennessee.

Der stetige Regen eines typischen Sturms begann diese Woche zunächst Ost-Tennessee zu durchdringen, dann wehten die äußeren Bänder des Hurrikans Helene in die südlichen Appalachen. Jetzt sind die Überreste des Sturms hierher gelangt und haben die Winde, die Schäden verursacht haben, über weite Teile von Florida und Georgia gebracht.

„Es ist zu erwarten, dass umgestürzte Bäume und Stromleitungen zu Stromausfällen führen. Kehren Sie um, ertrinken Sie nicht“, warnten Experten des National Weather Service-Büros in Morristown.

Schulen sind geschlossen und Fußballspiele werden abgesagt.

CNN
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Austria goes to the polls this Sunday, with the populist, anti-immigrant Freedom Party (FPÖ) expected to emerge victorious, in what would mark another win for Europe’s far right.

However, unlike its competitors, the FPÖ is not an upstart and has previously been involved in coalition governments.

Since the FPÖ is unlikely to win an absolute majority according to current polls, it would have to rely on the support of other parties – and they could do so instead Work together to freeze it. Here’s what you need to know:

The FPÖ is considered the forefather of European right-wing extremist parties and represents an anti-migrant, anti-Islam, anti-European and anti-vaccination agenda. One of their typically provocative slogans was once “Love of homeland instead of Moroccan thieves”.

Benjamin Biard, a political scientist and research fellow at the Brussels-based think tank Center de Recherche et d’Information Socio-Politiques (CRISP), told CNN that the FPÖ shares “many characteristics” with other leading European far-right parties, citing the French National Rally (RN), the Flemish Vlaams Belang (VB), the Italian Lega and the Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV).

But there is a crucial difference. Unlike, for example, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which was founded in 2013 in response to Eurozone politics, the FPÖ was founded in the decade after the Nazi era and is deeply rooted in Austrian politics. It has been in power three times in coalition with other groups at the federal level, making it one of the few far-right parties in Europe to have achieved this.

On June 9, the party narrowly won the European Parliament (EP) elections in Austria for the first time with 25.5% of the vote and would like to transfer this momentum to the national level.

The party was founded in 1956 by former Nazis, but today denies any connection to National Socialism. Still, over the years it has followed a controversial path, trending from the far right to the center and back again.

“In its early years, the FPÖ represented all-Germanist ideas and wanted to pave the way for the return of National Socialism in Austria,” said Biard. “At that time it consisted mainly of Nazi sympathizers, pro-German nationalists and libertarians.”

Pan-Germanism was a 19th century^Th Century movement for the political unification of everyone who speaks German or a Germanic language.

The party’s liberal tendencies, Biard said, “gradually displaced the former position” and by the early 1980s It was “accepted as a legitimate competitor in the Austrian electoral landscape.”

Their political stance changed again when Jörg Haider – the son of former NSDAP members – became party chairman in 1986. Haider was a controversial figure who was known for once praising Nazi Germany’s employment policies.

“At a time when the FPÖ had ‘de-radicalized,’ Haider imported a populist style and program centered on social nationalism and economic liberalism,” Biard said.

The party’s rightward shift under Haider proved popular and it secured 27% of the vote in the October 1999 election and subsequently entered a coalition government with the center-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). Haider himself remained out of the government, but his rise to prominence and the party’s presence in the Austrian government alarmed the EU and left it diplomatically isolated.

In recent years, the party has been embroiled in scandal again, most notably in 2019 during its second coalition government with the ÖVP. In the so-called “Ibiza Gate,” then-head of state Heinz-Christian Strache was caught on camera promising government contracts to a woman who claimed to be the niece of a Russian oligarch – leading to his resignation and the collapse of the coalition .

The FPÖ has been led by Herbert Kickl since 2021. A far-right strongman, he has vowed to turn Austria into a “fortress” if he comes to power and has described himself as the future “People’s Chancellor” or “People’s Chancellor,” a term that has drawn criticism because of how he describes himself referred to the FPÖ’s Nazi past.

What are the main policies of the FPÖ?

Key issues in the September 29 election include cost of living, immigration, climate change and the war in Ukraine. Austria has been struggling with high inflation and below-average growth for almost two years. It is also under pressure from European allies to curb its heavy reliance on Russian gas.

A foiled terrorist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in August sparked a debate about domestic security, while this month’s widespread flooding, which killed five people and declared the whole of Lower Austria a disaster zone, put climate change at the forefront put on the agenda.

The FPÖ has successfully addressed some of these voter concerns. In its campaign manifesto, the party promised to tighten immigration rules and implement what it calls “remigration” – the return of people to the countries from which their families originally came, particularly in the case of criminals.

The FPÖ – which likes to market itself as a party of the working class and appeals to low-income earners who feel excluded – It also outlined measures to stimulate the economy, including tax breaks for young workers and lower taxes on savings.

The long-time anti-EU and supposedly pro-Russia party rejects the bloc’s sanctions against Russia and further aid supplies to Ukraine and argues that Austria should remain neutral. In contrast to its competitors, the FPÖ demands that Vienna must continue to rely on Russian gas supplies in order to prevent a rise in energy prices.

The party now sits in the EU Parliament in alliance with Hungary’s Fidesz, a party led by Viktor Orban – Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in Europe.

Austria’s current coalition of ÖVP and Greens is trying to find ways to wean the country from Moscow’s supplies, with the energy minister calling this a “major economic and security risk.”

The far-right party has benefited from the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic and is known for its staunch opposition to the vaccines, with Kickl previously condemning it as a “genetic engineering experiment”.

Heinisch Reinhardt, professor of comparative politics at the University of Salzburg, describes the FPÖ as “one of the most successful right-wing radical parties since the 1980s.”

Speaking to CNN, Reinhardt said: “They are strong because, like other populists, they occupy a part of the spectrum where they have little competition.” They generally oppose the positions of all other parties and are perfectly positioned to appeal to people , who are disillusioned with democracy, feel abandoned by elites and resent the political mainstream.”

He also points out that distrust of the Austrian ruling coalition – a “government of two ideologically different parties” that “disagree on almost everything” – is fueling support for the FPÖ.

“In this environment of discontent, the FPÖ has developed well, also because in Mr. Kickl it has probably the best communicator of all parties and a disciplined person with a sharp intellect that distinguishes him from his predecessors.”

Polls by local daily Der Standard show the FPÖ is on track with a narrow victory of 27%, ahead of its main rivals, the ruling ÖVP with 25% of the vote and the center-left Social Democrats (SPÖ). with 20%.

Should the FPÖ win, its only likely coalition partner would be the conservative ÖVP, with whom it has already served as a junior coalition partner twice.

The ÖVP’s current chancellor, Karl Nehammer, has expressed his unwillingness to work with Kickl, declaring this month that it is impossible “to form a government with someone who loves conspiracy theories.” However, he left the door open to working with the FPÖ without Kickl, with the two parties There is overlap on issues like immigration and tax cuts.

If the ÖVP gets confused in the polls, it could hold talks with the FPÖ or try to form Austria’s first three-party alliance – with the SPÖ and either the Greens or the liberal NEOS party.

According to Reinhard, the FPÖ is more likely to form a government if it comes second than if it comes first. “If the FPÖ is ahead, it could only form a government with the conservatives. However, it is questionable whether the ÖVP would like to be a junior partner in a coalition with the FPÖ, while it could be a senior partner in a coalition with the SPÖ and a third party.”

According to Reinhard, if a coalition between the ÖVP and SPÖ is numerically possible, this is the most likely outcome.

But Biard said it was “not ruled out that the FPÖ could join or even lead a coalition – which would be a first in Austria.”

“This would strengthen the weight and influence of the extreme right not only in Austria, but also at the European level.”

Towns was drafted Nol. He was selected No. 1 overall by the Timberwolves in 2015 and spent nine seasons in Minnesota.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Minnesota Timberwolves open training camp next week and made a blockbuster trade on Friday evening.

According to Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, the Timberwolves are trading Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks for Julius Randle, Donte Divencenzo and a first-round pick.

Why it matters

Towns was drafted Nol. He was selected No. 1 overall by the Timberwolves in 2015 and spent nine seasons in Minnesota. He is the team’s best player alongside Anthony Edwards and one of the faces of the franchise. It appears Towns himself was caught off guard, judging by his reaction on social media Friday night.

Towns helped the Timberwolves to their best regular season in 20 years last season and their first trip to the Western Conference finals in two decades. He is a four-time NBA All-Star and 2015 Rookie of the Year. Last season, he averaged 21.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, making him one of the best perimeter shooting big men in the league.

Towns begins the first year of a four-year, $220 contract extension this season. The Timberwolves posted a video of Towns practicing at Mayo Clinic Square earlier this week.

What it means

The Timberwolves open training camp next week and will host a media day on Monday. That means Anthony Edwards is the face of the franchise, if he wasn’t already. Randle and DiVencenzo will need to work their way into the rotation and find a fit for Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley Jr. and Naz Reid.

Tim Connelly continues to show that he is not afraid to take bold steps. He traded five draft picks and four players to the Utah Jazz to get Rudy Gobert, who was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the fourth time last season.

The team has not confirmed Towns’ trade.

MILWAUKEE — About 36 hours after escaping a natural disaster in the South, the Mets caused a debacle of their own making, imploding minutes into a crucial game with ace Sean Manaea on the mound. The Mets are still in control of their own destiny after their opening game loss here, although that’s not exactly a huge blessing considering how they’re playing in their biggest game of the season.

The current scorecard for the trip that will decide this season is as follows: Braves one win, Brewers one win, Hurricane Helene two rainouts, Mets two no-show games.

This certainly wasn’t the time for one of the worst performances of the season, but that’s exactly what it was. There were almost no encouraging events.

Manaea didn’t look like himself at all, and the Mets’ lineup didn’t come together nearly enough against Frankie Montas and Co., who shut out the Yankees. Additionally, Mets star Francisco Lindor, playing his first full game in two weeks, doesn’t look 100 percent, no matter what anyone says. He just seemed to stick it out.

To add insult to injury, noted Mets tormentor Rhys Hoskins once again played the villain, hitting a grand slam in the first inning of the Mets’ 8-4 loss. Not that anyone gets to pick their winners, but Hoskins has already been reviled in the Mets clubhouse.

This Hoskins hate started when he was back in Philly, but he killed the Mets in the first week of that season when he won a game with his hitting heroics after hitting Jeff McNeil (remember him?) with a hard one sliding into second base had upset. Then, six months later, he dared to start on that final weekend of the season. His two-out, two-strike home run to left basically decided everything after 20 minutes.

The Mets have two games left here and a chance. But they have to take it up.

Give plenty of credit to the up-and-coming Brewers from arguably the smallest MLB market (Milwaukee and Cincinnati have held that title for years). They field, they run the bases (they stole at will on Friday) and they win, securing the No. 3 seed and home field for their wild-card series — whether they play the Mets or someone else .

The game was almost meaningless for Milwaukee, yet they started with their “A” lineup and played close to their “A” game. Good for you. But bad for the Mets.

For the team from Queens, this attempt was almost a complete failure. They were playing in a competition they “had to win” (coach Carlos Mendoza) after fleeing Atlanta, and they didn’t give themselves a chance.

However, I can’t say they didn’t show fire. Mendoza was ejected for freaking out home plate umpire Ramon De Jesus after De Jesus called out Francisco Alvarez on a pitch that appeared below the strike zone with two outs and two outs in the fourth. That happened after Alvarez — who later left with back spasms — hopped around and threw his helmet to the ground.

There is reason to scream. The final schedule, which looked difficult, took a significant turn for the worse when the possibility of a flight south and a return trip to Atlanta on Monday to make up the two lost games came into play.

Even if the Mets get through this weekend well, their pitching depth will be tested with the prospect of two games on Monday before the start of a potential playoff series on Tuesday. This matchup could happen again next week if the Mets are lucky enough to beat the Braves or Diamondbacks. And if so, the small team from this beautiful Midwestern city will have almost every advantage.

That’s not just because the Mets’ decent strength will be severely depleted by then, but also because the Brewers honestly appear to be the better team. These little things they do can add up, right?

As if the Mets didn’t have enough to worry about, former MVP candidate Lindor didn’t really resemble himself. He managed a leg kick, but struck with an unusually weak swing and made a rare throwing error while playing through a back problem. Although both he and team staff kept saying he was fine, he didn’t look it.

The whole team doesn’t seem quite right either. But even though this journey has been nothing short of disastrous so far, remarkably her circumstances are still not entirely dire. They just need to beat one of the Braves or Diamondbacks, who have similar records and other weaknesses. The Braves can pitch, but they can’t hit. The D’backs are the opposite: good hitters but suspect pitchers.

Right now, it looks like the Mets can’t accomplish much. But as we know, things can change quickly. The Mets came back from an 0-5 start and 11 games under .500 and prepared for a possible playoff appearance. But they’re returning to their previous games at the worst possible time and simply can’t play like they did on Friday when they expect to get where they want to go.

MADISON, Wis. –

The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted unanimously Friday to fire a communications professor who wanted to keep his job after he was fired as chancellor of one of the system’s campuses for producing pornographic films.

Joe Gow, who served as UW-La Crosse’s chancellor for nearly 17 years, argued last week that he should retain a teaching position on campus. But the university’s lawyers argued that he behaved unethically, violated the terms of his employment contract, damaged the university’s reputation and compromised its mission.

The regents met in closed session Friday morning before publicly voting to fire Gow. There was no public discussion before the board vote.

Gow said he is considering filing a lawsuit to keep his teaching job. He did not immediately respond to a message Friday morning.

Gow has been on paid leave from his faculty position since the regents fired him as chancellor in 2023, shortly after university leadership became aware of the videos posted on pornographic websites.

The case has drawn national attention both for the salaciousness of a high-ranking university official making and speaking publicly about pornographic films and for the questions it raises about free speech rights.

Gow argued that his videos and two e-books that he and his wife Carmen published about their experiences in adult films were protected by the First Amendment. The university’s attorney argued that Gow’s videos themselves were legal, but that they were not protected by his employment contract.

Zach Greenberg, an attorney with the free speech advocacy group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, called the regents’ decision “a major blow to academic freedom and the right to free expression.”

“FIRE has said time and time again: Public universities cannot sacrifice the First Amendment to protect their reputations,” Greenberg said. “We are disappointed that the UW has caved to donors and politicians by alienating a tenured professor.”

Republican lawmakers already view Wisconsin’s university system as a liberal incubator. Last year they forced the company to scale back its diversity initiatives. System President Jay Rothman has tried to avoid further angering conservatives as he seeks approval for an $855 million increase in the next state budget.

Gow’s hope of teaching in the classroom again was rejected by his department head, Linda Dickmeyer. She said that because Gow had not taught in 20 years, he would be assigned general education courses, but she declined to allow him to return to teaching in any capacity.

Gow was criticized in 2018 for inviting porn actress Nina Hartley to speak on campus. She received $5,000 from tuition fees for her performance. The university said he came up with the idea of ​​bringing her to campus after filming a pornographic video with her.

Gow and his wife’s e-books were written under the pseudonyms “Monogamy with Benefits: How Porn Enhances Our Relationships” and “Married with Benefits – Our Real Adventures in the Adult Industry.” But they also star in a YouTube channel called “Sexy Healthy Cooking,” in which the couple cooks meals with porn actors.

Watch as Hurricane Helene brings strong winds, heavy surf and storm surge to the Florida coast Thursday night into Friday morning.

We put together a playlist of live webcams that were still operating as of Thursday afternoon in various coastal locations, from Panama City in the Panhandle south to Key West.

St George Island, Apalachicola

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Inlet Beach, Destin (Okaloosa County)

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Panama City Beach

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Palazzo Beach, Panama City

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Clearwater Beach

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Tampa Riverfront, University of Tampa

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St. Petersburg marina

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Anna Maria Island, Bradenton

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Key West Harbor

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Fort Myers Beach

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Caloosachatchee River Bridge, Fort Myers

Originally published: September 25, 2024 at 12:20 p.m

Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores is expected to buy a 27% stake in the Chargers, two people familiar with the deal told The Times on Friday. They spoke on the condition that their names not be used due to the confidential nature of the deal.

The transaction will resolve a long-running dispute between Dea Spanos Berberian and her siblings – including Chargers controlling owner Dean Spanos – that ended in court in April 2021.

Gores and his wife, Holly, are buying Spanos Berberian’s share of the franchise, people familiar with the transaction said, but he will not control or have the ability to control the organization, nor will he have any influence over its day-to-day operations the team. Dean Spanos retains full control of the franchise as he and his siblings Michael Spanos and Alexis Spanos Ruhl own approximately 69% of the Chargers.

While Spanos Berberian claimed that her brother’s poor management of the team resulted in debts that threatened the family’s fortunes, she hoped to force a sale of the team through a petition filed by attorney Adam Streisand. He previously represented Jeanie Buss in her battle for control of the Lakers from her brothers and also Steve Ballmer in the lawsuit that forced Donald Sterling to sell the Clippers.

As the litigation continued, the person familiar with the transaction said, Spanos Berberian instead shifted its focus to exiting the ownership group.

Gores will purchase Spanos Berberian’s 24% stake and an additional 3% of the franchise – 1% each from shares owned by Dean Spanos, Alexis Spanos Ruhl and Michael Spanos – for estate planning purposes.

The price of Gores’ share of the franchise is unknown, although the Chargers are worth about $5.38 billion, according to average figures from Forbes, Sportico and CNBC.

The sale still needs to be approved by NFL owners next month at a regularly scheduled quarterly meeting on Oct. 15 and 16 in Atlanta.

Gores, whose net worth is estimated by Bloomberg at $11.8 billion, is the founder of Platinum Equity. He and the Beverly Hills-based private equity firm purchased the Pistons in 2011 before becoming sole owner of the NBA team in 2015. The Chargers purchase was not related to PE, according to the Associated Press.

Calcutta, India: Tapas Pal has been making clay idols of various gods and goddesses for two decades at Kumartuli, a traditional pottery center in Kolkata in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.

The 42-year-old, who makes six-meter-tall idols from unfired clay, told Al Jazeera that he would not normally have any free time in the two months leading up to Durga Puja, the state’s biggest festival. as he would meet the deadline for handing over the idols to the festival organizers.

But this year the situation is completely different, with fewer orders and reduced budgets as the city’s residents are not in the mood for celebrations after the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at the state-run RG Kar Hospital on August 9.

“The festival offers [a] We make up a large portion of our annual business and expect high returns. But this time, due to the intense protests in the state, there is hardly any business,” and his business has dropped by two-thirds, he said.

Durga Puja is a 10-day worship of the Hindu goddess Durga to celebrate her victory over a shape-shifting demon and embodies joy. Durga is one of the most powerful goddesses in Hinduism. She represents the power of women and her legend revolves around her ability to defeat evil. In 2021, Durga Puja in Kolkata was added to UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In the run-up to the festival, artisans spend months making idols of Durga – depicted as a beautiful woman riding a lion or tiger, with many arms, each carrying a weapon meant to destroy evil. The idols that often represent a part of this battle are intricately hand-painted, beautifully dressed, adorned with jewels and displayed on the pandals.

There is a standstill in the state in the days leading up to the celebrations, which are scheduled to begin on October 9 this year. Schools and offices are closed and people resort to pandal hopping – a tradition in which people visit multiple venues housing the idols to offer prayers and eat prasad – as neighborhoods compete for the biggest and fanciest idols and decorations compete.

Last year, state minister Mamata Banerjee pegged the festival economy at about 840 billion rupees ($10 billion).

However, it is not clear whether the numbers will be anywhere near that high this year as people are still in shock after the body of a trainee doctor was found with multiple injuries at the government hospital. The hospital authorities initially informed her parents that she had died by suicide. But an autopsy revealed that she had been raped and murdered.

Since then, police have arrested Sanjoy Roy, a volunteer at the hospital who had full access to the ward where the doctor worked, and four others, including the college’s former principal Dr. Sandeep Ghosh, and a police officer arrested.

The brutality of the crime and accusations of apathy on the part of the state administration shocked citizens who took to the streets in protest, especially as the city prided itself on being safe for women.

Activists say the doctor’s rape and murder shows how women in India continue to face sexual violence despite tougher laws being introduced following the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a bus in the national capital New Delhi in 2012.

The number of crimes against women in India rose 4 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data released late last year.

Banerjee’s plea to urge people to return to the celebrations has so far remained unsuccessful.

On the contrary, locals have emotionally connected with the victim’s family after the father broke down in a television interview and said that no one wants to celebrate the festival this year and that anyone who does will not celebrate with joy.

The gloomy mood has affected several hundred artisans and entrepreneurs whose livelihoods depend on the festival.

Business “ruined”

Artisans say the incident couldn’t have happened at a worse time as several organizers place orders for idols every year in the second or third week of August and have either scaled back or paused them altogether.

“The incident is regrettable and condemnable. We demand strict punishment for the perpetrators and justice for the victim’s family. But the timing coincided badly with our peak season, which has completely ruined our business this year,” Subhendu Pal, 52, an idol maker in Kumartuli, told Al Jazeera.

Subhendu Porel, 35, who makes decorative Styrofoam items for pandals, said business has more than halved.

“People’s enthusiasm for the festival is hardly there. We usually travel to other states this season to make the decorative items as there is a high demand for us there. But this time people from other states did not come out of fear to take us for their work [the] The law and order situation here is deteriorating. It seems that this year the festival is just a formality and nothing else,” Porel said.

Prabhakar Porel, 32, an artisan who designs the bamboo structures used to hold the pandals, said: “We make tents that reach up to 60 feet high.” [18 metres]but organizers are reducing orders to 30 feet [nine metres] and even less so since budget constraints are an issue this time. Sponsors are not ready to give their whole hearts to feel the gloom in the state,” he said.

State subsidies declined

In West Bengal, around 43,000 Durga Pujas are held by community clubs every year, including 3,000 in Kolkata alone. The state government offers clubs 70,000 rupees ($840) every year to organize the festival, but this year the amount was increased to 85,000 rupees ($1,013).

But several clubs, shaken by the incident, rejected the grant, which in turn limited their spending capacity.

Apart from government subsidies, a large part of the festival’s costs are borne by sponsors such as local and national companies, who in return promote their brands. Based on the amount of money promised, organizers such as the clubs commission idols, decorations and food stalls, among other things. The hint of low participation in the celebrations could lead some of them to hold back or cut back on their promises.

Avishek Bhattacharyya, a board member of the Forum for Durgotsab, an umbrella group of more than 600 festival organizers in the state, told Al Jazeera that a boycott would be disastrous for the festival.

“The discussions with sponsors… take place several months in advance. There is no question of backing out as the organizers set their budget depending on the promised sponsorship. But if the [sponsors] To step down now would be a big problem for the organizers to clear the fees of the idol makers, decorators and other people involved. Several people will lose their livelihood,” Bhattacharyya warned.

Professor Mahalaya Chatterjee of Calcutta University’s economics department admitted that the celebrations could suffer a major setback in the backdrop of the protests. “There is no doubt that bulk purchasing will be reduced to the bare essentials and that would be a major economic blow to those involved in the business. [If] “The celebrations will suffer, which would impact food stalls and other routes during the festival,” she said.

Buyer absent

The effects of the protests are also being felt in Calcutta’s shopping areas with few customers.

“A month before the festival, people start buying clothes and other things that they should avoid [the] Last minute rush. The stores are full of customers and there is no place to hold on. The sales bring enormous income to the dealers. But the RG Kar incident has devastated us economically,” said Maqsood Khan, secretary of Shreeram Arcade Shopkeepers Association, which has around 250 shops in the market.

“There are virtually no buyers on the street and shopkeepers have to wait until the evening hours to make the first sale of the day,” lamented Khan.

The shopping arcade has extended its closing time by an hour to 10 p.m., but there are still no customers. “The situation is worse than after the COVID-19 crisis, when sales started after pandemic-related restrictions were lifted,” he said, adding that losses were up to 100 million rupees ($1.2 million). could be.

Every year Durga Puja also attracts tourists from other parts of India and abroad. That too suffered a setback this year.

Koushik Banerjee, the founder of Supreme Tours and Travels in Kolkata, told Al Jazeera that the number of tourists coming to the state has drastically reduced. “That already exists [a] 50 percent drop in inbound tourists, which has had a major impact on our business,” he said.

This is already putting a strain on the hospitality industry, where sales have so far fallen by 15 percent. “Our member restaurants had a turnover of around Rs 18 billion [$215m] across West Bengal last year during a festival month. Even in hotels, the business was around Rs 15 billion [$179m]. But this year there is uncertainty,” said Sudesh Poddar, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India.

Idol maker Pal feels the damage has already been done and the festival is unlikely to generate any buzz. “The younger generation is taking [an] They are actively taking part in the celebrations, but are all busy protesting and in no mood to upload jubilant pictures on social media. They used to come to Kumartuli every year to click our pictures during idol making, but this time no one is coming and this shows the sad mood in the city. The festival will pass quietly.”