Pledge Your Support To Stop The Use Of The 'R' Word

The words 'Retard' and 'Retarded' are often used as offensive terms; but how often do we stop and think what they mean? Do we stop and think who may be offended, hurt or upset by the use of these words?

Most decent people wouldn't use offensive racial terms, or words that are derogatory to the GLBT community. But all too often it the 'R' word is either used casually as an insult or as a form of hate speech against people with learning difficulties or mental health problems.

It is time we stopped accepting hate speech in any guise. Accepting this behaviour, or turning a blind eye to it, opens the gates to more discrimination and hatred - and the prejudice can soon spiral out of control.

The Ladder of Prejudice demonstrates:

The First Rung: Speech (hate speech, name calling)
The Second Rung: Avoidance (crossing the road to avoid 'them', isolating 'them')
The Third Rung: Discrimination (we have no common ground - why not make 'them' second class citizens?)
The Fourth Rung: Physical Attack (the law states 'they' are worth less than me, so I can act towards 'them' as I please)
The Fifth Rung: Extermination ('they' serve no purpose in society - why keep 'them' around?)

(Identified by Tolerance.org)

We have seen this pattern established many times by racial discrimination, or discrimination on the grounds of sexuality.

As part of their work to promote the rights and views of disabled people worldwide, the Special Olympics have launched a campaign to challenge the use of the 'R' word in our societies. This is not political correctness gone mad - this is treating other human beings with the respect we would demand for ourselves. Don't allow anyone to take the first step on the ladder of prejudice unchallenged.

Please pledge your support for this worthwhile campaign.

Black churches not welcome in white areas, says BNP leader

Black churches would not be welcome or receive grants from a BNP local or national government if their ministry and place of worship were to be in a “historically white area”, BNP leader Nick Griffin admitted on live TV last night.

Mr Griffin aired his views in a controversial live debate with the leader of the Christian Party and British-born, black pastor Rev George Hargreaves on Revelation and Genesis TV.
Both men are standing against Labour Minister Margaret Hodge for the Barking constituency in the up-coming general election.
The two were debating the motion: “That the election of any BNP MP or leader of a Local Authority will be detrimental to Black and ethnic minority Christians in particular and the wider church in general in Britain."

Mr Griffin revealed that his understanding of Christian heritage was one of "national pride and history", rather than a personal and corporate dedication to Jesus Christ. When asked about his own relationship with God, he stated his relationship was not so much with Jesus, but rather with an ideal of what the Anglican church as the 'state church' should be.

When asked if the BNP would allow black churches to purchase building in certain areas of London, Mr Griffin made it clear that any church composed primarily of ethnic groups would be disallowed in historically white majority areas, and forced to conduct their worship in areas deemed suitable by a white political leadership.
Rev Hargreaves said: “BNP policy is to oppose the community cohesion that would allow non-Christians to hear the Gospel at, say, Christian school assemblies.

“Most alarming for Christians and churches, is their policy on ‘eliminating multiculturalism spending’. Their policy is to overhaul the Charity Commission and debar from having charitable status any organisation that promotes multiculturalism, multi-racism and foreign religions, in fact, only ‘indigenous groups’ are welcome and would receive funding."
The current BNP Mission Statement states: "The British National Party exists to secure a future for the indigenous peoples of these islands in the North Atlantic which have been our homeland for a millennia."

Revd Hargreaves added: “This statement means that the BNP does not exist for my future any other Black or ethnic minority Christian. And since in Christ racial division are demolished – “for there is neither Greek nor Jew, but all are one in Christ Jesus”– the BNP does not exist for the wider church.

“Last night’s debate clearly shows that the election of any BNP MP or leader of a local authority will be detrimental to black and ethnic minority Christians in particular and the wider church in general in Britain’."

Christian Today

Former Nazi SS member convicted of Dutch murders

A German court has sentenced an 88-year-old former member of the Nazi SS to life in prison for the murder of three Dutch civilians in 1944.

Heinrich Boere had told the court in Aachen that he killed a bicycle shop owner, a pharmacist and a member of the resistance as part of a death squad.
But he said he was following orders and would have been shot for not doing so.
Prosecutors said Boere was a willing member of the SS, which he joined after the Netherlands was invaded in 1940.
But correspondents say that there remains some doubt over whether Boere, who uses a wheelchair and lives in a nursing home, will actually go to jail.
A 90-year-old former German infantry commander, Josef Scheungraber, was given a life sentence by a German court in August, but remains free while his appeal is heard.
Boere's lawyer, Gordon Christiansen, has said he will appeal.

'Totally random'
In December, Boere testified that he had shot Fritz Bicknese, a chemist and father of 12; bicycle seller Teun de Groot, who helped Jews go into hiding; and Dutch resistance member Frans Kusters.

He told the state court that he and fellow members of the SS Silbertanne (Silver Pine) death squad had been informed by their superiors that the men were to be killed in retaliation for attacks by the resistance.

"I knew that if I didn't carry out my orders I would be breaking my oath and would be shot myself," he said.
"At no time in 1944 did I act with the feeling that I was committing a crime," he added. "Today, after 65 years, I naturally see things from a different perspective."

But the presiding judge, Gerd Nohl, told the court that all three killings had been carried out "on a totally random basis" and constituted murder.

"These were murders that could hardly be outdone in terms of baseness and cowardice - beyond the respectability of any soldier."

Members of the death squad had worn "civilian clothes, rain coats, and carried out the crimes either early in the morning or late in the evening", and the risk to Boere when he shot the three men had been "zero", he added.

The pensioner looked on impassively as the sentence was handed down.

The top Nazi hunter at the Jerusalem-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre, Efraim Zuroff, welcomed the conviction, saying it was "again another proof that even at this point it is possible to bring Nazi war criminals to justice".
"It also underscores the significance of the renewed activity on the part of the German prosecution," he told the Associated Press.

Extradition
Boere, who was born near Aachen to a Dutch father and German mother, moved to the Netherlands when he was an infant.
He was 18 when he joined the Waffen SS, shortly after the Germans overran his hometown of Maastricht in 1940. After fighting on the Russian front, he ended up back in the Netherlands as part of the Silbertanne squad.
He admitted the killings to the Dutch authorities when he was in captivity after World War II, but managed to escape from his POW camp and returned to Germany, where he has since lived.
In 1949, a tribunal in Amsterdam sentenced him to death in his absence - later commuted to life in prison.

A Dutch extradition request was turned down by the West German government in the early 1980s, after a court ruled that there was a possibility Boere had German citizenship.
Following a request that Boere serve his sentence in Germany, a German appeals court ruled three years ago that the 1949 trial was unfair because he had not been present.

He was eventually indicted in April 2008, but a court then said he was unfit to stand trial, largely because of heart problems. The decision was eventually overruled on appeal last July.

BBC

Law against homophobic hatred comes into effect (UK)

A new law criminalising stirring up homophobic hatred comes into effect today.

The law, which covers England and Wales, will punish offenders with up to seven years in jail or a fine. It brings protections for gay people in line with laws against racial and religious hatred.

Stonewall claimed that a new offence was necessary after it discovered a range of "extreme" websites with anti-gay material. Homophobic song lyrics could also be covered by the law.

Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill said: "The newly-extended criminal offence of incitement to hatred will go some way towards addressing the hatred and violence directed towards lesbians, gay men and bisexuals in Britain at a time when homophobic attacks are on the increase.
"It sends a strong signal that such behaviour is unacceptable in a civilised society. Just like race, a person's sexual orientation is an intrinsic characteristic for which no citizen should ever feel under threat of verbal or physical violence."

It is unlikely the new law will be used frequently. Similar laws against inciting racial hatred have only been used around 20 times in the 30 years since they came into force.

The legislation will not make it a crime to criticise or tell jokes about homosexuality.

Both religious leaders and comedians had expressed concern that they would be criminalised under it.

While Stonewall and government supporters claimed the initial legislation would not impede freedom of speech, the House of Lords passed an amendment to protect those who criticise homosexuality or urge gays to turn straight from prosecution.

The amendment, tabled by Tory peer and former home secretary under Margaret Thatcher Lord Waddington, allows the "discussion or criticism" of sexual practices.

The issue is likely to come up for debate again if Labour wins the general election.
Pink News

Man at pub ‘stabbed by English Defence League supporters’

A MAN was stabbed in the shoulder with a “cut-throat” blade after trying to stop his friend being attacked by alleged supporters of the English Defence League who had earlier been protesting in Bolton.

A scuffle began outside the Oddfellows Arms in Oldham Road, Middleton, at about 11.30pm on Saturday.
Witnesses said EDL supporters were behaving aggressively and abusing customers.

They were asked to leave by one of the men, who escorted them outside. He was then jumped on and his friend, aged 49, intervened.
After the scuffle had ended and the two men returned inside, the victim realised he had suffered a stab wound to the back of his left shoulder by one of three men. It is believed a cut-throat type blade had been used and it is thought the men had been to the EDL rally in Bolton.

The first man was white, about 5ft 6in tall, in his late teens or early 20s, with a chunky build.

He had short black hair and was wearing a blue EDL T-shirt with “No Surrender Al-Qaeda” and an England badge on the front.
The second man was taller, with dark hair and wearing darkrimmed glasses and a light jacket. The third offender was also wearing a sweatshirt with an EDL logo.

Det Con Wayne Hagan, of Rochdale CID, said: “We need to identify these men and lock them up so they cannot hurt anyone else.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Rochdale CID on 0161 856 8437 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 11

The Bolton News

New survey says most gay people suffer "hate crime" (Scotland, UK)

Most lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have been verbally abused and a third physically attacked, according to a new survey.

The statistics from Stonewall Scotland suggested most people did not report the incidents to the police.

A quarter of those surveyed said they viewed verbal abuse as part of life as a gay or transgender person.

The findings come just before a new law is introduced which aims to tackle hate crimes against gay or disabled people.
The legislation which will be implemented on Wednesday will take a tougher line on crimes which have been motivated because of the victims' sexuality or gender orientation, or because they have a disability.

Carl Watt, director of Stonewall Scotland, said: "Too many people in Scotland experience hate crimes, and many don't report it because they think it won't make a difference or because it happens on such a regular basis."

Stonewall's survey suggests that 88% of people who experienced verbal abuse did not report it, and 61% of those physically attacked did not inform police.

Carl Watt added: "As this new law tackling hate crime comes into force, we're working with the police to give people the confidence to come forward and report crime."

As part of this process Stonewall Scotland has offered every Scottish police force rainbow flag stickers to show the public the police force is committed to equality for everyone.

No excuse
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "There is no excuse for any form of hate crime; it is simply not acceptable and it will not be tolerated.
"That is exactly why we've got this new legislation coming into force which will rightly put these kind of crimes on the same footing as racist incidents."
Chief Constable Ian Latimer, from the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, acknowledged the Stonewall survey and said he noted the concerns highlighted by the people who took part in the questionnaire.
He said: "Forces across Scotland take hate crime very seriously and are proactively developing policy and practice to address discrimination.
"We trust these measures, in addition to the new legislation will give all victims the confidence to report crime and know that they will receive a high quality police response."
BBC News

5 Connecticut men charged in white supremacist case (USA)

Five people from Greater New Haven have been indicted in connection with an alleged attempt to sell firearms and explosive grenades to a white supremacist group in another state federal officials said in a statement

Kenneth Zrallack, 29, of Ansonia, the leader of the Connecticut White Wolves, a self-described white supremacist group now known as Battalion 14; Alexander Defelice, 32, of Milford, and William R. Bolton, 31, of Stratford, both members of the Connecticut White Wolves/Battalion 14; Edwin T. Westmoreland, 27 of Stratford, who is alleged to have participated in some of the activities of the Connecticut White Wolves/Battalion 14; and David Sutton, 46, of Milford, an associate of Defelice, are charged in the indictment, the statement said.
New Haven Register

Paedophile returned to prison over Facebook fear (UK)

A paedophile has been recalled to jail after police were alerted to concerns that he had contacted children using the social networking website Facebook.

Alain Hegarty, of Burnham-on-Sea, was jailed in 2005 for sexually abusing a girl aged under 13.

The 62-year-old, formerly of Kingswood, Bristol, was rearrested after his victim's family became concerned that he may have contacted children.
Hegarty was released on licence in 2007 from a two-and-a-half year sentence.

An Avon and Somerset Police spokeswoman said that Hegarty would be held while it was investigated whether he had breached his probation terms.

A relative of the victim told BBC Points West: "We were really shocked that he had a Facebook account.

"It's difficult dredging up things that happened five years ago and the victim is still dealing with the aftermath of what's happened."
BBC News

HUNGARIAN GUARD BLOCK ROMA FROM JOBBIK RALLY

People wearing the uniforms of the outlawed paramilitary Hungarian Guard prevented several Roma residents of Hajduhadhaz (NE) from entering a rally by radical nationalist party Jobbik in the town on Sunday, the head of the local Roma civil organisation told MTI. About ten Roma wanted to go to the rally, where Jobbik's MEP Csanad Szegedi and other local party representatives were to speak, said Zsolt Bator Lakatos. The representatives of the local Roma organisation wanted to ask at the rally what ideas the party had for such a town in which a large number of residents are Roma, he added. The men dressed in Hungarian Guard uniforms stood in their way and told them it was written on the rally posters that the event was closed and "Gypsies can't come", Lakatos said. When the representatives of the Roma organisation tried to get into a Jobbik rally in nearby Hajduboszormeny later, they were not allowed in either, he added. The local elections office will be informed of the matter, Lakatos said. Jobbik said in a statement sent to MTI on Sunday that "Gypsies had participated" at the open-air event in Hajduhadhaz and "members of the New Hungarian Guard Movement only stood around the speakers". The statement said 10-15 "guard members wore the new, legal uniforms". Several police officers in uniform were present in the crowd, it added.


politics

FIGHT AGAINST CYBER HATE MUST BE STEPPED UP WITHOUT INFRINGING ON FREE SPEECH, DIRECTOR OF OSCE RIGHTS BODY SAYS

More efforts are needed to combat crimes motivated by hate on the Internet, but care must be taken not to infringe on the freedom of expression, said Ambassador Janez Lenarcic, the director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), at the opening of an expert meeting on combating cyber hate in Warsaw today. "The Internet has become a platform for organized hate groups to recruit followers, command and control, organize attacks, and intimidate and harass opponents," said Lenarcic. He stressed that there needs to be a balance between the right of individuals to freely express and exchange their views and the right to be protected from potential harm emanating from statements inciting intolerance against people based on their race, colour, language, nationality, religion or sexual orientation. "We have to be careful not to advocate an approach which might stifle legitimate activities of social, religious or political groups," Lenarcic said. The ODIHR-organized meeting brings together some 100 experts from the OSCE's 56 participating States to discuss legal issues and practical challenges in combating Internet-inspired hate crimes, review successful examples of prosecuting such crimes and share good practices in addressing the phenomenon. Lenarcic said that the dynamic nature of the Internet requires new approaches to promote tolerance and combat intolerance: "Awareness-raising and education are key tools in the fight against incitement to hate on the Internet." Solutions should include a combination of legal limitations, voluntary regulation of admissible content by internet service providers and independent monitoring and reporting mechanisms such as complaints bureaus or hotlines, he said. Lenarcic also highlighted the need for a co-ordinated approach between Internet service providers, the Internet industry and civil society, leading to real partnership and self-regulation. OSCE participating States have acknowledged that hate crimes can be fuelled by racist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic and other hateful content on the Internet, and have committed themselves to a number of practical measures aimed at addressing cyber hate.
OCSE

New Bishop of Chelmsford says don't vote BNP (UK)

THE next Bishop of Chelmsford has urged people in his diocese not to vote for the British National Party in the forthcoming general election.

The Right Rev Steven Cottrell, the Bishop of Reading - who was named as the next Bishop of the Essex and

East London Diocese - said the "Christian voice must counter racist voices".

Mr Cottrell was talking ahead of officially taking up the post in the autumn.

He was born and brought up in Leigh and although he has lived here since he was 18, he considers it his home.

Echo News

Four demonstrators charged after protests in Bolton

Four people have been charged with public order offences following a demonstration in Bolton.

Thousands of demonstrators from Unite Against Fascism and the English Defence League gathered in Victoria Square to air their political views on Saturday.
Police arrested 73 protesters. They have now released 34 without charge, issued 13 with fixed penalty notices and 17 remain on bail.

Three people were cautioned, Greater Manchester Police said.

Another man was transferred to West Yorkshire, over an unrelated assault.

Of those arrested, 54 were affiliated to Unite Against Fascism and 17 were affiliated to the English Defence League, police said.

Police have denied claims that they were heavy-handed during the protest.

BBC News