St. Petersburg officials have charged 25 young men belonging to an alleged skinhead group with hate crimes and attacks on people that resulted in two deaths, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
The skinhead group, which is allegedly led by Andrei Linok, was charged with 12 attacks on non-Slavic people. Investigators said Linok -- who is among the 25 detainees -- created the group via the Internet in 2007. The group members are all Russian men between 17 and 23 years of age.
Yevgeny Vyshenkov, the deputy chairman of the Russian-based Investigative Journalism Agency, told RFE/RL that citizens of Uzbekistan, Armenia, and also Russian citizens from the republics of Tuva and Karelia were among the group's victims.
The group -- which conducted its attacks in the summer and fall of 2007 -- is also alleged to have attacked Asians and Africans. Many of the attacks were filmed by the group.
Many of the attack videos were used by police to aid in the arrest of the suspects in November 2007.
Vyshenkov said that neo-Nazis and skinheads in Russia recently stopped openly displaying symbols or wearing clothes that indicate their ties to extremist groups.
"They are not wearing such signs as the swastika, leather jackets, or [certain] hats anymore," he said. "They now wear normal civilian clothes and it has become difficult to prevent their attacks and locate them [afterwards]."
Investigators say Linok was recruiting people for his group to propagate ultranational and racist ideology.
The trial is expected to begin soon, though no date was available.
RFERL
Friday, 17 September 2010
Germany contradicts French statement on Roma camps
The issue of Roma deportations from France dominated an EU summit.
Mr Sarkozy told a news conference that Chancellor Merkel had said to him that she intended to follow France's example in dismantling Roma camps.
Mrs Merkel's spokesman denied she had discussed the issue with Mr Sarkozy.
Fresh from a blazing row with the president of the European Commission, President Sarkozy has managed to fall out with his closest ally in Europe, says the BBC's Oana Lungescu, who was at the summit in Brussels.
Heated exchange
Mr Sarkozy told reporters at the summit that Chancellor Merkel had said she intended to dismantle Roma camps in the coming weeks.
He then said: "We'll see how calm German politics will become then".
But promptly after landing in Berlin, the chancellor's spokesman firmly denied that Mrs Merkel had discussed any so-called Roma camps with the French president during the summit or on the margins, let alone their evacuation.
During the summit, Mr Sarkozy clashed with the European Commission over the matter of Roma deportations.
Since August, France has dismantled about 200 Roma settlements and deported about 1,000 of their inhabitants to Romania and Bulgaria. It has also evicted French nationals from illegal traveller settlements.
Earlier this week the EU Justice Commissioner, Viviane Reding, had appeared to compare France's actions to persecutions in Nazi-occupied France.
"The disgusting and shameful words that were used - World War II, the evocation of the Jews - was something that shocked us deeply," Mr Sarkozy said.
He then went on to have a heated exchange with the EU Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso.
This is an unprecedented row between Brussels and Paris, our correspondent says. But despite all the sound and fury little has changed in practice, as France will continue dismantling illegal camps, she adds.
Mr Barroso recognised that some excessive comments had been made, but insisted that discrimination against ethnic minorities was unacceptable.
"It is true that in the past few weeks, some things have been said that are out of order," Mr Barroso admitted. "But I think we need to leave that on one side now."
Ms Reding, the EU commissioner from Luxembourg, said on Tuesday: "This is a situation I had thought Europe would not have to witness again after the Second World War."
She also urged the European Commission to take legal action against France over the deportations.
Ms Reding later said she regretted interpretations of her statement.
Although France has deported thousands of Romanian and Bulgarian Roma over the past few years, it began accelerating the process last month, as part of a high-profile crackdown on illegal camps in the country.
On Monday, Euro MPs accused the commission of failing to protect the Roma deported from France.
In all, Mr Sarkozy said around 500 camps were dismantled in August, of which 199 were Roma settlements.
About 5,400 people were evicted from the Roma camps, but the majority of those living in the camps were French nationals, the president said.
The president's assertions appeared to contradict a leaked memo from the French interior ministry which surfaced on Monday.
It showed the authorities had been instructed to target Roma camps, rather than deal with migrants on a case-by-case basis, as the French migration minister and the minister for Europe had assured the European Commission.
BBC News
Police detect fewer than half of race-hate criminals in their area (UK)
Fewer than half the people who commit racially or religiously aggravated crimes in the Humberside Police area are being brought to justice, in spite of the launch of a new initiative three months ago.
Sanction detection rates for these offences – where someone is charged, summonsed, receives a caution or other formal sanction – are at 46.4 per cent, latest figures show.
The statistics, which cover sanction detection rates between April and August.
They also mean the force is failing to meet its target of 49.3 per cent. In spite of the findings, Humberside is still out-performing its group of seven similar forces in England and Wales when it comes to tackling racially and religiously aggravated crime.
The force launched a campaign in June pledging to crackdown on hate crime and encouraging more victims to report offences.
A spokeswoman said: "There have been some slight changes to the recording of racially and religiously recorded offences and now some lower level harassment offences are counted – these being by their very nature more difficult to detect. Furthermore, the detection rate was exceptionally high last year, which means it was always going to be difficult to maintain that level.
"It should be pointed out that almost half of the offences are detected and when compared to other most similar forces, Humberside has still got the best detection rate for racially and aggravated crime."
The worst performing area was C Division in the East Riding, which saw a fall of more than 20 per cent to a rate of 29.6 per cent.
In North East Lincolnshire (A Division), there was a fall of more than 14 per cent to 28.6 per cent, while in North Lincolnshire (B Division) the rate fell 6.4 per cent to 28.6 per cent.
Police in Hull (D Division) bucked the trend, however, and succeeded in seeing nearly three-quarters of those who committed these types of offences brought to justice.
Sanction detection rates for racially or religiously aggravated crime in the city rose more than 10 per cent, to a rate of 73.6 per cent – a performance way above the division's target of 61.7 per cent.
The figures show that sanction detection rates for the majority of serious acquisitive crimes also fell and are below target.
The biggest fall, of more than 11 per cent, concerned vehicle theft, and rates also fell by between three and five per cent for domestic burglary and theft from a vehicle, although the rates for robbery improved by nearly nine per cent.
Gun crime shot up by nearly 52 per cent over the period, with 41 recorded gun crimes between April and August this year, compared with 27 over the same period in 2009.
Gun crime was most prevalent in Hull, where there were 16 recorded offences, followed by the East Riding (10), North East Lincolnshire (8), and North Lincolnshire (7).
In spite of the statistical rise, Humberside does not suffer from the type of gun crimes associated with other parts of Britain.
The spokeswoman said: "The area covered by Humber-side Police does not have a large scale problem with gun crime and thankfully incidents involving live firearms are rare in the area.
"A large proportion of those offences recorded as gun crimes involve imitation weapons and their use in public places."
The figures are contained in a report by Chief Constable Tim Hollis, which will go before force watchdog the Humberside Police Authority on Tuesday.
Yorkshire Post
Sanction detection rates for these offences – where someone is charged, summonsed, receives a caution or other formal sanction – are at 46.4 per cent, latest figures show.
The statistics, which cover sanction detection rates between April and August.
They also mean the force is failing to meet its target of 49.3 per cent. In spite of the findings, Humberside is still out-performing its group of seven similar forces in England and Wales when it comes to tackling racially and religiously aggravated crime.
The force launched a campaign in June pledging to crackdown on hate crime and encouraging more victims to report offences.
A spokeswoman said: "There have been some slight changes to the recording of racially and religiously recorded offences and now some lower level harassment offences are counted – these being by their very nature more difficult to detect. Furthermore, the detection rate was exceptionally high last year, which means it was always going to be difficult to maintain that level.
"It should be pointed out that almost half of the offences are detected and when compared to other most similar forces, Humberside has still got the best detection rate for racially and aggravated crime."
The worst performing area was C Division in the East Riding, which saw a fall of more than 20 per cent to a rate of 29.6 per cent.
In North East Lincolnshire (A Division), there was a fall of more than 14 per cent to 28.6 per cent, while in North Lincolnshire (B Division) the rate fell 6.4 per cent to 28.6 per cent.
Police in Hull (D Division) bucked the trend, however, and succeeded in seeing nearly three-quarters of those who committed these types of offences brought to justice.
Sanction detection rates for racially or religiously aggravated crime in the city rose more than 10 per cent, to a rate of 73.6 per cent – a performance way above the division's target of 61.7 per cent.
The figures show that sanction detection rates for the majority of serious acquisitive crimes also fell and are below target.
The biggest fall, of more than 11 per cent, concerned vehicle theft, and rates also fell by between three and five per cent for domestic burglary and theft from a vehicle, although the rates for robbery improved by nearly nine per cent.
Gun crime shot up by nearly 52 per cent over the period, with 41 recorded gun crimes between April and August this year, compared with 27 over the same period in 2009.
Gun crime was most prevalent in Hull, where there were 16 recorded offences, followed by the East Riding (10), North East Lincolnshire (8), and North Lincolnshire (7).
In spite of the statistical rise, Humberside does not suffer from the type of gun crimes associated with other parts of Britain.
The spokeswoman said: "The area covered by Humber-side Police does not have a large scale problem with gun crime and thankfully incidents involving live firearms are rare in the area.
"A large proportion of those offences recorded as gun crimes involve imitation weapons and their use in public places."
The figures are contained in a report by Chief Constable Tim Hollis, which will go before force watchdog the Humberside Police Authority on Tuesday.
Yorkshire Post
Islamophobia and the Media (USA)
Islamophobia — an irrational fear and hatred of Muslims — is spreading throughout the American body politic. Churchgoers threaten to burn the Koran, citizens condemn plans for a Muslim community center in lower Manhattan, and pundits malign President Obama as a closet Muslim.
Is our president a Muslim? Of course not. Neither is the Koran an evil document, or Park51 a rebuke to the memory of those who died on 9/11. Journalists, whose job it is to inform the public in service of the democratic process, ought to make these facts clear. But rather than state the obvious, and help dispel the irrationality that runs rampant at a time of economic difficulty and social upheaval, too many mainstream news outlets are feeding the maelstrom of misinformation with stories that play up irresponsible allegations.
Instead, journalists need to focus on two questions — one to guide their coverage, and another to inform their professionalism. Their first task is to investigate why Islamophobia is on the rise. This entails exploring the social, cultural, economic and political conditions that inculcate fear, hatred and scapegoating. It also means asking who benefits from spurring widespread paranoia. For example, in Europe and the United States, a network of online Web sites provides a locus and rationale for anti-Muslim activity. But there’s been little examination of who funds and directs Stop Islamisation of Europe or Stop Islamization of America.
Second, journalists need to ask themselves what they’re about: why they became reporters, and what their mission is. Having worked in newsrooms and taught the next generation, I know that most reporters are motivated by the desire to inform, enlighten and find a really great story. They don’t set out to sensationalize the news, but the industry’s current logic of hits, clicks and eyeballs can bend coverage to what news managers believe is popular with the public.
Islamophobia is on the rise because it serves someone’s political agenda. Rather than write around the question — adding to the whirlwind of anger, panic and mistrust, our news media need to start asking the right questions.
Diane Winston Politics and Society
Is our president a Muslim? Of course not. Neither is the Koran an evil document, or Park51 a rebuke to the memory of those who died on 9/11. Journalists, whose job it is to inform the public in service of the democratic process, ought to make these facts clear. But rather than state the obvious, and help dispel the irrationality that runs rampant at a time of economic difficulty and social upheaval, too many mainstream news outlets are feeding the maelstrom of misinformation with stories that play up irresponsible allegations.
Instead, journalists need to focus on two questions — one to guide their coverage, and another to inform their professionalism. Their first task is to investigate why Islamophobia is on the rise. This entails exploring the social, cultural, economic and political conditions that inculcate fear, hatred and scapegoating. It also means asking who benefits from spurring widespread paranoia. For example, in Europe and the United States, a network of online Web sites provides a locus and rationale for anti-Muslim activity. But there’s been little examination of who funds and directs Stop Islamisation of Europe or Stop Islamization of America.
Second, journalists need to ask themselves what they’re about: why they became reporters, and what their mission is. Having worked in newsrooms and taught the next generation, I know that most reporters are motivated by the desire to inform, enlighten and find a really great story. They don’t set out to sensationalize the news, but the industry’s current logic of hits, clicks and eyeballs can bend coverage to what news managers believe is popular with the public.
Islamophobia is on the rise because it serves someone’s political agenda. Rather than write around the question — adding to the whirlwind of anger, panic and mistrust, our news media need to start asking the right questions.
Diane Winston Politics and Society
Rabbi warns: 'don't exaggerate antisemitism'
West London Synagogue senior rabbi Mark Winer warned against exaggerating the threat of antisemitism in the UK in his final Rosh Hashanah address to his congregation.
Although antisemitism was widespread, "we need to acknowledge that antisemitism does not really pose that much of a threat to Jews on a day-to-day basis," he said.
In general, he believed that "we Jews overestimate the threat of antisemitism as a part of our historically justified paranoia. But we run a serious risk of obsessive focus on it."
Rabbi Winer, 67, is returning to the United States after Succot after nearly 13 years but will retain links with West London as its senior scholar.
In the first of his "swan song" High Holy Day sermons, he said that the best response to antisemitism was "being the most knowledgeable and observant, the most appropriately self-assertive, confident, even exuberant Jews".
Emphasising the need to be "100 per cent British even as we are 100 per cent Jewish", Rabbi Winer added: "Only a 'glatt Yank' like me could teach the essentiality of being a 'glatt Brit'."
The Jewish Chronicle
Although antisemitism was widespread, "we need to acknowledge that antisemitism does not really pose that much of a threat to Jews on a day-to-day basis," he said.
In general, he believed that "we Jews overestimate the threat of antisemitism as a part of our historically justified paranoia. But we run a serious risk of obsessive focus on it."
Rabbi Winer, 67, is returning to the United States after Succot after nearly 13 years but will retain links with West London as its senior scholar.
In the first of his "swan song" High Holy Day sermons, he said that the best response to antisemitism was "being the most knowledgeable and observant, the most appropriately self-assertive, confident, even exuberant Jews".
Emphasising the need to be "100 per cent British even as we are 100 per cent Jewish", Rabbi Winer added: "Only a 'glatt Yank' like me could teach the essentiality of being a 'glatt Brit'."
The Jewish Chronicle
Row after Pope's remarks on atheism and Nazis
However, the Catholic Church has moved to play down the controversy, saying the Pope knew "rather well what the Nazi ideology is about".
Humanists have said the comments were a "terrible libel" against non-believers
In his address, the Pope spoke of "a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society".
He went on to urge the UK to guard against "aggressive forms of secularism".
The Pope made his remarks in his opening address to the Queen at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
He said: "Even in our own lifetimes we can recall how Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common humanity to many, especially the Jews, who were thought unfit to live.
"As we reflect on the sobering lessons of atheist extremism of the 20th century, let us never forget how the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of society and thus a reductive vision of a person and his destiny."
'Highly political'
A statement from the British Humanist Association said the Pope's remarks were "surreal".
It said: "The notion that it was the atheism of Nazis that led to their extremist and hateful views or that it somehow fuels intolerance in Britain today is a terrible libel against those who do not believe in God.
"The notion that it is non-religious people in the UK today who want to force their views on others, coming from a man whose organisation exerts itself internationally to impose its narrow and exclusive form of morality and undermine the human rights of women, children, gay people and many others, is surreal."
The German-born Pope has previously spoken of his time growing up under the "monster" of Nazism.
He joined the Hitler Youth at 14, as was required of young Germans at the time.
Late on in WWII he was drafted into an anti-aircraft unit in Munich.
He deserted the German army towards the end of the war and was briefly held as a prisoner-of-war by the Allies in 1945.
The Pope's conservative, traditionalist views were intensified when teaching at the University of Bonn in the 1960s he was said to be appalled at the prevalence of Marxism among his students.
In his view, religion was being subordinated to a political ideology that he considered "tyrannical, brutal and cruel".
He would later be a leading campaigner against liberation theology, the movement to involve the Church in social activism, which for him was too close to Marxism.
BBC News
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