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Our intention is to inform people of racist, homophobic, religious extreme hate speech perpetrators across social networking internet sites. And we also aim to be a focal point for people to access information and resources to report such perpetrators to appropriate web sites, governmental departments and law enforcement agencies around the world.

We will also post relevant news worthy items and information on Human rights issues, racism, extremist individuals and groups and far right political parties from around the world although predominantly Britain.

Monday 8 November 2010

The face of white supremacy (South Africa)

Gareth Cliff
Gareth Cliff is the poster boy of post-1994 racism and the ANC is happy to burnish his image.

Responses to Cliff's "Letter to the government" on his website have exposed that most South Africans cannot decode white supremacists' texts and actions.

Cliff, the Radio 5 DJ, has written an anti-black manifesto which ironically is celebrated as a statement for clean government.

He has achieved what the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging and other right-wing racists groups have failed achieve -- normalising white supremacy.

He dresses it up as humanist concerns for good governance and service delivery. Cliff is the new paternalistic white liberal Biko so despised.

Unconscious racist
What makes Cliff so effective is that he is not a conscious racist. A basic mistake is the misreading of white supremacy as the preserve of neo-Nazi lunatic elements and not part of the whole reality that naturalises white privilege at the expense of blacks.

This is written into our history of slavery, colonialism and apartheid. White supremacy is taken as a given and the unearned privileges it bestows on whites are never seen or questioned.

Cliff's genius as an effective agent of racism is in his usage of "the truth".

When Manto Tshabalala-Msimang passed on, Cliff used the "truth" of the ANC's murderous HIV/Aids denialism to launch a brutal, racist attack on her. He wrote: "Manto is dead. Good. A selfish and wicked bungler of the lowest order. Rotten attitude and rancid livers -- all three of them …"

Mail and Guardian Online

FESTIVAL TURNS INTO WAR ZONE AS MIGRANTS AND NATIONALISTS CLASH (Cyprus)

One man was stabbed and several police and members of the public were injured last night at the annual migrants’ Rainbow Festival in Larnaca when violent clashes broke out between nationalist protestors and festival-goers. Phinikoudes Beach was turned into a warzone, when marching members of three nationalist movements came into conflict with participants at the antiracism festival, and with members of migrant support group KISA, the organisers of the event. Even in their riot gear, a number of policemen sustained injuries, as did several members of the public. In the aftermath, the beach was covered with broken chairs and other debris. Eyewitness Beran Djemal told the Cyprus Mail last night that one Turkish Cypriot man – 30-year-old singer Sertunc Akdogdu who was performing at the festival - was rushed to hospital after being stabbed in the stomach, while another man had his arm broken. Djemal said after the fracas a number of Turkish Cypriots took refuge at Larnaca Police Station waiting for the violence to be over. As the newspaper went to press, incidents were ongoing.

“A music group of Turkish Cypriots who tried to go home were warned not to leave as it would be dangerous,” said Djemal. She said the injured Turkish Cypriots - and other festival-goers - asked for a police escort to the hospital because they were scared. “But the police refused to help and arrested four of the festival-goers. They did nothing to the fascists and told us not to take photographs because they said it was provocative.” Headed by the Greek Resistance Movement, a group of protestors had been on their way to the town’s Ayios Lazaros area in a march they had arranged over a month ago to protest the government’s migrant policies. Accompanied by a strong police presence, the protestors were on their way through Phinikoudes Beach – where the Rainbow Festival was being held – and according to eye witnesses, all hell broke loose.

The protestors came into conflict with members of KISA, which had decided to hold the Festival in Larnaca – instead of Limassol, as was initially planned – in a bid to hold an “anti-demonstration” to counterbalance the nationalists’ march. According to Djemal, it all started during a speech by the head of the European Commission’s Representation in Cyprus – Androulla Kaminara. “During the speech, around 80 fascist protestors carrying Greek flags started shouting slogans against migrants,” said Djemal. “The festival-goers returned the slogans, shouting: ‘Nazis out of Cyprus’”. It was then that the scuffles broke out. “Some of the nationalists had their faces covered, one lifted up his shirt and showed a swastika tattooed on his stomach,” Djemal said. “They threw bottles at festival-goers and cut the electricity cables when a band was playing. Over the next two hours, clashes continued and the group of nationalists grew to around 150.”

Even though both sides offer contradicting accounts of how the events unfolded, the general view was that police and Larnaca Municipality had done little to avert the troubles. KISA head Doros Polycarpou said his NGO had asked the police to divert the protestors’ march so that it didn’t pass by the Rainbow Festival. “On the contrary, the police seem to have allowed them to move forward and once they reached the event, to protect ourselves, we sat in the road to block it in a peaceful way to convince the police to veer them away,” said Polycarpou. “They allowed the neo-Nazis to head into the event and start hitting people, in full view of the police. You can imagine what happened after that.”

Another eye witness who wished to remain anonymous told the Cyprus Mail: “The protestors entered the area where the festival was about to start and started throwing chairs all over the place, breaking every single one. There were children waiting in a caravan and they became very scared.” On the opposite side of the fence, the nationalist protestors claim it was they who were attacked. However, they too agree that it all could have been avoided if the correct actions were taken by the police and Larnaca mayor. “I am a member of the public who decided to march against illegal immmigrants - not against the migrants themselves, but the policies promoted in their favour by the government,” Dr Andreas Paraxenopoulos, a member of Greek Resistance, told the Cyprus Mail last night. “We announced our march a month and a half ago to the police, and the police – along with the Larnaca mayor – oddly allowed KISA to do another anti-demonstration. It is like they wanted to make us fight.”

Paraxenopoulos said the troubles started when members of KISA attempted to prevent the protestors from moving ahead with their march. “We were calm. We are just trying to exercise our right as Cypriot citizens to do a demonstration to protest something that is of concern to us.” He went on to accuse KISA members of throwing chairs at the protestors, as well as paint – something he said the public would become witness to when watching the news today. “They started approaching us, breaking chairs and throwing them at us, calling us neo-Nazis – we just want our country to remain Greek. I was personally drenched in paint. They were savage with bad intentions and if the police weren’t there, they would have slaughtered us,” Paraxenopoulos claimed. “The police and municipality are to blame; they really seem to have wanted us to fight among ourselves.” A Larnaca police spokesman said there had been a number of injuries, though the full extent of the damage will be assessed today.

Trouble started brewing last week, when KISA announced it would be cancelling the Rainbow festival in Limassol and bringing it to Larnaca last night, as an “anti-demonstration” to the planned march against migrants by the three nationalist groups. KISA called on all members of the public to join its anti-demo against the “racist and radical right-wing elements in Larnaca”. It added that the Rainbow Festival would from now on be held in Larnaca instead of Limassol – as well as Nicosia – as an antiracism message to the town. “In view of this new provocative demonstration, KISA decided to organise this year’s Rainbow Festival – apart from Nicosia – in Larnaca instead of Limassol, as was the case for the past two years,” KISA announced. “On the same day of the aforementioned event, the Rainbow organisation will send our antiracist messages against the presence and actions of the radical right-wing and racist elements in Larnaca.” Referring to KISA as a “social abscess” and “the fifth column” – defined as a group of people who clandestinely undermine a larger group, such as a nation, from within to help an external enemy – the Greek Resistance used its website to blast KISA for organising the Rainbow Festival on the same day.

Cyprus Mail

Man arrested for murder in Malmö shootings (Sweden)

Police have confirmed that a 38-year-old man was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of murder and attempted murder in Malmö in connection with the recent shootings in southern Sweden.

He faces charges for one murder and seven attempted murders. The suspect was charged in absentia in the afternoon and arrested at 6.30pm on Saturday. The man has denied the crimes, according to chief prosecutor Solveig Wollstad.

"It was at 6.30pm in the evening it began. I saw many police with helmets and shields sneaking around. However, they were very discreet," an eyewitness at the arrest near central Malmö told news agency TT on Sunday.

"Everything proceeded calmly and there was no uproar. The police appeared to have a good grip on the situation," the witness added.

Police technicians were also on site.

"They took away many cardboard boxes, bags and other things. It was all over at 8pm," the witness said.

Of the 50 to 60 shootings that have taken place in Malmö last year, police consider about 15 of them as "unaccounted."

One woman was shot to death near Västra Skrävlinge church, while eight others were injured.

Trez Persson, 20, was killed last October when someone fired numerous shots into the car she was sitting in with a friend, a man of immigrant origin, who was seriously injured in the attack. She was the only one who did not have an immigrant background.

At several of the shootings, including the murder, a single large-calibre weapon was used.

Intense media interest greeted the police press conference that began at 1pm on Sunday that was broadcast on public television. Eight to 10 television crews were on site, as well as about 20 journalists, including those representing Danish media.

Wollstad confirmed that she charged a 38-year-old man in absentia on Saturday. After preliminary questioning, police decided to proceed with an arrest in connection with the murder in Malmö in October 2009 and seven attempted murders from October 10th, 2009 to last month.

In October alone, numerous shootings appear linked to the case, including two men shot in the back a week apart as they waited alone in the dark at separate isolated bus stops.

"By noon on Tuesday, I will take a position on whether to demand custody for the man," said Wollstad.

She added that police have made certain findings that strengthen suspicion against him and that further interrogation questioning is ongoing.

What led to suspicion against the man was simply traditional police work, according to Skåne county criminal investigation department superintendent Börje Sjöholm.

"Tips from the public helped spark interest in him," he explained.

Malmö police stopped short of calling the arrest a complete success. The following weeks and perhaps months will be filled with intensive police work.

In addition, the man is only suspected in seven of the nearly 20 shootings that police believe they have no other obvious explanation.

The suspect has only been heard once, on Saturday evening, when he denied the crimes.

The man has a license for two weapons that were found during a home raid.

"The weapons are being examined by the National Laboratory of Forensic Science [Statens kriminaltekniska laboratorium]", said Sjöholm.

When asked why the man had a weapons permit, Sjöholm responded, "I do not want to answer about that. In this case, I do not help to contribute to unmasking the man's identity."

Police work is now intensively focussed on questioning, according to Sjöholm.

"This case is far from solved, but the work on the investigation has just begun," he said.

The police also pointed out that they have continued with preventative work in Malmö through increased visibility.

During the press conference, the police detailed the circumstances behind the arrest at his home on Korsörvägen.

"It proceeded calmly. He was arrested in his home. The man has a Swedish background," said Sjöholm.

Police added he was not previously known to police, but as Dag Andersson of the National Murder Commission pointed out, "At least he is not in our records over the last five years."

The police and Wollstad did not disclose any details about the man's possible motives behind the shootings, saying he is under suspicion for probable cause.

"I believe that it is probable cause, which strengthens the suspicion," said Wollstad.

The suspect may even have committed unsolved murders dating as far back as 2003.

The announcement has spread panic in the city and the incidents bear a chilling similarity to the case of an immigrant-shooting sniper in Stockholm in the early 1990s nicknamed "Laser Man."

Police also declined to comment on whether fortified police watches suggested that more offenders are under suspicion.

"It is probably a foregone conclusion," said Sjöholm.

The extra security measures include an increased police presence on the streets. When asked whether people of foreign backgrounds are now safe on Malmö's streets, Malmö city police chief Ulf Sempert replied, "We think that it has been so the whole time."

Wollstad did not disclose the suspect's name and refrained from officially linking him to the man Swedish press have dubbed "the new Laser Man."

"Laser Man" was the nickname given to John Ausonius, who shot 11 people of immigrant origin, killing one, around Stockholm from August 1991 to January 1992.

Ausonius, who got his nickname by initially using a rifle equipped with a laser sight, was sentenced to life behind bars in 1994 and remains in prison.

Unlike Ausonius, the Malmö shooter does not appear to use a laser sight rifle, but police say the same gun has been used for several of the shootings, including the attack on the only known ethnic Swedish victim.

Protesters show racists who's boss (UK)

 Thousands marched in London on Saturday in a mass demonstration of solidarity against the rise of racism.

Protesters from all over the country marched to Parliament holding banners that read: "No to racism, fascism and Islamophobia" and chanting: "There are more of us than you."

The demonstration and carnival, organised by Love Music Hate Racism and Unite Against Fascism, was called in response to the rise of far-right groups EDL and BNP in Britain and growing racism and fascism in Europe and beyond.

Marcher Gabriella Trimblett told the Morning Star: "The rise of Islamophobia, the hooliganism of the EDL and its brainwashing is very concerning and the fear and hatred-stirring needs to be countered with awareness and education."

Graham McKnight, also on the march, said: "I'm here to show my hatred for the BNP and EDL, my love for music and to express my belief that immigration is beneficial to our country.

"Immigrants are the first to suffer during a recession and we cannot sit back while EDL organises rallies on our streets and the BNP has two seats in the European parliament."

The anti-fascist revellers danced to music by the Specials' founder Jerry Dammers, Muslim pop group Mumzy, DJ Rugrat and eclectic Manchester band Kid British.

Speeches were also made by Respect Party leader and former MP George Galloway, Love Music Hate Racism co-ordinator Martin Smith, Green Party MEP Jean Lambert, TUC assistant general secretary Kay Carberry and UAF's Weyman Bennett.

Mr Galloway said: "It's great to see everyone from different creeds and colours - because black or white, this is what we are and this is what we like."

He referred to the distinction between the different evils of fascism and racism and called on demonstrators to do everything in their power to defend Muslims.

Unite regional secretary for London and Eastern region Steve Hart told the Morning Star: "It's really important that we show that there is a very strong voice against racism and fascism that's sweeping Europe.

"The biggest threat this country faces is the exploitation of latent racism and xenophobia by groups such as the EDL and BNP."

And National Union of Teachers deputy general secretary Kevin Courtney warned of the "cancer and poison" of racism in classrooms and said greater efforts need to be made to stamp it out.

Morning Star Online