Who We Are

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.

Thursday 30 June 2011

Seven anti-facists face jail for an attack on two 'Nazis' (UK)

Seven anti-fascist protesters are facing jail today for plotting to ambush two men making their way to a 'neo-Nazi' event.

The masked and hooded demonstrators lined a railway platform waiting for their targets to get off a train, and attacked on hearing the command: "Kill the Nazis", the court heard.

Patrick O'Donovan was punched and kicked to the ground and his companion Michael Heihl was chased onto the tracks at Welling station, Kent, the jury was told.

Ringleader Andrew Baker, 40, Ravinder Gill, 39, Sean Cregan, 44, Philip de Sousa, 37, Austen Jackson, 40, Thomas Blak, 34, and Jonathan Wood, 22, were convicted of conspiring to commit violent disorder.

Four others were cleared after a trial at Blackfriars Crown court. The seven found guilty will be sentenced in August and face a maximum sentence of five years.

Mr O'Donovan and Mr Heihl were set upon as they made their way to a nearby pub in March 2009 which was holding a rock concert organised by the reight wing extremists Blood and Honour.

The defendants had earlier joined up to 35,000 demonstrators on a Put People First march through central London as part of the G20 protests.

They met at London Bridge station before travelling by train to their intended target.

During the trial, Mark Trafford, prosecuting, said: "Whatever these people's actual views about life, politics or anything else, whatever groups they may or may not be members of, they didn't deserve to be attacked in this way. The attack was vicious."

Police later used mobile phone records and CCTV footage to link the attackers to the scene.
Baker, of Basildon, Blak, of Hackney, Wood, of Leeds, Jackson, of Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, Gill, of Bedford, Cregan, of Streatham, and de Sousa, of Brighton, were found guilty of conspiring to commit violent disorder.

This is London

BNP chief leads Mr Monkey protest at town hall (UK)

The leader of the British National Party (BNP) was in South Tyneside yesterday to make a town hall protest over taxpayers’ cash being used to unmask a mystery blogger.

The Mr Monkey blog has made vile and malicious comments about councillors, South Tyneside Council officers, and other figures in the borough, which led to landmark proceedings forcing social network giant Twitter to hand over personal information – including that of Coun Ahmed Khan.

Council chiefs are insisting less than £75,000 was used to fund the fight, and plaintiffs have said that money would be paid back from any proceeds of libel action.

But Nick Griffin and about 30 members of his party – one dressed in a monkey costume – were on the steps of South Shields Town Hall claiming that figure was likely to be £250,000.

Mr Griffin also made allegations about the Shields Gazette, claiming the paper had not covered the issue in depth – despite a number of front-page stories. Mr Griffin, who was in the region for a meeting, said: “I’m here today to let the South Tyneside public know exactly how their money is being spent.

“The council cannot sue for libel, and instead have put their legal action in the names of councillors and an employee. It’s a waste of the taxpayers’ cash, and everyone should be aware of this.

“The support we have received while standing here has been very positive.” Police were present at the demonstration, which lasted about 30 minutes, and one man was arrested for a public order offence after throwing an egg at a BNP member. The 42-year-old was later released with no further action.

However, not all passers-by realised the stunt was in connection with the online blog.

A 28-year-old man said: “To be honest, I saw the BNP and then saw a man in a monkey suit. I just assumed they were being derogatory towards certain races.

“It wasn’t until I stood for a good few minutes and listened to what Griffin was saying that I realised it was connected to the blog, which I admit I don’t know that much about, but had heard of. I guess in a way I do see what they’re trying to achieve, because I do think it was a waste of cash, which could be spent on more worthy things.

“But then it’s also wrong that some people had to put up with awful things being published about themselves. It’s a tricky one.”

Gazette editor John Szymanski said: “The Gazette has continued to inform the South Tyneside public about the Monkey blog and efforts to unmask its author.

“We have carried in-depth and extensive coverage both in the newspaper and online about the fight to stop this blog in its tracks.

“This ludicrous publicity stunt by the BNP shows what a clearly ill-informed and misguided party it really is. Thankfully, the BNP holds little sway in South Tyneside and has very little influence with its nonsensical claims and extremist rantings.”

A police spokesman said: “Police in South Tyneside were informed about a protest and carried out the role of monitoring the situation to ensure all parties involved behaved in a lawful manner.

“As expected, the event was peaceful and passed smoothly.”

South Tyneside Council declined to comment.

Shields Gazette

Minister apologises to Roma gypsy family for police brutality (Serbia)

Serbian police minister Ivica Dacic Tuesday issued an apology to a Roma family for police brutality in a case that shocked the public and sparked protests by human rights organisations. Dacic received a Roma youth, Danijel Stojanovic and his father Gani, after it was discovered that Danijel was brutally beaten by police in the eastern city of Vrsac four years ago. The scandal wound up on the popular Youtube video-sharing website and caught public attention after one of three policemen who took part in the beating sold his mobile telephone on which he filmed the beating in Vrsac police station.
Apologizing to Danijel, now 22, Dacic said two police officers had been arrested over the beating and legal proceedings were under way for a third who had in the meantime retired, Dacic said. Police claimed Stojanovic and his father were involved in criminal activities, but Dacic said these allegations could not justify the policemen’s brutal behaviour. “It is in the public interest that citizens think well of police, not badly,” Dacic said. “I hope this event will be a turning point for police and for the Stojanovic family and that all will draw a lesson from it,” he added. Police brutality was widespread in Serbia due a lack of reform including internal controls, according to Ivan Kuzmanovic, an official from Serbia’s Helsinki Committee for Human Rights group.

His organization had interviewed about 300 prisoners in Serbian jails and more than 200 of them complained that they had been subject to “some sort of torture” by police, Kuzmanovic told Belgrade television B92.

Adnkronos

Neo-Nazi violence up in eastern Germany: Report

Neo-Nazi violence is on the rise in eastern Germany even though overall national figures are down, Die Welt newspaper reported quoting an official report due out on Friday.

While acts of neo-Nazi violence dropped by 14.5 per cent nationwide in 2010 compared to the previous year, they were up 4.8 per cent in the five eastern states which used to form former communist East Germany, the paper said quoting a yearly report by the Office for the Defence of the Constitution.

Out of a total of 706 violent acts by extremist right-wingers, 306 - or 40 per cent - were carried out in the economically depressed former East Germany which is home to just 15 per cent of the country's population.

The eastern state most affected by violence in 2010 was Saxony-Anhalt where a neo-Nazi party this year narrowly failed to win the five per cent of the vote needed to enter the local parliament.

The Office for the Protection of the Constitution, a domestic intelligence service, said the number of extreme right-wingers had fallen by 1,600 to some 25,000 nationwide.

The Straits Times

Wednesday 29 June 2011

Neo Nazi bomber loses sentencing appeal (UK)

A NEO Nazi nail bomber who killed three people – including a pregnant woman from Colchester and one of her friends – has failed in a bid to cut his sentence.

David Copeland was given six life sentences in June 2000 for a blast at a Soho pub which killed Andrea Dykes, 27 of Tarragona Mews, Colchester, John Light, 32, of Mill Street, Colchester and Nik Moore, who lived in Suffolk.

Yesterday, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, said there was nothing wrong with a sentence that will mean Copeland, now 35, will stay in prison at least until he is in his seventies.

Sitting at the Court of Appeal with Mr Justice Owen and Mr Justice Walker, he said Copeland’s crimes were of the most serious kind.

He said Mr Justice Burton, who set Copeland’s minimum term of 50 years back in 2007, was right to call the murders “exceptionally grave”.

He said: “It is difficult to exaggerate the horror of these appalling crimes, which stemmed, as far as we can see, from the appellant’s abhorrent beliefs.

“Having reflected on this awful case, we have come to the conclusion that the appeal should be dismissed.”

When police searched Copeland’s bedroom they found walls adorned with Nazi flags.

On April 30, 1999 Copeland, who grew up in Hampshire, planted three bombs in London.

The first two, in Brixton and Brick Lane, failed to detonate but the third, at the Admiral Duncan, a gay pub, caused three fatalities and many serious injuries.

At the time, bingo hall worker Mrs Dykes, husband Julian and friend Mr Light, who had just been asked to be their unborn child’s godfather, were having a drink before going to watch Abba musical Mamma Mia.

Mr Dykes, a computer programmer, suffered serious injuries, of including extensive burns and nails lodged in his lungs.

He had been left in a coma for weeks, unaware his wife and child had been murdered.

Daily Gazette

EDL Jewish division leader Roberta Moore quits (UK)

The hardline activist at the forefront of the "Jewish Division" of the extreme right-wing English Defence League has announced that she does not wish to be a part of it any longer because of Nazi elements within it.

Roberta Moore, who has led the Jewish Division since it was launched more than a year ago, was accused earlier this month of being a divisive figure in the EDL.

Ms Moore had attempted to co-ordinate her efforts with those of the far-right American Jewish Task Force, whose leader Victor Vancier has been imprisoned for terrorism offences. The move, in February, was heavily criticised by the EDL leadership.

In a statement which she posted on Facebook, the Brazilian-born Ms Moore said she had been offered work on "an international level" elsewhere and so had decided to step down from the Jewish Division.

Although she described the EDL as "doing a fantastic job" she said the party had been hijacked by elements who wanted to use it "for their own Nazi purposes".

Ms Moore said she still supported the EDL leaders and "all the genuine patriots out there who struggle to get their voices heard" but added that she no longer wished to be a part of it.

"I sincerely hope that the leaders will get the strength to squash the Nazis within," she said.

"They will destroy this movement if allowed to remain."

Jewish Chronicle

DUTCH LAWMAKERS VOTE ON RITUAL ANIMAL SLAUGHTER

Animals have to be stunned before being slaughtered in halal or kosher rituals, except if it could be proven they would suffer less without it, Dutch lawmakers decided Tuesday. Dutch law states that all animals must be stunned before being butchered, but has previously made an exception for halal and kosher ritual slaughter. Tabled by the country's Party for the Animals (PvdD), which has two seats in the 150-seat parliament, a majority of the Dutch lower house adopted an amendment abolishing this exception. Parliamentarians, however, also adopted a separate amendment stating that ritual slaughter can be performed without stunning if "independent proof" could be shown that an animal would suffer less if it was not dazed.

Jewish and Muslim representatives insist that ritual slaughter respects animal welfare, citing methods used to limit suffering and arguing that ritual butchers receive expert training. They implored the Dutch government, unsuccessfully, not to change the law as it would impact on their freedom of religion. More than two million animals -- mainly sheep and chickens -- were ritually slaughtered in the Netherlands every year, the PvdD said. Abdelfattah Ali-Salah, director of Halal Correct, the organisation that issues halal certificates in the country, has called this figure "inexact", saying it was closer to 250,000.

AFP

Brons accuses Griffin of Euro fraud (Hope Not Hate, UK)

Relations between the two BNP MEPs hit an all-time low yesterday when Andrew Brons accused Nick Griffin of attempting to defraud the European Union. In a statement posted on his website, Brons claimed that Griffin has been using European Union funds to bankroll the BNP and support his friends in a clear violation of EU rules.

Brons claimed that in 2009 Griffin asked him to pay half of the office costs for the BNP-front trade union Solidarity, run by Griffin loyalist and former National Front leader Patrick Harrington. Brons refused but he has still been sent a bill to cover 18 months of rent.

He also alleges that Griffin has tried to get him to pay the wages of Christopher Barnet “who was in charge of the Party’s Alfred programme to put canvassing returns onto a data base for future elections.”

Brons refused but was still sent an invoice for £2,000.

The Yorkshire MEP has also revealed that the party is already under investigation for using an EU-funded MEP office as the party headquarters.

It appears that Brons has exposed this alleged corruption ahead of a series of claims of financial mismanagement against him by Griffin.

With the BNP leadership election only weeks away it is clear that the acrimonious split between the two MEPs is going to result in one, undoubtedly Brons, leaving the party.

Hope Not Hate

EDL protesters banned from city centre pub (UK)

English Defence League protesters planning to march on Cambridge have been banned from a city centre pub.

The group tried to book a huge number of breakfasts at The Regal in St Andrew’s Street, but bosses of the biggest bar in the city refused to cater for them, saying the pub will be closed during the demonstration.

The EDL wanted to meet at the pub before its march on Saturday, July 9 – the same day as Big Weekend celebrations on Parker’s Piece.

The group has previously used other pubs in the JD Wetherspoon chain as meeting points.

Sarah Hemingway, The Regal’s manager, said: "They tried to book the pub and were asking for breakfasts for anything from 500 to 1,000 people. We do not want anything to do with this group and refused. We will be closing that day until about 4pm or whenever the police give us the all clear."

She added they had been talking to police and would keep in contact with them throughout the day.

"The EDL have been associated with our pubs in other parts of the country but we do not want to be associated with this group."

Officers are planning how to police the march but have not been told what route the EDL will take.

The group is protesting against the building of a mosque in Mill Road and it is expected the street, which is home to many of the city’s 7,000 Muslims, will be on the route.

Officers expect a city centre protest around noon. A counter demonstration by Unite Against Fascism and the Trades Union Council will meet outside the Guildhall at 11am.

Police have warned protesters they will not tolerate violence.

Inspector Robin Sissons said: "We understand people may be concerned but there will be a police presence on the day and we are planning for a variety of circumstances."

City MP Julian Huppert, Cambridge City Council leader Cllr Sian Reid, mayor Ian Nimmo-Smith and Lib Dem city and county councillors have signed a statement saying the EDL is not welcome.

Cllr Reid said: "There is no place in our city for anyone who does not share our view that diversity enriches our city.

"We are proud to welcome people from different nationalities and different faiths; we believe this is what makes Cambridge such a wonderful city in which to live."

Cambridge News

Tuesday 28 June 2011

White-supremacist 'general' gets life for killing (USA)

An East Texas man said by prosecutors to have been a "general" in the white-supremacist Aryan Brotherhood of Texas has been sentenced to life imprisonment for ordering the death of a man and woman.

Prosecutors say Carl Carver ordered the killings of Aryan Brotherhood member David Mitchamore and his girlfriend, Christie Rochelle Brown, over a drug debt Mitchamore owed him. The bodies of the pair were found in Nacogdoches County in August 2007.

The killers, Brent Stalsby and Charles Cameron Frazier, have already been sentenced to life in federal prison. Stalsby's wife, Terry Stalsby, was sentenced to 13 1/2 years in prison for aiding and abetting the killings.

Chron

Israeli police arrest top settler rabbi in racism row

Israeli police detained a leading settler rabbi on Monday in connection with an investigation into his endorsement of a book justifying the killing of non-Jews in some cases, settler officials said.

Several months ago police issued an arrest warrant for Rabbi Dov Lior, the chief rabbi of Kiryat Arba and the settlements in Hebron on the West Bank, after he failed to present himself for questioning in an incitement probe.

"I have spoken to police and asked them to free him immediately," Malachi Levinger, the head of Kiryat Arba regional council, told AFP. "This is very serious." Police officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Lior, who also heads the Council of Rabbis of Judea and Samaria, Israel's term used for the West Bank, is one of the main spiritual ideologues of the settlement movement.

Right-wing activists called on supporters to gather outside various police headquarters for protests later on Monday, an AFP correspondent said.

Levinger said police had told him the detention was in connection with the investigation into the book "The King's Torah."

A settler rabbi who co-authored the book was arrested last August on suspicion of incitement to violence but freed without charge days later after a court said police had not followed proper procedure.

Written by Yosef Elitzur and another rabbi, the book reportedly says that babies and children of Israel's enemies may be killed since "it is clear that they will grow to harm us."

It also said non-Jews were "uncompassionate by nature" and that attacks on them "curb their evil inclination."

"Anywhere where the influence of gentiles constitutes a threat to the life of Israel, it is permissible to kill them," the rabbis wrote.

The book, published earlier this year, has drawn sharp criticism from numerous rabbis who say it contradicts the teachings of Judaism.

Ahram

SURPRISE POLL SHOWS WIDESPREAD MUSLIM SUPPORT FOR GAY RIGHTS (uk)

The poll, conducted by think tank Demos in preparation for a forthcoming essay collection, shows that Muslims are more likely to strongly agree with the statement 'I am proud of how Britain treats gay people' than people of no religion. Only Sikhs were more likely to strongly agree. "British Muslims are far more enlightened and proud of our liberal values than they are often given credit for," Max Wind-Cowie, head of the Progressive Conservatism Project at Demos, commented.Overall, fewer than one in four British Muslims disagreed with the statement.

The poll found a high degree of pride in being British among Muslims, with four in five saying they were proud to be a British citizen and two-thirds saying they were proud of Britain’s culture. Only one in five said they were not proud of Britain's role in the world. The findings mark a significant change since a Gallup poll in 2009 found that zero per cent of British Muslims were tolerant towards homosexuality.

Politics

Man sprays anti-mosque graffiti at West Bridgford site (UK)

A 25-year-old English Defence League member has pleaded guilty to daubing hate graffiti on land being considered as a site for a mosque.

Christopher Payne of Hucknall admitted spraying the graffiti but denied putting a pig's head on the site in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire.

He appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court and will be sentenced on 21 July.

Police went to the property on 23 June where the slogan "No Mosque Here" was found spray painted on the ground.
Pig's head

Payne pleaded guilty to causing racially or religiously aggravated alarm, dissent or distress and causing racially aggravated criminal damage.

Three other men aged 19, 21 and 31, have been arrested and questioned about the incident.

Payne, of Beardsmore Close, Hucknall, who is an events planner for the English Defence League, told the court that he sprayed the slogan but did not put the pig's head on the grassland.

He was granted bail with a curfew but ordered to stay out of West Bridgford and not to go within 200m of a mosque.

He has also been told not to have any public association with the English Defence League.

A member of the public reported finding the graffiti near Collington Way in West Bridgford on Thursday.

BBC News

Monday 27 June 2011

New Book Reveals Secret Meaning of Neo-Nazi Codes (Germany)

Openly Nazi symbols such as the swastika are banned in Germany, so neo-Nazis get around the law by using coded combinations of letter and numbers such as 14 and 88. A new book explains the meaning of such codes, and reveals that far-right style is becoming increasingly diverse and hard to spot.

If you were at a German soccer game and saw fans holding up the numbers 14 and 88 in cardboard numerals, you might imagine them to be, say, the shirt numbers of fans' favorite players. But you'd be wrong. In fact, the numbers hold a much more sinister meaning: They are actually neo-Nazi symbols.

It's just one example of how right-wing extremists in Germany use hidden codes to get around a legal ban on Nazi symbols such as the swastika. Very few people know the real meaning of such codes, says Michael Weiss, a German expert on right-wing extremism.

Weiss, who has been researching right-wing clothing and symbols for 10 years, is one of the authors of a new brochure titled "Das Versteckspiel" ("Hide and Seek"). The publication, which is aimed at teachers, social workers and youth group leaders, is designed to raise awareness of right-wing codes, which are often displayed at football games. "We want the soccer teams and the major fan clubs to be able to recognize the codes," Weiss told SPIEGEL.

Secret Codes 'Everywhere'
The brochure, which is published by a Berlin-based anti-racism group, Agentur für Soziale Perspektiven, lists 150 codes that are used by right-wing extremists, including certain clothing labels such as Thor Steinar and letter and number combinations. According to Weiss, the number 14 is a reference to the so-called "14 Words," a phrase coined by the American white separatist David Lane ("We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children"). The meaning behind "88" -- often found in conjunction with 14 -- is slightly more complicated. Here, the number eight stands for the eighth letter of the alphabet, forming "HH" -- an abbreviation for "Heil Hitler," a phrase which is banned in Germany. Similarly, the number 28 signifies "BH," standing for "Blood and Honour," a far-right network that was banned in Germany in 2000.

The secret code numbers can be found "everywhere," says Weiss, including on license plates, tattoos and on signs at football games. "There are fans who travel 400 kilometers (250 miles) to a game just to hold up the four numbers that form 1488," he says.

The Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany's domestic intelligence agency, estimated that in 2009 -- the most recent year for which figures are available -- there were 195 far-right organizations in the country with around 26,000 members. The agency can shut down Kameradschaften, gangs or brotherhoods which are deemed violent. But many other groups in the neo-Nazi scene -- such as rock bands with suggestive lyrics or clothing companies with coded symbols -- often fly under the legal radar, provided they don't openly display symbols like swastikas or explicitly support Adolf Hitler or his party.

Borrowing Symbols
The number of codes has increased since the first edition of the brochure was published in 2001. That publication only listed around 100 symbols. "The image of neo-Nazis is much more diverse today," says Weiss. Right-wing extremists used to wear bomber jackets and have skinheads, he explains, but now their style incorporates elements from pop and rock culture. "Now they have piercings," he says.

Similarly, old symbols are given new meanings, Weiss explains, giving the example of the kaffiyeh scarf, a symbol of Palestinian nationalism. "That is used nowadays simply as a symbol of struggle against Israel," says Weiss, pointing out that neo-Nazis ignore the broader meaning of the garment when they co-opt it as a symbol.

The increasingly diverse image of right-wing extremists mean that neo-Nazis can often blend in at left-wing demonstrations or in a sports stadium, Weiss explains. "The problem is that many of these people no longer stand out."

Spiegel


Admin comment. The majority of these codes and symbols are explained at this ADL site.

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FAR-RIGHT AUSTRIAN PARTY AMBIVALENT ON HITLER DEBATE

A debate over surviving honorary titles to Adolf Hitler in Austrian towns shows up the far-right Freedom Party's ambivalence as it eyes the chancellor's post in 2013, analysts say. In late May, the town of Amstetten, 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Vienna, voted to remove the still-existing title of honorary citizen awarded to Hitler after Germany's annexation of Austria in 1938. The Freedom Party (FPOe) deputies abstained from the vote. "The FPOe is sending signals," said political expert Anton Pelinka. "This strategy shows that the party's radical pan-German core has not weakened." Braunau, the Fuehrer's birthplace, has also launched an inquiry to determine whether he remains an honorary citizen. But FPOe leader Heinz-Christian Strache argues that the titles disappeared with Hitler's death in the last days of World War II and that the Allies removed all honorary titles in a 1946 ruling. "In the weeks following the Anschluss (annexation of Austria by Germany), many towns named Hitler as an honorary citizen, named a street after him or planted an oak tree in his honour," said Green deputy Karl Oellinger. Oellinger said the Allied ruling removing honorary titles only applied to Germany. Moreover, Austria experienced a very different occupation from its northern neighbour and has yet to come to terms with its Nazi past, he said. "The suppression (of honorary titles) after death is absurd: we have examples of towns that still lay flowers on the grave of their former Nazi mayor who has been named an honorary citizen," he told AFP.

Peter Ulram, a political scientist, said the FPOe's actions showed it wanted to consolidate the party around its leader, whose new programme centres on the idea of Austria as a community with a Germanic people, language and culture. Under the party's charismatic former leader Joerg Haider, killed in a car crash in 2008, such ideas were abandoned to make the FPOe more presentable. Having taken in many former Nazis after 1945, the party has not been able to distance itself entirely from the pan-German line, despite its official rhetoric. Strache himself has faced accusations -- backed up by photographs -- of having had ties to neo-Nazi or closely-related movements in his youth. In a sign that the honorary title debate has hit a nerve, the FPOe leader lashed out during a recent press conference in Strasbourg with France's far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen, when an Austrian journalist asked what she thought of the FPOe deputies' abstention in the Amstetten vote. Strache accused him of sullying the image of Austria abroad. Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger later commented: "This is an Austrian debate that should be discussed in Austria and that we should not internationalised," sparking a furious reaction from the Foreign Press Association in Vienna, which insisted the press could not be muzzled. For Oellinger, Spindelegger's comments were proof that the conservative OeVP party leader was considering a coalition with the FPOe, a move he has never formally rejected.

AFP

I’m embarrassed, says toilet graffiti dauber at age of 62 (EDL news, UK)

A man has been ordered to pay compensation after graffiting racist abuse on the doors of Hebden Bridge train station.

James Allen, 62, of Wood Villas, Hebden Bridge, appeared unrepresented at Calderdale Magistrates’ Court.

He admitted causing £700 damage and possessing two bags of cannabis.

On seven different occasions between April 23 and June 7, station staff found graffiti supporting the English Defence League daubed on the back of doors in the male toilets.

An undercover officer from British Transport Police went to the station on June 7 to wait for the culprit.

He saw Allen enter the toilets at 1.41pm.

Paul Ramsey, prosecuting, said: “He sat on a bench watching all men who were going in. A minute later Allen was seen to leave his bike on the platform.

“The defendant exited two minutes later with what was believed to be a white marker pen in his right jeans pocket.”

After the officer checked the door, he followed Allen and arrested him. While searching Allen, he found two bags of cannabis.

He admitted both offences to police.

Allen told officers he was not a member of the English Defence League but he wrote grafitti in support of the group to “vent his frustration”.

When asked to explain his actions to magistrates, he said he had nothing to tell them.

“I’m just embarrased about it,” he said.

He was given a 12-month community order and told to complete 60 hours of unpaid work, pay compensation of £100 and £85 towards costs.

Halifax Courier

EDL founder denies rally assault (UK)

The founder of the English Defence League (EDL) has denied assaulting a man during a rally of the far-right group in Blackburn.

Stephen Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, was arrested and charged with the offence this month following the alleged incident at an EDL gathering in Blackburn on April 2.

He is said to have committed common assault against Alan McKee.

Around 2,000 members of the group gathered in the centre of the Lancashire town in April as they were kept about 150 yards apart from a counter-protest by up to 500 anti-fascists.

About 50 EDL supporters gathered at Blackburn Magistrates' Court to support their leader with a visible police presence outside.

Lennon, 28, of Luton, Bedfordshire, will go on trial at Preston Magistrates' Court on September 29. The hearing was listed for one day.

Lennon was granted bail on conditions of residence, that he reports to his local police station on Saturday afternoons and does not participate in public protests that are 12 miles away from his home town.

Garstand Courier

Saturday 25 June 2011

Muslim council vows to oppose extremism (UK)

Cambridge Muslim Council held its official launch last night as the far-right English Defence League (EDL) gets set to march in the city.

The newly formed council has already held an emergency meeting after the News reported the march and counter protest would be held on July 9.

Muslim leaders are calling on the community not to get involved in a counter demonstration and fear for the security of mosques and shops in the city.

Mirza Baig, vice-chairman of the council, told the News: “We held a meeting of our emergency response committee as soon as we heard about the march. We have set out or policy on how we should react.

“We are urging Muslims not to take part in a counter protest and we do not want groups coming from Luton and Peterborough for the march – we can deal with any issues ourselves.

“We do fear for the security of our mosques and some of the shops but are working closely with police.”

He added: “The EDL has every right to protest and we support that democratic right.”

Last night, the city’s MP Julian Huppert, mayor Cllr Ian Nimmo-Smith and Farooq Murad, the Muslim Council of Britain chairman, met at the Holiday Inn, Impington, for the launch of the council, which has vowed to fight extremism and violence.

It has been formed because of an increase in the city’s Muslim population to 7,000 and it will become an umbrella group for 28 Islamic organisations in Cambridge.

Mr Huppert said he was delighted to support the formation of the new council and condemned the planned march by the EDL.

The MP is discussing the issue with Chief Superintendent Rob Needle and will shadow him during the march.

Mr Huppert said: “I deplore the fact that these people have targeted Cambridge in this way. They are not welcome here.

“I will be working alongside the police during the march and hope that it will pass off peacefully.

“While I recognise the EDL’s democratic right to protest, I hope that this protest will take place without incident.

“Our city is a very special place where people from a diverse range of nationalities and cultures live and work together. This multi-racial mix makes our city very unique and we are proud of the strong community spirit that exists here.

“We want to promote and protect that diversity and there is no room for people who don’t understand our city’s special qualities.”

Cambridge News

Friday 24 June 2011

Brazilian Soccer Star Appalled at Racist Incident in Russia

Roberto Carlos had a banana thrown at him during a recent game in the Russian soccer league. The revered footballer is spending the sunset of his career playing on a lucrative contract for the oligarch-backed Anzhi Makhachkala, and it’s a second “banana incident” targeting him in four months. The first intolerant gesture ended up costing Zenit Saint Petersburg—whose fans threw the fruit—a little over $10,000.

“I am used to there being no racism in football,” says Carlos. “Russia should not be an exception.”

In reality, Russia is somewhat of an exception when it comes to racism. The country is home to almost half of the world’s skinheads (according to some experts, there are as many as 100 thousand Russian skinheads), who have made the last decade their own. Racist and other violent attacks by neo-Nazi skinhead groups have been rising since 2004 by some 15 percent per year, a trend that was finally broken in 2009. According to Human Rights First’s partners in Moscow, the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, in 2010, there were at least 37 racist murders, while some 368 people were injured in suspected racist attacks (compared with 71 murders in 2009 and 109 in 2008).

Around 2008, after years of dismissing the alarms by Russian and international civil society groups, the authorities have finally started investigating the bloody trails left by neo-Nazi gangs, or “hooligans,” as they were usually called before. We’re seeing real results: prosecutions are up, and the number of murders has been declining rapidly. SOVA reported “only” 11 murders and 55 injuries during the first five months of 2011. Despite these improvements, the government lacks a comprehensive policy to address hate crime, manifested by poor police training, uneven high-level political rhetoric, and weak popular initiatives.

This year, the Russian justice system has brought closure to several high-profile cases. In April, a divided jury issued a guilty verdict against Nikita Tikhonov and Yevgeniya Khasis, the neo-Nazi couple accused of murdering Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia Baburova in downtown Moscow on January 19, 2009. Tikhonov will spend the rest of his life in prison, where he’ll be joined by two prominent ultranationalist leaders from St. Petersburg. A week ago, Aleksei Voevodin and Artyom Prokhorenko had been given life sentences, and a dozen of their associates were also found guilty of committing a series of murders. This Voevodin-Borovikov group was responsible for some of the most high-profile hate crimes in Russia, including the ethnologist Nikolai Girenko and the nine-year-old Tajik girl Khursheda Sultanova.

The incident with Roberto Carlos will be investigated by the Russian soccer authorities, who’ve already promised to do everything possible to “change the situation.” Yet, none of the news outlets who covered the banana-throwing saw the bigger picture of racism in Russia: a bloody tale of fear, violence, and lawlessness.

Roberto Carlos and his teammates, some of whom are also international stars, live the life of luxury in Moscow. It’s too dangerous to reside in Makhachkala, the capital of the North Caucasus province of Dagestan which is represented by Anzhi in Russia’s top soccer league. The team’s owner, the billionaire Suleiman Kerimov, makes sure that his stars are shielded from the hustle and bustle of daily life. It’s likely that Mr. Kerimov treats his stars as well as another oligarch from Dagestan, Gadzhi Makhachev, treated the guests at his son’s three-day wedding that was poetically detailed in a wikileaks cable by a senior U.S. State Department official.

The vast majority of victims of racist violence in Russia could never dream of such riches. Central Asian labor migrants—the top targets—are underprivileged, poor, and socially deprived. Unlike Roberto Carols, these individuals are rarely identified by their names in the media, though they are subjected to the ultimate danger of racism in Russia: violent hate crime.

Human Rights First

EDL founder in court after far-right rally clashes (UK)

The founder of the English Defence League (EDL) will appear in court today accused of common assault.

Stephen Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, was arrested after a rally of the far-right group in Blackburn, Lancashire, on April 2.

The demonstration saw minor skirmishes among the 2,000 members of the group who had gathered in the centre of the town.

Police kept EDL supporters about 150 metres apart from a counter-protest by around 500 anti-fascists.

Lennon, 28, of Layham Drive, Luton, will appear on bail at Blackburn Magistrates Court.

This is London

Thursday 23 June 2011

White Wolves associate sentenced to 30 months (USA)

The goal was to increase the Connecticut White Wolves' presence in the white supremacy movement by selling guns to an associate of the Ku Klux Klan.

But the associate was an FBI informant, and all the plan accomplished was landing three suspected Wolves members and followers in federal prison.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall sentenced the last of the trio, William Bolton, 32, a U.S. Army and Navy veteran formerly of Milford and Stratford, to 30 months in prison. He previously pleaded guilty to plotting the robbery of an Ansonia weapons collector and to selling a sawed-off rifle to a convicted felon.

"He's not a bad guy," attorney Alexander Schwartz said of Bolton, his client. "It's unfortunate he got wrapped up in Alex DeFelice."

DeFelice, a 33-year-old Milford man, was convicted last fall on a number of federal weapons charges, including manufacturing hand grenades. Hall sentenced him to 10 years in prison. A third man, Edwin Westmoreland, of Stratford, received a 40-month sentence on three federal weapons charges.

Kenneth Zrallack Jr., the 29-year-old reputed head of the White Wolves, now known as Battalion 14 Connecticut Chapter of North East White Pride, was acquitted of all charges by the jury.

And the judge was not convinced that Bolton fell completely under DeFelice's spell.

"For a person who served his country," Hall said, "I don't understand how he could have a conversation contemplating a home invasion."

On Jan. 31, 2009, Bolton, DeFelice and the informant drove past the collector's apartment and discussed their plans, which included "shanking" the man on the back of the head if he was home. "In context of all the evidence in this case, it's pretty chilling," the judge said. "Obviously if he had gone through with this ... he'd probably be looking at life."

Bolton also was part of a late fall 2008 White Wolves discussion as to how a race war might result if President Barack Obama were assassinated. While the discussion occurred, it did not involve any claims of planning or participation in any attack on the president.

Bolton, a short, stocky balding man, admitted he was "wrong and sincerely apologize."

He said his involvement with DeFelice was out of "sheer stupidity and desperation. I didn't have friends at the time."

Bolton has been in custody since his arrest on March 20, 2010, at an Army base in Virginia.

CTPost

Arrests after Yorkshire anti-racism gig stormed (UK)

Police are continuing to investigate after an anti-racism concert was stormed by protesters chanting support for the English Defence League.

Three men were arrested on suspicion of affray after a hail of rocks and bottles were thrown into the 150 strong crowd of music fans and at windows at The Well venue, Chorley Lane, near the city centre.

Two people were injured at Saturday’s all day Rage Against Racism event. One man had teeth knocked out.

Kevin Berry, assistant manager at The Well, formerly Joseph’s Well, suffered an injured wrist during the fracas while shielding himself from a missile as he stood behind the bar. He said: “A group of around 15 people, estimated to be aged between 16 and 23 barged into the premises shouting and chanting ‘EDL’. They were throwing bottles and rocks. The police attended quickly and arrests were made.

“Despite the incident, the event continued without a problem. We had to carry on. It would mean that these people would have stopped the benefit gig and all the hard work done to arrange it.

The group also allegedly posted their plans on Facebook and afterwards boasted on the internet about what had happened.”

Organisers today said that the concert continued as planned until the early hours of Sunday morning.

Star guests at the punk, ska and reggae event included The Mighty Oppressed, Low-Life UK and DJs Jon Firth and Jamie Headcharge.

Four windows were broken, including one at offices above the venue. Two people were injured in the attack.

All money raised at the event will be donated to the Unite Against Facism organisation and local projects.

The EDL claims to be a street protest movement which opposes what it sees as the spread of Islamism, Sharia law and Islamic extremism in England.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: “Officers were called shortly before 2.40pm on Saturday to reports of a disturbance at The Well.

“One man received a serious facial injury and others received minor injuries, with damage also caused to the premises.

Three men were arrested on suspicion of affray, and were bailed pending further enquiries, which are being led by City and Holbeck CID.”

Witnesses are asked to call 0845 6060606.

Yorkshire Evening Post

Dutch MP acquitted in 'hate' trial (Netherlands)

Far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders has been acquitted by a court in Amsterdam where he was on trial for inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims.

Wilders, leader of the Freedom Party, has described Islam as a "fascist ideology", comparing the Quran to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. He was acquitted on all five charges that were pressed against him.

The judge on Thursday said that Wilders' statements were "rude and condescending" but not a criminal offence according to Dutch law.

"The bench finds that your statements are acceptable within the context of the public debate," the judge told Wilders, who has been on trial in the Amsterdam regional court since last October.

Wilders has said he has a "problem with Islamic tradition, culture, [and] ideology; not with Muslim people".

The judge interpreted Wilders' remarks as challenging Islam as an ideology, which is not a criminal offence in the Netherlands. "[…] although gross and degenerating, it did not give rise to hatred," the judge said.

Wilders supporters applauded and he smiled as he left the courtroom.

Freedom of speech

A collection of minority groups that view Wilders' comments as having overstepped the boundaries of free speech first pressed charges in 2007; however, the Dutch public prosecution refused to pursue Wilders, saying it did not believe in a successful outcome to the case.

In 2009 an Amsterdam appeals court overturned that decision and ordered an investigation into "Fitna"
("Discord" in Arabic) - a short film Wilders produced on alleged Islamic extremism.

The case against Wilders started in January 2010, but then collapsed following claims that the judges were biased. It was re-started a month later.

Wilders' supporters labelled the case a left-wing conspiracy and a head-on attack on freedom of expression in the Netherlands.

On the other side of the spectrum, anti-Wilders groups warned the plaintiffs of the consequences of giving the politician a platform, fearing it would only raise his profile further.

Wilders formed his Freedom Party [PVV] - now the country's third largest party - after defecting from the VVD [right-wing liberals] in 2004 and has seen his following grow ever since.

Wilders' anti-Islamic and anti-establishment ideas won the PVV 15 per cent of the vote at the 2010 election.

Wilders, who remained silent throughout most of the proceedings, argued in his final statement on 6 May that: "The Netherlands is under threat of Islam. Truth and freedom are inextricably connected. We must speak the truth because otherwise we shall lose our freedom."

He reminded the court of Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn, who was murdered in 2002 by a left-wing environmentalist for his political ideas, and Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh, who was murdered by a Muslim extremist in 2004 after making comments on Islam.

"I am here because of what I have said," Wilders stated, "I am here for having spoken. I have spoken, I speak and I shall continue to speak. Many have kept silent, but not Pim Fortuyn, not Theo van Gogh, and not me."

Aljazeera

BULGARIA SENTENCED IN STRASBOURG FOR DISCRIMINATING AGAINST 2 RUSSIANS

Bulgaria has been sanctioned by the Human Rights Court in Strasbourg to pay EUR 2 000 each to two Russian citizens, residing in the country, over discrimination.

 The two have filed a claim they have been blackmailed in order to graduate from high school. Anatoliy and Vitaliy Ponomariovi were born in 1986 and 1988 respectively in the Soviet Kazchstan. They were able to prove that Bulgaria has violated their right of free education, after granting their mother permanent status in 1994, but asking them for EUR 800 and EUR 2 600 in order to issue their high school diplomas. The brothers arrived in Bulgaria when their Russian mother divorced their Russian father and married a Bulgarian from the southern city of Pazardzhik. They started school in Bulgaria and learned to speak Bulgarian as a native language. Upon turning 18 they faced bureaucracy in Bulgaria for no longer being minors and dependents of their mother. Anatoliy requested his own permanent residency document and was told he had to go back to Russia, obtain a Bulgarian visa and then file an application for residency.

The family could not afford the trip since the mother had been unemployed and their step-father forced to close his small internet coffee shop. The Foreign Affairs Ministry finally allowed Anatoliy to file for visa from Bulgaria, but his residency papers were returned with the request for a fee of BGN 1 300. With his brother, they turned to the Commission for Forgiveness of Uncollectable State Fees, which made them take a loan of BGN 1 400 each. In 2005, when Anatoliy was about to graduate from high school, the Regional Pazardzhik Inspectorate for Education forced the high school principal to ask the brothers to pay a fee for attending a Bulgarian school in order to issue their diplomas. According to the Education Act from 1991, education is free for foreign citizens without permanent residency status.

The Strasbourg Court ruled that the Russians have been discriminated against and one of their basic human rights the right of education  violated. Bulgaria is sentenced to further pay EUR 2 000 for the Court's expenses.

Novinite

BNP leader Griffin addresses demonstrators outside court (UK)

British National Party leader Nick Griffin led a demonstration outside Bolton Crown Court yesterday in response to a high-profile case involving an alleged child prostitution ring.

The controversial politician, who was joined by about 30 BNP activists, spoke to the assembled crowd on a megaphone as his supporters waved placards and handed out leaflets.

A BNP trailer blaring out the theme from Dam Busters was also being driven around the town centre.

There was a large police presence in Black Horse Street as officers from Bolton and Rochdale ensured the demonstration passed off peacefully.

It was triggered by a preliminary hearing in a Rochdale court case which was being heard in Bolton yesterday.

Eight men from Rochdale are accused of offences including rape, paying for the sexual services of a child, trafficking a child and controlling child prostitution.

They have yet to plead to the charges.

Mr Griffin, who was accompanied by a bodyguard, said: “We want to keep the pressure on so action is taken in every town.”

Among the demonstrators was local BNP candidate Dorothy Sayers.

She said: “We’re not racist. We’re simply standing up for the British people because no other party is prepared to.”

But onlookers condemned the demonstration.

Rev Les Allmark, the Bolton town centre chaplain, said: “This is racist propaganda. If they were here every time there was a paedophilia trial they might get more respect.

What we’re seeing here is a small number of activists trying to stir up trouble where there is none.”

Worker Helen Jones added: “I don’t think there’s any place for the BNP in our country. All they do is promote intolerance, ignorance and prejudice in a way that will ultimately divide communities.

We live in a multicultural society and we should be embracing that, not inciting hatred.”

Nishielle-Tamar Lloyd, aged 20, from Heaton, who was waiting for a bus nearby, said: “I don’t agree with it. I’m a Christian and something doesn’t feel Christian about what they’re saying.”

Police said the event passed peacefully. Insp Paul Murphy, who was overseeing the operation, said: “We’re here to facilitate a peaceful protest and prevent a breach of the peace.”

The Bolton News

Wednesday 22 June 2011

MASKED NEO-NAZIS MARCH BY TORCHLIGHT AS A PROVOCATION IN CZECH TOWN OF KRUPKA

This past Saturday about 11 neo-Nazis staged a provocation of the residents of Krupka, marching through the town dressed in black, carrying flaming torches and wearing masks. The event was organized by the so-called "Order of the Cogwheel" (Øád ozubeného kola), which is associated with the Workers' Social Justice Party (Dìlnická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS). The marchers convened at 21:30 CET by a local memorial to the WWII-era victims of a death march which Nazi prisoners of war were forced to undergo in 1945. "A large number of police officers are here. The neo-Nazis are already marching through the town," a correspondent for news server Romea.cz reported from the scene at about 22:30 CET on Saturday. "The neo-Nazis are wearing white masks. They are evidently members of the Workers' Youth (Dìlnická mládeže - DM). I saw what looked like Lucie Šlégrová's dog with them," the correspondent said. Lucie Šlégrová is Vice-Chair of the DM, which is connected to the DSSS.

The group marched through the town center past the town hall and then down the hill to the lower housing estate, where they disappeared into one of the buildings after 23:00 CET. Members of the Order did not enter the upper housing estate where local Romani people had gathered. "We monitored the march had a sufficient number of police officers on hand for any necessary interventions," police spokesperson Jana Matonohová said. The Order of the Cogwheel is linked to the DSSS, which organized a march in Krupka this past April.

Romea

DUTCH ANTI-ISLAM LAWMAKER WILDERS FACES JUDGEMENT

Dutch far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders faces judgement Thursday in an Amsterdam court for his statements attacking Islam, which he claimed were made to "defend freedom in the Netherlands." Wilders, 47, will be in the dock as Judge Marcel van Oosten starts his verdict at 9:00 am (0700 GMT) in a trial watched closely by both Wilders' supporters and his detractors and broadcast live. Wilders faces five counts of hate speech and discrimination for his anti-Islamic remarks on websites, Internet forums and in Dutch newspapers between October 2006 and March 2008, and in his controversial 17-minute movie "Fitna" ("Discord" in Arabic). In the past he has likened the Koran to Hitler's "Mein Kampf" and "Fitna" shows shocking images of 9/11 and other terror attacks on western targets interspersed with verses from the Koran. The 2008 movie caused widespread outrage in Muslim countries and opposition from the Dutch government, who feared it might spark a militant response similar to that which followed the publication in Denmark of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.

But Wilders -- one of Europe's most heavily-guarded politicians -- has demanded his acquittal before the court, saying he was "obliged to speak, because the Netherlands is "under threat" from Islam. "Acquit me. I do not encourage hatred, I do not encourage discrimination," he told the Amsterdam court during its closing hearing on June 1. The blonde-haired parliamentarian, whose right-wing Party for Freedom (PVV) lends its support to a right-leaning Dutch coalition government, said he was "defending the character, the identity, the culture and the freedom of the Netherlands." His case has been helped by a reluctant prosecution, who last month again asked for his acquittal, saying his comments formed part of the public debate. The prosecution's unwillingness to take aim at Wilders stems back as far as 2008 when it refused to take up a case against him following complaints. On January 21, 2009, however, the Amsterdam appeals court forced the prosecution to mount a case against him.

Prosecutor Paul Velleman told the court that although Wilders' remarks may have caused anxiety and insult on several occasions, they were not criminal as they criticised a religion and therefore could not be punished. On trial since October last year, Wilders risks up to a year in jail or a 7,600-euro fine if found guilty. Wilders' trial comes against a backdrop of plans by the central-right Dutch government to move away from a multicultural approach towards a tougher stance against those who ignore Dutch values and break the law.

AFP

Tuesday 21 June 2011

Far right threats to Scottish football journalists (UK)

The National Union of Journalists is planning to raise concerns over far right threats to journalists in Scotland with the first minister, Alex Salmond.

The Journalist reports that the move "follows threats and defamatory comments made on unofficial football supporters' websites."

The NUJ's Scottish organiser, Paul Holleran, said: "We are aware of several journalists working in the area of Scottish football that have been threatened and smeared...

"These people are no ordinary football fans; they are far right elements using intimidatory behaviour to attack journalists who write copy they disagree with."

One targeted journalist identified by Holleran is Phil Mac Giolla Bhain, a member of the union's Irish executive council. He writes regularly about the politics and culture of Scottish football, including for The Guardian (see here).

Holleran said: "Alex Salmond has already spoken out against this behaviour as unacceptable, and I hope we can agree steps to prevent publication of this bigoted diatribe which borders on fascism.

"I know that Mr Salmond and the SNP want to be seen to be cleaning up Scotland. They can start with these toxic websites that defame and threaten our members and other people."

The Scottish government is preparing to fast track legislation to deal with football bigotry following a series of incidents over the past season.

Neil Lennon, the manager of Celtic, has been sent bullets and letter bombs, and was assaulted during a match in Edinburgh. He has also been subjected to a vicious online campaign.

Ministers are said to be considering making sectarian conduct at football matches a specific criminal offence, which would carry a five-year jail sentence.

Guardian

MPACUK Press Release: EDL's Vicious Attack on Muslim Bystanders (UK)

The Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPACUK) reports an attack on two Muslim bystanders during an anti-Muslim march in Dagenham by the far-right group, the English Defence League. The viscous attack occurred on Saturday 18th June, when the two Muslim men, both in their mid 20’s, were walking through their town when they encountered the EDL march. It is estimated that around 250 EDL members were present at the march and were shouting Islamophobic and racist chants.

Surprisingly, there was not a single uniformed policeman in the area and local residents were not warned by the police prior to the march that they must remain vigilant.

The two victims, Aftab Baig and Mohammed Baig crossed over to the other side of the road to avoid the EDL thugs but some of the EDL protesters followed them and started hurling abuse at the two men. Six of the EDL members then launched a violent attack on the two men, throwing them to the ground where they were kicked and punched repeatedly.

Both men sustained multiple injuries and Mohammed Baig was hospitalised suffering head injuries and a broken jaw.

MPACUK would like to know why the problem of the EDL is not being taken seriously by the government or the police despite the EDL having a track record of violence and disorder. A number of EDL members have criminal records for violent offences. The EDL is an extremist group that should be banned.

MPACUK

Norwich man sentenced over racist Twitter comments (UK)

A Norwich man who made racist comments on a social networking site about a new Norwich City signing has been ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.

Luke O’Donoughoe, of Johnson Place, was handed a lifetime ban from Carrow Road by the club following his comments on Twitter, and today he was sentenced to community work after pleading guilty at magistrates’ court.

O’Donoughoe, 23, made racist comments about James Vaughan and the Canaries’ current playing squad shortly after the Premier League club’s signing of the former Everton striker at the end of May.

A complaint from a member of the public to Norfolk police was investigated and O’Donoughoe was subsequently charged with sending an offensive message by public communication network.

Today, he appeared at Norwich Magistrates Court, where he pleaded guilty.

At the beginning of the month he became the first person to be banned from a football ground for making racist remarks on Twitter.

In taking the action, the club reiterated that they took a zero tolerance policy on racisim or discrimination of any kind, something that is in its supporters’ charter and ground regulations. This action was backed by Kick It Out – the national campaign for equality and inclusion in football.

O’Donoughoe, who was a season ticket holder for nine years at Carrow Road before 2007, had also seen his original comments deplored by Canaries fans on Twitter, while football pundit and former player Mark Bright was the loudest in his protests at the original comments on the website.

Shortly afterwards he deleted the offensive comments and offered his “sincere apologies” to James Vaughan via Twitter. His account has been deleted.

O’Donoughoe was sentenced to a 12 month community order and 120 hours of unpaid work.

Evening News 24

English Defence League to march in Cambridge (UK)

The right-wing English Defence League (EDL) is to hold a march in Cambridge for the first time.

Cambridgeshire police has confirmed it has been approached by the organisation to hold a demonstration on Saturday, July 9.

A counter-demonstration will be held on the day organised by the Cambridge branch of Unite Against Fascism, which will meet in market square at 11am.

Martin Booth, spokesman for Unison at Cambridge health branch, said: “We have a lot of diversity at Addenbrooke’s and in Cambridge and we don’t want these characters coming to the city.”

An EDL march in Peterborough last year was policed by about 1,000 officers from 18 forces.

A police spokeswoman said: “We have been approached by a member of the English Defence League to inform us of a protest in Cambridge on July 9.

“Plans are underway to ensure an appropriate police response on the day.

“The force fully supports people's right to peaceful protest, as well as ensuring minimal disruption to the people of Cambridge.”
Trade unionists, politicians, faith group and community leaders have already signed up to a statement opposing the EDL and supporting the multi-cultural “We are Cambridge” event.

Cambridge News

Monday 20 June 2011

Purported Conn. white supremacist faces sentencing (USA)

A purported white supremacist from Connecticut faces sentencing for what authorities describe as a plan to sell a rifle to the Ku Klux Klan.

William Bolton of Milford is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Bridgeport for robbery conspiracy and sale of a firearm to a felon.

Prosecutors say Bolton joined Connecticut's largest white supremacist group, Battalion 14, formerly known as the White Wolves, and participated in a plan to sell a sawed-off rifle to the KKK. The buyer was a cooperating government witness.

Authorities said in court papers supplying a gun to the KKK "is like putting a match to the dry kindling of one of this country's most well-known, long-term and destructive reigns of hate motivated violence."

Bolton faces about three years under sentencing guidelines.

NECN

Rise in racist abuse reported (Switzerland)

Reported cases of racism against blacks and Muslims went up in Switzerland in 2010.

Incidents mainly happened in public areas, at work and in contact with the police, according to the 2010 report by the Federal Commission against Racism and the non-governmental humanrights.ch.

It mainly took the form of verbal abuse.

“It is striking how often those accused were in socio-economic positions of power and used this position, directly or indirectly against the victims,” the report says.

Those affected came from a wide range of backgrounds, and were both Swiss and immigrants.

Not all abuse is reported and the real figure is believed to be much higher, the report says.

The report calls on cantons to improve measures protecting people against discrimination.

Swiss Info

Saturday 18 June 2011

DUTCH JEWS, MUSLIMS APPEAL RITUAL SLAUGHTER PLAN (Netherlands)

Jewish and Muslim representatives Thursday appealed to Dutch lawmakers not to enforce plans requiring animals to be stunned before halaal and kosher slaughtering rituals. "We are against any form of stunning because it's against our religion," Yusuf Altuntas, president of the CMO -- an organisation that links the Muslim community with the Dutch government -- told a parliamentary commission. "One of the first measures taken during the occupation (during World War II) was the closing of kosher abattoirs," Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs added during the debate in The Hague. Dutch law required animals to be stunned before being slaughtered but made an exception for ritual halaal and kosher slaughters. The country's Party for Animals (PvdD) which holds two seats in the 150-seat Dutch parliament, has submitted a proposal, if implemented, would see this exception abolished.

Dutch media widely reported that the PvdD's proposal was expected to get a majority nod from parliamentarians. "It will cause an irreversable fracture in our society," said Ronnie Eisenmann, who leads Amsterdam's Jewish community. "Changes in the law will do nothing to ease the suffering of animals," he added. Jewish and Muslim representatives Thursday insisted the ritual slaughter respected the animals' welfare, notably restriction methods used to limit suffering and those slaughtering received expert training. They did however offer to implement some measures which they said would ease the animals' suffering, especially better controls in abattoirs where ritual slaughters were performed and an improvement in conditions under which animals were being transported.

AFP.com

Youth party fights for rights of whites (Denmark)

A new nationalistic Danish party was established last Saturday by defectors from the Danish National Socialist (DNSB) movement, led by a 21-year-old self-confessed racist and holocaust denier. Danskernes Parti (The Danes’ Party) will stand in the 2013 council elections and will seek to deport all non-European foreigners, withdraw from the EU and fight for the environment. The party’s young leader, Daniel Carlsen, reportedly said he believes they stand a good chance in the elections. “We are still experiencing massive immigration and we are still controlled by the EU despite promises of the opposite,” he told TV2 News. Carlsen, who calls himself a ‘modern nationalist’, and other members of the DNSB left the party in April to establish the new party in order to fight for the rights of white Danes. “We are all Danes before we are anything else. Before you are an academic you are a Dane, before you work you are a Dane, and even though I am a student I am first and foremost a Dane,” he said. “But despite this all we hear about are parties that either fight for workers or academics, ‘the rich’ or ‘the weak’. You never hear about people who fight for Danes. But that’s what we do.”

The party’s website demonstrates sympathy for far-right nationalist parties and movements and features an article written by the leader of the American Third Position, a newly established party that works to promote the interests of white Americans. Their website also indicates a co-operation with Svenskarnas Parti (The Swedes’ Party). “Our fight is not only about Denmark, but the whole of Scandinavia, the north and Europe. All Europeans face the same challenges as us,” reads a statement from the website. Carlsen joined the DNSB when he was 16 and his far-right beliefs have often brought him into the media spotlight, most notably when his parents were interviewed on DR’s Aftenshowet about his beliefs.

Copenhagen Post

Friday 17 June 2011

Police probe far-Right links to 'poison packages' at mosques (UK)

Muslim leaders across London are on high alert after fake anthrax was posted to five mosques by suspected far-Right extremists.

Detectives from Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command are investigating after imams at the mosques received bags of white powder.

One package, sent to the Finsbury Park mosque, also contained "evil drawings" of the Prophet Mohammed similar to cartoons published in Denmark.

The Evening Standard understands up to five other mosques in pockets of extremism outside London - thought to be Luton and Birmingham - were targeted in the past 10 days.

Scotland Yard is so concerned about the threat to community cohesion that it has sent a warning to more than 200 mosques in the capital. An email from the Association of Muslim Police warns staff to avoid touching any mail they deem suspicious.

It says: "The inquiry relates to suspicious but non-hazardous packages sent to mosques. Inquires are ongoing and no arrests have been made at this stage. We recognise the distress and disruption caused by such incidents and will continue to investigate them, and any others which come to light, robustly.

"Anyone receiving an item they think is suspicious should treat it seriously and follow the following advice: Call 999; 1. Do not touch or handle it any further; 2. Remain calm; 3. Move everyone away to a safe distance; 4. Safely communicate instructions to staff and public; 5. Ensure that whoever found the item or witnessed the incident remains on hand to brief the police."

Detectives are studying hours of CCTV footage as many of the packages did not have stamps and are thought to have been hand-delivered to the mosques.

Some of the mosques were evacuated while specialist officers in protective suits checked the suspect material.

When a package arrived at the Finsbury Park mosque last Thursday, police closed the building and surrounding roads for four hours.

Ahmed Saad, the imam at the mosque, told the Evening Standard: "Our security guard was in the office when I opened the letter and he called the police right away.

"He told me to wash my hands and face just in case the powder was dangerous. The police arrived with ambulances and evacuated the building.

"It could have been anything in the envelope, my first thought was that it could be anthrax, or it could be some kind of [other] poison.

"It was very frightening. Something like this should not happen, we live in a multi-cultural society."

Mohammed Kozbar, the manager of the mosque, said: "We often get a lot of malicious communications but this is worse than anything that happened before. The envelope also had nasty, devil, evil drawings of the Prophet Mohammed and Muslim women in hijab clothing.

"It is very bad - we have worked hard to change the culture of the mosque since the case of Abu Hamza [the extremist former imam]. These racists won't succeed and we will carry on with our work."

In 2005, a Danish newspaper published 12 offensive cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. The row triggered protests across the world and led to the bombing of the Danish embassy in Pakistan.

Mr Kozbar believes the package was sent by someone with far-Right views.

A BNP spokesman said: "We are in the political business now and we certainly do not indulge in any activity of that sort."

Scotland Yard said "no line of enquiry had been ruled out".

Meanwhile, a counter-extremism group has warned British Muslims could also end up victims.

Ghaffar Hussain of Quilliam, a counter-extremism thinktank, said: "This is a reminder that British Muslims can also be victims of extremism and intolerance."

This item continues at This is London

Scottish bill to tackle Twitter hate crime (UK)

Anyone who makes sectarian comments on Twitter could be put behind bars for up to five years, under new proposals unveiled on Friday by the Scottish government.

The Scottish government's plans follow attacks on Celtic manager Neil Lennon, his lawyer Paul McBride and the Celtic-supporting former MSP Trish Godman in March, when they were sent suspected letter bombs.

Social networking site Twitter has also been a source of conflict, and earlier this year 19-year-old Rangers Ladies player Lisa Swanson was forced to apologise following her remarks about Celtic and Lennon.

The Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Bill includes online hate crime, such as abusive or offensive comments posted on Twitter and any behaviour deemed to be threatening, abusive, disorderly or offensive, which both carry the maximum jail term.

Celtic's chief executive, Peter Lawwell has welcomed the proposals.

"The issues this legislation seeks to address are problems for society as a whole and not just football," he said.

"The type of behaviour intended to be covered by this legislation has no place anywhere in Scottish society."

Ministers hope the new laws, which would see the upper sentence for sectarian offences raised from six months to five years, could come into effect by the end of the month.

This has prompted some criticism of the bill, which the Law Society of Scotland say is being pushed through Parliament too quickly and the subsequent lack of scrutiny means any discrepancies in the legislation may not be found.

Bill McVicar, convener of the society's criminal law committee, said sectarianism must be tackled.

"This is a very serious issue and one that needs both attention and action from our political leaders," he said.

"However, it is because of the importance of this issue that the Scottish Government needs to allow adequate time to ensure the legislation can be properly scrutinised.

"It is particularly vital for sufficient time to be allowed at stage one, the evidence gathering stage, for proper public consultation."

But Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan has welcomed the wide-reaching bill.

He said: "In particular, we are pleased to see that it covers sectarian and other forms of unacceptable chanting and threatening behaviour.

"As we approach the start of a new season, it is important we look forward with anticipation and excitement. Football is this country's national sport and we all have a responsibility to ensure that entertainment replaces aggravation and that a family atmosphere is generated inside our grounds instead of a hostile one.

When the letter bomb plot was uncovered, Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said that sectarianism was a 'parasite' which needed to be eradicated.

It was the latest in a string of security incidents against Neil Lennon who said if it "was to escalate further then I would seriously have to reconsider my position".

The Celtic manager claims his background as a Catholic and a Northern Irishman at the club fuels plenty of the treatment he is subjected to.

"I never envisaged coming here would create such hatred for myself or my persona as it has done. I don't know what it is that brings the worst out in people when it comes to myself," he said.

UTV

RIGHT EXTREMISTS SQUABBLE OVER A CROSSWORD PUZZLE (Germany)

Crossword puzzles may seem like a fun way to pass the time, but a word game in party campaign literature has sparked a row within Germany's right-wing extremist NPD. Solutions such as "Adolf" and "Hess" could turn voters off, some fear.

The right-wing extremist party, the NPD, is no stranger to controversy. Usually, however, more than a simple crossword is to blame. But a puzzle included in the party newspaper put out by the Berlin branch of the NPD has managed to infuriate members across the country.

Three months ahead of elections for the Berlin city-state parliament, party members included the puzzle in the internal paper, one million copies of which are set for release in August, according to a report in the daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. One clue for a five-letter word reads: "It's a German first name that has fallen somewhat out of fashion." The answer? "Adolf."

Another clue refers to a "German politician ('freedom flyer') of the 20th century," to which the four-letter answer is "Hess," in reference to Rudolf Hess, who was Adolf Hitler's deputy before he flew to Scotland in 1941 in hopes of coming to a peace agreement with the UK. Those who successfully complete the puzzle can submit their answers for prizes such a bicycle, party literature or clothing. Everybody likes a prize, but party members have been outraged by the puzzle's blatant references to Nazism.

While the NPD is certainly known for its Third Reich nostalgia, in recent years the party has sought to downplay its affection for Nazis, focusing on creating a more palatable image and appealing to a broader voting base. The tactic is meant to earn credibility for the disputed party and prevent critical coverage by the mainstream media.

The crossword puzzle is among "the dumbest PR actions in the history of the NPD" and "stupid squared," Hesse state party leader Jörg Krebs told online publication DeutschlandEcho over the weekend. Meanwhile Michael Schäfer, head of the NPD youth organization Junge Nationaldemokraten, criticized the campaign material in a Facebook entry. "That's how one squanders the points won in the election," he wrote. "Those of us at the base are the fools once again. Great!"

Credibility in Question
National party spokesman Klaus Beier refused to comment on the dispute, but Berlin NPD leader Uwe Meenen told the Süddeutsche Zeitung that criticism from those like Krebs was trivial. "He's not responsible in Berlin," he told the paper.

Meenen also refused to elaborate on the Nazi references in the crossword puzzle for fear of "ruining the fun of the riddle for people."

Meanwhile the neo-Nazi party may have a bigger battle for credibility ahead. State interior ministers plan to discuss the possibility of withholding tax revenue from the NPD at a meeting on June 21. Plagued by a number of financial and donation scandals in recent years, the NPD is funded in large part by German taxes in proportion to the number of votes they earn. In 2009 the party received about €1.2 million -- some 37 percent of their total receipts.

But a December 2010 report by the German parliament's research service may have discovered a loophole that could exclude the NPD from receiving state money in the future. Sources told SPIEGEL that it outlines the legal possibility of "excluding an unconstitutional party from state party financing." Such a measure would, however, require two-thirds majority vote in parliament to amend the constitution.

Spiegel

FAR-RIGHT COULD PUSH SWEDEN INTO CRISIS

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt warned Wednesday the left-wing and far-right opposition parties were pushing his minority government towards crisis. "If you are not prepared to take responsibility for Sweden together and in the long-term, you should not ruin it in the short-term through recklessness," Reinfeldt told Jimmi Ã…kesson, the head of the far-right Sweden Democrats, during a parliamentary debate of all party leaders. Reinfeldt's centre-right coalition won a second mandate last September but fell two seats short of a majority in an election marked by the spectacular performance of the SD, which entered parliament for the first time, snagging 20 seats and the role of kingmaker. The SD has since sided with the leftwing opposition Social Democrat, Green, and Left parties to defeat the government on a series of key votes, including on the sale of state-owned companies and a controversial back-to-work scheme for the unemployed. "Our protection against having a parliamentary majority take over Sweden is the finance policy framework. It is the core of the government's power, to eliminate the possibilities of short-sighted, irresponsible majorities such as those Aakesson is pushing for," Reinfeldt said.

Reinfeldt also lashed out at the Social Democrats and the Greens, which had vowed ahead of last year's elections never to cooperate with the SD, hinting that their attacks on the government's job policies were undermining the possibility for a minority government to rule effectively. "This is not just about this government and this mandate period. This will create the basis for ruling Sweden for a long time to come," he said. New Social Democrat leader Haakan Juholt was visibly annoyed by the prime minister's comments. "Fredrik Reinfeldt should not lecture us Social Democrats on the economy. We invented the finance policy framework" that in the 1990s simplified minority rule, he said. Wednesday's debate was the first for Juholt, who took over the party in March after his predecessor Mona Sahlin stepped down in the aftermath of its disastrous election results.

The Swedish Wire

English Defence League blames police over protests (UK)

An English Defence League (EDL) spokesman claims it was the police's fault there were violent demonstrations in the West Midlands last year.

Guramit Singh said police "banned" two protests in Dudley in April and July.

Asked what he thought caused violent demonstrations last year, Mr Singh said police "wouldn't facilitate anything".

The West Midlands force said it went to "great lengths" to facilitate the protests but had to balance the rights and needs of everyone involved.

Assistant Chief Constable Garry Forsyth added: "That includes the local communities, the EDL, other groups that want to protest and also a number of business communities as well who all made representations to us."

Nine people were arrested in April 2010 when rallies were held by the EDL and anti-fascist group Unite Against Fascism.

The two groups organised demonstrations which resulted in the city's market closing and shops being boarded up.

An EDL demonstration was staged in Dudley in July 2010 and Unite Against Fascism held a counter protest. Twenty-one arrests were made.

Mr Singh told BBC WM's Hard Talk series other demonstrations around the country had been peaceful, with "minor arrests here and there", but Dudley was an exception.
'No agenda'

The West Midlands EDL spokesman added: "When they [police] work with me and we come to a good agreement.... then the demonstrations always work.

"But West Midlands was a one off because West Midlands' constabulary refused to facilitate the English Defence League...

"They imposed a ban on us."

Mr Forsyth denied a ban was imposed and said the force "can't ban a lawful protest".

"We've got no powers to do that," he said.

He said officers could however impose certain conditions.

"That would be through the process of an intelligence assessment in engaging with local communities and working out what we think is going to happen on the day," he said.

He said the force had "no agenda against anybody" and had "a very strong history of facilitating protests across a full range and spectrum of groups, including the EDL".

He took issue with Mr Singh's claims over EDL protests elsewhere, adding action was "not by any definition of peaceful as I understand it".

BBC News

Thursday 16 June 2011

Hackers expose neo-Nazi party supporters

A left-wing hacker group has stolen up to 400 names and home addresses of supporters of Germany’s neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NDP) and published them on Google Maps.

The German hacking crew ‘n0-N4m3 Cr3w’ stole the details of financial backers after hacking 25 NDP websites last month, before publishing them on Google maps and its homepage.

The NPD was founded in 1964 as a successor to the Third Reich.

Leader of the hacking group, Dark Hammer, said the hack was a politically-motivated attempt to prevent the NDP from gaining influence in Germany.

“I love Germany above everything, and I do everything in my power to improve the image of Germany,” the hacker said in a translation.

“We will not allow that which brings the NPD or the right wing to bring our children on the wrong track.

“I know my action will have broad public interest. That is exactly my goal.”

The NDP was left red-faced in April after some 60,000 internal emails were sent to journalists that exposed the party’s 2011 election strategy.

The exposure of German NDP member details follows a declaration yesterday by right-wing New Zealand blogger Cameron Slater that he had obtained 450 names of the country's Labour Party sponsors, which he threatened to publish.

CRN

EDL leader Stephen Lennon faces Blackburn assault charge (UK)

The founder of the English Defence League (EDL) has been charged with assault following an altercation at a rally in Lancashire.

Stephen Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, was arrested in connection with a brawl at the EDL demonstration in Blackburn on 2 April.

On Wednesday, he was charged with one count of common assault. Mr Lennon, 28, of Layham Drive, Luton, is due to appear at Blackburn Magistrates' Court on 24 June.

BBC News

Wednesday 15 June 2011

Swedish kids invited to neo-Nazi summer camp

A Swedish neo-Nazi political party is offering children free admission to a camp scheduled to be held in a secret location in southern Sweden this summer. But not everyone is welcome to attend.

The camp is being organised by the Party of Swedes (Svenskarnas parti -- SVP), which has its roots in Sweden's neo-Nazi movement.

“Targeting young people is a very conscious strategy of these organisations. It is easier to reach young people with Nazi-propaganda before they have really made their mind up on what Nazism stands for,” journalist Johannes Jakobsson told The Local.

Jakobsson, who writes for Swedish magasine Expo, which studies and maps anti-democratic, right-wing extremist and racist tendencies in society, said there is little doubt about the party's heritage.

“The party leadership is the same as the old National Socialistic Front (National Socialistisk Front – NSF), they represent an ethnic nationalism and they believe in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories,” he said.

In July, the party is organising a gathering for “all nationalists” under the name of Nordisk Vision 2011 ('Nordic Vision 2011').

The camp, which is described as a “summer-camp with drive” has on its agenda “several interesting lectures, speeches, workshops, competitions, self-defence classes, airsoft, rounders and a lot more,” according to the party's website.

The location of the camp is a secret as organisers fear harassment.

“We have a fixed gathering point but from there the directions are secret. We can’t make the location official after all the harassment we have been subjected to in the past,” organiser Andreas Carlsson told Dagens Nyheter (DN).

According to Carlsson, there is no political agenda to the gathering. He told daily DN that the aim is to “have fun, creating kinship and meeting new people".

Carlsson told daily Aftonbladet that the focus for the kids would be on “having fun” but that everyone will be able to take part in a debate on the Sunday where one of the topics will be “Who is a Swede and who isn’t?”.

But the organisers would not agree that the camp itself is targeting young people, despite Swedish media calling it a "Nazi children's camp".

They are marketing the camp as having activities for both “young and old” and claim that children under 15 go in for free as it is a family event and they want to subsidize the price for families.

However, that doesn't mean that everyone is invited.

“You can have a foreign name, but if it is from outside Europe it becomes more difficult. And we don’t necessarily see someone as Swedish just because they have a Swedish citizenship,” Carlsson told DN.

Jakobsson says that there is no reason to doubt that the participants won't be paddling, playing rounders and taking part in all the activities advertised on the webpage.

However, he doesn't believe that the gathering is without a political agenda.

“They have said that they will have political speeches and discussions so when they say that it’s not political they are contradicting themselves,” he told The Local.

The Party of Swedes party is formerly known as the People's Front (Folkfronten) and was founded by members of the former National Socialist Front (Nationalsocialistisk front, NSF) in November 2008.

At the time it dissolved, NSF was the largest neo-Nazi political party in Sweden. It became a political party on April 20th, 1999, the 110th birthday of Adolf Hitler.

The Local Sweden

CATHOLIC PRIESTS PROTEST AGAINST ULTRA-RIGHT PARTY IN KRNOV (Czech Rep.)

A group of Catholic priests has protested against neo-Nazism in Krnov. The daily Bruntálský deník reports that the priests protested against a rally there by the extremist Workers' Social Justice Party (Dìlnická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS). The priests unfurled a banner reading "Christians against Neo-Nazism" and "We Don't Want E.coli or Neo-Nazism". The daily reports that some DSSS promoters - apparently bored by the lengthy, incomprehensible speech being given by party leader Tomáš Vandas - asked the priests what E.coli was and then asked for an explanation of the relationship between bloody diarrhea and neo-Nazism. They also tried to discuss the role played by the Catholic Church in Czech history with the Catholic activists. When asked what specifically they were doing for a better future for humanity and their country, the priests described their pastoral work among prisoners in Mírov. In his speech, Vandas admitted and emphasized the continuity between the dissolved extremist neo-Nazi Workers' Party (Dìlnická strana - DS) and today's DSSS. "As a result of our electoral results we received CZK 750 000 from the state, and that's the only subsidy we have been given so far," Vandas claimed. The state contribution, however, was made to the treasury of the DS, which has since been dissolved.

Romea

2 Russian Neo-Nazi leaders sentenced to life in prison for the killings of non-Russians

Two leaders of a neo-Nazi gang were sentenced Tuesday to life in jail for a rash of hate killings that terrorized minorities in Russia's second-largest city.

The St. Petersburg City Court said Alexei Voevodin and Artyom Prokhorenko headed a gang that enlisted Russian supremacists and football fans aged 16 to 22 who preyed on non-Slavs with dark skin or Asian features, kicking and stabbing them to death.

The court also sentenced another 10 gang members to up to 18 years in jail for their roles in dozens of attacks over three years. Their victims included a nine-year old from the ex-Soviet republic of Tajikistan, and natives of North Korea, China and African nations.

The gang also killed two former members suspected of co-operating with police and buried their bodies in a suburban forest.

In 2004, the gang members gunned down Nikolai Girenko, a prominent expert on African ethnology and a human rights advocate who organized anti-racist conferences and helped police investigate hate crimes.

The killings rattled St. Petersburg, a city long plagued by assaults on labour migrants from ex-Soviet Central Asia and Russia's Caucasus region, as well as natives of African and Asian nations. Critics accused police of doing little to prevent the crimes and find the culprits, and the gang was caught only after a local newspaper ran an investigative report.

Voevodin and Prokhorenko, with shaved heads and bulging biceps covered with tattooed Celtic imagery, stood calmly in a cage in the courtroom as they listened to the verdict. At a court session last week, Voevodin threatened the judge with "a horrible death," Gazeta.ru online newspaper reported.

Celtic crosses are popular among Russian neo-Nazis as substitutes for swastikas.

A handful of their supporters raised their right hands in a Nazi salute and yelled "Hail Russia! Hail heroes!" Some of them were holding small, hand-drawn pictures of Adolf Hitler.

Voevodin formed the gang in 2003 after most of the members of his previous group, the Mad Crowd, were arrested and charged with multiple killings and assaults. He ordered his followers not to name the gang, refrain from wearing Nazi and ultranationalist symbols and advertising their crimes — unlike other neo-Nazi groups that often posted videos of their attacks online.

In recent years, dozens of mostly underage neo-Nazis have stood trial and been convicted across Russia amid a surge in xenophobia and hate crimes triggered by the influx of labour migrants. Some average Russians and nationalist politicians accuse the migrants of stealing jobs and forming ethnic gangs.

Racially motivated attacks peaked in 2008, when 110 were killed and 487 wounded, independent human rights watchdog Sova said.

Since then, the number of hate crimes dwindled, but human rights groups say neo-Nazis are increasingly resorting to bombings and arson against police and government officials, whom they accuse of condoning the influx of illegal migrants. Ultranationalist groups have also stepped up attacks on human rights activists and anti-racist youth groups.

In early May, a member of an ultranationalist group got a life sentence for the Jan. 2009 killing of a human rights advocate and a journalist, his girlfriend and accomplice was sentenced to 18 years in jail.

In April 2010, a federal judge who presided over trials of White Wolves, a mostly teenage group of skinheads convicted of killing and assaulting non-Slavs, was gunned down contract-style outside his Moscow apartment.

Members of a neo-Nazi group accused of planning to blow up a mosque, a McDonald's restaurant and railway stations are currently standing trial in Moscow.

Neo-Nazis operate in small, semi-autonomous groups that co-ordinate their actions through Internet forums and coded messages, rights groups say.

Yahoo News