The Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church, an extreme right-wing Christian group, is planning to protest outside Westminster Abbey on the day of the royal wedding.
The group has promised to picket the royal wedding, saying: ‘God hates the UK’.
The church, which believes the West is living in sin for accepting homosexuality, is planning to protest outside Westminster Abbey between 7am and 8.15am.
The group said: ‘Only a nation of blind perverts would bow down to the morally-bankrupt royal family, or give a second glance at one of their pretentious false worship sessions.’
The church, led by Fred Phelps, was banned from entering Britain in 2009 by the then home secretary Jacqui Smith.
The 79-year-old pastor and his daughter have picketed the funerals of Aids victims and claim American soldiers are being killed as punishment for their country’s tolerance of homosexuality.
British Baptists have sought to distance themselves from the group, saying Westboro ‘no way reflects the views of Baptists in this country’.
Police said the church has not made an application to protest and would not be allowed to do so.
Metro
Thursday, 28 April 2011
BNP Accuses Royal Mail Of Dumping Leaflets (UK)
The Royal Mail is investigating claims that its staff have dumped far-right election leaflets "across Wales" instead of delivering them to households.
BNP chairman Nick Griffin has accused postal workers of dumping hundreds of leaflets at a single address and claims the party has "heavy reports" of widespread non-delivery of its election pamphlets.
"These have been dumped undelivered, likely across the whole of Wales," he told members in an email.
"Royal Mail [has dumped] 400 of our Welsh Local Assembly election leaflets in the back garden of one of our candidates," he claimed.
"It would seem that they have "lost" many of them," he continued.
"So we now urgently have to re-print them and take them back to the delivery offices."
A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We are aware of this complaint which has not yet been substantiated. However, we are now investigating accordingly."
During previous election campaigns, some postal workers have refused to deliver BNP leaflets using a "conscience clause" in their contracts that allows them to reject literature they find offensive.
In 2009 around 100 delivery staff in Bristol and Somerset refused to handle pamphlets with an anti-immigration message.
The Royal Mail has legal obligations under the Representation of the People Act to deliver election material, meaning that in theory it would have to make alternative arrangements to deliver any leaflets its staff declined to deliver.
Kevin Slocombe, communications director at the Communication Workers' Union, told Sky News: "At this point in time we have absolutely no idea as to the details or validity of those claims."
Sky News
BNP chairman Nick Griffin has accused postal workers of dumping hundreds of leaflets at a single address and claims the party has "heavy reports" of widespread non-delivery of its election pamphlets.
"These have been dumped undelivered, likely across the whole of Wales," he told members in an email.
"Royal Mail [has dumped] 400 of our Welsh Local Assembly election leaflets in the back garden of one of our candidates," he claimed.
"It would seem that they have "lost" many of them," he continued.
"So we now urgently have to re-print them and take them back to the delivery offices."
A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We are aware of this complaint which has not yet been substantiated. However, we are now investigating accordingly."
During previous election campaigns, some postal workers have refused to deliver BNP leaflets using a "conscience clause" in their contracts that allows them to reject literature they find offensive.
In 2009 around 100 delivery staff in Bristol and Somerset refused to handle pamphlets with an anti-immigration message.
The Royal Mail has legal obligations under the Representation of the People Act to deliver election material, meaning that in theory it would have to make alternative arrangements to deliver any leaflets its staff declined to deliver.
Kevin Slocombe, communications director at the Communication Workers' Union, told Sky News: "At this point in time we have absolutely no idea as to the details or validity of those claims."
Sky News
Hungary promises to tackle far-right vigilantes after four hurt in clashes
Hungary's government has vowed to crack down on uniformed far-right groups after four people were injured in fighting between ultra-nationalist vigilantes and members of the Roma community.
The clash in the village of Gyöngyöspata came just days after almost 300 local Roma women and children left their homes for the Easter weekend, when a paramilitary group called Vedero, or Defence Force, set up a “training camp” in the area.
Members of Hungary’s centre-right Fidesz government, which holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, denied the Roma had been “evacuated” and accused critics of trying to make political capital from the incident.
But they were quick yesterday to promise legal action against a host of far-right vigilante groups, which claim to be bringing order to neglected, impoverished areas of Hungary where the underfunded police force allegedly cannot cope with “Gypsy crime”.
Police said one of the four people injured was in a serious condition after the fight overnight between Vedero members and Roma, and that a number of arrests had been made. Local media quoted witnesses as saying the fight broke out after Vedero members threw stones at a Roma house and attacked a teenager.
“The government is proposing to make the penal code stricter given the emergence of a new form of criminality: uniformed criminality,” said spokesman Peter Szijjarto.
“Those walking around in uniform, pretending they are authorised to take measures against others, these people are criminals. We’ll stop this form of crime,” he added. “According to the proposal, those who spread terror with actions meant to impose order or pretending to impose order will be jailed for up to two years”, and if a particular community is targeted, “this will be considered an aggravating circumstance and could lead to three years in prison”.
Most of the paramilitary groups are linked to Jobbik, the far-right party that is the third-strongest force in Hungarian politics.
Senior Jobbik MP Janos Volner said the incident showed “a crisis in public safety has emerged”.
“The Fidesz government is incapable of guaranteeing law and order anywhere in the country,” he said. “A civil militia should be established in place of the woeful and uncertain police . . . because without unified order the government will not be capable of taking up the fight against this kind of Gypsy crime.”
Irish Times
The clash in the village of Gyöngyöspata came just days after almost 300 local Roma women and children left their homes for the Easter weekend, when a paramilitary group called Vedero, or Defence Force, set up a “training camp” in the area.
Members of Hungary’s centre-right Fidesz government, which holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, denied the Roma had been “evacuated” and accused critics of trying to make political capital from the incident.
But they were quick yesterday to promise legal action against a host of far-right vigilante groups, which claim to be bringing order to neglected, impoverished areas of Hungary where the underfunded police force allegedly cannot cope with “Gypsy crime”.
Police said one of the four people injured was in a serious condition after the fight overnight between Vedero members and Roma, and that a number of arrests had been made. Local media quoted witnesses as saying the fight broke out after Vedero members threw stones at a Roma house and attacked a teenager.
“The government is proposing to make the penal code stricter given the emergence of a new form of criminality: uniformed criminality,” said spokesman Peter Szijjarto.
“Those walking around in uniform, pretending they are authorised to take measures against others, these people are criminals. We’ll stop this form of crime,” he added. “According to the proposal, those who spread terror with actions meant to impose order or pretending to impose order will be jailed for up to two years”, and if a particular community is targeted, “this will be considered an aggravating circumstance and could lead to three years in prison”.
Most of the paramilitary groups are linked to Jobbik, the far-right party that is the third-strongest force in Hungarian politics.
Senior Jobbik MP Janos Volner said the incident showed “a crisis in public safety has emerged”.
“The Fidesz government is incapable of guaranteeing law and order anywhere in the country,” he said. “A civil militia should be established in place of the woeful and uncertain police . . . because without unified order the government will not be capable of taking up the fight against this kind of Gypsy crime.”
Irish Times
BNP candidate condemned for abusive Facebook post (UK)
Politicians from mainstream parties have condemned Susan Harwood, a BNP candidate in Torfaen at next week’s National Assembly election.
The material, which uses abusive four-letter language about a group called Muslims Against Crusades, was featured on Ms Harwood’s Facebook site, but has since been removed.
The Conservative candidate in Torfaen is Natasha Asghar, a Muslim.
Labour’s Lynne Neagle, who has represented the seat since the Assembly was formed and is seeking re-election, said: “This is outrageous behaviour by someone who pretends to be a respectable candidate in a democratic election. It’s one thing to oppose an organisation’s views, but her actions go far beyond legitimate criticism.
“It is totally unacceptable that BNP candidates continue to behave like this. People across Wales should know that a vote for the BNP is a vote for thugs and racists of the worst sort. If the BNP had a shred of decency, they would drop Susan Harwood as a candidate.”
Welsh Conservative candidate for North Wales and vice-president of the anti-fascist group Searchlight Cymru, Mark Isherwood said: “These appalling and offensive comments show the BNP in their true colours. People across Wales will deplore these racist and bigoted comments ... and I am confident that the BNP will be defeated at the ballot box.”
Ian Titherington, director of elections for Plaid Cymru, said: “The BNP is struggling for candidates and scraping the barrel.”
Swansea resident Ms Harwood could not be contacted for comment.
BNP deputy leader Simon Darby, said: “I’ll take no lessons from the Tories or Labour, who are responsible for killing thousands of Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Wales Online
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