The BNP has spent the past few days bussing in their big guns from all over the country in an attempt to get Richard Barnbrook elected back on to Barking and Dagenham Council in this Thursday's Goresbrook Ward By-election.
Recently elevated "Returns Officer" Clive Jefferson, has travelled all the way down from Cumbria to stay with Barnbrook and oversee the campaign, this is despite the fact that the renegade Eddy Butler is supposed to be Barnbrook's election agent.
Former Deputy Leader Simon Darby has also arrived, blogging separate desperate interviews with both the candidate and Jefferson making appeals for more members to come to B&D and help get the BNP vote out. They're trying to be upbeat and talking up their chances, but it's quite clear that the BNP in Barking and Dagenham has been decimated by not only the internal split but also their total wipe out in May's elections, Barnbrook would appear to be the only former Councillor shameless enough to show his face in the borough again.
Despite leadership candidate Butler cancelling a meeting on the weekend supposedly to campaign instead for Barnbrook, he was nowhere to be seen on Saturday when the BNP leader Nick Griffin, his arch enemy, made a brief appearance in the borough. The BNP may have been able to deliver more leaflets for the hapless Barnbrook if no less than seven security staff dressed in black suits and sun glasses were not watching Griffin's back and actually delivered some leaflets instead.
The Party continues to obsess about Searchlight's campaigning and while Griffin and his private army of minders played cat and mouse over whether they would actually have to come face to face with Butler and his followers, twenty Hope Not Hate activists leafleted the ward with a reminder of Barnbrook's previous record on the council.
We also managed to dig up the picture above taken of Barnbrook's house the last time he had the stress of an election campaign. They may be stressed about Thursday's election, but history dictates that at least they'll be well refreshed.
Hope Not Hate
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
French parliament to debate Islamic veil ban
The French parliament is due to begin a debate on plans to ban the wearing of full Islamic veils in public.
The legislation in front of the lower house will make it illegal to wear the niqab or burka anywhere in public.
It envisages fines of about 150 euros (£119) for women who break the law, with tougher penalties for men found to be pressuring their wife or sister.
A vote on the proposed legislation will be taken next week before a full senate vote in September.
The veil ban, which has the backing of President Nicolas Sarkozy, is also winning support in other parts of Europe.
Belgium's lower house has approved a similar measure and Spain's senate recently narrowly voted to impose a ban too.
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon set the tenor of this debate last week at the opening of a new mosque in the suburbs of Paris, the BBC's Christian Fraser reports from the French capital.
Muslims who wore the full veil were "hijacking Islam" he said, providing a "dark sectarian image" of the religion.
There are only about 2,000 women who wear the full veil in France, and most of these wear the niqab rather than the burka.
Critics of the new legislation point to studies by the interior ministry that show many women do not fit the stereotype of marginalised, oppressed women, since a large number have taken the veil of their own volition.
The police unions have already expressed concerns over how such a law will be enforced and the idea of pressuring women to remove the veil.
There are also human rights considerations, and legal experts warn the broad scope of the law banning the veil in all public places as opposed to state institutions could be overturned by the constitutional court.
BBC News
The legislation in front of the lower house will make it illegal to wear the niqab or burka anywhere in public.
It envisages fines of about 150 euros (£119) for women who break the law, with tougher penalties for men found to be pressuring their wife or sister.
A vote on the proposed legislation will be taken next week before a full senate vote in September.
The veil ban, which has the backing of President Nicolas Sarkozy, is also winning support in other parts of Europe.
Belgium's lower house has approved a similar measure and Spain's senate recently narrowly voted to impose a ban too.
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon set the tenor of this debate last week at the opening of a new mosque in the suburbs of Paris, the BBC's Christian Fraser reports from the French capital.
Muslims who wore the full veil were "hijacking Islam" he said, providing a "dark sectarian image" of the religion.
There are only about 2,000 women who wear the full veil in France, and most of these wear the niqab rather than the burka.
Critics of the new legislation point to studies by the interior ministry that show many women do not fit the stereotype of marginalised, oppressed women, since a large number have taken the veil of their own volition.
The police unions have already expressed concerns over how such a law will be enforced and the idea of pressuring women to remove the veil.
There are also human rights considerations, and legal experts warn the broad scope of the law banning the veil in all public places as opposed to state institutions could be overturned by the constitutional court.
BBC News
Spanish Court Sentences 14 Members of Neo-Nazi Group Blood & Honour
A Spanish court on Monday ordered the dissolution of the neo-Nazi group Blood & Honor in a verdict that sentenced to prison terms 14 of the 18 members of the group who were on trial for illicit association and weapons possession
According to the sentences handed down on Monday, the main accused – Roberto L. U. and Francisco Jose L. P., each sentenced to between three and four years, were the founders of Blood & Honor Spain, and held leadership posts within the group.
In the homes of both, examples of the statutes of the association and other documents were found, along with magazines linked to the neo-Nazi ideology, anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, as well as items praising Adolf Hitler and Rudolf Hess.
Among the rest of the accused, one received a prison term of two years and 11 were sentenced to a year in prison each, all of them for illicit association. The court absolved four of the accused for lack of evidence.
In addition, the court ordered that Blood & Honor be dissolved in accord with the Penal Code, which deems to be illegal groups that promote discrimination, hate or violence against people or associations on the basis of their ideology, religion, race, nationality, sex or sexual orientation.
LAHT
According to the sentences handed down on Monday, the main accused – Roberto L. U. and Francisco Jose L. P., each sentenced to between three and four years, were the founders of Blood & Honor Spain, and held leadership posts within the group.
In the homes of both, examples of the statutes of the association and other documents were found, along with magazines linked to the neo-Nazi ideology, anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, as well as items praising Adolf Hitler and Rudolf Hess.
Among the rest of the accused, one received a prison term of two years and 11 were sentenced to a year in prison each, all of them for illicit association. The court absolved four of the accused for lack of evidence.
In addition, the court ordered that Blood & Honor be dissolved in accord with the Penal Code, which deems to be illegal groups that promote discrimination, hate or violence against people or associations on the basis of their ideology, religion, race, nationality, sex or sexual orientation.
LAHT
Nazi Executioner Strolls in Park
Evil Klaas Faber, 88, looked like an ordinary OAP when The Sun went to confront him about his war crimes.
But his white hair and glasses hide a shocking past as a bloodthirsty killer who volunteered for Adolf Hitler's notorious SS and a roving Gestapo death squad.
Faber was sentenced to death after being convicted of war crimes in 1947. But his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, and in 1952 he escaped from prison in Breda, Holland, and fled to sanctuary in Germany.
Demands by Britain and other nations to hand over Faber - listed as the fifth most-wanted Nazi fugitive - have since been rejected by Germany.
Incredibly, officials still protect the Dutch-born killer and insist he is immune from extradition after Hitler granted him German citizenship as an SS volunteer.
Local privacy laws mean that Germans cannot be told Faber is a war criminal, or see photos of him enjoying his freedom.
But The Sun found Faber in the medieval town of Ingolstadt, where he lives with frail wife Jacoba. The name K. Faber marks the doorbell on his modern flat.
After years as an anonymous office worker at Audi, Faber now enjoys a cosy retirement relaxing in local parks and going on shopping trips in his VW Golf.
Neighbours say the dad of three is quiet, but friendly and polite.
The Sun confronted him and asked if he felt any remorse for his crimes or compassion for his victims and their relatives.
Faber's smile immediately vanished, replaced by an icy stare and grim silence.
His trial heard he was an enthusiastic Nazi who volunteered to join the SS in 1940, then travelled around northern Holland ruthlessly slaughtering Jews and Dutch resistance fighters.
He rose to become an officer with the notorious SD secret police and worked for the Gestapo as an executioner at Westerbork concentration camp, where teenage diarist Anne Frank was held.
He was convicted of murdering at least 22 victims, but the court heard he personally carried out mass shootings and experts believe the real toll was much higher.
Faber was then one of seven Nazi officers who escaped from Breda prison on Boxing Day 1952.
They fled to Germany, where they were welcomed at the border and given coffee and cakes by sympathetic customs officials.
The gang were given token fines for illegally crossing the border, then set free. German authorities still honour the special privileges granted by Hitler himself to his most hardcore followers.
Faber became a German in 1943 under the "Fuhrer's Law" - a personal decree granting German citizenship to foreign Nazi volunteers.
It is the only one of Hitler's laws never to have been revoked, and Germany still uses it to deny repeated attempts to return Faber to prison in the Netherlands.
Outraged Holocaust campaigners last night urged Germany to stop protecting Faber and hand him over to serve his sentence.
Simon Wiesenthal Centre director Dr Efraim Zuroff said: "He is one of the most evil men alive. For Germany to continue shielding him is a shocking stain on the nation's reputation.
"We are talking about someone who volunteered for the SS so he could help Hitler's regime turn his vile beliefs into reality. He didn't just support the Holocaust, he actively helped those behind it.
"The families of those he killed deserve justice, and it's time for Germany to stop hiding behind a law that Hitler brought in."
Sickened Arnold Karstens, of the charity War Crimes Investigations, said: "It is beyond belief that this man is free. Germany should hang its head in shame.
"Faber's crimes are so extreme he should die in prison. What makes it even worse is he has never shown remorse. It is sickening to see him enjoying freedom."
German authorities last night confirmed that Faber was immune from prosecution and extradition, despite repeated requests by the Netherlands to hand him over. State prosecutors decided in 2006 to classify Faber's crimes as manslaughter. So a time limit on trying him in Germany - which does not apply to murder - has now expired. A spokesman added: "Klaas Faber is a German citizen and cannot be extradited for this."
Th Sun
Monday, 5 July 2010
Ministers to meet in Dudley to discuss English Defence League demos
Ministers are to meet Dudley residents to discuss the “violence and disorder” caused by the English Defence League.
Theresa May, the Home Secretary, agreed to organise a meeting after the protest group held two controversial demonstrations in Dudley.
In April, there were 12 arrests as the English Defence League held a protest in Dudley and fought anti-fascist campaigners.
And in an unannounced protest in May, masked English Defence League campaigners held a rooftop protest at a site earmarked for a new mosque in Dudley.
The group also planned a protest in Dudley last month, but this was cancelled after plans to build a mosque with 65ft minaret in the town centre were scrapped.
But the English Defence League warned that future protests in Dudley could still go ahead, and added that the group planned to return to Birmingham, where it has held two demonstrations, with a protest in Alum Rock in the summer.
Dudley MP Ian Austin (Lab Dudley North) asked the Home Secretary, Theresa May, to ensure the English Defence League were not able to cause further disruption.
Speaking in the House of Commons, he asked: “Recent events have seen violence and disorder on the streets, police diverted to deal with that and property and constituents attacked.”
She told him: “Certainly I or another Minister will be very happy to meet a delegation in order to address those issues.”
Birmingham Mail
Theresa May, the Home Secretary, agreed to organise a meeting after the protest group held two controversial demonstrations in Dudley.
In April, there were 12 arrests as the English Defence League held a protest in Dudley and fought anti-fascist campaigners.
And in an unannounced protest in May, masked English Defence League campaigners held a rooftop protest at a site earmarked for a new mosque in Dudley.
The group also planned a protest in Dudley last month, but this was cancelled after plans to build a mosque with 65ft minaret in the town centre were scrapped.
But the English Defence League warned that future protests in Dudley could still go ahead, and added that the group planned to return to Birmingham, where it has held two demonstrations, with a protest in Alum Rock in the summer.
Dudley MP Ian Austin (Lab Dudley North) asked the Home Secretary, Theresa May, to ensure the English Defence League were not able to cause further disruption.
Speaking in the House of Commons, he asked: “Recent events have seen violence and disorder on the streets, police diverted to deal with that and property and constituents attacked.”
She told him: “Certainly I or another Minister will be very happy to meet a delegation in order to address those issues.”
Birmingham Mail
Vigilantes patrol area known for drug traffic, human smuggling USA
Ready and other members of his group are armed with shotguns, rifles and other semi-automatic weapons. They have spent the past three weekends canvassing the area known as Vekol Valley in response to a surge of violence.
“I have lived here for 18 years, and the majority of them have been very peaceful,” said Harry Hughes, who lives in the area and has begun patrolling with Ready. However, he said over the past 12 to 18 months the violence in the area has escalated, with multiple home invasions, burglaries, shootings and other violence in his neighborhood.
It is a problem he attributes to the coyotes smuggling humans, drugs and other illegal items through the area. Coyotes are human smugglers paid to bring illegal immigrants into the United States.
“The federal and local government continues to ignore the problem in this area, hoping they will go away, but that is not going to work,” Hughes said. “We have decided to do something about it.”
That something is patrolling the area on the weekends from now until the end of the summer, looking for illegal immigrants participating in criminal activities. Since they started their patrols, Hughes said his group has turned several illegals into the United States Border Patrol and found a body, which is yet to be identified.
“Typically, when we find someone, they are happy to see us; we offer them some water and then turn them over to the authorities,” he said.
involved in the group, but multiple reports have stated more than 10 people were at the first two gatherings.
Ready, who could not be reached for comment, was at one time the leader of the Mesa Chapter of the National Socialist Movement, believed to be the largest neo-Nazi group in the United States. Yet, Hughes said the group has nothing to do with race, and any person is welcome to join them in their patrols.
“We are not part of the National Socialist Movement; we are just a group of concerned citizens,” he said. He added that the National Socialist Movement was not a Neo-Nazi group, but an organization that focused on civil rights for Caucasians. “They get a rep worse than communists.”
The group informed the Pinal County Sheriff’s Department of their plans to patrol the area during the summer, but Tim Gaffney, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office, said the law enforcement agency does not condone the militia effort.
"We currently have operations that are ongoing and advise all citizens not to take law enforcement matters into their own hands," Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said in an issued statement. "Hate groups and other militia-type groups have also made arrangements to patrol, not at our request. This is not helpful, and, personally and professionally, I do not endorse, nor do I tolerate hate speech, discrimination or bigotry of any kind. These groups should stay out of Pinal County."
By Michael K. Rich at inmaricopa
Over 70 detained at "new Gárda" event (Hungary)
Hungarian National Gárda Police detained over 70 people as a group calling itself Hungarian National Gárda commemorated on Sunday the outlawed militia the Magyar Gárda, which was dissolved a year ago. Some 1,000 people were present at the event in downtown Erzsébet tér yesterday afternoon.
Police secured the area with a huge presence and no disturbances were reported. Before the ceremony, police targeted those wearing khaki trousers and black T-shirts who threw bottles, and insults, at police officers.
Several Jobbik MPs spoke at the function and called the legality of the police action into doubt. Jobbik MP Sándor Pörzse, Tamás Gaudi Nagy and Calvinist pastor Lóránt Hegedűs Jr. criticised the legislative practice of the Fidesz-Christian Democrat government, claiming that the spirit of governing of the past eight years is continuing.
Jobbik chairman Gábor Vona said the cabinet has not honoured its promises to hold accountable the former ruling politicians.
Those detained were in possession of air guns and imitation weapons, Budapest Police announced on Sunday afternoon.
Politics.hu
BURQA BANS SPREAD ACROSS CATALONIA (Spain)
There are no burqas on the streets of Tarrés. In fact, there are no Muslims at all in this village of 108 inhabitants in north-east Spain. But that will not stop the parish council debating whether to ban burqas and face-covering niqabs from parts of the village next week. "It is true that there are no Muslims living in the village now, but this would be a preventive measure in case they come," said parish councillor Daniel Rivera, from the tiny and openly xenophobic Partit per Catalunya. Rivera's motion to ban burqas has outraged many. Other councillors plan to vote against it, but whatever the result, the motion is symptomatic of wider moves in the Catalonia region to ban Islamic veils from public buildings. Today the nearby provincial capital, Lleida, formally passed a ban that was first announced in May. Women found wearing burqas in public buildings will first be given a warning, but any repeat will lead to a fine of between €300 and €600 (£250-£500).
From Barcelona to Tarragona, bans are being slapped into place across the region. "At this rate we will end up with more bans than burqas," said the immigration minister, Celestino Corbacho, himself a former town mayor in Catalonia. The Lleida ban was not passed by the anti-immigrant parties but, as in Barcelona, by a socialist-led council. "This is about equality between men and women," Mayor Ángel Ros said. "The burqa and the niqab are symbols of the political use of a religious dogmatism that had begun to appear in Lleida. "This is not Islamophobia. When the right does this it is guided by xenophobia, but we are guided by equality. The debate was already out there on the street. It is our job to listen." Ros would have liked an outright ban on burqas in public, but was advised that the town hall's powers did not stretch that far. "This is an example of integration, in which they respect the values of our society. Some cultural behaviour is a direct attack on our values."
Conservative opposition parties – including the Convergence and Union coalition, which looks set to win regional elections in the autumn – had been pushing for an even stricter ban. After Lleida's announcement, Spain's senate called on the government to prevent women from wearing burqas and niqabs anywhere in public. The motion was phrased to avoid the ban applying to the tens of thousands of Christian nazarenos who don hooded robes and parade through Spanish cities every Easter. The socialist government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has responded by indicating that it will legislate against the burqa in a religious freedom law. Ros said the ban was a warning to some local imams who he says are driving people towards fundamentalism. On Nord street in Lleida, where halal butchers service the needs of the 29,000 immigrants who make up 21% of the city's population, there was dismay. "Catalan elections are coming up," said Abderrahim Boussira, at the Western Union store. "Election time is when they go after the foreigners and the Muslims. I've been here 20 years and I have never seen a woman in a burqa."
At middaytoday, more than 1,000 men packed into a makeshift mosque for Friday prayers. Imam Abdelwahad Houzi is the man Ros blames for radicalising local Muslims. "All we do is follow the Qur'an and the Sunna. We are not a sect or a political party and we have been here for years," he said. "We feel offended. This is an attack on the freedom of women." Houzi blames the local Segre newspaper for whipping up anger. The newspaper said it started covering the story only after conservative politicians complained about them, though its editorials also called for a ban. "Islam, which barely distinguishes politics from religion, still marginalises the female sex," its deputy editor, Anna Goméz, wrote. It is thought that barely half a dozen women in Lleida wear niqabs. "Some are Spaniards," said Khadija Rabhi, at her general store, which sells everything from haberdashery to hair oil to Muslim women. "I don't think they are forced to wear them by their husbands, though. How could they be? I don't wear one, but I cannot see why they should stop someone who does."
Like most women in the mainly Moroccan and Algerian immigrant community, Rabhi – who has lived in Lleida since she was seven – wears a hijab headscarf and a loose-fitting robe. "The Qur'an says we should dress modestly. But people have different interpretations. I wear a headscarf, and if I was not allowed to wear it, I would prefer to move to Morocco – even though Lleida has always been my home." Ros claims some Muslim groups support the ban, but a town hall list turned up no backers. Mourad el-Boudouhi, of the local Averroes Association, said his group had lodged a complaint claiming the measure contradicted Spain's constitution. There has been a second complaint against the senate motion, with the aim of taking it through to Spain's constitutional court. "No one has the right to decide for a woman what she must wear," he said. "They are adults and can decide for themselves. We will defend them if they decide to wear it and if they decide not to. This creates hatred. People come here to work, to get by, or to live in democracy – not in dictatorship."
Abdelraffie Ettalydy, head of the Maghrebia immigrants' association and a critic of Imam Houzi, said that the few women in Lleida who wear niqabs – which are slowly disappearing from his native Morocco – were rarely seen. "It is not as if everyone in Lleida was worried about this," he said. "In five years, I have only bumped into one of these women once." He blames the imam for failing to talk with a town hall that has offered land for a new and bigger mosque. "I can't call them fundamentalists, but they are not open-minded," he said. "They are simple people who say: 'We are Muslims, so we are better than them'. That is why the mosque has become a problem for the city, and now for Catalonia and Spain as well." Racist parties are crowing. "Measures we proposed three or four years ago that were greeted with cries of 'racism' are now being passed by town halls," said Joan Terré, a town councillor for Partit per Catalunya in Cervera.
Back in Tarrés, waiter Arnau Galí said the bans made little sense. "Not so long ago all the old women in Tarrés wore headscarves too, but they have disappeared without anyone banning them," he said. "The problem here has always been emigration, not immigration." In the meantime, niqab wearers in Lleida and elsewhere must change or they will be unable to get crucial paperwork done at the town hall – a building they are banned from entering. "If she cannot go out like this then she will change," the husband of the only niqab-wearer in the Catalan town of Cunit, 26-year-old Moroccan Fatima Bumlaqi, told El País newspaper. "Will they fine her if she wears a hat and sunglasses?"
The burqa in Europe
In Belgium a new bill outlawing the wearing of face veils in public is awaiting senate approval. If passed, offenders will be fined or face a week in jail.
France is trying to ban the wearing of full-face Islamic veils in public. President Nicolas Sarkozy has said they oppress women and are "not welcome". An estimated 2,000 women in France wear full veils.
The UK does not ban any form of Islamic dress. Schools are permitted to devise their own uniform policy.
The Netherlands debated banning burqas four years ago and may yet outlaw them.
In Italy, several regions have introduced rules to deter public use of the Islamic veil. Some mayors from the anti-immigrant Northern League have also banned the use of Islamic swimsuits.
The Guardian
From Barcelona to Tarragona, bans are being slapped into place across the region. "At this rate we will end up with more bans than burqas," said the immigration minister, Celestino Corbacho, himself a former town mayor in Catalonia. The Lleida ban was not passed by the anti-immigrant parties but, as in Barcelona, by a socialist-led council. "This is about equality between men and women," Mayor Ángel Ros said. "The burqa and the niqab are symbols of the political use of a religious dogmatism that had begun to appear in Lleida. "This is not Islamophobia. When the right does this it is guided by xenophobia, but we are guided by equality. The debate was already out there on the street. It is our job to listen." Ros would have liked an outright ban on burqas in public, but was advised that the town hall's powers did not stretch that far. "This is an example of integration, in which they respect the values of our society. Some cultural behaviour is a direct attack on our values."
Conservative opposition parties – including the Convergence and Union coalition, which looks set to win regional elections in the autumn – had been pushing for an even stricter ban. After Lleida's announcement, Spain's senate called on the government to prevent women from wearing burqas and niqabs anywhere in public. The motion was phrased to avoid the ban applying to the tens of thousands of Christian nazarenos who don hooded robes and parade through Spanish cities every Easter. The socialist government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has responded by indicating that it will legislate against the burqa in a religious freedom law. Ros said the ban was a warning to some local imams who he says are driving people towards fundamentalism. On Nord street in Lleida, where halal butchers service the needs of the 29,000 immigrants who make up 21% of the city's population, there was dismay. "Catalan elections are coming up," said Abderrahim Boussira, at the Western Union store. "Election time is when they go after the foreigners and the Muslims. I've been here 20 years and I have never seen a woman in a burqa."
At middaytoday, more than 1,000 men packed into a makeshift mosque for Friday prayers. Imam Abdelwahad Houzi is the man Ros blames for radicalising local Muslims. "All we do is follow the Qur'an and the Sunna. We are not a sect or a political party and we have been here for years," he said. "We feel offended. This is an attack on the freedom of women." Houzi blames the local Segre newspaper for whipping up anger. The newspaper said it started covering the story only after conservative politicians complained about them, though its editorials also called for a ban. "Islam, which barely distinguishes politics from religion, still marginalises the female sex," its deputy editor, Anna Goméz, wrote. It is thought that barely half a dozen women in Lleida wear niqabs. "Some are Spaniards," said Khadija Rabhi, at her general store, which sells everything from haberdashery to hair oil to Muslim women. "I don't think they are forced to wear them by their husbands, though. How could they be? I don't wear one, but I cannot see why they should stop someone who does."
Like most women in the mainly Moroccan and Algerian immigrant community, Rabhi – who has lived in Lleida since she was seven – wears a hijab headscarf and a loose-fitting robe. "The Qur'an says we should dress modestly. But people have different interpretations. I wear a headscarf, and if I was not allowed to wear it, I would prefer to move to Morocco – even though Lleida has always been my home." Ros claims some Muslim groups support the ban, but a town hall list turned up no backers. Mourad el-Boudouhi, of the local Averroes Association, said his group had lodged a complaint claiming the measure contradicted Spain's constitution. There has been a second complaint against the senate motion, with the aim of taking it through to Spain's constitutional court. "No one has the right to decide for a woman what she must wear," he said. "They are adults and can decide for themselves. We will defend them if they decide to wear it and if they decide not to. This creates hatred. People come here to work, to get by, or to live in democracy – not in dictatorship."
Abdelraffie Ettalydy, head of the Maghrebia immigrants' association and a critic of Imam Houzi, said that the few women in Lleida who wear niqabs – which are slowly disappearing from his native Morocco – were rarely seen. "It is not as if everyone in Lleida was worried about this," he said. "In five years, I have only bumped into one of these women once." He blames the imam for failing to talk with a town hall that has offered land for a new and bigger mosque. "I can't call them fundamentalists, but they are not open-minded," he said. "They are simple people who say: 'We are Muslims, so we are better than them'. That is why the mosque has become a problem for the city, and now for Catalonia and Spain as well." Racist parties are crowing. "Measures we proposed three or four years ago that were greeted with cries of 'racism' are now being passed by town halls," said Joan Terré, a town councillor for Partit per Catalunya in Cervera.
Back in Tarrés, waiter Arnau Galí said the bans made little sense. "Not so long ago all the old women in Tarrés wore headscarves too, but they have disappeared without anyone banning them," he said. "The problem here has always been emigration, not immigration." In the meantime, niqab wearers in Lleida and elsewhere must change or they will be unable to get crucial paperwork done at the town hall – a building they are banned from entering. "If she cannot go out like this then she will change," the husband of the only niqab-wearer in the Catalan town of Cunit, 26-year-old Moroccan Fatima Bumlaqi, told El País newspaper. "Will they fine her if she wears a hat and sunglasses?"
The burqa in Europe
In Belgium a new bill outlawing the wearing of face veils in public is awaiting senate approval. If passed, offenders will be fined or face a week in jail.
France is trying to ban the wearing of full-face Islamic veils in public. President Nicolas Sarkozy has said they oppress women and are "not welcome". An estimated 2,000 women in France wear full veils.
The UK does not ban any form of Islamic dress. Schools are permitted to devise their own uniform policy.
The Netherlands debated banning burqas four years ago and may yet outlaw them.
In Italy, several regions have introduced rules to deter public use of the Islamic veil. Some mayors from the anti-immigrant Northern League have also banned the use of Islamic swimsuits.
The Guardian
Sunday, 4 July 2010
Anti-Semitc Hate Site Founder Arrested For Child Pornography
As the item has been posted on friends blog here’s the link to the full story.
The Shofar Call
THOUSANDS PROTEST EXPULSION OF KOSOVO MIGRANT FAMILY IN VIENNA (Austria)
At least 7,000 Austrians gathered in central Vienna Thursday evening to protest the imminent expulsion of a Kosovan family of asylum seekers and to call for more humane immigration policies. The fate of the well-integrated Zogaj family has become a symbol of the Interior Ministry's hard-line asylum policy. The family has lived in Austria since 2002. Protesters said the Zogajs and others like them should be allowed to stay on humanitarian grounds, even if they have been denied refugee status. 'We don't need mercy or clemency, but justice and reason,' former science minister Rudolf Scholten told a crowd that organizers estimated at up to 20,000 people. Police counted 7,000. Other speakers criticized Interior Minister Maria Fekter for painting asylum seekers in a criminal light. Thursday's event was the culmination of recent smaller initiatives and protests. In May, demonstrators blocked one of Vienna's main traffic routes in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the deportation of two Nigerian asylum seekers.
DPA
DPA
RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE 'THE NEW RACISM'
Religious intolerance is "the new racism" and one of the main causes of persecution of minorities across the world, according to the annual Minority Rights Group International report published today.
In an overview of government policies, global trends and personal accounts, the campaign group argues that counter-terrorism efforts and economic marginalisation are increasingly being associated with religion, not ethnicity. "Religious intolerance is the new racism," said Mark Lattimer, director of Minority Rights Group International. "Many communities that have faced racial discrimination for decades are now being targeted because of their religion." The report notes that Muslims have been increasingly targeted by authorities in Europe and the United States as part of counter-terrorism measures. This is evident from police stop-and-searches to the US restrictions introduced after a Nigerian Muslim was accused of trying to bomb an airliner on Christmas Day 2009. The restrictions applied to citizens from 14 countries - 13 of them predominantly Muslim, the report notes. It also highlighted how religious groups can be the focus of nationalist campaigns, such as in Switzerland, where voters chose in a referendum to ban the construction of new minarets after a campaign by a far-right party.
Meanwhile in Iraq and Pakistan, which are on the frontline of the so-called "war on terror", attacks against religious minorities have also escalated in recent years, the report said. It notes religious groups in Iraq such as the Christians, Mandaeans, Baha'i and Yezidis have become targets of violence since the US-led invasion in 2003. And in Pakistan, the Taliban have targeted Christians for attack through killings, torture, forcible conversions and burning of churches, it says. Other discrimination occurs through government registration schemes for religious groups, a practice used in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan since 2001. In Egypt, all identification papers must list religious affiliation - but the choice is restricted to Islam, Christianity and Judaism. This means the Baha'i cannot get ID papers, and therefore cannot work or access healthcare.
AFP
In an overview of government policies, global trends and personal accounts, the campaign group argues that counter-terrorism efforts and economic marginalisation are increasingly being associated with religion, not ethnicity. "Religious intolerance is the new racism," said Mark Lattimer, director of Minority Rights Group International. "Many communities that have faced racial discrimination for decades are now being targeted because of their religion." The report notes that Muslims have been increasingly targeted by authorities in Europe and the United States as part of counter-terrorism measures. This is evident from police stop-and-searches to the US restrictions introduced after a Nigerian Muslim was accused of trying to bomb an airliner on Christmas Day 2009. The restrictions applied to citizens from 14 countries - 13 of them predominantly Muslim, the report notes. It also highlighted how religious groups can be the focus of nationalist campaigns, such as in Switzerland, where voters chose in a referendum to ban the construction of new minarets after a campaign by a far-right party.
Meanwhile in Iraq and Pakistan, which are on the frontline of the so-called "war on terror", attacks against religious minorities have also escalated in recent years, the report said. It notes religious groups in Iraq such as the Christians, Mandaeans, Baha'i and Yezidis have become targets of violence since the US-led invasion in 2003. And in Pakistan, the Taliban have targeted Christians for attack through killings, torture, forcible conversions and burning of churches, it says. Other discrimination occurs through government registration schemes for religious groups, a practice used in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan since 2001. In Egypt, all identification papers must list religious affiliation - but the choice is restricted to Islam, Christianity and Judaism. This means the Baha'i cannot get ID papers, and therefore cannot work or access healthcare.
AFP
DISCO ATTACK ON JEWS APPARENTLY SPURRED BY ANTI-SEMITISM (Germany)
German national security police are investigating an attack, apparently motivated by anti-Semitism, on two Israeli tourists at a Berlin disco club. A man who identified himself as a Palestinian began choking and punching a 22-year-old Israeli after asking where he came from, according to reports. The victim's 18-year-old friend also was beaten in the overnight Monday incident. Before fleeing, the attacker also reportedly threw a glass at the younger Israeli man but missed. According to police, a 43-year-old employee of the disco escorted the victims to the door and then reportedly sprayed mace at the Israelis, who managed to get in a taxi. The victims called the police from their hotel. The Israelis were treated for their injuries at a local hospital and released.
Recent statistics on anti-Semitic attacks in Germany have shown a rise in incidents -- violent and verbal -- during periods of turmoil in the Middle East. The number of such attacks rose during Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip during the winter of 2008-09. The disco attack follows on the heels of Israel's May 31 interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla that left nine passengers dead. Following a recent stone-throwing attack on a Jewish dance troupe in Hanover, Juliane Wetzel, a member of the new expert panel on anti-Semitism for the German Parliament and a scholar at the Center for Research on Anti-Semitism in Berlin, told the Welt online newspaper that the problem of anti-Semitism among young Muslims in Germany had not been thoroughly examined.
JTA
Recent statistics on anti-Semitic attacks in Germany have shown a rise in incidents -- violent and verbal -- during periods of turmoil in the Middle East. The number of such attacks rose during Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip during the winter of 2008-09. The disco attack follows on the heels of Israel's May 31 interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla that left nine passengers dead. Following a recent stone-throwing attack on a Jewish dance troupe in Hanover, Juliane Wetzel, a member of the new expert panel on anti-Semitism for the German Parliament and a scholar at the Center for Research on Anti-Semitism in Berlin, told the Welt online newspaper that the problem of anti-Semitism among young Muslims in Germany had not been thoroughly examined.
JTA
Griffin accused of subverting BNP constitution (UK)
In the latest BNP “e-organisers’ bulletin”, Clive Jefferson, who acts as the BNP leader’s tame poodle, states that signatures in support of a leadership contender must be submitted on an “official form”, which he will not make available until 13 July. Challengers have until 10 August to gather the support of 20% of the 4,200 party members with two years’ continuous membership and 20% of the elite “voting members”, of whom there are only 278 nationally.
Butler says (correctly) there is no provision in the constitution for an “official” form or for a nomination period in which signatures have to be collected, only a set period (20 July to 10 August) in which they can be delivered. He believes Jefferson’s “totally unconstitutional move” is intended to prevent any potential candidate from having time to obtain all the required signatures.
Jefferson has also ordered people to send their nominations individually to the party. “The collection of these nomination papers by a third party acting on behalf of a potential nominee is not allowed and will invalidate that nomination paper,” he declares.
Butler says he will ignore Jefferson’s instructions. He and his supporters are already gathering signatures on a form that he has devised himself and intend to hand the nominations in together.
Jefferson goes on to “caution any member from making unsubstantiated defamatory allegations, just because a member attempts to gain the nominations to start a leadership challenge”. Butler asks: “Is he having attacks of remorse for the fake brothel film [a film that Jefferson shot that purports to show Butler in a Belgian brothel]? Is he going to expel himself?”
Butler has no doubt who is responsible for all the dirty tricks, the so-called attack blogs and “the little acts of petty spite, snide digs or other acts of outright political gangsterism”. Nick Griffin gave himself dictatorial power in the constitution he foisted on the party, so “when ‘things’ happen in support of his failing regime the buck stops with him, Butler asserts.
Griffin is also responsible for the letter distributed to neighbours of Simon Bennett, the BNP’s former webmaster, accusing him of theft, drug abuse, forgery, blackmail, etc, says Butler, describing it as “an indescribably filthy and scummy act”.
The attempts by Griffin and Jefferson to do whatever it takes to stop Butler are likely to end up in court, with the beneficial result that party members’ donations will be wasted on yet more huge legal bills.
Hope Not Hate
Saturday, 3 July 2010
Ministers to meet in Dudley to discuss English Defence League demos (UK)
Ministers are to meet Dudley residents to discuss the “violence and disorder” caused by the English Defence League.
Theresa May, the Home Secretary, agreed to organise a meeting after the protest group held two controversial demonstrations in Dudley.
In April, there were 12 arrests as the English Defence League held a protest in Dudley and fought anti-fascist campaigners.
And in an unannounced protest in May, masked English Defence League campaigners held a rooftop protest at a site earmarked for a new mosque in Dudley.
The group also planned a protest in Dudley last month, but this was cancelled after plans to build a mosque with 65ft minaret in the town centre were scrapped.
But the English Defence League warned that future protests in Dudley could still go ahead, and added that the group planned to return to Birmingham, where it has held two demonstrations, with a protest in Alum Rock in the summer.
Dudley MP Ian Austin (Lab Dudley North) asked the Home Secretary, Theresa May, to ensure the English Defence League were not able to cause further disruption.
Speaking in the House of Commons, he asked: “Recent events have seen violence and disorder on the streets, police diverted to deal with that and property and constituents attacked.”
She told him: “Certainly I or another Minister will be very happy to meet a delegation in order to address those issues.”
Birmingham Mail
Theresa May, the Home Secretary, agreed to organise a meeting after the protest group held two controversial demonstrations in Dudley.
In April, there were 12 arrests as the English Defence League held a protest in Dudley and fought anti-fascist campaigners.
And in an unannounced protest in May, masked English Defence League campaigners held a rooftop protest at a site earmarked for a new mosque in Dudley.
The group also planned a protest in Dudley last month, but this was cancelled after plans to build a mosque with 65ft minaret in the town centre were scrapped.
But the English Defence League warned that future protests in Dudley could still go ahead, and added that the group planned to return to Birmingham, where it has held two demonstrations, with a protest in Alum Rock in the summer.
Dudley MP Ian Austin (Lab Dudley North) asked the Home Secretary, Theresa May, to ensure the English Defence League were not able to cause further disruption.
Speaking in the House of Commons, he asked: “Recent events have seen violence and disorder on the streets, police diverted to deal with that and property and constituents attacked.”
She told him: “Certainly I or another Minister will be very happy to meet a delegation in order to address those issues.”
Birmingham Mail
Police's far right guns swoop (UK)
KNUCKLEDUSTERS, knives, Tasers, ball-bearing guns and far right paraphernalia have been seized in a raid on a Halifax house.
Police were seen swooping on the home at Beechwood Road, Ovenden, bringing out a haul of weapons including CS gas, batons and balaclavas.
Computers and far right flags and leaflets were also believed to have been removed from the house.
The police raid happened in the early hours of last Friday morning and around 20 officers were thought to be involved.
Police confirmed an 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to commit violent disorder in connection with the raid.
He has been released on bail pending further police inquiries.
It is believed he has links with far-right political organisations.
His workplaces are also thought to have been searched
Halifax Courier
Police were seen swooping on the home at Beechwood Road, Ovenden, bringing out a haul of weapons including CS gas, batons and balaclavas.
Computers and far right flags and leaflets were also believed to have been removed from the house.
The police raid happened in the early hours of last Friday morning and around 20 officers were thought to be involved.
Police confirmed an 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to commit violent disorder in connection with the raid.
He has been released on bail pending further police inquiries.
It is believed he has links with far-right political organisations.
His workplaces are also thought to have been searched
Halifax Courier
Jury gets murder trial of alleged neo-Nazi (USA)
The 10-woman, two-man jury went home for the holiday weekend after hearing closing arguments today in the first-degree murder trial of Kandin Eric Wilson. They will begin deliberations Tuesday morning.
Wilson, 29, is accused of killing Susana Pelayo-Perez, a 35-year-old restaurant manager on Sept. 27 in the parking lot of the Shannon Glen Apartments at 260 N. Murray Blvd.
Wilson attorney Philip L. Dubois told the jurors that police arrested the wrong man.
“Kandin Wilson didn’t shoot anybody. He wasn’t there when Susan Pelayo-Perez was shot,” Dubois said.
“So why are we here?” Dubois asked. “Two words: Kyle Gray.”
Dubois referred to the co-defendant who took a plea deal and agreed to testify against Wilson during the two-week trial.
Gray is an admitted member of the American Nazi Party, which he described as a white prison gang. He claimed Wilson, also known by the nickname “Trailer,” was a “prospect” who had been admitted into the party on a probationary basis in September 2009.
Gray testified he was driving the car when Wilson fired the .40 caliber hollowpoint bullet that killed Pelayo-Perez.
Dubois asked the jurors not to be swayed by the pictures prosecutors showed them.
“Pretty is a nice slide show and showing as many photographs as they possible can,” he said. “But pretty is not proof.”
Senior Deputy District Attorney Jeff Lindsey bristled at the reference.
“Let’s get something straight. That man took a woman’s life,” Lindsey said, pointing to the defendant. “It’s as ugly as it comes,” he added. “There’s nothing pretty about that.”
Lindsey reminded jurors that both Gray and the victim’s boyfriend both identified Wilson as the shooter.
To drive home that point, Lindsey showed the jury Wilson’s mug shot and a composite sketch the boyfriend helped police draw of the gunman.
“That’s the man, ladies and gentlemen,” Lindsey said, showing the two images superimposed. “That’s the man.”
Gazette
BNP HQ accused of ‘depravity’
Simon Bennett, the British National Party’s former webmaster, has accused Nick Griffin’s supporters of “depravity” by running a vile hate mail campaign against him in his home town of Camelford, in Cornwall, and the surrounding area.
Police told him they had been “inundated with complaints from local residents” who had received a leaflet accusing Bennett of “theft”, “using illegal narcotics”, hiding from “bailiffs and angry ex-clients” of a “string of failed businesses”, “forgery and deception”, and threatening ex-clients with “blackmail in the form of financial extortion”.
The leaflet advises residents with any information on these matters to contact the police or Social Care Services in an apparent attempt to cast doubt on his suitability as a parent.
Bennett has strongly denied all the allegations, which he says put him and his family “at risk from physical attack from some of the more extreme members in right wing circles, which I believe is exactly what Nick Griffin & Co have intended”.
Griffin and Bennett had a serious fallout a few days before the May elections over Griffin’s daft insistence on adding a Marmite image to a version of the BNP’s election broadcast released on the website. Griffin apparently wanted to gain publicity by provoking a response from Unilever, which owns the Marmite brand. It was the culmination of a year-long dispute with Jim Dowson, the convicted criminal and close aide of Griffin, who in effect owns the BNP.
Bennett, who supports Eddy Butler’s challenge to Griffin’s leadership, warns: “If you previously had any doubts that reform is needed with the BNP, then you may want to consider that this type of hate campaign could be bought onto anyone that dares to question the current leadership or refuse to ‘play ball’ or ‘put up and shut up’.”
Meanwhile, the latest attack on one of the anti-Butler blogs has confirmed that the BNP remains a thoroughly racist, antisemitic and homophobic party.
In an attempt to smear Butler by association, the Eddy Butler exposed website lists some of his supporters and their “offences”. Two are condemned for being gay and a third is described as “another long-term bachelor”. Another has “half-caste kids”. One man not only has a “wife of chinese [sic] extraction” but, no doubt worse in BNP eyes, “has worked extensively in Israel”.
Another Butler supporter listed is Jeff Marshall, the central London organiser whose poisonous outburst following the death of David Cameron’s disabled son was quoted in many HOPE not hate leaflets and newspapers. His view that it would be a kindness to kill children with disabilities did not prevent him from being put forward as a council candidate in the BNP’s top target borough of Barking and Dagenham.
Now that he is out of favour with Griffin, he is described as “deeply weird”. The blog continues: “As you hear him lisp and see him slime around, simply ask if you would be comfortable having him babysit?”
Lawrence Rustem, a former BNP councillor in Barking and Dagenham, was one of the earlier victims of the so-called “attack blogs” for expressing support for Butler. Until Butler announced on 30 June that in the event of his victory his deputy chairman would be Nick Cass, the Griffinites were putting it about that Rustem was in line for the role. Rustem is unpopular in the racist BNP because his father was a Turkish Cypriot.
In a new video released on YouTube Rustem criticises Griffin’s decision to stand as the BNP candidate in Barking in the general election. Griffin had a “negative impact” on the campaign and went down very badly on the doorstep, according to Rustem, who also condemned the party’s head office for giving “less than zero” support to its 12 councillors in Barking and Dagenham during the four years since their election in 2006.
The vicious attacks on Butler and his supporters show that Griffin is growing increasingly desperate, a fact that is confirmed by Griffin’s attempts to manipulate the election. An official statement on the BNP website states that nomination forms will be sent to every BNP member eligible to nominate candidates and must be returned to the party by post between 20 July and 10 August.
Butler has pointed out that the party constitution does not require the party to issue nomination papers but only that a candidate for the leadership must obtain the signatures of 20% of the membership with two years’ continuous membership.
Advising members to send nomination forms to his campaign address not to the party, Butler writes: “They are trying to get members to send their nomination papers directly to them. This is a disgusting abuse of process, similar to the sort of thing one would have expected in Soviet occupied Eastern Europe. I am afraid to say that the Party centre has so far acted in an appalling manner so far with regard to this year’s leadership election. They are bugging gatherings, closing down branch meetings, sacking officials and even suspending the membership of people who support a leadership challenge. The idea that people should send their nomination papers to Clive Jefferson’s Elections Department is nothing short of outrageous and can only be viewed as an attempt to derail the Party’s internal democratic process.”
Unfortunately for Butler, the BNP constitution, largely imposed upon the party membership by Griffin under the guise of complying with the requirements of the court in a legal action brought by the Equality Commission, affords many more opportunities for Griffin to thwart any leadership challenge.
Hope Not Hate
Police told him they had been “inundated with complaints from local residents” who had received a leaflet accusing Bennett of “theft”, “using illegal narcotics”, hiding from “bailiffs and angry ex-clients” of a “string of failed businesses”, “forgery and deception”, and threatening ex-clients with “blackmail in the form of financial extortion”.
The leaflet advises residents with any information on these matters to contact the police or Social Care Services in an apparent attempt to cast doubt on his suitability as a parent.
Bennett has strongly denied all the allegations, which he says put him and his family “at risk from physical attack from some of the more extreme members in right wing circles, which I believe is exactly what Nick Griffin & Co have intended”.
Griffin and Bennett had a serious fallout a few days before the May elections over Griffin’s daft insistence on adding a Marmite image to a version of the BNP’s election broadcast released on the website. Griffin apparently wanted to gain publicity by provoking a response from Unilever, which owns the Marmite brand. It was the culmination of a year-long dispute with Jim Dowson, the convicted criminal and close aide of Griffin, who in effect owns the BNP.
Bennett, who supports Eddy Butler’s challenge to Griffin’s leadership, warns: “If you previously had any doubts that reform is needed with the BNP, then you may want to consider that this type of hate campaign could be bought onto anyone that dares to question the current leadership or refuse to ‘play ball’ or ‘put up and shut up’.”
Meanwhile, the latest attack on one of the anti-Butler blogs has confirmed that the BNP remains a thoroughly racist, antisemitic and homophobic party.
In an attempt to smear Butler by association, the Eddy Butler exposed website lists some of his supporters and their “offences”. Two are condemned for being gay and a third is described as “another long-term bachelor”. Another has “half-caste kids”. One man not only has a “wife of chinese [sic] extraction” but, no doubt worse in BNP eyes, “has worked extensively in Israel”.
Another Butler supporter listed is Jeff Marshall, the central London organiser whose poisonous outburst following the death of David Cameron’s disabled son was quoted in many HOPE not hate leaflets and newspapers. His view that it would be a kindness to kill children with disabilities did not prevent him from being put forward as a council candidate in the BNP’s top target borough of Barking and Dagenham.
Now that he is out of favour with Griffin, he is described as “deeply weird”. The blog continues: “As you hear him lisp and see him slime around, simply ask if you would be comfortable having him babysit?”
Lawrence Rustem, a former BNP councillor in Barking and Dagenham, was one of the earlier victims of the so-called “attack blogs” for expressing support for Butler. Until Butler announced on 30 June that in the event of his victory his deputy chairman would be Nick Cass, the Griffinites were putting it about that Rustem was in line for the role. Rustem is unpopular in the racist BNP because his father was a Turkish Cypriot.
In a new video released on YouTube Rustem criticises Griffin’s decision to stand as the BNP candidate in Barking in the general election. Griffin had a “negative impact” on the campaign and went down very badly on the doorstep, according to Rustem, who also condemned the party’s head office for giving “less than zero” support to its 12 councillors in Barking and Dagenham during the four years since their election in 2006.
The vicious attacks on Butler and his supporters show that Griffin is growing increasingly desperate, a fact that is confirmed by Griffin’s attempts to manipulate the election. An official statement on the BNP website states that nomination forms will be sent to every BNP member eligible to nominate candidates and must be returned to the party by post between 20 July and 10 August.
Butler has pointed out that the party constitution does not require the party to issue nomination papers but only that a candidate for the leadership must obtain the signatures of 20% of the membership with two years’ continuous membership.
Advising members to send nomination forms to his campaign address not to the party, Butler writes: “They are trying to get members to send their nomination papers directly to them. This is a disgusting abuse of process, similar to the sort of thing one would have expected in Soviet occupied Eastern Europe. I am afraid to say that the Party centre has so far acted in an appalling manner so far with regard to this year’s leadership election. They are bugging gatherings, closing down branch meetings, sacking officials and even suspending the membership of people who support a leadership challenge. The idea that people should send their nomination papers to Clive Jefferson’s Elections Department is nothing short of outrageous and can only be viewed as an attempt to derail the Party’s internal democratic process.”
Unfortunately for Butler, the BNP constitution, largely imposed upon the party membership by Griffin under the guise of complying with the requirements of the court in a legal action brought by the Equality Commission, affords many more opportunities for Griffin to thwart any leadership challenge.
Hope Not Hate
Friday, 2 July 2010
Nazi fascination of teenager who used Internet to build 'bombs'
A teenager from the Tamworth area with an "unhealthy interest" in explosives and fascist politics has appeared in court alongside a man from Amington, to face charges relating to making potentially-lethal weapons.
The court heard that police found a pipe packed with nails and screws and charged with gunpowder, in the bedroom of the 16-year-old.
He had made the explosive device with chemicals bought off the Internet.
The youngster also had right wing literature from the BNP and the English Defence League, together with Nazi emblems – one of them in the middle of his bed.
His family home was immediately evacuated while explosives and firearms experts were called in to search the property.
As the search entered its third day, another explosive device was reported hidden under a waste oil tank at Tomson's Garage in Glascote Road.
Mr Malcolm Morse, prosecuting, said the device had the appearance of a home-made sawn-off shotgun.
In one of the "barrels" was a firework with the fuse extending out of it.
The device was taken to Sutton Coldfield police station, which later had to be evacuated while experts assessed how dangerous it was.
Some tape holding the barrels together had human hair and fingerprints which belonged to a co-accused, 27-year-old Jonathan Cunningham, of Greenheart, Amington, who was also arrested.
Cunningham said he had put the device under the oil tank to hide it from the police.
He also tried to take the blame for making it, saying he wanted to show the boy how to do it, but Mr Morse told Stafford Crown Court the prosecution did not accept that.
"[The boy] was perfectly capable of making devices of this kind with no assistance."
In court, Mr Morse said the teen had been asked specifically about the right-wing political literature by concerned officers.
"He denied any specific interest in right-wing politics, and he expressed a general interest in the acquisition of pyrotechnic knowledge.
"He denied supporting the views of either the BNP or the English Defence League, that was his explanation.
"It is to an extent contradicted by some evidence from a lecturer at the college where he studies.
"Her recollection is he was outspoken among his peers in support of such views.
"It is the case that while material of this nature was found, material of a contrary view was not.
"The prosecution, in drawing attention to this literature, is making no comment on its content.
"I am merely indicating the presence of it, together with the ingredients and the skill for making explosives," Mr Morse told Judge John Wait.
He said the mother of one of the boy's friends had also handed in a video clip from a mobile phone camera showing an explosive device being detonated in a tree.
The clip was labelled with the teenage defendant's name and the word "bomb".
A police search of the 16-year-old's family home on January 30 this year, was triggered by an eBay seller who was concerned about commodities being ordered.
The boy used his mother's eBay account to buy the chemicals he used to make the gunpowder.
The device loaded with nails and found in the bedroom was examined by the Defence Laboratory and ruled to be capable of dealing a "lethal shot".
Mr Morse said Internet conversations from a chat room dedicated to explosives and firearms had been found on a computer in the house.
The boy's username was "Eng-Terrorman".
He also had access to a Russian film which shows the process of making a gun.
The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, admitted possessing a firearm without a certificate – the only charge that could be applied to the device found in his bedroom, according to Mr Morse.
The boy also admits having an explosive substance and making an explosive substance.
Judge Wait made the boy subject to a three-year controlling order for public safety, with a three-month curfew, a ban on having any explosive material and the recording of any Internet use.
He told the boy: "Anyone who makes such explosives, that in the wrong hands could be used to kill or maim, is committing a very serious offence and putting the public at risk."
The judge said the boy could have put everyone in danger by being used and abused by extreme political organisations.
He added: "That a 14 to 15-year-old boy should be permitted to carry on such activities under the gaze of caring parents is hard to believe.
"The parents saw substantial quantities of material coming in to the house and saw no danger.
"They saw material relating to extreme politics and saw no danger in that."
Co-accused Cunningham, who admitted making an explosive substance and perverting the course of justice, was jailed for 12 months.
Mr Darron Whitehead, for the boy, said: "It would be very easy to simply infer that this young man is a terrorist with hidden agendas. They don't exist in this case.
"There was never at any time, any positive intention to make any aggressive use of the items strewn about his bedroom.
"There is nothing in this case to suggest there was any intention to cause harm to human life."
But Judge Wait responded: "This is a young man who has developed an expertise, who has broadcast it over the Internet, thereby exposing himself and the rest of us to people who would want to cause us serious harm."
Mr Whitehead said the boy's interests in fireworks began as "idle curiosity" and developed into a hobby.
"He plainly has an interest in pyrotechnics. It will no doubt be reported that he developed an unhealthy interest in weaponry.
"The scene met by the police demonstrates that all who visited that house were aware of activities going on inside.
"The youth report makes criticism not only of the boy but also of his parents.
"They are good, hardworking individuals. It appears they not only knew what the boy was doing, they allowed him to have them and indeed involved themselves at stages.
"The garden was littered with fireworks made and ignited over time.
"The neighbours were well aware of the activities and not intimidated by it."
This is Tamworth
The court heard that police found a pipe packed with nails and screws and charged with gunpowder, in the bedroom of the 16-year-old.
He had made the explosive device with chemicals bought off the Internet.
The youngster also had right wing literature from the BNP and the English Defence League, together with Nazi emblems – one of them in the middle of his bed.
His family home was immediately evacuated while explosives and firearms experts were called in to search the property.
As the search entered its third day, another explosive device was reported hidden under a waste oil tank at Tomson's Garage in Glascote Road.
Mr Malcolm Morse, prosecuting, said the device had the appearance of a home-made sawn-off shotgun.
In one of the "barrels" was a firework with the fuse extending out of it.
The device was taken to Sutton Coldfield police station, which later had to be evacuated while experts assessed how dangerous it was.
Some tape holding the barrels together had human hair and fingerprints which belonged to a co-accused, 27-year-old Jonathan Cunningham, of Greenheart, Amington, who was also arrested.
Cunningham said he had put the device under the oil tank to hide it from the police.
He also tried to take the blame for making it, saying he wanted to show the boy how to do it, but Mr Morse told Stafford Crown Court the prosecution did not accept that.
"[The boy] was perfectly capable of making devices of this kind with no assistance."
In court, Mr Morse said the teen had been asked specifically about the right-wing political literature by concerned officers.
"He denied any specific interest in right-wing politics, and he expressed a general interest in the acquisition of pyrotechnic knowledge.
"He denied supporting the views of either the BNP or the English Defence League, that was his explanation.
"It is to an extent contradicted by some evidence from a lecturer at the college where he studies.
"Her recollection is he was outspoken among his peers in support of such views.
"It is the case that while material of this nature was found, material of a contrary view was not.
"The prosecution, in drawing attention to this literature, is making no comment on its content.
"I am merely indicating the presence of it, together with the ingredients and the skill for making explosives," Mr Morse told Judge John Wait.
He said the mother of one of the boy's friends had also handed in a video clip from a mobile phone camera showing an explosive device being detonated in a tree.
The clip was labelled with the teenage defendant's name and the word "bomb".
A police search of the 16-year-old's family home on January 30 this year, was triggered by an eBay seller who was concerned about commodities being ordered.
The boy used his mother's eBay account to buy the chemicals he used to make the gunpowder.
The device loaded with nails and found in the bedroom was examined by the Defence Laboratory and ruled to be capable of dealing a "lethal shot".
Mr Morse said Internet conversations from a chat room dedicated to explosives and firearms had been found on a computer in the house.
The boy's username was "Eng-Terrorman".
He also had access to a Russian film which shows the process of making a gun.
The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, admitted possessing a firearm without a certificate – the only charge that could be applied to the device found in his bedroom, according to Mr Morse.
The boy also admits having an explosive substance and making an explosive substance.
Judge Wait made the boy subject to a three-year controlling order for public safety, with a three-month curfew, a ban on having any explosive material and the recording of any Internet use.
He told the boy: "Anyone who makes such explosives, that in the wrong hands could be used to kill or maim, is committing a very serious offence and putting the public at risk."
The judge said the boy could have put everyone in danger by being used and abused by extreme political organisations.
He added: "That a 14 to 15-year-old boy should be permitted to carry on such activities under the gaze of caring parents is hard to believe.
"The parents saw substantial quantities of material coming in to the house and saw no danger.
"They saw material relating to extreme politics and saw no danger in that."
Co-accused Cunningham, who admitted making an explosive substance and perverting the course of justice, was jailed for 12 months.
Mr Darron Whitehead, for the boy, said: "It would be very easy to simply infer that this young man is a terrorist with hidden agendas. They don't exist in this case.
"There was never at any time, any positive intention to make any aggressive use of the items strewn about his bedroom.
"There is nothing in this case to suggest there was any intention to cause harm to human life."
But Judge Wait responded: "This is a young man who has developed an expertise, who has broadcast it over the Internet, thereby exposing himself and the rest of us to people who would want to cause us serious harm."
Mr Whitehead said the boy's interests in fireworks began as "idle curiosity" and developed into a hobby.
"He plainly has an interest in pyrotechnics. It will no doubt be reported that he developed an unhealthy interest in weaponry.
"The scene met by the police demonstrates that all who visited that house were aware of activities going on inside.
"The youth report makes criticism not only of the boy but also of his parents.
"They are good, hardworking individuals. It appears they not only knew what the boy was doing, they allowed him to have them and indeed involved themselves at stages.
"The garden was littered with fireworks made and ignited over time.
"The neighbours were well aware of the activities and not intimidated by it."
This is Tamworth
BNP member Paul Thompson served six month sentence for violent disorder
One of the candidates standing in a council by-election next week is a convicted football hooligan, The Northern Echo has learned.
British National Party member Paul Thompson was convicted and jailed for six months for violent disorder between two sets of thugs.
He also has a previous conviction for criminal damage after hurling stones through the shop window of a left-wing book store.
Mr Thompson is one of four candidates who is standing for the Darlington Borough Council by-election in the Cockerton West ward. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Jenny Chapman, following her selection at the town’s new MP.
Mr Thompson stood in the 2003 and 2007 council elections, both times in Darlington’s Northgate ward. In 2003 he was last with 151 votes and again in 2007 with 126 votes.
A Darlington Borough Council spokeswoman confirmed that Mr Thompson was allowed to stand.
People are barred from standing as a candidate in council elections if they have been sentenced to more than three months imprisonment within the previous five years.
Mr Thompson was jailed for violent disorder in 1998. He was one of nine men involved in trouble between Darlington and Cardiff City supporters in May 1997.
His earlier conviction happened in 1994, when he was given a 12-month conditional discharge.
Ken Booth, regional organiser for British National Party, said the charges were irrelevant and Mr Thompson was entitled to stand for public office.
He added: “It is a long time ago. You get over it and move on. He is not breaking any law by standing, but obviously someone wants to drag up the past. Is this a topical issue? I don’t think so. Everyone deserves a second chance.”
Mr Thompson has also previously been criticised by the family of a man murdered in a street attack in 2001 after he produced leaflets attacking the three-year sentence given to his killer. People intervened when he handed out the leaflets because they were of a racist nature.
Mr Booth called the accusations “fictitious and bogus”.
Also standing in the by-election are Jan Cossins, for the Labour Party, David Davies, for the Conservatives, and Brian Jefferson, for the Liberal Democrats.
Mrs Cossins is chairman of Cockerton East Community Partnership and a governor at Branksome School. Mr Davies is a former UKIP candidate and husband of Conservative councillor Kate Davies. Mr Jefferson is chairman of Growing Older Living in Darlington.
The election takes place on Thursday. Labour will maintain its overall control of the council whatever the result of the election. It now has 28 councillors, the Conservative party 18 and Liberal Democrats six.
The Northern Echo
British National Party member Paul Thompson was convicted and jailed for six months for violent disorder between two sets of thugs.
He also has a previous conviction for criminal damage after hurling stones through the shop window of a left-wing book store.
Mr Thompson is one of four candidates who is standing for the Darlington Borough Council by-election in the Cockerton West ward. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Jenny Chapman, following her selection at the town’s new MP.
Mr Thompson stood in the 2003 and 2007 council elections, both times in Darlington’s Northgate ward. In 2003 he was last with 151 votes and again in 2007 with 126 votes.
A Darlington Borough Council spokeswoman confirmed that Mr Thompson was allowed to stand.
People are barred from standing as a candidate in council elections if they have been sentenced to more than three months imprisonment within the previous five years.
Mr Thompson was jailed for violent disorder in 1998. He was one of nine men involved in trouble between Darlington and Cardiff City supporters in May 1997.
His earlier conviction happened in 1994, when he was given a 12-month conditional discharge.
Ken Booth, regional organiser for British National Party, said the charges were irrelevant and Mr Thompson was entitled to stand for public office.
He added: “It is a long time ago. You get over it and move on. He is not breaking any law by standing, but obviously someone wants to drag up the past. Is this a topical issue? I don’t think so. Everyone deserves a second chance.”
Mr Thompson has also previously been criticised by the family of a man murdered in a street attack in 2001 after he produced leaflets attacking the three-year sentence given to his killer. People intervened when he handed out the leaflets because they were of a racist nature.
Mr Booth called the accusations “fictitious and bogus”.
Also standing in the by-election are Jan Cossins, for the Labour Party, David Davies, for the Conservatives, and Brian Jefferson, for the Liberal Democrats.
Mrs Cossins is chairman of Cockerton East Community Partnership and a governor at Branksome School. Mr Davies is a former UKIP candidate and husband of Conservative councillor Kate Davies. Mr Jefferson is chairman of Growing Older Living in Darlington.
The election takes place on Thursday. Labour will maintain its overall control of the council whatever the result of the election. It now has 28 councillors, the Conservative party 18 and Liberal Democrats six.
The Northern Echo
Anti-Semitic hate crimes rise in 2009: report (Sweden)
The number of anti-Semitic crimes reported in Sweden rose 57 percent last year, mainly in the southern region of Skåne, the national crime prevention council said on Thursday.
Last year, 250 anti-Semitic crimes were reported, primarily in Skåne, the report said, adding the overall number of hate crimes reported in Sweden had remained unchanged.
"In 2009, 5,800 hate crimes were reported. Crimes against foreigners or with racist motives continue to dominate and the reporting of anti-Semitic crimes has increased," the council said in a statement.
Presenting its latest hate crime statistics report, the council added that it did not know if there had been an actual increase in the number of anti-Semitic crimes or merely in their reporting.
Crimes and threats against the small Jewish community in the southern city of Malmö recently received much media and political attention.
Education Minister and Liberal Party leader Jan Björklund met with Jewish community leaders earlier this year after it was reported some Jews decided to leave the city because they felt unsafe.
Malmö Mayor Ilmar Reepalu was criticised in the media for failing to stop the crimes or even fuelling the anti-Semitic sentiment in the city.
Of the hate crimes reported in Sweden in 2009, 71 percent were against foreigners or motivated by race, 18 percent were related to sexual orientation, 10 percent had religious motives (Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, or anti-religious crimes) and one percent were against transexuals.
The Local Sweden
Last year, 250 anti-Semitic crimes were reported, primarily in Skåne, the report said, adding the overall number of hate crimes reported in Sweden had remained unchanged.
"In 2009, 5,800 hate crimes were reported. Crimes against foreigners or with racist motives continue to dominate and the reporting of anti-Semitic crimes has increased," the council said in a statement.
Presenting its latest hate crime statistics report, the council added that it did not know if there had been an actual increase in the number of anti-Semitic crimes or merely in their reporting.
Crimes and threats against the small Jewish community in the southern city of Malmö recently received much media and political attention.
Education Minister and Liberal Party leader Jan Björklund met with Jewish community leaders earlier this year after it was reported some Jews decided to leave the city because they felt unsafe.
Malmö Mayor Ilmar Reepalu was criticised in the media for failing to stop the crimes or even fuelling the anti-Semitic sentiment in the city.
Of the hate crimes reported in Sweden in 2009, 71 percent were against foreigners or motivated by race, 18 percent were related to sexual orientation, 10 percent had religious motives (Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, or anti-religious crimes) and one percent were against transexuals.
The Local Sweden
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