Two vocal supporters of Eddy Butler’s challenge to Nick Griffin’s leadership of the British National Party have been suspended with immediate effect.
The Liverpool activists Peter Stafford and Tony Ward have received letters from Clive Jefferson, the party’s national organiser who acts as Griffin’s Rottweiler, suspending them “pending an investigation into alleged serious breaches of the BNP Code of Conduct”.
While suspended they are not allowed to take part in any party event. Failure to comply “could result in your expulsion from membership of the Party, and Civil or Criminal proceedings being taken against you”, as if Griffin has not got the BNP embroiled in enough expensive and hopeless legal actions already.
Tony Ward is a long-time activist whom party members held in esteem after he got hit in the head with a hammer when protesters objected to the presence of a BNP campaign trailer in Leigh, Greater Manchester, in March last year. Now, the hammer blow to his head has been followed by a kick in the teeth.
Stafford, who is openly gay and has attracted opprobrium in the BNP because of it, posted on Facebook that Jefferson had been kicked out of a Liverpool BNP meeting last night “when the membership demanded answers he wouldn’t give”.
Stafford continued: “He thought he could throw his weight about and destroy a strong branch and the members would roll over. He was mistaken!”
Hope Not Hate
Friday, 16 July 2010
Arizona policeman challenges new state immigration law
An Arizona policeman has asked a federal court to overturn a state immigration law he says will force him to use racial profiling.The law requires police to question people about their immigration status if officers suspect the person is in the US illegally and if they have stopped them for a legitimate reason.
Officer David Salgado says the law would force him to break federal laws.
The case is one of many challenging the measure, which takes effect on 29 July.
The Obama administration's justice department has also challenged the legislation in federal court, arguing it usurps the federal administration's authority to set immigration policy.
The next hearing in that case is scheduled for 22 July.
Civil rights
Mr Salgado, a Phoenix police officer, said he did not intend to question people he stops about their immigration status because he believes he does not have the legal authority to do so, the Arizona Daily Star reports.
"If he refuses to enforce the act, he can be disciplined by his employer or subjected to costly private enforcement actions under the act," the lawsuit says, according to the newspaper.
"Conversely, if he enforces the act, he can be subjected to costly civil actions alleging the deprivation of civil rights of the individual against whom he enforces the act."
The law has also been challenged by the governments of Argentina, Ecuador and Mexico.
BBC News
Geert Wilders to spread anti-Muslim movement to UK
Geert Wilders, the controversial anti-Muslim Dutch MP, has said he is forming an international alliance to spread his message to Britain and across the West in a bid to ban immigration from Islamic countries
Mr Wilders will launch the movement late this year, initially in five countries: the US, Canada, Britain, France and Germany.
"The message, 'stop Islam, defend freedom,' is a message that's not only important for the Netherlands but for the whole free Western world," Mr Wilders said at the Dutch parliament.
Among the group's aims will be outlawing immigration from Islamic countries to the West and a ban on Islamic law.
Starting as a grass-roots movement, he hopes it eventually will produce its own lawmakers or influence other legislators.
Ayhan Tonca, a prominent spokesman for Dutch Muslims, said he feared Mr Wilders' message would fall on fertile ground in much of Europe, where anti-Islam sentiment has been swelling for years.
"So long as things are going badly with the economy, a lot of people always need a scapegoat," Mr Tonca said. "At the moment, that is the Muslims in Western Europe."
Mr Tonca called on "well meaning people in Europe to oppose this."
Mr Wilders has won awards in the Netherlands for his debating skills and regularly stands up for gay and women's rights.
But he rose to local and then international prominence with his firebrand anti-Islam rhetoric that has led to him being charged under Dutch anti-hate speech laws and banned from visiting Britain - until a court ordered that he be allowed into the country.
He said he hopes to position the alliance between traditional Conservative parties and far-Right wing groups, saying that in Britain there is "an enormous gap" between the ruling Conservative Party and the far-Right British National Party.
"The BNP is a party that, whatever you think of it, it's not my party - I think it's a racist party," Mr Wilders said.
Mr Wilders, who calls Islam a "fascist" religion, has seen his support in the Netherlands soar in recent years, even while he has been subjected to round-the-clock protection because of death threats.
His Freedom Party won the biggest gains in a national election last month, coming third with 24 seats in the 150-seat Parliament, up from the nine before the election.
However, mainstream parties will not form a coalition with Mr Wilders, leaving him on the margins of Dutch politics for the next parliamentary term.
Mr Wilders is due to stand trial in October on hate speech charges stemming from his short internet film "Fitna," which denounced the Quran as a fascist book that inspires terrorism. The film aroused anti-Dutch protests around the Muslim world, and he was banned for several months from entering Britain
The Telegraph
"The message, 'stop Islam, defend freedom,' is a message that's not only important for the Netherlands but for the whole free Western world," Mr Wilders said at the Dutch parliament.
Among the group's aims will be outlawing immigration from Islamic countries to the West and a ban on Islamic law.
Starting as a grass-roots movement, he hopes it eventually will produce its own lawmakers or influence other legislators.
Ayhan Tonca, a prominent spokesman for Dutch Muslims, said he feared Mr Wilders' message would fall on fertile ground in much of Europe, where anti-Islam sentiment has been swelling for years.
"So long as things are going badly with the economy, a lot of people always need a scapegoat," Mr Tonca said. "At the moment, that is the Muslims in Western Europe."
Mr Tonca called on "well meaning people in Europe to oppose this."
Mr Wilders has won awards in the Netherlands for his debating skills and regularly stands up for gay and women's rights.
But he rose to local and then international prominence with his firebrand anti-Islam rhetoric that has led to him being charged under Dutch anti-hate speech laws and banned from visiting Britain - until a court ordered that he be allowed into the country.
He said he hopes to position the alliance between traditional Conservative parties and far-Right wing groups, saying that in Britain there is "an enormous gap" between the ruling Conservative Party and the far-Right British National Party.
"The BNP is a party that, whatever you think of it, it's not my party - I think it's a racist party," Mr Wilders said.
Mr Wilders, who calls Islam a "fascist" religion, has seen his support in the Netherlands soar in recent years, even while he has been subjected to round-the-clock protection because of death threats.
His Freedom Party won the biggest gains in a national election last month, coming third with 24 seats in the 150-seat Parliament, up from the nine before the election.
However, mainstream parties will not form a coalition with Mr Wilders, leaving him on the margins of Dutch politics for the next parliamentary term.
Mr Wilders is due to stand trial in October on hate speech charges stemming from his short internet film "Fitna," which denounced the Quran as a fascist book that inspires terrorism. The film aroused anti-Dutch protests around the Muslim world, and he was banned for several months from entering Britain
The Telegraph
Labour blasted over BNP invite
WIGAN’S Labour council has been blasted by anti-racists – for inviting BNP leader Nick Griffin to town.
The boss of the far-right party, accompanied by six minders, was among guests who turned up at St James’s Church, Orrell, last Sunday morning for new Mayor Coun Mike Winstanley’s traditional civic service.
The British National Party has been routinely lambasted by politicians of varying hues in the Wigan council chamber to the point of passing motions condemning its electoral campaigns and successes.
But invitations were sent out from the town hall to all North West MPs and MEPs – and Mr Griffin numbers among the latter since the last Euro elections.
The authority would not be drawn today as to whether his inclusion was deliberate or an oversight.
But pressure group Wigan Against Racism today said the BNP boss should have been snubbed – and in not doing so, the local authority was helping to “normalise” his politics.
The organisation’s spokeswoman, Fran McCaul, said: “What on earth is going on? This is highly distasteful.
“Wigan Council makes pronouncements about being anti-racist and then goes and completely contradicts itself.
“You can’t treat Nick Griffin like anyone else. His party is not like any other party. Saying he is automatically on the guest list is a weak response.
“There are exceptions to every rule and there should be a discussion about who gets invited.
“Nick Griffin being welcomed to events like this undermines the anti-racist movement and helps to normalise his type of politics.”
But Wigan Council’s executive director of business support services, David Smith, said: “We would like to reiterate the council’s pledge on anti-racism.
“The council is committed to respect for all ethnic groups and will encourage others to do the same.
“We are totally committed to an anti-racist future and we will support all those who suffer racism by doing everything in our power to tackle it
“We can confirm that our invitation list for the mayor’s Civic Sunday includes local constituency MPs and all North West MEPs.
“It was on this basis alone that Mr Griffin received an invitation.”
Charles Mather, Wigan and Leigh BNP group organiser, said: “I am not surprised Mr Griffin accepted the invitation as he is a hands-on MEP and takes his duties to his constituency seriously and would always endeavour to attend constituency functions if possible in spite of his busy schedule.
“I compliment Wigan Metro on this sudden concern for the democratic process in contrast to their previous use of council premises to attack our progress.
“Mr Griffin – as an elected MEP with over 7,000 votes in our area – has every right to receive and accept invitations to events such as this.
“We have a right to have our views represented and for our MEP to be invited to functions in our area.
“I take issue with the unelected Wigan Against Racism group’s definition of us as racist when our only aim is to protect and preserve the community and culture our forefathers worked and died to bequeath us.”
Mr Griffin also received support from a member of the St James’s congregation.
Local man Shaun Campbell was there with his young family when he saw Mr Griffin sitting near the front.
He said: “At first I thought it was someone who looked like him, but after mass we saw Mr Griffin’s bodyguards standing at the gates with the road blocked off by the police.
“Then I knew it had to be him so I waited for him to leave. Being a member of the BNP, I was chuffed to see him here in our village. He’s the last person I would have expected to see here.
“I had a little chat with him and he is a really nice bloke, had plenty of time to speak to us and even stopped for a picture. He and his bodyguards even took an interest in my baby son.”
Conservative Coun Winstanley, who did not draw up the guest list and who says he is trying to remain politically neutral during his year in office, declined to comment.
Wigan Today
The boss of the far-right party, accompanied by six minders, was among guests who turned up at St James’s Church, Orrell, last Sunday morning for new Mayor Coun Mike Winstanley’s traditional civic service.
The British National Party has been routinely lambasted by politicians of varying hues in the Wigan council chamber to the point of passing motions condemning its electoral campaigns and successes.
But invitations were sent out from the town hall to all North West MPs and MEPs – and Mr Griffin numbers among the latter since the last Euro elections.
The authority would not be drawn today as to whether his inclusion was deliberate or an oversight.
But pressure group Wigan Against Racism today said the BNP boss should have been snubbed – and in not doing so, the local authority was helping to “normalise” his politics.
The organisation’s spokeswoman, Fran McCaul, said: “What on earth is going on? This is highly distasteful.
“Wigan Council makes pronouncements about being anti-racist and then goes and completely contradicts itself.
“You can’t treat Nick Griffin like anyone else. His party is not like any other party. Saying he is automatically on the guest list is a weak response.
“There are exceptions to every rule and there should be a discussion about who gets invited.
“Nick Griffin being welcomed to events like this undermines the anti-racist movement and helps to normalise his type of politics.”
But Wigan Council’s executive director of business support services, David Smith, said: “We would like to reiterate the council’s pledge on anti-racism.
“The council is committed to respect for all ethnic groups and will encourage others to do the same.
“We are totally committed to an anti-racist future and we will support all those who suffer racism by doing everything in our power to tackle it
“We can confirm that our invitation list for the mayor’s Civic Sunday includes local constituency MPs and all North West MEPs.
“It was on this basis alone that Mr Griffin received an invitation.”
Charles Mather, Wigan and Leigh BNP group organiser, said: “I am not surprised Mr Griffin accepted the invitation as he is a hands-on MEP and takes his duties to his constituency seriously and would always endeavour to attend constituency functions if possible in spite of his busy schedule.
“I compliment Wigan Metro on this sudden concern for the democratic process in contrast to their previous use of council premises to attack our progress.
“Mr Griffin – as an elected MEP with over 7,000 votes in our area – has every right to receive and accept invitations to events such as this.
“We have a right to have our views represented and for our MEP to be invited to functions in our area.
“I take issue with the unelected Wigan Against Racism group’s definition of us as racist when our only aim is to protect and preserve the community and culture our forefathers worked and died to bequeath us.”
Mr Griffin also received support from a member of the St James’s congregation.
Local man Shaun Campbell was there with his young family when he saw Mr Griffin sitting near the front.
He said: “At first I thought it was someone who looked like him, but after mass we saw Mr Griffin’s bodyguards standing at the gates with the road blocked off by the police.
“Then I knew it had to be him so I waited for him to leave. Being a member of the BNP, I was chuffed to see him here in our village. He’s the last person I would have expected to see here.
“I had a little chat with him and he is a really nice bloke, had plenty of time to speak to us and even stopped for a picture. He and his bodyguards even took an interest in my baby son.”
Conservative Coun Winstanley, who did not draw up the guest list and who says he is trying to remain politically neutral during his year in office, declined to comment.
Wigan Today
Don’t let the door hit you on the ass as you leave Mr Barnbrook.
What incredible criminal act has he committed to warrant his racist ass being thrown out into the cold?
Try not to rupture a kidney laughing but…
He has shown support for Eddy Butler who is challenging Nick Griffin for the parties’ fuhrer status.
This is another lesson to all who support and follow the BNP.
You support a fascist ideology, you get a dictator.
For the full story please follow the link and mosey on over to Lancaster Unity.
Lancaster Unity
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Racist New Hampshire man, Ryan J. Murdough, uses hate to get elected to State House seat
A New Hampshire man is hoping racist hatred will help get him elected to state office.
Ryan J. Murdough, a 30-year-old who says he works with children with special needs at a youth center, is running for a seat on the State House in New Hampshire's 8th District.
And he's doing it as a Republican.
The self-professed "racist" is also supported by the American Third Position, a hate-spewing organization designed to "represent the political interests of White Americans, because no one else will."
"For far too long white Americans have been told that diversity is something beneficial to their existence," Murdough wrote in a letter to the Concord Monitor.
"New Hampshire residents must seek to preserve their racial identity if we want future generations to have to possibility to live in such a great state," he wrote.
The Republican party in New Hampshire has made all efforts to distance itself from Murdough.
"Mr. Murdough is a despicable racist," party spokesman Ryan Williams told the Union Leader. "His racist views are abhorrent and he is not welcome in the New Hampshire Republican Party."
Murdough has said he picked the GOP not because he considered himself a party member, but simply because it was the easiest way to get onto the ballot. It costs only a few dollars, while filing as an independent would require 150 signatures.
American Third Position, or A3P, has begun a fund-raising effort to finance Murdough's political endeavor, and the father of two has been an outspoken supporter of the group.
The A3P is run by several unapologetic racists, including Kevin B. MacDonald, a professor whose theories range from claiming Jewish people are genetically designed for greed, and African Americans and Hispanics are intellectually inferior to whites.
Another leader, Dr. Tom Sunic, has written essays critical of liberals and defends Nazi ideals.
James Edwards, another "director" of A3P, hosts a "pro-white" radio show which boasts it aims to "revive the White birthrate" and promotes "cultural conservative" ideals, which according to his website include hatred for feminism, homosexuality and the government.
The A3P claims it has already raised $1,340 in its goal to hit $2,500 by July 17 for Murdough's campaign.
The wanna-be state representative has said very little about what he hopes to accomplish as a politican, but has been very open about what he thinks.
"I don't want to force out all non-Whites," he wrote as a commentor on the Concord Monitor's website. "The American Third Position simply would offer immigrants a financial contribution IF they wanted to leave."
In another posting, Murdough wrote: "I think it makes perfect sense to pull over Hispanics in order to deport illegals. On the southern border the illegals are not light skinned Dutchmen. They are dark skinned hispanics, so why should we not target the people most likely to be an illegal immigrant?"
"Did you realize that the United States was intended to be a homeland for White/European people?" he wrote in May.
Other professed "pro-white" wanna-be candidates have used hate to try and get elected to state and federal offices. A Missouri man in March has used racist radio ads to run for the United States Senate, while a former Grand Dragon of the Klu Klux Klan in Indiana posted hateful ads to run for the House of Representatives.
NY Daily News
Ryan J. Murdough, a 30-year-old who says he works with children with special needs at a youth center, is running for a seat on the State House in New Hampshire's 8th District.
And he's doing it as a Republican.
The self-professed "racist" is also supported by the American Third Position, a hate-spewing organization designed to "represent the political interests of White Americans, because no one else will."
"For far too long white Americans have been told that diversity is something beneficial to their existence," Murdough wrote in a letter to the Concord Monitor.
"New Hampshire residents must seek to preserve their racial identity if we want future generations to have to possibility to live in such a great state," he wrote.
The Republican party in New Hampshire has made all efforts to distance itself from Murdough.
"Mr. Murdough is a despicable racist," party spokesman Ryan Williams told the Union Leader. "His racist views are abhorrent and he is not welcome in the New Hampshire Republican Party."
Murdough has said he picked the GOP not because he considered himself a party member, but simply because it was the easiest way to get onto the ballot. It costs only a few dollars, while filing as an independent would require 150 signatures.
American Third Position, or A3P, has begun a fund-raising effort to finance Murdough's political endeavor, and the father of two has been an outspoken supporter of the group.
The A3P is run by several unapologetic racists, including Kevin B. MacDonald, a professor whose theories range from claiming Jewish people are genetically designed for greed, and African Americans and Hispanics are intellectually inferior to whites.
Another leader, Dr. Tom Sunic, has written essays critical of liberals and defends Nazi ideals.
James Edwards, another "director" of A3P, hosts a "pro-white" radio show which boasts it aims to "revive the White birthrate" and promotes "cultural conservative" ideals, which according to his website include hatred for feminism, homosexuality and the government.
The A3P claims it has already raised $1,340 in its goal to hit $2,500 by July 17 for Murdough's campaign.
The wanna-be state representative has said very little about what he hopes to accomplish as a politican, but has been very open about what he thinks.
"I don't want to force out all non-Whites," he wrote as a commentor on the Concord Monitor's website. "The American Third Position simply would offer immigrants a financial contribution IF they wanted to leave."
In another posting, Murdough wrote: "I think it makes perfect sense to pull over Hispanics in order to deport illegals. On the southern border the illegals are not light skinned Dutchmen. They are dark skinned hispanics, so why should we not target the people most likely to be an illegal immigrant?"
"Did you realize that the United States was intended to be a homeland for White/European people?" he wrote in May.
Other professed "pro-white" wanna-be candidates have used hate to try and get elected to state and federal offices. A Missouri man in March has used racist radio ads to run for the United States Senate, while a former Grand Dragon of the Klu Klux Klan in Indiana posted hateful ads to run for the House of Representatives.
NY Daily News
BNP paedophile jailed
A paedophile who helped organise British National Party attacks on HOPE not hate leafleters has been sent to prison. Described as “every parent’s worst nightmare”, Darren Francis, 37, pleaded guilty to having a sexual relationship with an underage girl after becoming infatuated with the troubled teenager.
John Lloyd-Jones, prosecuting at Northampton Crown Court, said she was aged 13 at the time the relationship started, when Francis was in his mid-thirties, therefore 20 years older.
He said: “He had known her since she was 11 so was well aware of her age. She was something of a troubled soul and her parents were finding it very difficult to control her.
“In late 2007, she began absconding and would go to his flat where there was a supply of a drink and drugs, mainly cannabis, although she mentioned there was also cocaine. The defendant would take them as well in the company of these teenagers.
“He made a concerted effort to come between her and her parents and he simply became what we would say is every parents’ worst nightmare.
“In effect, from the age of 13 she fell under his spell, going round to his flat on a virtual daily basis and often she would not come home and, if she did, she was under the influence of drink and drugs.
“In summer 2009, she came to her senses and ended matters but he could not cope with the rejection and began harassing her.”
The girl, who cannot be named, revealed how she had consented to sex with Francis, although she was legally unable to do so as she was under 16.
Judge Charles Wide QC jailed him for four years and three months on two counts of sexual activity with a child and for assaulting her after the relationship ended. He said: “This is not a case of typical exploitation of a young girl as it seems there was some genuine affection from the girl concerned, although it was a wildly, wildly inappropriate relationship.”
Although the BNP denies that Francis was a party member, local antifascists recall how Francis would organise other BNP activists to attack and harass antifascists in Northampton.
Anjona Roy, who coordinates HOPE not hate activities in the town, told Searchlight, “This guy was responsible for harassing HOPE not hate activists, local councillors and a local MP and generally threatened and intimidated people, myself included.
“I’m not surprised that the BNP are denying he was their member, but everyone knows he was one of their number and one of their most regular activists.”
Francis was previously jailed in 2005 for repeated harassment of the former Labour MP for Northampton North, Sally Keeble. He has also served prison sentences for assault, burglary, affray and robbery.
Hope Not Hate
John Lloyd-Jones, prosecuting at Northampton Crown Court, said she was aged 13 at the time the relationship started, when Francis was in his mid-thirties, therefore 20 years older.
He said: “He had known her since she was 11 so was well aware of her age. She was something of a troubled soul and her parents were finding it very difficult to control her.
“In late 2007, she began absconding and would go to his flat where there was a supply of a drink and drugs, mainly cannabis, although she mentioned there was also cocaine. The defendant would take them as well in the company of these teenagers.
“He made a concerted effort to come between her and her parents and he simply became what we would say is every parents’ worst nightmare.
“In effect, from the age of 13 she fell under his spell, going round to his flat on a virtual daily basis and often she would not come home and, if she did, she was under the influence of drink and drugs.
“In summer 2009, she came to her senses and ended matters but he could not cope with the rejection and began harassing her.”
The girl, who cannot be named, revealed how she had consented to sex with Francis, although she was legally unable to do so as she was under 16.
Judge Charles Wide QC jailed him for four years and three months on two counts of sexual activity with a child and for assaulting her after the relationship ended. He said: “This is not a case of typical exploitation of a young girl as it seems there was some genuine affection from the girl concerned, although it was a wildly, wildly inappropriate relationship.”
Although the BNP denies that Francis was a party member, local antifascists recall how Francis would organise other BNP activists to attack and harass antifascists in Northampton.
Anjona Roy, who coordinates HOPE not hate activities in the town, told Searchlight, “This guy was responsible for harassing HOPE not hate activists, local councillors and a local MP and generally threatened and intimidated people, myself included.
“I’m not surprised that the BNP are denying he was their member, but everyone knows he was one of their number and one of their most regular activists.”
Francis was previously jailed in 2005 for repeated harassment of the former Labour MP for Northampton North, Sally Keeble. He has also served prison sentences for assault, burglary, affray and robbery.
Hope Not Hate
ANTI-SEMITISM VS. FACEBOOK
“They’re horrible and disgusting,” said Lila Mendelsohn, 16, of the events. After seeing one while browsing Facebook last week, the Los Angeles resident, a rising senior at Hamilton High School and n’siah — president — of her local B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO) chapter, reported the event to the Facebook administration but decided more needed to be done. With help from fellow BBYO member Elise Jackson, 17, Mendelsohn created an event titled “One Million Strong Against Kill a Jew Day.” Both girls invited all their Facebook friends to take action against the event and posted a link so that others could report it to Facebook. Within hours, hundreds of Facebook users had clicked that they were “attending” the “One Million Strong” event. By the next morning, the “Kill a Jew Day” event had been deactivated. In contrast, “One Million Strong” currently has over 10,000 listed as “confirmed guests.” Although Mendelsohn and Jackson acknowledge that they have already succeeded at their original goal, they believe that the sentiment behind their event still holds value. “Even though one has been taken down, many more pages and groups have been made,” Mendelsohn said. The “One Million Strong” event is just one of a number of Internet campaigns urging the removal of anti-Semitic content from the Internet or Facebook.
For the past two years, the Jewish Internet Defense Force (JIDF), a pro-Israel advocacy organization that cites a network of over 250,000 supporters, has worked to expose and remove anti-Semitic material online. “Our approach has always been to expose the material, get our network to report it, and call out the companies like Facebook and YouTube for their negligence in dealing with these issues effectively,” wrote JIDF founder David Appletree in an e-mail. The JIDF Web site features “Action Alerts” for various “Kill a Jew Day” events on Facebook and urges visitors to the page to report any existing events as well. Appletree believes that Facebook has failed to take a forceful enough approach toward these matters. “Their ‘enforcement’ of their own rules is inconsistent,” Appletree wrote. “Sometimes, they seem to react quickly; other times, they don’t react at all.” According to Axten, Facebook has a large team of professional investigators who review and respond “as quickly as possible” to reports from the over 400 million people who use Facebook. “The team prioritizes reports for the most serious violations, including those for nudity, pornography and harassment, which are typically handled within 24 hours.” Additionally, Axten said, Facebook disables the accounts of people who “routinely violate our policies.” Appletree believes Facebook should take a more proactive approach and immediately remove offensive material, instead of waiting for reports from users.
Other Facebook events that have sprung up include “Thrill a Jew Day,” as well as the group “We Are Disgusted by the Facebook Event ‘Kill a Jew Day.’ ” Although both the “One Million Strong Against Kill a Jew Day” event and the JIDF urge nonviolent action, other events list suggestions such as “kill a neo-Nazi” or “drown a Flotilla.” Jackson and Mendelsohn have discouraged users from posting counter-threats on their event. “We don’t want people to respond with threats of violence,” Jackson said. “It’s just as bad.” July appears to have marked an increase in Facebook events encouraging anti-Semitic violence. However, as early as last November, Haaretz reported a “Kick a Jew Day” event at a middle school in Naples, Fla., which resulted in the suspension of 10 students who had taken part in the event. “When people aren’t standing up for their rights or what they believe in, it only makes the other people stronger and allows them to step all over them,” Jackson said.
Jewish Journal
Butler threatens legal action over BNP election rules
Eddy Butler, who is challenging Nick Griffin for the British National Party leadership, has threatened legal action over Griffin’s unconstitutional election regulations announced earlier today.
Pointing out that Griffin does not have the power to change the section of the party constitution that governs elections to the chairmanship, he writes on his blog: “Today the current Chairman has seen fit to make up a whole raft of new rules. Some are not harmful, but some are a deliberate and blatant attempt to frustrate the democratic process within the Party. He is already a loser – a bad loser who is trying to save his skin by changing the rules.”
Maintaining his blog is itself one of the actions a leadership challenger is forbidden under the made-up rules but not under the party constitution.
Butler believes that a “spoiler” candidate will be put forward to ensure that no one can obtain the required signatures of 20% of the 4,200 people who have two years’ continuous membership of the party.
Pledging to ignore the new rules, Butler adds: “Mr Griffin is intent on steering his campaign on a deliberate collision course.
“If he attempts to frustrate the democratic process as laid out under the constitution then he will be legally challenged.”
Supporters have already offered to help Butler fund such legal action, which is likely to deepen the splits in the BNP. Whether the party, believed already to be insolvent, can afford more legal costs to fight a case is uncertain.
Hope Not Hate
Pointing out that Griffin does not have the power to change the section of the party constitution that governs elections to the chairmanship, he writes on his blog: “Today the current Chairman has seen fit to make up a whole raft of new rules. Some are not harmful, but some are a deliberate and blatant attempt to frustrate the democratic process within the Party. He is already a loser – a bad loser who is trying to save his skin by changing the rules.”
Maintaining his blog is itself one of the actions a leadership challenger is forbidden under the made-up rules but not under the party constitution.
Butler believes that a “spoiler” candidate will be put forward to ensure that no one can obtain the required signatures of 20% of the 4,200 people who have two years’ continuous membership of the party.
Pledging to ignore the new rules, Butler adds: “Mr Griffin is intent on steering his campaign on a deliberate collision course.
“If he attempts to frustrate the democratic process as laid out under the constitution then he will be legally challenged.”
Supporters have already offered to help Butler fund such legal action, which is likely to deepen the splits in the BNP. Whether the party, believed already to be insolvent, can afford more legal costs to fight a case is uncertain.
Hope Not Hate
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Anti-Semitic Alliance (Germany)
Following an anti-Semitic attack in Hanover, German authorities have identified a new source of anti-Semitic hatred in Germany: young migrants from Muslim families. The ideological alliance has officials concerned.
It was supposed to be a carefree festival in Sahlkamp on the outskirts of the northern German city of Hanover. Billed as an "International Day" to celebrate social diversity and togetherness, the June celebration included performances by a multicultural children's choir called "Happy Rainbow" and the German-Turkish rap duo 3-K. Music from Afghanistan was also on the program.
But then the mood suddenly shifted.
When Hajo Arnds, the organizer of the neighborhood festival, stepped onto the stage at about 6:45 p.m. to announce the next performance, by the Jewish dance group Chaverim, he was greeted with catcalls. "Jews out!" some of the roughly 30 young people standing in front of the stage began shouting. "Gone with the Jews!"
The voices were those of children -- voices full of hate, shouted in unison and amplified by a toy megaphone. Arnds, the organizer, was shocked. He knew many of the children, most of them from Arab immigrant families in the neighborhood.
A social worker, Arnds tried using the tools of his profession -- words -- to save the situation. But his words were met with stones, thrown at the stage by people taking cover in the crowd. One of the stones hit a female Chaverim dancer in the leg, resulting in an angry bruise.
Inflammatory Propaganda and Criminal Violence
Arnds immediately cancelled the dance performance. Still speaking through the microphone, he said that he wasn't sure whether the festival could even continue after this incident. When adults walked to the front of the crowd to confront and talk to the children, they were verbally abused, and some of the teenagers ran away. The Jewish dance group was taken to a safe place, and the festival was allowed to continue. The last performance of the evening was by a duo singing Russian songs. "They're not Jews," one of the young people in front of the stage shouted, "so they can perform here." A criminal complaint was not filed with the police until several days later.
Until now, attacks on Jews, Jewish institutions and Jewish symbols have almost always been committed by right-wing extremist groups. In the first quarter of 2010 alone, the German Interior Ministry documented 183 anti-Semitic offences committed by right-wing radicals, including graffiti, inflammatory propaganda and physical violence.
The stone-throwing incident in Hanover, however, has finally forced the authorities to take a closer look at a group of offenders that, though largely overlooked until now, is no less motivated by anti-Zionist sentiments: adolescents and young adults from an immigrant community who are influenced by Islamist ideas and are prepared to commit acts of violence.
An informal and accidental alliance has been developing for some time between neo-Nazis and some members of a group they would normally despise: Muslim immigrants. The two groups seem to share vaguely similar anti-Semitic ideologies.
Right-wing extremists and Islamists, says Heinz Fromm, the president of the German domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), are united by "a common bogeyman: Israel and the Jews as a whole." While German right-wing extremists cultivate a "more or less obvious racist anti-Semitism," says Fromm, the Islamists are "oriented toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict" and support "anti-Zionist ideological positions, which can also have anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic overtones." Both extremist movements, says Fromm, "ascribe extraordinary political power to Israel and the Jews, and their goal is to fight this power."
'A Tree, a Noose, a Jew's Neck'
Although the BfV has not separately identified anti-Semitic crimes associated with Islamist groups until now, investigators are paying close attention to the development of anti-Jewish tendencies within the milieu.
Anti-Semitism from the two groups shows itself in different ways in Germany. On the one hand, there are the efforts of extremist right-wing groups, which tend to follow a certain pattern. During a football match in April, for example, supporters of SV Mügeln-Ablass 09, a district-league football club in the eastern state of Saxony, chanted "a tree, a noose, a Jew's neck" and "we're building a subway, from Jerusalem to Auschwitz," until the match was stopped.
According to the German government's response to a parliament inquiry by the Left Party politician Petra Pau, Jewish cemeteries in Germany are defaced, vandalized or destroyed about once every 10 days. Memorial sites are also frequently targeted. Last month, for example, extremists defaced a memorial plaque in the western city of Bochum, a Jewish cemetery in Babenhausen in the state of Hesse and a memorial in Beckum in the Münsterland region.
On the other hand, say BfV officials, Islamist ideologues are creating problems with their anti-Israeli tirades, which are being broadcast on the Internet and television. "You can expect this sort of propaganda to have an impact on certain social groups," says Fromm.
The Israelis' bloody military intervention against a flotilla of aid vessels off the coast of Gaza on May 31, in which nine Turkish activists where shot dead, has triggered a new wave of hate. The Jewish community in Berlin promptly reported "a rapid increase in anti-Semitic propaganda and death threats against Jews on the Internet." This is particularly the case on Facebook where, according to Jewish officials in Berlin, users like Ulubas L. are spreading their message of hate with statements like: "The only good Jew is a dead Jew."
Breeding Ground
TV productions like the Iranian series "Zahra's Blue Eyes," broadcast into the living rooms of immigrant families in Germany, only add to the problem. The program is based on a horror story in which a fictitious Israeli general has doctors remove the eyes of a Palestinian girl so that they can be transplanted into his blind son.
Such propaganda apparently serves as a breeding ground for anti-Jewish sentiments among poorly integrated members of the immigrant community -- sentiments which can quickly explode into violence. In late June, for example, two Israeli tourists made the mistake of conversing in Hebrew at a Berlin nightclub. Another guest, apparently of Palestinian descent, asked them where they were from. When one of the tourists, a 22-year-old man, replied, "from Israel," the man attacked him and his companion.
The situation escalated when a Turkish-born bouncer intervened and attacked the Israelis with pepper spray. The tourists were able to flee and required medical treatment. Law enforcement officials assume that the attack was the result of "anti-Semitic sentiment." The bouncer and the man who attacked the Israelis, whose identity is still unknown, are being investigated for aggravated assault and battery.
The Jewish community in Worms, located in the southwestern state of Rhineland-Palatinate, was also the target of a recent attack. In mid-May, unknown assailants tried to set the city's historic synagogue on fire. Forensics experts later identified eight sources of fire at the crime scene. In addition, a Molotov cocktail was thrown through the window of the synagogue's library.
Understanding the Background
The community was lucky; the building did not go up in flames. Nearby, the police found letters claiming responsibility, written in broken German: "As long as you don't leave the Palestinians alone, we won't leave you alone." It is still unclear whether the pamphlets indicate that the perpetrators were Islamists or were left there as a red herring. According to the state's Interior Ministry, the authorities are "working hard to investigate all possible leads."
Meanwhile residents and social workers are trying to understand the background and motives of the adolescents who attacked Jewish dancers with stones at the "International Day" event in Hanover's Sahlkamp neighborhood.
There is no visible evidence of Jewish life in the district, which has about 14,000 residents. According to the police, the stone-throwing incident on June 19 was the first case of anti-Semitic violence in the area. So far, authorities have identified 12 possible suspects. They are between 9 and 19 years old, many are not yet old enough to be prosecuted, and 11 of them have an "Arab immigrant background," according to the public prosecutor's office in the city. No one has said anything yet on the possible motives for the attack. The only comments, so far, came from a little girl, perhaps 10 or 11 years old, who was addressed immediately after the attack by a woman attending the neighborhood festival.
"What's going on here?" the woman asked.
"The Germans say: Foreigners out!" the girl replied. "Why can't we say: Jews out?" Then she ran away.
Speigel
It was supposed to be a carefree festival in Sahlkamp on the outskirts of the northern German city of Hanover. Billed as an "International Day" to celebrate social diversity and togetherness, the June celebration included performances by a multicultural children's choir called "Happy Rainbow" and the German-Turkish rap duo 3-K. Music from Afghanistan was also on the program.
But then the mood suddenly shifted.
When Hajo Arnds, the organizer of the neighborhood festival, stepped onto the stage at about 6:45 p.m. to announce the next performance, by the Jewish dance group Chaverim, he was greeted with catcalls. "Jews out!" some of the roughly 30 young people standing in front of the stage began shouting. "Gone with the Jews!"
The voices were those of children -- voices full of hate, shouted in unison and amplified by a toy megaphone. Arnds, the organizer, was shocked. He knew many of the children, most of them from Arab immigrant families in the neighborhood.
A social worker, Arnds tried using the tools of his profession -- words -- to save the situation. But his words were met with stones, thrown at the stage by people taking cover in the crowd. One of the stones hit a female Chaverim dancer in the leg, resulting in an angry bruise.
Inflammatory Propaganda and Criminal Violence
Arnds immediately cancelled the dance performance. Still speaking through the microphone, he said that he wasn't sure whether the festival could even continue after this incident. When adults walked to the front of the crowd to confront and talk to the children, they were verbally abused, and some of the teenagers ran away. The Jewish dance group was taken to a safe place, and the festival was allowed to continue. The last performance of the evening was by a duo singing Russian songs. "They're not Jews," one of the young people in front of the stage shouted, "so they can perform here." A criminal complaint was not filed with the police until several days later.
Until now, attacks on Jews, Jewish institutions and Jewish symbols have almost always been committed by right-wing extremist groups. In the first quarter of 2010 alone, the German Interior Ministry documented 183 anti-Semitic offences committed by right-wing radicals, including graffiti, inflammatory propaganda and physical violence.
The stone-throwing incident in Hanover, however, has finally forced the authorities to take a closer look at a group of offenders that, though largely overlooked until now, is no less motivated by anti-Zionist sentiments: adolescents and young adults from an immigrant community who are influenced by Islamist ideas and are prepared to commit acts of violence.
An informal and accidental alliance has been developing for some time between neo-Nazis and some members of a group they would normally despise: Muslim immigrants. The two groups seem to share vaguely similar anti-Semitic ideologies.
Right-wing extremists and Islamists, says Heinz Fromm, the president of the German domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), are united by "a common bogeyman: Israel and the Jews as a whole." While German right-wing extremists cultivate a "more or less obvious racist anti-Semitism," says Fromm, the Islamists are "oriented toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict" and support "anti-Zionist ideological positions, which can also have anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic overtones." Both extremist movements, says Fromm, "ascribe extraordinary political power to Israel and the Jews, and their goal is to fight this power."
'A Tree, a Noose, a Jew's Neck'
Although the BfV has not separately identified anti-Semitic crimes associated with Islamist groups until now, investigators are paying close attention to the development of anti-Jewish tendencies within the milieu.
Anti-Semitism from the two groups shows itself in different ways in Germany. On the one hand, there are the efforts of extremist right-wing groups, which tend to follow a certain pattern. During a football match in April, for example, supporters of SV Mügeln-Ablass 09, a district-league football club in the eastern state of Saxony, chanted "a tree, a noose, a Jew's neck" and "we're building a subway, from Jerusalem to Auschwitz," until the match was stopped.
According to the German government's response to a parliament inquiry by the Left Party politician Petra Pau, Jewish cemeteries in Germany are defaced, vandalized or destroyed about once every 10 days. Memorial sites are also frequently targeted. Last month, for example, extremists defaced a memorial plaque in the western city of Bochum, a Jewish cemetery in Babenhausen in the state of Hesse and a memorial in Beckum in the Münsterland region.
On the other hand, say BfV officials, Islamist ideologues are creating problems with their anti-Israeli tirades, which are being broadcast on the Internet and television. "You can expect this sort of propaganda to have an impact on certain social groups," says Fromm.
The Israelis' bloody military intervention against a flotilla of aid vessels off the coast of Gaza on May 31, in which nine Turkish activists where shot dead, has triggered a new wave of hate. The Jewish community in Berlin promptly reported "a rapid increase in anti-Semitic propaganda and death threats against Jews on the Internet." This is particularly the case on Facebook where, according to Jewish officials in Berlin, users like Ulubas L. are spreading their message of hate with statements like: "The only good Jew is a dead Jew."
Breeding Ground
TV productions like the Iranian series "Zahra's Blue Eyes," broadcast into the living rooms of immigrant families in Germany, only add to the problem. The program is based on a horror story in which a fictitious Israeli general has doctors remove the eyes of a Palestinian girl so that they can be transplanted into his blind son.
Such propaganda apparently serves as a breeding ground for anti-Jewish sentiments among poorly integrated members of the immigrant community -- sentiments which can quickly explode into violence. In late June, for example, two Israeli tourists made the mistake of conversing in Hebrew at a Berlin nightclub. Another guest, apparently of Palestinian descent, asked them where they were from. When one of the tourists, a 22-year-old man, replied, "from Israel," the man attacked him and his companion.
The situation escalated when a Turkish-born bouncer intervened and attacked the Israelis with pepper spray. The tourists were able to flee and required medical treatment. Law enforcement officials assume that the attack was the result of "anti-Semitic sentiment." The bouncer and the man who attacked the Israelis, whose identity is still unknown, are being investigated for aggravated assault and battery.
The Jewish community in Worms, located in the southwestern state of Rhineland-Palatinate, was also the target of a recent attack. In mid-May, unknown assailants tried to set the city's historic synagogue on fire. Forensics experts later identified eight sources of fire at the crime scene. In addition, a Molotov cocktail was thrown through the window of the synagogue's library.
Understanding the Background
The community was lucky; the building did not go up in flames. Nearby, the police found letters claiming responsibility, written in broken German: "As long as you don't leave the Palestinians alone, we won't leave you alone." It is still unclear whether the pamphlets indicate that the perpetrators were Islamists or were left there as a red herring. According to the state's Interior Ministry, the authorities are "working hard to investigate all possible leads."
Meanwhile residents and social workers are trying to understand the background and motives of the adolescents who attacked Jewish dancers with stones at the "International Day" event in Hanover's Sahlkamp neighborhood.
There is no visible evidence of Jewish life in the district, which has about 14,000 residents. According to the police, the stone-throwing incident on June 19 was the first case of anti-Semitic violence in the area. So far, authorities have identified 12 possible suspects. They are between 9 and 19 years old, many are not yet old enough to be prosecuted, and 11 of them have an "Arab immigrant background," according to the public prosecutor's office in the city. No one has said anything yet on the possible motives for the attack. The only comments, so far, came from a little girl, perhaps 10 or 11 years old, who was addressed immediately after the attack by a woman attending the neighborhood festival.
"What's going on here?" the woman asked.
"The Germans say: Foreigners out!" the girl replied. "Why can't we say: Jews out?" Then she ran away.
Speigel
BNP election process gerrymandered to exclude challenger
The British National Party has announced rules that will make it near impossible for Eddy Butler to challenge Nick Griffin for the party leadership.
The party’s “elections department”, otherwise known as Clive Jefferson, the rapidly promoted North West regional organiser and part-time member of Griffin’s European constituency staff, has outlined “leadership contest regulations”, which it claims are based on the party’s constitution.
Claiming that the party and individual candidates must be “protected from any attempt to use dishonesty and faction-building to advance one candidate at the expense of another”, the statement continues: “There is a clear dividing line between passionately held opinion and legitimate criticism on the one hand, and character assassination and dishonesty on the other. For the sake of the party, and the ability of the members to make a properly informed choice, everyone must stay on the right side of that line – and understand that a free and fair election can be secured only if anyone who crosses the line thereby loses his or her right to be involved.”
Where the line lies and who is to determine what comments fall on the wrong side of it are not explained, leaving an open door for Jefferson, at the bidding of Griffin and his consigliere Jim Dowson, to exclude Butler.
Turning to the nomination process, the statement, as widely expected, outlaws the use of the unofficial forms on which Butler is collecting signatures. Instead official, individually numbered forms will be sent by post to “all members eligible to nominate and vote in a leadership election”.
Members wishing to nominate anyone must sign the form and have their signature witnessed. This is a transparent attempt to make the process a bit harder for members who might be isolated from other members and might not want to tell potential witnesses among their friends, neighbours and relations that they are members of the racist party.
Those forms must be returned to the party’s so far unnamed “official scrutineer” to be received in the short period from 20 July to 10 August. Ridiculously, a member has to post the form personally “except in the event of sickness or infirmity”, in which case “they may ask their witness to post it for them”.
How the “official scrutineer” will know who posted the form is unclear, leaving yet another means for Jefferson to exclude nominations. And of course any attempt by Butler’s supporters to collect up forms and bring them to the official opening of envelopes, to ensure they are not somehow lost by the BNP’s “scrutineer”, is not permitted.
Although the BNP constitution does not provide for it, because in the event of there being no valid nominations for another candidate the incumbent automatically carries on, the form will also include a box for members to indicate that they wish Griffin to continue as leader. No doubt Griffin will ensure that there are more forms with that box ticked than nominations for Butler.
As widely expected after the closure of the two main anti-Butler attack blogs over the weekend, the regulations deny candidates the right to campaign other than by limited officially sanctioned methods. “Candidates and their supporters shall not produce, maintain, advertise or otherwise utilise, whether for promotion, criticism or report, any official or unofficial campaigning website or social networking facility (Face book, Twitter, etc).”
Candidates are also not allowed to give media interviews or raise money for their campaign.
The rules apply “with immediate effect”. The announcement was posted on the BNP website at 12.26 on 14 July. At the time of writing just over two hours later, Butler’s blog and website, both of which appeal for donations, were still in place, making it possible for Griffin immediately to institute disciplinary action against Butler and to exclude him from the nomination process.
The announcement declares that the basic guideline for the election under version 12.2 of the party constitution is: “A free, fully democratic election process which is fair to all potential candidates, from start to finish, and which protects the British National Party from attempt [sic] to abuse the process”.
The sentence appears in quotes in the announcement, giving the impression that it is taken from the constitution, but in fact it appears nowhere in that document. The rules for the nomination process and the ban on unofficial campaigning are likewise not sanctioned by the constitution, leaving the party open to legal action by Butler if he is thereby prevented from standing against Griffin.
Hope Not Hate
The party’s “elections department”, otherwise known as Clive Jefferson, the rapidly promoted North West regional organiser and part-time member of Griffin’s European constituency staff, has outlined “leadership contest regulations”, which it claims are based on the party’s constitution.
Claiming that the party and individual candidates must be “protected from any attempt to use dishonesty and faction-building to advance one candidate at the expense of another”, the statement continues: “There is a clear dividing line between passionately held opinion and legitimate criticism on the one hand, and character assassination and dishonesty on the other. For the sake of the party, and the ability of the members to make a properly informed choice, everyone must stay on the right side of that line – and understand that a free and fair election can be secured only if anyone who crosses the line thereby loses his or her right to be involved.”
Where the line lies and who is to determine what comments fall on the wrong side of it are not explained, leaving an open door for Jefferson, at the bidding of Griffin and his consigliere Jim Dowson, to exclude Butler.
Turning to the nomination process, the statement, as widely expected, outlaws the use of the unofficial forms on which Butler is collecting signatures. Instead official, individually numbered forms will be sent by post to “all members eligible to nominate and vote in a leadership election”.
Members wishing to nominate anyone must sign the form and have their signature witnessed. This is a transparent attempt to make the process a bit harder for members who might be isolated from other members and might not want to tell potential witnesses among their friends, neighbours and relations that they are members of the racist party.
Those forms must be returned to the party’s so far unnamed “official scrutineer” to be received in the short period from 20 July to 10 August. Ridiculously, a member has to post the form personally “except in the event of sickness or infirmity”, in which case “they may ask their witness to post it for them”.
How the “official scrutineer” will know who posted the form is unclear, leaving yet another means for Jefferson to exclude nominations. And of course any attempt by Butler’s supporters to collect up forms and bring them to the official opening of envelopes, to ensure they are not somehow lost by the BNP’s “scrutineer”, is not permitted.
Although the BNP constitution does not provide for it, because in the event of there being no valid nominations for another candidate the incumbent automatically carries on, the form will also include a box for members to indicate that they wish Griffin to continue as leader. No doubt Griffin will ensure that there are more forms with that box ticked than nominations for Butler.
As widely expected after the closure of the two main anti-Butler attack blogs over the weekend, the regulations deny candidates the right to campaign other than by limited officially sanctioned methods. “Candidates and their supporters shall not produce, maintain, advertise or otherwise utilise, whether for promotion, criticism or report, any official or unofficial campaigning website or social networking facility (Face book, Twitter, etc).”
Candidates are also not allowed to give media interviews or raise money for their campaign.
The rules apply “with immediate effect”. The announcement was posted on the BNP website at 12.26 on 14 July. At the time of writing just over two hours later, Butler’s blog and website, both of which appeal for donations, were still in place, making it possible for Griffin immediately to institute disciplinary action against Butler and to exclude him from the nomination process.
The announcement declares that the basic guideline for the election under version 12.2 of the party constitution is: “A free, fully democratic election process which is fair to all potential candidates, from start to finish, and which protects the British National Party from attempt [sic] to abuse the process”.
The sentence appears in quotes in the announcement, giving the impression that it is taken from the constitution, but in fact it appears nowhere in that document. The rules for the nomination process and the ban on unofficial campaigning are likewise not sanctioned by the constitution, leaving the party open to legal action by Butler if he is thereby prevented from standing against Griffin.
Hope Not Hate
ANTI-RACISM EXHIBITION FOR WORLD CUP FINAL (Poland)
On the day of the World Cup final, a diverse multicultural audience took part in a ‘Let’s kick racism out of the stadiums’ exhibition opening organised by the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association in Warsaw’s Home Africa Bar. The event was co-hosted by Stanley Udenkwor, a Nigerian-born Polish citizen, an ex Polonia Warsaw player and an ambassador of the ‘Let’s kick racism out of the stadiums’ campaign. The exhibition presents the multicultural history of Polish football, the participation of ethnic minorities and migrants in the sport today as well as the problem of racism and xenophobia in Polish stadiums. Its other aim is to promote the ‘Let’s kick racism out of the stadiums’ campaign. The exhibition is also going to be shown during the large Polish Woodstock Festival later this summer.
The date for the opening ceremony was not accidental. ‘It’s the final of a World Cup held for the first time in Africa. South Africa is a country whose inhabitants experienced racism through many years of the apartheid. In this context the World Cup has been special. As co-hosts of the forthcoming EURO 2012 Championship, we should learn from the South African experience how to organise a multicultural event full of joy and respect’ says Jacek Purski, a spokesman for the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association. - ‘However, not everybody in Poland seems to want this kind of event. For example, on the occasion of the World Cup, a group of neo-fascists hang racist posters in the streets of Sosnowiec, expressing their solidarity with South African apartheid supporters’ adds Dr Rafal Pankowski, a ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association member and coordinator of the East Europe Monitoring Centre.
The ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association is an independent anti-fascist organization which monitors racist incidents and conducts educational campaigns. It coordinates the FARE Eastern European Development Project supported by UEFA in the run up to the EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.
Never Again Association
The date for the opening ceremony was not accidental. ‘It’s the final of a World Cup held for the first time in Africa. South Africa is a country whose inhabitants experienced racism through many years of the apartheid. In this context the World Cup has been special. As co-hosts of the forthcoming EURO 2012 Championship, we should learn from the South African experience how to organise a multicultural event full of joy and respect’ says Jacek Purski, a spokesman for the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association. - ‘However, not everybody in Poland seems to want this kind of event. For example, on the occasion of the World Cup, a group of neo-fascists hang racist posters in the streets of Sosnowiec, expressing their solidarity with South African apartheid supporters’ adds Dr Rafal Pankowski, a ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association member and coordinator of the East Europe Monitoring Centre.
The ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association is an independent anti-fascist organization which monitors racist incidents and conducts educational campaigns. It coordinates the FARE Eastern European Development Project supported by UEFA in the run up to the EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.
Never Again Association
Neo-Nazi in attack on church (New Zeland)
In a rage of hatred towards Christianity, a neo-Nazi and his accomplice smashed nine windows of a Feilding church on Easter Sunday, a court has heard.
Nearly $4000 worth of windows were smashed at the Lutheran Church on King St in the early hours of April 4, by the men who claimed to hate Jesus, the church and Easter.
Daniel Waring, 21, and his co-accused Nicholas Melrose, 18, pleaded guilty to a charge each of intentional damage in Feilding District Court yesterday.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Ricky Lewer said Waring smashed three windows with a wooden baton about 12.20am.
Less than two hours later he returned with Melrose and together they smashed a further six windows.
The pair fled when the church's pastor yelled at them from inside.
He had been cleaning up glass after the first attack.
When questioned, the men told police they were anti-Jesus, anti-Christ and hated Easter.
Waring told a probation officer he was part of the Blood and Honour New Zealand – a neo-Nazi music promotion network and political group – but later denied being a member of the organisation.
Waring's lawyer, Mike Ryan, said he had been depressed, angry, and drunk on the night he attacked the church.
"At the time the defendant's medication wasn't working and some of the side effects included depression and sleeplessness. He had also been evicted from his flat," Mr Ryan said.
Melrose's lawyer, Richard Bedford, said alcohol had been a factor.
"He did it because he thought it was funny at the time, but he said it wasn't that funny once he was sober. He is genuinely remorseful."
He said Melrose moved to Amberley, in Canterbury, after the incident to "move on with his life".
Judge Alistair Garland said the men's actions were unprovoked and mindless vandalism. "It appears it was a hate crime and on the most significant day. You did a substantial amount of damage."
Judge Garland convicted and sentenced Waring to 100 hours' community work and ordered him to pay reparation of $2548. Melrose was convicted and sentenced to 100 hours' community work, two months community detention and ordered to pay $1274.
The damage came to $3822.
Nearly $4000 worth of windows were smashed at the Lutheran Church on King St in the early hours of April 4, by the men who claimed to hate Jesus, the church and Easter.
Daniel Waring, 21, and his co-accused Nicholas Melrose, 18, pleaded guilty to a charge each of intentional damage in Feilding District Court yesterday.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Ricky Lewer said Waring smashed three windows with a wooden baton about 12.20am.
Less than two hours later he returned with Melrose and together they smashed a further six windows.
The pair fled when the church's pastor yelled at them from inside.
He had been cleaning up glass after the first attack.
When questioned, the men told police they were anti-Jesus, anti-Christ and hated Easter.
Waring told a probation officer he was part of the Blood and Honour New Zealand – a neo-Nazi music promotion network and political group – but later denied being a member of the organisation.
Waring's lawyer, Mike Ryan, said he had been depressed, angry, and drunk on the night he attacked the church.
"At the time the defendant's medication wasn't working and some of the side effects included depression and sleeplessness. He had also been evicted from his flat," Mr Ryan said.
Melrose's lawyer, Richard Bedford, said alcohol had been a factor.
"He did it because he thought it was funny at the time, but he said it wasn't that funny once he was sober. He is genuinely remorseful."
He said Melrose moved to Amberley, in Canterbury, after the incident to "move on with his life".
Judge Alistair Garland said the men's actions were unprovoked and mindless vandalism. "It appears it was a hate crime and on the most significant day. You did a substantial amount of damage."
Judge Garland convicted and sentenced Waring to 100 hours' community work and ordered him to pay reparation of $2548. Melrose was convicted and sentenced to 100 hours' community work, two months community detention and ordered to pay $1274.
The damage came to $3822.
Storm as Australian artist Jane Korman dances at Nazi death camp
An Australian artist has defended posting a YouTube video of her family singing and dancing to the tune of I Will Survive at the Auschwitz death camp.
Melbourne artist Jane Korman - who is Jewish - filmed her Holocaust survivor father and her three children dancing outside the infamous camp in Poland.
As many as 1.1 million people were murdered there by the Nazis in World War II.
The video also shows the family dancing at a Polish synagogue, the German concentration camp at Dachau, the Czech concentration camp at Theresienstadt and at a Polish memorial to the victims of the Nazi ghetto.
The video ends with Korman's emotional 89-year-old father Adolk describing his return to Poland with his three grandchildren as "a really historic moment".
Ms Korman told London's The Daily Mail the video was a "celebration of life and survival".
"I wanted to make artwork that creates a fresh interpretation of historical memory," Ms Korman said. "He [her father] is saying 'we're dancing, we should be dancing, we're celebrating our survival and the generations after me. We are affirming our existence'."
But the video - which was also displayed in an Australian art gallery - has been met with anger by some Holocaust survivors and has been picked up and exploited by neo-Nazi websites.
"I don't see how this video is a mark of respect for the millions who didn't survive, nor for those who did," Kamil Cwiok, 86, told The Daily Mail. "It seems to trivialise the horrors that were committed there."
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Vic Alhadeff said there was a time and place to celebrate survival.
"As human beings, we have a right to celebrate survival, but there is a time and place to do so," he said.
"There is an infinite number of ways to do that, but we need to consider the sensibilities of those for whom places such as Auschwitz will always hold terrible pain and indelible memories . . Auschwitz is one of the world's largest cemeteries."
The artwork was met with mixed reactions on blog sites with some supporting Ms Korman.
New Zelands Daily Telegraph
Melbourne artist Jane Korman - who is Jewish - filmed her Holocaust survivor father and her three children dancing outside the infamous camp in Poland.
As many as 1.1 million people were murdered there by the Nazis in World War II.
The video also shows the family dancing at a Polish synagogue, the German concentration camp at Dachau, the Czech concentration camp at Theresienstadt and at a Polish memorial to the victims of the Nazi ghetto.
The video ends with Korman's emotional 89-year-old father Adolk describing his return to Poland with his three grandchildren as "a really historic moment".
Ms Korman told London's The Daily Mail the video was a "celebration of life and survival".
"I wanted to make artwork that creates a fresh interpretation of historical memory," Ms Korman said. "He [her father] is saying 'we're dancing, we should be dancing, we're celebrating our survival and the generations after me. We are affirming our existence'."
But the video - which was also displayed in an Australian art gallery - has been met with anger by some Holocaust survivors and has been picked up and exploited by neo-Nazi websites.
"I don't see how this video is a mark of respect for the millions who didn't survive, nor for those who did," Kamil Cwiok, 86, told The Daily Mail. "It seems to trivialise the horrors that were committed there."
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Vic Alhadeff said there was a time and place to celebrate survival.
"As human beings, we have a right to celebrate survival, but there is a time and place to do so," he said.
"There is an infinite number of ways to do that, but we need to consider the sensibilities of those for whom places such as Auschwitz will always hold terrible pain and indelible memories . . Auschwitz is one of the world's largest cemeteries."
The artwork was met with mixed reactions on blog sites with some supporting Ms Korman.
New Zelands Daily Telegraph
BNP MEP’s confirm Palace visit
It seems that common sense has not prevailed and Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons have confirmed that they will be visiting Buckingham Palace on July 22nd.
The invitations which were automatically sent to them due to their MEP’s status has and will obviously cause more controversy, as the last thing we need to see is the BNP trolls goose stepping across the royal lawn.
Yet any kind of counter protest that involves any anti-racists outside the Palace shouting abuse will also be seen as extremely counter productive. And quickly acted on by the authorities.
As we know they will be damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
Anyway here’s the item as posted on the BNP website.
BNP.org
The invitations which were automatically sent to them due to their MEP’s status has and will obviously cause more controversy, as the last thing we need to see is the BNP trolls goose stepping across the royal lawn.
Yet any kind of counter protest that involves any anti-racists outside the Palace shouting abuse will also be seen as extremely counter productive. And quickly acted on by the authorities.
As we know they will be damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
Anyway here’s the item as posted on the BNP website.
BNP.org
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
French MPs vote to ban Islamic full veil in public
There were 335 votes for the bill and only one against in the 557-seat National Assembly.
It must now be ratified by the Senate in September to become law.
The ban has strong public support but critics point out that only a tiny minority of French Muslims wear the full veil.
Many of the opposition Socialists, who originally wanted the ban limited only to public buildings, abstained from voting after coming under pressure from feminist supporters of the bill.
President Nicolas Sarkozy has backed the ban as part of a wider debate on French identity but critics say the government is pandering to far-right voters.
After the vote, Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said it was a victory for democracy and for French values.
"Values of freedom against all the oppressions which try to humiliate individuals; values of equality between men and women, against those who push for inequality and injustice."
The vote is being closely watched in other countries, the BBC's Christian Fraser reports from the French capital Paris.
Spain and Belgium are debating similar legislation, and with such large-scale immigration in the past 20 or 30 years, identity has become a popular theme across Europe, our correspondent says.
'Open-faced democracy'
The bill would make it illegal to wear garments such as the niqab or burka, which incorporate a full-face veil, anywhere in public.
It envisages fines of 150 euros (£119) for women who break the law and 30,000 euros and a one-year jail term for men who force their wives to wear the burka.
The niqab and burka are widely seen in France as threats to women's rights and the secular nature of the state.
"Democracy thrives when it is open-faced," Ms Alliot-Marie told the National Assembly when she presented the bill last week.
She stressed the bill, which makes no reference to Islam or veils, was not aimed at "stigmatising or singling out a religion".
Berengere Poletti, an MP from Mr Sarkozy's centre-right UMP party, said women in full veils wore "a sign of alienation on their faces" and had to be "liberated".
Andre Gerin of the Communist opposition compared the veil to "a walking coffin, a muzzle".
'Fear of foreigners'
The bill is also seen as a touchstone for the Sarkozy administration's policy of integration. It is grappling with disaffected immigrant communities as it seeks to prevent a repeat of the mass unrest of 2005 on run-down French housing estates.
But critics point to government studies showing that many women do not fit the stereotype of marginalised, oppressed women.
There are estimated to be only about 2,000 women wearing the full veil in France though the bill is opposed by many of France's five million Muslims.
Mohammed Moussaoui, the head of the French Council of the Muslim Faith, a government advisory body, has supported taking steps to discourage women from wearing the full veil but has said a legal ban would stigmatise a vulnerable group.
Jean Glavany, a Socialist MP, said he opposed the ban on the grounds that it was "nothing more than the fear of those who are different, who come from abroad, who aren't like us, who don't share our values".
The Council of State, France's highest administrative body, warned in March that the law could be found unconstitutional.
If the bill passes the Senate in September, it will be sent immediately to France's Constitutional Council watchdog for a ruling.
Another challenge is possible at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, where decisions are binding.
In another development, a French businessman, Rachid Nekkaz, said he would set up a 1m-euro fund to help women pay fines imposed under the new law.
A ban in the street would violate constitutional principles, he argued.
BBC News
BNP Leader Nick Griffin threatens to ‘punish’ party opponents (UK)
Writing on Twitter, Griffin said: “If people want a leadership campaign that’s fine, but it’s got to be honest and fair to all candidates. The liars must be asked for evidence by all involved. And no one should be surprised when liars who can’t back up their character assassinations are punished.”
Griffin’s comment is obviously directed at Eddy Butler, who has challenged him to a leadership election and criticised his financial and administrative stewardship of the party. Butler and his supporters particularly condemn Griffin’s close relationship with Jim Dowson, the convicted criminal who effectively owns the BNP, and Patrick Harrington, a political colleague of Griffin since the 1970s who now runs the rival Third Way party. Butler also claims Griffin has made the BNP insolvent because he has “deliberately, avoidably and recklessly” involved the party in unnecessary legal action.
In reality, most of the lies have been about Butler and come from Griffin himself and his supporters, in particular Clive Jefferson, the party’s national elections officer, and Paul Golding, its communications officer, who appears to forget that it was Butler who masterminded his council by-election victory in Swanley, Kent. For Griffin to call for a campaign that is “honest and fair to all candidates” is hypocritical in the extreme.
Perhaps because Griffin has realised that the lies from his camp are counter-productive, or perhaps because of a risk of legal action if the leadership campaign is not run fairly and in accordance with the party’s constitution, two blogs set up to attack Butler were suspended over the weekend.
One carried a notice that it had been “deactivated due to the initiation of the official BNP leadership campaign period”. There is no provision in the BNP constitution for an official leadership campaign period starting on 10 July, the date the notice was posted. Nominations for the leadership open on 20 July and close on 10 August, but this is only the period in which a candidate has to submit nomination forms containing the signatures of at least 20% of the 4,200 party members with two years’ continuous membership and 20% of the 278 elite “voting members”.
Campaigning proper only starts in September after the challenger has surmounted the further hurdle of obtaining the vote of at least 10% of members of the “Founders’ Association” at a meeting held between 11 and 31 August. The Founders’ Association, a separate body in which all party assets are vested, is not defined in the constitution but it is apparently people who were paid-up members before the constitution was adopted in February and have remained members since.
Obtaining the requisite 20% support is of course no easy task, which is why Butler is keen to broaden his appeal among the various party factions from nazis to the more reformist elements. He has attracted the support of a number of influential party activists including Nick Cass in Yorkshire, Richard Edmonds, who helped found the party, Valerie Tyndall – the wife of the BNP’s first leader who still carries a certain amount of clout – and Lawrence Rustem in London.
His most recent coup is to secure the support of Michael Barnbrook, the self-styled BNP “sleazebuster”, who dines out on his failure to win a council by-election in Bexley, southeast London, by just nine votes.
Barnbrook, no relation to the BNP’s London Assembly member Richard Barnbrook, claims to have started the Parliamentary expenses scandal and to be personally responsible for ending the careers of several MPs, but complains that “hardly anybody in the public domain is aware” of this because the party has barely publicised his role.
As well being aggrieved at this perceived personal slight, Barnbrook is concerned about the nasty campaign to stop Butler getting nominations. The attack blog and rumours that members have been refused entry to meetings because they support Butler’s challenge are “blatant intimidation”, writes Barnbrook in a statement on Butler’s blog. “It appears that we can fight for freedom of speech and freedom of expression, so long as it doesn’t extend to a leadership challenge in the British National Party.”
If the BNP has failed to publicise Barnbrook’s “sleazebusting” role to his satisfaction, it can only be because Griffin does not like anyone else to claim more of the limelight than himself. Searchlight, however, is more interested in Barnbrook’s links with Ellis Hammond, a former Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), who last year pleaded guilty to five specimen charges of downloading and possessing a total of 58 indecent images of children, ranging from level 1 to level 5 (the most serious).
Hammond was a member of Bexley BNP branch alongside Barnbrook, a retired police inspector. The police found the images after removing Hammond’s computer while executing a warrant to search his home in Welling for weapons, where they found an arsenal including a CS gas canister, a knuckle duster and eight combat knives, as well as hate material and his BNP membership card. He had lied on his PCSO application form, claiming not to be a member of a proscribed organisation, namely the BNP.
Hammond was sentenced to a three-year community order and his name was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years. He was also banned for life from working with people aged under 18.
Another Bexley BNP colleague of Barnbrook who lied to become a PCSO is David Vanner, who in November 2008 posted on the BNP members’ forum: “Although unfortunately I am unable to leaflet or attend meetings due to my line of work (Michael Barnbrook will sympathise), however I would be more than willing to make a donation to the Bexley branch as I understand it is fairly short of funds.” He lost his job after his BNP membership was revealed.
If Butler does win the leadership, it seems unlikely that his BNP will be any more respectable than the party is now.
Hope Not Hate
'TOO FEW ETHNIC MINORITY OFFICERS' HIRED BY GCHQ (UK)
Britain's secret eavesdropping centre, GCHQ, has been criticised for failing to recruit enough ethnic minority staff to help fight terrorism. An official report, leaked to the Sunday Times, also said black and Asian intelligence officers had complained of discrimination at the complex in Cheltenham, in Gloucestershire. A GCHQ spokesman told the BBC policies and practices were now being improved. Much of GCHQ's work involves monitoring calls and e-mails from terror suspects. But the report, authorised by the head of the civil service, Sir Gus O'Donnell, says a lack of officers with specialist knowledge of languages like Urdu and Arabic is hampering efforts to spot codes and cultural nuances in intercepted conversations. "It is critical to have a diverse staff group who are able to profile and recognise certain behaviour patterns and communications," the document says.
The report recommends better engagement with ethnic minority communities in order to boost recruitment and improve the image of the organisation. "This is critical to good national security intelligence," it adds. The report says GCHQ has tried to improve its equality and diversity, but "the culture of the organisation has not been receptive to this" and it "is seen as a people issue which only applies to some people". It points out that there are no black or Asian senior managers. Several dozen ethnic minority intelligence officers were interviewed during its preparation, and among the complaints recorded was: "I wasn't born here and although I have been security cleared, I am constantly challenged about my loyalty to Britain by my colleagues." Another employee said: "The security officers ask questions which are culturally inappropriate, insensitive and offensive." A third said they felt that ethnic minority employees had to work harder than white colleagues "and for less reward".
Targeted recruitment
The director of communications at GCHQ, Chris Marshall, said the organisation had "long recognised that strict nationality and residency requirements for staff, and the specialist nature of our work, have made it challenging to develop a workforce which represents the diversity of the UK population". He said the organisation had tried to improve things with a targeted recruitment campaign, but a review in 2009 "reflected that GCHQ continued to fall short in meeting our targets". Mr Marshall said that in response to it, GCHQ was "making a number of improvements to our policies and practices", including employing a dedicated diversity officer and focusing recruitment on specific universities with large ethnic minority populations. "GCHQ is regularly recognised as a good employer but we aspire to be the best," he said. "We recognise that recruiting a diverse range of people, treating them in a non-discriminatory way and supporting them to achieve their full potential is key to that aspiration."
BBC News
The report recommends better engagement with ethnic minority communities in order to boost recruitment and improve the image of the organisation. "This is critical to good national security intelligence," it adds. The report says GCHQ has tried to improve its equality and diversity, but "the culture of the organisation has not been receptive to this" and it "is seen as a people issue which only applies to some people". It points out that there are no black or Asian senior managers. Several dozen ethnic minority intelligence officers were interviewed during its preparation, and among the complaints recorded was: "I wasn't born here and although I have been security cleared, I am constantly challenged about my loyalty to Britain by my colleagues." Another employee said: "The security officers ask questions which are culturally inappropriate, insensitive and offensive." A third said they felt that ethnic minority employees had to work harder than white colleagues "and for less reward".
Targeted recruitment
The director of communications at GCHQ, Chris Marshall, said the organisation had "long recognised that strict nationality and residency requirements for staff, and the specialist nature of our work, have made it challenging to develop a workforce which represents the diversity of the UK population". He said the organisation had tried to improve things with a targeted recruitment campaign, but a review in 2009 "reflected that GCHQ continued to fall short in meeting our targets". Mr Marshall said that in response to it, GCHQ was "making a number of improvements to our policies and practices", including employing a dedicated diversity officer and focusing recruitment on specific universities with large ethnic minority populations. "GCHQ is regularly recognised as a good employer but we aspire to be the best," he said. "We recognise that recruiting a diverse range of people, treating them in a non-discriminatory way and supporting them to achieve their full potential is key to that aspiration."
BBC News
ETHNIC MINORITY JOBLESS RATE RISES (Netherlands)
Some 25% of youngsters with a Turkish, Moroccan, Surinamese or Antillean background are without a job, according to research by the Forum multicultural research institute in the Volkskrant on Monday. In total, 14% of people with a non-western background are jobless, compared with 5.1% of the native white Dutch, the Forum survey shows. A year ago, the unemployment rate under non-western immigrants was 10%. Forum director Sadik Harcahoui said the higher jobless rate among ethnic minority youth is not necessarily because of discrimination. Ethnic minority youngsters are more likely to have a flexible contract, meaning they are the first to go when things get tough, he points out. And while education levels are improving, they still lag behind their white peers.
Dutch News
Dutch News
Man hurt in racist attack in Rugby bar (UK)
A man was left needing hospital treatment following a violent attack at a Rugby nightspot.
The victim was with a woman in Walkabout in High Street, Rugby, during a night out, when he was approached by two men.
The men made racist comments, before hitting him in the face.
He was taken to hospital where he had stitches in his lip and treatment to his eye.
The incident took place at about 2am on Saturday.
A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated assault.
He was taken into custody and questioned about the incident.
He was later released on police bail, pending further inquiries.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information which would help officers with their inquiries, should contact Rugby police station on 01926 415000.
Information can also be passed onto police, in confidence, via independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Coventry Telegraph
The victim was with a woman in Walkabout in High Street, Rugby, during a night out, when he was approached by two men.
The men made racist comments, before hitting him in the face.
He was taken to hospital where he had stitches in his lip and treatment to his eye.
The incident took place at about 2am on Saturday.
A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated assault.
He was taken into custody and questioned about the incident.
He was later released on police bail, pending further inquiries.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information which would help officers with their inquiries, should contact Rugby police station on 01926 415000.
Information can also be passed onto police, in confidence, via independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Coventry Telegraph
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