Neo-Nazi gets life sentence for hate killings (Russia)

The Moscow City Court gave a life sentence to a 22-year-old neo-Nazi convicted of killing 15 people. Vasily  Krivets, who was also handed a fine of 13.5 million rubles ($450,000), has not confessed to the crimes.

The court also sentenced Dmitry Ufimtsev, 23, who confessed to committing five murders, to 22 years in prison. Ufimtsev and Krivets formed a two-person gang in October 2007. Within the course of three months, they killed 15 people, most of whom included migrants from Central Asia and the Caucasus.

The two said they identified their victims according to their physical appearance, specifically targeting “foreigners” and assaulting them with knives. One such victim, for example, was an elderly violinist who played for small change near a metro station in Moscow, the Gazeta daily reported. Krivets admitted to stabbing the man and leaving him to die for “being Jewish.”

This is only the third time that a man has received a life sentence for hate killings in Russia. Two previous life sentences were handed to Nikolay Korolev in 2008, for a bombing that killed 14 people, and Aleksandr Degtyarev in 2010 for murdering four people.

Ufimtsev and Krivets have refused requests to speak to the press. Their lawyers have 10 days to appeal the verdict from the moment they receive a written copy of it.

Hate crimes have seen a recent rise in Russia. The Ministry of Interior has stated that 548 such crimes were committed in 2009, up by more than 50% from 2007. Ultra-nationalist gangs have also mushroomed, with more than 150 of them currently operating throughout Russia.

RT News

Man made racist threats to shopkeeper (UK)

A man who was asked to leave a shop racially abused the owner, threatening to cut his throat.

South Tyneside magistrates were told that because of a previous incident Darren Austin was asked to leave Food Plus in Finkle Road, Hebburn.

As he left, he started to shout and swear at owner Mohammed Naveed, said Lee Poppett, prosecuting.

Outside he hurled a torrent of abusive and racist comments at the owner, and made remarks about his wife.

At one stage, he shouted: "I'll cut your throat."

When Austin was arrested he admitted he'd been to the shop, but denied making racist remarks.

Laura Johnson, defending, said Austin had been drinking before the September 23 incident.

"He admits using those words to the shopkeeper. He had been taking medication for paranoia and depression, and believes this is what led to him making the remarks and act in that way.

"He is very embarrassed and apologises for his behaviour."

Austin, 37, of Oxford Crescent, Hebburn, admitted using racially offensive remarks with intent to cause alarm.

He was given a nine-month community order with probation supervision, and ordered to spend 30 days on a basic skills course. He was also ordered to pay £85 costs.

Jarrow and Hebburn Gazzette

Amsterdam mayor shifts pro-Wilders demo from centre (Netherlands)

Amsterdam mayor Eberhard van der Laan has shifted a pro-Geert Wilders demonstration, organised by the English Defence League, to the western port area in order to minimise the chance of riots.

Van der Laan said he had concrete evidence that members of the far-right EDL were coming to the Netherlands to look for a confrontation with both the police and anti-racist demonstrators.

The demonstration was due to be held on the Museumplein.

Dutch News

Anti-Islam praise from Wilders provokes Merkel (Germany)

The Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders on Wednesday angered German Chancellor Angela Merkel by provocatively praising her recent attack on multiculturalism.
Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) had taken “leadership in the area of Islam criticism,” Wilders told the Dutch parliament.

“Mrs Merkel – she is right,” he added as he gave the opening address on behalf of his Freedom Party (PVV), which recently agreed to support a minority right-wing coalition government in the Netherlands.

Merkel added fuel to an already heated immigration debate in Germany when she said in a speech to her party’s youth wing earlier this month that multiculturalism had “failed utterly.” However she also made a point of adding that “Islam belongs to Germany” – a fact that Wilders left out of his address.

Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, angrily replied to Wilders’ speech by saying that that the Chancellor had in no way expressed “criticism of Islam.”

“That is not true. You cannot interpret the Chancellor as a critic of Islam because she naturally has respect for an important world religion,” Seibert said in Berlin.

Wilders praised Merkel’s speech as well as similar remarks by Horst Seehofer, head of the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union.

“When the Chancellor herself says that the multicultural society has utterly failed, then that is saying something,” he said.

During a debate about the minority government programme put forward by the coalition of Dutch Christian Democrats, pro-business Liberals, the anti-Islam populist added: “The most important politician in the Christian Democrats in the most important country in Europe breaks a taboo and says it how it is. And she said what millions of people think.”

Spokesman Seibert replied: “The Chancellor expresses her convictions independent of who agrees or disagrees with her here or abroad. Certainly she makes no statements to get applause from that corner.”

Wilders, while ignoring Merkel’s acceptance of Islam in Germany, referred to similar remarks by German President Christian Wulff.

“In Germany, meanwhile, two thirds of the people say, ‘Islam does not belong to our country,’” Wilders said.

Only a few weeks ago during a visit to Berlin, the 47-year-old Dutchman slammed Merkel and Germany's established parties for supposedly accepting the "Islamisation" of Germany.

The Local Germany

David Blunkett warns uneven cuts risk rise of English nationalism (UK)

Former home secretary predicts draconian spending cuts could fracture unity and breed resentment of south of England.

England faces the rise of virulent nationalism outside the south-east as a result of the government's draconian spending cuts, David Blunkett, the former home secretary, warned tonight.

Predicting that the English Defence League (EDL) was more of a threat than the British National party, he said a new form of English colonialism was emerging during a period when the fabric of society outside the south-east was threatened.

Plans to replace regional development agencies with 40 local enterprise partnerships (LEPs), and to withdraw funding from schemes designed to lessen the impact of immigration on public services, could fracture England's unity and breed resentment of the south of England, he said in a speech at Sheffield University.

Speaking to the Guardian, Blunkett added that the EDL, which has carried out a series of rallies this year, was trying to exploit the way in which Wales and Scotland received far more in government subsidies than regions such as Yorkshire.

In his speech at the centenary celebrations of Sheffield's Cambrian Society – which came before a speech tomorrow by the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, promoting economic development in the regions – Blunkett said the abolition of regional bodies will lead to the "Balkanisation" of England, and end the ability of regions outside London to fight global market forces.

He said: "Our civil society – the glue that holds us together and the driving force for being able to assist each other in times of need – will be unable to respond as the years go by.

"It is the fracturing, the tearing, of the social fabric that concerns me most. The fact that we are likely to see a disintegration of the acceptance of responsibility, of the obligations and duties we owe to each other.

"The denial that there is such a thing as regional identity pulls the centrifugal force of England into London and alienates those who are hardest hit by the cuts.

"London retains a development agency and demands more resources – and, in capital funding, gets it – as the scarce resources available are pulled like a magnet into the developments for and around the Olympic Games."

The government has spoken of a need to rebalance the economy, but Blunkett claimed the bodies capable of helping that process were being systematically shut.

He claimed many of the engines of regional growth were being dismantled. The business secretary, Vince Cable, confirmed this week that LEPs will have no independent funding. Blunkett told the Guardian: "It is a formula for disaster, a tearing of the social fabric and either a return to the riots of 1981, or the growth of rightwing English nationalism."

He said he was concerned that Labour had, with the exception of Tony Blair, not found a language to address the concerns and anti-statism of the English. He said: "Through the Midlands, the south, the east, and the south-west, the 'anti-state' nature of individualism and an innate conservatism is a powerful force. Outside the culturally diverse and cosmopolitan city of London, the south and east returned just 10 Labour MPs out of over 200 constituencies on 6 May this year."

The Guardian

Far right English Defence League (EDL) to protest outside Harrow Council over Halal school menus (UK)

A far right group that backed last year's Harrow mosque protests looks set to return to the borough to demonstrate over Halal menus.

The English Defence League (EDL) has fought repeated street battles with Unite Against Fascism (UAF) in cities like Birmingham, Bradford and Bolton, and the two groups look set to meet in Harrow in January.

The organisation, which says it wants a peaceful protest, is demonstrating against Halal only meat menus in the borough's schools, an issue that has already proved divisive among residents locally.

A statement on a Facebook event created by the group reads: “The English Defence League is against the inhumane slaughter of animals to produce Halal meat.

“The English Defence League is also against the rituals of Islam being forced upon our next generation without choice.”

UAF already look likely to hold a counter-demonstration and the Brent and Harrow branch has emailed supporters warning them of the date.

The email states: “If they decide to go ahead with this lunatic scheme, we will mobilise against them.

“They must not be able to invade our borough unopposed. We defend our children's right to be served food in school that meets their dietary needs whether these needs are medical or religious.

“Parents should be confident that their children will be served healthy food that meets their needs and beliefs.”

EDL supported two protests organised by another group, SIOE, against Harrow Central Mosque last year – one on September 11, the anniversary of the terror attacks in America, and one on December 13.

On both occasions anti-mosque protesters were dwarfed by their anti-fascist rivals and mocked with chants of “there are many, many more of us than you”.

But the threat to protest outside Harrow Civic Centre, in Station Road, on Saturday, January 15, between 2pm and 4pm, is likely to bring a return of fears for the unity of one of the country's most religiously and culturally diverse areas.

Harrow Council says it has no say over what menus are offered in school canteens and has written to all headteachers in the borough asking them to take into account the needs of all faith groups.

But the authority's headquarters has been chosen as the target of the EDL protest anyway, and the location has added significance since it is opposite Harrow Central Mosque.

At the time of publication, 154 people had accepted invitations to the EDL Facebook event.

Harrow Times

3 more suspects indicted in Bronx hate crimes (USA)

Three more anti-gay gang sex assault suspects have been indicted, while charges against a 4th man were dismissed.


22-year-old Jose Dominguez, 23-year-old Idelfonso Mendez, and 21-year-old David Rivera were all charged with gang assault in the first and second degrees, assault in the first, second and third degrees, robbery in the second degree, and aggravated sexual abuse in the third degree.

Twelve of the 28 counts were charged as hate crimes.

Charges were dismissed against 17-year-old Dennis Piters, as the prosecution stated that it had insufficient evidence to meet the burden of proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Tuesday, Eyewitness News learned that three other defendants were cleared.

They are Steven Caraballo, Brian Cepeda and Bryan Almonte.

They had been charged with robbery, gang assault and unlawful imprisonment. There were 11 people accused, and eight remain charged in the case.

Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson also announced that 26-year-old Luis Garcia has been indicted on charges of gang assault and other offenses in connection with the alleged bias attack.

Garcia is facing a maximum sentence of up to 25 years imprisonment if convicted of first-degree robbery, a Class B felony offense.

The maximum sentence for the gang assault charge is 15 years imprisonment.

The brutal attacks happened earlier this month when two 17-year-olds and a 30-year-old man, who were believed to be gay, were allegedly brutally attacked by members of a gang called the Latin King Goonies.
The victims were attacked in an apartment in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx. They were allegedly beaten and two of them sodomized.

A grand jury has been meeting for some time considering the evidence in the case.

"He was not involved in this from the beginning, he was never a gang member, and I'm glad to see justice was done here," said Almonte's attorney.

Three other defendants, 23-year-old Elmer Confresi, 17-year-old Nelson Falu, and 22-year-old Ruddy Vargas, are awaiting grand jury action.

All three defendants are scheduled to appear in State Supreme Court, Part 60 on Thursday, October 28th.

ABC Local

He is not in government, but Wilders dominates first day of debate (Netherlands)

Prime minister Mark Rutte will answer his parliamentary critics on Wednesday during the second day of debate on the new government’s plans.

On Tuesday, opposition party leaders attacked the new minority government’s failure to introduce jobs and housing market reforms, and criticised the influence of anti-Islam campaigner Geert Wilders.

Rutte heads a minority administration with the Christian Democrats. The anti-Islam PVV has signed a deal to partner the government on some issues, particularly immigration.

Dual nationality
In particular, Rutte is expected to address the hot potato of dual nationality. A junior minister in the new cabinet holds both Dutch and Swedish nationality while a VVD MP is Dutch and British.

Wilders says the minister should give up her Swedish passport but Rutte has already said he sees no problem with the situation. According to Nos tv, Wilders will come up with a motion of no confidence in the government if the minister does not comply.

Reforms
During Tuesday´s debate, Wilders also claimed credit for persuading the new government not to overhaul the social security system. Both the VVD and CDA wanted to cut unemployment benefits and reform redundancy law.

‘We are very proud of that,’ Wilders said. The ‘fantastic’ results which the PVV delivered during the coalition talks will deliver his party even more supporters, Wilders said.

But opposition MPs accused the VVD and CDA of failing to deliver election promises on reform.

Real leaderWilders is ‘the real leader… the kidnapper,’ D66 leader Alexander Pechtold said.

And he accused the CDA of ´political hypocrisy´ for handing itself over to the PVV.

Labour leader Job Cohen warned Rutte should not assume Labour would back the government when PVV support was lacking.

‘We will not be used to plaster over the cracks in the coalition,’ Cohen said during the debate. The PVV is calling the shots in the new cabinet, the Labour leader said. ‘Wilders’ will is law.’

Disagreements
Femke Halsema, leader of the left wing greens GroenLinks, asked Wilders to say which parts of the coalition agreement he disagreed with.

Wilders refused. ‘You will have to wait for that,’ he was quoted as saying.

Dutch News

Swedish far right not welcome at Nobel dinner

Sweden Democrats' (SD) leader Jimmie Åkesson is the only parliamentary party leader not invited to the Nobel banquet in Stockholm City Hall in December, with the Nobel Foundation citing the values expressed in Alfred Nobel's will.

"It comes across very clearly that no consideration should be made to nationality affiliation. SD's values stand in direct contravention of this," said Michael Sohlman, Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation, to the Aftonbladet daily.

The decision to exclude Åkesson from the guest list for the Nobel Banquet on December 10th was taken by a united Nobel Foundation board.

"We are a private foundation and decide ourselves who we want to come to the banquet," Sohlman said, explaining that the Sweden Democrats' policy programme indicates a view of humanity not compatible with that expressed by Alfred Nobel.

Jimmie Åkesson expressed surprise and disappointment at missing out on the festivities.

"It is regrettable, in recent years all the party leaders have been invited," he told the newspaper.

Åkesson described the decision as "controversial" and considered it strange for the committee to cite Alfred Nobel's last will and testament.

"I am surprised that they choose to take this stand and take this decision to single me out and not take a general position that they don't invite the party leaders," Åkesson told Sveriges Radio's P4 news programme on Wednesday.

"This seems to be a political decision. Michael Sohlman is after all a Social Democrat politician," he said.

The Nobel banquet is traditionally attended by the Swedish royal family, political leaders, Nobel prize winners and a host of other dignitaries. Further politicians on the list for this year's festivities include the foreign minister, finance minister, education minister and culture minister.

The Local Sweden

Drunk jailed for racist attack on Seven Sisters passenger (UK)

 A drunkard who unleashed a foul-mouthed racist rant after being woken up by a Seven Sisters employee has been jailed.

IT worker Noel Anthony Walker, of Camden, was found drunk and semi-conscious at the Victoria Line station by the member of staff on August 25.

But when he tried to help Walker, he was racially abused Walker pleaded guilty at Haringey Magistrates Court earlier this month for racially aggravated harassment and causing alarm and distress to a Tube worker. He was sentenced to eight weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months, plus a nine-month supervision order and must enrol on a nine-month alcohol treatment programme.

A passenger who overheard the remarks challenged Walker over his racist rant and the pair ended up in a tussle. The British Transport Police were called and Walker was arrested and later charged.

Aidan Harris, manager of London Underground's workplace violence unit, said: "There was no need for Walker's offensive rant, especially as our member of staff was trying to help him when he was clearly too intoxicated to look after himself.

"This supervision order and nine months alcohol treatment will hopefully make Walker reconsider his actions in the future."

British Transport Police Inspector Kate Shaw said: "The member of staff was merely trying to help Walker but was racially abused for his trouble.

"Behaviour such as this will not be tolerated and I hope the victim feels that justice has been done with the sentence handed to Walker."

Haringey Independant

SUSPENDED SENTENCE FOR CZECH AUTHOR OF "THE FINAL SOLUTION TO THE GYPSY QUESTION" (Czech Rep.)

Today the District Court in Písek, Czech Republic sentenced Jiøí Gaudin, the author of a study entitled "The Final Solution to the Gypsy Question", to a 14-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. Gaudin had faced up to three years in prison for inciting racial hatred. Until this year, Gaudin had been a member of the leadership of the ultra-nationalist National Party. The release of his study on "The Final Solution to the Gypsy Question" was celebrated last April by 20 members and promoters of the National Party at Lety, the site of a Nazi concentration camp for Roma during the Second World War. The publication, which court experts said refers in its title to the Nazi plan to murder European Jews, was adopted as official National Party material last year. At the time, Gaudin said his study was a solid piece of work: "This is not a provocation, it's a serious scholarly work including contributions from experts who are currently publishing." The other experts' names are not listed in the publication; Gaudin said this was because they did not want to encounter problems in their other work as a result of their participation in the project. The extreme-right National Party entered the Czech political scene in 2002, agitating against the European Union and immigrants for several years before falling apart last autumn.

Romea

UK BARS MINISTER FROM ISLAMIC MEET

British prime minister David Cameron barred the country's first ever and only Muslim cabinet minister, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, from attending a conference dominated by Islamic fundamentalists on Sunday. The move has sparked wrangling within the Conservative Party to which both belong and the country's coalition government over how the government should handle extremism. Cameron reportedly asked Warsi, who is of Pakistani origin, not to attend the G lobal Peace and Unity meet on the grounds that hardliners, "who have justified suicide missions and supported al-Qaida, homophobia and terrorism were participating in it.`` Warsi is said to be of the view that confronting extremists publicly was an effective way of dealing with militancy.

The United Kingdom`s Sunday Times newspaper quoted a government source as saying, "She had hoped to attend, but there is a conflict of opinion on how extremists should be dealt with and the prime minister, supported by Theresa May (the home minister), were adamant that no Tories (Conservatives) should attend." Liberal Democrats, however, are of the belief that extremists should be publicly confronted. Their communities minister, Andrew Stunell, stressed in a speech at the event that the British government will not tolerate extremism, hatred, and intolerance in any form. Sadiq Khan, also of Pakistani descent, who was a minister of state in Gordon Brown`s government and new Labour leader Ed Miliband`s campaign director, also spoke at the gathering British television channel, Islam Channel, had organised the meet.

A Muslim think-tank, the Quilliam Foundation, had earlier this year accused the channel of promoting extremist groups.

Times of India

UKRAINE CALLING: WEEK AGAINST RACISM

A series of anti-racism events has been organized in Ukraine during the Football against Racism in Europe Action Week from 16 through 26 October 2010 - as the country prepares to co-host UEFA EURO 2012.

Some serious racist incidents occurred in Ukrainian football earlier this year. For example, FC Karpaty Lviv fans displayed a banner 'Turkish pigs get out of Europe!' during a Europa League game against Galatasaray Istanbul on 26 August. On 7 September, the extreme-right party Svoboda, together with racist fan groups, conducted a 1000-strong 'March for Ukrainian Football' before the international friendly Ukraine-Chile in Kiev, demanding a purge of foreign players from the Ukrainian clubs. A recent report by the Football against Prejudices group and the East Europe Monitoring Centre documents the wide-spread use of racist and far-right symbols on Ukrainian stadiums. Against this backdrop, anti-racist activities took place across the large country, from Donetsk in the east to Lviv in the west. FARE events were organized in Kiev, Vinnitsa, Odessa, Kharkiv, Mukachevo (Trans-Carpathian region), and other places, too. They included special banners unfurled at league games, grass-roots multi-ethnic football tournaments involving migrants and refugees, and high-profile round table discussions prepared by FARE partners: the Eastern European Development Institute, the African Centre, NEEKA Foundation, Arsenal Kiev fans, and other groups. Several activities were launched and supported directly by the 'NEVER AGAIN' Association which coordinates the FARE East European Development Project.

'Both Poland and Ukraine have their problems with xenophobia, but there are reasons for optimism, too. We need to monitor hate crime and hate speech closely and develop further cooperation with the brave Ukrainian anti-racists, ethnic minorities as well as policy-makers and opinion-leaders' - said Dr Rafal Pankowski, the coordinator of the FARE Eastern European Development Project and the Warsaw-based East Europe Monitoring Centre, who attended the meetings in Lviv and Kiev. 'Ukraine is a country full of diversity. It is important to reflect itin its preparations towards EURO 2012. There are many nationalities, ethnic groups, cuisine, folk styles in this vast country and more than 45 thousand foreign students studying here. EURO 2012 is an occasion to celebrate the diversity' - said Dr Mridula Ghosh, the chair of the FARE partner organization Eastern European Development Institute (EEDI), who co-organized recent round tables on football and tolerance in Donetsk and Lviv, with the support of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation office In Ukraine and the State Committee for Nationalities and Religions of Ukraine.

'There is a long way to go, but racism cannot go unchallenged' - adds Charles Asante-Yeboa, president of the FARE partner African Centre, who organized a series of anti-racism matches during the FARE Action Week in numerous cities across Ukraine.

 Never Again Association

EDL Demo fears

A far-right group’s plans to demonstrate in Preston city centre were today met with condemnation by community leaders.

Police expect up to 1,000 members of the English Defence League (EDL) to converge on the Flag Market on November 27, although organisers say 2,000 have signed up to the protest.

But the number of people taking to the streets could be swelled 
further by counter action from Unite Against Fascism (UAF), which plans to demonstrate against the EDL on the same day “in equal or greater numbers”.

The EDL has notified police and Preston Council of its plans to “peacefully protest in Preston”. It would involve a short walk along Church Street, from the minster to the public square.

The proposals have attracted widespread opposition from religious leaders, trade unionists and councillors, who have signed up to a “unity statement”, while Muslim leaders have appealed to their congregations to ignore the protests.

Meanwhile, EDL organisers
remained defiant that the demo would go ahead.

Salim Mulla, chairman of the Lancashire Council of Mosques said: “We’ve appealed to the Muslim community across Lancashire not to get involved in any demonstrations against the EDL and we don’t give it any prominence whatsoever.”

“Rather than promote these 
people, it’s better to ignore these people.”

And Elyas Desai, prayer leader at the Mahad mosque in Deepdale Road, said: “I don’t think we need a silly group like this to come to Preston to spoil the great harmony we have.”

Nafysa Patel, race hate manager at the Preston and Western Lancashire Racial Equality Council, said the organisation had signed the unity statement and said: “Preston has enjoyed good community relations for many years and, on the whole, the city enjoys the vibrancy and cohesiveness of the diverse society it contains.

“This statement provides us with the opportunity to peacefully voice our opposition to any disruption caused through the EDL presence in our city of Preston.”

Riot police arrested 13 men at a similar protest in Leicester earlier this month involving around 3,000 EDL protesters and 600 from UAF. Several fireworks, bottles and coins were thrown.

Darren Johnson from the Preston Casuals, a division of Casuals United, which he described as the “backbone of the EDL” said recent protests in London and Blackpool had been peaceful.

He said: “It depends how it is on the day but we’re peacefully protesting.

“This demonstration will be going ahead because we’re allowed to do a static demonstration - it’s our democratic right.”

He said the planned new mosque in Watling Street Road was a “symbol of domination”.

Drew Gale, a Labour councillor who represents the town centre ward, said he would be joining the UAF counter-protest and said: “I’ll be standing shoulder to shoulder with the UAF in opposition. I think it’s the duty of right-minded individuals to oppose such things.”

Chief Supt Tim Jacques from Preston Police said officers had the power to impose certain conditions when granting permission but could not ban the groups from demonstrating.

He said: “All we want to do is make sure there’s no crime or disorder as a result of whatever happens.

“If it’s lawful, you have a right to express your opinion as long as public order is maintained.

“At this stage, nothing has been agreed, approved or granted. We’re still in negotiations and we will work with both groups.

“It’s really important to make sure the community is involved in relation to the planning (of the policing) and I’m really confident that is and will continue to happen in Preston.”

He said the fact the demonstration was planned for the same day as Preston North End’s home game with Millwall, who have a notorious hooligan following, would not cause any resourcing problems.

The demo had been planned for November 20 but clashed with Preston’s Christmas lights switch-on, also on the Flag Market.

Lorraine Norris, chief executive of Preston Council, said: “The police, councils and other agencies are fully prepared and are working together closely to manage any static protest to ensure that they are peaceful as Preston respects the right for people to protest peacefully.

“Preston will be open as usual and people should continue to go about their normal business as the police, councils and other agencies will work to minimise disruption to the city centre whilst balancing that against the rights of protesters.”

Lancaster Evening Post

NEW SHOOTINGS REPORTED IN MALMÖ (Sweden)

Malmö police received a further report on what could be another of the wave of shootings suspected to be directed against people of immigrant descent in the city, while residents came out in force to demonstrate against the violence.

 Police received a report from a man on Östra Farmvägen in the Kartrinelund area of the city who thought that he had been the target of a shooting. "He said that he had heard some form of bang or a crack and we went over to speak to the man and search for any clues," said Charley Nilsson at Skåne police. Just prior to that several people got in touch regrading a shooting by a local store on Ramels väg. "We we got there we found four empty cases and deemed that they came from a start pistol and not a live weapon," said Nilsson. He continued to point out that it remains serious if someone has let off a shot with a start pistol, not only because someone could get hurt, but also considering that it could contribute to the level of fear and concern regarding the wave of unsolved shootings. "Furthermore it uses up time which we could otherwise use for something else and perhaps more important work," Nilsson said.

On Monday evening police seized a car after the driver heard a bang and then the rear windscreen exploded. "We was about to drive out of a garage on Ramels väg when he heard the noise," Nilsson said. Police do not believe that anyone has shot directly at the car or the driver, however. "But we want to be certain and rule it out." Elsewhere on Monday evening, several hundred people gathered in a new demonstration against violence and social marginalization, in response to the shootings in the city. "Together we are bulletproof," read one of the banners. At a press conference earlier in the day it was concluded that 19 of the 50 or so shootings which have occurred since October last year have been consigned the file marked unexplained which are now the focus of investigations. "The profiling group have now gone through all the cases and come to the conclusion that there are good grounds to believe that it concerns the same perpetrator, but we can not get stuck on the idea," said detective inspector Börje Sjöholm at Skåne county police.

Police have confirmed that one person has died and eight people have been injured as a result of the attacks which have been compared to the "Laserman" spate of shootings which occurred in the early 1990s. Laserman was the nickname given to John Ausonius, who shot 11 people of immigrant origin, killing one, in and around Stockholm from August 1991 to January 1992. Ausonius, who in many of the attacks used a rifle equipped with a laser sight, was sentenced to life behind bars in 1994 and remains in prison. Just as with the Laserman case, the recent shootings in Malmö come at a time when an openly anti-immigration party has just entered the Swedish parliament. This year, the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats won 20 seats in parliament in the September 19th election with an especially strong showing in the south of Sweden.

The Local Sweden

White supremacy groups still thriving in SETX (USA)

The presence of the Aryan Brotherhood and other white supremacy groups is a concern for law enforcement. The Tyler County Sheriff is trying to determine if three suspects accused of firing shots into a home near Spurger are part of such a group.


Deputies arrested Cory William Barker, John Brian Simank and Brandon Allen Gray after shots were fired into homes along Highway 92 last Saturday night.

"That’s not something we are going to tolerate here and we are going to do everything we can to keep them out of this county,” says Tyler County Sheriff David Hennigan.

Sheriff Hennigan is worried. Worried for the people who live in Tyler County on remote, winding roads near wooded areas, and who deal with what he calls "these kinds of gangs."

"Keeping an eye on these groups," said Hennigan. "Letting them know, 'hey, we are watching you. We see you.'"

Seeing and watching for increased violence like house fires and shootings his office has investigated off and on for several months. A sure sign, he says, white supremacy groups are back.

"It's one of those things you put two and two together," said Hennigan. "The tattoos that identify them with a gang or group."

The sheriff is trying to find out if the three men arrested are part of such a gang or group. He said whatever group they might belong to was not a factor in the violence they're accused of.

Sheriff Hennigan said the men were driving on Highway 92 near Spurger and were involved in a domestic dispute that ended with the trio firing shots at several homes in the area.

"The individuals that were arrested, they were threatening the officers themselves," said Sheriff Hennigan. "Threatening their families.”

Sheriff Hennigan says he'll use whatever resources it takes, including the FBI and DPS, to keep those kinds of people out of his county.

"Have that gang mentality," said Hennigan. "They have a sense of family with these gangs. It makes them bold to do certain things that they wouldn't do otherwise unless they had the gang support."

 Support for groups that started decades ago and continues to thrive, finding a home not only in Tyler County but other parts of Southeast Texas.

The suspects are charged with organized criminal activity and they face other charges as well.


KFDM

PACE concerned over rise of far right in Europe

The Turkish head of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) expressed concerns on Monday over the rise of far-right parties in Europe, saying he hoped the surge in support for those parties was just a temporary issue stemming from the global financial crisis.

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said racist parties were on the rise across Europe, a trend that was worrying for the Council of Europe. The 47-member organization is working to inhibit the trend by promoting inter-cultural and inter-faith dialogue. “I am hoping that this is limited to the financial crisis in Europe and in the world. Otherwise it might lead to serious complications and problems,” he said.

Throughout much of Europe, parties denouncing multiculturalism and immigration have been gaining support. In liberal Sweden, the far-right Sweden Democrats, a party with a neo-Nazi history, won 20 seats in the Sept. 19 parliamentary vote, which was enough support to leave the leading center-right coalition without a governing majority. In the Netherlands, the country’s new center-right minority government depends on support from anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom.

Çavuşoğlu said despite the rise in the extreme right, other parties are still acting with common sense and supporting Turkey’s accession to the European Union, something to which Wilders is adamantly opposed. In Denmark, Hungary and Switzerland, far-right populist parties have similarly gained support and are advocating anti-immigration platforms that often focus on Muslims and tougher stances on law and order. Their steady rise comes as much of Europe is mired by the recession and the deep cuts in social programs made by governments.

Todays Zaman

Trial of eight alleged neo-Nazis starts in Prague (Czech Rep)

The trial of eight people, including alleged leaders of the Czech ultra-right extremist scene, who are charged with support and promotion of movements to suppress human rights and freedoms started by reading the charges at a Prague district court Monday.


The court Monday also rejected the request of Patrik Vondrak, former chairman of the Prague branch of the dissolved extremist Workers' Party (DS), for his release form custody where he had spent almost one year.
According to state attorney Zdenka Galkova, the eight people assisted in pasting up stickers of the neo-Nazi National Resistance (NO) movement and in organising a demonstration in memory of fallen German Wehrmacht soldiers and SS members.

Former DS member Michaela Dupova is also charged with operating a website of the Resistance Women Unity (RWU), a women's branch of the NO, according to police, and helping organise a concert of "white power music."

Dupova is still in custody as well.

If found guilty, the accused extremists face up to eight years in prison since they committed crimes as members od an organised group in a very efficient way, Galkova said.

Police consider Vondrak one of the leading and most active representatives of the neo-Nazi NO. He was also a co-founder of the Young National Democrats civic association which tried to stage a march of ultra-right radicals through Prague' Jewish quarter on November 10, 2007, the anniversary of the Kristallnacht (Crystal Night) anti-Jewish pogrom in Nazi Germany in the night of November 10, 1938.

The other charged persons are Milan Hroch, former chairman of the DS regional organisation in Vysocina, Richard Lang, Filip Vavra, who invited former Grand Wizard of Ku-Klux-Klan David Duke to the Czech Republic, DS candidate in the 2008 EP elections Petr Fryc, Daniel Zavadil and Martin Vaclavek.
Hroch, Vavra and Lang are reportedly also connected with the NO.

Prague Monitor

EDL THREATEN TO "CLOSE YOUR TOWNS" OVER XMAS BANS (UK)

A far-right group has vowed to “close down” any town that ditches British traditions and shows favouritism to  Muslims.

The English Defence League said it has written to every council in the country threatening a mass invasion if they ban the word “Christmas”. 

It includes using the term “winter festival” in case Christmas upsets Muslims. 

EDL leader Stephen Lennon said “working class people” in the UK were “at boiling point” over what he says is the “Islamisation of Britain.” 

His declaration comes after yesterday’s Daily Star poll found 98% of readers fear that Britain is becoming a Muslim state. 

He said: “If the politicians aren’t going to stick up for us, we will make them, because we will cause so much fuss and so much noise they are going to have to listen. 

“We will not back down or be beaten into submission. We don’t care if you call us racists. We are coming anyway. We are going to continue doing it until someone listens.” 

The EDL was set up last year after Islamic extremists hijacked a homecoming parade for British troops in Luton, Beds. 

On Sunday more than 250 EDL members joined US activist Rabbi Nachum Shifren at an anti-Palestine demo outside the Israeli Embassy in London. 

John Cruddas, Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham, said: “All parties must search for a definition of modern England to choke off what the EDL taps into.”

 

Daily Star 

Man guilty of threats to family of White (USA)

A Baltimore man who claimed to be part of the Aryan Brotherhood pleaded guilty Monday to threatening the wife and daughter of jailed neo-Nazi leader William A. White.

Timothy Grant Bland, 45, admitted in federal court in Roanoke to sending a threat via interstate commerce, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Bland was allowed to stay free on $35,000 bond. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 19.

Bland said in court that he was angered by what he interpreted as harassing statements White had made in December, when White was on trial for making racist threats. White, now serving a two-and-a-half-year prison term, faced the same charge as Bland, after calling or writing to people involved in race-related controversies -- or even just his personal finances -- around the country.

Bland was subpoenaed as a prosecution witness in White's trial, but was not called to testify. The object of his threats, Meghan White, was subpoenaed as a potential witness in her husband's defense, but did not testify.

Tim Heaphy, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, described Bland's threats as witness intimidation.

"We will do all we can to protect witnesses, in part by prosecuting anyone who subjects them with this kind of intimidation," Heaphy said in a statement Monday.

On Dec. 20, two days after a federal jury found William A. White guilty, Bland made a series of profanity-laced phone calls to Meghan White, saying he was coming to shoot her and her infant daughter, prosecutors said.

"You're a disgrace," Bland said in one of the calls, according to the U.S. attorney's office. "Aryan Brotherhood is coming for you."

The Aryan Brotherhood is a white supremacist prison gang. William A. White was commander of a now-defunct neo-Nazi organization in Roanoke.

In subsequent phone calls to Meghan White, Bland said he was on his way to Roanoke, then that he was in Roanoke, prosecutors said.

U.S. attorney's office spokesman Brian McGinn said Bland also text-messaged Meghan White a picture of his genitals.

Meghan White was terrified by the calls, McGinn said. She soon moved in with relatives, he said.

When authorities tracked down Bland, the text message picture of his genitals was still on his phone, McGinn said. Bland acknowledged the picture was of him, but said he did not remember sending it, McGinn said. Bland did not deny calling Meghan White, McGinn said.

Bland claimed the incident resulted from a "psychotic episode" triggered by alcohol and medication, McGinn said.

The same night Bland called Meghan White, he phoned 911 in Baltimore and said he was former member of a Nazi organization and that people were trying to kill him, McGinn said.

Though both Bland and Meghan White had been potential witnesses in William A. White's trial, Meghan White said she had never met Bland and did not think her husband had met him either, McGinn said. Prosecutors were not sure what specific remarks by William A. White had angered Bland, he said.

Roanoke attorney David Damico, who represented William A. White, said Bland was expected to testify about contact he'd had with White in neo-Nazi circles.

White, who moved to Roanoke in 2004 and gained notoriety for a website that trumpeted his neo-Nazi ideology -- and his knack for inserting himself into racial controversies across the country -- was convicted in December of threatening people in Missouri, Delaware and Virginia. He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

In August, a civil lawsuit in federal court ended in a $545,000 judgment against White. He had been sued by five black women to whom he had sent threatening letters after they became involved in a housing discrimination dispute with their white landlord in Virginia Beach.

White is scheduled to stand trial in Chicago in January on charges of encouraging violence against the foreman of a jury who had convicted a white supremacist there.

Roanoke