Businesses in Nuneaton have threatened to “shut up shop” if another rally by the English Defence League is allowed to go ahead in the town on a Saturday afternoon.
Calls have already been made by the borough council and the MP for action to be taken by the Home Secretary to prevent a repeat of last weekend’s arrival of 1,500 EDL supporters.
A massive police operation contained and controlled the demonstration away from the main shopping area – but store owners and stall holders were still left to count the cost, with takings badly hit.
“In 42 years, this was the worst Saturday afternoon I have ever known,” said Stuart Tooby, who sells confectionery and is a spokesman for Nuneaton market traders.
“It is the first time I have failed to take enough money to meet my day’s costs. I had to pay staff out of my own pocket. After lunchtime, the town was absolutely deserted. Shoppers stayed away because they were frightened of what might happen.
“The manager of one main store told me their takings were 50 per cent down. Others closed early and everyone started to pack up their stalls around 3pm. This is people’s livelihoods we are talking about – and we are not prepared to be put into this situation again.”
Mr Tooby said that traders will refuse to turn out if the EDL stages another Saturday demo in Nuneaton.
“Why should we be forced to lose money? We have made our feelings known to the council – and have suggested that in such circumstances, perhaps we could have the street market on a Friday or Sunday instead.”
Council leader Dennis Harvey said: “Nuneaton has now been targeted four times by the EDL and it is a mystery why they should pick on our town to cause disruption.
“It did have a disastrous effect on businesses last Saturday afternoon, as well as stretching the police resources.
“I do have to congratulate the police for the way they organised their operation and also thank everyone, traders and shoppers, who did try to go about their business as normal.”
A letter has gone from the borough council to Theresa May asking her to block any future EDL requests to meet in Nuneaton, while local MP Marcus Jones has also pressed the Home Secretary to take action.
He said: “It is unfair that our town has been targeted in this way, by people from outside the area coming in to cause disruption. It also puts businesses and people’s jobs at risk.”
Coventry Telegraph
Sunday, 5 December 2010
Racist T-shirts branded 'ignorant' (Australia)
The shirts, which are on a stall close to shops selling stuffed koalas and boomerangs, have been branded ignorant by a multicultural group.
One shirt, featuring the Australian map and flag, has the phrase, "This is Australia we eat meat, we drink beer and we speak f-----' English!'
Another sports the flag with the phrase, "Support it or f--- off!"
Andrew Jakubowicz, chair of the Institute for Cultural Diversity, said: "If somebody is so unsure about their identity that they need to use that kind of (phrase), it says more about them than it does about anyone else.
"It might take a while for some Australians to speak English, but those who use it the best don't need to use those kinds of words to make a point."
The discovery of the provocative shirts comes after the Federation of the Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia met sporting, religious and ethnic groups around the country last month to tackle racism nationwide.
Queen Victoria Market spokeswoman Misti Dullard said the market was "investigating the appropriateness" of the T-shirts and other items sold by stall operators.
"We have noticed that recently there has been an increase in (those) types of T-shirts," Ms Dullard said.
"Assuming the trader in question is permitted to sell T-shirts under our agreement with them and those T-shirts are legally and generally available then there is little that Queen Victoria Market Pty Ltd can do."
She said the market was widely recognised as one of the multicultural hubs of the city. The Australian manufacturer of one of the shirts, Samsousan Designs, also sells drug and sex-themed shirts online.
"The person wearing this T-shirt is a police officer lie flat on your back and do everything the nice police officer tells you to do," one shirt on the Samsousan website reads.
Sunday Herald Sun
POLICE INVESTIGATE TORCHLIT NEO-NAZI PARADE IN BERLIN (Germany)
A group of about 25 apparent neo-Nazis who marched through Berlin streets with flaming torches face an investigation for a possible hate crime, German police said on Saturday. The group marched in the inner-city district of Tiergarten and chanted offensive slogans Friday evening. Police said the chants broke Germany's law on sedition, which prohibits anti-Semitism and incitement to hatred.
Torchlit parades were a common ritual when German was under Nazi rule 1933-45. The group extinguished the torches and scattered before police arrived, but plain-clothes officers in the area detained four and collected leaflets the group had been handing out. Police said those identified were aged 20 to 26 and may face hate charges.
DPA
Torchlit parades were a common ritual when German was under Nazi rule 1933-45. The group extinguished the torches and scattered before police arrived, but plain-clothes officers in the area detained four and collected leaflets the group had been handing out. Police said those identified were aged 20 to 26 and may face hate charges.
DPA
Racism controversy dampens Holland's Sinterklaas tradition
For the Dutch, Sinterklaasavond (St. Nicholas Eve) on December 5 is the biggest celebration of the year - bigger than Christmas. That evening, families gather and exchange presents, and children leave out their shoes in the hopes that Sinterklaas will have fill them with candy by the next morning.
What seems like a harmless holiday devoted to gifts, candy, and children, has a catch: Sinterklaas' helpers, the Zwarte Pieten or "Black Peters," are portrayed according to degrading racial stereotypes.
They're typically dressed in 19th-century Moorish outfits, curly Afro wigs, and painted red lips. It is common for both adults and children to dress up as Zwarte Piet, complete with their faces painted black.
"Zwarte Piet is a person who is happy, who is the assistant of St. Nicholas, the first person who has contact with children and speaks with children," said Bert Jansen, a schoolteacher in Rotterdam who has organized the Rotterdam Sinterklaas parade for 10 years and also walks in the parade as the chief Zwarte Piet.
Indeed, nowadays the Zwarte Pieten are friendly characters that are clever and mischievous, and adored by children. Yet in the original Sinterklaas story, the Zwarte Pieten were slaves. Gradually, the tale evolved and they became Sinterklaas' helpers, but they were portrayed as being stupid and spoke broken Dutch with a Surinamese accent. They were also frightening figures: It was their job to punish misbehaved children by beating them.
In an effort to tone down any racist implication, the story now says Zwarte Piet is black because they're covered in chimney soot. However, some say that explanation is unconvincing.
"That just doesn't work for someone who is a grown-up. Where did the Afro come from?" commented Ama van Dantzig, a resident of Amsterdam whose mother is Ghanian and father Dutch.
Questioning the tradition
The proposal to eliminate Zwarte Piet from the celebration altogether has arisen from time to time, but not yet taken hold.
"Personally, I think it is an invented tradition and Sinterklaas can stay, but the Zwarte Pieten have to go," said Artwell Cain, director of the National Institute for the Study of Dutch Slavery and its Legacy (NiNsee). "It is an affront to people of the African Diaspora in the Netherlands, and it is not proper in this age."
The question is even more urgent today as the Netherlands is focusing more on integration efforts and the right-wing Party For Freedom - led by controversial figure Geert Wilders - is the third largest party in the Parliament.
At a time when there is pressure for minorities to integrate into Dutch society, a tradition like Zwarte Piet sends the wrong message, Cain said.
"If you are developing this sense of belonging and then this tradition of Zwarte Piet is running around, it diminishes your confidence in what you are as a Dutch person," Cain said. "You become something like an ambiguous citizen. You question yourself: 'Why do I have to enjoy this? Why do I have to be confronted openly with this form of racism?'"
Others see Zwarte Piet as an essential Dutch tradition that is enjoyed by all children and families, regardless of race or ethnic background.
"Everyone is happy about Zwarte Piet, and if you are from Holland or you come from Morocco or Somalia, every child puts his shoe by the door or chimney in the hope that Zwarte Piet puts a present in his shoe; everyone does it," said Peter Boelhouwer, an event organizer who has managed the Sinterklaas parade in The Hague for the past 10 years.
A 19th-century creation
Although celebrations around Sinterklaas date back to the 16th century, they were usually spontaneous, wild celebrations in the street, said John Helsloot, a researcher at the Meertens Institute who specializes in Sinterklaas traditions. The current story of Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet dates back to 1850, when Jan Schenkman, a schoolteacher from Amsterdam, published an illustrated children's book that introduced many elements of the Sinterklaas story that caught on, including the Zwarte Pieten.
The book was quite popular among the bourgeois and there was a readiness to adopt the festival, Helsloot said. From there, it slowly evolved into the celebration that exists today.
It's not uncommon for St. Nicholas figures to have a devilish companion - such a figure exists in both Austrian and Swiss traditions - but the Netherlands is the only place where he is imagined as a black man. It is difficult to say why this particular story emerged here, but Helsloot suggested that it could be tied to the Dutch abolishment of slavery in 1863.
"You can see that racism was stronger even after the abolishment of slavery," Helsloot said. "Zwarte Piet was part of this general idea of foreign people, black people as frightening, and that people should be punished by frightening figures."
Goodbye to Zwarte Piet?
If lasting changes are to be made to the Zwarte Pieten, it seems they will have to be organic rather than imposed by a political organization. In 2006, The Dutch Programme Foundation encouraged people to paint their faces with rainbow colors, but the effort failed and the next year the usual Zwarte Piet black face returned.
Though that's not to say change isn't possible.
"With more and more people like me who become Dutch and don't find it necessary that the Zwarte Pieten stay black, it can change, but slowly," said Sueli Brodin, a resident of Maastricht who is Japanese-French and has lived in The Netherlands for 19 years. "It has to happen naturally because society is changing."
Helsloot also could see a future where children smear their faces with black ink rather than paint their whole faces black to lose the racial association and show instead that Zwarte Piet is actually covered in chimney soot.
Still others say Zwarte Piet must be taken out of the tradition completely.
"I think it can happen, but it is completely tied to the question of racism in general and how we are conscious about how racism affects the whole of society," said Max van Lingen, a representative of the International Socialists who works on anti-racism campaigns. "This is not something that will happen within the next five years; it really is a long battle."
Van Dantzig is not as optimistic. "The people around me are highly educated, internationally-oriented people and the Dutch in that group don't understand the big deal with Zwarte Piet, and they are the future change makers if you ask me," she said. "They are very protective of Zwarte Piet and it will be difficult to change it."
DW-World
GERMAN COURT UPHOLDS FINE AGAINST FAR-RIGHT PARTY
A German court on Friday upheld a fine imposed on the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) for failing to declare part of its income. The party is on the verge of financial ruin because of earlier fines. The federal parliament had imposed the 33,000-euro (43,400 dollar) fine on the party for false accounting practices between 2004 and 2007.
The NPD had failed to declare 16,603 euros of income from two constituencies. In 2009, the same court ordered the NPD to pay 1.27 million euros for filing erroneous tax returns in 2007 - halving the original penalty imposed by parliament. In a separate court ruling, parliament in the state of Saxony received legal backing on Friday for its temporary expulsion of NPD leader Holger Apfel for anti-Semitic comments earlier this year.
In June, Apfel was excluded from parliament for 10 days after calling Israel a 'rogue state,' amongst other things. He had refused to leave until police officers escorted him from the building.
DPA
The NPD had failed to declare 16,603 euros of income from two constituencies. In 2009, the same court ordered the NPD to pay 1.27 million euros for filing erroneous tax returns in 2007 - halving the original penalty imposed by parliament. In a separate court ruling, parliament in the state of Saxony received legal backing on Friday for its temporary expulsion of NPD leader Holger Apfel for anti-Semitic comments earlier this year.
In June, Apfel was excluded from parliament for 10 days after calling Israel a 'rogue state,' amongst other things. He had refused to leave until police officers escorted him from the building.
DPA
West Brom: James Morrison talks about racism in Russia
West Brom take on Newcastle this afternoon but the nation continues to debate the fall-out of England’s failed 2018 bid amid allegations of corruption within the FIFA.
But it has been relatively forgotten that Russian fans were recently caught up in a racism storm involving Albion striker Peter Odemwingie.
Supporters of his former club Lokomotiv Moscow unfurled a banner with ‘thanks West Brom’ plastered across the front alongside an image of a banana.
Albion fans protested and hit back with a banner of their own, produced in the style of the Kick Racism Out of Football logo.
Odemwingie was this week unwilling to offer his opinion on Russia’s success, although he had previously endorsed both the English and Russian bids.
Scotland international Morrison hopes that some good will come out of FIFA’s controversial decision to hand Russia the tournament.
He cited South Africa’s World Cup which was relatively successful from an administrative and logistical point of view, despite fears being voiced before the tournament about the potential for crime and a lack of organisation.
“It’s a real shame England won’t be hosting it – Russia haven’t got the stadia that we have,” said Morrison.
“Money talks I suppose, doesn’t it?
“They had the Champions League final a few years ago so maybe it will be a success.
“But the one thing I do hope is that this helps them get racism out of their game. It will hurt them otherwise.
“Peter got some stick which was very unpleasant.
Sunday Mercury
Saturday, 4 December 2010
Man indicted over 'bomb factory' in California home (USA)
 |
George Jakubec, who allegedly had the single largest horde of homemade explosives ever found in the US, is to be arraigned on charges involving the explosives and three bank robberies.
Investigators reportedly recovered nine detonators, 13 grenade casing
and various quantities of high explosives.
State charges were dropped in the case.
Authorities say chemicals similar to those used in mid-air terror plots were found in the house in the southern California town of Escondido.
Police were first called to the 54-year-old's home on 18 November when a gardener caused an explosion in Mr Jakubec's backyard.
Explosive 'hobby'
The house contained so many explosives that officials now plan to burn down the home in order to avoid the risk of incurring injury while transporting chemicals out of the residence.
Crews have begun building a 16ft (4.8m) wall around Mr Jakubec's home in order to protect other houses in the neighbourhood during next week's controlled fire.Deputy District Attorney Terri Perez told a San Diego County judge on Friday that the case was being transferred to federal jurisdiction.
"A decision was made that the more appropriate venue would be federal court," Mr Perez said.
Mr Jakubec also faces one count of attempted bank robbery. All the alleged bank robberies were committed in 2009 and 2010.
Marina Ivanova, Mr Jakubec's estranged wife, told the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper he was obsessive about his "hobby".
BBC News
Four arrests over Stoke-on-Trent mosque arson (UK)
The incident is being treated by police as a deliberate racist attack.
Officers were called to Regent Road at 0630 GMT after live CCTV footage showed smoke emerging from inside the building.
Three males aged 16, 18 and 19, and an 18-year-old female remain in custody. All are from the local area.
A Staffordshire Police spokeswoman said there was no structural damage, but the fire was being treated as a case of criminal damage.
'Community appalled'
Police said the attackers fed a gas pipe from a nearby building through a mosque window.
Ch Insp Wayne Jones said: "It's clearly visible for people to see.
"A gas meter on an external wall has been interfered with. That's gone into the mosque and the damage could have been significant.
"At this stage we are treating this incident as a racist attack on a religious building.
"I am sure the community are as appalled as we are at this behaviour."
Stoke-on-Trent CID are examining the scene and CCTV footage of the area.
BBC news
Elderly couple tell of racism ordeal (Wales, UK)
An elderly couple who have faced 10 years of racist harassment have taken the brave step of speaking out publicly and appealing for help.
Alfred and Olive Dunrod have seen stones and rubbish thrown in their garden, their car has been vandalised and they have been racially taunted.
In the worst attack, Mr Dunrod, 79, a retired British Rail engineer, was beaten unconscious after he chased and confronted youths who were throwing stones at his home in 2007.
And although the harassment stopped after the pensioner was attacked, it returned about a year ago.
Mrs Dunrod, a mother of five, said: “As soon as it gets dark they start throwing stones at the house. What do they want with us? We are old people. We feel very threatened and I’m afraid it might happen again.
“We are always called names and being sworn at. My daughter phoned the police and they said there’s nothing more they can do. Then I get a phone call about paying £1,000 to have CCTV installed.
“For the things I’ve put up with, other people would have had a nervous breakdown. I’m not going to give in to them. This is how they get their kicks. Why can’t they leave us alone?”
Their youngest daughter Jennifer said although her feisty mum and dad stand up to the bullies who target their home in Manorbier Crescent, Rumney, Cardiff, it is very difficult for them.
“It’s only going to stop when someone kills my dad or when my parents get injured,” she said.
“My parents have lived there for more than 50 years. They call them racially abusive names.
“When my dad was attacked, it stopped for a while, but now in 2010 we are back to square one. They are an easy target. It doesn’t seem as though the police are bothered.
“The people doing this are about 18 to 20. They’re adults. If he cowered behind the curtains and watched it happen, they probably would have left my dad alone. But he’s standing up for his family. What if he has a heart attack with the strain of it?
“My mum is quite a strong lady but I know this is wearing her down.”
Mr and Mrs Dunrod say they have received a visit from a neighbourhood police officer but were given little hope of making progress without being able to identify the culprits.
Chief Inspector Marc Lewis, from Rumney Police Station, said: “Tackling anti-social behaviour is a priority for South Wales Police as we know it can have a destructive effect on individuals and the quality of life for whole communities.
“The issue of youth annoyance in Manorbier Crescent has recently been brought to the attention of local officers and every effort is being made to reduce such incidents and identify those responsible.
“The Rumney Neighbourhood Policing Team is fully aware of the issues and will continue to carry out regular patrols in the area.
“We would remind young people to consider the impact their actions might have on others and urge parents to speak to their children about acting responsibly while out and about.
“As always I would encourage people to report all incidents of anti-social behaviour to 101, or 999 in an emergency.
“Only when we are told about incidents can we take action and tackle the problem.”
Wales Online
Alfred and Olive Dunrod have seen stones and rubbish thrown in their garden, their car has been vandalised and they have been racially taunted.
In the worst attack, Mr Dunrod, 79, a retired British Rail engineer, was beaten unconscious after he chased and confronted youths who were throwing stones at his home in 2007.
And although the harassment stopped after the pensioner was attacked, it returned about a year ago.
Mrs Dunrod, a mother of five, said: “As soon as it gets dark they start throwing stones at the house. What do they want with us? We are old people. We feel very threatened and I’m afraid it might happen again.
“We are always called names and being sworn at. My daughter phoned the police and they said there’s nothing more they can do. Then I get a phone call about paying £1,000 to have CCTV installed.
“For the things I’ve put up with, other people would have had a nervous breakdown. I’m not going to give in to them. This is how they get their kicks. Why can’t they leave us alone?”
Their youngest daughter Jennifer said although her feisty mum and dad stand up to the bullies who target their home in Manorbier Crescent, Rumney, Cardiff, it is very difficult for them.
“It’s only going to stop when someone kills my dad or when my parents get injured,” she said.
“My parents have lived there for more than 50 years. They call them racially abusive names.
“When my dad was attacked, it stopped for a while, but now in 2010 we are back to square one. They are an easy target. It doesn’t seem as though the police are bothered.
“The people doing this are about 18 to 20. They’re adults. If he cowered behind the curtains and watched it happen, they probably would have left my dad alone. But he’s standing up for his family. What if he has a heart attack with the strain of it?
“My mum is quite a strong lady but I know this is wearing her down.”
Mr and Mrs Dunrod say they have received a visit from a neighbourhood police officer but were given little hope of making progress without being able to identify the culprits.
Chief Inspector Marc Lewis, from Rumney Police Station, said: “Tackling anti-social behaviour is a priority for South Wales Police as we know it can have a destructive effect on individuals and the quality of life for whole communities.
“The issue of youth annoyance in Manorbier Crescent has recently been brought to the attention of local officers and every effort is being made to reduce such incidents and identify those responsible.
“The Rumney Neighbourhood Policing Team is fully aware of the issues and will continue to carry out regular patrols in the area.
“We would remind young people to consider the impact their actions might have on others and urge parents to speak to their children about acting responsibly while out and about.
“As always I would encourage people to report all incidents of anti-social behaviour to 101, or 999 in an emergency.
“Only when we are told about incidents can we take action and tackle the problem.”
Wales Online
Friday, 3 December 2010
OMBUDSMAN: BAN ON NIQAB IN SWEDISH SCHOOLS IS DISCRIMINATION
A ban against wearing veils that cover the face at schools and universities violates the Swedish discrimination act, the country's equality ombudsman ruled Wednesday. The decision by Katri Linna was the first concerning full-face veils in Sweden. It was sparked by a complaint made in early 2009 by a young Muslim woman who was studying to become a kindergarten teacher, who was told she could not wear the full-face niqab at her school in Stockholm. In her decision, Linna said the right to wear religious garb did not mean that safety measures should be neglected but 'schools, or employers, are obliged to seek solutions to possible obstacles.'
The plaintive finished with good results, suggesting that 'her niqab did not constitute an obstacle for her training,' Linna said. During class, the woman was seated so that her male co-students could not see her face and she did not have to wear her niqab. Linna would not seek legal action against the school since the student was allowed to complete her year-long education pending the decision by the equality ombudsman agency. Linna, who has been criticized for the slow handling of the case, said the decision did not consider if a woman wearing the niqab could work at a kindergarten. There are no statistics on how many female students in Sweden wear the full-body burqa or the niqab. Estimates suggest there are at least 100,000 practicing Muslims among Sweden's 9.4 million inhabitants - but that number is uncertain as there are no official statistics. The equality ombudsman was set up to ensure compliance with the discrimination act that bans discrimination due to gender, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age.
In August, Education Minister Jan Bjorklund said he wanted leaders of Swedish schools and universities to be allowed to ban students from wearing clothes that cover their faces, including the burqa, the niqab or balaclava masks.
DPA
The plaintive finished with good results, suggesting that 'her niqab did not constitute an obstacle for her training,' Linna said. During class, the woman was seated so that her male co-students could not see her face and she did not have to wear her niqab. Linna would not seek legal action against the school since the student was allowed to complete her year-long education pending the decision by the equality ombudsman agency. Linna, who has been criticized for the slow handling of the case, said the decision did not consider if a woman wearing the niqab could work at a kindergarten. There are no statistics on how many female students in Sweden wear the full-body burqa or the niqab. Estimates suggest there are at least 100,000 practicing Muslims among Sweden's 9.4 million inhabitants - but that number is uncertain as there are no official statistics. The equality ombudsman was set up to ensure compliance with the discrimination act that bans discrimination due to gender, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age.
In August, Education Minister Jan Bjorklund said he wanted leaders of Swedish schools and universities to be allowed to ban students from wearing clothes that cover their faces, including the burqa, the niqab or balaclava masks.
DPA
2 cleared, 1 guilty in white supremacists case (USA)
A federal jury on Wednesday acquitted two men and convicted a third in what prosecutors said was a conspiracy by white supremacists to sell grenades and guns to a purported national supremacist group member, who was really a government informant.
The jury at the U.S. District Court in Bridgeport found Kenneth Zrallack, 29, of Ansonia and David Sutton, 46, of Milford not guilty of conspiracy charges. Alexander DeFelice, 33, of Milford, was convicted of several conspiracy and weapons charges.
Federal prosecutors said Zrallack is the leader of the Connecticut-based Battalion 14 white supremacist group, formerly known as the Connecticut White Wolves. Officials said DeFelice is a Battalion 14 member who knows how to make explosives, while Sutton, who is black, has known DeFelice for years but isn't a white supremacist.
"I am very happy that the jury correctly evaluated the evidence," said Sutton's lawyer, Frank Riccio II. "Both he and I hope he could get back to leading a normal life."
A lawyer for DeFelice didn't immediately return a message Wednesday, and the U.S. attorney's office had no immediate response to the verdicts.
Zrallack and Sutton walked out of the courthouse as free men, while DeFelice was to be returned to prison, Riccio said.
"Obviously my client is happy," said Nicholas Adamucci, Zrallack's attorney. "There was a lack of evidence from the beginning and I'm glad the jury was able to find there was a lack of evidence."
The jury began deliberating Monday afternoon and sent several notes to Judge Janet C. Hall with questions about entrapment laws. The defendants' lawyers had raised entrapment as an issue in the case, saying the informant pressured their clients.
DeFelice faces the possibility of decades in prison. It wasn't immediately clear when he will be sentenced.
Two other defendants, Edwin Westmoreland and William Bolton, both of Stratford, pleaded guilty in the case and await sentencing.
The informant, convicted felon Joseph Anastasio, wore hidden recording equipment that captured hours of what prosecutors said were incriminating conversations on video and audio. Many of the recordings were shown to the jury.
Anastasio portrayed himself as a member of a national supremacist group, the Imperial Klans of America. He testified that he bought three grenades and some guns from the defendants and gave the weapons to federal agents.
Anastasio also testified that he was not a white supremacist and was "sick" and "upset" when he joined Zrallack and others as they waved Nazi flags near an outdoor Jewish menorah lighting ceremony in Fairfield last year.
In 1996, Anastasio was sentenced to three years' probation after being convicted of stealing historic letters and notes written by Abraham Lincoln and Confederacy President Jefferson Davis from a library at the University of Bridgeport, where he worked as a security guard, the Connecticut Post reported.
His criminal record was key to the government's case, because selling weapons to a felon is a federal crime.
Defense lawyers charged that Anastasio cooperated with the FBI only because he was trying to get a lenient sentence for his son in a drug and theft case.
Prosecutors accused Zrallack of making several hundred dollars off the sale of the firearms and grenades to Anastasio.
Authorities also alleged that DeFelice assembled three grenades that he sold to Anastasio for $3,000 last January, and Sutton helped him. The recording equipment worn by Anastasio showed DeFelice and Sutton joking about Sutton's race.
Prosecutors said Sutton also offered to dispose of the grenades if the deal with Anastasio fell through. They said his main motivation was getting DeFelice to broker a sale of semiautomatic firearms to Sutton's brother-in-law, a deal that never happened.
An expert on white supremacist groups, Robert Nill, told prosecutors that the Connecticut White Wolves claim to have been founded on April 20, Adolf Hitler's birthday, in 2002, and Zrallack formed the successor Battalion 14 in 2009. Court documents also say defendants in the case talked about their desires to kill President Barack Obama and leave an explosive-filled basketball at a New Haven playground so blacks would be killed.
Google Hosted News
The jury at the U.S. District Court in Bridgeport found Kenneth Zrallack, 29, of Ansonia and David Sutton, 46, of Milford not guilty of conspiracy charges. Alexander DeFelice, 33, of Milford, was convicted of several conspiracy and weapons charges.
Federal prosecutors said Zrallack is the leader of the Connecticut-based Battalion 14 white supremacist group, formerly known as the Connecticut White Wolves. Officials said DeFelice is a Battalion 14 member who knows how to make explosives, while Sutton, who is black, has known DeFelice for years but isn't a white supremacist.
"I am very happy that the jury correctly evaluated the evidence," said Sutton's lawyer, Frank Riccio II. "Both he and I hope he could get back to leading a normal life."
A lawyer for DeFelice didn't immediately return a message Wednesday, and the U.S. attorney's office had no immediate response to the verdicts.
Zrallack and Sutton walked out of the courthouse as free men, while DeFelice was to be returned to prison, Riccio said.
"Obviously my client is happy," said Nicholas Adamucci, Zrallack's attorney. "There was a lack of evidence from the beginning and I'm glad the jury was able to find there was a lack of evidence."
The jury began deliberating Monday afternoon and sent several notes to Judge Janet C. Hall with questions about entrapment laws. The defendants' lawyers had raised entrapment as an issue in the case, saying the informant pressured their clients.
DeFelice faces the possibility of decades in prison. It wasn't immediately clear when he will be sentenced.
Two other defendants, Edwin Westmoreland and William Bolton, both of Stratford, pleaded guilty in the case and await sentencing.
The informant, convicted felon Joseph Anastasio, wore hidden recording equipment that captured hours of what prosecutors said were incriminating conversations on video and audio. Many of the recordings were shown to the jury.
Anastasio portrayed himself as a member of a national supremacist group, the Imperial Klans of America. He testified that he bought three grenades and some guns from the defendants and gave the weapons to federal agents.
Anastasio also testified that he was not a white supremacist and was "sick" and "upset" when he joined Zrallack and others as they waved Nazi flags near an outdoor Jewish menorah lighting ceremony in Fairfield last year.
In 1996, Anastasio was sentenced to three years' probation after being convicted of stealing historic letters and notes written by Abraham Lincoln and Confederacy President Jefferson Davis from a library at the University of Bridgeport, where he worked as a security guard, the Connecticut Post reported.
His criminal record was key to the government's case, because selling weapons to a felon is a federal crime.
Defense lawyers charged that Anastasio cooperated with the FBI only because he was trying to get a lenient sentence for his son in a drug and theft case.
Prosecutors accused Zrallack of making several hundred dollars off the sale of the firearms and grenades to Anastasio.
Authorities also alleged that DeFelice assembled three grenades that he sold to Anastasio for $3,000 last January, and Sutton helped him. The recording equipment worn by Anastasio showed DeFelice and Sutton joking about Sutton's race.
Prosecutors said Sutton also offered to dispose of the grenades if the deal with Anastasio fell through. They said his main motivation was getting DeFelice to broker a sale of semiautomatic firearms to Sutton's brother-in-law, a deal that never happened.
An expert on white supremacist groups, Robert Nill, told prosecutors that the Connecticut White Wolves claim to have been founded on April 20, Adolf Hitler's birthday, in 2002, and Zrallack formed the successor Battalion 14 in 2009. Court documents also say defendants in the case talked about their desires to kill President Barack Obama and leave an explosive-filled basketball at a New Haven playground so blacks would be killed.
Google Hosted News
German president becomes honorary godfather to neo-Nazi baby
It is traditional in Germany for large families to apply to the president's office to have him become the honorary spiritual guide for the seventh child.
When the parents from Lalendorf, eastern Germany, wrote to him, his office replied saying the president would be "delighted" to act as his honorary godfather, enclosing a parchment scroll and a cheque for 500 euros (£420).
The father works for a "eugenics institute", while his wife is a leading figure in the far-right women's group.
The mayor of the town where they live refused to hand over the parchment and money honouring the child, sending them back to the president's office.
Norbert Nieszery, local party head of the Social Democrat SPD party, wrote to President Wulff stating; "These parents are clearly prominent in the right-wing extremist scene.
"They have a high political goal: the abolishment of the democratic state based on law. They should not have an honour from the federal president to bandy about and claim with it that their aims are honourable."
A spokesman for Mr Wulff's office explained however that they went round state officials and sent the money and certificate directly to the family.
"The child is at the centre of this," the spokesman said, explaining that the honour was not for the parents.
Everyone is, however, encouraged to "ensure an atmosphere where children are raised to respect democracy," the spokesman added.
Telegraph
Racist crimes and verbal insults are on the increase in the Bristol area (UK)
Racist incidents are on the increase in the Bristol area, according to the latest police figures.
The number of crimes and verbal insults reported to Avon and Somerset police rose by eight per cent from the 2008-09 to the 2009-10 financial year.
Statistics released by the Home Office show that in 2009-10 there were 2,037 reported, up 152 on the 1,885 reported in the 12 months previous.
The majority of hate crimes – accounting for about 60 per cent – take place in multi-cultural Bristol.
Batook Pandya, the director of Sari (Support Against Racist Incidents), believes the increase is down to a combination of factors.
He said: "People now know they have to report hate crimes and they are reporting them, but racist incidents are on the increase.
"In the present climate of unemployment and higher deprivation, you will always have more racial intolerance.
"For example, when Cabot Circus was being built and there were lots of Polish workers in the city, we heard of hate crimes affecting Polish families and insults relating to jobs. The demography of Bristol is changing faster than any city in the UK so we need to look at how we can stop racism happening in the future, when ethnic minorities move into the more traditionally white areas."
In 2008-09, Sari dealt with 650 racist incidents, which rose to 867 in 2009-10. But Mr Pandya has noticed a change in the type of complaints.
He added: "We don't see as many serious racist incidents as we used to. In the past, we would have people having their faces slashed and crimes like that, but nowadays it is more verbal, neighbourly issues.
"We always encourage people to call the police. If things are going to change, the multi-agencies need to come together to work through it."
Police believe the increase in recorded racist incidents could be down to efforts to encourage more reporting.
Assistant Chief Constable John Long said: "A key objective as part of Bristol's local hate crime action plan was to encourage reporting, particularly among communities who historically have a mistrust of public authorities.
"Efforts to encourage more reporting across Bristol is likely to have influenced the recorded increase we have seen. The increase could also be partly accounted for by an increased confidence in reporting these type of offences.
"It's encouraging that our detection rate for racially and religiously aggravated offences is 53.8 per cent, having risen from 34 per cent in 2008-09."
A number of local agencies are working together to investigate crimes, raise awareness and support victims.
The Partnership Against Hate Crime includes the police, South Gloucestershire Council, Victim Support, Sari and Educational Action Challenging Homophobia.
A Hate Crime Scrutiny Panel is held at the Crown Prosecution Service office in Bristol every three months, reviewing how cases have been handled, investigated and prosecuted. Sari can be contacted on 0117 9420060.
This is Bristol
The number of crimes and verbal insults reported to Avon and Somerset police rose by eight per cent from the 2008-09 to the 2009-10 financial year.
Statistics released by the Home Office show that in 2009-10 there were 2,037 reported, up 152 on the 1,885 reported in the 12 months previous.
The majority of hate crimes – accounting for about 60 per cent – take place in multi-cultural Bristol.
Batook Pandya, the director of Sari (Support Against Racist Incidents), believes the increase is down to a combination of factors.
He said: "People now know they have to report hate crimes and they are reporting them, but racist incidents are on the increase.
"In the present climate of unemployment and higher deprivation, you will always have more racial intolerance.
"For example, when Cabot Circus was being built and there were lots of Polish workers in the city, we heard of hate crimes affecting Polish families and insults relating to jobs. The demography of Bristol is changing faster than any city in the UK so we need to look at how we can stop racism happening in the future, when ethnic minorities move into the more traditionally white areas."
In 2008-09, Sari dealt with 650 racist incidents, which rose to 867 in 2009-10. But Mr Pandya has noticed a change in the type of complaints.
He added: "We don't see as many serious racist incidents as we used to. In the past, we would have people having their faces slashed and crimes like that, but nowadays it is more verbal, neighbourly issues.
"We always encourage people to call the police. If things are going to change, the multi-agencies need to come together to work through it."
Police believe the increase in recorded racist incidents could be down to efforts to encourage more reporting.
Assistant Chief Constable John Long said: "A key objective as part of Bristol's local hate crime action plan was to encourage reporting, particularly among communities who historically have a mistrust of public authorities.
"Efforts to encourage more reporting across Bristol is likely to have influenced the recorded increase we have seen. The increase could also be partly accounted for by an increased confidence in reporting these type of offences.
"It's encouraging that our detection rate for racially and religiously aggravated offences is 53.8 per cent, having risen from 34 per cent in 2008-09."
A number of local agencies are working together to investigate crimes, raise awareness and support victims.
The Partnership Against Hate Crime includes the police, South Gloucestershire Council, Victim Support, Sari and Educational Action Challenging Homophobia.
A Hate Crime Scrutiny Panel is held at the Crown Prosecution Service office in Bristol every three months, reviewing how cases have been handled, investigated and prosecuted. Sari can be contacted on 0117 9420060.
This is Bristol
Nothing Gets You in the Holiday Spirit like a Racist Snowman (USA)
A new-fallen snow is such a pure and beautiful thing...until a man in Idaho uses it to construct a snowman wearing a KKK hood and carrying a noose in its outstretched hand.
When local station KXLY came out to report on the snowman, the guy looked kinda familiar:
The homeowner who had the offensive snow sculpture in front of his home is Mark, who was profiled by KXLY back in July when he posted flags ranging from an Aryan Nations flag to an SS flag at his home, drawing the ire of his neighbors. Then in October he angered residents further when, according to neighbors, he passed out bullets on Halloween. Mark refuted his neighbors claims, saying he didn't actually pass out bullets, but rather he passed out bullet casings, and only did so after he ran out of candy
Someone knocked Mark's snowman down at first, so he built it larger and now it stands about 10 feet tall. Did we mention this delightful man lives 100 yards away from an elementary school?
Two Kootenai County sheriff's deputies let Mark know about the Idaho statute against hanging nooses, so that's gone. The snowman's pointy top got knocked off too.
Seattlest
When local station KXLY came out to report on the snowman, the guy looked kinda familiar:
The homeowner who had the offensive snow sculpture in front of his home is Mark, who was profiled by KXLY back in July when he posted flags ranging from an Aryan Nations flag to an SS flag at his home, drawing the ire of his neighbors. Then in October he angered residents further when, according to neighbors, he passed out bullets on Halloween. Mark refuted his neighbors claims, saying he didn't actually pass out bullets, but rather he passed out bullet casings, and only did so after he ran out of candy
Someone knocked Mark's snowman down at first, so he built it larger and now it stands about 10 feet tall. Did we mention this delightful man lives 100 yards away from an elementary school?
Two Kootenai County sheriff's deputies let Mark know about the Idaho statute against hanging nooses, so that's gone. The snowman's pointy top got knocked off too.
Seattlest
Racist blog leaves childcare manager's career in ruins (UK)
A Childcare centre manager behind a racist internet blog has been found guilty of misconduct by the care workers' watchdog.
Helen McClymont also leaked confidential information about children in her care on her daily blog, called "Helen's Life".
Now, the care manager faces being banned from working with children after an inquiry found she showed "ingrained attitudes of prejudice and racism".
On her web page she ranted about Muslims, saying that "they smell of curry and have a stupid religion".
The childcare worker, manager of Steelrings day care centre for children in Paisley, also posted racist remarks about Italians, Venezuelans and black people, while working at the centre earlier this year.
She also breached confidentiality of children who attended Steelrings, and made "derogatory remarks about the children, parents of children and members of staff of the service".
At a misconduct hearing at the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) in Dundee last month, it was revealed that Ms McClymont admitted making the comments on her blog, but denied that it amounted to misconduct.
The hearing was told that Ms McClymont - who admitted her guilt in a statement of facts and did not appear to defend herself in person - wrote on her blog: "Most people who know me well, know that I don't like Muslim people. They smell of curry and have a stupid religion."
She also derided Italians as "people who make ice-creams and work in fish 'n chip shops".
Now her career appears to be in ruins, as she faces being struck off after the misconduct hearing panel, under convener Margaret McAllister, this week found her guilty of misconduct and ordered her removal from the care workers' register.
The ruling states: "The sub-committee evaluated the seriousness of misconduct. It considered that there were several elements that placed the conduct towards the upper end of any scale of seriousness.
"These included the publication of personal information, including derogatory comments about service users under the registrant's care - in this instance, on social media - which could be accessed by a third party, was a fundamental breach of trust.
"This amounted to unsafe practice and a potential failure to protect and safeguard the people in the registrant's care, and of course, a breach of confidence.
"The registrant had exhibited apparently ingrained attitudes of prejudice and racism. These attitudes are fundamentally incompatible with the core values of the registered caring professions.
"Taken together, the registrant's actions had the potential of bringing the profession into disrepute and undermining public confidence in the profession."
The ruling added: "The decision of the sub-committee was to make an order for the removal of the registrant's registration in the register for managers of day care of children services maintained by the SSSC.
"A warning was felt to be insufficiently strong to mark the seriousness of the misconduct."
During the hearing in Dundee, presenter of the SSSC case, Lindsay Thomson, said: "This blog was in the public domain… this was not a personal diary or letter, or conversation with someone in the street."
Ms McClymont has 14 days to appeal the decision.
Scotsman
Helen McClymont also leaked confidential information about children in her care on her daily blog, called "Helen's Life".
Now, the care manager faces being banned from working with children after an inquiry found she showed "ingrained attitudes of prejudice and racism".
On her web page she ranted about Muslims, saying that "they smell of curry and have a stupid religion".
The childcare worker, manager of Steelrings day care centre for children in Paisley, also posted racist remarks about Italians, Venezuelans and black people, while working at the centre earlier this year.
She also breached confidentiality of children who attended Steelrings, and made "derogatory remarks about the children, parents of children and members of staff of the service".
At a misconduct hearing at the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) in Dundee last month, it was revealed that Ms McClymont admitted making the comments on her blog, but denied that it amounted to misconduct.
The hearing was told that Ms McClymont - who admitted her guilt in a statement of facts and did not appear to defend herself in person - wrote on her blog: "Most people who know me well, know that I don't like Muslim people. They smell of curry and have a stupid religion."
She also derided Italians as "people who make ice-creams and work in fish 'n chip shops".
Now her career appears to be in ruins, as she faces being struck off after the misconduct hearing panel, under convener Margaret McAllister, this week found her guilty of misconduct and ordered her removal from the care workers' register.
The ruling states: "The sub-committee evaluated the seriousness of misconduct. It considered that there were several elements that placed the conduct towards the upper end of any scale of seriousness.
"These included the publication of personal information, including derogatory comments about service users under the registrant's care - in this instance, on social media - which could be accessed by a third party, was a fundamental breach of trust.
"This amounted to unsafe practice and a potential failure to protect and safeguard the people in the registrant's care, and of course, a breach of confidence.
"The registrant had exhibited apparently ingrained attitudes of prejudice and racism. These attitudes are fundamentally incompatible with the core values of the registered caring professions.
"Taken together, the registrant's actions had the potential of bringing the profession into disrepute and undermining public confidence in the profession."
The ruling added: "The decision of the sub-committee was to make an order for the removal of the registrant's registration in the register for managers of day care of children services maintained by the SSSC.
"A warning was felt to be insufficiently strong to mark the seriousness of the misconduct."
During the hearing in Dundee, presenter of the SSSC case, Lindsay Thomson, said: "This blog was in the public domain… this was not a personal diary or letter, or conversation with someone in the street."
Ms McClymont has 14 days to appeal the decision.
Scotsman
France: Le Pen acquitted of racism charges
A Paris court has acquitted far-right French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen, who had faced charges of racism over campaign posters for his National Front party.
The court said Thursday that Le Pen was not personally responsible for the posters, reading "No to Islamism" and featuring a woman in a black face-covering Muslim veil next to a map of France swathed in the Algerian flag. The posters were issued ahead of March's regional elections.
The anti-racism group SOS Racism had brought the charge of "inciting racial hatred" against Le Pen.
The public prosecutor had asked the aging firebrand be handed a two month suspended sentence, a euro20,000 ($26,200) fine and a 1-year-long ban on running for office.
Bussiness Week
The court said Thursday that Le Pen was not personally responsible for the posters, reading "No to Islamism" and featuring a woman in a black face-covering Muslim veil next to a map of France swathed in the Algerian flag. The posters were issued ahead of March's regional elections.
The anti-racism group SOS Racism had brought the charge of "inciting racial hatred" against Le Pen.
The public prosecutor had asked the aging firebrand be handed a two month suspended sentence, a euro20,000 ($26,200) fine and a 1-year-long ban on running for office.
Bussiness Week
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Germans less tolerant of Islam than neighbours, study finds
Despite the other European countries’ often fractious relationships with their Muslim communities, people there were relatively positive about Islam and its followers compared to Germany, according to the survey commissioned by a research group based at the University of Münster.
According to weekly Die Zeit, which reported on an advance version of the study on Thursday, four out of 10 Germans in the former west of the country and 50 percent in the former east feel threatened by foreign cultures.
“Compared with the French, Dutch and Danish, a rigid and intolerant grasp of foreign religions predominates in Germany,” said the head of the project, sociologist Detlef Pollack. “The statement that Islam is part of Germany is completely disregarded in the opinions of Germans.”
The polling firm TNS Emnid, on behalf of the Münster researchers, surveyed 1,000 people each in the former west and former east Germany, France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Portugal. The study will be officially released later on Thursday in Berlin.
Fewer than 5 percent of Germans, compared with more than 20 percent of Danes, French and Dutch consider Islam to be a tolerant religion, according to the study.
Each of the other countries has had high-profile conflict with their Muslim communities – such as the Prophet Mohammed cartoons in Denmark, head scarf controversies in France and the murder of anti-Islam filmmaker Theo van Gogh in the Netherlands, as well as the rise of far-right politician Geert Wilders.
Nevertheless, a clear majority of people in those countries have a positive view of Muslims. By contrast, just 34 percent of western Germans and 26 percent of eastern Germans are positive about Muslims.
Most Germans saw barely any positive side to Islam, Pollack said. Less than 30 percent in the former west supported the building of mosques, while in the former east the figure was less than 20 percent. The acceptance of minarets or the adoption of Muslim holidays received even less support.
In Denmark, by comparison, more than half of respondents supported the building of mosques, while in France and the Netherlands the figure was about two-thirds and in Portugal it was nearly three quarters.
The Local Germany
Far-right group's meeting cancelled by pub (UK)
Admin comment: Well done to all the members of the Hope Not Hate Facebook page for achieving this.
A pub landlord has shut the door on the English Defence League after they hired out a function room under a different name.
The Kent branch of the EDL – a far-right group set up last year to oppose the spread of Islamic extremism across the country - had made plans to hold a meeting at O'Connells, Chatham, at 8pm tonight.
Labour councillor Vince Maple, who actively campaigns for the Love Music Hate Racism campaign, said the pub had now cancelled the booking.
"I have spoken to pub and police and they confirmed, unsurprisingly, that the room was booked in a different name and the pub had no idea the EDL were planning to use their venue.
"They have now confirmed there will be no meeting of any description tomorrow."
Chief Inspector Peter de Lozey added: "Kent police in Medway have been made aware that there is information circulating that the English Defence League plan to hold a meeting tonight at a public house in Medway.
"We have spoken with the licensee of the pub in question and have been advised that the meeting will not be going ahead."
Kent News
A pub landlord has shut the door on the English Defence League after they hired out a function room under a different name.
The Kent branch of the EDL – a far-right group set up last year to oppose the spread of Islamic extremism across the country - had made plans to hold a meeting at O'Connells, Chatham, at 8pm tonight.
Labour councillor Vince Maple, who actively campaigns for the Love Music Hate Racism campaign, said the pub had now cancelled the booking.
"I have spoken to pub and police and they confirmed, unsurprisingly, that the room was booked in a different name and the pub had no idea the EDL were planning to use their venue.
"They have now confirmed there will be no meeting of any description tomorrow."
Chief Inspector Peter de Lozey added: "Kent police in Medway have been made aware that there is information circulating that the English Defence League plan to hold a meeting tonight at a public house in Medway.
"We have spoken with the licensee of the pub in question and have been advised that the meeting will not be going ahead."
Kent News
Home Secretary does not acknowledge request from local police (EDL news, UK)
West Yorkshire Police Authority chairman, Councillor Mark Burns-Williamson, is to pursue a response from the Home Secretary about the policing of events such as the English Defence League demonstration in Bradford.
Coun Burns-Williamson wrote a joint letter, with Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison, two months ago to Theresa May, exploring whether organisers of such protests could be accountable under civil law for providing stewards and a contribution towards the costs.
The EDL protest, and a counter-demonstration by Unite Against Fascism, in Bradford in August, cost almost £650,000 to police, plus £100,000 spent by Bradford Council on work for the event at the Bradford Urban Garden.
Yesterday, Coun Burns-Williamson said: “The Home Secretary praised the work of the police and the Council in a Commons statement, but we have not even had an acknowledgement in relation to the quite detailed letter we both wrote. I am going to be following that up.”
A police authority resources committee meeting tomorrow will approve the spending on the EDL demonstration.
The Telegraph and Argus
Coun Burns-Williamson wrote a joint letter, with Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison, two months ago to Theresa May, exploring whether organisers of such protests could be accountable under civil law for providing stewards and a contribution towards the costs.
The EDL protest, and a counter-demonstration by Unite Against Fascism, in Bradford in August, cost almost £650,000 to police, plus £100,000 spent by Bradford Council on work for the event at the Bradford Urban Garden.
Yesterday, Coun Burns-Williamson said: “The Home Secretary praised the work of the police and the Council in a Commons statement, but we have not even had an acknowledgement in relation to the quite detailed letter we both wrote. I am going to be following that up.”
A police authority resources committee meeting tomorrow will approve the spending on the EDL demonstration.
The Telegraph and Argus
THREE AUSTRIAN TEENS CONVICTED FOR CONCENTRATION CAMP ATTACK (Austria)
Three youths were convicted Wednesday by an Austrian court for attacking visitors at a former concentration camp last year. A court in the town of Wels found the male teenagers guilty of neo-Nazi activities and handed down suspended prison sentences of between five and six months, Austrian press agency APA reported. A fourth boy was acquitted. The incident happened in May 2009 during a memorial event to commemorate the liberation of prisoners of the Ebensee camp at the end of World War II. One of the boys shocked visitors by goose-stepping in camouflage gear, shouting 'Heil Hitler' and other neo-Nazi slogans. He and the others fired plastic ammunition with gas-powered weapons and hit one camp survivor and three other attendees. Three of the four youths were 16 during the attack, while one was only 14.
The verdicts did not immediately enter into force, pending possible appeals. The incident had lead to debate in Austria about young people's historical awareness. Authorities of Upper Austria province where Ebensee is located have drawn up an action plan to prevent youth extremism and violence. An organization of concentration camp survivors and Christian and Jewish representatives have presented new educational concepts for youths that add anti-racism workshops to Holocaust education. Of the 27,000 men from all over Europe who were deported to Ebensee, around 8,500 perished in the camp run by the SS.
dpa
The verdicts did not immediately enter into force, pending possible appeals. The incident had lead to debate in Austria about young people's historical awareness. Authorities of Upper Austria province where Ebensee is located have drawn up an action plan to prevent youth extremism and violence. An organization of concentration camp survivors and Christian and Jewish representatives have presented new educational concepts for youths that add anti-racism workshops to Holocaust education. Of the 27,000 men from all over Europe who were deported to Ebensee, around 8,500 perished in the camp run by the SS.
dpa
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