UN investigator: Migrants suffer worst racism

Migrants in Europe, the United States and many other parts of the world are subjected to the worst forms of racial discrimination and xenophobia, a U.N. independent investigator said Monday.

Githu Muigai, a Kenyan lawyer, said many other groups are also victims including ethnic minorities attacked because of their minority status, individuals stopped and searched because of their perceived religious or ethnic background, and soccer players insulted because of their color.

He reiterated his opposition to Arizona's controversial immigration law because it compromises basic international human rights that migrants are entitled to.

Muigai, the U.N. Human Rights Council's special investigator on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance, spoke to reporters after presenting reports to the General Assembly on efforts to eliminate these practices.

"If I have found any specific group of people to be the subject of the most insidious contemporary forms of racial discrimination, those are migrants," he said. "And I think in many parts of the world today, immigrants bear the brunt of xenophobic intolerance - and this is true of the United States, and it is of Europe, and it is of many parts of the world."

Muigai said international law doesn't prevent any country from enforcing "a fair, open, transparent migration policy." And he said he appreciates the need for countries, especially in southern Europe, to deal with immigrants arriving illegally by sea from Africa and other parts of the world.

"All I have been saying in my reports is that we need to develop systems, structures, and policies in an international legal environment in which we can address the legitimate concerns of the receiving states while being able to safeguard the fundamental humanity, in my judgment, of the immigrants," he said.

Muigai said he is concerned that the Arizona law, now been challenged in a federal appeals court, "does not respond to minimum human rights standards."

The law targeting illegal immigration requires police enforcing another law to question a person about his or her immigration status, if there is "reasonable suspicion" that the person is in the United States illegally. It also makes it a state crime to be in the country illegally.

"This is the sort of statute that opens a floodgate, equips a policeman or such other law enforcement person on the beat with such immense powers as to compromise, in my view, the very, very fundamental human rights that ought to be enjoyed in such an enlightened part of the world as Arizona," Muigai said.

He urged all countries to ensure that migration policies are "at all times consistent with international human rights instruments."

"Migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, regardless of their migration status, are entitled to have all their human rights protected by the state where they live without discrimination," Muigai said.

On the issue of inciting racial or religious hatred, he said criticizing religious doctrines and teachings is a legitimate exercise of freedom of expression and freedom of religion. But he expressed concern at violence and discrimination against individuals based on their religious beliefs, attacks on religious sites, and religious and ethnic profiling.

Muigai also stressed that no state is immune from extremist political parties, movements and groups with "a thinly veiled racist agenda, a xenophobic agenda."

He said some European parties "that have as their fundamental platform the exclusion of foreigners and the propagation of an ideology that is essentially racist" are extremist.

But he said he would hesitate to include the U.S. tea party movement, a coalition of groups which he said are trying to debate how government is organized and managed, with immigration policy just one issue.


Washington Post

German far right emerges from shadows to join Cologne campaign against mosque

The buzz of drills and whine of cranes fill the air as scores of workers in yellow hard hats scuttle around the concrete shell of a building which, even in its unfinished state, dominates the working-class Cologne district of Ehrenfeld. For the thriving local Turkish community, the sprawling complex represents the chance for an entire infrastructure under one roof – from a mosque to a hairdresser's to a travel agency.

But for others in the city the new mosque and cultural centre has provoked fears that the multimillion-euro project will do little to encourage integration and give the Turks free rein to live in their own autonomous world. The right-wing populist Pro Cologne movement has campaigned against the mosque and moved a step closer to its goal last week after joining forces with Austria's far-right Freedom party (FPO).

"Every new movement needs a unique selling point," said Bernd Schöppe, of Pro Cologne. "Ours is the mosque. If ever you needed a sign of the real threat of Islamisation in Germany, it's that mosque, with its huge dome and 55m-high minarets." Pro Cologne, a small but growing movement which recently won seats on the city council, hopes to boost its profile by associating itself with the FPO, which made its name a decade ago after sweeping to power under the leadership of the late extreme-right firebrand Jörg Haider.

This month the FPO was celebrating another feat, after securing 26% of the vote in the Vienna elections. One of its slogans urged Muslims to "go home", and among the election paraphernalia it dished out was a computer game where players score points for shooting at mosques and minarets.

"We share similar views," said Judith Wolter, Pro Cologne's deputy leader. "It's a good partnership. They need us to build a rightwing faction on the European stage ahead of the 2014 EU parliamentary elections, we need them to help us win more voters. We'd be happy to adopt their name."

Her party, she admitted, is working hard to polish its public image, and is fighting through the courts to be removed from the watchlist of Germany's Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which has the movement under surveillance for its anti-foreigner rhetoric.

The timing of the collaboration could hardly be better. Ever since the release this summer of a polemical book by a former finance senator and central banker arguing that Germany is being "dumbed down" by "over-breeding" foreigners, the country has been gripped by a fierce immigration debate that has seen the chancellor, Angela Merkel, enter the fray. Thilo Sarrazin's Deutschland Schafft Sich Ab (Germany is Digging its Own Grave) has sold more than a million copies and led to 20% of Germans saying that they would consider voting for a Sarrazin party.

Rightwing populists, meanwhile, have interpreted it as a direct invitation to them to form a new party. Mindful of this, Merkel has been forced into making comments that smack of desperation to claw back disillusioned voters who think she has moved her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister party, the Christian Socialist Union (CSU), too far to the left; she recently declared that Germany's attempts at multiculturalism had "utterly failed". The CSU's head, Horst Seehofer, also stoked the fire with his call for a halt to immigration from Turkey and Arab nations.

"The anti-immigration utterings of Sarrazin, backed up by the comments by Merkel and Seehofer, are like a gift to the far right. They have had a door opened to them that has previously been closed, because it is now socially acceptable to say things that before nobody dared to voice," said Alexander Häusler, a social scientist and neo-Nazism expert at Düsseldorf's University of Applied Sciences.

At present, Germany's far right lacks unity and cohesion. But according to Häusler they could reverse that situation with the help of the Austrians under the leadership of the charismatic FPO leader Heinz-Christian Strache.

Häusler described the fact that the push for Germany's far right is coming from the small neighbouring republic of Austria as "history repeating itself as farce".

"Austria's political culture has developed differently from that of Germany's," he said, because Germany underwent a postwar denazification process that Austria was largely spared. "You have been able to say things on the Austrian political stage that would not have been acceptable in Germany," he added.

Nurhan Solkan, general secretary of the Central Council of Muslims, said: "Personally, it scares me. The inhibitions towards voicing your opinion about Muslims are fast breaking down. Nowadays I only need to park my car slightly badly for an old lady to come up to me and shout that I'd better go home to wherever I came from."

The Guardian

49 Jewish gravestones smashed in France

Anti-Semitism raising its head? 

Dozens of gravestones were smashed Friday night in a Jewish cemetery in northeastern France, French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche reported Sunday.

 According to the newspaper, at least 49 gravestones were destroyed. No graffiti was found in the area.

 The newspaper said a passerby walking his dog in the town of Bar-le-Duc, in the Meuse district, had noticed that the gate to the Jewish cemetery was open.

 "The gate to the cemetery, which has 126 graves, is always closed," the report said. "The resident arrived at the police station and filed a report. A police force dispatched to the area found 49 smashed gravestones."

 According to the newspaper, "These are very heavy gravestones, which were moved, fell on the ground and broke due to their heavy weight. A single person could not have defaced the cemetery on his own, so the police are looking for several suspects."

 The police collected evidence throughout the night, the report added, and a senior official in the office of the district's attorney general visited the place and is monitoring the investigation.

 The district's attorney general said the authorities viewedthe incident as extremely severe and had launched an extensive investigation to locate suspects.

Jewish cemeteries have been desecrated in France several times in recent years. The latest incident took place in July, when 27 gravestones were smashed in a Strasbourg cemetery.

YNetNews

German FM after attack on new synagogue: Anti-Semitism has no place here

A petrol bomb which was thrown towards a brand-new synagogue in Germany hit a tree and did no damage, police said Sunday.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle condemned the late Saturday incident as a "despicable act" and called on police to find the culprits, saying in a written statement, "anti-Semitism can have no place in our society."

Police said a type of Molotov cocktail was thrown towards the futuristic building, but burned out under a tree outside the synagogue compound.

An eyewitness saw only the flash in the dark as it exploded. The synagogue was not damaged.

The site was inaugurated in September.

Haaretz

Centre opens in The Gateway, Warrington (UK)

A centre for reporting disability hate crime has opened in Warrington town centre.

Despite official statistics that say no such crimes have ever been committed in Warrington, the police and charities accept this is not the case.

Speak Up at the Gateway support people with learning difficulties to make informed decisions, participate and contribute in their community and take control of their lives.

Pip Horne, a support worker, said: “From anecdotal evidence that people share with us we can legitimately feed back on low level incidents so the police get a full picture and can hopefully step in before individuals reach crisis.”

These types of crimes are the most unreported nationally.

Several high-profile deaths, including those of Fiona Pilkington and her daughter Francecca Hardwick in Leicestershire, have increased awareness.

The service was given accreditation by Cheshire police and Sergeant Steven Hilton-Smith presented them with their certificate.

James Gibbs, the north west regional co-coordinator for Voice UK, a national disability hate crime charity, said: “It’s good to see another centre has opened in Warrington, we know the main barrier to tackling these types of crimes is the fact that is goes largely unreported.”

Anyone who has or knows anyone who has been the victim of a disability hate crime can report it to Speak Up at the Gateway on Sankey Street.

Other community reporting centres in the Gateway include the Citizens’ Advice Bureau and the Vulnerable Tenants Support Scheme.

Warrington Guardian

Thug's Heil Hitler clash (Austria)

Austria's leading neo-Nazi has been arrested for giving a Hitler salute in a bar and then attacking its owner with an umbrella.

Gottfried Kussel talked about "sh** foreigners" before allegedly lunging at Venezuelan-born Maigualida Solorzano in Vienna. Armed police then intervened.

She said: "Had they not arrived I am sure I would have ended up in hospital."


Daily Mirror

MP lends support to anti-racism charity (UK)

 Redditch MP Karen Lumley is lending her support to Show Racism the Red Card to become The FA’s charity of the year for 2011.

Mrs Lumley recently joined ex-professional footballers, representatives from the FA and members of the charity at Parliament.

She said: “I can think of no other group that has worked so hard and so effectively to condemn racism, both within football and our society as a whole.

“I wish them all the best of luck with their bid.”

Show Racism the Red Card, established in 1996, aims to harness the potential of professional footballers as anti-racist role models and to combat racism through education.

For more information, visit www.theredcard.org.

Redditch Advertiser

BNP establishes 'social networking' branch in America

The British National Party has set up a branch in the United States – nine years after it abandoned a fundraising drive across the Atlantic amid controversy over its links with American white supremacists.

The far-right party described its new US "unit" as simply a social networking organisation designed to help expatriate BNP supporters stay in touch with one another, and the party, while working abroad.

But the Government last night accused the BNP, which has been hit by internal strife following poor general election results, of looking overseas to promote "hate and intolerance".

The new US branch has signed up 90 sympathisers, while a Canadian branch has 60 members. The party is also trying to boost its presence in Europe and the Far East.

The American operation is being co-ordinated by an IT worker from Croydon, Adam McArthur, who recently moved to the US to take up a job. Mr McArthur, a BNP officer since February, lives in Berryville, a small town in rural Virginia just over an hour's drive from Washington DC.

The move follows the collapse of American Friends of the BNP, based in Virginia, which was set up to raise cash for the party and was addressed by Nick Griffin, the party's leader.

Members of the group included David Duke, the leader of the Ku Klux Klan at the time, who was photographed with Mr Griffin. James W von Brunn, the white supremacist who shot dead a guard at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington last year, attended two meetings.

The organisation was run by Mark Cotterill, a veteran figure on the far right, who drew inspiration from the IRA's success in raising money in North America in the 1990s.

It folded amid claims that its fundraising activities were illegal under American law. Mr Cotterill returned to Britain and has left the BNP.

In January, Mr McArthur registered under American law to reactivate the party's presence in the country. According to US government documents, he said the branch would "organise US-based members, so that we can develop social networking campaigns to increase votes for the BNP in the forthcoming local and general elections".

He also said he would advise the party's supporters on how to vote in British elections. The move was part of efforts co-ordinated by the BNP's overseas liaison officer, Andy McBride, to forge links with sympathisers around the world.

Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities, told The Independent: "This just shows there's nothing British about the BNP. It's a sign of the party's own weakness that it has to look outside Britain to try to peddle their messages of hate and intolerance."

Mr McBride said the new branch would be carefully monitored to prevent extremist sympathisers of organisations such as the KKK from joining.

"People are told that if they come into this party because they hate people, or hate the colour of their skin, it's the wrong party for them," he said.

Mr McBride added that the party did not encourage donations from members living abroad because it involved completing "immense" amounts of paperwork.

Meanwhile in Britain

The British National Party is struggling under a weight of debts estimated at more than £500,000 and has suffered a series of resignations of prominent activists.

Its cash crisis has arisen because of unpaid bills to suppliers and the cost of fighting legal actions with Unilever over the use of an image of a Marmite jar in an election broadcast and with the Equality and Human Rights Commission over its constitution.

Nick Griffin fought off a challenge to his leadership and has promised to step down in 2013. Last May, he said he wanted to "make way for a younger person" and focus on getting re-elected to the European Parliament in 2014. But infighting has continued to destabilise the party, with Eddy Butler, its former campaigns director, and Richard Barnbrook, the BNP's sole London Assembly member, both recently expelled.

Last week, Wiltshire's only BNP councillor, Michael Simpkins, quit the party over the scale of its debts and said he would sit on Corsham Town Council as an independent. He said he knew of two local printers that waited six months for the BNP to pay its bills. Meanwhile, Jim Dowson has said he will be stepping down as the BNP's chief fundraiser. He has faced accusations of making inappropriate advances to a young female activist. He has denied the claims and said he is the victim of a dirty-tricks campaign.

The Independant

US Muslims Invite Dialogue to Counter Anti-Islamic Tensions (USA)

Muslim leaders in the United States are inviting the American public to their mosques to encourage a dialogue with other religions and to counter anti-Islamic tensions.

According to American Muslim leaders, hundreds of mosques across the United States are opening their doors this week to people of all religions to encourage interfaith understanding.

Zaheer Uddin, executive director of the Islamic Leadership Council of New York, says some 20 mosques in the city are holding an "open house"  as part of a week of dialogue to counter what he calls "Islamaphobia" that has grown during the past six months.

Imam Al-Amin Abdul Latif, president of the Leadership Council, told reporters that the dialogue is intended to educate the public about Islam.

"We feel very strongly that this will help thwart and stymie the hatred against Islam and Muslims being spread by anti-Islamic extremists and bigots," said Imam Latif.

Muslim leaders discussing the weeklong program say there are many misconceptions about Islam, including the belief that it encourages bigotry and that it is a religion of terrorism.

According to the Leadership Council's Al-Amin Abdul Latif, the nationwide, coordinated effort to combat those stereotypes is an expansion of previous Muslim efforts in the United States to meet with the general public.

"How successful we will be, again, we've always had great success in doing this," he said. "And hopefully, this week by extending it more and trying to be a little more aggressive just to get Muslims to do it more - that's what the problem is; we're not doing enough.  So if enough of us begin to do it more, it will go a long way in terms of educating the public and allaying their fears of Muslims in the mosque, what goes on in the mosque."

One Muslim leader says the success of the first three New York events over the weekend - at the Islamic Cultural Center, at a Brooklyn mosque and at a Protestant church - indicate that the program is off to a good start. 

VOA News

Carlisle supermarket worker shouted racist abuse from car (UK)

A teenage supermarket worker who shouted racist insults at a black man in Carlisle has been given a suspended prison sentence. 

The city’s crown court heard that Michael Hutchinson, 19, was among a group of young men who deliberately targeted Richard Feanychukwu Onuoha for abuse because they knew he would react.

The court heard that Hutchinson, of Nelson Street, Denton Holme, was on his way to visit his grandmother in the Morton area of the city in May when he saw a group of younger men shouting at Mr Feanychukwu Onuoha outside the Co-op in Stonegarth.

Later, while cruising around in his car, he saw the same group, still shouting abuse at both Mr Feanychukwu Onuoha and his white girlfriend.

“For some reason he decided to join in – in the excitement of the moment, probably – and shouted abuse out of the car window,” defence advocate William Mark-Bell said.

Hutchinson was traced because Mr Feanychukwu Onuoha took a note of his car registration number and gave it to the police.
Mr Mark-Bell said the incident was “totally uncharacteristic” of Hutchinson, who was known as a quiet man.
“He was going through a bit of a bad patch,” he said.

“He seems to have got himself sorted out now, but at the time he had got in with the wrong sort and was trying to impress them.”

Mr Mark-Bell said Hutchinson had since written “a very appropriate” letter of apology to Mr Feanychukwu Onuoha, saying he was thoroughly ashamed of what he had done and that he realised he had caused distress to his family.

Hutchinson pleaded guilty to a charge of racially aggravated intentional harassment, causing alarm or distress.
He was sentenced to a six-month term in a young offenders’ institution, suspended for a year, and ordered to do 60 hours unpaid community work.

He was also told to pay £800 court costs.

The judge, Recorder Andrew McLaughlin told him: “Not only was it reprehensible, it was also criminal. “The fact that you knew Mr Feanychukwu Onuoha was someone prone to react makes it more serious. The words you used were utterly deplorable.”

News and Star

Northern Ireland’s first detention centre given the green light (BNP, UK)

Yesterday a meeting was held between the UK Border Agency, the Planning Service and Larne Borough Council to discuss the matter after concerns were raised over the impact the facility could have on Larne.

Immigration officials want to convert Hope Street police station into a short-term holding centre capable of housing up to 22 detainees.

Under the initial plans the existing custody suites would be used to hold adults and an extension would be built at the back of the site for showering, catering and exercise facilities.

But the proposals — which have already been approved by the Planning Service — have angered some residents as well as human rights activists.

The plans have also raised opposition from the far-right British National Party (BNP) which printed leaflets claiming Larne had been “earmarked as a dumping ground for illegal immigrants and bogus asylum seekers”.

Currently, any person who is detained under immigration powers can be held for a maximum of seven days, however there are no facilities to hold suspected illegal immigrants in Northern Ireland.

Instead they are arrested then held in police cells before being transferred to official detention centres in Scotland and England.

That practice was heavily criticised in a Criminal Justice Inspectorate report last year which found that some failed asylum seekers had been held in police cells for up to five days.

The UK Border Agency was given until September to find alternative arrangements.

The Hope Street police station was identified as the preferred site.

Larne mayor Andrew Wilson explained the plans were presented to council last month but were deferred to allow for yesterday’s meeting.

He said those matters have now been addressed.

“A number of concerns had been raised regarding the height of the fencing, the use of razor wire and the extra lighting. Those issues are now being addressed,” he said.

It is understood the height of the fencing will be reduced from 5.1m to 4.2m and light pollution will be reduced. The Refugee Action Group is unhappy with the plans. The coalition of non-governmental organisations and refugees fear individuals could be detained at the centre for weeks.

Authorities can only hold a person detained under immigration powers for a week, but if they are arrested on criminal matters such as an immigration offence they could be held indefinitely.

A spokeswoman from the group said: “The Refugee Action Group feels very strongly that there is no need to detain any individual in Northern Ireland in connection with their immigration status.

“We oppose the criminalisation of asylum seekers and don’t think they should be segregated from the rest of society.”

The Belfast Telegraph contacted the UK Border Agency to clarify the plans but it did not provide a response.

It is understood the amended plans will be presented to Larne Borough Council in December.





Belfast Telegraph

BNP loses another councillor (UK)

The British National Party has lost another councillor, the fourth this month. Alex Copland, who was elected to Loughton Town Council in May 2008, has left the party according to Eddy Butler, the failed BNP leadership challenger.

Copland was one of five BNP members elected to the town council. Only three remain. Last year Garry Martin resigned his seat and the BNP lost the by-election in December 2009 after a strong local campaign run by Redbridge and Epping Forest Together.

Epping Forest District Council, which covers Loughton, once had six BNP councillors, but the party is now down to one after losing seats in the 2008 and 2010 elections.

Earlier this month it was reported that Meirion Bowen, a community councillor in Llandybie, Wales, had left the party in the interests of his family, employment and personal safety. Then Paul Golding, a district councillor in Sevenoaks and the party’s communications officer, quit after a fallout with other senior party staff. He was swiftly followed by Michael Simpkins, who has sat on Corsham Town Council since 2007, who left over the BNP’s failure to pay its creditors, who include printers who risked opprobrium to print the racist party’s election material.

Hope Not Hate

Britons held at Amsterdam EDL demo

Five Britons were among several dozen people arrested during a demonstration by the right-wing English Defence League in Amsterdam.

Around 60 EDL activists turned up in the Dutch city on Saturday to support Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders.

The Britons were among 34 people arrested during the day, Amsterdam Police spokesman Rob van der Veen said. It is understood the five were held for not producing identification while on their way to the demonstration.

Officers equipped with horses and dogs were among those out in force as the protesters gathered in a specially designated area between the city centre and port.

Dutch authorities attempted to isolate the protest from anti-fascist groups and supporters of football team Ajax, both of whom urged their members to disrupt the afternoon demonstration.

Mr Wilders - who was barred from visiting Britain before being allowed to enter last year - has reportedly said he has no ties to the EDL and did not support the demonstration.

Writing in The Times last week, Jon Cruddas, Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham, called on political parties to "choke off" what the EDL taps into.

He said the organisation was a small, violent street militia "but it speaks the language of a much larger, disenfranchised class".

Belfast Telegraph

BNP to be taken to court by creditors (UK)

The British National Party (BNP) is being taken to court by its creditors including a North- East printing firm which is owed thousands.

The far-right party’s central office owes the Newton Press, in County Durham, about £16,500 for printing its newspaper, Freedom.

It is understood the firm is one of several UK firms taking the BNP to court in an action headed by an as yet unnamed solicitor.

The £16,500 has been described as loose change compared to the overall figure being sought from the party, which is allegedly £500,000 in debt.

Party leader Nick Griffin is expected to meet North-East organisers in County Durham today, where he will face tough questions over the party’s finances.

As a political party the BNP is an unincorporated association which cannot technically be declared bankrupt.

However, creditors could hold Mr Griffin personally liable along with party members who entered into contracts.

Freedom’s former editor, Martin Wingfield, said he enjoyed an excellent working relationship with the Newton Press for about two years until he stepped down, in July last year.

But, when asked about the recent debt, he said: “I understand the case is going to court, so at present, I cannot comment further.”

The BNP’s money woes were highlighted recently when a letter purporting to be from the party’s head office offered creditors 20p for every pound of debt.

It was dismissed by some members as a fake, but the BNP’s former North-East organiser, Ken Booth, said it was genuine.

He said party members in the North-East were disgusted to learn of the 20p in a pound offer and he had fought for the Newton Press to be paid.

In contrast to the national position, Mr Booth said the North- East office has always operated on a pay-as-you-go basis and as such had no debts.

Mr Booth, who was removed from his post by Mr Griffin when he threatened to raise the debts issue, said: “It goes against the BNP’s core principle of local jobs for local people.

“As far as I can see this is a decent North-East firm that has done a good job and deserves to be paid and I don’t know why it hasn’t been.

“Central party is £500,000 in debt but it’s on a record turnover of £2.3m.

“No one is accusing anyone of stealing money, it’s just mismanagement.

“The general consensus of the members in the North-East is that Nick Griffin should shoulder the responsibility and step down.”

The Newton Press, which publishes the community newsletter, Newton News, declined to comment.

BNP central office spokesman John Walker said: “We could not comment on matters which are internal to the party and the businesses we deal with.”

The Northern Echo

Hate crime teacher speaks out (UK)

A teacher who was subjected to homophobic abuse has spoken of his relief after the perpetrator was convicted of harassment.

The man, who does not want to be named, said he was subjected to months of abuse after moving into a flat in Chelmsford.

He moved into the property last year and about a month later the trouble started as 38-year-old Jason Kingsnorth started making homophobic comments, including shouting insults from his window.

Kingsnorth, of Falmouth Road, Chelmsford, was given a police caution in January this year after a complaint was made and for a few weeks the problem subsided.

But between January and May of this year Kingsnorth’s harassment continued.

The teacher and his partner were approached when they were alone and said they were left in fear that violence may be used.

However, Kingsnorth was arrested and has now been convicted of harassment and handed a 16-week suspended sentence at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court.

Speaking to the EADT, the teacher said he hoped more people suffering from hate crimes would come forward.

He said: “After the caution what happened, I would say, was more traumatic. It was all the time – little comments, nothing specific, muttering under his breath or he would repeatedly slam the door.

“There was an incident when I came home one evening and he was ranting and raving so I just walked past him.

“I felt it was definite intimidation and I did not know what he was capable of, but in some ways it would have been easier if it had been a physical thing as I was left constantly worried.

“I think he was a bully, picking on what he thought was a weakness and thought he could get away with it. It is the sort of thing I see in the playground and it is not nice in the playground and against adults it is just as bad.”

The victim started to compile a diary of the harassment which proved invaluable to police and Essex Crown Prosecution Service in securing the conviction.

Kingsnorth was arrested and a restraining order was put in place and he has since moved away from the flats.

The teacher added that the support he got from the witness care unit at the court which made a big difference to the daunting experience of giving evidence against Kingsnorth.

“If people do not go to the police, they won’t know what could be done for them. I would advise anyone having similar problems to keep a diary of it.

“What happened made me quite nervous in my own home to be honest so there was a real relief when he was gone. We were suffering from the October to April but there are people out there who it has been happening to for longer and they may just be putting up with it.

Prosecutor Joseph Stickings said: “The victims suffered at the hands of this man over a prolonged period of time purely because of their sexual orientation.

“His campaign of harassment against these two gentlemen caused them great unnecessary emotional suffering and they were unable to relax in their own home.

“We are grateful to the victims for coming forward and pleased this case has reached a successful conclusion. The CPS will continue to take offences of this nature very seriously and remain committed to prosecuting them through the court system.”

EADT

Neo-Nazi Groups, Extremist Crime Increasing Rapidly in Russia, Senior MVD Official Says

Major General Sergey Girko, the head of the Scientific Research Institute of the Russian Federation Ministry  of Internal Affairs, says that there are now more than 150 neo-Nazi groups in his country and that both their number and the number of extremist crimes is rising rapidly.

Speaking to an international conference in Moscow on combating extremist and terrorist groups and crime today, Girko acknowledged that for that reason as well as many others, “the operational situation in the area of countering extremism on the territory of the Russian Federation remains complicated” (www.vnii-mvd.ru/news/1128).

Girko said that “every year” the number of crimes of an extremist nature in Russia has been growing. “If in 2007, there were 356 such crimes registered” – a 35 percent increase over the year before – “then in 2008, this figure increased to 460 (up 29 percent) and in 2009 to 548 (up 19 percent).”

The current year has been no exception to this pattern, the MVD general said. During the first six months of the year, there were 370 such crimes recorded, up by 39 percent over the same period in 2009. And that figure suggests that there will be a comparable increase for the entire year as well.

Moreover, Girko continued, “the number of radical groups based on the ideology of national, racial and religious tolerance also continues to grow.” According to MVD figures, there are now “more than 150 radical neo-fascist groups” in Russia “whose members profess a cult of nationalism and racial superiority” and seek to implement it with violence.

The MVD institute director said that “we very well understand that statistics are not an absolutely exact barometer” in this area. “As law enforcement practice shows, at the initial stage, extremist crimes are sometimes classified as having been committed for other reasons” all the more so because extremist groups are often combined with ordinary criminal ones.

“In Russia,” he continued, “particularly in recent years,” the powers that be have adopted “a complex of legislative and organizational measures in order to react in an adequate fashion to the existing threats from the side of organized criminal formations of an extremist and terrorist direction.”

Among these steps, Girko said, has been “the creation of a government system of countering extremism in which a particular place undoubtedly belongs to law enforcement organs.” They in turn have created inside the MVD a special department, whose staff specializes in providing advice on how to respond to and then prevent extremist crime.

His own institute, Girko said, conducts research and makes recommendations in this area in order to “raise the level” of the understanding of front-line officers in the struggle with this kind of crime and to generalize on the findings of investigators so that what one group learns all can benefit from.

The institute’s research, he continued, shows how complicated and multi-faceted is the task of those who seek to combat such crimes, and Girko suggested that what is “required” now is the involvement of “all institutions of government power” in this struggle, with each being responsible for one or another sector.

While a great deal has been accomplished, Girko said, “work in this direction in many regions [of the Russian Federation] is not being carried out at all or is being carried out in an ineffective way.” In all too many places, such activities are limited to declarations of good intentions rather than continuing action.

Girko concluded by saying that Russia’s fight against extremist crimes can only benefit from the experiences of others who have assembled in Moscow for this conference, and he said that the speeches and deliberations of the group would be published so that they could benefit everyone who is engaged in this struggle.

Georgian Daily

Racist graffiti daubed on Shrewsbury day centre (UK)

Racist graffiti, including a Nazi swastika, has been daubed across the front of a Shrewsbury day care centre for adults with learning disabilities.

 Police have appealed for anyone who might have information about the vandalism to come forward after the offensive and racist messages and symbols were scrat-ched into the fascia boards on the front of the building.
The incident happened at the Albert Road Day Centre, in Sundorne, between about 4.30pm on Tuesday and 12.30pm on Wednesday.

Miriam Hulme, who volunteers at the centre for Mencap, said: “It’s disgusting that people have done this and I just wish they realised how it reflects on our people, they get upset, and it doesn’t look good for a community facility.

“We rent the building from the council and now they will have to use money to repair it that could be used to help our members.

“I wish whoever did it could see the good the centre does and how much our members enjoy going there.”
Constable Emma Watson, who is investigating the incident, said the signs would need to be repainted in order to remove the graffiti.

She said: “The venue is a day centre for adults with learning disabilities and has been a target for vandals previously.

“If anyone has any information as to who was responsible for the damage, please could they contact police on 0300 333 3000.

She added: “If you know something but do not want to be identified, then please call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. The operator will not even ask for your name and a reward is sometimes offered.”

The centre allows adults with learning disabilities to access opportunities in the community and in house.

Shropshire Star

Gabon deports several Whites for racism (Africa)

Authorities in Gabon recently expelled several European nationals for racism. 

Those expelled are mainly expatriates who worked in the oil sector. According to the local media, Blacks in the Central African country continue to fall victim to racism at the hands of some Whites.

Many Europeans working in the Gabonese oil industry at Port-Gentil, the country’s economic capital, were expelled between late September and early October for racism, l’Union, a local newspaper, announced on Thursday.

Sharon Lyndah Bayliss, former chief financial officer at KCA Deutag, is among the deported expatriates. Known for her repeated tendency toward the anti-social behavior pattern, Sharon had already received a deportation notice coupled with a ban on residing in Gabon, prior to the recent deportation.

But, according to l’Union, "It is rumored that deals within both the oil industry and the national security services facilitated her return to Gabon".

Another expatriate, Ms. Corinne Fizz, chief financial officer at Weatherford, was escorted to the central African country’s border for "racism and discrimination against other employees of the company."

There are also reports that Vincent Perez, who works with ISMS, a company founded by his Father, was expelled for ’’outrageous’’ remarks towards the Gabonese authorities.

"Subhuman beings"

The scourge of racism and segregation, according to observers, is rife in Port Gentil. "Some bars and restaurants, including the famous San Lorenzo and the Ranch, consider the presence of Black customers as an intrusion," the newspaper reads.

Meanwhile, many Gabonese have expressed shock over the emergence of such anti-social behaviour among European expatriates who have since time immemorial enjoyed some of the most friendly conditions in the country.

However, ages "after the abolition slavery and colonization, they continue to view blacks as subhuman’’ Arsene Sema, a young Gabonese, complained.

A few months ago, the National Union of Oil Employees (ONEP), during a strike action, had called on the government to involve expatriates from the country’s oil sector in Union activities, because many of them (White workers) are illegal.

Some also argue that those so-called illegally employed White expatriates hold some of the most important positions of responsibility.

Afrik-News

Schoolchildren learn about evils of racism (UK)

Hundreds of Lanarkshire schoolchildren attended an event aimed at combating racism.

Around 300 pupils from primary schools in Rutherglen and Cambuslang were invited to the Show Racism the Red Card event at Rutherglen Town Hall.

Run by South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture, it was part of a three-day event, which included sporting activities.

Show Racism the Red Card is an anti-racist campaigning and educational charity which uses role models, such as professional footballers, to help educate people about the damage caused by racism.

Councillor Gerry Convery, chairman of South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture, said: “The message being sent out is that racism has no place with us, either in sport or in any other part of our daily lives.

“This is a worthwhile event and a great way to break down barriers.”

Evening Times

War veterans' group who took money from BNP to be struck off as charity (UK)

A War veterans' group who took money from the BNP are to be struck off the charity register.

A probe into Forward Edge of Battle Area (Feba) revealed problems with its management and finances.

Feba, set up by former Queen's Own Highlander Tommy Moffat in 2006, had been backed by First Minister Alex Salmond and former defence secretary Des Browne.

But it emerged last year that Moffat had taken £3000 from the BNP to pay rent on their HQ in Hamilton, Lanarkshire.

The leader of the racist party, Nick Griffin, visited Moffat, claiming he wanted to show his support.

Feba were given charity status in March 2007. But now an inquiry by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) has found they don't meet the watchdogs' "public benefit" test.

The probe uncovered "significant weaknesses in governance and financial controls".

The OSCR said Moffat had run up large debts he couldn't repay and was running the charity while they were apparently insolvent.

He had also been the sole trustee of Feba, despite an agreement to have at least four people at the helm.

The report said: "It appears Thomas Moffat has not acted in the best interests of the charity and with the care and diligence that is reasonable to expect.

"The lack of accounting records made it impossible to determine the extent of any financial mismanagement."

The report said Moffat repeatedly refused to provide information and did not act on recommendations for improvement.

Moffat refused to comment. Feba have until November 7 to appeal the decision.

Daily Record

FRENCH COURT HEARS ANTI-SEMITIC MURDER APPEAL

Paris court is hearing the appeal of 18 people convicted in the 2006 kidnapping, torture and murder of a young French Jew. One who's not appealing is Gang leader Youssouf Fofana, who chose not to appeal his conviction and life sentence. The appeal started Monday; it's expected to continue through mid-December. The case revived worries in France about anti-Semitism, considered an aggravating circumstance in the case, and led to anxiety in France's Jewish community, the largest in western Europe. Ilan Halimi, who was 23 years old, was held captive for more than three weeks. He was found naked, handcuffed and covered with burn marks near railroad tracks in the Essonne region south of Paris on Feb. 13, 2006. He died on the way to the hospital.

Business Week

Mixed reaction as BNP tries to hire hall for meetings (Isle of Wight, UK)

 ROW erupted among Sandown town councillors this week over the possibility of hiring out the Broadway Centre to the BNP.

Island members of the controversial political party — which has come under fire for its far right reputation — are looking for a new venue to host their monthly meetings and have e-mailed town and parish councils across the Island to ask about hire charges.

The request, discussed among Sandown councillors at Tuesday’s meeting, was hugely unpopular with some members.

"They are racists as far as I’m concerned. We shouldn’t touch them with a barge pole," said Cllr Bob Blezzard.

But Cllr Chris Dupre said it would be discriminatory to refuse the request.

"You can’t have one rule for the BNP and another for everyone else. Then you could start saying no Muslims or black people," he said.

"They are a legitimate political party and have as much right to hire the hall as anyone else."

Cllr Richard Beasley added: "We have to be seen to be tolerant, even if we don’t want to be. And it would bring us income."

Island BNP organiser Geof Clynch, who stood as the party's parliamentary candidate in the general election earlier this year, said several town and parish councils had responded with room hire details and charges.

"The feedback so far has not been negative at all," he said.

"The membership of the Island BNP is made up of intelligent, law abiding, taxpaying, patriotic people, who only want what is best for the Island and its indigenous population.

"We are not Nazis, we are a proper political party. People need to grow up and stop having such childish debates."

Sandown Town Council agreed to reply to Mr Clynch’s request asking for further details.

County Press Online

New task force to protect gay and lesbian community (New York, USA)

Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today announced the creation of a Hate Crimes Task Force in his office to counter the violence perpetrated against members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community.  The Task Force was set up due to the high rate of hate crimes in the community and is designed to protect victims by giving them an outlet to report crimes and seek advocacy. 
The Task Force will put in place a set of initiatives designed to protect members of the LGBT community.  One of these initiatives is the implementation of “Project Reach-Out”, which will provide resources to members of the LGBT community and HIV-positive survivors of violence.  The Task Force is also setting up a 24-hour hotline that hate crime victims can call.  That number is (718) 250-2759.

“Often, biased crime victims are hesitant to come forward and report crimes against them. It is a scary and traumatic experience for them”, Hynes said.  “They may not want to call 911 or walk into their local precinct.  The new hotline can help those people.  These initiatives do not just protect victims of violence. Bullying against members of this community is something that also needs to be reported and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.  The Project will involve getting the community to work with us to put an end to the unnecessary violence.”

Empire State News

Communities unite to stamp out hate crime in Wandsworth (UK)

The borough’s ethnic, faith, gay and lesbian communities have endorsed a joint council and police initiative to stamp out hate crime in Wandsworth.

Members of 31 different groups met last Tuesday at the first meeting of the newly created Wandsworth Hate Crime Forum, which was set up to combat all forms of intolerance including discrimination and persecution based on a person's beliefs, religion, race, age, gender, disability or sexual orientation.

They unanimously agreed a joint declaration condemning all forms of hate crime and set themselves the goal of improving “the quality of life for everyone living, working, visiting or socialising in the borough”
.
Forum chairman, Councillor James Cousins, said: “The aims of the forum are quite clear. We will all work closely together to create a more just, equal, peaceful and tolerant society. And we will do all we can to outlaw the abhorrent persecution and discrimination of any minority group.”

Your Local Guardian

Racist abuse teens probe (UK)

Police are hunting teenagers who hurled racist abuse at a member of Blackpool rail staff.

As a train pulled into Blackpool Pleasure Beach station, a girl and two boys asked the conductor where he had come from. When he said Blackpool South, one of the teenagers replied "No, you've come from Pakistan".

They then became aggressive and shouted more abuse at the man.

PC Chris Haughton, of British Transport Police, said: "Abuse of any kind is unacceptable, but when there is a racial element it also becomes extremely disturbing."

The boys were between 14 and 16 years old and about 5ft 5in tall. They were both slim, one was wearing dark clothing while the other had a grey hooded top.

The incident happened around 8.45pm on Friday, October 15.

Anyone with information should call BTP on 0800 40 50 40 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Blackpool Gazzette

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.

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