Still Waiting..... By Nick Lowles (UK)

Trent: Waving a new tricolour?

Four days after the BNP threatened to expel anyone caught out acting like a Nazi we’re still to hear of any expulsions, only more party resignations.

It would appear that the youth wing has now left the party with its leader Kieren Trent and his new girl friend purged by a series of angry and threatening party loyalists over their relationship, the current plight of her former lover and an apparent switch of allegiance to Irish republicanism from Ulster loyalism by the pair. My sources tell me that as well as making Facebook declarations of their new allegiances, some former “BNP Crusaders” went as far as to sneak into a commemoration for the 1916 Easter Uprising over the long weekend!

Staying with the Irish theme, the BNP’s organiser for Northern Ireland, the ‘Comical Ali’ of racial purity Steven Moore, managed to make a brief appearance over the weekend, watching the tanned Nick Griffin tie a few old posters around some lamp posts. In typical BNP fashion this was over a month later than any other party and, of course, in considerably less numbers than the other parties. If anything it was just a photo opportunity to prove to the world that Nick Griffin tanned very nicely in Cyprus and also to get Moore to stop hiding after the embarrassment of his racist and sectarian Facebook comments and the delightful truth as to who paid for his wedding.

Next up, Griffin was in Wales with a motley crew of BNP thugs tweeting away about Searchlight moles trying to ruin his party and its campaign (guilty as charged). But it wasn’t long until he returned to his favourite theme; there then came an appeal for funds to pay for petrol for the party’s “Truth Truck”, which in reality is better described as a “Lie Lorry”. Perhaps if Griffin had given the money that it cost to fly both him and his security over to Belfast to the petrol pump attendant instead, none of this would have been necessary. Still, neither common sense nor decency has ever stood in the way of a good old fashioned BNP begging letter/text/phone call/tweet etc, etc.

What did surprise about Griifin’s visit to Belfast was the fact that the BNP had refused to attend an employment tribunal in the city only a few days earlier because they were allegedly concerned for their safety...

Hope Not Hate

March of the Living held at former concentration camp at Auschwitz (Poland)

On Monday the 20th annual March of the Living took place at the former Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz in southern Poland. About 7 000 people participated, mainly young Jewish people from various countries and young Polish people. Holocaust survivors also participated.

The march honours the victims of the Holocaust. Those attending proceeded along the three-kilometer road from the gate of the Auschwitz I concentration camp, with its well-known Nazi slogan Arbeit macht frei ("Work will set you free") to the Auschwitz II - Birkenau camp, where most victims of the Nazi death factory perished.

"What happened at Auschwitz is horrific, we must not forget it. Nothing like this should ever happen again," Polish press agency PAP quoted Filip, a middle school student from Sered', Slovakia, as saying. He was participating in the March of the Living for the second time.

The March of the Living has been held since 1988 and annually since 1996. Participants proceed through the former death camp on Holocaust Day, which was established by the Israeli Parliament in the 1950s for the commemoration of the six million Jewish people murdered by the Nazis. The largest number of people met for the March of the Living in 2005, the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Approximately 20 000 people attended that year, including then-Polish PM Marek Belka and the Israeli PM Ariel Sharon.

The Nazis murdered 1.1 million people, most of them Jewish, at the Auschwitz death camp, which was first set up in 1940. The victims also included Polish people, Roma people, and Soviet prisoners of war.

Romea

Hungarian court acquits Nazi hunter Zuroff of libel

Nazi hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff was acquitted by a Budapest court of libel charges leveled against him by an accused Hungarian Nazi war criminal.

Zuroff, head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, was acquitted Tuesday by Judge Viktor Vadasz two days before his accuser, Dr. Sandor Kepiro, is scheduled to go on trial in Budapest Municipal Court. Kepiro is charged with being involved in the murder of more than1,200 Jews, Serbs and Gypsies during a raid by the wartime Hungarian Gendarmerie at Novi Sad in 1942.

Kepiro, 97, filed suit after Zuroff, the head of the Israel office of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, submitted documents to the Hungarian courts in 2006 regarding Kepiro's alleged role in the murders of 1,246 civilians in Novi Sad. Most of the victims were taken to the Danube River and shot in January 1943.

Kepiro was found guilty of involvement twice -- once by the pre-Nazi Hungarian courts, and again after the war, in 1946. By then he allegedly had fled via Austria to Argentina. He returned to Budapest in 1996, and Zuroff, who has been searching for Nazi war criminals under the Wiesenthal Center's Operation Last Chance program, located him.

In his verdict, Vadasz noted that Zuroff had acted in good faith by first contacting the Hungarian prosecutors after discovering that Kepiro had returned to Hungary from Argentina before notifying the media.

"Needless to say, I am relieved to have been acquitted, but the most important issue is Kepiro’s guilt, which will be hopefully established by a criminal court in his trial which begins Thursday morning," Zuroff said in a statement. "This has been a long and frustrating process, which began in the summer of 2006, but I am hopeful that justice will finally be achieved. That is what the victims of the massacre in Novi Sad deserve and that is what I have been fighting for from the very beginning of this process."

JTA Post

BNP faces court over bills (UK)

The British National Party owes companies in Northern Ireland hundreds of thousands of pounds in unpaid bills, it is claimed.

The Belfast Telegraph can reveal that a number of firms here could take the party to court for monies outstanding.

One former supporter of the party has warned that small family-run firms could go bankrupt because of the shortfall, thought to total over £500,000, UK-wide.

A case has already been heard in the High Court in March involving the non-payment of election expenses relating to the Barking constituency in London, where party leader Nick Griffin was the candidate.

A company called Newton Press has taken legal action over an outstanding bill of more than £10,000 for printing services.

Last week the BNP pledged to pay off all the money it owed by the end of the year, adding that the debts were a result of spending during the last European and general election campaigns.

A former BNP supporter in Northern Ireland, who is also owed money, said he is not confident of being repaid soon.

Jim Dowson is a fundraiser who helped set up BNP offices all over the UK, including in Northern Ireland.

His firm Adlorries, which provides promotional and marketing services, claims he is owed around £160,000.

He said he has already had to dip into his own cash to pay off smaller companies related to his firm who were left out of pocket.

“The BNP claim to be the saviours of British industry and British workers, but I am afraid that around half a dozen small, family-run businesses, including some in Northern Ireland, could go to the wall because the BNP have not paid them,” he said.

“We are in a recession and times are hard enough as it is. People have been treated disgracefully.”

Mr Dowson also expressed anger that party boss Mr Griffin was spotted walking around east Belfast last week, just yards from a firm the BNP allegedly owes more than £40,000.

David Sloan from small family firm, Romac Press in east Belfast, says his company is owed £44,000.

He has defended his firm taking business from the right wing group, saying that the UK is deep in a recession.

“We were not in a position to turn people away but the BNP has basically wiped out a year’s profits,” he said.

”I have contacted police, the electoral commission and I'll take it to the High Court if I have to.”

A spokesperson for the BNP refused to confirm or deny the accusations and said that whether or not the party owes money to creditors is “irrelevant”.

Belefast Telegraph

Neo-Nazi posters removed (Austria)

A special police unit is investigating after posters called for the release of an arrested fascist were erected at a busy road.

Large banners with German slogans that can be translated as "Freedom for Gottfried Küssel!" and "Let our comrade free!" were eliminated after motorists driving along the B37 near Krems, Lower Austria, informed local police at the weekend.

Officials announced today (Mon) that the federal police department for the protection of the constitution and the fight against terrorism has taken over the investigations.

Küssel was put in custody earlier this month. The Austrian is considered as a mastermind of the European neo-Nazi scene. He has posed in front of pictures of Third Reich dictator Adolf Hitler many times and organised marches of skinheads in the Czech Republic and other countries.

The agitator is accused of cooperating with managers of a website on which neo-Nazis exchanged hate-filled messages against ethnic minorities and journalists. "Alpen-Donau" went offline shortly after Austrian prosecutors announced they informed their counterparts in the United States for support.

Austrian authorities were forced to watch on as the right-wingers did little to disguise their Austrian nationalities when posting notes about occurrences in the country because the server of the homepage was located in the USA. The online platform recently reappeared on the web under a slightly different name.

Two other people were also put in custody when six houses in Styria and Vienna were searched and Küssel was arrested. Police in Vienna said recently that all of the men remain in detention as investigations continue.

Meanwhile, Freedom Party (FPÖ) official Martin Graf has come under fire after a website run by some of his office staff contained a user’s message calling for the release of Küssel. Graf became the third president of the federal parliament in Vienna after the most recent general election in 2008. He is considered as a representative of the FPÖ’s powerful far-right wing.

FPÖ chairman Heinz-Christian Strache said he and his party had nothing to do with people frequenting "Alpen-Donau" after the faction was lauded for some decisions by users chatting on the controversial homepage’s discussion platform.

Austrian Independant

Neo-Nazi Leader Jeff Hall Shot Dead in His Home; 10-Year-Old Son Detained (USA)

Jeff Hall

Authorities in Southern California are investigating the slaying of a well-known white supremacist leader who was shot and killed yesterday morning -- possibly by his own son.

Jeff Hall, 32, was found dead inside his Riverside home in the 5400 block of Lauder Court at about 4 a.m. Sunday. Hall died of a single gunshot wound from a "known assailant," the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner said in a press release.

According to the Riverside Police Department, authorities have detained Hall’s 10-year-old son. Contacted by The Huffington Post, a watch commander stopped short of calling the boy a suspect but did say investigators are not looking for any additional persons of interest.

"[His] juvenile son has been detained for further investigation," Lt. Bruce Loftus said. "He is the only one being detained."

Loftus, citing the ongoing investigation, declined to comment further.

Hall has been cited by multiple sources as a neo-Nazi and regional director of the National Socialist Movement. The organization's website describes the group as the "largest National Socialist Party operating in the United States of America today." They claim their core beliefs include "defending the rights of white people everywhere" and the "promotion of white separation."

Hall held a monthly meeting for the organization inside his home on Saturday afternoon. Roughly a dozen members of the group, along with a reporter from The New York Times, were present for the meeting. Hall reportedly discussed several items, including an upcoming "patrol" that was planned for the Mexican border in Arizona.

"This is a very active area right now," Hall told those present, the Times reported. "You guys get your Glocks cocked and get ready to rock. We’re going to the border. That's how we do it."

On Sunday, the NSM posted a brief message about Hall's death, saying the father of five was dedicated to the organization and spent "countless volunteer hours ... leading Patrols in efforts to halt illegal immigration. ... Thank you for all the memories Brother. We miss you."

Some of Hall's Lauder Court neighbours, who claim to have been intimidated by Hall and the NSM, have had a different reaction to news of his death -- speaking as if an era of fearfulness had ended.

"Honestly, I feel like it's over," neighbour Juan Trejo told the Riverside Press-Enterprise. "It was scary here. Hopefully we’ll never see any of them again."

Huffington Post

Joan of Arc doomed by links to Far Right

A museum dedicated to the French heroine is about to close, as most citizens turn up their noses, write Adam Sage and Marie Tourres.

It was opened at a time of patriotic fervour to commemorate a heroine whose death at the hands of an iniquitous enemy was a defining event in French history.

Now the Joan of Arc Museum in Rouen, the Normandy town where the teenage mystic was burned at the stake by the English in 1431, is facing closure as France turns its back on a woman whose reputation has been stained by association with the extreme Right.

“The French are increasingly uninterested in their own history and uninterested in Joan of Arc,” said Alain Preaux, the owner of the Musée Jeanne d’Arc.

The museum was opened in 1955 in the square where Joan of Arc perished after leading the French against the English during the Hundred Years War.

Preaux has run the museum since 1977, following in his father’s footsteps. Now, at the age of 59, he wants to retire but cannot find a public or private purchaser for a collection of waxwork figures, documents and other objects valued at more than $600,000. “If no one comes forward I guess it will end up by being auctioned and dispersed,” Preaux said.

He said that the Maid of Orléans, as Joan of Arc is known, appeared in some ways to be of greater interest to the British these days.

The number of non-French tourists visiting the museum — almost three-quarters of whom are from Britain — had remained constant over the past couple of decades, he said. They account for 40 per cent of all visitors.

The number of French had declined sharply, taking the overall number of visitors from 40,000 a year in the 1980s to 25,000 a year. “We used to get a lot of French school parties. Now we hardly get any,” he said.

Critics said that the decline may be a consequence of Preaux’s failure to modernize a museum that features items such as letters written by monks on behalf of Joan of Arc, who was an illiterate peasant, and waxwork and cardboard cut-out scenes portraying her death.

“This sort of collection doesn’t really correspond to what people want anymore,” said Jean-Pierre Chaline, a history professor at the Sorbonne University who lives in Rouen. He said that the poor state of the museum was an illustration of how Joan of Arc had fallen out of favour in France.

He blamed the ultra-Right National Front, which uses Joan of Arc as its symbol in May Day parades.

François Michaud-Frejaville, emeritus professor of history at Orléans University, described the link between Joan of Arc and the National Front as “an attack on historical reality.”

She hoped Joan of Arc’s reputation would be restored next year, the 600th anniversary of her birth, when celebrations are planned.
Ottawa Citizen

Racist Bulger fiend backs BNP (UK)

James Bulger’s killer Jon Venables is a racist who supports the BNP.

The paedophile has sickened staff at the high-security prison where he is being held with his vile outbursts.

And in a bizarre twist he has told workers he is following this week’s AV referendum closely as he thinks a “Yes” vote would be the boost the right-wing party needs.

Venables, 28, who killed James, two, when he was ten, is back behind bars after being caught with child porn snaps.

The Daily Star Sunday is banned from revealing the jail he is being held in or the new identity he has been living under since he was released from his murder sentence in 2001.

But a prison source said Venables’ views have been raising eyebrows.

The insider said: “Some of what he comes out with is bang out of order but we just have to nod along.

“When he said he backed the BNP it was no real surprise. His views have always been extreme.

“People have been thinking back to some of what he’s said down the months and it all adds up.

“Last year he was watching Big Brother and he said he fancied Rachel Ifon, the black Scouse contestant.

“But he was quick to point out that although he thought she was sexy he would never go out with her because, in his words, he’d ‘never shag a black bird’.

“He’s also spoken out against immigration. He reckons all the eastern European builders coming over here have taken jobs off Brit workers and he says the mainstream parties haven’t done enough to stop them.

“But no one thought he was especially political so it was a surprise when he said he’d been following the AV debate.

He said he would have voted Yes to give the BNP a better chance.”

Prisoners don’t get a say in Thursday’s vote but the BNP are actually urging their followers to vote “No”.

The country is going to the polls to decide whether to change our electoral process to the Alternative Vote system.

Hope Not Hate

EDL march in Weymouth: Hundreds show their feelings against 'fascists' (UK)

At the opposite end of the seafront hundreds of people gathered to oppose the EDL’s presence.

Crowds assembled at Weymouth Pavilion to hear members of the public, community leaders and political figures speak against the group.

The organisers, Dan Brember, of Weymouth, and Richard Baker, of Dorchester, estimated that around 350 people were present.

Secretary of the Trades Union Council Tim Nicholls, who led the protest at the Pavilion, said the counter-group wanted to show that the EDL are ‘not welcome in Weymouth’.

He said: “They are a racist organisation and where they have marched before they have left a wreck of racist attacks behind them.”

Mayor of Weymouth Paul Kimber, who introduced the 10 speakers, said he was pleased to see that people turned up ‘to show hatred’ towards EDL.

One of the speakers, former South Dorset MP, Lord Knight, said: “We have a small Muslim community in the borough.

“These people are scared of fascism – they’re scared of what’s going on.”

Weymouth and Portland Labour councillor Simon Bowkett added that Weymouth has an Islamic population of just 0.3 per cent.

He said: “It’s absurd that the EDL is here. We barely have a Muslim population, let alone an issue with radicalism.”

Weyman Bennett, from Unite Against Fascism, said it concerned him that EDL members had previously burned the Koran.

He said: “When people start off burning books it’s not very far from when they start talking about burning people.”

Budmouth Technology Coll-ege student Lorenzo Pagano, 17, added: “I think there always needs to be a presence where such evils arise. All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men and women to do nothing.”

Jason Cridland, from Radipole, was one of the families to join in the march with his wife Debbie, brother Richard and three children including two-year-old Mollie.

He said: “EDL feed off misinformation – they’ve become very dogmatic about something they want to believe in that doesn’t reflect reality. That’s primarily why we’re here today.”

Sean Gray, 61, from Fordington, added: “I think that racism is a cancer that we can do without in this area.

“I don’t think there’s a basis for these sort of organisations in Weymouth or in Dorset.”

Unite Against Fascism group will be holding a meeting on Saturday at 1.30pm in the Colliton Club in Dorchester.

Dorset Echo

Nazi Party Being Founded in Finland

A legal processes is underway for the formal registration of a National Socialist Workers' Party in Finland. The group, which uses Nazi symbols, had intended to put up candidates in the last local elections, and now has plans to participate in the next elections. Its chairman says the party has dozens of Nazi activists around the country.

There were no swastikas seen on campaign posters during the recent Parliamentary elections. However, there could be in the next one. The two-year process for the National Socialist Workers' Party of Finland to gain official legal status has been, however, a complicated one.

The group's original, openly racist party rules have been modified, and it has relinquished the use of a parallel German name. After the revisions, party regulations are innocuous enough to be used by a sewing circle.

Even so, the national Register of Associations has had doubts about the use of "National Socialist" in the party's name.

"Statements of evaluation have been requested about this issue. A decision is expected from the Board of Patents and Registration in May," says Jyrki Ahdeoja of the Register of Associations.

Statements have been requested from authorities including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is charged with interpreting Finland's international treaty obligations. Finland's post-WWII peace treaty included a ban on fascist and paramilitary organisations. For this reasons, groups such as Lotta Svärd, a voluntary auxiliary paramilitary organisation for women, were disbanded.

The Foreign Ministry has not found a reason to forbid the registration of a national socialist party.

"Nothing of a fascist nature was found. We tried to look at how the the organisation's activities are written in its regulations," explains Päivi Kaukoranta, Director General of the Legal Services section of the Finnish Foreign Ministry.

Opposed to non-white immigrants

According to the chairman of the National Socialists, Pekka Luoma, the party's concept is "the people and the fatherland".

"The people is the same as Finland's native, white population. We are struggling against immigration, especially against coloured immigrants," says Luoma.

The groups claims a few dozen Nazi activists around the country. The chairman is a 40 year-old unemployed family man from Satakunta. If permission to register as an association is forthcoming, a drive will be started to gather the signatures of the 5,000 supporters needed to register to take part in elections.

Swastika and Führer

"If a party's leader wants to a Führer, then so what?" says Pekka Luoma.

The party is particularly selective about membership. People of foreign origin have no business being under the swastika.

"If they are not related or do not have blood ties to the Finnish people, the party does not accept them."

Luoma explains that Swedish-speaking Finns and indigenous Sami people fulfil the criteria for membership, but he doesn't take a stand on the matter of membership for Finnish Roma.

The Lotta Svärd was approved for reestablishment only as a cultural organisation. A Nazi Party is possible in Finland under its international treaties. This is due to the global thinking that began in the 90s.

"The freedom of association is a right recognized in very key human rights agreements and in the practice of human rights courts it is established that very few restrictions can be placed upon it," points out the Foreign Ministry's Päivi Kaukoranta.

 YLE

Revealed: Vile hate-filled backgrounds of BNP candidates standing for election to Holyrood (UK)

Two BNP brothers standing for Holyrood are today exposed as vile hate-mongers.

Adam and Mark Walker are disgraced former teachers whose shameful conduct cost them their careers.

The Record can reveal BNP third in command, national organiser Adam, has been arrested twice in the last fortnight.

The bigot has referred to immigrants as "filth" and "savage animals".

Mark lost his teaching job after bombarding a 16-year-old girl with inappropriate emails.

The English pair will contest regional lists in Fife and South Scotland on Thursday.

A spokesman for pressure group Spotlight said: "These brothers are among the leading lights of the BNP but they have been sent up to contest an election where they know they have no chance of winning.

"The more you know about them, the more you realise what disarray the BNP are in. They are a bunch of bitter racists."

Adam was quizzed by police over allegations he drove his car at youths before behaving in a threatening manner.

The ex-soldier, from Spennymoor, County Durham, was bailed on April 23 in connection with the incidents, said to have happened as a rightwing group marched.

He was arrested three days earlier at a demo in Wakefield, where he had a heated row with police.

In the past, Walker, 42 - who answers directly to BNP leader Nick Griffin - referred to immigrants as "filth". He posted the comments online while teaching at Houghton Kepier Sports College.

Last year, a General Teaching Council panel cleared him of racial and religious hatred. But Adam had resigned in 2007 shortly after the probe into his conduct.

Brother Mark, 40, lost his job amid a torrent of claims against him.

An employment judge described his behaviour as "scandalous" after hearing about the seedy emails to an ex-pupil and how he watched porn on his laptop at work.

No illegal content was found on the laptop but Walker was slammed for his conduct towards the girl in 2007.

He was sacked for his absenteeism after claiming stress as a result of the action against him.

He lost his appeal against the sacking from Sunnydale Community College, in County Durham.

A hearing ruled that Walker's illness was triggered by his own actions.

Daily Record

Homemade bomb explodes at Salford house (UK)

A homemade pipe-bomb was pushed through the letter-box of a house in Salford while a family slept upstairs.

The device exploded, damaging the front door of the house on Westminster Street, Swinton, and blowing the letter-box off.

A 61-year-old man and his wife, 38, were upstairs along with their son, 20, and daughter, 12, when the house was targeted last Saturday.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police.

'Dangerous offender'
The son heard footsteps outside the house and saw a man at the bottom of the garden at about 2345 BST.

He then saw a bright flash outside followed by a loud explosion that caused the house to shake.

When the family went outside they found a haze of blue smoke.

Police found the device was a homemade pipe-bomb. Ball-bearings and shrapnel were recovered from the scene.

The man was described as white, about 5ft 4in tall and slim. He was wearing light blue jeans and a black hooded top pulled over his face.

Det Con Andrew Quinn said: "At this stage we do not know why this family were targeted in such a way but our paramount concern is to find this dangerous offender and lock him up.

"The family deserve the peace of mind of at least seeing this man behind bars so please, if you have any information whatsoever, do call us."

BBC News

Three charged over Hartlepool mosque attack (UK)

Three people have been charged over race related vandalism, including a spray paint attack at a mosque.

The charges relate to spray paint attacks at the Nasir Mosque in Hartlepool and two addresses in Shotton Colliery, near Peterlee, last November.

All are accused of conspiracy to commit racially aggravated criminal damage.

A man, 24, from Peterlee, a man, 31, from High Pittington, County Durham and a woman, 19, from Buckinghamshire, are due in court on 11 May.

BBC News

Cyber-stalking laws: police review urged (UK)

A senior police officer is calling on the government to review whether laws governing cyber-stalking in the UK are fit for purpose.

Greater Manchester Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan wants police to be given more powers to seize computers used to harass victims online.

It is hard to prove who committed stalking even though it is easy to establish which computer was used.

The Home Office says it is investigating the issue.

Mr Shewan, who is the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) leader on the issue of stalking and harassment, met ministers at the Home Office last week.

He said: "The legislation is 12 years old and I don't think anyone envisaged 12 years ago the extent that the world wide web would open up opportunities to harass and stalk people via the internet."

Cyber-stalkers can currently either be charged under the Protection from Harassment Act or the Malicious Communications Act, but charities and academics say neither is sufficient given the expansion in technology in recent years.
300% increase

As the number of people using computers has increased, so has the ability to tap into personal information online.

Mr Shewan wants it to be easier to seize computer equipment from a suspect and to get internet providers to hand over the unique identifier of each computer - the IP address.

Professor Carsten Maple, who heads the National Centre for Cyber-stalking Research at Bedfordshire University, said it was easy for those in-the-know to track down information.

He said Trojan spyware can be used to hack into anybody's computer, access their personal files and even secretly switch on their webcam.

Trojans are viruses which pose as harmless programmes and can be sent into computers via e-mails and other methods.

Yet currently police find it difficult to seize computer equipment unless they can prove there was an intention to cause fear or distress.

Prof Maple added his voice to calls for a review of the legislation.

He said: "The lack of power to seize computers makes it difficult to prove who is responsible for stalking, even if it can be shown beyond reasonable doubt that a particular device was used to commit a crime."

Jane Harvey from the Network for Surviving Stalking said 77% of stalking victims waited until more than 100 incidents had happened before going to the police.

She said when they finally took that step it was vital their allegations were taken seriously and the situation investigated fully.

"This is a devastating crime - being stalked online can ruin people's lives," she said.

"We urge the government and the police to do everything possible to ensure those affected by cyber-stalking get proper access to justice."

Prosecutions under the Malicious Communications Act have soared to an all-time high and increased almost 300% in five years to 899 last year.

Charges under the Protection from Harassment Act have risen from just under 12,000 to 12,549 in five years.

Separate figures from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) show that last year 33% of stalking incidents were by e-mail, 32% by text message and another 8.4% through social networking sites.

A Home Office spokesman said it was working with the police, Crown Prosecution Service and charities to try to improve the police response and make sure there were robust prosecutions.

He said: "Cyber stalking is a crime. As with all other forms of stalking we take it very seriously and we expect other agencies to do the same.

"The Home Office, Ministry of Justice and the Crown Prosecution Service are currently working together with victims and support charities to discuss whether the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and its enforcement has been effective in providing an appropriate response to stalking."

BBC News

1 of 2 Greek youths who took down Nazi flag from Acropolis dies at 89 (Greece)

The family of one of two Greek youths who removed the flag of occupier Nazi Germany from the Acropolis 70 years ago says he has died.

Apostolos "Lakis" Santas' family said Saturday the 89-year-old had died of respiratory failure.

Santas was a 19-year-old law student when he and his close friend Manolis Glezos, also 19, climbed the steep Acropolis hill in the centre of Athens on the night of May 30, 1941, and took down the flag from its mast, even though it was guarded by a sentry. The pair escaped after hiding the flag in a cave.

It was seen as the first, symbolic act of resistance against the month-old occupation.

Glezos and Santas later joined a left-wing resistance group and were imprisoned and exiled during the civil war that followed liberation.

Google Hosted News

Royal wedding: Police probe racist attack at Middletons' local pub party (UK)

A party to celebrate the royal ­wedding at the Middletons’ local pub ended in a punch-up when a drunken gatecrasher attacked three guests.

Landlord of the Old Boot Inn John Hayley, 55, held the £15-a-head bash for 350 regulars after returning from Westminster Abbey, where he had been a wedding guest.

But a fight broke out after a thug is said to have called an Asian ­woman a “f***ing P***” when she sat in someone else’s seat.

The attacker then grabbed her and threw her to the floor before ­attacking her sister-in-law and a male pal outside. The Asian ­woman was left with a cut face and black eye. The thug fled before police arrived.

The pub, in Bucklebury, Berks, is a regular haunt of Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, who have lived nearby for the past 10 years. Kate and Wills have also popped in.

Charlie Hewitt, 47, whose girlfriend Liza Simpson, 39, was attacked by the thug, said: “They were having a delightful day and ­really enjoying the party. When they got to the Boot it all got a bit unsavoury and some not nice things were said. It really upset her, though, and it’s a real shame to end such a lovely day like that.”

A police spokesman said they were investigating.

Mr Hayley organised the party months ago and he had employed bouncers to stop trouble.

Speaking outside the Abbey after the wedding, he said: “I was sat right at the front. Kate walked so close, I could have touched her dress.”

Sunday Mirror

Neo-Nazi Couple Convicted For the Murder of Rights Defenders in Moscow (Russia)

Over the past decade, we’ve observed a disturbing pattern of threats and assaults against human rights activists in the Russian Federation. Perpetrators of these heinous acts have been rarely brought to justice, and we still don’t know who is responsible for the murders of Natalya Estimirova, Anna Politkovskaya, or Magomed Yevloyev.

Last night, however, a divided jury issued a guilty verdict against Nikita Tikhonov and Yevgeniya Khasis, the neo-Nazi couple accused of murdering Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia Baburova in downtown Moscow on January 19, 2009. Seven jurors found the defendants guilty, and the forthcoming sentencing could yield a life imprisonment for Tikhonov and as many as 20 years behind the bars for Khasis.

Markelov, a human rights defender, lawyer and founder of the Rule of Law Institute, and Baburova, a young freelance reporter working for Novaya Gazeta, were fatally shot after leaving a press conference. Markelov, who is a well-known and respected figure in Russia’s human rights community, represented victims of human rights abuses in Chechnya, independent journalists, including Anna Politkovskaya and Igor Domnikov, as well as victims of neo-Nazi violence. Anastasia Baburova wrote about street protests, demonstrations, youth movements, and high-profile court cases, including the latest ruling against Russian skinhead violence. Human Rights First, joined by some 1,400 of our supporters, appealed to President Medvedev, calling on the Russian authorities to carry out a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into the murder of Anastasia Baburova and Stanislav Markelov, and to find and prosecute those responsible.

Tikhonov and Khasis are well-known figures on the ultranationalist scene in Moscow. At the end of last year, the neo-Nazi movement demonstrated its potential as a viable threat to public stability and an aggressive opponent to the Russian government. In December 2010, ultranationalist groups were able to quickly mobilize thousands of supporters to spread xenophobic rhetoric and rally in downtown areas, committing a slew of violent acts against ethnic minorities encountered by the angry mobs in the streets and on the subway. Trials of alleged organizers are set to begin later this year.

Human Rights first

More BNP expulsions expected (UK)

In fact, we should demand them! BNP press officer Simon Darby has in his own words begun a night of "sustained alcohol abuse". I can't say I really blame him. Having been deserted by his band of political psychopaths, racists and criminals, Darby has spent a large part of the last few days trying to convince the media that there is a mass conspiracy of BNP members having their email and facebook accounts hacked and random acts of vicious and racist remarks left on their social network pages.

Just to ensure that the BNP has a safety clause however, I read on one BNP site this afternoon that: 'BNP Central Office has indicated that people who bring the organisation into disrepute by idiocy will be expelled and remarked that idiocy is not free speech, but sheer stupidity'.

So, let's get the ball rolling with three of the BNP's candidates for Barnsley. Most of their thoughts and comments cannot be repeated. They are so extreme and in places sickening in their vile, racist rants, taking a sick group pleasure attacking ordinary members of the community for their skin colour or their religon.

One candidate, Danny Cooke, makes excessive claims and boasts about carrying out illegal and sickening acts with an animal while egged on by his party colleagues. In other posts, he asks other BNP members to remove pictures of former Barnsley BNP by-election candidate Enis Dalton from their profiles, stating "I'm sick of seeing the bitch".

Then there's Raymond Hinchcliffe, standing in Barnsley Dearne South, who claims that when he sees black people he is reminded to eat a banana, or tells Asians to "F*** O** YOU SMELLEY (sic) B*******" which is also pretty much the way he views and writes about Turkish people.

Finally, Peter Shirt the candidate for Rockingham Ward. Shirt likes to make jokes about the Holocaust, where millions of people were murdered by Nazis. Not only does he make jokes about it, it would seems he positively encourages it. As he does it would seem, violence against women too.

As well as lots of jokes about beating his wife up, he then makes a sickening reference to Peter Sutcliffe who was known as the Yorkshire Ripper, a rapist and a serial murderer who terrorised the north of England, murdering thirteen women.

Why do so many men in the BNP make jokes about beating women and rape? Is it Freudian? Or is it further indication about how very little respect and how much pure hatred these people have for women? I believe it is all.

Shirt also describes Muslims as "f****** revolting".

Over to you, who ever is left running the BNP.

Hope Not Hate

Accused of race crimes (UK)

Three alleged members of the far-right English Defence League movement have been charged over race related vandalism including at Hartlepool mosque.

Two men and one woman have been charged by police with conspiracy to commit racially aggravated criminal damage.

They are accused of being behind three spray paint attacks, which all are alleged to have happened on the same day last November.

One was at Nasir Mosque, in Brougham Terrace, Hartlepool.

The other addresses were the Albert Guest House and Milko store, both in Shotton Colliery.

A spokesman for Durham Police said: “At the time of the alleged offences all three people claimed membership of the English Defence League.”

A 24-year-old from Peterlee, a 31-year-old from High Pittinton, County Durham and a 19-year-old woman from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, have been bailed to appear at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, May 11.

Hartlepool

Right-wing Baptist Church plans royal wedding protest (USA)

The Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church, an extreme right-wing Christian group, is planning to protest outside Westminster Abbey on the day of the royal wedding.

The group has promised to picket the royal wedding, saying: ‘God hates the UK’.

The church, which believes the West is living in sin for accepting homosexuality, is planning to protest outside Westminster Abbey between 7am and 8.15am.

The group said: ‘Only a nation of blind perverts would bow down to the morally-bankrupt royal family, or give a second glance at one of their pretentious false worship sessions.’

The church, led by Fred Phelps, was banned from entering Britain in 2009 by the then home secretary Jacqui Smith.

The 79-year-old pastor and his daughter have picketed the funerals of Aids victims and claim American soldiers are being killed as punishment for their country’s tolerance of homosexuality.

British Baptists have sought to distance themselves from the group, saying Westboro ‘no way reflects the views of Baptists in this country’.

Police said the church has not made an application to protest and would not be allowed to do so.

Metro

BNP Accuses Royal Mail Of Dumping Leaflets (UK)

The Royal Mail is investigating claims that its staff have dumped far-right election leaflets "across Wales" instead of delivering them to households.

BNP chairman Nick Griffin has accused postal workers of dumping hundreds of leaflets at a single address and claims the party has "heavy reports" of widespread non-delivery of its election pamphlets.

"These have been dumped undelivered, likely across the whole of Wales," he told members in an email.

"Royal Mail [has dumped] 400 of our Welsh Local Assembly election leaflets in the back garden of one of our candidates," he claimed.

"It would seem that they have "lost" many of them," he continued.

"So we now urgently have to re-print them and take them back to the delivery offices."

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We are aware of this complaint which has not yet been substantiated. However, we are now investigating accordingly."

During previous election campaigns, some postal workers have refused to deliver BNP leaflets using a "conscience clause" in their contracts that allows them to reject literature they find offensive.

In 2009 around 100 delivery staff in Bristol and Somerset refused to handle pamphlets with an anti-immigration message.

The Royal Mail has legal obligations under the Representation of the People Act to deliver election material, meaning that in theory it would have to make alternative arrangements to deliver any leaflets its staff declined to deliver.

Kevin Slocombe, communications director at the Communication Workers' Union, told Sky News: "At this point in time we have absolutely no idea as to the details or validity of those claims."

Sky News

Hungary promises to tackle far-right vigilantes after four hurt in clashes

Hungary's government has vowed to crack down on uniformed far-right groups after four people were injured in fighting between ultra-nationalist vigilantes and members of the Roma community.

The clash in the village of Gyöngyöspata came just days after almost 300 local Roma women and children left their homes for the Easter weekend, when a paramilitary group called Vedero, or Defence Force, set up a “training camp” in the area.

Members of Hungary’s centre-right Fidesz government, which holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, denied the Roma had been “evacuated” and accused critics of trying to make political capital from the incident.

But they were quick yesterday to promise legal action against a host of far-right vigilante groups, which claim to be bringing order to neglected, impoverished areas of Hungary where the underfunded police force allegedly cannot cope with “Gypsy crime”.

Police said one of the four people injured was in a serious condition after the fight overnight between Vedero members and Roma, and that a number of arrests had been made. Local media quoted witnesses as saying the fight broke out after Vedero members threw stones at a Roma house and attacked a teenager.

“The government is proposing to make the penal code stricter given the emergence of a new form of criminality: uniformed criminality,” said spokesman Peter Szijjarto.

“Those walking around in uniform, pretending they are authorised to take measures against others, these people are criminals. We’ll stop this form of crime,” he added. “According to the proposal, those who spread terror with actions meant to impose order or pretending to impose order will be jailed for up to two years”, and if a particular community is targeted, “this will be considered an aggravating circumstance and could lead to three years in prison”.

Most of the paramilitary groups are linked to Jobbik, the far-right party that is the third-strongest force in Hungarian politics.

Senior Jobbik MP Janos Volner said the incident showed “a crisis in public safety has emerged”.

“The Fidesz government is incapable of guaranteeing law and order anywhere in the country,” he said. “A civil militia should be established in place of the woeful and uncertain police . . . because without unified order the government will not be capable of taking up the fight against this kind of Gypsy crime.”

Irish Times

BNP candidate condemned for abusive Facebook post (UK)

 A BNP candidate has been displaying highly offensive material that advocates violence against members of a Muslim organisation on her Facebook site.

Politicians from mainstream parties have condemned Susan Harwood, a BNP candidate in Torfaen at next week’s National Assembly election.

The material, which uses abusive four-letter language about a group called Muslims Against Crusades, was featured on Ms Harwood’s Facebook site, but has since been removed.

The Conservative candidate in Torfaen is Natasha Asghar, a Muslim.

Labour’s Lynne Neagle, who has represented the seat since the Assembly was formed and is seeking re-election, said: “This is outrageous behaviour by someone who pretends to be a respectable candidate in a democratic election. It’s one thing to oppose an organisation’s views, but her actions go far beyond legitimate criticism.

“It is totally unacceptable that BNP candidates continue to behave like this. People across Wales should know that a vote for the BNP is a vote for thugs and racists of the worst sort. If the BNP had a shred of decency, they would drop Susan Harwood as a candidate.”

Welsh Conservative candidate for North Wales and vice-president of the anti-fascist group Searchlight Cymru, Mark Isherwood said: “These appalling and offensive comments show the BNP in their true colours. People across Wales will deplore these racist and bigoted comments ... and I am confident that the BNP will be defeated at the ballot box.”

Ian Titherington, director of elections for Plaid Cymru, said: “The BNP is struggling for candidates and scraping the barrel.”

Swansea resident Ms Harwood could not be contacted for comment.

BNP deputy leader Simon Darby, said: “I’ll take no lessons from the Tories or Labour, who are responsible for killing thousands of Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Wales Online

BNP candidate Anita Cooper blames hackers for messages (UK)

Hackers were today accused of filling a would-be BNP councillor's website with hate-filled racist abuse.

The Facebook networking page for Anita Cooper, British National Party candidate for Fawdon, Newcastle, is littered with twisted messages.

Using the name “Anita MrsBnp Cooper”, the profile page includes sick jokes about the Pakistan floods that killed more than 1,500.

In photos posted on the site, Mrs Cooper is pictured with BNP leader Nick Griffin, party activist Angelos Gavriel and Martin Vaughan, the party’s fundholder for South Tyneside.

In one post, it is claimed an increasing demand for Facebook from ethnic minorities had prompted creators to set up a new site named “Junglebook”.

And in another the author claims to have become ill after travelling on a coach from Barnsley with Asian people.

Posts mocking Polish immigrants, foul-mouthed rhymes and general abusive comments are also posted.

Today, Mrs Cooper said she was unaware of any racist remarks on her Facebook page and said someone had hacked her account.

She said: “I’m totally unaware of any racist remarks. It very much sounds like it was hacked as I don’t use Facebook a great deal.

“I’m not a racist - I’m just not like that. I’ve got friends that are all different colours and I’ve got friends who are Muslim. [Racism] is something I do not approve of. It’s not what the party is about - we are not a racist party and I am far from that.

“It must be that someone has hacked my account and I don’t want to be branded a racist.

“It’s not nice knowing that someone has been going on there. As soon as I can get to a computer I will go on and delete the profile or change my password.” A spokesman for Tyne and Wear Anti-Fascist Association, said: “Whoever wrote these comments is a racist person who has a problem with Pakistani people and they stereotype.

“People have contacted us about these comments and they are obviously very shocked and concerned.”

But Ken Booth, former regional BNP organiser and council candidate for Fenham, said: “Mrs Cooper told me she had not recollection of the comments.

“I know one or two people who have had their Facebook hacked. I had some comments appear on my Facebook page that I didn’t write.

“I will have to look into it. I will see Anita on Wednesday and will ask her about it then.

“The jokes don’t sound any worse than ones you would hear in a bar at a social club. It seems like they have transferred to the internet.

“People get carried away with the internet and live their lives on Facebook. I would advise members to keep it clean and respectable on the internet.”

Mrs Cooper was nominated as Fawdon ward’s prospective local candidate for the May 5 elections.

In recent weeks she has taken to the streets to hand out leaflets and canvass support for her election push.

In one post the author shows support for killer Raoul Moat, in which they call for the media to “leave” him alone.

They wrote: “Why can’t the news just leave Raoul Moat alone, the poor lad has gone now. RIP big lad.”

Hari Shukla, vice chairman of the Newcastle Council of Faiths, said: “This being a multi-cultural and multi-racial society, we need to support those who create understanding in our community and support every member of our community irrespective of their background, colour or religion.

“It’s important that we keep these in mind when we are trying to attain a multi-cultural society which is an asset for Newcastle.”

A police spokeswoman said they had not received any complaint about the page.

She said: “However, if a complaint is made to the police about the contents of any Facebook page then we would make inquiries.”

No-one from Facebook was available for comment at short notice.

Chronicle Live

German state launches renewed move to ban far-right NPD

The interior minister in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt has announced he's preparing a new proposal to ban the far-right German National Party (NPD).

Holger Stahlknecht, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, also invited other states to take part in the action.

"We want to push forward proceedings with the necessary judicial care," Stahlknecht said in the state capital Halle.

However, he also warned against people against getting their hopes up about a possible ban.

"If the NPD is gone, the problem of right-wing extremism won't just disappear."

The NPD are often labeled as a neo-Nazi organization. The party is classified by Germany’s internal security agency as a "threat to the constitutional order" because of its extremist philosophy. The NPD currently has seats in two of German's 16 state parliaments, but none at federal level.

According to the German constitution only central government has the power to apply for such a ban through the courts. Opinions are divided as to whether the party should be banned.

Muted response from other states

There was a mixed response to the call for a ban from other German states. The interior minister in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein was cautious about the idea. Christian Democrat Klaus Schlie told the news agency dpa that he would need convincing and concrete arguments before he decided to support the bid.

"Another failure in court would be fatal," he said, referring to a similar attempt to ban the NPD in 2003.

When that case came before the Federal Constitutional Court, it was thrown out after it was revealed that a number of the NPD's inner circle were in fact undercover agents or informants of the German secret services. Since the government bodies were unwilling to fully disclose their agents' identities and activities, the court found it impossible to reach a verdict.

The head of the Committee on Internal Affairs in the German parliament, Wolfgang Bosbach said in the light of the 2003 trial, he was completely against the idea of banning the NPD.

"I would advise against it," the Christian Democrat politician told the local Mitteldeutsche Zeitung.

He explained he understood the concerns of Saxony-Anhalt, since the problem with the German National Party was more significant in the eastern states than in the western states, but he said the risks were too great.

"We would have to take the undercover agents out of the NPD," Bosbach said. "And that would entail a long-term observation of the party."

Bosbach said it was clear that the NPD's policies went against the constitution. But in order to ban the party, it would have to be proven in court that the party acted in a aggressive, militant way against the free democratic basic order. That was the biggest hurdle, he said.

DW-World

Police prepared for far-right protesters in Berwick (UK)

 Extra police resources will be diverted to a Northumberland town this weekend when a far-right protest group stages a demonstration.

Between 60 and 150 supporters of the Scottish Defence League (SDL) are expected in Berwick on Saturday for a short march and rally.

The SDL is an offshoot of the English Defence League (EDL), a far-right protest movement which opposes what it sees as the spread of Islamism in the UK.

Similar events held by the EDL have led to public disorder in England, but yesterday Northumbria Police said it doesn’t expect any trouble at Saturday’s march.

However, extra officers will be drafted in from across the force area to ensure that it passes off peacefully.

Read the complete item at Journal Live

Police try to keep two protest groups apart on Weymouth Esplanade (UK)

The English Defence League (EDL) is a right-wing group that is against Islamic extremism and “radical Islam’s encroachment into the lives of non-Muslims” as well as the introduction of Sharia law into Britain. They announced a march after BBC3 screened a film about a former Weymouth lad who converted to Islam and was radicalised.

A peaceful counter protest will be held at the same time, 1pm, organised by people behind the Facebook page, Keep The Racist EDL out of Dorset, who are rallying people to join them in opposition to the EDL “bringing its hatred and violence to a diverse, tolerant Dorset.”

Assembly points for both groups have been designated at either end of the Esplanade in Weymouth, with the EDL due to meet at the pier bandstand and counter-demonstrators opposite the Pavilion.

Chief Inspector Nick Maton is in charge of the policing operation. He said: “Our strategy is based simply around ensuring the two groups are indeed separate from each other.

“Dorset Police, like all national forces, is committed to facilitating peoples’ right to protest when conducted peacefully and lawfully.

“The police’s role is to work with all communities and groups involved, to reduce and prevent crime and disorder, and to deal with it robustly where it occurs.”

Dorset Police is also issuing a reassuring message to residents, traders and visitors to the town in advance of the demonstrations.

Read the full item at Weymouth People

BNP 'expects to pay off debts this year' (UK)

The British National Party, which was facing potentially crippling debts of more than £500,000, says it expects to pay them off by the end of the year.

"We are not going bust," said party spokesman Simon Darby.

The BNP was facing doubts over its future after costly court cases brought against it, including one by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

It also had to pay an out-of-court settlement to Marmite for using a jar of the spread in a party broadcast.

However, BNP sources say most of the debts were built up as a result of heavy spending during the last European and general election campaigns.
'Commercial solutions'

The party contested 338 seats in the 2010 general election and lost its deposit in 266 of them.

The BNP is now understood to have reached "commercial solutions" with a number of creditors over re-payments, and is believed to have met its its outstanding tax liabilities.

BNP officials say the party has instituted austerity measures including laying off staff and closing its Belfast call centre.

There has also been an increase in donations from the party's 12,000 members.

However, the BNP has had to rein back on its spending in the current elections to councils in England, the Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies and the Scottish Parliament.

"We've had to cut back," said Mr Darby. "We are determined to get a grip on the amount of money we spend on elections.

"We've spent too much on elections in the last few years. We really have pushed the boat out."

He said the BNP would not be incurring any more debts as a result of the current set of elections, which take place on 5 May. The party does not have access to any bank overdraft facility.

Mr Derby said the BNP was facing "a difficult" set of elections because of the financial pressure on the party, coupled with "a resurgent Labour Party".

But he predicted the BNP would still win seats in its core target areas.

BBC News

Muslims to help EDL to protect royal wedding? (UK)

Prominent Muslims in Luton say they are angry at attempts by Islamic extremists to disrupt this Friday’s royal wedding.

Extremist group Muslims Against Crusades plans to stage a demonstration on the day of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s marriage, in protest at the actions of UK troops overseas and because the prince is a member of Britain’s armed forces.

They have been barred from protesting outside Westminster Abbey, but will be able to hold demonstrations at other nearby locations.

Last week the English Defence League said its members would take the law into their own hands to stop extremist Muslims reaching the event.

Farasat Latif, secretary of the Islamic Centre in Bury Park Road, has slammed Muslims Against Crusades as “a tiny group of Muslims” who wanted to “antagonise just about the whole country”.

And he said moderate Muslims were also considering travelling to London on the day to halt any protest by Muslims Against Crusades.

“I’ve got better things to do with my bank holiday but we might actually turn up to confront them as well,” he said. “They’re not allowed to protest outside the wedding but I think they will still go down.

“Muslims all over the UK are disgusted this latest publicity stunt, and are fearing the inevitable backlash. The aim of these lunatics is to gain as much adverse publicity as possible.”

Mr Latif said he believed Muslims Against Crusades was simply a front for the banned extremist group Al-Muhajiroun, members of which hurled abuse at soldiers from the 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment, known as the Poachers, when they marched through Luton in 2009.

The president of Luton’s Central Mosque, Mohammed Shafait, said Muslims Against Crusades members had no regard for British law.

He said: “They have been given the freedom by our government to not abide by the law. The government must deal with them. They just do what they like and the police can’t do anything with them.

“Their members have been brainwashed, they are sons who have run away from their families. They give everyone a bad name.”

Mr Shafait said people in Bury Park had wanted to deal with extremism in Luton themselves, but were told not to take the law into their own hands.

“The law is stopping us from getting rid of them,” he said.

Luton Today

Azubalis condemns Nazi activity (Lithuania)

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis has condemned a wave of neo-nazi activity in the country.

“Such acts are considered as attacks against the Lithuanian state and the entire civil society, they incite hatred for the Lithuanian Jewish community and should be qualified as a provocation against Lithuania and its multiple efforts in the field of promoting tolerance,“ the minister said in a press release.

"These efforts are particularly intensive during the current Year of Remembrance for the Victims of the Holocaust in Lithuania and during the Lithuanian OSCE Chairmanship," he said.

Numerous Nazi flags were found in Vilnius and anti-semetic remarks spray-painted around Kaunas last week as extremists marked Hitler's birthday. The incidents come on the heels of a slew of anti-semetic attacks in which Jewish graves were defaced with swastikas.

“We hope that the law enforcement authorities will immediately identify the offenders and their actions will be properly assessed in accordance with the Lithuanian legislation,“ he said.

Lithuanian parliamentary speaker Irene Degutiene has also condemned the activity and pledged that the perpetrators would be caught and punished.

Baltic Times

MLK Day bomb plot suspect pleads innocent to hate crimes (USA)

A reputed neo-Nazi accused of planting a backpack bomb discovered along the route of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade pleaded not guilty on Monday to newly filed charges of committing hate crimes.

During a brief appearance in U.S. District Court in Spokane, Washington, Kevin Harpham, 36, also was ordered to remain in pretrial federal detention without bond, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Rice told Reuters.

Harpham was indicted last month on charges of attempting to bomb a downtown Spokane observance of the January 17 national holiday marking the slain civil rights leader's birthday. He pleaded not guilty to those offenses on March 23.

The FBI has said that it is treating the bombing attempt as a case of domestic terrorism.

A three-page superseding indictment returned last week added charges that Harpham tried to use the backpack bomb to injure individuals attending the parade because of their "actual or perceived race, color and national origin."

It also accused him of seeking to use a destructive device in the furtherance of a hate crime.

He has now pleaded not guilty to those charges as well.

Harpham's trial is scheduled for May 31, and he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

He was arrested at his home in Colville, Washington, on March 9, about seven weeks after the bomb that he allegedly tried to set off was found stuffed inside an backpack left unattended on a bench along the planned parade route.

The march, attended by an estimated 1,500 people, was rerouted and the device safely diffused by bomb technicians.

Officials from the Southern Poverty Law Center, an Alabama-based civil rights group, said Harpham was a member of the neo-Nazi National Alliance in 2004.

He also served in the U.S. Army during the late 1990s as a "fire support specialist" at what is now Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma.

U.S. officials have said little about the findings of the investigation that led to Harpham's arrest.

Reuters

EU Security Official In Kosovo Removed For 'Racist Comments'

The European Union's police and justice mission in Kosovo (EULEX) says one of its officials has been suspended amid charges he offended and abused his Kosovar colleagues, RFE/RL's Balkan Service reports.

EULEX spokesman Anne Blanksma told RFE/RL that "[EULEX] head of mission [Xavier de Marnhac] intends for the head of the Close Protection Unit to leave the mission."

Blanksma added that the man in question, who has not been named, has the right to appeal his suspension and possible dismissal.

Read the full story at Radio Free Europe

BNP youth leader arrested (UK)

Kieren Trent, leader of the British National Party’s “young adults” organisation Resistance, was arrested by Thames Valley Police yesterday (Sunday), according to a report on a far-right activist’s blog. His computer equipment was seized.

The arrest followed a demonstration in Wolverton, Milton Keynes, against a local councillor who voted in favour of granting planning permission to Bletchley mosque. Councillor Mike Galloway, a Liberal Democrat, is a member of the Milton Keynes Development Control Committee, which deals with planning applications, and chair of the Local Development Framework Advisory Group.

Bletchley mosque has been the target of BNP opposition since last autumn, with Trent leading several protests.

Trent and another person were held in custody on suspicion of committing an offence under section 5 of the Public Order Act – disorderly behaviour, the report said. If convicted he could be fined.

The report says the demonstration forms part of a new approach to activism consisting of “explaining the failures of an individual councillor to their immediate neighbours and ensuring that the community realise who is responsible for the changes that are coming about”.

It seems more a new excuse for harassment than anything else. Trent, who has stood unsuccessfully for election to Milton Keynes council, was one of a group of BNP activists involved in a violent confrontation with Asian youths in Barking a few days before last year’s general election. The incident was caught on film, posted on YouTube, but Trent was not charged despite being clearly visible landing blows and kicks to someone on the ground.

Trent is pictured posing with a gun in front of an Ulster loyalist flag on page 91 of Lone wolves: myth or reality? in “chapter 6, these people are dangerous”, downloadable from http://www.lonewolfproject.org.uk.

Hope Not Hate

St George’s Day open-air drink ban in city centre after BNP and EDL violence fears (UK)

People were banned from drinking outside some city centre pubs on Saturday – over fears of violence by far-right groups celebrating St George’s Day.

As part of a one-day police operation, pubs were told not to allow people to use outdoor seating in parts of the city centre where violence had broken out in previous years amongst BNP and EDL members.

Pubs and bars in the Shambles area and on Deansgate told customers they were only allowed to drink indoors on St George’s Day.

But some customers said the action was unfair – as outdoor seating areas lay empty on a scorching spring afternoon.

Robert Kavanagh, 21, from Newton Heath, came into Manchester to celebrate a friend’s wedding anniversary.

He said: "The bouncers at Sinclairs told us if we wanted to drink we’d have to sit inside.

"They said it was because it was St George’s Day.

"All the tables and chairs were outside but empty – I was pretty stunned.

"My friends went to some other bars on Deansgate and were told the same thing.

"Town wasn’t even that busy so it was a surprise they were doing it."

The manager of Sinclair’s Oyster Bar, which has a large outdoor seating area on the edge of Exchange Square, declined to comment.

A police spokesman said officers took the decision to ban outdoor drinking in the Shambles and Deansgate areas after alcohol related-violence occurred when supporters of far-right groups gathered there on St George’s Day in previous years.

He said: "Drinking outside in various areas was banned because members of the BNP and EDL had used them to congregate, leading to drink-fuelled violence.

"This was a one-day operation specifically for St George’s Day in one part of the city centre."

Manchester Evening news

The case of the missing EDL Facebook Page takes another twist

The latest twist in this ever changing blog post of the vanishing EDL Facebook page is that the hacker crew called ZCompany, Team Poison are now putting forward their version of what has happened.


Posted by TriCk from ZHC...

TriCk Owns
- Just to clarify everything,
1. the offical edl facebook account was closed down by facebook
......2. the new edl facebook account was hacked by an ex-edl admin/stafff because of some personal issues with the leadership
3. the Leak was exposed & written by me (TriCk) TeaMp0isoN
4. The website was hacked by TeaMp0isoN
5. the accounts were hacked by me
6. the email was hacked by zhc.
- WE (TeaMp0isoN & ZHC) are not fame whores, we only take credit when credit is due.


 Hmm and the plot thickens. 

.

Russian neo-Nazis rally in Moscow against Caucasus

Hundreds of neo-Nazis rallied in Moscow against the Kremlin’s policies in the violence-plagued Caucasus region.

About 300 protesters, including activists from banned or unregistered neo-Nazi groups, called on the Kremlin on Saturday to stop feeding the Caucasus.

The predominantly Muslim region hosts at least 100 ethnicities including Chechens, who have waged two separatist wars against Moscow after the 1991 Soviet collapse.

After pacifying Chechnya, the Kremlin has spent billions of dollars on restoring the region and funding provincial governments notorious for corruption and cronyism.

Haaretz

Online war against intolerance (New Zeland)

Danny Webster's grandfather fought for freedom in World War II.

Now Webster is waging his own war on intolerance, but his battlefield is online.

Right Wing Resistance is a New Zealand-wide white supremacist group run by Kyle Chapman, former leader of the National Front.

The group's recent recruitment campaign in Christchurch included Stop the Asian Invasion pamphlets.

Conveniently, Webster says, the group's blogspot advertising this campaign, included cellphone numbers and email addresses, which prompted him to fight back with a Facebook campaign, Spam A Nazi, launched this weekend.

Webster advocates spamming the group with texts and YouTube links to the Chinese National Anthem and songs such as I think I'm Turning Japanese, and People Are People.

"My flatmates and I found this racist pamphlet in our letterbox and we came up with the idea of sending them a message back," Webster said.

"Now we have 140 members on Spam A Nazi. I think the Right Wing Resistance campaign is more to intimidate than recruit.

"My grandfather died from war-related injuries when my dad was eight. It's sad to think that this intolerance still exists two generations on.

"After all we've been through in Christchurch, I wanted to send a clear message that this hatred won't be tolerated. I'm not sure of the legalities around spamming but I'm sure few will have any sympathy for them."

When contacted yesterday, a spokesman for the Right Wing Resistance, who did not wish to be identified, said they had received spam from "gay porn" to "foreign" texts.

"I didn't understand what they said, they're just wasting their time. I just delete them. It's like squashing an annoying bug to me, I don't even think about it."

Stuff

Racist gang attack on man in Harpurhey (UK)

A man was hit in the head with a rock, punched, kicked, stamped on and attacked with a stick in a racist gang attack.

The 21-year-old suffered a deep cut to his head in the attack on Kesteven Road, Harpurhey. He was also racially abused.

The victim, who is from the Sudan, was walking home at about 4am on Saturday, April 23, when two white men asked for a cigarette.

When he offered them one, they hurled racist insults and punched him in the stomach.

He tried to run off but was chased by the pair, who were joined by up to four others.

One managed to catch him up and attack him again.

When he escaped, he was caught up and attacked for a third time. He was repeatedly kicked, punched and stamped on.

He was also struck with a wooden stick and hit with a large rock, leaving him with a deep cut that needed stitches.

A member of the public saw what was happening and shouted, causing them to run off.

The attackers are white and between 19 and 20 years old.

One had dark short hair and wore a plain blue short-sleeved shirt and dark shorts.

The other wore a white T-shirt and light coloured trousers.

Detective Sergeant Shagufta Khan said: "Greater Manchester Police takes all reports of racial abuse, whether it be verbal or physical, extremely seriously.

"It is extremely sad that in this day and age people are motivated by racial hatred.

"Racism is something we all abhor and I want to stress we are doing all we can to find the culprits so they can be brought to justice for what they have done.

"Not only did they shout racist abuse, they took it further by using such a level of violence it is thankful the man did not suffer more serious injuries.

"The fact they were prepared to strike him in the head with a large stone shows not only are they racist, but they are dangerous and we need to catch them.

"I would appeal to anyone who witnessed what happened to call us."

Anyone with information should call police in north Manchester on 0161 856 3913 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Manchester Evening News

English Defence League demo cost police £2million (UK)

Taxpayers forked out nearly £2million for policing an English Defence League demonstration – twice the original estimated cost.

The £1million bill spiralled out of control as police chiefs drafted in extra support to cover the protest.

About 1,500 officers provided security as 2,000 EDL extremists and 1,000 Unite Against Fascism counter protesters gathered in Luton in February.

Seven arrests were made in Bedfordshire Police’s biggest ever operation.

Peter Conniff, Bedfordshire Police Authority chairman, said: “When we first talked about how much it would cost, we were only ­estimating. We didn’t realise how much extra help we would need.”

The Home Office is to ­reimburse the force in full.

 Daily Mirror

EDL thug may be allowed to continue studies at University of Birmingham (UK)

An English Defence League thug jailed for his part in a soccer riot could still be allowed to take up a place at a Midland university.

A-level student Joel Titus, 18, was caught on CCTV throwing objects and brawling with rival hooligans.

His defence team asked an Old Bailey judge not to jail the EDL ringleader after he pleaded guilty to affray, as he had secured a place at the University of Birmingham.

But Titus, who has a string of previous convictions including battery of a journalist, possession of a knife, and making threats to police, was sentenced to nine months.

Yet the teenager has NOT been banned from taking up his place at the University of Birmingham upon his release. A spokeswoman said: “We do not want to deny an applicant a place because of youthful indiscretions, especially when there is genuine remorse expressed.

‘‘However, we must take into account our wider responsibilities to the whole student body and to the wider community.

‘‘Criminal convictions, which must be declared by prospective students, are considered on a case by case basis. These discussions may also involve an applicant’s probation officer where relevant.

‘‘We do not discuss individual cases.”

Titus had acted as a youth organiser for the EDL and even appeared on the BBC’s Newsnight to defend the violent anti-Islamic group.

He was cautioned for battery after punching a journalist at a demonstration against the ‘Islamification of Europe’ in December 2009. Last summer Titus took part in the soccer riot between Brentford and Leyton Orient supporters in central London. He was captured on CCTV hurling objects at rivals and fighting over a wooden pole with another thug.

Titus later told police he was an Arsenal fan and had been out that night celebrating the end of the football season, when he had become involved in the brawl.

At his sentencing Veronica Ramsden, defending, said he had “done well academically”.

She said he was studying for A-levels including media studies, aiming for an A-grade, and that he planned to go on to Birmingham University to pursue a degree. Miss Ramsden said Titus was “heartily sorry” to have been involved in the violence.

But while on bail for the football brawl he was also convicted for threatening behaviour for snarling “f*** off” at a police officer who tried to break up a fight. He is due to be sentenced for that offence at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court in May.

The EDL has held violent protests on the streets of Midland towns and cities including Birmingham, Stoke and Dudley over the past two years. The anti-Islamic group has been involved in running battles with anti-facist protesters and local Muslim groups.

An EDL protest in Leicester in February was policed by more than a thousand riot cops.

Sunday Mercury

Now you see it, Now you don’t. The Mystery of the EDL’s missing Facebook page.

Over the last two days we have reported on this blog that the EDL’s page had been removed from Facebook due to a breach of the sites user policies.

Well apparently that may well not be the case.

 As a recent statement released by the EDL about this occurrence paints a very different picture of the events.

Apparently the original and main EDL Facebook page still exists and has not been removed from Facebook. But now it’s under the control of people unknown via a compromised account of one of the EDL’s admin.

And those people have "hidden" the page and changed it's settings so no one can view it or access it.

And not only is that page under the control of others, but also the replacement EDL page is also under the control of others. 

Ahhhh the fun and games of on-line anti-racism are seldom dull where the EDL are concerned.

Anyway here’s a statement from the EDL putting forward their view of what has happened.


Official EDL statement.

To be honest it is getting boring having to talk about this so much and waist our days trying to find out who is trying to hack our accounts etc. We need to be fighting our enemy not dealing with silly things like this. Lets get one thing straight neither the MDL or team poison have hacked any Facebook pages they do not have the skills to do this. We will try and put to you what has actually happened over the last few days.

On Friday evening unfortunately the Facebook account details of one of our Admin’s ell into the wrong hands we are still not 100% sure which admin this was and how it happened (although we are pretty sure) we are also asking Facebook to assist us with sorting this. We are also not sure what group this is but have our suspicions and are gathering proof of this so will refer to them as 'They' for the rest of this statement.

This account was admin on the main page linked here

http://www.facebook.com/English.Defence.League.EDL

Once 'They' had access to the main page they removed all admin and put 'Their' own admin on the page they then made the page hidden (there is an option to make the page Admin view only)

There was a post put out by Teampoison stating they have details of EDL but if you check what they are leaking 99% of it is all old information that has been all over the internet for a while. If you remember when team poison got on the page last time they actually write hacked by team poison they don’t pretend to be us as is happening now.

Once we realised that the page had gone we then created a new page at this point we thought Facebook had taken the page down (hence the reason for starting a new one) we put all the old admin’s back on and asked people to join this was that page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/EDL-English-Defence-League/205835199436800

Unfortunately as we thought the old group was of Facebook’s doing we put all admin’s back on. Again the account that was held by 'Them' was used to remove all admin’s and again put 'Their' admin on. This page is now pretending to be an official EDL page. We urge all members to remove themselves from this page and report it.

Contrary to what is being said on this page the website has not been hacked and can be used to obtain all information needed to verify statements.

http://englishdefenceleague.org/content.php

Also contrary to what is being said on this page Tommy will not be releasing a video about the pages there is no need for this. If you want to check what is happening, speak to your Division Admin or your Regional Organiser.

Throughout the day the 88k page has been brought up again sporadically to post stuff about our leadership or the EDL. We are fairly certain which people are behind this and do not understand why they want to disrupt us in our fight against Islamism.

In the mean time until Facebook let us know about their investigations we have this page, which is fully secured and is the only official communication method on Facebook of the EDL

http://www.facebook.com/pages/English-Defence-League-EDL/204490279585498

Finally Facebook is a good recruiting tool but is not the be all and end all of the EDL we all know each other and communicate in many other ways the EDL will come back from this minor technical glitch better BIGGER and STRONGER

No Surrender

Your EDL Leadership Team