Norway attacks: Utøya gunman boasted of links to UK far right

Anders Brehing Breivik took part in online discussions with members of the EDL and other anti-Islamic groups.

Anders Behring Breivik, the man accused of the murder of at least 92 Norwegians in a bomb and gun massacre, boasted online about his discussions with the far-right English Defence League and other anti-Islamic European organisations.

The Norwegian prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, said Norwegian officials were working with foreign intelligence agencies to see if there was any international involvement in the slaughter. "We have running contact with other countries' intelligence services," he said.

Breivik was arrested on Utøya island where he shot and killed at least 85 people, mostly teenagers, at a youth summer camp for supporters of Norway's Labour party after bombing Oslo's government district just hours before. Dressed as a police officer, he ordered the teenagers to gather round him before opening fire. Survivors described how dozens of people were mown down. The massacre led to the largest death toll ever recorded by a single gunman on the rampage.

Ida Knudsen, 16, said she had been in a group of 100 who had initially run from the killer, but that was reduced to about 60 as the gunman pursued them. Eventually she was one of 12 who climbed into a boat and escaped.

Another survivor, 15-year-old Mattori Anson, described how he fled into a cabin with 40 other teenagers. They blocked the door and the killer tried to get inside. "Then he began shooting at the door." Eventually he gave up and the occupants all survived.

With the entire island a crime scene, officers were still combing the shoreline on Saturday and boats were searching the water for more bodies amid fears the toll could rise further. Police were continuing to investigate whether there had been a second gunman on the island.

The disclosure of Breivik's claimed links with far-right organisations came as details continued to emerge about the rightwing Christian fundamentalist and Freemason behind Norway's worst postwar act of violence.

It was revealed that the 32-year-old former member of the country's conservative Progress party – who had become ever more extreme in his hatred of Muslims, leftwingers and the country's political establishment – had ordered six tonnes of fertiliser in May to be used in the bombing. While police continued to interrogate Breivik, who was charged with the mass killings, evidence of his increasingly far-right world-view emerged from an article he had posted on several Scandinavian websites, including Nordisk, a site frequented by neo-Nazis, far-right radicals and Islamophobes since 2009.

The Norwegian daily VG quoted one of Breivik's friends, saying that he had become a rightwing extremist in his late 20s and was now a strong opponent of multiculturalism, expressing strong nationalistic views in online debates.

Breivik had talked admiringly online about conversations he had had with unnamed English Defence League members and the organisation Stop the Islamification of Europe (SIOE) over the success of provocative street actions leading to violence.

"I have on some occasions had discussions with SIOE and EDL and recommended them to use certain strategies," he wrote two years ago. "The tactics of the EDL are now to 'lure' an overreaction from the Jihad Youth/Extreme-Marxists, something they have succeeded in doing several times already."

Contacted by email, the EDL had not answered.

The latest disclosures came as the Norwegian prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, flew by helicopter to a hotel in the town of Sundvollen – close to the island of Utøya – where many survivors were taken and where relatives converged to reunite with loved ones or identify their dead.

"A whole world is thinking of them," Stoltenberg said, his voice cracking with emotion. He said the twin attack made Friday the deadliest day in Norway's peacetime history. "This is beyond comprehension. It's a nightmare. It's a nightmare for those who have been killed, for their mothers and fathers, family and friends."

Buildings around the capital lowered their flags to half-mast while people streamed to Oslo cathedral to light candles and lay flowers. Outside, mourners began building a makeshift altar from dug-up cobblestones. On Saturday the Queen wrote to Norway's King Harald to offer her condolences and express her shock and sadness.

Breivik's Facebook page was blocked, but a cached version describes a conservative Christian from Oslo. The profile veers between references to lofty political philosophers and gory popular films, television shows and video games. The account appears to have been set up on 17 July. The site lists no "friends" or social connections.

The Guardian

Expert says white supremacist ideology primary reason California teen killed gay classmate (USA)

A prosecution expert says a California teenager’s white supremacist ideology is the primary reason the murder defendant shot to death a 15-year-old gay classmate.

Simi Valley police Detective Dan Swanson, a white supremacy expert, testified Thursday that now-17-year-old Brandon McInerney embraces white supremacy and that led him to hate Larry King and kill the gay student in 2008.

McInerney is being tried as an adult for murder and hate crime allegations.

King was shot in the head at E.O. Green School in Oxnard. The trial was moved to Los Angeles County because of pretrial publicity.

The Ventura County Star reports Swanson testified that McInerney is a violent member of a criminal street gang and his white supremacist ideology is the primary motivating influence for shooting King.

Washington post

Swedish neo-Nazi site charged with hate speech

Charges have been filed against the publisher of a website affiliated with a Swedish neo-Nazi movement for allowing a reader comment containing racial slurs to remain on the site.

The site is the online version of Nationellt Motstånd (‘National Resistance’), a quarterly print magazine put out by the Swedish Resistance Movement (Svenska motståndsrörelsen), one of Sweden’s most active neo-Nazi groups.

The comment was in connection to an article published in April on the subject of global finance. The comment, which was entitled "time is running out for the finance Jew", described the Jews as parasites, among other things.

As "Nationellt Motstånd" reviews reader comments before publishing them, the comment falls under the jurisdiction of Sweden’s libel laws.

Following a preliminary investigation, the Chancellor of Justice (Justitiekanslern – JK), has now concluded that the comment amounts to agitation against ethnic groups (hets mot folkgrupp), and has filed charges against the site’s publisher Emil Hagberg for violating Sweden’s press freedom laws.

Pär Öberg, the site's owner and author of the article in question, told The Local that "Nationellt Motstånd" regards the law as a "means to suppress dissenting opinion".

"Just like in North Korea it is unclear what is a breach of the law. Not even JK knows where the line goes," he said.

Öberg explained that the charge, which follows a similar charge against Hagberg filed in November 2010, will have no effect on the site's policy of monitoring comments on its articles.

"No because we would then have all sort of irresponsible comments," Öberg said.

"This comment concerned the financial power of Jews and we would very much like to see a discussion of the concentration of power maintained by Jews in the finance world," he said.

The Local Sweden

Plea delayed for boy accused in neo-Nazi dad death (USA)

A plea has been delayed for a 10-year-old boy charged with murdering his neo-Nazi father in the family's Southern California home.

The Press-Enterprise reports the boy appeared in Riverside Juvenile Court on Friday but a hearing on the case was delayed until Sept. 12 for further psychiatric evaluation.

Authorities say the boy pulled a gun from his father's room and shot 32-year-old white supremacist Jeff Hall while he was sleeping on May 1.The boy's stepmother Krista McCary has pleaded not guilty to charges of child endangerment and criminal storage of a gun.

Hall's rallies outside a day labor site and synagogue and his candidacy for a seat on the local water board last year disturbed many residents in the suburbs east of Los Angeles.

Sacbee

Work order for EDL fans armed with pool balls (UK)

Two English Defence League supporters who armed themselves with pool balls stolen from a pub have been ordered to do unpaid work.

Michael Riley, 23, and Peter Craven, 28, travelled to Halifax from their homes in Hull for the far-right group’s town-centre demo in April.

They were arrested after the landlady of the Beehive and Cross Keys pub reported the balls stolen from the premises.

Prosecutor Niall Carlin told Bradford Crown Court the men were part of a group that had gone into the King Cross Street pub, near the predominantly Asian Park ward.

They were chanting racial slurs and breaking pool cues, making the licensee and regulars nervous, he said.

The men were stopped and searched after leaving the pub, and Riley and Craven were found with the missing pool balls.

Riley, of Binbrook Garth, and Craven, of St Aidan’s Way, both admitted theft and possessing an offensive weapon.

Ian Brook, mitigating, stressed they were supporters of the EDL, but not members, and there was no evidence they had been involved in any public disorder or breaking of pool cues.

Mr Brook said a group of Asian males had come towards a police cordon near the pub but neither group had made any attempt to get to the other. He said: “The defendants and their group were moving away from them, and it would appear they had wrongly stolen the pool balls and taken them up as weapons in case they needed to use them.

“There was no suggestion they were going to use them offensively against any of the Asian youths.”

Recorder Amanda Rippon said: “Nonetheless it was theft, first of all, and you armed yourself with a potentially dangerous weapon.”

The men, who have no previous convictions, were each sentenced to a 12-month community order with supervision, and must complete 80 hours of unpaid work.

Halifax Courier

Nazi Rudolf Hess exhumed from 'pilgrimage' grave

The grave containing the remains of Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess has been destroyed to end it being used as a pilgrimage site by neo-Nazis.

Hess's bones were exhumed at the graveyard in the small town of Wunsiedel, southern Germany, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The remains will be cremated and then scattered at sea.

Hess was captured in 1941 and sentenced to life in prison. He killed himself in jail in 1987 at the age of 93.

As he requested in his will, he was buried in the Bavarian town of Wunsiedel, where his family had a holiday home and where his parents were already interred.

The local Lutheran church which supervises the cemetery gave its permission for the burial at the time, ruling that the wishes of the deceased could not be ignored, the Suddeutsche Zeitung reports.

But they and local people have since become concerned by the number of far-right groups visiting the grave. Each year on the anniversary of his death, neo-Nazis have attempted to staged a march to the cemetery, saluting the grave, with its epitaph "I dared" and laying floral wreaths.

A 2005 court order banning such gatherings had little effect so the church decided to terminate the family's lease on the grave as of October 2011.

A granddaughter of Hess objected to the decision, the paper reports. She filed a lawsuit in an attempt to prevent it going ahead, but was eventually persuaded by the parish council to drop the case and allow the exhumation to go ahead.

Hess was one of Hitler's closest aides, but in 1941 he parachuted into Scotland in an apparently authorised solo peace mission, which was later denounced by the fuhrer.

He was imprisoned by the British for the duration of the war, and jailed for life at the Nuremberg trials in 1946. He spent 40 years in Spandau Prison in Berlin before being found hanged in his cell.

BBC News

British Public Most Likely to Blame the Media for Islamophobia

 A new ComRes survey on Islamophobia - the fear of the Muslim faith - reveals that people think that the media is most to blame for whipping up a climate of fear of Islam in the UK.

People are twice as likely to say the media is to blame for Islamophobia (29%) than far-right groups (13%), or indeed Muslims themselves either abroad (14%) or in the UK (11%).

Conservative Party Chairman, Sayeeda Warsi, recently said Islamophobia had 'passed the dinner table test', becoming a social norm.  Indeed, just 1% of people do not think that Islamophobia exists in the UK.

The poll was commissioned by one of the UK's oldest Muslim groups, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, in order to inform its plans to counter the tide of prejudice against Islam and highlight strategies to promote better community relations.

The poll comes on the eve of Britain's biggest annual Islamic convention which will see 30,000 members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community gathering at a 220-acre site in Hampshire. Foremost on the agenda will be ways to build bridges between communities and spread the word that Islam means peace.

Ahmadiyya Muslims recently launched a 'Muslims for Loyalty, Freedom & Peace' campaign with bus adverts, door-to-door pamphleting, fundraising for UK charities, blood donor sessions, inter-faith sessions, peace symposiums and more across the UK.

Now, at the annual convention between July 22-24, community members will reassert their ethos Love for All, Hatred for None, by pledging to counter hatemongers and extremism through a commitment to peace and amity.

Rafiq Hayat, National President Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, said:

"The results of the survey reveal that more needs to be done to refocus media attention on the valuable contributions Muslims make to Britain and rather than excessively focusing on the troublemakers who scream at us through media headlines but have nothing to do with Islam. Their nefarious activities do a disservice to this country and are an affront to our faith.

"The poll shows quite clearly that there needs to be greater positive engagement between the media and Muslims in order to address Islamophobia in the UK."

Following the furore over the Pastor Jones controversy in the US, the ComRes survey also investigated perceptions over the Islamic scripture, the Holy Quran. Just 14% of the British public agree that the Quran justifies the use of violence against others.

"It is heartening to learn that the vast majority of people realise that there is no religious justification for terror and violence and the Holy Quran does not sanction hatred or discrimination. It states clearly that there is no compulsion in matters of religion."

The survey does throw up other interesting results:

    * Muslims abroad (14%) are deemed to be more responsible than far right political groups (13%) and UK Muslims (11%) for contributing to Islamophobia.

    * Younger people are more likely to think that the media is responsible for Islamophobia than older people - 40% of 18-24 years olds think this, compared to just 18% of people 65 and over.

    * People who say that they do not belong to any religion (33%) are more likely to say that the media is responsible for Islamophobia than people who say that they are Christian (27%).

    * Just 7% of people from social group C1 agree that the Quran justifies the use of violence against non-Muslims - this compares to 17% of people from group AB, 16% from group C2 and 15% from group DE.


Andrew Hawkins, ComRes Chairman, said:

"Two-thirds of the public do not believe the Quran justifies the use of violence against non-Muslims, providing evidence of the public's predominantly tolerant, liberal view of religious minorities.  British Muslims should also be encouraged that only one in ten of the British public believe they are to blame for Islamophobia.  Instead, more than four in ten British people say the media or the far-right are principally to blame for it."

Methodology: ComRes interviewed 1004 GB adults by telephone between the 8th and 10th July 2011. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all GB adults. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abide by its rules. Full data tables available at http://www.comres.co.uk

Contact

Basharat Nazir media@ahmadiyya.org.uk , Tel +44(0)7703-483-384

http://www.loveforallhatredfornone.org

http://www.alislam.org

PR Newswire

Hate crime probe after pig’s head thrown at Southport Mosque (UK)

Police are investigating a hate crime against Southport’s Muslims after a pig’s head was thrown at Southport Mosque.

The dead animal was found lying outside the mosque on the night of Wednesday July 6.

It had been thrown over the wall of the place of worship on Sussex Road.

The pig is particularly offensive to Muslims as they regard the animal as unclean. Islam bans them from eating or touching the animal.

Police confirmed they were treating the incident as a hate crime which was being investigated by their specialist SIGMA team.

A spokesman for the Sussex Road mosque told the Visiter the pig head attack was a one-off incident and they had not had any similar incident.

“In general nothing of this nature has ever happened,” he said. “It was an isolated incident.”

Detectives are now investigating and following leads from the attack.

And last night Southport’s religious leaders united to condemn the attack.

Reverend Rod Garner from Holy Trinity Church on Manchester Road said: “It is disturbing, disappointing and disgusting.

“We have to be vigilant so as to protect other religions and their faith.”

He called on religions to learn from their own history and to teach tolerance.

And Reverend Richard Vernon from the Lakeside Christian Centre on the Promenade said: “I’m saddened to hear that such a thing would take place.

“It is disheartening to think people can behave like that. I’ve never heard of anything like that before.

“Whatever people’s religious belief that kind of behaviour is to be condemned.”

Police were called at 11.10pm to Sussex Road to reports a pig’s head had been thrown over a wall into the mosque’s grounds.

The head of the dead animal was taken away for forensic examination.

But the Visiter understands the incident was not caught on CCTV.

Superintendent Kevin Johnson said: “Merseyside Police will always take robust action when investigating reports of hate crimes.

“We are following up on some positive lines of enquiry in this case and we are confident that we will catch those responsible for this highly offensive act.

“The force has a number of specialist SIGMA investigation teams, which are dedicated to investigating crimes targeted at minority and vulnerable groups.

“One such team is leading this investigation and working with the relevant religious leaders.”

Merseyside Police is appealing to anyone who witnessed this incident, or who has information, to contact 0151 777 3165, or Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Southport Visitor

Cumbria police increases number of hate crime reporting centres (UK)

From a spice shop to Carlisle Library, hate crime reporting centres have been extended across the county.

Cumbria Constabulary has extended its range of Third Party Reporting Centres to encourage victims who may not be comfortable reporting hate crime at a police station.

They now have 79 centres covering Cumbria, ranging from community centres, hospitals and health centres to housing associations, a library and HDM Spice, on Brook Street in Carlisle.

The centres offer a “safe, neutral location” for victims and witnesses, officers say.

A force spokesman said victims or witnesses could complete a form at the centre – with help if required – or take it away to complete at home. Forms can be forwarded to police, anonymously if preferred.

The full item can be read at News & Star

GERMANY'S TURKS TAKE THEIR REVENGE ON WRITER

Germany's Turkish community has taken revenge on Thilo Sarrazin, whose book denouncing Muslim immigrants as welfare-dependent under-achievers with too many children has sold 1.3 million copies.

The 66-year-old author of Germany Is Doing Away With Itself was invited by a television channel to tour Berlin's largely Turkish Kreuzberg district to speak to residents about his views, including his assertion that many Turks are only useful as greengrocers. Mr Sarrazin was mobbed, derided as a racist, and shouted at by passers-by wherever he went.

The coup de grâce was delivered by Mehmet Ozkan, manager of a renowned Turkish restaurant that Mr Sarrazin approached for a table. Mr Ozkan barred his way. "We Turks are usually very hospitable," he told him, "but I don't think I can serve you." Mr Sarrazin and the TV crew had to leave "like beaten dogs" as Mr Sarrazin put it.

The Independant

JOBBIK CANDIDATE WINS MAYORAL ELECTION IN VILLAGE TROUBLED BY ETHNIC STRIFE (Hungary)

Oszkar Juhasz, of radical nationalist party Jobbik, on Sunday won an interim mayoral election in Gyongyospata, a village in northern Hungary where ethnic tensions have been high for months. Juhasz ran against six independent candidates. Another candidate, Janos Farkas Jr, the head of the local Roma self government, dropped out of the race late Saturday.

Over 60 percent of the village’s residents turned out for the vote which was called after Mayor Laszlo Tabi resigned in April. Tabi said he left the post for health reasons, but did not deny that clashes between radical nationalists and the village’s Roma community were a contributing factor when asked by MTI. In March, activists of the For a Better Future Civil Guard Association staged patrols for weeks in Gyongyospata in protest against what they said was a rising crime rate. The situation turned critical when the paramilitary organisation Vedero (Defence Force) organised a three-day training camp near the village’s Roma neighbourhood late in April but the police intervened.

At the same time, some 267 Roma women and children were bussed out of the village in a move that some described as an “evacuation” but the organiser, Red Cross Hungary, said was a pre-arranged camping trip.

Goodbye EDL – and don’t come back (UK)

City leaders have condemned English Defence League protesters who marched through Portsmouth – telling them: ‘Don’t come back’.

The clear message came after hundreds of EDL members snaked through the city centre on Saturday as part of a planned protest.

Organisers had promised a peaceful event and deny their campaign has racist undertones.

But there were ugly scenes at times as the event threatened to spill over into violence.

At the very start of the march police had to stand firm to stop EDL members surging forward before the official start time.

Some of the group of around 500 marchers were heard spouting vile racist abuse and making insulting references to Allah.

At one point some of the marchers paused to jeer at an Asian family who had stepped onto their balcony to see the parade pass by.

Some EDL members made a beeline for a scaffolding van in a bid to grab poles, but were thwarted by police.

And at the end of the event police averted a potential clash as marchers tried to get into Guildhall Square where anti-fascist protesters had gathered for their own rally in defence of multiculturalism.

Dozens of officers including mounted police who had been drafted in from Thames Valley managed to keep the two groups apart.

Saturday saw seven arrests of EDL supporters on suspicion of crimes ranging from public order offences to assaulting a police officer. Two ‘counter protesters’ who were among 150 people taking part in the demonstration in Guildhall Square were also arrested but released without charge at the scene, Hampshire Constabulary said.

EDL marchers travelled from all over the country to take part in the march, the first of its kind in Hampshire. Supporters came from divisions including those in West Yorkshire, Berkshire, London, Plymouth, Essex, Brighton and Colchester. Hampshire police mounted a huge operation involving around 400 officers after similar events elsewhere in the country had sparked trouble.

After the march, MP Mike Hancock said he did not ever want to see the group in Portsmouth again.

‘‘I don’t want to see them here at all,’ said the Liberal Democrat MP for Portsmouth South. ‘I would much prefer if they came nowhere near us. But sadly they have persisted in doing it. I think they are pointless.

‘I hope they will now leave Portsmouth and not come back. What I don’t get is how people want to come all the way from Plymouth to demonstrate on the streets of Portsmouth. It must have been five or six to one people from outside the city. ‘

Mr Hancock praised the actions of the police officers who managed to contain the protest and stop EDL demonstrators clashing with the group in Guildhall Square.

He said: ‘I can’t speak highly enough of the planning. I think it’s a splendid achievement by the police. I can’t praise the police enough for what they have done.’

His views were echoed by city council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson, who was in the city centre on Saturday as he watched the protest unfold.

He said: ‘We don’t want it here. I wish they would leave Portsmouth alone.

‘On the whole people get on well between communities. They all mix up pretty well.

‘In lots of other cities there are areas where different communities live. We have a well-integrated city and that’s how we should remain.’

Terry Hall, a councillor for Eastney, who was part of the counter protest, said: ‘They have a right to protest but I don’t want them in my city.

‘They don’t represent most of the people in the city. I don’t want them here.’

People in Portsmouth’s Muslim community had largely ignored the protest, with many saying they would be staying away from the city centre and praying instead.

Abulkasim Suyeb, 42, who lives in North End, was in the city centre as the protest took place.

He said: ‘I am a Muslim but I am also a citizen of Portsmouth.

‘We are against extremists and we are peace-loving people.’

Portsmouth News

Ex-Nazi camp guard Demjanjuk faces new probe: report

Ex-Nazi camp guard John Demjanjuk, sentenced to five years in prison for aiding the murder of nearly 30,000 Jews, now faces a new probe for another 5,000 deaths, a German newspaper said Saturday.

Prosecutors in Bavaria in southeast Germany opened a new investigation after accusations relating to his activities at a different concentration camp, Flossenbuerg, the Tagesspiegel reported.

It said two complainants are seeking to hold Demjanjuk and another former camp guard responsible for the deaths of 4,974 people at Flossenbuerg between October 1943 and December 1944.

About 100,000 people had been held at Flossenbuerg, near the Czech border, and nearby satellite camps, and more than 73,000 of them died, according to official figures.

Demjanjuk, 91, was sentenced by a Munich court in May to a five-year prison term. He had been in prison before and during his 18-month-long trial.

A judge citing his age released him until the conviction is official, which could take months in Germany, and the Bavarian government placed him in a retirement home.

He was previously expelled from the United States and deprived of his US citizenship for lying about his past to US immigration.

Ukranian-born Demjanjuk was found guilty of helping the Nazis gas some 27,900 Jews while serving as a guard at the Sobibor death camp in German-occupied Poland during World War II.

While there was no direct evidence of his presence or actions at the camp, the court said it believed he had served there as a guard, and was therefore automatically implicated in killings carried out there at the time.

Demjanjuk had denied the charges and has filed an appeal.

The prosecution, which had asked for a six-year prison sentence, has also appealed the court's decision.

Google Hosted News

Blinded Muslim pleads to save his attacker's life

A Muslim who was shot and blinded by a white supremacist days after the 9/11 attacks is suing the governor of Texas to prevent his assailant from being executed.

Rais Bhuiyan says his rights as a victim were ignored when his attacker, Mark Stroman, was sentenced to death after a shooting spree at a Dallas convenience store that left two of his colleagues dead. Stroman, who claims he went on the rampage "against Arabs" in revenge for the death of his half-sister on September 11, 2001, is due to be executed on Wednesday after his final appeal was denied.

Mr Bhuiyan contends state prosecutors "pushed forward with the death penalty" without consulting him or the families of the other victims as required under the Texas Crime Victims' Bill of Rights.

In a lawsuit filed yesterday, Mr Bhuiyan's lawyers said their client was seeking reconciliation with Stroman "because his parents raised him with the religious principle that he is best who can forgive easily. As a Muslim, plaintiff is of the belief that when he forgives or promotes mercy for his attacker, the government should no longer have a duty or a right to exact the ultimate punishment upon Mr Stroman".

Mr Bhuiyan says that neither he nor the families of the other victims, Waqar Hasan and Vasudev Patel, were informed of their rights under the legislation that Governor Rick Perry championed as a guarantee of justice for the victims of crime.

"Along with families of the other victims in the case, I have been ignored and sidelined, year after year," Mr Bhuiyan said yesterday. "If Governor Perry really means it when he says victims' rights are a priority, we need action rather than hollow words."

Mr Perry, who is expected to announce his presidential bid within weeks, has signed off 232 executions -- more than any other governor in American history. His victims' rights legislation was seen by opponents of the death penalty as an attempt to justify such sentences as providing solace to families of the murdered.

But the Governor reckoned without the mercy of Mr Bhuiyan.

Stroman, a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, said he wanted to kill "foreigners" because they threatened "the American way of life". He admitted shooting the three men of South Asian origin, two of whom were Muslims and one a Hindu.

"I am a human being and made a terrible mistake out of love, grief and anger . . . believe me, I am paying for it every single minute of the day," Stroman said on a website supporting his plea for clemency.

The Australian

Portsmouth EDL march and counter-protests see seven arrests (UK)

Seven people have been arrested at a protest by the English Defence League (EDL) in Portsmouth.

About 500 EDL demonstrators marched through the city while 200 counter-protesters from Unite Against Fascism (UAF) gathered in Guildhall Square.

Up to 400 police, including mounted officers and dog handlers, worked to keep the groups apart during the protests which began about 1300 BST.

EDL supporters tried to enter the square but were stopped by police.

Hampshire police said: "All protesters are now dispersing in Portsmouth and despite some disturbances around Guildhall Walk earlier, police have worked well to keep the groups apart and ensure both protests could happen somewhat peacefully.

"A total of seven arrests have been made and officers are still on patrol across the city."

BBC News

EDL man will do community order alone (UK)

An English Defence League supporter who clashed with Asian men after a protest march cannot carry out his community work as part of a multi-ethnic group, a court heard.

Nathan Hopkins appeared before magistrates in Huntingdon when he was accused of being part of a group of English Defence League (EDL) members who got embroiled in a fight outside the Queen Anne Terrace car park, Cambridge, after a march through the city last Saturday.

One of the Asians was punched in the head repeatedly during the fracas by Hopkins, prosecutor Laura Mardell told the court.

The 18-year-old, of Lombardy Drive, Peterborough, admitted using threatening behaviour and was given a 12-month community order, with 40 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs.

Magistrates requested a report on whether Hopkins would be suitable for community work and the court probation officer said that although he was suitable, the nature of the offence meant he could not take part in the multi-cultural work teams and would have to go on an individual placement.

Ms Mardell said Hopkins told police he had gone to Cambridge with a group of 20 other EDL supporters and he had been a member of the EDL since December 2010, “joining after believing too many extremists were coming into the country”.

Two other EDL supporters also appeared before magistrates charged with public order offences.

Simon Pearson, 28, of Whitehill Road, Abbey, Cambridge, denied using threatening words and behaviour in the area of Christ’s Pieces and his case was adjourned to August 31.

Shaun Hughes, 48, of Wethersfield Road, Colchester, was accused of using threatening behaviour and assaulting a police officer in the execution of his duty.

His solicitor, Peter Vialls, told the court that Hughes had “serious mental health issues” and that he would be contacting prosecutors to see if the case could be dealt with in another way.

Hughes was released on bail until August 18 with conditions that he does not attend any EDL rallies or enter Cambridgeshire apart from for court appearances.

Ms Mardell said Hopkins’ case arose when a group of around 10 EDL supporters clashed with a group of Asian men in the Parkside area.

A fight started and police saw Hopkins punching an Asian man in the head three or four times.

Mr Vialls, for Hopkins, said: “The defendant is just 18 and has not been involved in anything like this before.

“He expected to take part in a demonstration and had not intended to do anything unlawful or take part in any violence.”

Mr Vialls said Hopkins blamed the Muslim Defence League for starting abuse. He then became involved in the fight to defend a young friend and regretted what had happened.

Cambridge News

Feds: 'Nazi Jihadist' Solicited Extremists To Attack Daycare Centers (USA)

Federal prosecutors have charged Emerson Begolly, the Nazi uniform wearing Pennsylvania man being held for allegedly biting an FBI agent who tried to question him about his activity on jihadist websites, with inciting violent attacks in the United States.

An indictment announced on Thursday by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia charges that Begolly used an extremist web forum to solicited others to engage in acts of terrorism and disseminated instructions for making different kinds of explosives that could be used in terrorist attacks.

Begolly allegedly suggested attacks on "civilian planes, financial institutions, military installations, Jewish schools, and daycare centers," according to the indictment.

While transcripts of some of Begolly's alleged writings had been filed in federal court in Pennsylvania when prosecutors were convincing a judge not to release him on bail, the new indictment marked the first time he was charged directly with a terrorism-related charge.

According to the writings, Begolly blamed a pedophile minister on his hatred of America and joked that someone at the FBI must have been "drunk" when he was allowed to buy an AK-47.

The new indictment quotes a post allegedly written by Begolly in which he brags about how easy it was for him to get a weapon even though he was on the terrorist watch list.

"Dear brothers and sisters, I have solid PROOF that one can legally purchase a firearm in America even if this person IS on the 'terror watch' list, just so long as they are not a convicted felon and are a US citizen over 18!" he allegedly wrote on Nov. 24, 2010. "My advice: As long as you still can, take advantage of this and MOVE... MOVE... MOVE...!!"

Begolly was first arrested in a Burger King parking lot after he allegedly reached for a gun in his pocket and bit two FBI agents questioning him about his online habits.

His lawyers and members of his family have said he has Asperger's syndrome, a disorder in the autism spectrum characterized by difficulties with social interaction. Begolly's mother told FBI agents he had been off his medication for two years, according to an FBI agent's testimony earlier this year.


TPM

Ex-prisoner asks taxpayers to fund 'skinhead' tattoo removal (New Zeland)

An ex-prisoner with the tattoo “skinhead” inked across his forehead is appealing for taxpayer money to get it removed, saying he wants to begin a new life.

Carl Nathaniel Drewett, 28, who first adopted white supremacist beliefs at age 13, says he cannot afford the $2500 removal treatment but will contribute what he can.

Drewett got the tattoo, which takes up most of his forehead, while in prison five years ago. He now regrets his decision.

“I didn’t really take into consideration how the community was going to look at me when I got out. That was irrelevant, that wasn’t my life, prison was my life,” he told the New Zealand Herald.

Drewett has an extensive criminal record and was convicted last Friday at Rangiora District Court on a charge of intentionally injuring a man and two charges of drunk driving causing injury.

He will serve one year on home detention and has been disqualified from driving for a year and a day.

He says he no longer identifies with white supremacy and plans to study business while on home detention.

“Once this tattoo is off, many doors will open. I won’t be judged as some dodgy loser criminal. In terms of employment it would help a lot,” he told the NZ Herald.

3 News

Russian Neo-Nazi Firebomb Synagogue(Russia)

Neo-Nazis firebombed a synagogue near Moscow Tuesday less than 24 hours after members of the banned group were sentenced to jail. No one was hurt in the midnight firebombing of the Darchei Shalom synagogue, whose walls sustained damage. Police believe the attack was an anti-Semitic response to the sentencing of members of the banned neo-Nazi National-Socialist Society, the European Jewish Press reported. A Russian court sentenced members to prison terms of up to 10 years for 27 hate killings, attempted murders and a plot to blow up a electricity power plant. The defendants entered the court while yelling out anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi chants. Russia’s chief rabbi Adolf Shaevich responded to the attack, “We have a paradox now. There are many more believers in the country than before, but the spiritual and moral climate has not improved in any way. It is very sad when young people do such things.

There could have been people inside, there might have been victims.” Two teenagers are suspected of having attacked the synagogue. The Federation of Russia’s Jewish Communities called on law enforcement bodies to view the incident not simply as hooliganism but as an attempt to ignite inter-ethnic hatred. “Such incidents make it clear that crimes committed on national or religious grounds are propaganda in action.

We are concerned by the fact that the Moscow authorities qualify such acts as hooliganism,” claims the organization’s statement as quoted by RIA Novosti. “In any case, it is an act looking to provoke religious hatred. The aim of such acts is to intimidate people, to weaken the eagerness of society to fight nationalism and extremism.”

Israel national news

EDL and Asians brawled on Blackburn football pitches (UK)

Police were drafted in after an English Defence League football match was organised on a pitch normally used by Asian youths.

Blackburn magistrates heard shortly after the EDL game, involving 20 to 25 white males, started, about 30 Asian males arrived at the concrete pitches in Queens Park.

The two groups were playing on adjoining pitches but tempers flared and words were exchanged when the ball from the Asian game went over to the other side.

Nicholas John Smyth, 26, of Sherwood Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to using racially-aggravated threatening behaviour.

He was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £85 costs.

Joanne Close, prosecuting, said during the football matches there was an altercation between Smyth and one of the Asian men.

When the EDL game finished, they congregated near the fence separating the two pitches and Smyth started shouting at the Asian male to “come and sort it out”.

Jonathan Taylor, defending, said Smyth had gone to play football with a few friends.

He realised there were members of the EDL there, although he was not a member of the organisation.

Mr Taylor said when the Asian males arrived they tried to take over both pitches, which led to tension.

“It seems that normally this area is exclusively used by Asians,” said Mr Taylor.

“Words were exchanged when the Asian males tried to get on the pitch where the white males were playing.

“My client heard racist comments coming from the Asian males and he accepts that he responded.

“He says he can’t understand why the police officers seemed unable to hear the comments coming from the other side.”

Blackburn citizen

Police Increase Presence in Portsmouth as the English Defence League Plans Demonstration (UK)

Police from across the two counties will be in Portsmouth this weekend to help facilitate peaceful protest by members of the English Defence League. 

Officers will be on duty in the city centre on the morning of the event on the 16th July to minimise disruption to the community and shoppers. 

Superintendent Rick Burrows said: "Those still coming into Portsmouth should be aware that there will be more police around than usual to ensure peace is kept throughout the day, and whilst there will be traffic congestion, we will work to minimise the impact on your day. 

"Edinburgh Road will be closed from 10am until about 3pm and the main traffic congestion will occur around this area, the Guildhall Square and Gunwharf Quays area between 12.30pm and 2.30pm. 

"It is also worth bearing in mind that Portsmouth are playing Chelsea at home from 3pm and this will increase the chances of traffic congestion around the routes to Fratton Park. 

"We are continuing to engage with all parties involved in this protest event, and we have planned extensively to have the appropriate resources on duty throughout the day to ensure that any protest does not have an adverse impact on local communities. 

"Our message to those planning on coming to Portsmouth to protest is that you will be welcomed; we will facilitate your lawful protest, but we have to bear in mind the interest and needs of the wider community and, in doing so, we may ask you to abide by certain conditions.

"We expect all people taking part in the protest to do so peacefully and legitimately, but anyone intent on coming to engage in a confrontation or disorder will be robustly dealt with.    "We will be looking to protesters to self-police, and to work with us to ensure this protest is peaceful.

"We are grateful to Portsmouth City Council for its continued support and involvement, and look forward to a safe event that leaves no negative legacy for the communities of Portsmouth." 

Any member of the local community with concerns or intelligence about this event is invited to contact Inspector Greg Moore by dialling 101, or via e-mail at: Gregory.moore@hampshire.pnn.police.uk 

The very latest information for media and the public will be available via the constabulary's Twitter account, follow @HantsPolice, and on the force website special events page:   http://www.hampshire.police.uk/Internet/news/EDL_Demonstration.htm

Aboutmyarea.co.uk

Teachers must 'uphold British values' to work in schools (UK)

Teachers face being barred from the classroom for failing to uphold “British values” and proper discipline under rigorous new professional standards for schools.

For the first time, staff are told they could be struck off for showing intolerance towards pupils with other faiths and beliefs.

Teachers in England are warned against staging lessons that undermine “fundamental” values such as the rule of law, democracy and individual liberty.

The move is designed to make it easier for heads to sack teachers who are members of the British National Party or those with extremist Islamic beliefs.

It follows comments from Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, that membership of far-right groups was incompatible with the duty to “shape young minds”.

Under new guidelines, staff will also be told to take responsibility for promoting “good and courteous behaviour” among children in lessons and around the school.

In a further move, the standards – being introduced in 2012 – place a renewed emphasis on teachers’ subject knowledge, suggesting staff should uphold high standards of “literacy, articulacy and the correct use of standard English” at all times.

It represents an attempt to establish clear boundaries for staff in all state schools and weed out poor teachers failing to achieve basic skill-levels.

The slimmed-down rules focus on just eight key areas of teaching – and one section focusing on personal and professional conduct – as opposed to more than 100 separate standards introduced by Labour.

Mr Gove insisted the previous system placed a premium on “bland statements and platitudes”, covering areas such as communicating with colleagues, promoting wellbeing and establishing a safe learning environment.

The new standards will have “real teeth”, he said, adding: “They set clear expectations about the skills that every teacher in our schools should demonstrate. They will make a significant improvement to teaching by ensuring teachers can focus on the skills that matter most.”

Just 1.5 per cent of student teachers fail to satisfy the current standards during training and fewer than 20 teachers have been struck off in the last decade for incompetence.

New standards – covering just four pages – set out the key skills that each trainee must satisfy to win qualified teacher status and then remain in the classroom.

As part of the new guidelines, staff must set high expectations of pupils, demonstrate good subject knowledge, plan and teach well-structured lessons, promote good progress among pupils, adapt their teaching to children’s different needs, make good use of assessment, manage behaviour and fulfil their wider responsibilities to school life.

Under behaviour, teachers are told to establish “clear rules and routines” and promote “good and courteous” manners among pupils. The section on subject knowledge says staff must have decent standards of written English – whatever the teacher’s subject specialism.

Beyond teaching, the guidance says staff "must not undermine fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs".

It comes after a teacher and BNP member was cleared of religious intolerance last year by the General Teaching Council - the profession's regulatory body - despite using a school laptop to describe some immigrants as "filth" on a website.

The National Association of Head Teachers welcomed the document, saying the standards were “clear, concise and relevant”.

But Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teachers’ union, said the rules underline “the punitive mind set this Coalition has towards teachers”.

“The new standards are vague, poorly drafted, lack clarity, are open to wide interpretation, will breed confusion and uncertainty and will simply serve as a stick with which to beat teachers,” she said.

Telegraph

BNP urges nationalist 'fight' on Twitter (UK)

The British National Party has encouraged its members to use social media outlets like Twitter to promote its messages, leading to concern from anti-extremist campaigners.

In a newsletter entitled Adam's Operation Fightback, the BNP said supporters should not be afraid to use hashtags like #nationalist and #BNP when talking about news issues, and that they should "jump on trending topics and turn them into a nationalist discussion".

The party urged followers to get their friends "involved in the fight for our people" by sharing links to articles and campaigns, and asking others to "take action and retweet".

The newsletter said Twitter could be used every day to keep people "updated on the latest campaign to win our country back".

And on Facebook it recommended that members should post a pro-nationalist quote to inspire friends to take action.

Reacting, a spokesman for anti-extremist campaign group Searchlight told Publicservice.co.uk that the BNP and extremist groups had used social media for sometime, something which did raise concerns.

But he added that social media was a valuable intelligence tool for monitoring political extremism, and that comments on sites like Twitter could "help to highlight the true face of the BNP".

Public Service UK

Social media game aims to end extremism

A social media game with Arab super heroes at its heart has been launched on Facebook.

The man behind the project, Suleiman Bakhit, hopes that Happy Oasis can create positive role models for children who might otherwise be enticed by extremist views.

The game launched this week and has already attracted 50,000 followers.

Newly appointed TED fellow Mr Bakhit spoke about his project at the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh.

Mr Bakhit, who comes from Jordan, was a student at the US University of Minnesota when the 9/11 attacks took place. Shortly afterwards he was attacked by four men because he was an Arab.

Magic carpet
Instead of feeling bitter, Mr Bakhit decided to engage in an education campaign.

"I realised that you fight extremism by starting with the young. The message was simple - 'We are not all terrorists'," he told the BBC.

Armed with a not-so-magic carpet, he began telling Aladdin-style stories in local schools.

"One day a child asked me if there was an Arab superman and I realised that there wasn't," he said.

So began his comic-book project which aimed to create a range of positive Arab role-models, including a female James Bond and a Jordanian special agent who fights extremists.

In Jordan, Mr Bakhit has sold 300,000 copies of his comics and came to realise that there was a market for a web-based version.

"Print media is dying but there are 30 million Arabs on Facebook so I thought about making social games with the same message," he said.

Mr Bakhit wanted to make sure that his characters related to the children he was aiming to reach.

"I took a peer-to-peer approach, engaging kids to get their ideas," he said.

He was undecided about whether to include a character dressed in a burka until he showed the animated character to a focus group.

"They loved the idea so she was in," he said.

The first game featured special agent Element O and while it was, in Mr Bakhit's words "not very good", it did show him the potential of such a project.

"Fans were discussing the games in the forums and arguing about politics. I went on as Element O and the arguments immediately stopped," he said.

Mr Bakhit said he now hopes to take his comic book model to Pakistan, where extremism is a growing problem.

BBC News

Stepmom in Calif. neo-Nazi case pleads not guilty (USA)

The stepmother of a 10-year-old California boy charged with murdering his white supremacist father has pleaded not guilty to child endangerment.

Krista McCary also pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Superior Court to four charges of criminal storage of a gun. She was charged after her neo-Nazi husband Jeff Hall was shot to death in their home on May 1.

Authorities say the eldest of Hall's five children took his parents' gun off a shelf and shot his father in the ear while he was sleeping.

Hall was a regional leader of the National Socialist Movement who led rallies at a day labor site and synagogue.

McCary's public defender, Judith Gweon, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Forbes

Did you snap the EDL demo? Plea by police for your pictures (UK)

Police are asking the public for their pictures and video of violence that erupted when the English Defence League descended on Halifax at the weekend.

Divisional commander for Calderdale Chief Superintendent Chris Hardern says they are investigating a clash between some of the far-right group and counter-demonstrators at King Cross and the break-out of EDL members from the Eureka car park.

He urged residents who saw what happened, have footage or photographs, or who witnessed any other trouble, to get in touch.

Calderdale councillor Faisal Shoukat (Lab, Park) says he was assaulted after EDL supporters turned up at the counter-demonstration .

He said he was speaking to organisers of the counter-protest as they were setting up when EDL supporters turned up and started damaging the gazebo and speakers.

“They started shouting racist abuse and opening up a banner with racist remarks on it and they chanted ‘‘EDL’.” he said.

He suffered bruising to the back of his head and kidney area.

He said one of the EDL members was filming the incident.

Police have confirmed they are investigating an allegation of assault against a man during the King Cross disturbance.

The EDL had been told they could hold their protest in the Eureka car park, and the museum shut for the day because of the demonstration, but some of the group came intent on marching on the town’s streets.

Coaches are believed to have let some off in Sowerby Bridge, from where some marched into Halifax and others took buses into King Cross and the park opposite the William IV pub where the counter-demo was planned.

Police marched the protesters into the Eureka car park where the mob hurled glass bottles at police, shouted anti-Islamic chants and “Let’s go mental” before breaking fencing to get out of the car park and onto the Eureka grounds.

Officers donned riot gear and escorted the EDL supporters to coaches and the rail station and out of Halifax.

Chf Supt Hardern repeated the force’s thanks to members of the public for supporting officers’ efforts to keep disruption to a minimum.

“We want to thank the communities of Halifax and the rest of Calderdale for their patience, tolerance and understanding,” he said.

He added his thanks to officers for the courage they showed on Saturday, especially the ones who had to deal with the ones who broke out of the car park.

And he wants to thank partner agencies who police have been working with in the lead up to the event.

Anyone who can help the police should call 0845 6060606 or CrimeStoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.

Halifax Courier

Russian nationalists given life for 27 racist murders

The ringleader was among the five men given life sentences for the 2007-08 killing spree in and around Moscow, which targeted people from Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus and from ex-Soviet Central Asia.

Standing in a glass box, the group shared jokes and attempted Nazi salutes in handcuffs before their sentencing in the Moscow Military District Court, state TV showed.

Eight members of the gang, including one young woman, were given terms of between eight and 25 years behind bars, Russian media reported.

Neo-nationalist groups have been increasing in number in Russia, and violent clashes in the capital between Muslims and ethnic Slavs have raised concerns authorities will be unable to keep order ahead of March 2012 elections.

Over the last two years, a judge and a lawyer who fought against neo-nationalists, Eduard Chuvashov and Stanislav Markelov, were shot and killed in attacks officials connected to their work.

Rights workers say the Russian government's lenient attitude to the far right allows racism to flourish in Russia, which is home to some 20 million Muslims, a seventh of the population.

Many migrants from the impoverished North Caucasus, where an Islamist insurgency is raging, come to the Russian heartland for menial work. They say they are often treated with suspicion by ethnic Russians and many face racism.

Those convicted on Monday belong to the far-right Nationalist Socialist Society, which was outlawed in February and whose logo is a red and black stylised swastika.

The group's leader Lev Molotkov pleaded not guilty, and the defence plans to appeal against the length of the sentences, Russian media reported.

After being convicted, some of the nationalists shouted: "Our conscience is above your laws, we'll be back!" Interfax news agency reported.

They were also found guilty of attempted terrorism, creating and participating in extremism and inciting racial hatred.

Reuters

Arson attack in Býchory, Czech Republic: Group of attackers shouted racist slogans

Today in the early morning hours in Býchory, Kolín district, an unidentified perpetrator threw a flaming torch into a Romani home. None of the victims suffered physical injury. Police suspect racial motivation.

"At 12:30 AM a group of people walked around the Romani home shouting racist slogans. One of them then threw a flaming, wrapped stick, resembling a torch, into the house. The family put out the fire themselves. Fortunately no one was injured and the damage is estimated at about CZK 100," Soňa Budská, spokesperson for the Central Bohemian Regional Police, told news server Romea.cz. The regional police are taking over the investigation and will pursue it as attempted grievous bodily harm.

Romea

Bush Hill Park Q&A scrapped after objections to BNP and Christian candidates (UK)

A Hustings meeting ahead of a by-election has been axed amid objections to some candidates being invited.

The nine candidates standing for the vacant Enfield Council seat in Bush Hill Park had been invited to a question and answer session next week ahead of the poll.

But the Bush Hill Park Residents Association, which was organising the session, has pulled the plug amid fears of protests and political bias.

The British National Party have entered a candidate – London organiser Steve Squire – for the first time in Bush Hill Park, but Labour candidate Ivor Wiggett is understood to have refused to share the platform with him under party policy.

Objections were also raised to Christian Party representative Clive Morrison being invited, owing to alleged inflammatory comments made during his bid for the Edmonton Parliamentary seat last year.

Tony Kingsnorth, chairman of the association, said they were worried about the event being beset by protests outside and decided to call it off.

The issue has been further complicated as Mr Kingsnorth is a candidate himself, standing as an independent, with vice chairman John Jewson running his campaign.

This meant organising the debate would have to fall to other members of the committee, and the association did not want to risk being political by holding the event.

Paul Smith, the Lib Dem candidate, expressed his disappointment at the debate's cancellation on his blog, saying: “To be clear, the Lib Dems will appear at such events regardless of who else is on the platform because we believe that voters are drawn to fringe and extreme parties primarily because the major parties are seen as ignoring them.

“Get out onto the doorstep, meet these voters at hustings and they are given the voice they want and deserve and they can see how false the arguments from the extremists are.”

The BNP has never contested Bush Hill Park before, but Mr Squire is believed to have entered as a test in Enfield ahead of next year's London Assembly elections to see how the party fares.

Polling day is Thursday, July 28, with the result expected the day after.

Enfield Independant

Czech Republic/Islamophobia: Former Czech PM sued over statements on Islam

Retired politician Milos Zeman, Czech prime minister in 1998-2002, faces a criminal complaint over the statements on Islam he made in June at an international conference on Europe.

“The enemy is the anti-civilisation spreading from North Africa to Indonesia. Two billion people live in it and it is financed partly from oil sales and partly from drug sales,” Czech news servers quoted Zeman as saying about Islam at the recent conference.

Zeman said Thursday Muslims believe in the Koran like Nazis believed in racial supremacy and anti-Semitism and communists in class struggle and dictatorship of the proletariat.

He said Islam is far more aggressive and intolerant than present Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism and other world religions.

He added that the Koran includes passages calling for the subjugation, enslavement and even elimination of non-believers.

Zeman has been known for his strong statements.

IINA

EDL demo: Six people arrested and police officer injured

Hundreds of police officers were deployed in Halifax today to keep English Defence League protesters under control.

Around 450 members of the far-right group came to the town, with coaches arriving from the Midlands and other parts of the country.

Some clashed with a counter demonstration in King Cross but were marched to the designated protest site at Eureka car park.

There was also some who arrived in Sowerby Bridge and marched from there into Halifax.

Police had to don riot gear when the protesters broke their way out of the car park and onto the childrens museum site.

The protesters were herded back onto coaches and trains and out of Halifax by around 5pm.

Five people have been arrested on suspicion of public order offences. A 21-year-old has also been arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon.

A police officer was injured. He suffered a dislocated shoulder.

Around 70 people were at the counter demonstration in King Cross.

*For full story, pictures and video see Monday’s Halifax Courier
Halifax Courier

SCOUTS SAY NO TO NEO-NAZI CAMP TENANTS (Sweden)

A Swedish neo-Nazi political party is planning to gather this weekend in Höör, in southern Sweden, where they are organising a summer camp for their supporters and their families.

The camp, organised by the right-wing extremist Party of Swedes (Svenskarnas parti), was to be held in a cabin owned by the Swedish Guide and Scout Association (Svenska scoutförbundet), who claim they were tricked when the premises were booked. According to the Scout Association, the representatives from the Party of Swedes pretended to be from a sports club in Malmö, when they asked to rent the premises. "It feels awful that a neo-Nazi organisation wil be using our facilities under a fake name," said Erik Sillén, chairman of the Scout Association, to newspaper Kvällsposten. The Party of Swedes estimate that the summer camp, called Nordic Vision, will receive roughly one hundred visitors. "We're directing ourselves to people that we consider to be Swedes. People with African names aren't welcome. Adopted children with Swedish names aren't welcome either," said organiser Andreas Carlsson, from the Party of Swedes. Carlsson has previously described the camp in Swedish media as a way for kids to "have fun", but also adding that everyone will be able to take part in a debate on the Sunday where one of the topics will be “Who is a Swede and who isn’t?”. The Lund police force were still unaware of hundreds of neo-Nazis' plans to gather in Skåne's woods this weekend, when Kvällsposten spoke with the police station on Thursday. "I hope and believe that the Swedish Security Services know about this, because that many extremists in the same place is a big security risk. But we have no information about this yet. We're sitting here completely non-plussed, after your phone call," said officer Mats Persson to the newspaper.

The Scout Association is renouncing the party, announcing that they will not permit the camp to be carried out on their premises. "Our local association has waived the rental agreement," said Erik Sillén to news agency TT. He underlines that this decision has support from the Scout Association on a national level, and they are planning to back the local association up, in the case of a dispute with the Party of Swedes. The 10,000 kronor ($1,580) paid in advance by the party will be returned, explains Sillén, who is uncomfortable with the idea of owing money to neo-Nazis. "That wouldn't feel good. Anyway, they've ordered a service that we won't be delivering, so of course we're returning the money. But this is about values and ideas that the Scouts don't want anything to do with," he told TT. But the organiser of the event, Andreas Carlsson, told TT that the Party was now searching for another solution. "It is a little last minute," he told TT. If no other premises can be found, the party will take legal action in order to be able to use the cabin anyway. According to him, the legal advice they have received so far says they have the law on their side. Earlier this summer, journalist Johannes Jakobsson of the Swedish magasine Expo, which studies and maps anti-democratic, right-wing extremist and racist tendencies in society, told The Local that there is little doubt about the party's heritage.

“The party leadership is the same as the old National Socialistic Front (National Socialistisk Front – NSF), they represent an ethnic nationalism and they believe in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories,” he said. According to him, the Party of Swedes party was formerly known as the People's Front (Folkfronten) and was founded by members of the former National Socialist Front (Nationalsocialistisk front - NSF) in November 2008. At the time it dissolved, NSF was the largest neo-Nazi political party in Sweden. It became a political party on April 20th, 1999, the 110th birthday of Adolf Hitler.

The Local Sweden

Neo-Nazi skinhead taken down with one punch (USA)

A neo-Nazi is in jail because he allegedly tried to pick a fight with the wrong man, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

According to the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office, Daren C. Abbey, 28, is accused of verbally confronting and then assaulting Marlon L. Baker, a 46-year-old African American.  It happened inside a Bayview, Idaho bar on July 3.

According to the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office, Baker was approached by Abbey.  Investigators said Abbey began threatening to stab Baker if he would not leave Bayview.  Investigators said Abbey said "blacks are not welcome here."  After continued harassment, Baker left the bar and walked about 400 yards with Abbey following behind him yelling racial slurs.

Baker finally turned around and Abbey came at him.  That's when investigators said Baker punched Abbey in the face once, knocking him down.  Investigators said Baker was wearing a shirt that said "Spokane Boxing Club Champion".  Investigators also said Abbey was intoxicated.

The Southern Poverty Law Center spoke to the owner of Spokane Boxing who said Baker has never been a licensed professional boxer, to his knowledge.  It is possible Baker may have informal boxing experience.

Investigators said Abbey is listed as a transient out of Coeur d'Alene.  He has ties to California and Montana.  Reports show Abbey had contact with police in Coeur d'Alene in 2004.  He has multiple tattoos including swastikas and a thunderbolt.  He also has a shaved head.

According to SPLC, Abbey was arrested and booked into jail on charges of battery, a misdemeanor, and felony malicious harassment. Officials said Baker was not injured and not charged.

Abbey was treated for a possible broken nose after being booked into the Kootenai County Jail.

Abbey is being held on $75,000 bond.

NWCN

670 police prepare for marches (UK)

Police in Cambridge have deployed more than 670 officers as the English Defence League and anti-fascist groups march through the city.

Cambridgeshire Police expect up to 500 members of the EDL to take part in a march.

Similar numbers from Unite Against Fascism and the TUC will take part in a counter march.

East of England MEP Richard Howitt will deliver a speech to the counter march. He will say: "We publicly attest that the EDL is not welcome in this city because we cannot let the poison of their ideas seep in to the body of our community.

"I am proud to live and work in this, the most international of cities, where one in 10 of my neighbours comes from black or ethnic minority communities.

"This is a city which spoke out to end slavery 50 years before it was abolished and today, over two hundred years later, we speak out to restate that there can never be those amongst us who can be treated as less than equal."

Mark Woods, speaking on behalf of Cambridge's Muslim community, said: "We accept that there's a right to free speech but there are also laws against inciting racial hatred.

"The Muslim community here recognises it has had its own problems and is working hard to tackle those.

"Our message to the EDL is: you're not welcome in Cambridge."

Belfast Telegraph

Enormous Disruption Looming: Halifax counts cost of EDL protest (UK)

Traders across Halifax were today counting the cost of the English Defence League’s decision to hold another demo in town - today.

Scores of pubs and other businesses will be shutting while the far-right group staged its protest.

Shops and pubs say they will lose business but want to avoid the disorder seen last time the EDL came to Halifax.

Megan Forest, from The Three Pigeons, South Parade, said they planned to shut until 4pm. “We don’t want the trouble.”

Others closing include The Ring O’Bells, which will stay shut until the protesters have left. The Barum Top will be closed until 6pm. The Salvation will keep its doors shut till 5pm and the Plummet Line will also be closed till 5.

Chris Lord, of Chris Lord Photography, said he was bound to lose business today because people will not be passing his office on Square Road.

“We’re all trying hard to earn a living,” he said.

The EDL decision to come to Halifax will also mean Eureka, one of Halifax’s busiest tourist attractions, will shut for the day.

Police and Calderdale Council have designated the museum car park as the least disruptive spot for the protest.

Police are also be expected to run a up a huge bill manning the demonstration.

The force cannot say yet how much it will cost them but a demonstration in Bradford last summer cost the force £650,000.

MP for Halifax Linda Riordan said: “This has caused unnecessary disruption to people, businesses, and shopkeepers as well as affecting the local economy.

“It is outrageous that local businesses have been put in a position where they have to close for the day.

“I am confident the police will handle the situation effectively.

“But my message to the EDL is for them to go away and don’t come back to Halifax.

“I am sure the vast majority of people in this town, who are tolerant, respectful and decent, would agree with me.”

A joint statement from a group of Halifax organisations and individuals including Calderdale Council’s political leaders, Mrs Riordan, Halifax Minster, Calderdale College and Halifax Festival said: “The planned EDL protest is unwanted and damaging to everyone who lives, works and cares for Halifax and Calderdale.

“We support the right to peaceful protest but there is no clear reason why this group want to protest in Halifax,and the event will only bring tension, discord and anxiety.

“We have seen the impact of previous disruptive and criminal behaviour by supporters of this group in Halifax in recent months followed by the arrests of 16 people in April.

“Today is the first day of Halifax Festival. Eureka would be marking their 19th birthday in Halifax, but is now closed. It should be a day for local people to enjoy, a day for us to welcome visitors to our town, and a welcome boost for local businesses in difficult times.

“Instead, this protest – which will cost the police, council and partners many thousands of pounds – will disrupt our town and have a damaging impact on our businesses on the day itself and potentially afterwards.

“Fortunately, Halifax is a resilient place, with a clear determination to respond to the challenges of the economic recession.

“We are a place where people live side by side, with common values based upon mutual respect, tolerance and unity.

“The actions of the EDL in choosing to demonstrate in Halifax today show they care nothing for the wellbeing of anyone who lives, works in or cares about Halifax.

“They are not welcome in our town. It is time that they got this message.”

The protest clashes with the launch of Halifax Festival, but organisers say they are determined it will go ahead.

A counter-EDL protest was being held today in King Cross Road, around noon.

Halifax courier

Racist' stop-and-search powers to be challenged (UK)

The high court has agreed that a full legal challenge can be brought against a police stop-and-search power alleged to be used in a racist way against African-Caribbean people.

The challenge follows officers stopping and searching a 37-year-old woman with no convictions, after they claimed she was holding onto her bag in a suspicious way.

The woman, Ann Roberts, ended up being held down by officers on the floor in front of other people, handcuffed and taken to a police station where she was wrongly accused of being a class A drug user and placed on a treatment programme under the threat of arrest if she failed to attend.

Roberts was stopped under section 60 of the 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, brought in to tackle illegal raves. The power allows police to stop and search people without having a reasonable suspicion they are involved in criminality.

Roberts, a special needs assistant, argued that a disproportionate number of black Londoners are searched in violation of article 14 of the European convention on human rights, which bans discrimination.

Her lawyers say statistical evidence implies that a black person is more than nine times more likely to be searched than a white person. They go on say section 60 is "incompatible" with three articles of the convention: 14, 5, which protects the right to liberty and security, and 8, which protects the right to private and family life.

Police say section 60 is a valuable tool which has been used to tackle areas plagued by violence.

On 9 September 2010 Roberts was on a bus when an inspector found she had insufficient money for her journey on her prepaid Oyster card.

Police were called when she could not produce identity documents.

According to her lawyers, she was searched under section 60 after a police officer took the view she was holding on to her bag in a manner that suggested she had something to hide.

She was told the area she was in was a "hotspot" for gang violence and the possession of knives. Few, if any, acts of gang violence are committed by married women in their mid 30s.

Roberts asked to be searched in a police station rather than in public in case it was seen by young people with whom she worked.

Police refused and when they tried to seize her handbag a struggle followed which led to officers restraining her on the floor.

Three bank cards with different identities were found in her bag. She explained they were in her name, her maiden name – having recently married – and her son's name.

She was told she was being arrested on suspicion of fraud and taken to Tottenham police station.

She was subjected to a drugs test which she was told showed small amounts of crack cocaine, but a later test showed she was clear.

After being put in a cell, she was interviewed and told she was no longer suspected of fraud but was being detained on suspicion that she had obstructed a police search.

Later a caution was administered for obstruction.











 The Guardian

Italian court sentences nine elderly German Nazis

An Italian court on Thursday handed down life sentences to nine elderly Germans for having killed more than 160 civilians in northern and central Italy during World War II.

The nine former Nazi soldiers, all in their 80s and 90s, were sentenced in absentia by a court in Verona Tuesday night after a seven-month trial. They had been charged with killing 140 civilians in the Modena region in 1944 and also for massacres of dozens of others carried out in Tuscany and Emilia Romagna regions.

The nine men had been German officers and soldiers attached to a parachute division charged with quashing Italian resistance to German occupation.

"At last there is justice for the victims and their relatives and a bloody page of history can be closed," one of the plaintiffs told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

Jerusalem Post

Newbury Town Council has been criticised over an appendix to a report on planning for traveller sites (UK)

Newbury Town Council has been accused of racism after publishing statements on travellers “worthy of the British National Party (BNP).”

The offending paragraphs appeared in an appendix to a report on planning for traveller sites prepared for Monday night’s the planning and highways committee meeting.
They were initially published on the council website but were removed when the storm broke.

They stated: "We do not believe that travellers should be treated as a separate ethnic group or that policy towards them should be governed by such considerations. Because of the undesirable effects of the travelling way of life on receipt of social services, especially education, we do not consider that travelling in the sense used in this paper can be sustained in the long run.

“It is gradually disappearing and that trend should not be discouraged. We obviously agree on the measures to prevent abuse of the planning system by travellers.”

The comments were condemned by the general secretary of West Berkshire Minority Ethnic Forum, Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera who pointed out: “Roma, Romany Gypsies and Irish travellers are now all recognised to have protection under the Race Relations Act as they have been finally recognised as minority ethnic communities in law.

“The intolerance shown towards these communities is still very obvious, and is even enshrined within some of the policies and procedures of our public authorities. Are these somewhat limiting and discriminatory views the opinions of the town council as a whole, or merely a few individuals? Whichever. it is very concerning.”

Local Labour Party spokesman Richard Garvie said he interpreted the words to mean that travellers should not have equal access to health and education services and branded the comments “worthy of the BNP.”

The wording of the report also sparked a heated debate on the forum at our website, Newburytoday.co.uk ahead of Monday night’s meeting.

Before the meeting began, Anthony Pick (Con, St Johns) revealed that he was the author of the offending report and added: “I apologise for any offence which my remarks may have caused and I withdraw them without reservation.”

Committee vice chairman Adrian Edwards (Con, Falkland) spoke next, saying he was responsible for submitting the report to committee and adding: “I would like to apologise that I failed to pick this up.”

Council chief executive Graham Hunt then offered a “full and unqualified” apology, adding that the final responsibility for what was published rested with him.

He pointed out that the offending report had been removed from the website and promised “equality training” would be put in place.

Mr Hunt added: “Newbury Town Council welcomes any initiative which will improve facilities for the travelling community.”

Mr Garvie said afterwards: "For the council to have to issue three apologies at the start of a meeting shows how serious an incident this was.”

Newbury Today

HOLOCAUST DENIAL NO CRIME IN SPAIN

In a ruling that may have ripple effects across Europe, the Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that neo-Nazi literature and speech, including that which openly denies the Holocaust, is not a punishable crime. In his June 3 ruling, presiding judge Dr. Adolfo Prego said that while such speech is truly offensive, it is only a crime if advocates violence. “Advocating an ideology is not punishable no matter which ideology is involved,” Judge Prego chided prosecutors in his ruling. The verdict overules a 2009 lower court conviction of four Spanish neo-Nazis, Ramón Bau, Óscar Panadero, Carlos García and Juan Antonio Llopart, who were found guilty of disseminating hate literature.

Panadero owned and operated the now-defunct Kalki bookstore, which openly sold neo-Nazi paraphanelia and literature, including books that denied the Holocaust. Garcia was an employee at the store, while Bau and Llopart ran organizations that promoted National Socialist ideology. Judge Prego noted that he himself was offended by the neo-Nazi literature, but could not let the conviction stand as this would open the door to random prosecution of any opinion expressed. As a result of the Supreme Court ruling, the four men were aquitted of their prison terms, which ranged from 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 years.

The Jewish Community Federation of Spain (FCJE) roundly condemned the verdict, reports the World Jewish Congress. “We Jews are very worried that the Spanish judiciary, which in certain situations shows a lot of sensitivity, does not consider the sale of books in which the Holocaust is denied and racism propagated an offense banned by our laws,” the group said in a press statement. The Israeli Embassy in Madrid said in a statement, “Israel believes that this decision gives support to racist violence and shows a lack of historic knowledge.” It added that the ruling was reason for “sadness and concern.”

Holocaust denial is explicitly or implicitly illegal in 16 countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Switzerland.

The European Union’s Framework decision on Racism and Xenophobia, released in 2007, states that denying or grossly trivialising “crimes of genocide” should be made “punishable in all EU Member States.” While other EU member states have already adopted either parts or the entire framework into their laws, Spain has not complied.

 Europe Today

A decade after the riots, Bradford is still uneasy about race relations (UK)

There has been progress, not least the stand residents took against the EDL last year, but threats from the far right remain.

Ten years ago today Bradford witnessed race riots that lasted three days and brought the issue of race relations in the city to the country's attention. Bradford became known as a "racial tinderbox" where the city's large Asian community was estranged and at odds with the white working class.

You could see the troubles coming as rioting spread across the north from towns on the other side of the Pennines such as Burnley and Oldham. There were the largely forgotten riots of 1995, which should have acted as a warning signal. After those disturbances, Asian residents complained about a lack of opportunities and growing unease about relationships with the police and the white working class. Those calls were mostly ignored, the National Front took advantage and six years later tensions boiled over again.

I was a 17-year-old student at the time, and like many people in the city was shocked to see Manningham turned into a battleground. I remember picking up the Telegraph and Argus and seeing the faces of young men I'd played against in a football semi-final a few months earlier on the front page as wanted troublemakers. Harsh sentences followed for the Asian offenders and the city woke up to the fact that it had been sleepwalking into segregation for more than 30 years.

There was a definite change in the city as the initial shock of the riots turned to disgust and even hatred as people surveyed what "they" had done to "our" city. The fallout continued with the BNP gaining council seats in predominantly white areas like Queensbury and Keighley as far-right groups took advantage of the troubles to reinforce the "them and us" attitude. Lord Ouseley's report and the Cantle report followed and laid out the drastic action that needed to be taken to counteract the effects of segregation in the city and others like it.

But the anniversary of the riots isn't the best indicator of how far the city has come when dealing with race relations. That date came on 28 August 2010 when the English Defence League (EDL) brought 700 supporters to the city. The event had been talked about for months and when the static protest started the group faced opposition from a wide range of residents. It was a display of unity which largely went unreported, the focus instead being on the EDL's clashes with the police. It was the toughest test Bradford's communities had faced since 2001 and people from all over the city made sure no one group was left to stand up to the far right alone.

The BNP is no longer represented on the council and now Bradfordians are focused on new challenges such as the lack of development in the city centre, which literally left a hole in the heart of the city, and fewer job opportunities after the area's financial services industry was hit by the economic downturn. When Chris Morris chose the city's 16th International Film Festival as the place to premier his controversial film Four Lions, which was about a British group of suicide bombers, I was delighted to see someone like Morris in the city. But even more delighted that there wasn't trouble after the premier, especially considering one of the 7/7 bombers, Shehzad Tanweer, was born in Bradford. It showed me that perhaps now Bradfordians of all races are able to examine even the most uncomfortable aspects of life in the city.

Bradford still faces challenges when it comes to relations between different communities. The white flight that occurred in areas like Manningham is being repeated, this time with Asian middle-class families moving out to areas like Heaton and eastern European migrants taking their place. The school system is still a source of segregation, with many containing a majority of pupils from either white or Asian backgrounds. But progress is being made with exchange programmes and a greater awareness of how without early integration a "them and us" attitude can develop.

Many in the city are happy about the progress that has been made but as the far right regroup again in the form of the EDL, Bradfordians are well aware that their unity will be tested again and so will the city's race relations.

The Guardian

English Defence League to march through Plymouth (UK)

Far-right street protest group the English Defence League is to march through Plymouth on Saturday as part of its campaign against what it calls the spread of Islamic extremism in Britain.

A counter-march has been organised by Unison, Unite Against Facism (UAF) and the Trades Union Council.

The EDL march will start in Exeter Street at 1pm, there will be speeches in the city centre at 2pm and a march back to Exeter Street at 3pm.

A statement on EDL Plymouth's Facebook posting for the event reads: "Above all the English Defence League will be attending Plymouth to hold a peaceful protest anyone causing trouble or making racist remarks will be removed from the demo and is likely to be arrested."

The counter-event will start with a rally at the Jigsaw Garden near Drake Circus at 12pm and there will be a march at 1pm.

Devon and Cornwall Police are planning to deploy officers in the city centre during the events.

Police are readying themselves for the potentially explosive rallies with ‘significant resources’ available.

But they added that protesters have said they would hold peaceful demonstrations.

“It’s important that we plan for every eventuality,” said Superintendent Craig Downham.

“We’re expecting large numbers of people in the city centre and Barbican areas and protesters have stated that it is their intention to hold a peaceful assembly, however, we will have significant police resources available to deal with any situation which presents itself, in a fair, proportionate and impartial way.”

He added that the police and local authority do not have powers to ban the protests and respect everyone’s democratic right to participate in peaceful protest.

But the Force is asking the community to be vigilant and inform the police immediately of any incidents.

“Devon and Cornwall Police is experienced in policing large events and our commitment is to protect the communities we serve and keep the peace, while facilitating peaceful and lawful protests,” he said.

“We want to reassure people that the city centre is still open for business. The two march routes have been negotiated in such a way that there’s less of a chance of disorder but we are there in large numbers should we need to use our powers to deal with anyone who is getting out of hand.”

The EDL have been leafleting around the city centre ahead of their rally with pamphlets saying “peaceful protest in Plymouth” and “defend our culture”.

UAF said that a unity statement has been signed by local politicians and trade unionists in opposition to the EDL protest.

To highlight this they are organising a multicultural We Are Plymouth demonstration.

Kevin Treweeks, equalities officer, city of Plymouth branch UNISON, added that the group is also planning an afternoon of multi-cultural entertainment following the rally.

The EDL formed in Luton in 2009 in response to protests by Islamic groups.

Events by EDL in other cities have sometimes seen a number of arrests, violent clashes with the UAF and other groups and criminal damage.

Between 1,500 and 2,000 demonstrators marched through Newcastle in May 2010 - from both the EDL and UAF.

Police say the event passed without incident.

EDL events are usually heavily policed.

This is Plymouth