Online safety push for five-year-olds (UK)

Children as young as five are being targeted in a new online safety campaign by the UK body charged with protecting children from abuse.

The campaign uses cartoons to show five to seven-year-olds that people are not always what they seem.

It is thought 80% of children in this age group use the web and one-in-five parents of this age group worry about who their children contact online.

The campaign is being launched as part of EU Internet Safety Day.
The organisation behind the safety campaign - the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) - is one of the many which have been behind campaigns designed to help children and teenagers to keep themselves safe from online predators.
The organisation believes that by raising awareness of online risks at an early age, children will be better protected as they grow up.
When it was set up nearly four years ago, it began by running campaigns in secondary schools for teenagers and has gradually targeted younger and younger groups.

'Unnecessary risk'
Head of Ceop, Jim Gamble, said: "Unfortunately, some of the victims we see here are very young.
"People will try to find out where they are, where they go to school. Children can expose themselves to unnecessary risk.
"We do see children who are younger and younger being exposed to risk - and the risk is not always clear. There are a number of subtle messages.

"Unbelievably some of these children have access to webcams, but that's the world we live in."
Ceop says every week, among the 500 cases being reported through its "Report abuse" button found on some websites, there will be four from children at immediate risk of harm.
Anecdotal evidence suggests very young children are getting onto social networking sites aimed at teenagers and adults - where they are very vulnerable to online predators.
Jo Bryce, from the Cyber Research Centre at the University of Central Lancashire, said: "I have been into schools to give talks on e-safety and teachers have told me that six and seven-olds there are on social networking sites."
Among publicised cases of abuse of children who have been targeted individually online, however, she says, the victims have tended to be older - aged 10 and up.
Young teenage girls were most at risk.
Dr Bryce said educating children at a young age was the best approach to take.
"The focus on e-safety education for children aged five-plus is absolutely the right thing to do. Then you can build up the information over time so they can keep themselves safe," she said.
Still traumatised
One teenager has spoken to BBC News about how she was targeted online by a paedophile when she was 12.
He began messaging her after being introduced as a "friend of a friend".
Once he had won her trust, he asked her to pose in front of the family webcam and took images of her.

The man has since been tracked down and jailed for seven years. Ceop says he had targeted 30 other children.
Still clearly traumatised by what happened, the girl, who is now 17, had this advice for other young people: "When I was doing it, I didn't feel wrong. I didn't have the little feeling in my stomach. I'd just tell people 'be careful who you talk to'.
"Don't try and make friends over the internet because you never know who they really are."
'Just horrible'
She said such people would try to win you over in whichever way they could.
"They're not going to be horrible. They're not going to force you to do things. They are going to want you to stay on their good side.
"They are going to be nice to you, they're going to be really nice. You are going to think they are the nicest people in the world and deep down inside they're just horrible."
Child psychologist David Coleman says the cartoon being used by Ceop in its education programme will introduce young children to ideas which will enable them to explore online environments safely.
"Understanding what constitutes 'private' information - and recognising that people can pretend to be different online - are critical to developing safe behaviour online, which greatly reduces their vulnerability to abuse," he said.
Research from Ofcom published last autumn suggested that 80% of five to seven-year-olds use the internet and that among nine to 11-year olds, 94% do so.
At home, more than two-thirds (67%) of five to seven-year-olds were using the internet in 2009 - up from 57% in 2008.
More than a quarter of parents were concerned about the content of the website that their five to seven-year-olds visited
here's a BBC video about the whole thing



BBC

Daughter of a hero (USA)

Daughter of a hero

By Brandon Santiago on the Hanford Sentinel website

The painful images coming out of Haiti depicting the earthquake devastation add to the lineage of horrific events that have occurred in mankind's history.
The events in Haiti may have been caused by a natural disaster, but all tragic moments in time share a common trait: Human suffering.
Anne-Marie Kessler of Riverdale says she knows this all too well. She grew up in France during the Nazi occupation in World War"I can tell you that war is hell," Kessler said. "My father was gone most of the time; we resented him for it, it was difficult for our mother. We always felt he cared more for strangers than us. It was later we realized the strangers needed him more than we did. Many more would have died if he hadn't helped them."

Kessler, 79, sits in the dining room of her home, sifting through old photographs of her family. Next to the affidavit issued to her mother and father by the Gestapo for their arrest, lies a book with her father's face on the cover.
The book is "A Rescuer's Story: Pastor Pierre-Charles Toureille in Vichy France" by Tela Zasloff. It's the story of Kessler's father, a French Protestant pastor whose efforts resulted in the rescue of hundreds of refugees, most of them Jewish.
Inspired by his Huguenot heritage, Toureille participated in international Protestant church efforts to combat Nazism during the 1930s and headed a major refugee aid organization in Vichy France during World War II. After the war, he was honored by the Jewish organization Yad Vashem as one of the "Righteous Among the Nations."
Kessler said her father was one of many heading a large network of people striving to stop the rise of the Nazi regime. The network established a specialized school and home in Czechoslovakia called The Home for Christian Children.
"The Christian element of it was a front, to ward off Nazis," Kessler said. "In actuality most children who lived there were freed or escaped Jewish children from concentration camps."
Kessler is the fourth of five children in the Toureille family. The author of "A Rescuer's Story," Zasloff, got in touch with Kessler and her brother, Marc Toureille, to get their personal perspectives of their father's work.
Along with interviews with other members of the underground network, the book was compiled and published in 2003.
Marc Toureille details his memory of when the Nazis invaded France in the book.
"We turned off the lights and rushed to the windows, half hiding behind slotted blinds," Toureille said. "They had come, boots hitting the pavement, the shame, the anger, the hate ... I wanted to see them all killed."
Kessler herself remembers living with the Jewish children at the home when she was 10 years old. One day she and the children went on a field trip to a nearby river with a male teacher and chaperone who worked with her father. When they reached the river, the chaperone threw Kessler into the river with all her clothes on and told her to get out on her own.
"That was my first survival lesson; he wanted me to be tough like the Jewish children, [to] learn to endure," she said, looking at the chaperone's photo. "He had me walk barefoot through rocks to toughen my feet, because we never knew when the Germans would come; I loved that man, he was my favorite teacher."
Kessler said that in 1943, her father called her into his office one day and said he had some bad news for her.
The Germans had gunned her favorite teacher down. He was on the run in Czechslovakia, then went to Belgium, and ended up at this house in France.
"He had a little boy he never knew and he was trying to get home to him, and the Nazis found him and killed him," she said through tears.
Meanwhile her older brother, Simon, was in college, but it had been awhile since they had heard from him. Then, one day a stranger stopped her mother in the street and said "I know where your son is."
"She told my mother, 'Come to my home, tonight after dark, and make sure you're alone and I will tell you where he is," Kessler said.
The woman provided her address and her mother ventured out that night, making sure no one knew or saw when she left. She discovered her brother was fighting for the French in the underground against the Germans. The woman told her mother "My son is with your son; they're friends in underground, fighting together," Kessler said.
"I don't like when people say the French never did anything or cared, or were not thankful [for American help during the war]," Kessler said. "... because I know, I was there, and I'll be thankful until the day I die."

Immigrants wanting to settle in France to sign a 'no burka' contract

Immigrants must sign a 'no burka' contract before being allowed to live in France, the country's families minister has said.
The clause will be added to an 'integration agreement' all newcomers to France are already asked to sign.
The contract reminds new arrivals that forced marriages and polygamy are not allowed.
Minister Nadine Morano now wants immigrants to acknowledge that full Islamic face veils like burkas and niqabs are not accceptable.
She said an extra clause reminding newcomers that female circumcism was outlawed in France would also be added.
Ms Morano told French radio: 'Equality between men and women is a fundamental principle of French society.
'This applies to polygamy, forced marriages, female mutilation and the full face veil.'
She was set to propose the changes to the integration contract at a government conference today to take stock of its three-month debate on national identity.
Her call comes after months of heated national debate on whether the burka should banned.
Last month a government committee said women who wear the garment should be barred from using public transport and outlawed from public buildings like schools and hospitals.
More...French MP praises 'courage' of Calais migrants illegally headed for Britain
But the official inquiry by a group of MPs stopped short of recommending a total ban of the garments, saying they should still be allowed in private homes.
The committee's head Andre Gerin said a full ban could enflame Muslim tensions and drive some to extremism.
Such a move could also backfire as it was likely to be challenged by the European Court of Human Rights, he said.
But he added: 'We are recommending that all women must show their faces when entering public institutions or boarding public transport and keep their face uncovered throughout their presence there.
'Failure to do so should result in a refusal to deliver the service demanded.'
Ms Morano has the backing of many prominent MPs in her call to have immigrants who wear burkas banned from staying in France.
French interior minister Brice Hortefeux said in December that both women who wear veils and their husbands should be 'systematically refused' French residents' permits.
And President Nicolas Sarkozy has branded face veils 'a sign of debasement' and said they were not welcome in France.
The burka is a full-body covering worn largely in Afghanistan with a mesh screen over the face, and the niqab is a full-body veil with slits for the eyes.
Only around 5,000 women among France's five million strong population wear the garments.
France already passed a law in 2004 forbidding students and staff from wearing veils and other religious symbols in schools as part of a drive to defend secularism.
This month Switzerland voted to ban minarets on mosques acorss the country. In September a French mother was banned from wearing a 'burkini' swimsuit at her local swimming pool.
Carole, a 35-year-old Muslim convert, was told by the manager of pool in Emerainville, near Paris, that the garment was 'inappropriate' on hygiene grounds.
The woman said she bought her burkini for £40 during a holiday in Dubai, adding: 'I was told that it would allow me the pleasure of bathing without showing off my body, which is what Islam recommends.'
She is now taking her local council to court on the grounds that the ban was not a hygiene issue but a political issue.

The French parliament will vote on a partial or complete ban within several months and the proposals could come into force by the end of the year.
Daily Mail

Human rights group urges UK governement to stop gay deportation

Human rights groups have called on the British government to intervene in an asylum case which could see openly gay Alvin Gahimbaze deported to Burundi.

Refugee charity, ‘Everyone Group’ told Pinknews.co.uk:

“We have just received news that Alvin Gahimbaze, has been removed from his home by the British authorities and taken to a London detention centre to await deportation back to Burundi after the Border Immigration Agency turned down his application for asylum.”

Last year the government of Burundi criminalised homosexuality, punishing offenders with up to two years in prison.
“His life will be in serious danger if he is deported back to Burundi due to the ethnic clashes and the serious institutional homophobia,” the charity added.
EveryOne Group has contacted the British Home Office and is now appealing to the British Government to release Mr Gahimbaze as soon as possible and cancel the deportation order.
‘Alvin’, explain the group's co-presidents, Roberto Malini, Matteo Pegoraro and Dario Picciau, “is a young man from the Tutsi ethnic group who fled Burundi with his sister when he was still a boy. The rest of his family was massacred during the ethnic clashes and he has lived in the United Kingdom since 2000. Though his sister has been granted permanent residence in the UK, Alvin now faces deportation.”
Last year over five thousand people signed a petition that would end the deportation of LGBT asylum seekers to homophobic countries. The government defended its current position, explaining:
"Enforced returns to any country will only be undertaken where, after very thorough examination of the asylum claim, it is decided that the individual would not be at risk of execution, torture, unjust imprisonment, or other forms of persecution.
"Where an asylum application has been refused, there is a right of appeal to the Asylum Immigration Tribunal or an opportunity to seek judicial review through the higher courts."
"The government recognises that the conditions for lesbian and gay people in some countries are such that there may be individuals who are able to demonstrate a need for international protection.
"However, there can be no presumption that each and every asylum seeker of a particular nationality who presents themselves as being lesbian or gay should automatically be afforded protection in the UK.”
Stonewall Housing says it has seen the number of asylum seekers and refugees approaching it for advice double in the last year.


Staff Writer Pink News

SCANDAL OF UNWANTED GYPSY SITES (uk)

Cash-strapped councils are being bullied into creating gypsy campsites that no one wants – not even the travellers. The claim has been made as town halls face a multi-million pound bill to develop an extra 7,500 sites for “gypsies, travellers and travelling showpeople” in line with new housing laws. Officials say the council-built sites will help stop unauthorised camps that cost millions in enforcement actions and planning appeals, as well as causing tensions with local communities. But critics say illegal camps, like the one that has led to the so-called Battle of Hemley Hill in Buckinghamshire, will keep springing up as travellers flout laws and use human rights laws to defend their actions. The Government’s Homes and Communities Agency claims there is a national shortage of pitches. Whitehall has allocated £100million to the end of 2011 to “house” 25,000 gypsies and travellers on new and upgraded sites but the Sunday Express has revealed the cost could top £800million by the 2016 time limit. Targets imposed by the Government mean local authorities must provide permanent sites with rubbish collection, running water, electricity and other services. In return travellers must pay rent and council tax. Some planners have claimed they are being forced into a position where swathes of the countryside could be turned into “huge gypsy sites”. Wychavon District Council in Worcestershire, which already provides 34 of the 42 sites it must have by 2017, last week turned down an application for a camp near Evesham, claiming the area was swamped with travellers. Councillor Judy Pearce, the council executive’s planning head, accused Gordon Brown of bullying by setting tough targets.

Regional planners believe Worcester, Wychavon and Malvern Hills should provide about 170 more permanent and temporary sites for up to three caravans. It currently provides 93. Ms Pearce said the figures were not realistic and did not take into account the fact that not all travellers wanted to stay in the same place. She added: “You must bear in mind that this district is well on the way to meeting the target.” Juliana Crowe, of the Worcestershire Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Partnership, said: “We would like to see a bigger focus on places in need of sites rather than just forcing numbers on ­districts.” Campaigners at Hemley Hill, where nine traveller families have lived illegally since last Easter, say official camps would make no difference. The land in the Chiltern Hills is home to a Roman road, is in the green belt and is an area of outstanding natural beauty. More than 600 objectors face an anxious wait until the outcome of a planning inquiry in April. The travellers will use laws passed by the Government as proof of the need for more sites, alleging that Wycombe District Council, which covers Hemley Hill, has made no provision for them. Town hall chiefs hurriedly commissioned a £17,000 report that came up with half a dozen potential sites, but they face opposition over those too. Protester Trisha Kelly said: “These families do not want to stay on official campsites. They know that once they settle in one place it makes it easier for the authorities to track them down. “There will be a lot more Hemley Hills and a lot more money wasted on new campsites and planning rows.” Government figures show the number of traveller caravans in England grew by more than 1,200 in the past two years to 17,900, an eight per cent rise. A spokesman for the Department of Communities and Local Government said: “It is important we have enough authorised sites to stop the vicious cycle of evictions that is costly to the taxpayer and affects the travelling community’s quality of life and the wider public.”
The Express

There’s Nothing British About The BNP – Supporting the online fight

Many great videos on You Tube that support the Anti-BNP (British national party) are often overlooked. And due to the fact that the BNP see You Tube as their own personal stomping ground the videos just don’t get the publicity they so well deserve.

Here’s one such video from a fantastic campaign called.
There’s Nothing British About The BNP.



Please support the user and his other videos at

 NothingBritish

LATVIAN FAR RIGHT GOES AFTER “DISLOYAL” RUSSIANS CARS

Latvian ultra-rightist have started another witch-hunt by threatening “disloyal car owners” who fix Russian symbols, like St. George Ribbon, or a Russian national emblem or colors on their vehicles. A website registered in the US and still operational, http://www.latvietislatvija.com (Latvian in Latvia), has published a so-called "Okupantu autoparks,” an “Occupants’ car park,” list of those who dared to decorate their cars with the Russian symbols, revealing personal data of these citizens. The black list reveals personal information and the names of 118 persons, including their home addresses and car plate numbers. The witch-hunt was organized not only in Latvia’s capital Riga, but also throughout the country. Any car seen with the abovementioned symbols was photographed and put on that list. Some people from that list have already been blackmailed by e-mail. There is a risk of their cars being smashed or desecrated with paint, but the real concern is for affected children. Latvian police says the website is out of Latvia’s jurisdiction, but the very fact of publishing personal info, probably stolen from some governmental source, is illegal, so an investigation has been launched to find out and fine those guilty. Most of the exposed “disloyal” cars are private, but in at least one case, when a driver of Renault Master belonging to Latvijas Pasts (Latvian Post) tied a St. George Ribbon to it, the end was bitter and he was fired immediately for “improper decoration of an operational vehicle’”– amid economic collapse in the country. Latvian police sees no incitement of ethnic hatred in this case, so the real patriots of the country continue with their job openly, waiting in ambush for disloyal citizens and publishing personal info on them for public use. Needless to say, the names of the crusaders themselves remain in the shadows. About 44% (up to 95% in certain regions of the country) of Latvia’s 2.3 million population are Russian-speakers, and many of them still cannot get citizenship because of it.


RT

Twisted BNP cashing in on hero's funeral

Grieving Jessica Deans has blasted the BNP for using a photo of her fiancé's coffin to plug their hateful policies.

The picture - taken at the funeral of marine Liam Elms - appears in an online video to drum up election support for the far-right party.

But Jessica branded it an outrage - and his family insist the fallen hero would have raged against the BNP's loathsome views.

Corporal Liam, 26, was killed by a roadside bomb while battling the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Jessica, a 22-year-old nurse, said: "I find it an outrage that an image of Liam's coffin on the day of his funeral is being used as propaganda for the BNP's personal gain."
And Liam's father Michael, 51, said: "We haven't give our permission for them to use any coverage of Liam's funeral on this video.
"It's out of order that the picture has been put in the public domain and for the BNP to use it for political gain is not on.
" It feels like an easy way for the BNP to get people involved in their party and to make money."
The video has been watched thousands of times since it was put on the BNP website and YouTube last week.
Party leader Nick Griffin shamelessly uses it in a plea for cash to bolster his election fund.
The photo shows Liam's coffin - draped in a Union Flag - being carried by three comrades.
Griffin, who was filmed in front of a portrait of Winston Churchill, describes the Afghan conflict as "a ludicrous no-win war" and pledges to end British involvement.
And as Liam's coffin flashes on screen, he says: "We need our coffers filled so we can afford to fight every single seat we should be fighting up and down the country."
But Liam's dad - who also served in the forces - said: "I'm angry with the BNP because what they are saying is the complete opposite of what Liam wanted.
"Liam's last words to me were, 'I'm where I want to be, doing what I want to do with the people I want to be with. Don't worry'."
Michael added: "Any party that says the troops should be brought out without any power being in place to look after local Afghans is going against what our boys are fighting for."
Liam died on New Year's Eve 2008 on patrol in Helmand with 45 Commando and Afghan troops. The photo used by the BNP was taken at his funeral last January - when he was hailed a "true patriot".
Hundreds of mourners packed St Joseph's church in his home town of Wrightington, Lancs, and more than 150 had to wait outside.
Liam's mum Maureen, 52, said: "I would love all the soldiers in Afghanistan to come home safe.
"But they have chosen to do a job out there and they will stay until the Afghans are safe."
Liam's family are asking people who want to help British troops to support legitimate charities such as Help For Heroes, the Royal Marine Benevolent Fund and the British Legion - not the BNP.
His sister Rachael, 28, has raised £20,000 for Help For Heroes by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
And she plans to raise more in a 900-mile London-Geneva bike ride - www.justgiving.com/rachael-elms - this year.
The BNP tried to play down the row over Liam's coffin.
An official said: "The picture was intended to be representative of a problem we're trying to give our view on - it is not homing in on an individual.
"No offence was intended to the family."
We have made a donation to the British Legion at the Elms' request for their interviews.
The People

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo Asking Sites To Screen For Sexual Predators (USA)

Many teens spend hours on the computer. Facebook, for some, has become a way of life.

"I do use it a lot, because it is a good thing to keep in contact with my sister, who is in college," said Tenn Amanda Wojcinski.
"There are people on it everyday, all day, updating statuses. Every third second sometimes," said student Mark Arnone.

According to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Facebook, MySpace, and more than a dozen other sites have taken advantage of information that has come to New York State through a law called Estop. It requires sex offenders to register their email addressees and internet accounts with the state. The state has turned over that information to those social networking sites, and sex offenders are removed from the sites. To give you an idea, to date, 160 in Erie County, and 75 in Niagara County. The Attorney General is also stressing the importance of being careful online, knowing it is out there.
"I have two high school students at home, two young ladies happen to be my daughters, and they say when I start to talk about this, we know dad, we know. People came into school and talked about it, we know. It is worse than you think," said Cuomo.
Now Cuomo is calling on other other kids websites to do the same thing. Screen their users for sex offenders, because they have already found more than 4000 sex offenders accounts from using EStop information. The Attorney General is also again stressing to students to be very careful.
"Beware. Yes you have to be cynical. Yes you have to be a little skeptical. The people who are out there are very good at coming up with identities, and getting information, making believe they are someone they are not," said Cuomo.
And for the kids who are online a lot, they got Cuomo's message about being careful loud and clear.
"Definitely watch out who I accept as a friend. Who is chatting me. Definitely stuff like that," Arnone added.

WKBW

BERLINERS FIGHT ANTI-SEMITISM AMONG MUSLIMS(Germany)

Yasmin Kassar is one of the many activists in Berlin who find anti-Jewish sentiments among young Muslims intolerable. For a year and a half now, the Syrian-German woman has been working to change people's attitudes in Kreuzberg, a neighborhood with a large Muslim population. "You can see that whenever the Israeli-Palestinian conflict gets worse - like when we had the Gaza conflict towards the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009 - anti-Semitic views are articulated here more often by residents with a Muslim background," Kassar told Deutsche Welle. But instead of criticizing the particular aspects of the Israeli government's policies, it's often Jews in general who become the target of verbal - and in rare cases physical - attacks in Berlin. At the Kreuzberg Initiative Against Anti-Semitism (KIGA), Yasmin helps to develop programs and concepts to enable multi-ethnic schools to tackle anti-Jewish sentiments with sound arguments. There's a lot of work to be done. According to a recent study conducted by the Emnid polling institute among young Turks living in Germany, a minority has taken a real interest in learning more about Jews, their contributions to German society and what they had to endure in Nazi Germany.

Invisible targets

The leader of Germany's opposition Green party, Cem Oezdemir, who has Turkish roots himself, calls it a form of "anti-Semitism without Jews. "These young Muslims are often people who don't know any Jews in person," Oezdemir said. "Their radical views stem from an over-identification with the Middle East conflict, from parents who are willing to employ all the well-known Jew-related cliches, and from schools that don't know how to tackle the problem in classes full of students with migrant backgrounds." The Berlin project Anti-Semitism in the Context of Migration and Racism (AMIRA) has been tackling the problem since 2007. The organization's Gabriel Freville says he and his colleagues aim to provide social workers on the ground with viable programs and arguments for their discussions with young Muslims about Jewish life in the city and anti-Semitism. "It's a question of attitude, of how you approach the youngsters," says Freville. "If somebody says 'I hate Jews' it's important not to start moralizing, telling him that he's a bad guy. Instead, you have to try to understand his reasoning and look into the problems behind it."

Knowledge gaps

The Emnid survey found that almost 70 percent of those polled knew nothing or almost nothing about the Holocaust. Seventy-five percent said they had never been to a concentration camp memorial site in Germany, let alone a Jewish museum. Ufuk Topkara is trying to change that. The historian, who also has Turkish roots, shows young Muslims around Berlin's Jewish Museum. "While they're here in the museum, young Muslims start questioning everything they've ever heard about Jews before. You can see this in their faces," Topkara told Deutsche Welle. "Only, I very much doubt whether this has a lasting effect when the kids are back in their normal environment," he added. Others say too much fuss is being made about anti-Semitism within Germany's Muslim communities. While admitting that anti-Jewish sentiments can certainly be found there, Kenan Kolat, chairman of the secular Turkish Community in Germany, says this phenomenon should be placed in a wider context. "There never was a Holocaust, they say. The Jews capitalized on the 9/11 aftermath, they say. All Jews are rich - you can find all these prejudices among some Muslims here and it is just a reflection of what you find in society here at large," Kolat told public broadcaster ARD.

DW

Unknown Gunmen attack Turkey's new BDP party HQ

The headquarters of Turkey's Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) was attacked by unidentified gunmen late on Friday.
In a statement made after the attack that took place at around 2130 hours, the deputy chairperson of BDP, Gulten Kisanak, said that "we condemn those who have perpetrated the attack, those who tolerate such attacks and those who encourage such attacks."
Kisanak said that the BDP headquarters was attacked by armed assailants on Friday night.
According to Kisanak, more than 15 bullets were fired on the BDP headquarters.

Our headquarters was empty at the time of the attack. Had there been individuals in the building, many of them could have been killed, Kisanak said.
If a political party gets attacked frequently and if the (Turkish) government, Prime Minister, Interior Minister, those responsible for security in the country and political parties do not condemn such attacks, then we have to express that we are being seriously discriminated against, Kisanak underlined.

If an official has not phoned us to express sadness over the armed attack and not assured us that the shooting will be investigated and those responsible for the attack would be brought to justice, then we do have the right to stress that we are being discriminated against, Kisanak noted.
Had the armed attack taken place against any other political party (in Turkey), would the reaction have been the same? We have not witnessed a similar reaction (by Turkish officials). On the other hand, we expect and request identical reactions as of tomorrow (Saturday), Kisanak said.
Those who have organized Friday's attack should not expect any results. We will continue to exist in all corners of Turkey. We will always support tranquility, peace and brotherhood. No one should attempt to scare and discourage us. We are a political party that knows how to take an attitude against such attacks, Kisanak said.

Asked by a reporter if they had received any threats in the past few days, Kisanak said that "we have not received any threats in the past few days. However, we have been attacked for the fifth time in the past one year".
In response to an other question, Kisanak underscored that the bullets were sprayed on party rooms whose lights were already turned off at the time of the attack.

The way the attack was conducted shows that it was a very organized one and it was implemented to not kill but rather to threaten and cause fear, Kisanak also said.
Meanwhile, Sirri Sakik, a deputy of the BDP from eastern province of Mus, argued that "the assailants (who attacked BDP on Friday night) were arrested but were released later".
World Bulletin

Ultra-nationalist Serb facing war crimes charged with court contempt

The Yugoslavian tribunal has charged Vojislav Seselj with contempt of court for revealing details about protected witnesses related to his war crimes trial.

The Yugoslavian war crimes tribunal has charged Serbian nationalist Vojislav Seselj with contempt of court for revealing details about protected witnesses related to his war crimes trial.
Seslj was convicted of the same charge last year, and the new indictment means Seselj could be jailed for up to seven years if found guilty, regardless of the outcome of his war crimes trial.
Seselj, leader of Serbia's ultra-nationalist Radical Party, was the first suspect charged with contempt of court while on trial for war crimes at the Hague-based tribunal and was sentenced last July to 15 months imprisonment.
He has appealed that ruling, however, which related to information over three protected witnesses.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) said on Friday it had again charged Seselj with contempt for disclosing information on 11 protected witnesses in violation of court orders in a book he authored.
"The tribunal regards the integrity of witnesses and confidential materials as essential elements in the rule of law," the ICTY said in a statement.
In the latest contempt of court indictment, Seselj is accused of revealing the names, occupations and places of residence of 11 protected witnesses.
The disclosures are not at this stage expected to impact his war crimes trial, but judges will have a chance to comment on the matter next week.

The trial of Seselj, charged with inciting violence against Bosnians and Croatians in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s, resumed last month after a year's delay with witnesses giving testimony behind closed doors to protect their identity.
The trial had been suspended after prosecutors said the case had been compromised by threats against a witness.
Seselj has pleaded not guilty to 15 counts for crimes between 1991 and at least 1993, including torture, murder and forced deportation of non-Serbs by his party's militia.
The latest contempt of court indictment against Seselj comes after a confidential decision by appeals judges in December overturning an earlier decision which found there were insufficient grounds to prosecute him.
A date for an initial plea hearing has not yet been set.
WorldBulletin

'Neo-Nazi' party allowed to distribute CDs outside schools (Germany)

German authorities have decided to step aside as the National Democratic Party of Germany, a radical far-right political group that is often described as ‘neo-Nazi’, distributes CDs outside of schools, a report said Saturday.
Germany authorities have said they will not prevent the neo-Nazi NPD party from distributing CDs outside schools with interviews and music by members of its party, a report said Saturday.

The youth protection office said the disc by the National Democratic Party of Germany, the country's most radical far-right party which touts an anti-immigrant agenda, just contained political opinions, the report in the Suddeutsche Zeitung said.
The office therefore found no basis on which to ban the disc, the report quoted director Elke Monsen-Engberding as saying.
According to the NPD the original demand to ban the distribution of the CDs came from the north east state of Lower Saxony.
On its website, the NPD welcomed the decision.
The party could "continue to try to transmit its ideas to young people, schoolchildren and first-time voters", NPD member Claus Cremer said.
NPD legal affairs minister Frank Schwerdt, who has served two prison sentences for inciting racial hatred and distributing Nazi propaganda, also appeared on the website celebrating the decision.
In November last year, German authorities banned the sale of homegrown hard rock group Rammstein's new album to fans under 18, for what it deemed explicit sadomasochist lyric

France24

Who Owns the BNP ? ? ?

A great article has appeared on the anti-fascist web site Searchlight, the number one source for any anti-fascist news in the UK.

Recently some of the BNP financial dealing have been leaked online. Well the searchlight team has meticulously gone through these figures and believe that the BNP may well be owned by the Northern Ireland anti-abortion campaigner Jim Dawson who has several convictions and links to the loyalist murderer Michael Stone.

Interesting the plot thickens, is this man merely the finance or is he a puppet master.

Hmm
Anyway please click below for the full story.
Searchlight

Two Kaluga (Russia) Police Officers Face Extremism Charges

Two police officers in Kaluga, Russia face extremism charges, according to a January 28, 2010 report by the Regnum news agency. According top prosecutors, on  September 27, 2009 police detained two citizens of

Uzbekistan on administrative charges. The two officers then allegedly assaulted the Uzbeks out of racist motives.

Prosecution of police officers under hate crimes or extremism statutes is extremely rare in Russia, despite widespread reports of racial profiling and police violence against minorities. The officers then allegedly forced

other detainees to assault the Uzbeks, threatening to hurt them if they didn't. The officers also face charges of "exceeding official authority"--the closest equivalent to a torture statute in the Russian

Criminal Code. If convicted on all counts, the officers face up to 15 years in prison.

UCSJ

ANTI-RACISM DEMONSTRATION HELD IN PRAGUE (Czech Rep.)

Roughly 100 people attended the March against Racism and Neo-Nazism in Prague Thursday afternoon. The quiet march ended outside the Faculty of Law of Charles University in the Jewish Quarter from where the participants went home. Tens of police patrolled the event. The participants met at Prague's namesti Miru square. After speeches they marched through Wenceslas Square and Old Town Square shouting slogans such as Stop to Nazism! The march was staged by the group Facebook Against Racial Bias. Activists said the march wanted to "actively intervene against the growing ultra right as the public and the government are ignoring the serious problem." The march also wanted to remember victims of World War Two. Facebook Against Racial Bias is a group of five young people who are not from any party.


Prague Monitor

FRENCH ANTI-SEMITIC INCIDENTS DOUBLE IN 2009

Anti-Semitic crimes in France coinciding with the Gaza war drove the number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2009 to nearly double over the previous year, according to a new report. The Jewish Community Protection Service counted 832 anti-Semitic acts committed in France last year, compared to 474 in 2008, according to a report made public Thursday. Some 42 percent of the incidents, 354, took place in January, during Israel's military operation in Gaza. By February, the number of monthly anti-Semitic acts was down to 62 and by the summer, the number had dropped below those of 2008 for the most part. The Protection Service said that 43 percent of the anti-Semitic incidents in 2009 involved written statements such as graffiti, 28 percent spoken comments and threats, 10 percent violence, 9 percent vandalism, 2 percent arson or attempt at arson, and 8 percent distributed printed material. Thousands joined in pro-Palestinian protests across France during the Gaza war in late December 2008 and January 2009. Several of those protests turned riotous, and many anti-Semitic crimes were reported in connection with the marches.

JTA

Adolf Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' to be republished in Germany

Adolf Hitler's autobiography "Mein Kampf" is to be republished in Germany in 2015 for the first time since being banned under the country's constitution at the end of the Second World War.
Under the post-1945 German constitution, the dissemination of Nazi philosophy has been a crime punishable by fines and imprisonment.

But the copyright, held by the state of Bavaria where the Nazi movement began life in the 1920s, expires in 2015, 70 years after the death of its author in his Berlin bunker.
On Thursday the Munich-based Institute of Contemporary History (IfZ) pledged to publish an "annotated version" with historical notes that it hopes will see the book used in schools and colleges.

The finance ministry in Bavaria said it had still not decided whether to give its permission but it is understood that with the lapse in copyright, the IfZ will not need the green light from it. "Besides, we think our version, with sensible notes and comments pointing out the falsity of much of what he wrote, will be far better than neo-Nazis putting out their own versions," said the IfZ.
Jewish leaders in Germany have already pledged their support for the project, saying they believe it "would prevent neo-Nazi from profiteering from Mein Kampf. while an aggressive and enlightening engagement with the book would doubtless remove many of its false, persisting myths".
The IfZ wants the agreement of the finance ministry in Bavaria before the 2015 deadline so as to begin work on the project right away.
Mein Kampf became a better seller than the Bible in the Third Reich.
Hitler became a multi-millionaire through royalties while newspapers around the world, including some in the UK, serialised his work.
It was written when he was sentenced to five years in jail for attempting to overthrow the government in 1924. It is filled with the prejudices and hatreds of an uneducated man and within its pages are endless rants against the Jews, who he would soon attempt to eliminate altogether.

In another passage he foretells his plans for the conquest of Russia, writing: "We must eliminate the disproportion between our population and our area...... Some of this land can be obtained from Russia. We must secure for the German people the land and soil to which they are entitled."

Over 12 million copies were sold in Nazi Germany. Recently an edition of the book became a best seller in Turkey.
the Telegraph

Anti-Semitic attacks against Jews 'rise in the UK'

Attacks on Jews in the UK reached record levels in 2009, according to figures compiled within the community.
The Community Security Trust (CST) said it had recorded 924 incidents over the year, 55% more than the previous high of 598 incidents in 2006.
The organisation, which monitors incidents against Jewish people and organisations, said the rise was linked to last year's Gaza conflict.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown described the figures as "deeply troubling".
The CST is a Jewish community organisation which collects figures on attacks and advises organisations such as synagogues on security.

INCIDENTS BY AREA

London 460

Manchester 206

Hertfordshire 48

Leeds 35

Source: CST

It works closely with the police and government on combating racial and religious hatred.

The organisation says the record rise follows two years of falling figures, with the majority of the incidents occurring during or immediately after the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

The two-month Gaza conflict began in December 2008 and the CST said acts of anti-Semitism shot up in January and eventually levelled in April.

The vast majority of incidents were abusive behaviour, but 124 of the reports were acts of violence. Some 37 incidents were targeted at children on their way to school, the organisation said.

'Stand firm'

In a statement issued through the CST, Gordon Brown said: "The increase in anti-Semitic incidents recorded by CST in the early part of last year is deeply troubling and I want to be unequivocal today.

"I am a proud friend of Israel and welcome a robust debate about how we ensure both a secure Israel and a viable Palestinian state existing side by side.

"The debate is welcome, but no strength of feeling can ever justify violent extremism or attacks and we will stand firm against all those who would use anti-Israeli feeling as an excuse or disguise for anti-Semitism and attacks on the Jewish community."

One incident included strips of bacon being placed on the door handles of a Leeds synagogue. On another occasion, a 12-year-old girl, the only Jew at her school, was surrounded by other pupils who chanted "death to Jews".

Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove said: "Every one in public life - politicians, media figures, academics and community leaders - has to recognise that this growth in anti-Semitism is a stain on our society.

"History tells us that whenever Jewish individuals feel less safe, society as a whole is becoming less free. We must learn the lessons of the past."

And the Liberal Democrat's home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: "We must do everything we can to prevent foreign conflicts from spilling over on to British streets and campuses."

The police and government agencies do not use the CST's figures and instead rely on statistics for recorded offences and convictions in courts.

The most up-to-date figures on hate crimes suggest there was a fall in racial and religiously-aggravated incidents between 2007 and 2008.

Some police forces calculate local trends for religiously motivated incidents, but there are no national figures for hate crimes against any specific group, such as Jews or Muslims.

Last month, researchers at Exeter University called on Muslims to start counting their own figures in a similar fashion to the CST, saying there was evidence of an under-reporting of anti-Muslim hatred

Police launch investigation into anti-Semitic Facebook group

Police have launched an urgent investigation into a horrific Facebook group that gave graphic details of anti-Semitic incidents perpetrated by its members against Ilford's Jewish community.

The group, created by a student at Loxford School of Science and Technology, attracted more than 500 members in two weeks following its launch last month and featured teenagers boasting about engaging in anti-Semitic behaviour.
It featured messages from youths using language rife with spelling errors, profanities and teenag colloquialisms.

One girl wrote: "Jews are the ones that killed prophets in the past. Dirty filthy scum-bags. No wonder they have the curse of Allah upon them. Burn Jew burn."

Another stated: "OMG! ii Saw a Jew Todaii ii Swearr downn Weariingg Dahh Hatt He Lookedd At Me Liike Man Knowsz Me [sic]."

She went on to describe screaming obscenities at the man and rudely telling him to go away.

In a further disturbing post, a girl bragged about aggressively confronting

a Jewish woman in Argos after she was "looking at me". She wrote: "Looool i Had a Fight Wif 1 Urgh in Argos [sic]."

The Jewish News was informed about the group, created by a student at Loxford School, by a private investigator in Australia. It has since been removed from the popular social networking site.

The group was described by a Community Security Trust (CST) official as "one of the most shocking things I have ever seen".

A spokeswoman from Redbridge Council, speaking on behalf of Loxford School, said the school was contacted about the group and then immediately reported it to Facebook and the police.

The spokeswoman said: "The student concerned has been dealt with and the school has taken disciplinary action. There is an ongoing police investigation so we are unable to comment further."

Ilford police confirmed it had "received an allegation regarding anti-Semitic material being published on a social networking website".

A spokeswoman told the Jewish News that the police are investigating and inquiries continue.

Several comments on the vile Facebook site include misguided references to Islam and the Koran as justification for targeting Jews. #

One female youth wrote: "We hate Jews for the sake of Allah as he has told us to do in the Koran."

The group page included offensive jokes invoking pejorative stereotypes about Jews and money as well as an anti-Semitic cartoon. There was also a link to a YouTube video entitled "Kill All Christians and Jews".

In addition several members expressed anti-Israeli sentiment. There was a photograph of graffiti saying "Jihad 4 Israel" and a link to another YouTubev video of "a brave Palestinian girl standing up to Israeli soldiers".

Mike Gardner, director of communications at the CST, said he was left "utterly chilled" by the casual way that the youths displayed their anti-Semitism.

He said: "It shows how new media is now facilitating the most shocking anti-Semitism among groups of youngsters, as if hatred and violence and gross ignorance were all just a part of their normal lives.

"Anybody who wants to understand how anti-Semitism can be transmitted today should study this online group closely, but they will need a strong stomach to do so."

The CST, which is due to release its latest findings on anti-Semitism in the UK this week, has previously reported 609 incidents in the first six months of 2009, more than in any other entire year. A report released by the Jewish Agency last month revealed that there were more anti-Semitic incidents in Europe in 2009 than in any year since the Holocaust. Mike Gapes, the local MP for Ilford South, urged the authorities to take

"very strong action". Gapes told the Jewish News: "I am deeply concerned. Incitement to hatred is a crime and we must stand very firm and take action against anyone who incited racial or religious hatred. Anti-Semitism has to be opposed."

Lee Scott MP for Ilford North also denounced the site, saying: "It is shocking and I condemn it."

A Facebook spokeswoman said that the group was removed because it breached the company's policies. She said: "We want Facebook to be a place where people can openly discuss issues and express their views, while respecting the rights and feelings of others." She added that users should report groups that they feel violate Facebook's rules.

Spencer Lewis, the headteacher of local Jewish high school King Solomon said: "We have had no problems at all with Loxford that I am aware of and we have a very good relationship with the school." Have you encountered anti-Semitism online?

Tell them about it by emailing newsdesk@thejngroup.com
TotalyJewish.com