Racist 'Bandit' Obama billboard sparks storm in US city

"It?s beyond distasteful, and it?s disrespectful of the commander-in-chief," said Martelle Daniels, chairwoman  of the local Mesa County Democrats, calling it "clearly racist and homophobic."

"Certainly (it) is not designed for intelligent discourse at all," she added in Grand Junction, in the western US state of Colorado.

Beneath the cartoonish figures of Obama -- also depicted as a cigar-chomping gangster -- are rats, labeled as trial lawyers, the Inland Revenue Service (IRS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Federal Reserve bank.

Chuck Pabst, the local Republican Party chairman, told the local paper the Grand Junction Sentinel that the billboard is in bad taste.

"It?s reprehensible and disrespectful, and that?s not what any honorable person would put forth," Pabst said. "To ridicule somebody in this manner is juvenile."

Politically, Mesa County is Republican-dominated and increasingly conservative, with several active Tea Party organizations -- which are making waves ahead of mid-term elections next month.

After two years in the White House, Obama is struggling to avoid a drubbing for his Democratic party in the November 2 ballots, and the race is getting increasingly hard-fought as the polls get nearer.

The provocative picture is the work of artist Paul Snover, who frequently posts on constitutionalist and Tea Party websites.

Snover couldn't be reached by AFP for comment, but he told the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel in an e-mail that he is "not allowed to say" who paid for the billboard.

Dennis Lucas, a Grand Junction businessman who owns the billboard, said, "I cannot tell you who it?s rented to," and hung up.

Doris Downey, the owner of a company whose parking lot is being invaded by people taking a closer look, is angry that her business is being disrupted.

"I have no problem with freedom of speech, but I do have a problem with causing problems for others, and this is causing problems for us on top of all this," she said.

"I don?t know who commissioned that thing, which I think is despicable, but they should own up to it," Downey said. "Anonymous opinion gets no respect from me."

AFP

Benefit plans could aid far right groups (UK)

Plans to cut housing benefit could boost support for the British National Party, according to the Labour MP who defeated the leader of the far-right group in the general election.

Margaret Hodge accused the government of deliberately forming policies to drive the poorest families from central London for political motives, and said the moves would create tensions in areas such as her Barking and Dagenham constituency.

The government is proposing a series of reforms to housing benefit, including setting limits on the maximum amount of local housing allowance that can be claimed at between £250 and £400 a week depending on property size.

Speaking in a parliamentary debate on the impact of housing benefit cuts on local authorities, Ms Hodge said the government is ‘deliberately forcing tens of thousands of families out of central London in a shameful act of social engineering and political gerrymandering which will cause irreparable damage to our communities’.

She added this would ‘inevitably reignite tensions’ that allowed far-right groups to establish a foothold in her constituency. BNP leader Nick Griffin secured 14.6 per cent of the vote in Barking and Dagenham in the general election in May.

Responding on behalf of the government, Department for Work and Pensions minister Steve Webb denied the changes would destroy settled communities.

‘The idea that there are these static communities where any sort of disruption will undermine the sense of community seems to me a parody of what is going on,’ he said.

He added that there is evidence that housing benefit is currently ‘subsidising landlords’ rather than vulnerable people.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Simon Hughes, the MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, said he was sure the government was not deliberately trying to move people from central London, but added ‘there can be unintended consequences’.

Inside Housing

Online city Muslim group pledging death to all non-believers of Islam 'could be fake' (UK)

Concerns have been raised over a rogue online group claiming to represent Lincoln's Islamic community.

The group, named the Muslim Defence League – Lincoln Division, was created on September 30 of this year by a Facebook user known as Ibrahim Alauri.

In its Facebook description, the group make clear their ethos is to unite Lincoln's Muslims against the English Defence League – and pledge "death to all non-believers" of the Islamic faith.

The group has since been reported to Lincolnshire Police, who are monitoring their activity.

But Just Lincolnshire, a recently established group dedicated to preserving racial equality and promoting human rights throughout the county, warn it could be a fake group created to discredit genuine Muslim intentions.

Paul Elliott, chief executive of Just Lincolnshire, said: "It appears from reading the official Muslim Defence League (MDL) Facebook site description that it has been set up in response to the activities of the English Defence League.

"The official MDL Facebook site, which has 11,258 Facebook friends, also describes its purpose as 'wishing to defend all races and religions', which is in stark contrast to the unacceptable aggressive Facebook description of the unofficial Lincoln MDL branch, with just two friends.

"It is not clear the Lincoln Branch of MDL actually exists, or whether this may be a spoof site set up to discredit the bona fide official MDL Facebook pages which have previously been infiltrated in a similar fashion."

Alaa Alnajafi, a 20-year-old student in Lincoln and member of the Islamic faith, said that groups such as the MDL Lincoln Division in no way represented the beliefs of the Islamic faith.

She said: "We, as the Islamic community of Lincoln, disassociate ourselves from any Muslim groups or individuals who commit un-Islamic acts.

"Those who commit acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name of Islam are not only destroying innocent lives, but are also betraying the values of this faith they claim to represent."


This is Lincolnshire

Recent hate crimes, suicides speak to intolerance of society (USA)

This past weekend, police arrested eight of the nine suspects who allegedly carried out what is certainly one of the worse hate crimes in recent memory. On Oct. 3, nine members of the Latin King Goonies gang (a Latin-American gang from the Bronx) abducted and tortured three men because they were gay.

The first victim was a 17-year-old the gang initially thought of as a potential recruit. They supposedly discovered the boy was gay and lured him to an abandoned apartment before severely beating and torturing him for hours.

Following this initial savagery, the gang members lured a 30-year-old man and his 17-year-old lover into the building and tortured them in a similar fashion.

Along with being beaten, slashed with box cutters and other atrocious acts, the gang members forced the 17-year-old to punch and burn the older man with cigarettes. As their bigoted cruelty wore off, the gang moved to the apartment of the older man’s brother, where they beat him, stole a TV, and took more than $1,000 in cash and debit cards.

What makes this senseless tragedy all the more terrifying is its proximity to the suicide of a homosexual Rutgers student in late September.

Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old Rutgers freshman, plunged to his death off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate posted a video of him engaged in a sexual encounter.

This is, however, merely another example in a recent wave of suicides of gay children that has being sweeping across the country.

Seth Walsh and Asher Brown, both 13-year-olds, hung and shot themselves following brutal harassment by classmates for their homosexuality.

In a similar fashion, high school freshman Billy Lucas reportedly hanged himself in his grandmother’s barn following savage harassment by classmates questioning his sexual orientation.

As these cases indicate, hate crimes targeting gays are becoming a more noticeable element of the criminal activity in the United States.

The level of brutality people are able to execute against their fellow men never ceases to amaze me. We consistently reflect on the crimes of our fathers, looking into the gas chambers of Auschwitz or the slave quarters of the U.S., and we quietly state to ourselves “never again.”

We praise ourselves for our own progression and evolvement, stating pompously how far we have advanced or how tolerant of a society we now live in.

These arrogant claims crash into oblivion, however, when our society is able to produce such a level of hatred as to propel college, high school and middle school students to kill themselves because of harassment, or when three innocent men are savagely tortured because of their sexual orientation.
Bigotry and intolerance are, of course, not new phenomena. Along with all other hurdles to social greatness, such as greed and ignorance, they stalk us through our progression, mockingly glaring at our achievements as they plummet into insignificance in the face of such unbridled hatred.

We are able to conquer the air, sea, mountain ranges and deserts, yet we are not yet capable of conquering our own sadistic decadence.

We construct colossal structures and ideas as monuments to our will for success.

These structures do not serve to elate our spirit of greatness, however, but our vision may be brought above the hate and agony of our brothers suffering in the slums beneath their foundation.

We hear of the brutal attacks made against our gay brethren this past month and feel sorrow over their struggle, what they deserve is not our sympathy but our attention.

If we are to purge intolerance and hatred from our society, it will not be through an emotional sense of pity or sorrow, but through an active attention to the suffering of our fellow men.

If we are to establish our species in the plane of greatness it should be and is capable of reaching, it will only come through the abolition of social indifference.

As long as there are differences within our race, there will be antagonisms. I understand there are some who feel as though homosexuality is a sin, a cancer on our society and a force of debauchery threatening our social fabric.

But my understanding exists insofar as recognition of its existence, not understanding of how a person is even capable of thinking such disgustingly inhuman thoughts about their brothers.

Instead of stalling in incomprehension of our differences, perhaps embracing these differences as points of diversity and opportunities for learning is the best mode of bringing ourselves to our deserved greatness.

Whatever the solution may be, I hope we may at least try to see our greatest enemy is our own personal hatred and indifference.

This is a plague that has existed throughout the history of our species, and I am not so idealistic to think these recent hate crimes will bring about its eradication, but “I may be a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”

Collegiate Times

Muslim community leader claims Enoch Powell helped bring faith communities closer together in Wolverhampton (UK)

A controversial anti-immigration speech by a leading Midland politician had the unlikely effect of strengthening inter-faith relations in his home city, a Muslim leader has claimed.

Wolverhampton South West MP Enoch Powell was sacked as Shadow Defence Secretary by party leader Edward Heath after his notorious Rivers of Blood speech in 1968 for heightening racial tensions.

But strong bonds of friendship were forged in the city in reaction to the speech, said Harun Rashid, chairman of the Wolverhampton Inter Faith and Regeneration Network.

He said: “Many people in Wolverhampton felt very uncomfortable when he made that speech and were not happy with what he said. They decided they would create an inter-faith group. This is how the Wolverhampton Inter Faith Group came into being.

“I think Wolverhampton is one of the most harmonious cities in the country and we are very proud of that. We understand each other and there is no ignorance. Where there is ignorance there is prejudice; and prejudice creates fear. I think to a very large extent we have removed that prejudice because we have removed the ignorance and as a result communities have come together. This has made a big contribution to the city’s life.”

Mr Rashid was speaking at a gathering of faith leaders from the north west Midlands hosted by Bishop of Lichfield the Rt Rev Jonathan Gledhill.

The discussion in Lichfield was followed by a Black Country celebration of faith three days later at Darlaston Town Hall in which leaders and representatives from Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Ravidassi communities explained their faith.

Darlaston Muslim leader Mohammed Rafiq said: “We are determined to show that people of different faiths can live together as good neighbours and grow together in spirit.

“Perhaps this is all the more urgent in view of the aggressive relationships we hear of elsewhere in the world.”

Brimingham Mail

ITALY CLOSES THE DOOR ON GYPSIES (UK)

This venerable city, long known for savory saffron risotto and the leggy models of Fashion Week, is moving to establish itself as something else: a zero-tolerance zone for Gypsies. Anti-Gypsy campaigns in neighboring France have sparked international criticism, with officials there in recent months deporting more than 1,000 ethnic Roma - a clannish people migrating west in large numbers from Eastern Europe. But with great bravado, Milan is taking the lead in responding to Italy's own "Gypsy Emergency." Blaming rising crime on the new waves of Roma immigrants, authorities are moving to dismantle Milan's largest authorized Gypsy camp, Triboniano, a teeming shantytown of street musicians and day laborers that officials decry as a den of thieves. At the same time, Milan is bulldozing hundreds of small, impromptu camps inhabited by newer arrivals and issuing mass eviction notices to Roma families living in another long-established camp in the city's largest immigrant neighborhood. "These are dark-skinned people, not Europeans like you and me," said Riccardo De Corato, who is Milan's vice mayor from Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's ruling party and who is in charge of handling the camps. He later added: "Our final goal is to have zero Gypsy camps in Milan." The campaign underway here is part of what observers are calling the most intense wave of anti-immigration sentiment to wash over Western Europe in years.

The immigration debate in Europe, just as in the United States, has dramatically intensified in the wake of the Great Recession, with voters increasingly blaming immigrants such as the Roma for taking away jobs, driving up crime rates and disturbing time-honored traditions. Across the continent, governments are boldly throwing up new barriers to immigration, increasing enforcement and targeting groups such as the Roma, who are also known as Gypsies. Even in some of the most progressive nations in the region, such as Sweden, voters are showing new support for ultra-right politicians whose platforms center on a tougher line on immigration. In Britain, the new Conservative-led coalition government has slapped a temporary cap on immigration from non-European Union nations, limiting the ability of companies to hire foreign nationals in a bid to drive down the unemployment rate. A permanent cap set to go into effect next year is expected to make it more difficult for even Americans to get long-term work visas there. In France, a proposed law could strip citizenship from foreigners naturalized for less than 10 years if they commit violent crimes against the police or a government official. New detention centers would be set up to make it easier to deport illegal immigrants. Citizens of other European Union countries - who theoretically enjoy freedom of movement across the 27-nation zone - would find it harder to stay in France if they are not law-abiding and gainfully employed.

For a region that prides itself as a bastion of progressive thought, the campaigns in Europe have nevertheless taken on a decidedly ethnic and religious bent similar to the debates in the United States over the proposed Islamic center in Manhattan and the Arizona law targeting illegal immigrants. A new law in France will ban Muslim women from wearing full-face Islamic veils in public, with similar laws pending in the Netherlands and Spain. Switzerland has prohibited the construction of mosque minarets. But the campaigns against the Roma in France and Italy have stoked accusations that politicians are targeting unpopular immigrant groups to shore up flagging support. "There is a worrying trend in Europe in which we are seeing the embrace of populist policies," said Benjamin Ward, the Europe deputy director for Human Rights Watch in London. "They are creating a new climate of intolerance in Europe with movements in some countries now openly hostile to ethnic minorities and migrants." Few nations, though, have gone as far as Italy, where the number of immigrants has more than doubled over the past decade, to more than 5 million. Since Berlusconi was reelected in 2008, his fragile conservative coalition has made immigration and domestic security priorities, passing a law that imposes a fine of up to $13,600 on illegal immigrants and increasing salary and housing requirements for legal immigrants trying to bring in family members.

Last year, Italy virtually stopped issuing new work permits for non-European Union immigrants and set up a policy aimed at preventing refugees from entering the country by sea from North Africa. The result, according to the U.N. refugee agency, has been a dramatic drop in boat lifts across the Mediterranean from Libya, which had become a major transit route not only for thousands of economic migrants but also for asylum seekers from Somalia, Sudan and other African nations. "It would be difficult now for immigration policy to get any more restrictive in Italy, unless we started to build walls," said Oliviero Forti, immigration director for the Catholic charity Caritas in Rome.

'Packing our things'
Inside the ramshackle Triboniano camp in northern Milan, Vladimiro Ilie, a Roma from Romania, stared at boxes brimming with clothes, pots and pans in the two-room trailer he shares with his wife and two children. "My family has been packing our things over the last few days," said Ilie, 41. "We have been warned by the city that at any moment, they will show up and tell us to leave." The clearing of Triboniano, an encampment of 600 established in 2001, is at the center of the city's plan to expel Roma. The effort underscores the stresses tearing at the E.U. over the flow of Eastern European immigrants into the West, even as it aspires to be a unified and nearly borderless region. Although the citizens of E.U. nations largely have access to the labor markets in other nations, countries may still use legal loopholes to expel those who commit crimes, are considered a threat to public security or go without a job for lengthy periods.

Originally a nomadic people who came to Europe from South Asia centuries ago, Roma were persecuted by the Nazis during the Holocaust. They have lived in Italy for generations, but their numbers soared after their traditional homeland of Romania was admitted into the E.U. in 2007. Since then, the number of Romanians in Italy - a substantial portion of them Roma - has almost tripled, to 800,000. Famously insular, the Roma have tended to cluster in caravan camps, preserving their language and music and often earning hardscrabble livelihoods on the streets. They have been long associated with crime. After the rape and murder of an Italian woman by a Roma man, the national government declared a "Gypsy Emergency" in 2008 - long before France's campaign this summer - granting extraordinary powers to cities to address the influx. Nowhere has that campaign been as sharp and swift as in Milan, Italy's center of industrial wealth, which is dominated by Berlusconi's party and the ultra-nationalist Northern League. Over the past two years, Milanese officials have expelled 7,000 Roma, leveling 346 illegal settlements. Now the city is targeting several formerly authorized camps. Although officials initially said Triboniano must go to make room for a new highway, De Corato described the move as more of a social decision. "Many of them are criminals," the vice mayor said in an interview. "They prostitute their own women and children." He later said that "there is no reason for the camp to stay."

A few families, including Ilie's, were to be granted public housing to show Milan's willingness to embrace Roma prepared to integrate into Italian life. But two weeks ago, officials rescinded the offer after an outcry from local residents and the national government. Officials say camp dwellers who do not leave voluntarily will be taken to the city limits; those with criminal records or no jobs could be deported. Privately, even some in Triboniano say the camp maintains an unemployment rate of more than 60 percent and is home to some engaging in criminal activity. But Ilie, a carpenter who left Romania for Italy with his family in 1999, said Roma are being painted with a broad brush and that many, like him, are eager to integrate. His children - Ana Maria, 16, and Luigi, 11 - no longer speak their native dialect. Both go to Italian schools and have Italian friends. "I don't care what happens to this camp anymore; what I care about is my family," he said. "We want to integrate, but they won't give us the chance." The hard-line approach in Milan contrasts sharply with one in Rome. There, the local government is relocating Gypsies to camps with tighter security and constant video surveillance but also with better sanitary conditions, including running water and electricity. Gypsy immigrants from Eastern Europe will be given four years to find jobs and educate their children. Those who do will be allowed access to public housing. Those who don't, officials say, will face deportation. "Italy," said Giuseppe Pecoraro, Rome's special representative on Gypsy issues, "is still a tolerant country."

Washington Post

German social networks wage virtual war on rightists

A group of web 2.0 communities in Germany has launched a campaign called "Social Networks against Nazis" in a bid to fight right-wing extremism on the Internet.

The campaign's organizers, who were backed at the launch on Monday by Consumer Affairs Minister Ilse Aigner, say right-wing extremists have used social networking sites to air racist and anti-Semitic views, call for violence, reach audiences otherwise unacquainted with neo-Nazi ideas and to test acceptance thresholds.

Their campaign calls for user involvement in clamping down on such activities. Banners and buttons on participating sites encourage users to report racist posts, videos and profiles so that they can then be deleted, sending neo-Nazis a clear signal.

"There's too much data uploaded to these networks every day for everything to be monitored, but sites can react quickly to tip-offs from other users," the campaign's website (www.netz-gegen-nazis.de) says.

The list of 20 participating networks includes MySpace and the video sharing platform YouTube.

Users are also called upon to support victims in discussion groups and to contradict any racist and anti-Semitic viewpoints. They can also join groups related to the campaign.

The campaign comes after the revelation this summer that neo-Nazi activity on the internet in Germany has reached an all-time high. There were 1,872 known neo-Nazi websites in Germany last year, according to German media reports.

Aigner encouraged social networks to exercise their "domestic authority" to ban Nazis.

Far-right extremism has plagued parts of Germany, where there are about 26,000 right-wing extremists, according to the online portal "www.netz-gegen-nazis."

A group of suspected neo-Nazis tried to remove the sign for a street named "Jews' Alley" in the northwestern German city of Aachen this weekend, according to local police, while neo-Nazis in the town of Kleinmachnow near Berlin sprayed swastikas and other Nazi symbols onto a Soviet memorial.

Reuters

Such a contrast between the two groups (UK)

The events in Leicester on Saturday afternoon demonstrated the complete contrast between supporters of the EDL and Unite Against Fascism (UAF).

The EDL attacked the police, journalists and local people with bottles, cans, coins, smoke and stun grenades. They broke a window at the Market Tavern where the police had arranged for them to drink. They also threw missiles and broke a second floor window of the International Arts Centre on Humberstone Gate.

This was after they had stopped off in Market Harborough and intimidated local people on their way to Leicester.

In contrast, UAF organised a peaceful and good-natured protest against the presence of the EDL in Leicester. The rally was addressed by three local councillors, representatives from the Muslim community, the Indian Workers' Association, local Kurdish people and a number of local trade unionists.

As the afternoon progressed entertainment was provided by a number of local bands and the Red Choir. People were free to join the UAF rally on Humberstone Gate, almost all the time (except when an occasional EDL supporter tried to provoke the gathering). Many people dropped by for a few minutes or longer to show their support and others left for a coffee or bite to eat only to return later. So more people attended the UAF rally than were there at any one time.

The Unite Against Fascism rally was organised and supported by local people who ensured all who attended had a peaceful and enjoyable afternoon.

This is Leicestershire

Islamic center members say they're victims of a hate crime (USA)

Someone defaced the Florence Islamic Center on North Edisto Drive in Florence Sunday afternoon.

The culprit used slices of bacon to spell out the words "PIG CHOPS" on the brick walkway of the mosque. The parishoners are Muslim and don't eat pork.

Florence Police are investigating.

Members of the center tell NewsChannel 15 this is the second time in a few months that someone has vandalized their house of worship. Earlier this year, vandals broke new windows in the facility.

The Florence Islamic Center has been on North Edisto Drive for nearly three years. Parishoners say it's a work in progress, as they are renovating the facility bit by bit.

About 30 families worship at the mosque. They believe the person who defaced their property doesn't understand what the Muslim religion is all about.

The facility is also used during the week as a school to study their religion.

Members say police have indicated they will step up patrols around the center. We're waiting to hear from Florence Police Chief Anson Shells to get more details.

Coming up tonight at 6:00 on NewsChannel 15, you'll hear from the parishoners about why this incident is so disturbing to them.

Carolina Live

Plan for new 'hate crime' policy in Northampton (UK)

A new policy to improve the way Northampton Borough Council deals with hate crimes is to go before councillors.

The council's cabinet is being asked to back the new policy which would see training given to staff in how to recognise and deal with hate crimes.

The policy would see officers from council departments monitoring and recording hate crimes.
The proposals go before the cabinet committee on Wednesday.

Borough council officer Bill Edwards, who is recommending the council adopts the new policy, said: "The problem of hate related crime is widespread and there is significant under-reporting.

"The county's target is to increase the level of reporting by 20% from the 2009/2010 baseline figure of 1,519. As at 31 July this year, the number of reports had decreased by 3.1%."

BBC News

City Leaders Claim Voting Billboard Ads Racist (USA)

Milwaukee leaders are demanding that billboards featuring voting ads be taken down because they said the ads are racist.

The billboards read "Voter Fraud is a Felony" and feature African-American and Hispanic people behind bars.Critics said they believe the ads are an attempt to discourage minorities from voting in November.They are demanding the company that owns the board take the ads down and disclose who paid for them."We're tired, and we're fed up. We're not intimidated. We're not afraid and come Nov. 2. we will show up to the polls," said Jayme Montgomery-Baker, state director of League of Young Voters Education Fund."We find it offensive, as a woman, as a minority, as a veteran, as a union member and as a registered voter. And we want this sign down," said Angie Bucio of Voced de la Frontera.Late Tuesday afternoon, the owner of the billboard, Clear Channel, told 12 News that a private individual paid for the advertising.The ad is not the opinion of the Clear Channel but rather that of a private person, the company said.

 WISN.Com

Barrow AFC boss won’t tolerate racist abuse (UK)

The Bluebird’s operations manager, Barry Fitzgerald, said Mr Kuipers told him after the match that supporters had verbally abused him and his family and directed monkey chants at him.

Mr Fitzgerald said match stewards and supporters in that vicinity agreed Mr Kuipers was being booed for slowing the play at goalkicks but none had heard any racist remarks.

Mr Keen said: “This incident is being handled with due care by the police and Barry Fitzgerald.

“We as a club cannot tolerate this sort of behaviour.

“It is now in the hands of our legal people and will be attended to for the good of the club.”

Before the match kicked off, Cumbria County Council neighbourhood development officer Derek Brook handed out about 800 anti-racism leaflets to fans.

He said he had seen some sort of incident at the goal but not heard anything personally. Mr Brook said he and his team worked hard to promote the Kick Racism Out message at local football, rugby and cricket matches.

He said: “Every now and then you think it is dying out and then something happens.

“In the 1970s and 1980s racism was widespread among football crowds, but it’s not like that now.

“It would be very sad if it had happened again in this day and age.

Weyman Bennett, joint secretary of Unite Against Fascism, said: “It’s good that Barrow AFC is taking these complaints seriously.

“Groups like the English Defence League have been targeting football games recently trying to whip up race hatred among fans.

“We must not let them take us back to the 1970s when racist taunts were commonplace in football grounds.”

A spokeswoman for Cumbria police was unable to comment.

North West Evening Mail

'Good Samaritan' in racist Edinburgh street attack (UK)

An Indian man who came to the aid of a woman seen arguing with two men in the street, had his jaw broken in a racist assault, police have said.

The 21-year-old was walking with a friend on Edinburgh's Waverly Bridge in the early hours of Saturday when the attack happened.

He was punched by one of the men before the second struck him on the head, knocking him to the ground.
Lothian Police described the attack as "an appalling assault".

They said that after the victim intervened on the woman's behalf, three other men became involved in the dispute.

After being struck and knocked to the ground, all five men and the woman left the man and ran off towards Princes Street.

The victim was taken to St John's Hospital in the city where he was found to have broken jaw.

A police spokesman said: "This has been an appalling assault levied against the victim for no reason other than his race and his efforts to come to a young woman's assistance."

BBC News

Residents' disgust at Far Right meeting (UK)

Residents have expressed their disgust after a Far Right group held a secret meeting in a Royston pub.

More than 30 people, claiming to be from the white power group The British Movement, met at The North Star in Kneesworth Street on Saturday evening before handing out leaflets and plastering lampposts and town notice boards with stickers showing their emblem.

Officers from Royston police force were alerted to the gathering and visited the group shortly after it arrived.

Pub manager Dave Thake said he was “deeply shocked” and that the room had been booked by a regular customer for “a party.”

He said: “If I had known who they were beforehand I would never have allowed it.

“A regular customer asked me if he could book the room for a party, so I said yes.

“I am deeply shocked.”

A Royston resident, who did not wish to be named, said he had talked to members of the group as they distributed flyers.

He said: “They were putting up stickers with racist slogans on them.

“I couldn’t believe that a small town like Royston had attracted people like that, it is disgraceful and I was disgusted.”

A spokeswoman from North Herts Police said: “Officers from Royston Neighbourhood Team as a matter of course checked on the meeting as part of their routine patrols. It was a peaceful meeting and no offences were committed.”

MP Oliver Heald added: “I would be very upset to hear that rightwing groups are meeting in Royston. We have always been a very friendly and welcoming town.”







Herefordshire Mercury

Racism row in New Zealand with beauty queen accused of 'not looking Indian enough'

A blonde, blue-eyed beauty queen is the latest focus of a racism row in New Zealand after she was accused of "not looking Indian enough" following her victory in the Miss IndiaNZ beauty title.

The 21-year-old, Jacinta Lal, who has a Fiji Indian father and a New Zealand mother, was booed by spectators when she won the Wellington pageant in April - and the case recently came to light in the wake of the resignation of a television presenter embroiled in allegations of racism, the New Zealand Herald said.

Award organiser Dharmesh Parikh told the newspaper he had received complaints questioning Lal's eligibility to be in the pageant - and there were also "raised eyebrows" when she competed for the national title in August.

Miss Lal said she had heard people saying that she "wasn't Indian-looking enough to win the pageant".

Mr Parikh said the case highlighted that racism cut both ways, in the wake of the resignation of TVNZ broadcaster Paul Henry over comments about Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand not "looking like a New Zealander" and his mocking of Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit's name.

Miss Lal said there was no difference between what Mr Henry said and the members of the Indian community who criticised her win.

"They are all wrong and should not say things like that," she said.

The Henry case, along with reports of an Australian inquiry into racist emails being circulated by police officers, have made headlines in major Indian newspapers and inflamed diplomatic tensions.

Herald Sun

Surge of a 'hardcore element' before trouble during EDL protests (UK)

Police believe members of an opposition group known as the Muslim Defence League – thought to be from the West Midlands – were also present in the city and became involved in some disturbances.

Chief Superintendent Rob Nixon said there were 1,000 EDL supporters and 700 others backing a counter protest organised by Leicester Unite Against Fascism.

Mr Nixon blamed a hardcore element of the EDL which was determined to break through police lines.

He said an investigation was ongoing. The UAF counter-protest passed without incident.

Before they were rounded up by police a group of EDL supporters attacked the Big John's fast food restaurant, in Humberstone Road.

Usman Ali, area manager for the chain, said: "They smashed four windows and came inside the shop and frightened our customers.

"Everyone is fine, although it was a very frightening experience for our staff and the people who were here eating their dinner."

Witness Imtiaz Noor Mohammed, 21, of North Evington, said: "I was with friends getting something to eat.

"People saw them coming and someone locked the door. They smashed some windows and one of the EDL people kicked the door open and stood there threatening people.

"There were only families in there; men, women and children eating together. The whole thing was over in a minute but it was very scary."

The EDL appeared to have failed to stick to an agreement with police for its supporters travelling by coach to rendezvous with police at Leicester Forest East service station on the M1 before being escorted into the city centre. Instead, around 400 of its followers appeared without warning in Market Harborough. Police said they diverted officers to the town quickly.

Youtube footage of incidents, including the one at Big John's, is at:

www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk

Wilders' court case: prosecution to make sentencing demands (Netherlands)

The public prosecution department will today begin going into details about its case against MP Geert Wilders on five charges of discrimination and inciting hatred.


Officials expect to take 8.5 hours to outline the case, which may be continued on Friday, Nos tv said. They will also state what punishment they feel the MP should be given. Each charge carries up to one year in jail.
Wilders has been charged with inciting hatred and discrimination against Moroccans, Muslims and non-western immigrants.

Experts say it is very unlikely the prosecution will demand the PVV party leader be sent to jail.
Bram Moszkowicz, Wilders’ lawyer, will outline the defence’s case on October 19 and 21.

Dutch News

CZECHS AGAINST DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN, GENDERS EQUAL

Most Czechs say women are discriminated against in society and are opposed to it, it ensues from an Internet survey by Sanep agency. It showed that most people consider differences between women and men's pay unsubstantiated. Making differences between genders is rejected mainly by women, but more than a half of men share this opinion. More than two thirds of the polled said they think that women get a much lower pay for the same work than men. This opinion is held by more than 91 percent of women and 62 percent of men. People do not believe that the pay gap will be narrowed in the near future. Three quarters of Czechs, however, welcome the European Commission's intention to take measures to prevent pay discrimination against women. The Internet survey was carried out on 10,686 people aged 18-69 on September 21-28.

Prague Monitor

Racist party makes big gain in Vienna (Austria)

The racist Freedom Party won more than a quarter of the vote in local elections in Vienna on Sunday on the back of a hate-mongering campaign.

With only absentee ballots left to be counted, the Freedom Party won 28 seats in the regional parliament, up from 13.

The 27 per cent it polled was a significant boost from the 14.8 per cent the nazi apologists achieved during the 2005 elections and near its record high of 27.9 per cent in 1996 when the late Joerg Haider led the party.

"With a hand on my heart, I am deeply grateful for the confidence the Viennese have given me and I know what that responsibility means," Freedom Party chief Heinz-Christian Strache gushed after the polls.

Mr Strache has won notoriety for Islamophobic rants at rallies against mosque construction in the city.

He routinely asserts that larger facilities for Muslim worshippers will serve to spread "religious indoctrination."
And the right-wing zealot has whitewashed the nazi-era German army the Wehrmacht as one that "committed crimes like any other army" and downplayed the rising threat of neo-nazi gangs in Europe.
In the past few months the Freedom Party has plastered the Austrian capital with campaign posters that lauded "Vienna blood."

Originally the name of a waltz by Johann Strauss, the slogan has clear white supremacist undertones in today's Austria.

The party also circulated a comic strip that featured a character resembling Mr Strache who urged a young boy to target Kara Mustafa - the grand vizier of the Ottoman empire who led the Turkish siege of Vienna in 1683 - with his slingshot.

The election was a disappointment for the centre-left Social Democrats who though they won the biggest share of the vote with 44.2 per cent, saw their vote slide nearly five percentage points compared with 2005.

Morning Star

Sonko keen to give racism the boot (UK)

 The confusion and hurt remain apparent as the Pompey defender recalls the moment he was first subjected to abuse and bile from grown adults.

An innocent eight-year-old boy reduced to tears by bigots who believed it acceptable to hurl vile tirades at a young child.

His crime? The colour of his skin.

Sonko can clearly recall that day when the youngster from a poor estate on the fringes of Paris turned out at a football tournament in a more affluent area.

The success of the team from the wrong side of the tracks didn't sit well with those who wanted glory for their own.

But the moment that jealously veered into the realms of a much uglier world has left an indelible mark on the 29-year-old.

'I was really young – about eight,' said Sonko.

'My team from Paris went to a tournament. The teams were better than us but we went to the final.

'There were lots of Africans and a whole mixture of other nationalities in our team.

'Because we were bigger and looked different the parents accused us of lying about our age and kept asking to see our passports.

'I came from a bad neighbourhood.

'They were saying there were too many coloured people in the team and are they really the right age?

'They said they didn't believe we were French.

'We all cried for the whole of the first half and were losing 2-0 at half-time. I remember crying at half-time because we were getting abused by the parents.

'They wanted their kids to win and were trying to do everything.

'Our manager said they were accusing us of things that we all knew weren't true.

'So the only way we could prove something was on the pitch.

'It was a case of "okay, if you think we are rough then we are rough".

'We ended up winning the trophy and before we had been given it everyone had left.

'But we turned it around and won and were really pleased. It's something that has stayed in my memory.'

Suffering at the hands of racists back then has left an indelible mark on the man who arrived on loan from Stoke in August.

Fortunately, the strides made against such mindlessness means the world knows there is no place for that kind of behaviour in civilised society.

Sonko is of no doubt England has nothing like the kind of problem which still blights some countries.

But it wasn't so long ago ugly chants and taunts were commonplace on the terraces around the country on a matchday.

Sonko is glad the focus is now on the colour of a player's shirt and not his skin but that doesn't mean we don't have to remain vigilant.

'I don't get any racism here,' said Sonko.

'Not since I came to England. We are lucky the world has moved on and people understand children are children and footballers are footballers.

'That's the case no matter what they look like or what colour their hair or skin is.

'But if it's not present we have to work against it still.

'We hear a lot about it in other countries and it's quite disappointing.

'We come together to play and we speak only one language and that's the ball.

'I can't understand people coming and focusing on people's ethnicity.

'Fans and players should look at the shirt. If they try for their team they should appreciate it.

'One day a player is in another team and the next he is in your team.

'I don't see the point of it. If you are a true fan you are not racist because anyone can play for you one day.'

As Pompey ambassador for Kick It Out, football's campaign for inclusion and equality, Sonko has become a figurehead for the club on the subject of guarding against racism since his arrival.

He was helping ensure the focus on that problem remains ahead of their One Game, One Community action to be held from October 14-26.

Sonko was speaking at a get-together organised in conjunction with Pompey Sports and Education Foundation where youngsters got to meet and fire questions at one of their heroes.

He is under no doubt at the importance of his role in both keeping the Kick it Out campaign in the public eye and his duty to spend time with the Blues' young fans.

Sonko said: 'I remember being a footballer at a young age – that is when you really start enjoying it.

'There are a lot of things and a lot of consequences which can make you a professional footballer and sometimes it can hurt.

'So the first part is to make sure you enjoy your football.

'I remember when I used to see professional footballers play and then they would come and talk to us.

'When I was growing up in France there were players we used to watch week-in, week-out.

'They used to play football and come and have a laugh with us.

'You see them and think "wow, I can kick a ball with them".

'There were people I looked up to as a youngster and it was great to spend time with them, so I know it's a big thing.'


The News, Portsmouth