A special police unit is investigating after posters called for the release of an arrested fascist were erected at a busy road.
Large banners with German slogans that can be translated as "Freedom for Gottfried Küssel!" and "Let our comrade free!" were eliminated after motorists driving along the B37 near Krems, Lower Austria, informed local police at the weekend.
Officials announced today (Mon) that the federal police department for the protection of the constitution and the fight against terrorism has taken over the investigations.
Küssel was put in custody earlier this month. The Austrian is considered as a mastermind of the European neo-Nazi scene. He has posed in front of pictures of Third Reich dictator Adolf Hitler many times and organised marches of skinheads in the Czech Republic and other countries.
The agitator is accused of cooperating with managers of a website on which neo-Nazis exchanged hate-filled messages against ethnic minorities and journalists. "Alpen-Donau" went offline shortly after Austrian prosecutors announced they informed their counterparts in the United States for support.
Austrian authorities were forced to watch on as the right-wingers did little to disguise their Austrian nationalities when posting notes about occurrences in the country because the server of the homepage was located in the USA. The online platform recently reappeared on the web under a slightly different name.
Two other people were also put in custody when six houses in Styria and Vienna were searched and Küssel was arrested. Police in Vienna said recently that all of the men remain in detention as investigations continue.
Meanwhile, Freedom Party (FPÖ) official Martin Graf has come under fire after a website run by some of his office staff contained a user’s message calling for the release of Küssel. Graf became the third president of the federal parliament in Vienna after the most recent general election in 2008. He is considered as a representative of the FPÖ’s powerful far-right wing.
FPÖ chairman Heinz-Christian Strache said he and his party had nothing to do with people frequenting "Alpen-Donau" after the faction was lauded for some decisions by users chatting on the controversial homepage’s discussion platform.
Austrian Independant
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Neo-Nazi Leader Jeff Hall Shot Dead in His Home; 10-Year-Old Son Detained (USA)
 |
| Jeff Hall |
Jeff Hall, 32, was found dead inside his Riverside home in the 5400 block of Lauder Court at about 4 a.m. Sunday. Hall died of a single gunshot wound from a "known assailant," the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner said in a press release.
According to the Riverside Police Department, authorities have detained Hall’s 10-year-old son. Contacted by The Huffington Post, a watch commander stopped short of calling the boy a suspect but did say investigators are not looking for any additional persons of interest.
"[His] juvenile son has been detained for further investigation," Lt. Bruce Loftus said. "He is the only one being detained."
Loftus, citing the ongoing investigation, declined to comment further.
Hall has been cited by multiple sources as a neo-Nazi and regional director of the National Socialist Movement. The organization's website describes the group as the "largest National Socialist Party operating in the United States of America today." They claim their core beliefs include "defending the rights of white people everywhere" and the "promotion of white separation."
Hall held a monthly meeting for the organization inside his home on Saturday afternoon. Roughly a dozen members of the group, along with a reporter from The New York Times, were present for the meeting. Hall reportedly discussed several items, including an upcoming "patrol" that was planned for the Mexican border in Arizona.
"This is a very active area right now," Hall told those present, the Times reported. "You guys get your Glocks cocked and get ready to rock. We’re going to the border. That's how we do it."
On Sunday, the NSM posted a brief message about Hall's death, saying the father of five was dedicated to the organization and spent "countless volunteer hours ... leading Patrols in efforts to halt illegal immigration. ... Thank you for all the memories Brother. We miss you."
Some of Hall's Lauder Court neighbours, who claim to have been intimidated by Hall and the NSM, have had a different reaction to news of his death -- speaking as if an era of fearfulness had ended.
"Honestly, I feel like it's over," neighbour Juan Trejo told the Riverside Press-Enterprise. "It was scary here. Hopefully we’ll never see any of them again."
Huffington Post
Joan of Arc doomed by links to Far Right
It was opened at a time of patriotic fervour to commemorate a heroine whose death at the hands of an iniquitous enemy was a defining event in French history.
Now the Joan of Arc Museum in Rouen, the Normandy town where the teenage mystic was burned at the stake by the English in 1431, is facing closure as France turns its back on a woman whose reputation has been stained by association with the extreme Right.
“The French are increasingly uninterested in their own history and uninterested in Joan of Arc,” said Alain Preaux, the owner of the Musée Jeanne d’Arc.
The museum was opened in 1955 in the square where Joan of Arc perished after leading the French against the English during the Hundred Years War.
Preaux has run the museum since 1977, following in his father’s footsteps. Now, at the age of 59, he wants to retire but cannot find a public or private purchaser for a collection of waxwork figures, documents and other objects valued at more than $600,000. “If no one comes forward I guess it will end up by being auctioned and dispersed,” Preaux said.
He said that the Maid of Orléans, as Joan of Arc is known, appeared in some ways to be of greater interest to the British these days.
The number of non-French tourists visiting the museum — almost three-quarters of whom are from Britain — had remained constant over the past couple of decades, he said. They account for 40 per cent of all visitors.
The number of French had declined sharply, taking the overall number of visitors from 40,000 a year in the 1980s to 25,000 a year. “We used to get a lot of French school parties. Now we hardly get any,” he said.
Critics said that the decline may be a consequence of Preaux’s failure to modernize a museum that features items such as letters written by monks on behalf of Joan of Arc, who was an illiterate peasant, and waxwork and cardboard cut-out scenes portraying her death.
“This sort of collection doesn’t really correspond to what people want anymore,” said Jean-Pierre Chaline, a history professor at the Sorbonne University who lives in Rouen. He said that the poor state of the museum was an illustration of how Joan of Arc had fallen out of favour in France.
He blamed the ultra-Right National Front, which uses Joan of Arc as its symbol in May Day parades.
François Michaud-Frejaville, emeritus professor of history at Orléans University, described the link between Joan of Arc and the National Front as “an attack on historical reality.”
She hoped Joan of Arc’s reputation would be restored next year, the 600th anniversary of her birth, when celebrations are planned.
Ottawa Citizen
Racist Bulger fiend backs BNP (UK)
James Bulger’s killer Jon Venables is a racist who supports the BNP.
The paedophile has sickened staff at the high-security prison where he is being held with his vile outbursts.
And in a bizarre twist he has told workers he is following this week’s AV referendum closely as he thinks a “Yes” vote would be the boost the right-wing party needs.
Venables, 28, who killed James, two, when he was ten, is back behind bars after being caught with child porn snaps.
The Daily Star Sunday is banned from revealing the jail he is being held in or the new identity he has been living under since he was released from his murder sentence in 2001.
But a prison source said Venables’ views have been raising eyebrows.
The insider said: “Some of what he comes out with is bang out of order but we just have to nod along.
“When he said he backed the BNP it was no real surprise. His views have always been extreme.
“People have been thinking back to some of what he’s said down the months and it all adds up.
“Last year he was watching Big Brother and he said he fancied Rachel Ifon, the black Scouse contestant.
“But he was quick to point out that although he thought she was sexy he would never go out with her because, in his words, he’d ‘never shag a black bird’.
“He’s also spoken out against immigration. He reckons all the eastern European builders coming over here have taken jobs off Brit workers and he says the mainstream parties haven’t done enough to stop them.
“But no one thought he was especially political so it was a surprise when he said he’d been following the AV debate.
He said he would have voted Yes to give the BNP a better chance.”
Prisoners don’t get a say in Thursday’s vote but the BNP are actually urging their followers to vote “No”.
The country is going to the polls to decide whether to change our electoral process to the Alternative Vote system.
Hope Not Hate
The paedophile has sickened staff at the high-security prison where he is being held with his vile outbursts.
And in a bizarre twist he has told workers he is following this week’s AV referendum closely as he thinks a “Yes” vote would be the boost the right-wing party needs.
Venables, 28, who killed James, two, when he was ten, is back behind bars after being caught with child porn snaps.
The Daily Star Sunday is banned from revealing the jail he is being held in or the new identity he has been living under since he was released from his murder sentence in 2001.
But a prison source said Venables’ views have been raising eyebrows.
The insider said: “Some of what he comes out with is bang out of order but we just have to nod along.
“When he said he backed the BNP it was no real surprise. His views have always been extreme.
“People have been thinking back to some of what he’s said down the months and it all adds up.
“Last year he was watching Big Brother and he said he fancied Rachel Ifon, the black Scouse contestant.
“But he was quick to point out that although he thought she was sexy he would never go out with her because, in his words, he’d ‘never shag a black bird’.
“He’s also spoken out against immigration. He reckons all the eastern European builders coming over here have taken jobs off Brit workers and he says the mainstream parties haven’t done enough to stop them.
“But no one thought he was especially political so it was a surprise when he said he’d been following the AV debate.
He said he would have voted Yes to give the BNP a better chance.”
Prisoners don’t get a say in Thursday’s vote but the BNP are actually urging their followers to vote “No”.
The country is going to the polls to decide whether to change our electoral process to the Alternative Vote system.
Hope Not Hate
EDL march in Weymouth: Hundreds show their feelings against 'fascists' (UK)
At the opposite end of the seafront hundreds of people gathered to oppose the EDL’s presence.
Crowds assembled at Weymouth Pavilion to hear members of the public, community leaders and political figures speak against the group.
The organisers, Dan Brember, of Weymouth, and Richard Baker, of Dorchester, estimated that around 350 people were present.
Secretary of the Trades Union Council Tim Nicholls, who led the protest at the Pavilion, said the counter-group wanted to show that the EDL are ‘not welcome in Weymouth’.
He said: “They are a racist organisation and where they have marched before they have left a wreck of racist attacks behind them.”
Mayor of Weymouth Paul Kimber, who introduced the 10 speakers, said he was pleased to see that people turned up ‘to show hatred’ towards EDL.
One of the speakers, former South Dorset MP, Lord Knight, said: “We have a small Muslim community in the borough.
“These people are scared of fascism – they’re scared of what’s going on.”
Weymouth and Portland Labour councillor Simon Bowkett added that Weymouth has an Islamic population of just 0.3 per cent.
He said: “It’s absurd that the EDL is here. We barely have a Muslim population, let alone an issue with radicalism.”
Weyman Bennett, from Unite Against Fascism, said it concerned him that EDL members had previously burned the Koran.
He said: “When people start off burning books it’s not very far from when they start talking about burning people.”
Budmouth Technology Coll-ege student Lorenzo Pagano, 17, added: “I think there always needs to be a presence where such evils arise. All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men and women to do nothing.”
Jason Cridland, from Radipole, was one of the families to join in the march with his wife Debbie, brother Richard and three children including two-year-old Mollie.
He said: “EDL feed off misinformation – they’ve become very dogmatic about something they want to believe in that doesn’t reflect reality. That’s primarily why we’re here today.”
Sean Gray, 61, from Fordington, added: “I think that racism is a cancer that we can do without in this area.
“I don’t think there’s a basis for these sort of organisations in Weymouth or in Dorset.”
Unite Against Fascism group will be holding a meeting on Saturday at 1.30pm in the Colliton Club in Dorchester.
Dorset Echo
Crowds assembled at Weymouth Pavilion to hear members of the public, community leaders and political figures speak against the group.
The organisers, Dan Brember, of Weymouth, and Richard Baker, of Dorchester, estimated that around 350 people were present.
Secretary of the Trades Union Council Tim Nicholls, who led the protest at the Pavilion, said the counter-group wanted to show that the EDL are ‘not welcome in Weymouth’.
He said: “They are a racist organisation and where they have marched before they have left a wreck of racist attacks behind them.”
Mayor of Weymouth Paul Kimber, who introduced the 10 speakers, said he was pleased to see that people turned up ‘to show hatred’ towards EDL.
One of the speakers, former South Dorset MP, Lord Knight, said: “We have a small Muslim community in the borough.
“These people are scared of fascism – they’re scared of what’s going on.”
Weymouth and Portland Labour councillor Simon Bowkett added that Weymouth has an Islamic population of just 0.3 per cent.
He said: “It’s absurd that the EDL is here. We barely have a Muslim population, let alone an issue with radicalism.”
Weyman Bennett, from Unite Against Fascism, said it concerned him that EDL members had previously burned the Koran.
He said: “When people start off burning books it’s not very far from when they start talking about burning people.”
Budmouth Technology Coll-ege student Lorenzo Pagano, 17, added: “I think there always needs to be a presence where such evils arise. All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men and women to do nothing.”
Jason Cridland, from Radipole, was one of the families to join in the march with his wife Debbie, brother Richard and three children including two-year-old Mollie.
He said: “EDL feed off misinformation – they’ve become very dogmatic about something they want to believe in that doesn’t reflect reality. That’s primarily why we’re here today.”
Sean Gray, 61, from Fordington, added: “I think that racism is a cancer that we can do without in this area.
“I don’t think there’s a basis for these sort of organisations in Weymouth or in Dorset.”
Unite Against Fascism group will be holding a meeting on Saturday at 1.30pm in the Colliton Club in Dorchester.
Dorset Echo
Monday, 2 May 2011
Nazi Party Being Founded in Finland
A legal processes is underway for the formal registration of a National Socialist Workers' Party in Finland. The group, which uses Nazi symbols, had intended to put up candidates in the last local elections, and now has plans to participate in the next elections. Its chairman says the party has dozens of Nazi activists around the country.
There were no swastikas seen on campaign posters during the recent Parliamentary elections. However, there could be in the next one. The two-year process for the National Socialist Workers' Party of Finland to gain official legal status has been, however, a complicated one.
The group's original, openly racist party rules have been modified, and it has relinquished the use of a parallel German name. After the revisions, party regulations are innocuous enough to be used by a sewing circle.
Even so, the national Register of Associations has had doubts about the use of "National Socialist" in the party's name.
"Statements of evaluation have been requested about this issue. A decision is expected from the Board of Patents and Registration in May," says Jyrki Ahdeoja of the Register of Associations.
Statements have been requested from authorities including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is charged with interpreting Finland's international treaty obligations. Finland's post-WWII peace treaty included a ban on fascist and paramilitary organisations. For this reasons, groups such as Lotta Svärd, a voluntary auxiliary paramilitary organisation for women, were disbanded.
The Foreign Ministry has not found a reason to forbid the registration of a national socialist party.
"Nothing of a fascist nature was found. We tried to look at how the the organisation's activities are written in its regulations," explains Päivi Kaukoranta, Director General of the Legal Services section of the Finnish Foreign Ministry.
Opposed to non-white immigrants
According to the chairman of the National Socialists, Pekka Luoma, the party's concept is "the people and the fatherland".
"The people is the same as Finland's native, white population. We are struggling against immigration, especially against coloured immigrants," says Luoma.
The groups claims a few dozen Nazi activists around the country. The chairman is a 40 year-old unemployed family man from Satakunta. If permission to register as an association is forthcoming, a drive will be started to gather the signatures of the 5,000 supporters needed to register to take part in elections.
Swastika and Führer
"If a party's leader wants to a Führer, then so what?" says Pekka Luoma.
The party is particularly selective about membership. People of foreign origin have no business being under the swastika.
"If they are not related or do not have blood ties to the Finnish people, the party does not accept them."
Luoma explains that Swedish-speaking Finns and indigenous Sami people fulfil the criteria for membership, but he doesn't take a stand on the matter of membership for Finnish Roma.
The Lotta Svärd was approved for reestablishment only as a cultural organisation. A Nazi Party is possible in Finland under its international treaties. This is due to the global thinking that began in the 90s.
"The freedom of association is a right recognized in very key human rights agreements and in the practice of human rights courts it is established that very few restrictions can be placed upon it," points out the Foreign Ministry's Päivi Kaukoranta.
YLE
There were no swastikas seen on campaign posters during the recent Parliamentary elections. However, there could be in the next one. The two-year process for the National Socialist Workers' Party of Finland to gain official legal status has been, however, a complicated one.
The group's original, openly racist party rules have been modified, and it has relinquished the use of a parallel German name. After the revisions, party regulations are innocuous enough to be used by a sewing circle.
Even so, the national Register of Associations has had doubts about the use of "National Socialist" in the party's name.
"Statements of evaluation have been requested about this issue. A decision is expected from the Board of Patents and Registration in May," says Jyrki Ahdeoja of the Register of Associations.
Statements have been requested from authorities including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is charged with interpreting Finland's international treaty obligations. Finland's post-WWII peace treaty included a ban on fascist and paramilitary organisations. For this reasons, groups such as Lotta Svärd, a voluntary auxiliary paramilitary organisation for women, were disbanded.
The Foreign Ministry has not found a reason to forbid the registration of a national socialist party.
"Nothing of a fascist nature was found. We tried to look at how the the organisation's activities are written in its regulations," explains Päivi Kaukoranta, Director General of the Legal Services section of the Finnish Foreign Ministry.
Opposed to non-white immigrants
According to the chairman of the National Socialists, Pekka Luoma, the party's concept is "the people and the fatherland".
"The people is the same as Finland's native, white population. We are struggling against immigration, especially against coloured immigrants," says Luoma.
The groups claims a few dozen Nazi activists around the country. The chairman is a 40 year-old unemployed family man from Satakunta. If permission to register as an association is forthcoming, a drive will be started to gather the signatures of the 5,000 supporters needed to register to take part in elections.
Swastika and Führer
"If a party's leader wants to a Führer, then so what?" says Pekka Luoma.
The party is particularly selective about membership. People of foreign origin have no business being under the swastika.
"If they are not related or do not have blood ties to the Finnish people, the party does not accept them."
Luoma explains that Swedish-speaking Finns and indigenous Sami people fulfil the criteria for membership, but he doesn't take a stand on the matter of membership for Finnish Roma.
The Lotta Svärd was approved for reestablishment only as a cultural organisation. A Nazi Party is possible in Finland under its international treaties. This is due to the global thinking that began in the 90s.
"The freedom of association is a right recognized in very key human rights agreements and in the practice of human rights courts it is established that very few restrictions can be placed upon it," points out the Foreign Ministry's Päivi Kaukoranta.
YLE
Revealed: Vile hate-filled backgrounds of BNP candidates standing for election to Holyrood (UK)
Two BNP brothers standing for Holyrood are today exposed as vile hate-mongers.
Adam and Mark Walker are disgraced former teachers whose shameful conduct cost them their careers.
The Record can reveal BNP third in command, national organiser Adam, has been arrested twice in the last fortnight.
The bigot has referred to immigrants as "filth" and "savage animals".
Mark lost his teaching job after bombarding a 16-year-old girl with inappropriate emails.
The English pair will contest regional lists in Fife and South Scotland on Thursday.
A spokesman for pressure group Spotlight said: "These brothers are among the leading lights of the BNP but they have been sent up to contest an election where they know they have no chance of winning.
"The more you know about them, the more you realise what disarray the BNP are in. They are a bunch of bitter racists."
Adam was quizzed by police over allegations he drove his car at youths before behaving in a threatening manner.
The ex-soldier, from Spennymoor, County Durham, was bailed on April 23 in connection with the incidents, said to have happened as a rightwing group marched.
He was arrested three days earlier at a demo in Wakefield, where he had a heated row with police.
In the past, Walker, 42 - who answers directly to BNP leader Nick Griffin - referred to immigrants as "filth". He posted the comments online while teaching at Houghton Kepier Sports College.
Last year, a General Teaching Council panel cleared him of racial and religious hatred. But Adam had resigned in 2007 shortly after the probe into his conduct.
Brother Mark, 40, lost his job amid a torrent of claims against him.
An employment judge described his behaviour as "scandalous" after hearing about the seedy emails to an ex-pupil and how he watched porn on his laptop at work.
No illegal content was found on the laptop but Walker was slammed for his conduct towards the girl in 2007.
He was sacked for his absenteeism after claiming stress as a result of the action against him.
He lost his appeal against the sacking from Sunnydale Community College, in County Durham.
A hearing ruled that Walker's illness was triggered by his own actions.
Daily Record
Adam and Mark Walker are disgraced former teachers whose shameful conduct cost them their careers.
The Record can reveal BNP third in command, national organiser Adam, has been arrested twice in the last fortnight.
The bigot has referred to immigrants as "filth" and "savage animals".
Mark lost his teaching job after bombarding a 16-year-old girl with inappropriate emails.
The English pair will contest regional lists in Fife and South Scotland on Thursday.
A spokesman for pressure group Spotlight said: "These brothers are among the leading lights of the BNP but they have been sent up to contest an election where they know they have no chance of winning.
"The more you know about them, the more you realise what disarray the BNP are in. They are a bunch of bitter racists."
Adam was quizzed by police over allegations he drove his car at youths before behaving in a threatening manner.
The ex-soldier, from Spennymoor, County Durham, was bailed on April 23 in connection with the incidents, said to have happened as a rightwing group marched.
He was arrested three days earlier at a demo in Wakefield, where he had a heated row with police.
In the past, Walker, 42 - who answers directly to BNP leader Nick Griffin - referred to immigrants as "filth". He posted the comments online while teaching at Houghton Kepier Sports College.
Last year, a General Teaching Council panel cleared him of racial and religious hatred. But Adam had resigned in 2007 shortly after the probe into his conduct.
Brother Mark, 40, lost his job amid a torrent of claims against him.
An employment judge described his behaviour as "scandalous" after hearing about the seedy emails to an ex-pupil and how he watched porn on his laptop at work.
No illegal content was found on the laptop but Walker was slammed for his conduct towards the girl in 2007.
He was sacked for his absenteeism after claiming stress as a result of the action against him.
He lost his appeal against the sacking from Sunnydale Community College, in County Durham.
A hearing ruled that Walker's illness was triggered by his own actions.
Daily Record
Sunday, 1 May 2011
Homemade bomb explodes at Salford house (UK)
A homemade pipe-bomb was pushed through the letter-box of a house in Salford while a family slept upstairs.
The device exploded, damaging the front door of the house on Westminster Street, Swinton, and blowing the letter-box off.
A 61-year-old man and his wife, 38, were upstairs along with their son, 20, and daughter, 12, when the house was targeted last Saturday.
Anyone with information is urged to contact police.
'Dangerous offender'
The son heard footsteps outside the house and saw a man at the bottom of the garden at about 2345 BST.
He then saw a bright flash outside followed by a loud explosion that caused the house to shake.
When the family went outside they found a haze of blue smoke.
Police found the device was a homemade pipe-bomb. Ball-bearings and shrapnel were recovered from the scene.
The man was described as white, about 5ft 4in tall and slim. He was wearing light blue jeans and a black hooded top pulled over his face.
Det Con Andrew Quinn said: "At this stage we do not know why this family were targeted in such a way but our paramount concern is to find this dangerous offender and lock him up.
"The family deserve the peace of mind of at least seeing this man behind bars so please, if you have any information whatsoever, do call us."
BBC News
The device exploded, damaging the front door of the house on Westminster Street, Swinton, and blowing the letter-box off.
A 61-year-old man and his wife, 38, were upstairs along with their son, 20, and daughter, 12, when the house was targeted last Saturday.
Anyone with information is urged to contact police.
'Dangerous offender'
The son heard footsteps outside the house and saw a man at the bottom of the garden at about 2345 BST.
He then saw a bright flash outside followed by a loud explosion that caused the house to shake.
When the family went outside they found a haze of blue smoke.
Police found the device was a homemade pipe-bomb. Ball-bearings and shrapnel were recovered from the scene.
The man was described as white, about 5ft 4in tall and slim. He was wearing light blue jeans and a black hooded top pulled over his face.
Det Con Andrew Quinn said: "At this stage we do not know why this family were targeted in such a way but our paramount concern is to find this dangerous offender and lock him up.
"The family deserve the peace of mind of at least seeing this man behind bars so please, if you have any information whatsoever, do call us."
BBC News
Three charged over Hartlepool mosque attack (UK)
Three people have been charged over race related vandalism, including a spray paint attack at a mosque.
The charges relate to spray paint attacks at the Nasir Mosque in Hartlepool and two addresses in Shotton Colliery, near Peterlee, last November.
All are accused of conspiracy to commit racially aggravated criminal damage.
A man, 24, from Peterlee, a man, 31, from High Pittington, County Durham and a woman, 19, from Buckinghamshire, are due in court on 11 May.
BBC News
The charges relate to spray paint attacks at the Nasir Mosque in Hartlepool and two addresses in Shotton Colliery, near Peterlee, last November.
All are accused of conspiracy to commit racially aggravated criminal damage.
A man, 24, from Peterlee, a man, 31, from High Pittington, County Durham and a woman, 19, from Buckinghamshire, are due in court on 11 May.
BBC News
Cyber-stalking laws: police review urged (UK)
Greater Manchester Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan wants police to be given more powers to seize computers used to harass victims online.
It is hard to prove who committed stalking even though it is easy to establish which computer was used.
The Home Office says it is investigating the issue.
Mr Shewan, who is the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) leader on the issue of stalking and harassment, met ministers at the Home Office last week.
He said: "The legislation is 12 years old and I don't think anyone envisaged 12 years ago the extent that the world wide web would open up opportunities to harass and stalk people via the internet."
Cyber-stalkers can currently either be charged under the Protection from Harassment Act or the Malicious Communications Act, but charities and academics say neither is sufficient given the expansion in technology in recent years.
300% increase
As the number of people using computers has increased, so has the ability to tap into personal information online.
Mr Shewan wants it to be easier to seize computer equipment from a suspect and to get internet providers to hand over the unique identifier of each computer - the IP address.
Professor Carsten Maple, who heads the National Centre for Cyber-stalking Research at Bedfordshire University, said it was easy for those in-the-know to track down information.
He said Trojan spyware can be used to hack into anybody's computer, access their personal files and even secretly switch on their webcam.
Trojans are viruses which pose as harmless programmes and can be sent into computers via e-mails and other methods.
Yet currently police find it difficult to seize computer equipment unless they can prove there was an intention to cause fear or distress.
Prof Maple added his voice to calls for a review of the legislation.
He said: "The lack of power to seize computers makes it difficult to prove who is responsible for stalking, even if it can be shown beyond reasonable doubt that a particular device was used to commit a crime."
Jane Harvey from the Network for Surviving Stalking said 77% of stalking victims waited until more than 100 incidents had happened before going to the police.
She said when they finally took that step it was vital their allegations were taken seriously and the situation investigated fully.
"This is a devastating crime - being stalked online can ruin people's lives," she said.
"We urge the government and the police to do everything possible to ensure those affected by cyber-stalking get proper access to justice."
Prosecutions under the Malicious Communications Act have soared to an all-time high and increased almost 300% in five years to 899 last year.
Charges under the Protection from Harassment Act have risen from just under 12,000 to 12,549 in five years.
Separate figures from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) show that last year 33% of stalking incidents were by e-mail, 32% by text message and another 8.4% through social networking sites.
A Home Office spokesman said it was working with the police, Crown Prosecution Service and charities to try to improve the police response and make sure there were robust prosecutions.
He said: "Cyber stalking is a crime. As with all other forms of stalking we take it very seriously and we expect other agencies to do the same.
"The Home Office, Ministry of Justice and the Crown Prosecution Service are currently working together with victims and support charities to discuss whether the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and its enforcement has been effective in providing an appropriate response to stalking."
BBC News
1 of 2 Greek youths who took down Nazi flag from Acropolis dies at 89 (Greece)
The family of one of two Greek youths who removed the flag of occupier Nazi Germany from the Acropolis 70 years ago says he has died.
Apostolos "Lakis" Santas' family said Saturday the 89-year-old had died of respiratory failure.
Santas was a 19-year-old law student when he and his close friend Manolis Glezos, also 19, climbed the steep Acropolis hill in the centre of Athens on the night of May 30, 1941, and took down the flag from its mast, even though it was guarded by a sentry. The pair escaped after hiding the flag in a cave.
It was seen as the first, symbolic act of resistance against the month-old occupation.
Glezos and Santas later joined a left-wing resistance group and were imprisoned and exiled during the civil war that followed liberation.
Google Hosted News
Apostolos "Lakis" Santas' family said Saturday the 89-year-old had died of respiratory failure.
Santas was a 19-year-old law student when he and his close friend Manolis Glezos, also 19, climbed the steep Acropolis hill in the centre of Athens on the night of May 30, 1941, and took down the flag from its mast, even though it was guarded by a sentry. The pair escaped after hiding the flag in a cave.
It was seen as the first, symbolic act of resistance against the month-old occupation.
Glezos and Santas later joined a left-wing resistance group and were imprisoned and exiled during the civil war that followed liberation.
Google Hosted News
Royal wedding: Police probe racist attack at Middletons' local pub party (UK)
A party to celebrate the royal wedding at the Middletons’ local pub ended in a punch-up when a drunken gatecrasher attacked three guests.
Landlord of the Old Boot Inn John Hayley, 55, held the £15-a-head bash for 350 regulars after returning from Westminster Abbey, where he had been a wedding guest.
But a fight broke out after a thug is said to have called an Asian woman a “f***ing P***” when she sat in someone else’s seat.
The attacker then grabbed her and threw her to the floor before attacking her sister-in-law and a male pal outside. The Asian woman was left with a cut face and black eye. The thug fled before police arrived.
The pub, in Bucklebury, Berks, is a regular haunt of Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, who have lived nearby for the past 10 years. Kate and Wills have also popped in.
Charlie Hewitt, 47, whose girlfriend Liza Simpson, 39, was attacked by the thug, said: “They were having a delightful day and really enjoying the party. When they got to the Boot it all got a bit unsavoury and some not nice things were said. It really upset her, though, and it’s a real shame to end such a lovely day like that.”
A police spokesman said they were investigating.
Mr Hayley organised the party months ago and he had employed bouncers to stop trouble.
Speaking outside the Abbey after the wedding, he said: “I was sat right at the front. Kate walked so close, I could have touched her dress.”
Sunday Mirror
Landlord of the Old Boot Inn John Hayley, 55, held the £15-a-head bash for 350 regulars after returning from Westminster Abbey, where he had been a wedding guest.
But a fight broke out after a thug is said to have called an Asian woman a “f***ing P***” when she sat in someone else’s seat.
The attacker then grabbed her and threw her to the floor before attacking her sister-in-law and a male pal outside. The Asian woman was left with a cut face and black eye. The thug fled before police arrived.
The pub, in Bucklebury, Berks, is a regular haunt of Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, who have lived nearby for the past 10 years. Kate and Wills have also popped in.
Charlie Hewitt, 47, whose girlfriend Liza Simpson, 39, was attacked by the thug, said: “They were having a delightful day and really enjoying the party. When they got to the Boot it all got a bit unsavoury and some not nice things were said. It really upset her, though, and it’s a real shame to end such a lovely day like that.”
A police spokesman said they were investigating.
Mr Hayley organised the party months ago and he had employed bouncers to stop trouble.
Speaking outside the Abbey after the wedding, he said: “I was sat right at the front. Kate walked so close, I could have touched her dress.”
Sunday Mirror
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Neo-Nazi Couple Convicted For the Murder of Rights Defenders in Moscow (Russia)
Last night, however, a divided jury issued a guilty verdict against Nikita Tikhonov and Yevgeniya Khasis, the neo-Nazi couple accused of murdering Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia Baburova in downtown Moscow on January 19, 2009. Seven jurors found the defendants guilty, and the forthcoming sentencing could yield a life imprisonment for Tikhonov and as many as 20 years behind the bars for Khasis.
Markelov, a human rights defender, lawyer and founder of the Rule of Law Institute, and Baburova, a young freelance reporter working for Novaya Gazeta, were fatally shot after leaving a press conference. Markelov, who is a well-known and respected figure in Russia’s human rights community, represented victims of human rights abuses in Chechnya, independent journalists, including Anna Politkovskaya and Igor Domnikov, as well as victims of neo-Nazi violence. Anastasia Baburova wrote about street protests, demonstrations, youth movements, and high-profile court cases, including the latest ruling against Russian skinhead violence. Human Rights First, joined by some 1,400 of our supporters, appealed to President Medvedev, calling on the Russian authorities to carry out a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into the murder of Anastasia Baburova and Stanislav Markelov, and to find and prosecute those responsible.
Tikhonov and Khasis are well-known figures on the ultranationalist scene in Moscow. At the end of last year, the neo-Nazi movement demonstrated its potential as a viable threat to public stability and an aggressive opponent to the Russian government. In December 2010, ultranationalist groups were able to quickly mobilize thousands of supporters to spread xenophobic rhetoric and rally in downtown areas, committing a slew of violent acts against ethnic minorities encountered by the angry mobs in the streets and on the subway. Trials of alleged organizers are set to begin later this year.
Human Rights first
More BNP expulsions expected (UK)
In fact, we should demand them! BNP press officer Simon Darby has in his own words begun a night of "sustained alcohol abuse". I can't say I really blame him. Having been deserted by his band of political psychopaths, racists and criminals, Darby has spent a large part of the last few days trying to convince the media that there is a mass conspiracy of BNP members having their email and facebook accounts hacked and random acts of vicious and racist remarks left on their social network pages.
Just to ensure that the BNP has a safety clause however, I read on one BNP site this afternoon that: 'BNP Central Office has indicated that people who bring the organisation into disrepute by idiocy will be expelled and remarked that idiocy is not free speech, but sheer stupidity'.
So, let's get the ball rolling with three of the BNP's candidates for Barnsley. Most of their thoughts and comments cannot be repeated. They are so extreme and in places sickening in their vile, racist rants, taking a sick group pleasure attacking ordinary members of the community for their skin colour or their religon.
One candidate, Danny Cooke, makes excessive claims and boasts about carrying out illegal and sickening acts with an animal while egged on by his party colleagues. In other posts, he asks other BNP members to remove pictures of former Barnsley BNP by-election candidate Enis Dalton from their profiles, stating "I'm sick of seeing the bitch".
Then there's Raymond Hinchcliffe, standing in Barnsley Dearne South, who claims that when he sees black people he is reminded to eat a banana, or tells Asians to "F*** O** YOU SMELLEY (sic) B*******" which is also pretty much the way he views and writes about Turkish people.
Finally, Peter Shirt the candidate for Rockingham Ward. Shirt likes to make jokes about the Holocaust, where millions of people were murdered by Nazis. Not only does he make jokes about it, it would seems he positively encourages it. As he does it would seem, violence against women too.
As well as lots of jokes about beating his wife up, he then makes a sickening reference to Peter Sutcliffe who was known as the Yorkshire Ripper, a rapist and a serial murderer who terrorised the north of England, murdering thirteen women.
Why do so many men in the BNP make jokes about beating women and rape? Is it Freudian? Or is it further indication about how very little respect and how much pure hatred these people have for women? I believe it is all.
Shirt also describes Muslims as "f****** revolting".
Over to you, who ever is left running the BNP.
Hope Not Hate
Just to ensure that the BNP has a safety clause however, I read on one BNP site this afternoon that: 'BNP Central Office has indicated that people who bring the organisation into disrepute by idiocy will be expelled and remarked that idiocy is not free speech, but sheer stupidity'.
So, let's get the ball rolling with three of the BNP's candidates for Barnsley. Most of their thoughts and comments cannot be repeated. They are so extreme and in places sickening in their vile, racist rants, taking a sick group pleasure attacking ordinary members of the community for their skin colour or their religon.
One candidate, Danny Cooke, makes excessive claims and boasts about carrying out illegal and sickening acts with an animal while egged on by his party colleagues. In other posts, he asks other BNP members to remove pictures of former Barnsley BNP by-election candidate Enis Dalton from their profiles, stating "I'm sick of seeing the bitch".
Then there's Raymond Hinchcliffe, standing in Barnsley Dearne South, who claims that when he sees black people he is reminded to eat a banana, or tells Asians to "F*** O** YOU SMELLEY (sic) B*******" which is also pretty much the way he views and writes about Turkish people.
Finally, Peter Shirt the candidate for Rockingham Ward. Shirt likes to make jokes about the Holocaust, where millions of people were murdered by Nazis. Not only does he make jokes about it, it would seems he positively encourages it. As he does it would seem, violence against women too.
As well as lots of jokes about beating his wife up, he then makes a sickening reference to Peter Sutcliffe who was known as the Yorkshire Ripper, a rapist and a serial murderer who terrorised the north of England, murdering thirteen women.
Why do so many men in the BNP make jokes about beating women and rape? Is it Freudian? Or is it further indication about how very little respect and how much pure hatred these people have for women? I believe it is all.
Shirt also describes Muslims as "f****** revolting".
Over to you, who ever is left running the BNP.
Hope Not Hate
Accused of race crimes (UK)
Three alleged members of the far-right English Defence League movement have been charged over race related vandalism including at Hartlepool mosque.
Two men and one woman have been charged by police with conspiracy to commit racially aggravated criminal damage.
They are accused of being behind three spray paint attacks, which all are alleged to have happened on the same day last November.
One was at Nasir Mosque, in Brougham Terrace, Hartlepool.
The other addresses were the Albert Guest House and Milko store, both in Shotton Colliery.
A spokesman for Durham Police said: “At the time of the alleged offences all three people claimed membership of the English Defence League.”
A 24-year-old from Peterlee, a 31-year-old from High Pittinton, County Durham and a 19-year-old woman from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, have been bailed to appear at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, May 11.
Hartlepool
Two men and one woman have been charged by police with conspiracy to commit racially aggravated criminal damage.
They are accused of being behind three spray paint attacks, which all are alleged to have happened on the same day last November.
One was at Nasir Mosque, in Brougham Terrace, Hartlepool.
The other addresses were the Albert Guest House and Milko store, both in Shotton Colliery.
A spokesman for Durham Police said: “At the time of the alleged offences all three people claimed membership of the English Defence League.”
A 24-year-old from Peterlee, a 31-year-old from High Pittinton, County Durham and a 19-year-old woman from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, have been bailed to appear at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, May 11.
Hartlepool
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Right-wing Baptist Church plans royal wedding protest (USA)
The Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church, an extreme right-wing Christian group, is planning to protest outside Westminster Abbey on the day of the royal wedding.
The group has promised to picket the royal wedding, saying: ‘God hates the UK’.
The church, which believes the West is living in sin for accepting homosexuality, is planning to protest outside Westminster Abbey between 7am and 8.15am.
The group said: ‘Only a nation of blind perverts would bow down to the morally-bankrupt royal family, or give a second glance at one of their pretentious false worship sessions.’
The church, led by Fred Phelps, was banned from entering Britain in 2009 by the then home secretary Jacqui Smith.
The 79-year-old pastor and his daughter have picketed the funerals of Aids victims and claim American soldiers are being killed as punishment for their country’s tolerance of homosexuality.
British Baptists have sought to distance themselves from the group, saying Westboro ‘no way reflects the views of Baptists in this country’.
Police said the church has not made an application to protest and would not be allowed to do so.
Metro
The group has promised to picket the royal wedding, saying: ‘God hates the UK’.
The church, which believes the West is living in sin for accepting homosexuality, is planning to protest outside Westminster Abbey between 7am and 8.15am.
The group said: ‘Only a nation of blind perverts would bow down to the morally-bankrupt royal family, or give a second glance at one of their pretentious false worship sessions.’
The church, led by Fred Phelps, was banned from entering Britain in 2009 by the then home secretary Jacqui Smith.
The 79-year-old pastor and his daughter have picketed the funerals of Aids victims and claim American soldiers are being killed as punishment for their country’s tolerance of homosexuality.
British Baptists have sought to distance themselves from the group, saying Westboro ‘no way reflects the views of Baptists in this country’.
Police said the church has not made an application to protest and would not be allowed to do so.
Metro
BNP Accuses Royal Mail Of Dumping Leaflets (UK)
The Royal Mail is investigating claims that its staff have dumped far-right election leaflets "across Wales" instead of delivering them to households.
BNP chairman Nick Griffin has accused postal workers of dumping hundreds of leaflets at a single address and claims the party has "heavy reports" of widespread non-delivery of its election pamphlets.
"These have been dumped undelivered, likely across the whole of Wales," he told members in an email.
"Royal Mail [has dumped] 400 of our Welsh Local Assembly election leaflets in the back garden of one of our candidates," he claimed.
"It would seem that they have "lost" many of them," he continued.
"So we now urgently have to re-print them and take them back to the delivery offices."
A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We are aware of this complaint which has not yet been substantiated. However, we are now investigating accordingly."
During previous election campaigns, some postal workers have refused to deliver BNP leaflets using a "conscience clause" in their contracts that allows them to reject literature they find offensive.
In 2009 around 100 delivery staff in Bristol and Somerset refused to handle pamphlets with an anti-immigration message.
The Royal Mail has legal obligations under the Representation of the People Act to deliver election material, meaning that in theory it would have to make alternative arrangements to deliver any leaflets its staff declined to deliver.
Kevin Slocombe, communications director at the Communication Workers' Union, told Sky News: "At this point in time we have absolutely no idea as to the details or validity of those claims."
Sky News
BNP chairman Nick Griffin has accused postal workers of dumping hundreds of leaflets at a single address and claims the party has "heavy reports" of widespread non-delivery of its election pamphlets.
"These have been dumped undelivered, likely across the whole of Wales," he told members in an email.
"Royal Mail [has dumped] 400 of our Welsh Local Assembly election leaflets in the back garden of one of our candidates," he claimed.
"It would seem that they have "lost" many of them," he continued.
"So we now urgently have to re-print them and take them back to the delivery offices."
A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We are aware of this complaint which has not yet been substantiated. However, we are now investigating accordingly."
During previous election campaigns, some postal workers have refused to deliver BNP leaflets using a "conscience clause" in their contracts that allows them to reject literature they find offensive.
In 2009 around 100 delivery staff in Bristol and Somerset refused to handle pamphlets with an anti-immigration message.
The Royal Mail has legal obligations under the Representation of the People Act to deliver election material, meaning that in theory it would have to make alternative arrangements to deliver any leaflets its staff declined to deliver.
Kevin Slocombe, communications director at the Communication Workers' Union, told Sky News: "At this point in time we have absolutely no idea as to the details or validity of those claims."
Sky News
Hungary promises to tackle far-right vigilantes after four hurt in clashes
Hungary's government has vowed to crack down on uniformed far-right groups after four people were injured in fighting between ultra-nationalist vigilantes and members of the Roma community.
The clash in the village of Gyöngyöspata came just days after almost 300 local Roma women and children left their homes for the Easter weekend, when a paramilitary group called Vedero, or Defence Force, set up a “training camp” in the area.
Members of Hungary’s centre-right Fidesz government, which holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, denied the Roma had been “evacuated” and accused critics of trying to make political capital from the incident.
But they were quick yesterday to promise legal action against a host of far-right vigilante groups, which claim to be bringing order to neglected, impoverished areas of Hungary where the underfunded police force allegedly cannot cope with “Gypsy crime”.
Police said one of the four people injured was in a serious condition after the fight overnight between Vedero members and Roma, and that a number of arrests had been made. Local media quoted witnesses as saying the fight broke out after Vedero members threw stones at a Roma house and attacked a teenager.
“The government is proposing to make the penal code stricter given the emergence of a new form of criminality: uniformed criminality,” said spokesman Peter Szijjarto.
“Those walking around in uniform, pretending they are authorised to take measures against others, these people are criminals. We’ll stop this form of crime,” he added. “According to the proposal, those who spread terror with actions meant to impose order or pretending to impose order will be jailed for up to two years”, and if a particular community is targeted, “this will be considered an aggravating circumstance and could lead to three years in prison”.
Most of the paramilitary groups are linked to Jobbik, the far-right party that is the third-strongest force in Hungarian politics.
Senior Jobbik MP Janos Volner said the incident showed “a crisis in public safety has emerged”.
“The Fidesz government is incapable of guaranteeing law and order anywhere in the country,” he said. “A civil militia should be established in place of the woeful and uncertain police . . . because without unified order the government will not be capable of taking up the fight against this kind of Gypsy crime.”
Irish Times
The clash in the village of Gyöngyöspata came just days after almost 300 local Roma women and children left their homes for the Easter weekend, when a paramilitary group called Vedero, or Defence Force, set up a “training camp” in the area.
Members of Hungary’s centre-right Fidesz government, which holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, denied the Roma had been “evacuated” and accused critics of trying to make political capital from the incident.
But they were quick yesterday to promise legal action against a host of far-right vigilante groups, which claim to be bringing order to neglected, impoverished areas of Hungary where the underfunded police force allegedly cannot cope with “Gypsy crime”.
Police said one of the four people injured was in a serious condition after the fight overnight between Vedero members and Roma, and that a number of arrests had been made. Local media quoted witnesses as saying the fight broke out after Vedero members threw stones at a Roma house and attacked a teenager.
“The government is proposing to make the penal code stricter given the emergence of a new form of criminality: uniformed criminality,” said spokesman Peter Szijjarto.
“Those walking around in uniform, pretending they are authorised to take measures against others, these people are criminals. We’ll stop this form of crime,” he added. “According to the proposal, those who spread terror with actions meant to impose order or pretending to impose order will be jailed for up to two years”, and if a particular community is targeted, “this will be considered an aggravating circumstance and could lead to three years in prison”.
Most of the paramilitary groups are linked to Jobbik, the far-right party that is the third-strongest force in Hungarian politics.
Senior Jobbik MP Janos Volner said the incident showed “a crisis in public safety has emerged”.
“The Fidesz government is incapable of guaranteeing law and order anywhere in the country,” he said. “A civil militia should be established in place of the woeful and uncertain police . . . because without unified order the government will not be capable of taking up the fight against this kind of Gypsy crime.”
Irish Times
BNP candidate condemned for abusive Facebook post (UK)
Politicians from mainstream parties have condemned Susan Harwood, a BNP candidate in Torfaen at next week’s National Assembly election.
The material, which uses abusive four-letter language about a group called Muslims Against Crusades, was featured on Ms Harwood’s Facebook site, but has since been removed.
The Conservative candidate in Torfaen is Natasha Asghar, a Muslim.
Labour’s Lynne Neagle, who has represented the seat since the Assembly was formed and is seeking re-election, said: “This is outrageous behaviour by someone who pretends to be a respectable candidate in a democratic election. It’s one thing to oppose an organisation’s views, but her actions go far beyond legitimate criticism.
“It is totally unacceptable that BNP candidates continue to behave like this. People across Wales should know that a vote for the BNP is a vote for thugs and racists of the worst sort. If the BNP had a shred of decency, they would drop Susan Harwood as a candidate.”
Welsh Conservative candidate for North Wales and vice-president of the anti-fascist group Searchlight Cymru, Mark Isherwood said: “These appalling and offensive comments show the BNP in their true colours. People across Wales will deplore these racist and bigoted comments ... and I am confident that the BNP will be defeated at the ballot box.”
Ian Titherington, director of elections for Plaid Cymru, said: “The BNP is struggling for candidates and scraping the barrel.”
Swansea resident Ms Harwood could not be contacted for comment.
BNP deputy leader Simon Darby, said: “I’ll take no lessons from the Tories or Labour, who are responsible for killing thousands of Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Wales Online
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
BNP candidate Anita Cooper blames hackers for messages (UK)
The Facebook networking page for Anita Cooper, British National Party candidate for Fawdon, Newcastle, is littered with twisted messages.
Using the name “Anita MrsBnp Cooper”, the profile page includes sick jokes about the Pakistan floods that killed more than 1,500.
In photos posted on the site, Mrs Cooper is pictured with BNP leader Nick Griffin, party activist Angelos Gavriel and Martin Vaughan, the party’s fundholder for South Tyneside.
In one post, it is claimed an increasing demand for Facebook from ethnic minorities had prompted creators to set up a new site named “Junglebook”.
And in another the author claims to have become ill after travelling on a coach from Barnsley with Asian people.
Posts mocking Polish immigrants, foul-mouthed rhymes and general abusive comments are also posted.
Today, Mrs Cooper said she was unaware of any racist remarks on her Facebook page and said someone had hacked her account.
She said: “I’m totally unaware of any racist remarks. It very much sounds like it was hacked as I don’t use Facebook a great deal.
“I’m not a racist - I’m just not like that. I’ve got friends that are all different colours and I’ve got friends who are Muslim. [Racism] is something I do not approve of. It’s not what the party is about - we are not a racist party and I am far from that.
“It must be that someone has hacked my account and I don’t want to be branded a racist.
“It’s not nice knowing that someone has been going on there. As soon as I can get to a computer I will go on and delete the profile or change my password.” A spokesman for Tyne and Wear Anti-Fascist Association, said: “Whoever wrote these comments is a racist person who has a problem with Pakistani people and they stereotype.
“People have contacted us about these comments and they are obviously very shocked and concerned.”
But Ken Booth, former regional BNP organiser and council candidate for Fenham, said: “Mrs Cooper told me she had not recollection of the comments.
“I know one or two people who have had their Facebook hacked. I had some comments appear on my Facebook page that I didn’t write.
“I will have to look into it. I will see Anita on Wednesday and will ask her about it then.
“The jokes don’t sound any worse than ones you would hear in a bar at a social club. It seems like they have transferred to the internet.
“People get carried away with the internet and live their lives on Facebook. I would advise members to keep it clean and respectable on the internet.”
Mrs Cooper was nominated as Fawdon ward’s prospective local candidate for the May 5 elections.
In recent weeks she has taken to the streets to hand out leaflets and canvass support for her election push.
In one post the author shows support for killer Raoul Moat, in which they call for the media to “leave” him alone.
They wrote: “Why can’t the news just leave Raoul Moat alone, the poor lad has gone now. RIP big lad.”
Hari Shukla, vice chairman of the Newcastle Council of Faiths, said: “This being a multi-cultural and multi-racial society, we need to support those who create understanding in our community and support every member of our community irrespective of their background, colour or religion.
“It’s important that we keep these in mind when we are trying to attain a multi-cultural society which is an asset for Newcastle.”
A police spokeswoman said they had not received any complaint about the page.
She said: “However, if a complaint is made to the police about the contents of any Facebook page then we would make inquiries.”
No-one from Facebook was available for comment at short notice.
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