The Smurfs are icons of the animated universe. They have a full-length feature film set for release in mid-Summer. And it can be expected that there will be many attempting to capitalize on what will most likely be a successful cinematic run. But to be attacked by a French sociologist as racists and socialists and Nazis?
"The Smurfs," an animated feature film starring the tiny blue characters that dominated American television during the 1980's, is set for a late July release. There are already two trailers getting heavy play on the Internet and an occasional rotation on television. And as with any highly anticipated movie, there is the foreknowledge that there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals and groups looking for a hook or tie-in to the characters or the movie in order to make a few dollars. Some of those "tie-ins" will be in the form of attacks, perhaps the raising of controversial subjects. But a new book by French sociologist Antoine Bueno seems to have covered every extreme in describing the little blue characters, noting that the characters and the storyline reflects socialism and Nazism, racism and sexism.
According to Bueno, the Smurfs represent various evils of the world. He all but calls them little blue sexist racist Stalinist Nazis. In Le Petit Livre Bleu ("The Little Blue Book"), Bueno explains how the Smurfs exhibit certain characteristics indicative of some of the more unsavory beliefs and political movements the world has ever known (and still experiences in some degree in some areas). Of course the book has caused a bit of a stir amongst Smurfs fans, many of whom are angry at Bueno's depiction of cartoons beloved by millions of children.
But Bueno, who is a lecturer at the Sciences Po political sciences school in Paris, says that their anger is based on misunderstanding. He actually "loves" the Smurfs. He explains that his book is only a reflection of what the Smurfs were representative of -- society in the 1950s, the era in which they were created.
According to Gawker, he identifies several issues in his book. Among them:
Anti-Semitism: Bueno describes the evil wizard Gargamel as the stereotyped Jew: "ugly, dirty, with a hooked nose (who) is fascinated by gold."
Socialism: The Smurfs owned no property and did a lot of activities together.
Stalinism: Bueno notes that this was embodied in controlling Papa Smurf, who wore a red cap and red pants.
Sexism: Smurfette was the only girl Smurf.
Nazism: Bueno notes that Smurfette's blonde hair points to Nazi leanings. He also posits the Smurfs relationship with Gargamel and his "maybe-Jewish cat, Azrael."
Racism: Apparently the creator of the Smurfs, Belgian cartoonist Peyo, originally came up with The Black Smurfs. The tiny guys became black after one of them gets bitten by a black fly that changed his skin color to jet black. The village somehow eventually all became black Smurfs and degenerated into what Bueno described as "reduced to the state of primitives who jump around and cry: 'Gnap! Gnap!' [Gnash! Gnash!] They lose all trace of intelligence and become completely moronic."
Smurf fans are up in arms about the mostly derogatory depictions and interpretations of Bueno. According to Gawker, he fears for his life after reading some of the comments about himself and his book on the Internet.
It is uncertain if Bueno plans to add an updated chapter to include views on the sociological aspects of the film once "The Smurfs" movie is released.
HULIQ
Monday, 6 June 2011
POLICE IN BRATISLAVA DISPERSE AGGRESSIVE NEO-NAZIS (Slovakia)
Approximately 50 aggressive neo-Nazis attempted to attack the second annual Rainbow Parade in support of gay and lesbian rights yesterday in Bratislava. About 1 500 people participated in the parade. The event started at 13:00 on Hviezdoslavova námìstí, where the first 400 people gathered. The site resembled an impregnable fortress, as barriers had been erected on every side and police officers, including riot units, defended the peaceful gathering from neo-Nazis. A small group of extremists attempted to protest directly on the square. Right-wing radicals wearing "Slovenská pospolitost" ("Slovak Solidarity") t-shirts and dark-colored clothing held a banner reading "For the traditional family, against deviation" and featuring the logo of the People's Party - Our Slovakia (Lidová strana - Naše Slovensko).
Rainbow Parade participants held banners reading "Hate is not a family value" or "I'm the pink sheep of the family." Slogans such as "End homophobia in Slovakia!" resounded from the loudspeakers. The march left the square and headed through the Old Town across the New Bridge (Nový most) to the Petržalka quarter. The numbers of participants gradually increased and separated into two parts on the Tyršov embankment. The first got on buses to go to after-parties in various parts of the city, while the second headed for a boat where a party was also taking place. As the march proceeded beneath the New Bridge, an approximately 50-member group of neo-Nazis attempted to attack the peaceful march with smoke bombs, but police immediately dispersed them. Bratislava Police detained at least 42 people, including 26 of those who did their best to disturb the march beneath the New Bridge.
People from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and other European countries participated in the march. Many were wrapped in enormous rainbow flags. During the program, singer Aneta Langerová also performed. She admitted Slovakia is much more conservative and prudish in this area than the Czech Republic. "Some of that may have to do with the fact that there are still not many laws about human rights for homosexuals. I believe those are basic things which should have been instituted a long time ago and which we do have in Bohemia. We are probably ahead of Slovakia in that respect, and that was even more a reason to come here," Langerová said after her performance. She recently admitted to being in a relationship with a woman herself. The embassies of the Netherlands, Norway and the USA sent representatives to the event. Mayor Ftáènik, Slovak government politicians, Slovak MEP Monika Flašíková-Beòová and her husband Fedor Flašík, Austrian MEP Ulrike Lunacek and Netherlands MEP Marije Cornelissen greeted the marchers.
Last year, during the first-ever Slovak Rainbow Parade, neo-Nazis organized a counter-action on the day of the march and attacked its participants. Organizers had to change their entire program, canceling their planned march through the center of Bratislava and changing the route to pass through a different part of the city. Right-wing radicals shouted abusive slogans at the approximately 500-strong march and threw smoke bombs and stones into the crowd.
Romea
Rainbow Parade participants held banners reading "Hate is not a family value" or "I'm the pink sheep of the family." Slogans such as "End homophobia in Slovakia!" resounded from the loudspeakers. The march left the square and headed through the Old Town across the New Bridge (Nový most) to the Petržalka quarter. The numbers of participants gradually increased and separated into two parts on the Tyršov embankment. The first got on buses to go to after-parties in various parts of the city, while the second headed for a boat where a party was also taking place. As the march proceeded beneath the New Bridge, an approximately 50-member group of neo-Nazis attempted to attack the peaceful march with smoke bombs, but police immediately dispersed them. Bratislava Police detained at least 42 people, including 26 of those who did their best to disturb the march beneath the New Bridge.
People from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and other European countries participated in the march. Many were wrapped in enormous rainbow flags. During the program, singer Aneta Langerová also performed. She admitted Slovakia is much more conservative and prudish in this area than the Czech Republic. "Some of that may have to do with the fact that there are still not many laws about human rights for homosexuals. I believe those are basic things which should have been instituted a long time ago and which we do have in Bohemia. We are probably ahead of Slovakia in that respect, and that was even more a reason to come here," Langerová said after her performance. She recently admitted to being in a relationship with a woman herself. The embassies of the Netherlands, Norway and the USA sent representatives to the event. Mayor Ftáènik, Slovak government politicians, Slovak MEP Monika Flašíková-Beòová and her husband Fedor Flašík, Austrian MEP Ulrike Lunacek and Netherlands MEP Marije Cornelissen greeted the marchers.
Last year, during the first-ever Slovak Rainbow Parade, neo-Nazis organized a counter-action on the day of the march and attacked its participants. Organizers had to change their entire program, canceling their planned march through the center of Bratislava and changing the route to pass through a different part of the city. Right-wing radicals shouted abusive slogans at the approximately 500-strong march and threw smoke bombs and stones into the crowd.
Romea
We're Back !
Due to technical difficulties this blog has been inactive for the last week.
Thankfully those issues now seem to be resolved and normal service will resume.
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Finnish Nazi Party Fails in Registration Attempt
The Finnish National Socialist Workers’ Party, otherwise known as Finland’s Nazi party, has failed to complete the registration process for associations. Finland’s National Board of Patents and Registration (PRH) stopped the application process after asking for revisions and additional information.
The PRH set a May 16 deadline for the party to make the changes required. Among other things, the party was asked to clarify their ideological purpose. The PRH asked for the party to provide greater precision in its rules, and to clarify what exactly national socialism means, according to regional newspaper Savon Sanomat.
The PRH has not made a decision on whether or not the party can register as an association, as the deadline lapsed. The party can not apply to the Interior Ministry to join the register of the official political parties unless it successfully becomes an association. The party can submit another application.
YLE
The PRH set a May 16 deadline for the party to make the changes required. Among other things, the party was asked to clarify their ideological purpose. The PRH asked for the party to provide greater precision in its rules, and to clarify what exactly national socialism means, according to regional newspaper Savon Sanomat.
The PRH has not made a decision on whether or not the party can register as an association, as the deadline lapsed. The party can not apply to the Interior Ministry to join the register of the official political parties unless it successfully becomes an association. The party can submit another application.
YLE
Flemish move for Nazi collaboration amnesty widens rift in Belgium
Far-right party's motion erects another obstacle to forming a national government and ending country's political crisis
One more example of the communal divisions in Belgium – and yet another obstacle to negotiations to form a government – has arisen.
On 12 May, the 333rd day of Belgium's political crisis, all the mainstream Flemish parties, apart from the Greens, supported a motion by the far-right Vlaams Belang party advocating an amnesty for those who collaborated with the Nazi occupation in 1940-45. The bill suggests effacing all the effects of "sentences and sanctions inflicted on the grounds of alleged breaches of public loyalty". It proposes compensation for "financial prejudice" suffered by "victims of postwar repression or their descendants".
Flemish-speaking far-right parties have been battling for almost 20 years for an amnesty. Until now all the proposals by Vlaams Belang, which is largely isolated, have failed. But when the Flemish Social-Democrats (SP.a) decided to endorse the proposal it opened the way for the Flemish majority in the upper house to authorise a debate. Parliament had previously refused to entertain the idea. "In these difficult times it is particularly worrying that this rule should have been broken," said Philippe Mahoux, a Walloon Socialist (PS) party senator. "It is a major obstacle in the path of those who want to establish stable government," said Francis Delpérée, a member of the centrist CDH party.
Armed collaboration with Germany involved roughly equal numbers from the Walloon and Flemish communities, but political collaboration was more extensive in Flanders. where the Nazis awarded privileges such as releasing prisoners of war and placing militants of the Vlaams Nationaal Verbond, a nationalist pro-collaboration party, in positions of authority in Flemish localities, according to the writer Charles Bricman. In 1943 about 2,000 collaborators enrolled in the Walloon Legion, almost 3,000 in its Flemish counterpart. Nearly 14,000 Belgians fought in the Wehrmacht under German colours. The move looks like a warning to French-speaking politicians suspected of holding up negotiations to end the political stalemate. It might even herald a repeat of the events of 2007, when in the course of committee proceedings in parliament the Flemish majority unanimously voted to split the bilingual Brussels-Hal-Vilvorde district.
Almost four years later the situation has hardly changed. After countless attempts, King Albert II is once more holding talks, after Wouter Beke, the latest in a long line of negotiators, asked on 12 May to be relieved of his duties. After more than two months' discussions the leader of the Flemish Christian Democrat (CD&V) party delivered a thick document to the head of state which, he says, contains the basis for possible agreement.
None of the players seems to believe a solution is possible and the Crown obstinately refuses to consider another election. According to the commentators, the most likely outcome is a negotiated partition of the country, which might also take ages.
The Guardian
One more example of the communal divisions in Belgium – and yet another obstacle to negotiations to form a government – has arisen.
On 12 May, the 333rd day of Belgium's political crisis, all the mainstream Flemish parties, apart from the Greens, supported a motion by the far-right Vlaams Belang party advocating an amnesty for those who collaborated with the Nazi occupation in 1940-45. The bill suggests effacing all the effects of "sentences and sanctions inflicted on the grounds of alleged breaches of public loyalty". It proposes compensation for "financial prejudice" suffered by "victims of postwar repression or their descendants".
Flemish-speaking far-right parties have been battling for almost 20 years for an amnesty. Until now all the proposals by Vlaams Belang, which is largely isolated, have failed. But when the Flemish Social-Democrats (SP.a) decided to endorse the proposal it opened the way for the Flemish majority in the upper house to authorise a debate. Parliament had previously refused to entertain the idea. "In these difficult times it is particularly worrying that this rule should have been broken," said Philippe Mahoux, a Walloon Socialist (PS) party senator. "It is a major obstacle in the path of those who want to establish stable government," said Francis Delpérée, a member of the centrist CDH party.
Armed collaboration with Germany involved roughly equal numbers from the Walloon and Flemish communities, but political collaboration was more extensive in Flanders. where the Nazis awarded privileges such as releasing prisoners of war and placing militants of the Vlaams Nationaal Verbond, a nationalist pro-collaboration party, in positions of authority in Flemish localities, according to the writer Charles Bricman. In 1943 about 2,000 collaborators enrolled in the Walloon Legion, almost 3,000 in its Flemish counterpart. Nearly 14,000 Belgians fought in the Wehrmacht under German colours. The move looks like a warning to French-speaking politicians suspected of holding up negotiations to end the political stalemate. It might even herald a repeat of the events of 2007, when in the course of committee proceedings in parliament the Flemish majority unanimously voted to split the bilingual Brussels-Hal-Vilvorde district.
Almost four years later the situation has hardly changed. After countless attempts, King Albert II is once more holding talks, after Wouter Beke, the latest in a long line of negotiators, asked on 12 May to be relieved of his duties. After more than two months' discussions the leader of the Flemish Christian Democrat (CD&V) party delivered a thick document to the head of state which, he says, contains the basis for possible agreement.
None of the players seems to believe a solution is possible and the Crown obstinately refuses to consider another election. According to the commentators, the most likely outcome is a negotiated partition of the country, which might also take ages.
The Guardian
Bulgarian Govt with Hands Off Far Right despite New Mosque Rallies - Report
Bulgaria's far-right and nationalist party Ataka is getting ready to stage a new protest rally during the Friday prayer at the Sofia Mosque Banya Bashi.
According to unconfirmed reports, Ataka, whose activists shocked Bulgaria by assaulting praying Muslims in the Sofia mosque last Friday during a rally protesting against the loudspeakers of the mosque, are getting ready for a new rally just a week later.
The Ataka party has not confirmed the reports. However, there are indications that the Sofia Municipality and Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, a representative of the ruling party GERB, who can technically ban the provocative rally, will adopt a hands-off policy.
The reason for that is that by banning the rally of the nationalist party Ataka, which is the only ally, though an informal one, of the ruling center-right party GERB, the Sofia Municipality might lead Ataka leader Volen Siderov to withdraw support from the minority government of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.
GERB has 117 MPs out of 240, and Ataka's 21 MPs provide it with a comfortable majority, after the rightist Blue Coalition with its 14 MPs declared itself to be in opposition. One of the reason Borisov did not make a formal coalition with Ataka, in addition to his widely proclaim desire not to be dependent on coalition partners, is the protest of the European People's Party, of which GERB is a member.
Siderov has threatened Borisov he will stop backing the government unless the authorities took measures to investigate what he claims to be a "nest of radical Islamism" in the Sofia mosque.
Borisov himself and his party GERB initially denounced the actions of their ally; however, Borisov subsequently sought to downplay Friday's incident, saying that the nationalist party Ataka and the ethnic Turkish party DPS (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) are both going down the same road by seeking to pump up their electoral support through incidents with propaganda effect.
If the government collapses, this would mean early elections prepared by a caretaker Cabinet to be appointed by President Georgi Parvanov, a Socialist and major rival of PM Borisov.
Informal reports indicate that while Borisov's party is considering causing early elections, they want to avoid holding a vote on the terms of a caretaker Cabinet appointed by Parvanov, whose term expires in January 2012. Bulgaria is holding presidential and local elections in the fall of 2011, most likely in October.
Novinite
According to unconfirmed reports, Ataka, whose activists shocked Bulgaria by assaulting praying Muslims in the Sofia mosque last Friday during a rally protesting against the loudspeakers of the mosque, are getting ready for a new rally just a week later.
The Ataka party has not confirmed the reports. However, there are indications that the Sofia Municipality and Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, a representative of the ruling party GERB, who can technically ban the provocative rally, will adopt a hands-off policy.
The reason for that is that by banning the rally of the nationalist party Ataka, which is the only ally, though an informal one, of the ruling center-right party GERB, the Sofia Municipality might lead Ataka leader Volen Siderov to withdraw support from the minority government of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.
GERB has 117 MPs out of 240, and Ataka's 21 MPs provide it with a comfortable majority, after the rightist Blue Coalition with its 14 MPs declared itself to be in opposition. One of the reason Borisov did not make a formal coalition with Ataka, in addition to his widely proclaim desire not to be dependent on coalition partners, is the protest of the European People's Party, of which GERB is a member.
Siderov has threatened Borisov he will stop backing the government unless the authorities took measures to investigate what he claims to be a "nest of radical Islamism" in the Sofia mosque.
Borisov himself and his party GERB initially denounced the actions of their ally; however, Borisov subsequently sought to downplay Friday's incident, saying that the nationalist party Ataka and the ethnic Turkish party DPS (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) are both going down the same road by seeking to pump up their electoral support through incidents with propaganda effect.
If the government collapses, this would mean early elections prepared by a caretaker Cabinet to be appointed by President Georgi Parvanov, a Socialist and major rival of PM Borisov.
Informal reports indicate that while Borisov's party is considering causing early elections, they want to avoid holding a vote on the terms of a caretaker Cabinet appointed by Parvanov, whose term expires in January 2012. Bulgaria is holding presidential and local elections in the fall of 2011, most likely in October.
Novinite
U.N. rights chief raps Australia on refugees, racism
The United Nations' top human rights watchdog on Wednesday attacked Australia's tough refugee policies and the treatment of outback Aborigines, saying there was a strong undercurrent of racism in the country.
Long-standing policies of locking up asylum seekers had "cast a shadow over Australia's human rights record", and appeared to be completely arbitrary, U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay said.
"I come from South Africa and lived under this, and am every way attuned to seeing racial discrimination," Pillay, a former anti-apartheid campaigner and international criminal court judge, told reporters at the end of a six-day visit.
"There is a racial discriminatory element here which I see as rather inhumane treatment of people, judged by their differences, racial, colour or religions," she said.
Pillay held talks on Wednesday with Prime Minister Julia Gillard and expressed deep concern about the minority Labor government's latest plan to send hundreds of asylum seekers to Malaysia for refugee processing, hoping to appease voter concern about asylum seekers arriving by boat.
The government has been struggling to handle the flow of illegal immigrants and earlier this month said it had struck a deal with Kuala Lumpur to ensure asylum-seekers caught heading to Australia would be sent to Malaysia, which is not a signatory of the U.N. refugee convention.
More than 900 people, mostly from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Sri Lanka, have arrived in Australia so far this year, while 134 boats carrying 6,535 people turned up last year, prompting the government to harden immigration policy.
While Pillay's criticism may cause Australia some discomfort internationally, it is unlikely to convince Gillard or her conservative political opponents to change tack, given polls showing wide voter concern about border security.
She also criticised an "intervention" policy introduced by the former conservative government and continued by Gillard which places controls on welfare spending for Aborigines to help fight alcohol and child sex abuse in remote outback areas.
"In my discussions with Aboriginal people, I could sense the deep hurt and pain that they have suffered because of government policies that are imposed on them," she said.
Australia's 460,000 Aborigines make up about 2 percent of the population. They suffer higher rates of unemployment, substance abuse and domestic violence than other Australians, as well as having a 17-year gap in life expectancy.
Reuters
Long-standing policies of locking up asylum seekers had "cast a shadow over Australia's human rights record", and appeared to be completely arbitrary, U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay said.
"I come from South Africa and lived under this, and am every way attuned to seeing racial discrimination," Pillay, a former anti-apartheid campaigner and international criminal court judge, told reporters at the end of a six-day visit.
"There is a racial discriminatory element here which I see as rather inhumane treatment of people, judged by their differences, racial, colour or religions," she said.
Pillay held talks on Wednesday with Prime Minister Julia Gillard and expressed deep concern about the minority Labor government's latest plan to send hundreds of asylum seekers to Malaysia for refugee processing, hoping to appease voter concern about asylum seekers arriving by boat.
The government has been struggling to handle the flow of illegal immigrants and earlier this month said it had struck a deal with Kuala Lumpur to ensure asylum-seekers caught heading to Australia would be sent to Malaysia, which is not a signatory of the U.N. refugee convention.
More than 900 people, mostly from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Sri Lanka, have arrived in Australia so far this year, while 134 boats carrying 6,535 people turned up last year, prompting the government to harden immigration policy.
While Pillay's criticism may cause Australia some discomfort internationally, it is unlikely to convince Gillard or her conservative political opponents to change tack, given polls showing wide voter concern about border security.
She also criticised an "intervention" policy introduced by the former conservative government and continued by Gillard which places controls on welfare spending for Aborigines to help fight alcohol and child sex abuse in remote outback areas.
"In my discussions with Aboriginal people, I could sense the deep hurt and pain that they have suffered because of government policies that are imposed on them," she said.
Australia's 460,000 Aborigines make up about 2 percent of the population. They suffer higher rates of unemployment, substance abuse and domestic violence than other Australians, as well as having a 17-year gap in life expectancy.
Reuters
EDL member pleads not guilty to affray (UK)
A man from Birmingham has been charged with affray following ugly clashes at an English Defence League demonstration in Aylesbury in May last year.
Stuart Bates, aged 41, of Lazyhill, Kings Norton, was charged with affray by Thames Valley Police on May 5.
He was bailed and appeared at Aylesbury Magistrates’ Court on Monday where he entered a not guilty plea to the charge.
The case was adjourned and the next hearing will be at Aylesbury Crown Court in July.
Bucks Herald
Stuart Bates, aged 41, of Lazyhill, Kings Norton, was charged with affray by Thames Valley Police on May 5.
He was bailed and appeared at Aylesbury Magistrates’ Court on Monday where he entered a not guilty plea to the charge.
The case was adjourned and the next hearing will be at Aylesbury Crown Court in July.
Bucks Herald
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
GERMAN COURT REINSTATES 2.5-MILLION-EURO FINE FOR RIGHT-WING PARTY
Germany's far-right National Democratic Party must pay a 2.5-million-euro (3.5-million-dollar) fine for failing to declare part of its income, ruled a high court Monday. The ruling, by Berlin's higher administrative court, upheld a fine imposed on the NDP by the federal parliament, for filing erroneous tax returns in 2007. This penalty had previously been halved by a lower court, whose decision was overturned on Monday, reinstating the original 2.5-million-euro fine. The far-right party is on the verge of financial ruin because of earlier fines. It was forced to pay 870,000 euros in a previous court ruling on party funding records from the 1990s, and was also charged 33,000 euros by a court last December, for incorrectly declared income between 2004 and 2007. Monday's judgement came in response to an appeal process launched jointly by the NPD - who had hoped to annul the entire fine - and the parliament's administrative body, which oversees party funding. The law stipulates that parties are fined double the amount of any undeclared funding.
DPA
DPA
European neo-Nazi websites find home in US
The website is awash with neo-Nazi symbolism and even sarcastically refers to the notorious Mauthausen concentration camp as Austria's largest open-air museum.
But attempts to cripple the xenophobic "Alpen-Donau" forum have been hindered by the fact it's housed on a U.S. server, an example of how free speech on one side of the Atlantic can help spread hate speech on the other.
Austria bans Nazi glorification and Holocaust denial. In the United States nearly unrestricted freedom of speech rights are considered a cornerstone of democracy.
Three people suspected of being behind the website were arrested in April, including Gottfried Kuessel, one of the Alpine republic's leading neo-Nazis. But until a couple of weeks ago it continued to spew extremist and anti-Semitic rhetoric. Germany has also run into the problem of shutting down U.S.-hosted neo-Nazi websites.
Hungary has faced a similar hurdle for years, although hate speech is considered a crime there only if it incites specific acts of violence or abuse. Hungarian right-wing groups regularly target Gypsies and other minorities.
Austrian investigators have suggested that, for forensic reasons, it's in their interest that the website stay online for now because it provides them with vital clues in their probe aimed at tracking down remaining suspects.
But those personally targeted by the site want U.S. authorities to shut it down immediately.
"This is blatant anti-Semitism and blatant racism," said Willi Mernyi, president of the Mauthausen Committee, a Holocaust awareness group.
The website's latest posting features photos of Mernyi and implies he is to blame for acts of vandalism at the former concentration camp where the Nazis murdered about 100,000 people. The site has also posted pictures of teenagers who took part in workshops organized by the group, Mernyi said.
American officials say their hands are tied unless the site violates U.S. laws.
"I think it's fair to say we don't agree with what's on that website but we agree that free speech as defined by the United States takes precedence over what their views are," said an official familiar with the issue who asked not to be named.
The U.S. norm is that people are free to say anything as long as it doesn't infringe upon another person's rights. In Austria, freedom of expression is guaranteed by the constitution but is limited by a ban on propagating Nazi ideology. Inciting hatred on the basis of any ideology is a crime under the Austrian penal code.
Raimund Fastenbauer, a senior Jewish Community official, said American authorities have legal grounds to cooperate in taking down the site.
"In part, there have been some concrete threats we believe would be punishable under American law," Fastenbauer said, noting that postings have included not only photos but also personal phone numbers of Jewish community members, as well as veiled or coded calls for action against individuals.
Gerald Ganzger and Gideon Jabloner, lawyers at the firm Lansky, Ganzger & Partner who represent the Jewish community and threatened journalists, said Austria, under pressure from the United States and the other allied powers, enacted a law prohibiting the revival of Nazi activities as a precondition for sovereignty after World War II.
"However, nowadays it is the U.S. ... who is preventing Austria from enacting the aforementioned law by protecting the right of free speech of neo-Nazi groups," they wrote in a statement sent to The Associated Press.
The two countries do seem to be working together, if in a limited way.
In a press release dated April 12, Vienna's public prosecutor's office said that — "through cooperation with American authorities" — it obtained server access codes enabling them to monitor the website.
While the site was down for several weeks, it resurfaced with a slightly modified address in time to mark Adolf Hitler's birthday on April 20 and is now believed to be hosted by a server in Arizona. It has been idle since May 7, suggesting authorities may be making more progress or have even successfully caught the remaining culprits.
A video posted on the site claims it is "the only voice of truth" and says freedom of speech "applies only to leftists and friends of Jews."
"No one can stop us!" says another posting.
In neighboring Hungary, the government succeeded in July 2008 to temporarily shut the extremist kuruc.info website, saying at the time that it did so with help from U.S. authorities. Within six weeks it became active again, moving to another U.S. server, and has been online ever since.
The site is controversial because of its racist content, which includes anti-Semitic and anti-Gypsy articles and imagery. It has also published mobile phone numbers and home addresses belonging to judges and prosecutors who were involved in court cases against people who took part in the country's anti-government riots of 2006.
In both countries, a longterm solution on how to deal with the situation seems far off.
Christian Pilnacek, director general for criminal law at Austria's Justice Ministry, said the problem lies predominantly with the evolving nature of cyberspace.
"It's a cat and mouse game but one that has more to do with technical advances than different legal systems," he said, noting that the issue would best be handled through international agreements.
But whether that's realistic remains to be seen.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder suggested at a news conference after an April 14 meeting with European Union home affairs ministers in Hungary that one way to tackle the problem may be by making it clear to the public that extremist rhetoric is simply wrong.
"I think we have to come up with ways in which we have a counter-narrative that shows this information, this material, to be what it is ... harmful," Holder said.
AJC
But attempts to cripple the xenophobic "Alpen-Donau" forum have been hindered by the fact it's housed on a U.S. server, an example of how free speech on one side of the Atlantic can help spread hate speech on the other.
Austria bans Nazi glorification and Holocaust denial. In the United States nearly unrestricted freedom of speech rights are considered a cornerstone of democracy.
Three people suspected of being behind the website were arrested in April, including Gottfried Kuessel, one of the Alpine republic's leading neo-Nazis. But until a couple of weeks ago it continued to spew extremist and anti-Semitic rhetoric. Germany has also run into the problem of shutting down U.S.-hosted neo-Nazi websites.
Hungary has faced a similar hurdle for years, although hate speech is considered a crime there only if it incites specific acts of violence or abuse. Hungarian right-wing groups regularly target Gypsies and other minorities.
Austrian investigators have suggested that, for forensic reasons, it's in their interest that the website stay online for now because it provides them with vital clues in their probe aimed at tracking down remaining suspects.
But those personally targeted by the site want U.S. authorities to shut it down immediately.
"This is blatant anti-Semitism and blatant racism," said Willi Mernyi, president of the Mauthausen Committee, a Holocaust awareness group.
The website's latest posting features photos of Mernyi and implies he is to blame for acts of vandalism at the former concentration camp where the Nazis murdered about 100,000 people. The site has also posted pictures of teenagers who took part in workshops organized by the group, Mernyi said.
American officials say their hands are tied unless the site violates U.S. laws.
"I think it's fair to say we don't agree with what's on that website but we agree that free speech as defined by the United States takes precedence over what their views are," said an official familiar with the issue who asked not to be named.
The U.S. norm is that people are free to say anything as long as it doesn't infringe upon another person's rights. In Austria, freedom of expression is guaranteed by the constitution but is limited by a ban on propagating Nazi ideology. Inciting hatred on the basis of any ideology is a crime under the Austrian penal code.
Raimund Fastenbauer, a senior Jewish Community official, said American authorities have legal grounds to cooperate in taking down the site.
"In part, there have been some concrete threats we believe would be punishable under American law," Fastenbauer said, noting that postings have included not only photos but also personal phone numbers of Jewish community members, as well as veiled or coded calls for action against individuals.
Gerald Ganzger and Gideon Jabloner, lawyers at the firm Lansky, Ganzger & Partner who represent the Jewish community and threatened journalists, said Austria, under pressure from the United States and the other allied powers, enacted a law prohibiting the revival of Nazi activities as a precondition for sovereignty after World War II.
"However, nowadays it is the U.S. ... who is preventing Austria from enacting the aforementioned law by protecting the right of free speech of neo-Nazi groups," they wrote in a statement sent to The Associated Press.
The two countries do seem to be working together, if in a limited way.
In a press release dated April 12, Vienna's public prosecutor's office said that — "through cooperation with American authorities" — it obtained server access codes enabling them to monitor the website.
While the site was down for several weeks, it resurfaced with a slightly modified address in time to mark Adolf Hitler's birthday on April 20 and is now believed to be hosted by a server in Arizona. It has been idle since May 7, suggesting authorities may be making more progress or have even successfully caught the remaining culprits.
A video posted on the site claims it is "the only voice of truth" and says freedom of speech "applies only to leftists and friends of Jews."
"No one can stop us!" says another posting.
In neighboring Hungary, the government succeeded in July 2008 to temporarily shut the extremist kuruc.info website, saying at the time that it did so with help from U.S. authorities. Within six weeks it became active again, moving to another U.S. server, and has been online ever since.
The site is controversial because of its racist content, which includes anti-Semitic and anti-Gypsy articles and imagery. It has also published mobile phone numbers and home addresses belonging to judges and prosecutors who were involved in court cases against people who took part in the country's anti-government riots of 2006.
In both countries, a longterm solution on how to deal with the situation seems far off.
Christian Pilnacek, director general for criminal law at Austria's Justice Ministry, said the problem lies predominantly with the evolving nature of cyberspace.
"It's a cat and mouse game but one that has more to do with technical advances than different legal systems," he said, noting that the issue would best be handled through international agreements.
But whether that's realistic remains to be seen.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder suggested at a news conference after an April 14 meeting with European Union home affairs ministers in Hungary that one way to tackle the problem may be by making it clear to the public that extremist rhetoric is simply wrong.
"I think we have to come up with ways in which we have a counter-narrative that shows this information, this material, to be what it is ... harmful," Holder said.
AJC
White People Face The Most Racism? (USA)
A new study by researchers at Tufts University and Harvard Business School shows that whites believe they are victims of racism more often than Blacks.
While that may elicit a raised eyebrow from most people, the title of the study “Whites See Racism as a Zero-sum Game that They Are Now Losing,” shows that many whites believe that as racism against Blacks has decreased, racism against them has increased much more.
“It’s a pretty surprising finding when you think of the wide range of disparities that still exist in society, most of which show black Americans with worse outcomes than whites in areas such as income, home ownership, health and employment,” said Tufts Associate Professor of Psychology Samuel Sommers, Ph.D., co-author of the study.
News One
While that may elicit a raised eyebrow from most people, the title of the study “Whites See Racism as a Zero-sum Game that They Are Now Losing,” shows that many whites believe that as racism against Blacks has decreased, racism against them has increased much more.
“It’s a pretty surprising finding when you think of the wide range of disparities that still exist in society, most of which show black Americans with worse outcomes than whites in areas such as income, home ownership, health and employment,” said Tufts Associate Professor of Psychology Samuel Sommers, Ph.D., co-author of the study.
News One
Teens caged for EDL demo affray (UK)
Teenagers from Amblecote and Brierley Hill have been caged for their part in violence during a demonstration in Dudley.
A protest by the English Defence League (EDL) on July 17 last year turned ugly when objects including crowd control barriers were thrown at police officers who were being abused and spat on.
At Wolverhampton Crown Court, James Everard, aged 19, of Armstrong Close, Amblecote and Jake Hill, 18, of Alexander Hill, Brierley Hill, admitted affray and were both sent to a young offenders institution - Everard for nine months and Hill for six months.
The pair, along with two other defendants were told by Judge Patrick Thomas QC: “This was not an afternoon's fun, it was a dangerous and unpleasant incident involving a mob attack on police officers doing their duty."
He said it was clear the offending was not linked to the march but towards officers who were present to protect citizens from threats and violence.
The judge added: "I do not think you were particularly concerned with the EDL, you took it upon yourselves to attack the police in a number of ways.
"You were involved in a significant and highly unpleasant and unnecessary public disorder and you tested the patience, self control and discipline of police officers under a hail of abuse and threats."
Mr Hugh O'Brien-quinn, prosecuting, said Everard had been aggressive while stamping on the barriers and he swore at police while Hill, who was carrying a St George's flag, spat at officers.
The Judge told the men: "Most of you claim not to have any involvement in the activities of the EDL. Most of you claim you were part of this gathering simply by chance or by curiosity."
But he stressed it was clear the affray was directed solely towards police officers who were on duty and concluded: "A drink fuelled mob is more dangerous than a sober one."
The court was told five other men have already been dealt with by courts for their part in the trouble with two more on the brink of being committed to crown court.
Stourbridge News
A protest by the English Defence League (EDL) on July 17 last year turned ugly when objects including crowd control barriers were thrown at police officers who were being abused and spat on.
At Wolverhampton Crown Court, James Everard, aged 19, of Armstrong Close, Amblecote and Jake Hill, 18, of Alexander Hill, Brierley Hill, admitted affray and were both sent to a young offenders institution - Everard for nine months and Hill for six months.
The pair, along with two other defendants were told by Judge Patrick Thomas QC: “This was not an afternoon's fun, it was a dangerous and unpleasant incident involving a mob attack on police officers doing their duty."
He said it was clear the offending was not linked to the march but towards officers who were present to protect citizens from threats and violence.
The judge added: "I do not think you were particularly concerned with the EDL, you took it upon yourselves to attack the police in a number of ways.
"You were involved in a significant and highly unpleasant and unnecessary public disorder and you tested the patience, self control and discipline of police officers under a hail of abuse and threats."
Mr Hugh O'Brien-quinn, prosecuting, said Everard had been aggressive while stamping on the barriers and he swore at police while Hill, who was carrying a St George's flag, spat at officers.
The Judge told the men: "Most of you claim not to have any involvement in the activities of the EDL. Most of you claim you were part of this gathering simply by chance or by curiosity."
But he stressed it was clear the affray was directed solely towards police officers who were on duty and concluded: "A drink fuelled mob is more dangerous than a sober one."
The court was told five other men have already been dealt with by courts for their part in the trouble with two more on the brink of being committed to crown court.
Stourbridge News
Monday, 23 May 2011
Far-right leader, Muslim come to blows on Bulgarian radio
Far-right leader and a Muslim lawmaker came to blows live on Bulgarian radio on Sunday as tempers frayed during a debate about an attack against a Sofia mosque earlier this week.
The presenter of a political talk show on national radio, Velichko Konakchiev, was forced to interrupt the show and apologise to listeners when the head of the ultra-nationalist Ataka party, Volen Siderov, physically attacked fellow guest Korman Ismailov, a Muslim member of parliament.
"Never before have I had to separate people fighting in my studio. I've never seen anything like it," the veteran talk show host Konakchiev said at the end of the show.
Konakchiev said Siderov started the fight after he was asked to tone down his language during a debate on an incident in Sofia on Friday where Ataka supporters had clashed with worshippers outside a mosque.
Siderov repeatedly called the worshippers "Islamists" and "extremists".
The programme resumed after an initial interruption of several minutes. But when Siderov lost his temper again, Konakchiev asked the far-right leader to leave and ended the show prematurely.
In a statement, the head of national radio, Valery Todorov, condemned the incident.
"It is inadmissible to use national radio to propagate ethnic, religious or national hatred," Todorov said.
A Muslim, an Ataka lawmaker and five policemen were injured in the skirmishes between worshippers and far-right demonstrators on Friday in an incident that has drawn condemnation both at home and in neighbouring Turkey.
Two Ataka supporters have been charged with hooliganism in relation to the incident, prosecutors said.
Times of Oman
The presenter of a political talk show on national radio, Velichko Konakchiev, was forced to interrupt the show and apologise to listeners when the head of the ultra-nationalist Ataka party, Volen Siderov, physically attacked fellow guest Korman Ismailov, a Muslim member of parliament.
"Never before have I had to separate people fighting in my studio. I've never seen anything like it," the veteran talk show host Konakchiev said at the end of the show.
Konakchiev said Siderov started the fight after he was asked to tone down his language during a debate on an incident in Sofia on Friday where Ataka supporters had clashed with worshippers outside a mosque.
Siderov repeatedly called the worshippers "Islamists" and "extremists".
The programme resumed after an initial interruption of several minutes. But when Siderov lost his temper again, Konakchiev asked the far-right leader to leave and ended the show prematurely.
In a statement, the head of national radio, Valery Todorov, condemned the incident.
"It is inadmissible to use national radio to propagate ethnic, religious or national hatred," Todorov said.
A Muslim, an Ataka lawmaker and five policemen were injured in the skirmishes between worshippers and far-right demonstrators on Friday in an incident that has drawn condemnation both at home and in neighbouring Turkey.
Two Ataka supporters have been charged with hooliganism in relation to the incident, prosecutors said.
Times of Oman
Second protest is expected in resort (UK)
An anti-fascist protest group has announced it will stage a rally in Blackpool on the same day as controversial far-right group the English Defence League.
Unite Against Facism (UAF) expects between 100 and 200 local members to attend the event which will take place as EDL members from across the country descend on the town on Saturday May, 28 for a national protest.
Paul Jenkins, North West organiser for the UAF, said their demonstration will be nothing more than a peaceful “anti-racist vigil”.
He said: “We want to show unity in the community is the best way forward.”
UAF will hold their protest at the public headland close to the Central Pier while the EDL demonstration is on the headline at South Pier.
The timings of the UAF protest are still under discussion.
EDL members, who say they are protesting against the police handling of the inquiry into missing Blackpool teenager Charlene Downes, are due to gather near Britannia Place at 10am before setting off for a short march along the Promenade to the public headland where a demonstration will be held from 12.45pm to 2pm.
Charlene, 13, disappeared in 2003 and two Asian men were charged with her murder and disposing of the body. They were later acquitted.
Chief Supt Richard Debicki, commander of western division, said the force had always prepared for two demonstrations.
Police say they do not expect there to be any clashes between the two groups.
He said police chiefs continue to work with council officers to ensure there will be as little disruption as possible in the town.
He added: “In addition to the EDL demonstration, the UAF have now also indicated a wish to demonstrate.
“The constabulary will facilitate any protest which is peaceful but we will deal firmly with anyone committing crime and disorder.
“Our role is about fair and balanced policing – we’re here to keep the peace, treat people with respect and dignity and uphold the law.”
Blackpool Gazette
Unite Against Facism (UAF) expects between 100 and 200 local members to attend the event which will take place as EDL members from across the country descend on the town on Saturday May, 28 for a national protest.
Paul Jenkins, North West organiser for the UAF, said their demonstration will be nothing more than a peaceful “anti-racist vigil”.
He said: “We want to show unity in the community is the best way forward.”
UAF will hold their protest at the public headland close to the Central Pier while the EDL demonstration is on the headline at South Pier.
The timings of the UAF protest are still under discussion.
EDL members, who say they are protesting against the police handling of the inquiry into missing Blackpool teenager Charlene Downes, are due to gather near Britannia Place at 10am before setting off for a short march along the Promenade to the public headland where a demonstration will be held from 12.45pm to 2pm.
Charlene, 13, disappeared in 2003 and two Asian men were charged with her murder and disposing of the body. They were later acquitted.
Chief Supt Richard Debicki, commander of western division, said the force had always prepared for two demonstrations.
Police say they do not expect there to be any clashes between the two groups.
He said police chiefs continue to work with council officers to ensure there will be as little disruption as possible in the town.
He added: “In addition to the EDL demonstration, the UAF have now also indicated a wish to demonstrate.
“The constabulary will facilitate any protest which is peaceful but we will deal firmly with anyone committing crime and disorder.
“Our role is about fair and balanced policing – we’re here to keep the peace, treat people with respect and dignity and uphold the law.”
Blackpool Gazette
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Bulgarian nationalist stage violent anti-Muslim protest in front of main mosque
Police say several people were injured as nationalists clashed with Muslims during Friday prayer at Sofia's main mosque.
Dozens of supporters of the far-right Ataka party staged the rally to protest what they call "the unbearable loudness" of the Muslim prayers that sound through loudspeakers in downtown Sofia.
Tensions escalated as protesters grabbed a prayer rug and set it on fire, leading to a fight between the two groups.
Four people were taken to the hospital with light injuries, the state news agency BTA reported. Ataka says one of its lawmakers was hit on the head by a stone.
Police say five officers were injured two protesters have been detained.
Google Hosted News
Dozens of supporters of the far-right Ataka party staged the rally to protest what they call "the unbearable loudness" of the Muslim prayers that sound through loudspeakers in downtown Sofia.
Tensions escalated as protesters grabbed a prayer rug and set it on fire, leading to a fight between the two groups.
Four people were taken to the hospital with light injuries, the state news agency BTA reported. Ataka says one of its lawmakers was hit on the head by a stone.
Police say five officers were injured two protesters have been detained.
Google Hosted News
ACTIVISTS CONDEMN ISLAMOPHOBIA (uk)
Muslims and anti-war campaigners have gathered to condemn what they see as a rising tide of Islamophobia in Britain and the rest of Europe. Supporters including Kenza Drider, who has deliberately defied the niqab ban in her native France, came to London Muslim Centre in east London for the event. Speaking through an interpreter, she said she wanted to "denounce the rise of Islamophobia in France". Ms Drider continued: "By putting this ban into place the government has encouraged racist people to physically threaten woman who wear the niqab." She says has been threatened with a knife for wearing garment, which covers a woman's face apart from her eyes. Chris Nineham, spokesman for event organisers the Enough Coalition Against Islamophobia, said a group of women campaigners from the UK plan to visit Paris in the next few months wearing the niqab as a gesture of solidarity.
The conference was attended by representatives from the Stop the War coalition, veteran left-wing politician Tony Benn and British campaigner Aisha Alvi. She was suspended from school for wearing a headscarf in 1989. Mr Nineham said: "This event is to discuss the seriously worrying developments in Europe and Britain whereby Muslim communities are being scapegoated and demonised. In France, Belgium and Switzerland laws are being passed to systematically discriminate against Muslims." He called for an overhaul of the British legal system, including anti-terror laws, as well as the way housing is allocated, to combat such discrimination in the UK.
Wales Online
The conference was attended by representatives from the Stop the War coalition, veteran left-wing politician Tony Benn and British campaigner Aisha Alvi. She was suspended from school for wearing a headscarf in 1989. Mr Nineham said: "This event is to discuss the seriously worrying developments in Europe and Britain whereby Muslim communities are being scapegoated and demonised. In France, Belgium and Switzerland laws are being passed to systematically discriminate against Muslims." He called for an overhaul of the British legal system, including anti-terror laws, as well as the way housing is allocated, to combat such discrimination in the UK.
Wales Online
Anti-Muslim French Presidential Candidate Surge After Sex Charges for Ex-IMF Boss
The rape charges against former IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn are headline news across the world, but as Strauss-Kahn prepares for what could be a lengthy legal battle, France is preparing for a 2012 presidential election -- suddenly without the leading challenger to President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Strauss-Kahn, a prominent member of the Socialist Party in France, was predicted to be his party’s candidate in 2012 and would have faced off against Sarkozy and his UMP party. Sarkozy, who has been floundering in polls, has been seen as a weak and ineffective president – a man who promised big change and has failed to deliver. But with Strauss-Kahn almost certainly out of the 2012 race, Sarkozy’s biggest challenge could come from Marine Le Pen, a candidate known for her nationalistic and anti-Muslim views.
Le Pen is the daughter of immigration foe and 2002 presidential runner-up Jean-Marie Le Pen. She has been gaining in the national polls and overall popularity. As voters in France prepare for a long year of presidential politics – could Le Pen’s candidacy also be a foreshadowing of what’s to come for the rest of Europe?
Jennifer Fredette of the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy says Le Pen and her father’s views reflect a trend across the continent.
“It’s been going on for a while now. It’s all these critical little moments that get played up and people focus on them, like the burka ban, things that are visual and they spread,” Fredette told Fox News, referring to a controversial new French law that forbids women from going out in public with their faces covered. “You talk about it in France and then people in Germany say ‘oh we see that here. Is it the same here?’ There’s a trend of suspicion going on right now. Not just towards Islam and Muslims but immigration too.”
This item continues at Fox News
Strauss-Kahn, a prominent member of the Socialist Party in France, was predicted to be his party’s candidate in 2012 and would have faced off against Sarkozy and his UMP party. Sarkozy, who has been floundering in polls, has been seen as a weak and ineffective president – a man who promised big change and has failed to deliver. But with Strauss-Kahn almost certainly out of the 2012 race, Sarkozy’s biggest challenge could come from Marine Le Pen, a candidate known for her nationalistic and anti-Muslim views.
Le Pen is the daughter of immigration foe and 2002 presidential runner-up Jean-Marie Le Pen. She has been gaining in the national polls and overall popularity. As voters in France prepare for a long year of presidential politics – could Le Pen’s candidacy also be a foreshadowing of what’s to come for the rest of Europe?
Jennifer Fredette of the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy says Le Pen and her father’s views reflect a trend across the continent.
“It’s been going on for a while now. It’s all these critical little moments that get played up and people focus on them, like the burka ban, things that are visual and they spread,” Fredette told Fox News, referring to a controversial new French law that forbids women from going out in public with their faces covered. “You talk about it in France and then people in Germany say ‘oh we see that here. Is it the same here?’ There’s a trend of suspicion going on right now. Not just towards Islam and Muslims but immigration too.”
This item continues at Fox News
Austria far-right tops opinion polls
The FPOe would secure 29 percent of the votes if there were a general election on Sunday, overtaking for the first time the Social Democrats with 28 pecent and the conservative People's Party or OeVP with 23 percent, according to a poll by the OGM institute on behalf of the daily Kurier.
The environmentalist Green party and another far-right party, the BZOe, would each win 13 percent of the votes.
The current coalition government under Social Democrat Chancellor Werner Faymann, which took power in December 2008, is made up of the Social Democrats and OeVP parties in a power-sharing deal.
The head of the OGM institute, Wolfgang Bachmayer, attributed the FPOe's current strength, not only to a wider disillusionment with politics, but with the current coalition government in particular.
Furthermore, “the showings have undoubtedly been influenced by the current debate over the statements by Erste Bank chief executive Andreas Treichl, the euro crisis and the Greek debt crisis,” Bachmayer told the newspaper.
Erste Bank chief Treichl triggered a storm of controversy this week by saying politicians were “too stupid” to understand the economy.
And FPOe leader Heinz-Christian Strache has been campaigning for months to kick Greece out of the eurozone.
Quizzed as to whom they would vote for if they could elect the chancellor directly, 24 percent of the poll's 805 respondents said they would choose the current chancellor Faymann, 18 percent the current deputy chancellor Michael Spindelegger and 16 percent would vote for Strache.
The FPOe came second in local municipal elections in Vienna last October, winning 26 percent of the votes. The ruling Social Democrats finally opted for a coalition with the environmentalist Greens.
A poll at the beginning of May suggested that 43 percent of the population wanted the FPOe to participate in the next national government following the next general elections in 2013.
The far-right has already been in government in Austria: the FPOe under its charismatic leader, the late Joerg Haider, was the junior coalition partner with the conservative OeVP between 2000 and 2006 under then chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel.
Tehran Times
Cultural fete planned after racism shock (UK)
Racist revelations in Sherwood have prompted concerned residents to plan an event promoting more integration.
Exposure by the Courier of anti-Muslim remarks on the Facebook pages of local English Defence League activist Adrian Ratcliffe and English Democrat candidate JoJo Stanley have led to calls for a festival of cultural diversity.
Ideas centred on a fete are being backed by social housing chiefs Town and Country, which said many residents had found content on the website both "racist and upsetting".
A spokesman said: "Residents felt that it was not a true reflection of life on the estate, which in their experience was a diverse and welcoming place to live.
"They wanted to counter any negative impression and felt the best way to do this would be to focus on the many positive things which make it such a friendly and inclusive place to live."
Plans to celebrate different races and cultures on the estate include proposals for a music and dance stage, along with marquees containing various attractions and diversity themes.
Inspiration has been gained from a recent Spirit of Kindness project in which more than 20 events celebrated all the good things that Sherwood residents did for each other.
It is hoped the initiative will help soothe tensions arising in the community following the exposure of Ratcliffe last month.
The 61-year-old, who lived in Greggswood Road and was a preacher at St Philip's Church in Sherwood, had denied he was racist but claimed he would do "whatever necessary" to fight "militant" Islam in the UK.
Nasir Jamil, president of the West Kent Muslim Association, said it welcomed efforts to improve cultural relations.
He said: "We always campaign for community cohesion. We have difficulty with negative propaganda all over the world and need these type of events."
Anyone wishing to contribute ideas or help out is invited to talks at the Robin Hood pub on Thursday, May 26 from 6pm. For more information call Brendan McGowan on 01892 523464.
This is Kent
Exposure by the Courier of anti-Muslim remarks on the Facebook pages of local English Defence League activist Adrian Ratcliffe and English Democrat candidate JoJo Stanley have led to calls for a festival of cultural diversity.
Ideas centred on a fete are being backed by social housing chiefs Town and Country, which said many residents had found content on the website both "racist and upsetting".
A spokesman said: "Residents felt that it was not a true reflection of life on the estate, which in their experience was a diverse and welcoming place to live.
"They wanted to counter any negative impression and felt the best way to do this would be to focus on the many positive things which make it such a friendly and inclusive place to live."
Plans to celebrate different races and cultures on the estate include proposals for a music and dance stage, along with marquees containing various attractions and diversity themes.
Inspiration has been gained from a recent Spirit of Kindness project in which more than 20 events celebrated all the good things that Sherwood residents did for each other.
It is hoped the initiative will help soothe tensions arising in the community following the exposure of Ratcliffe last month.
The 61-year-old, who lived in Greggswood Road and was a preacher at St Philip's Church in Sherwood, had denied he was racist but claimed he would do "whatever necessary" to fight "militant" Islam in the UK.
Nasir Jamil, president of the West Kent Muslim Association, said it welcomed efforts to improve cultural relations.
He said: "We always campaign for community cohesion. We have difficulty with negative propaganda all over the world and need these type of events."
Anyone wishing to contribute ideas or help out is invited to talks at the Robin Hood pub on Thursday, May 26 from 6pm. For more information call Brendan McGowan on 01892 523464.
This is Kent
English Defence League march to Islamic centre site (UK)
More than a hundred English Defence League protesters have marched through a Flintshire town to the site of a proposed new Islamic cultural centre.
The site at the Shotton Lane Social Club was burnt down in a suspicious fire in February.
Flintshire Muslim Cultural Society was planning to turn the property into a multi-cultural centre.
Police said their strategy ensured the protest passed off without incident.
Early reports had suggested between 200 and 300 people were taking part but police said it was just over 100.
The march ended with speeches outside the Shotton Lane Social Club before the protesters dispersed.
North Wales Police said they mounted an operation to combat any problems between rival factions working in partnership with Flintshire Council, British Transport Police and the local business community
Continue reading the main story
"People have a right to protest, but our priority is to safeguard the public”
End Quote Ian Shannon Deputy Chief Constable
Deputy Chief Constable Ian Shannon said: "I am pleased with the success of the police operation today.
"Our aim was always to allow the protest to pass peacefully whilst taking into account the rights of the people of Shotton to go about their normal business.
"I would like to thank them for their patience and understanding for any disruption that was caused.
"People have a right to protest, but our priority is to safeguard the public and maintain order, which I am pleased to say we achieved today."
Around 100 people had to leave their homes as firefighters fought the blaze on 4 February.
At the time police said they were keeping an open mind and would not been drawn on possible motives.
BBC News
The site at the Shotton Lane Social Club was burnt down in a suspicious fire in February.
Flintshire Muslim Cultural Society was planning to turn the property into a multi-cultural centre.
Police said their strategy ensured the protest passed off without incident.
Early reports had suggested between 200 and 300 people were taking part but police said it was just over 100.
The march ended with speeches outside the Shotton Lane Social Club before the protesters dispersed.
North Wales Police said they mounted an operation to combat any problems between rival factions working in partnership with Flintshire Council, British Transport Police and the local business community
Continue reading the main story
"People have a right to protest, but our priority is to safeguard the public”
End Quote Ian Shannon Deputy Chief Constable
Deputy Chief Constable Ian Shannon said: "I am pleased with the success of the police operation today.
"Our aim was always to allow the protest to pass peacefully whilst taking into account the rights of the people of Shotton to go about their normal business.
"I would like to thank them for their patience and understanding for any disruption that was caused.
"People have a right to protest, but our priority is to safeguard the public and maintain order, which I am pleased to say we achieved today."
Around 100 people had to leave their homes as firefighters fought the blaze on 4 February.
At the time police said they were keeping an open mind and would not been drawn on possible motives.
BBC News
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