Police using water cannons and batons intervened Saturday after a neo-Nazi march in the German city of Dortmund descended into rioting between the far-right and anti-fascist counter-demonstrators. Around 400 neo-Nazis had gathered in the western city for a planned march, but were met by around 4,000 left-wing activists, according to police estimates.
Although many of the anti-Nazi demonstrators protested peacefully, a group attacked the neo-Nazis, prompting a massive police intervention after they failed to separate the two groups. Even before the march got underway, police had used pepper spray and reported several injuries after around 100 counter-demonstrators had evaded a roadblock. Guntram Schneider, the minister for integration in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia who is participating the counter-demonstration, said it was intolerable that the neo-Nazis were allowed to march through Dortmund each year.
DPA
Monday, 5 September 2011
POLICE ESTIMATE FAR-RIGHT EXTREMISTS AT 600 (Czech Rep.)
There are 500 to 600 neo-Nazis and some 5000 people who openly sympathise with far-right extremism, and most of them are based in the Ostrava region, Prague and North Bohemia, Robert Slachta, head of the police squad fighting organised crime (UOOZ) told Czech Television (CT) yesterday.
Far-right extremists had nothing to do with the beginning of the problems in the Sluknov area in northern Bohemia but they are now trying to take advantage of the tension between Romanies and majority population, Slachta said. In reaction to two brutal attacks by Romanies in a border area in August, the public started protesting against the violence. The far-right Workers' Party of Social Justice (DSSS) and other groups have recently been organising demonstrations against Romany crime in northern Bohemian towns. On Friday, a demonstration aimed against Romanies was held in Varnsdorf.
On Saturday, a hundred of extremists joined a march through this town. The police have succeeded in preventing clashes between extremists and Romanies so far. A riot police squad was sent to the area to help maintain order and security. Deputy Police President Vladislav Husak said the police fear that conflicts might arise in other potentially risky regions than northern Bohemia, too, and they monitor the situation. Husak said locals prevailed in the protest held this weekend but the marches scheduled for next weekend will probably be a prevailingly extremist event.
Prague Daily Monitor
Far-right extremists had nothing to do with the beginning of the problems in the Sluknov area in northern Bohemia but they are now trying to take advantage of the tension between Romanies and majority population, Slachta said. In reaction to two brutal attacks by Romanies in a border area in August, the public started protesting against the violence. The far-right Workers' Party of Social Justice (DSSS) and other groups have recently been organising demonstrations against Romany crime in northern Bohemian towns. On Friday, a demonstration aimed against Romanies was held in Varnsdorf.
On Saturday, a hundred of extremists joined a march through this town. The police have succeeded in preventing clashes between extremists and Romanies so far. A riot police squad was sent to the area to help maintain order and security. Deputy Police President Vladislav Husak said the police fear that conflicts might arise in other potentially risky regions than northern Bohemia, too, and they monitor the situation. Husak said locals prevailed in the protest held this weekend but the marches scheduled for next weekend will probably be a prevailingly extremist event.
Prague Daily Monitor
Rabbi disguise for EDL leader (UK)
 |
| Stephen Lennon in Rabbi outfit |
Stephen Lennon – known as Tommy Robinson – donned the outfit, which included a black hat and fake beard, in an apparent attempt to evade the police.
Introduced as "Rabbi Benjamin Kidderman", he climbed onto a platform and announced: "Do you know how long I've been waiting to take this s*** off?"
Mr Lennon then removed the outfit and addressed the crowd. By attending the protest the 28-year-old breached his bail conditions imposed following a football-related offence, but was not arrested.
EDL supporters clashed with police and were involved in scuffles during the demo.
Around 3,000 officers had been drafted in to maintain control in the Whitechapel, Aldgate and Tower Hamlets areas of the East End. They made 60 arrests, mainly for affray and public order offences, but said the day had passed "without major incident".
Hundreds of residents and anti-fascist group supporters took part in a counter-demo.
Of Mr Lennon's disguise, a CST spokesman said: "The EDL only uses Jews and Israel in order to try and provoke Muslims. It is racist politics and anyone who sincerely cares about Jews, or Israel, should condemn it."
Home Secretary Theresa May had banned the EDL from marching through the borough of Tower Hamlets and the City of London.
The Jewish Chronicle
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
Czech Republic: Town can't prevent upcoming neo-Nazi march
The Workers' Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS) has convened a march for 10 September in Nový Bor. The party will do its best to gain publicity for its extremist opinions on the basis of recent events, including a machete attack committed by five Romani people against three customers at a local bar there.
The town hall says it wanted to somehow thwart the march, which will start at the train station and end on the square, but has not succeeded. "Unfortunately we don't have any legal options for preventing this demonstration. We had three days to determine the facts and we thoroughly researched the event, but everything is procedurally in order, and the announcement of the event was filed by an individual, not by the party," Mayor of Nový Bor Jaromír Dvořák (TOP 09) told news server iDNES.cz.
The town hall is nevertheless prepared to ban the assembly the minute the law is broken. "The majority of inhabitants of this town are against radicals and want to make their disagreement known," Dvořák told news server iDNES.cz.
Even though local Romani people are anticipating the day with tension, they do not intend to hide indoors. Miroslav Táncoš, chair of the Romani Economic Council of the Czech Republic (Romská hospodářská rada ČR) told news server iDNES.cz: "We won't get in the way, though, we don't want it to end up like Litvínov here."
In October 2008, clashes and conflicts with police were provoked by the so-called Workers' Party "Protection Corps" (Ochranné sbory DS) in Litvínov. Members of the corps at the time included the current Vice-Chair of the Workers' Youth (Dělnická mládež) Lucie Šlégrová, who is reportedly planning to attend the demonstration in Nový Bor.
Romea
The town hall says it wanted to somehow thwart the march, which will start at the train station and end on the square, but has not succeeded. "Unfortunately we don't have any legal options for preventing this demonstration. We had three days to determine the facts and we thoroughly researched the event, but everything is procedurally in order, and the announcement of the event was filed by an individual, not by the party," Mayor of Nový Bor Jaromír Dvořák (TOP 09) told news server iDNES.cz.
The town hall is nevertheless prepared to ban the assembly the minute the law is broken. "The majority of inhabitants of this town are against radicals and want to make their disagreement known," Dvořák told news server iDNES.cz.
Even though local Romani people are anticipating the day with tension, they do not intend to hide indoors. Miroslav Táncoš, chair of the Romani Economic Council of the Czech Republic (Romská hospodářská rada ČR) told news server iDNES.cz: "We won't get in the way, though, we don't want it to end up like Litvínov here."
In October 2008, clashes and conflicts with police were provoked by the so-called Workers' Party "Protection Corps" (Ochranné sbory DS) in Litvínov. Members of the corps at the time included the current Vice-Chair of the Workers' Youth (Dělnická mládež) Lucie Šlégrová, who is reportedly planning to attend the demonstration in Nový Bor.
Romea
Police Neo-Nazi Raid Uncovers Explosives (Norway)
Oslo Police have arrested a former neo-Nazi for possession of illegal weapons following a threat notification.
SWAT teams from Nordre Buskerud Police District found the explosives, a police uniform, and illegal weapons during yesterday’s raid on a property where the ex neo-Nazi was residing. Officers had been looking for the unnamed man since Tuesday, who was not at home when they struck. “This person is known to police. He is charged with having weapons without a permit, storage of explosives, and threats,” Police Inspector Petter Solberg told VG Nett. In 2001, officers seized a kilo of explosives, two police uniforms and two pistols at his home. The man also has a conviction from the end of the ‘90s after selling automatic weapons on to Right-Extremists.
Vidar Lind Iversen, lawyer for the accused, said, “My client acknowledges possession of two shotguns. Although he had contacts within the Extreme Right environment in the ‘90s, he has no affiliation with the movement today. “He had agreed to meet police at 12.00 today. The police chose to arrest him instead.” The timing of the man’s arrest is not thought to be linked to Anders Behring Breivik’s attacks in any way. “What I did back then is history. I’ve put it behind me. I am currently an ordinary law-abiding man, and have had no dealings with Breivik,” he told the paper when contacted the day after the Utøya shootings.
The Foreigner
SWAT teams from Nordre Buskerud Police District found the explosives, a police uniform, and illegal weapons during yesterday’s raid on a property where the ex neo-Nazi was residing. Officers had been looking for the unnamed man since Tuesday, who was not at home when they struck. “This person is known to police. He is charged with having weapons without a permit, storage of explosives, and threats,” Police Inspector Petter Solberg told VG Nett. In 2001, officers seized a kilo of explosives, two police uniforms and two pistols at his home. The man also has a conviction from the end of the ‘90s after selling automatic weapons on to Right-Extremists.
Vidar Lind Iversen, lawyer for the accused, said, “My client acknowledges possession of two shotguns. Although he had contacts within the Extreme Right environment in the ‘90s, he has no affiliation with the movement today. “He had agreed to meet police at 12.00 today. The police chose to arrest him instead.” The timing of the man’s arrest is not thought to be linked to Anders Behring Breivik’s attacks in any way. “What I did back then is history. I’ve put it behind me. I am currently an ordinary law-abiding man, and have had no dealings with Breivik,” he told the paper when contacted the day after the Utøya shootings.
The Foreigner
Sunday, 28 August 2011
South African police probe racist Facebook image
South African police are probing an image on Facebook of a white man posing with a gun and the seemingly lifeless body of a black child like a hunter with his kill, a newspaper reported.
The picture was posted on the Facebook page of one "Eugene Terrorblanche", a play on the name of white supremacist leader Eugene Terre'Blanche, who was murdered in April last year, according to the Sunday Times.
Police spokesman Zweli Mnisi said an investigation had been opened and called on the rifle-bearing man in the photograph, or anyone who recognizes him, to come forward, regardless of whether the picture is fake or not.
"If, indeed, it reflects a real incident, those responsible must be severely punished," said Mnisi.
The newspaper said the photograph was uploaded on June 24 last year.
By Sunday, the picture had been removed from the page, which boasts a photograph of Terre'Blanche on horseback, waving the swastika-like flag of his Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB --Afrikaner Resistance Movement).
The AWB's khaki-wearing supporters violently opposed South Africa's transition to democracy and campaigned for a self-governing white state.
Their campaign included bomb attacks ahead of the country's first all-race polls in 1994 which ended the white minority apartheid state.
Terre'Blanche was hacked to death at his farm house outside the northwest town of Ventersdorp on April 3 last year in a murder that revived lingering racial tensions.
Two black farm workers were charged with the murder after handing themselves over to police, allegedly saying they had fought with their employer over pay.
"Eugene Terrorblanche" lists firearms and close-combat fighting as interests on his Facebook page, says he is self-employed, and has 589 registered "friends".
ABS CBN News
The picture was posted on the Facebook page of one "Eugene Terrorblanche", a play on the name of white supremacist leader Eugene Terre'Blanche, who was murdered in April last year, according to the Sunday Times.
Police spokesman Zweli Mnisi said an investigation had been opened and called on the rifle-bearing man in the photograph, or anyone who recognizes him, to come forward, regardless of whether the picture is fake or not.
"If, indeed, it reflects a real incident, those responsible must be severely punished," said Mnisi.
The newspaper said the photograph was uploaded on June 24 last year.
By Sunday, the picture had been removed from the page, which boasts a photograph of Terre'Blanche on horseback, waving the swastika-like flag of his Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB --Afrikaner Resistance Movement).
The AWB's khaki-wearing supporters violently opposed South Africa's transition to democracy and campaigned for a self-governing white state.
Their campaign included bomb attacks ahead of the country's first all-race polls in 1994 which ended the white minority apartheid state.
Terre'Blanche was hacked to death at his farm house outside the northwest town of Ventersdorp on April 3 last year in a murder that revived lingering racial tensions.
Two black farm workers were charged with the murder after handing themselves over to police, allegedly saying they had fought with their employer over pay.
"Eugene Terrorblanche" lists firearms and close-combat fighting as interests on his Facebook page, says he is self-employed, and has 589 registered "friends".
ABS CBN News
Saturday, 27 August 2011
Lynch mob besets Romani neighborhood, Czech Police let them (Czech Rep)
Rumburk has been the scene of unrest today despite the supposed efforts of authorities to keep the peace. The "Civic Resistance" (Občanský odpor) association, which is linked to someone who has previously organized neo-Nazi events in the town, convened a demonstration for today which the town hall banned. However, the Czech Social Democratic party has held its own public meeting at the same time and same place (17:00 CET) on the topic of security in the Šluknov foothills.
Approximately 800 people attended the officially permitted gathering. The crowd was cool toward Czech MP Foldyna (ČSSD), with some even whistling their disapproval of him. Czech Senator Sykáček (ČSSD), who is also mayor, was whistled away from the podium almost immediately. Josef Mašín, a representative of "Civic Resistance", then took the microphone. The crowd responded to him enthusiastically, with thunderous applause at moments. His speech was a copy of the speeches previously given by members of the Workers' Social Justice Party (Demokratická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS) in the towns of Krupka and Nový Bydžov earlier this year. He repeated the ubiquitous lie that the law is not being applied to everyone equally and that police are "minimizing the criminal activity of minorities". He also said local police do not investigate crime because they fear Romani people. His speech lasted eight minutes.
An unidentified demonstrator then plowed through the crowd, reached the microphone, and called for the lynching of the Roma. People set out into the streets as police stood by. When the demonstration was officially over, part of the crowd started marching to the locality where local Romani people live. This provocative march had not been announced to authorities in advance and had not been permitted as part of the demonstration, but that evidently did not bother the police, who did not even bother to accompany the crowd as it proceeded.
This item continues at Romea
Approximately 800 people attended the officially permitted gathering. The crowd was cool toward Czech MP Foldyna (ČSSD), with some even whistling their disapproval of him. Czech Senator Sykáček (ČSSD), who is also mayor, was whistled away from the podium almost immediately. Josef Mašín, a representative of "Civic Resistance", then took the microphone. The crowd responded to him enthusiastically, with thunderous applause at moments. His speech was a copy of the speeches previously given by members of the Workers' Social Justice Party (Demokratická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS) in the towns of Krupka and Nový Bydžov earlier this year. He repeated the ubiquitous lie that the law is not being applied to everyone equally and that police are "minimizing the criminal activity of minorities". He also said local police do not investigate crime because they fear Romani people. His speech lasted eight minutes.
An unidentified demonstrator then plowed through the crowd, reached the microphone, and called for the lynching of the Roma. People set out into the streets as police stood by. When the demonstration was officially over, part of the crowd started marching to the locality where local Romani people live. This provocative march had not been announced to authorities in advance and had not been permitted as part of the demonstration, but that evidently did not bother the police, who did not even bother to accompany the crowd as it proceeded.
This item continues at Romea
English Defence League march through Tower Hamlets banned by Theresa May (UK)
The home secretary has agreed to a police request to ban the far-right English Defence League from staging a march through one of the UK's biggest Muslim communities in east London.
Theresa May said she would outlaw any marches in Tower Hamlets and four neighbouring boroughs – whether by the EDL or any other groups – for the next 30 days, having "balanced rights to protest against the need to ensure local communities and property are protected".
She added: "I know that the Metropolitan police are committed to using their powers to ensure communities and properties are protected."
Police sought the ban after the EDL – which has seen widespread public disorder at earlier rallies – planned to march on 3 September through Tower Hamlets, which has a significant Muslim community, many of Bangladeshi origin.
In a statement the force said it made the request following information that prompted fears that the march could cause "serious public disorder, violence and damage". It added: "Tactically we believe this is the best option to prevent this."
Chief Superintendent Julia Pendry warned EDL supporters to stay away. "We have made this decision [to seek the ban] based on specific intelligence and information, and our message is clear: we do not want people coming into the areas to attend these events."
The march had been vehemently opposed by community leaders, among them the two local MPs and the borough's mayor, as well as a series of Muslim and Jewish groups. Fears that it could spark violence were exacerbated following this month's rioting in many parts of London.
The EDL emerged in Luton, another strongly Muslim area, in 2009. While it purports to oppose "Islamic extremism" the group insists it is not racist. However, its marches, aimed mainly at Muslim communities, have been seen as extremely provocative. A Guardian investigation into the EDL found repeated racism and threats of violence among supporters.
Nick Lowles, director of the anti-extremist campaign group Searchlight, called May's decision a victory for common sense. He said: "The EDL clearly intended to use the proposed march to bring violence and disorder to the streets of Tower Hamlets. Their plan has been foiled."
The veteran campaigner Peter Tatchell said that while he abhorred the EDL, he believed the blanket 30-day ban was a "complete overreaction" and would prove counter-productive. He said: "I'm not sure we can defeat anti-democratic groups like the EDL using anti-democratic methods like banning marches. A far better tactic would be mass counter protests and exposing the bigoted and violent views of the EDL."
Earlier this month May banned an EDL march through Telford, although the group was still able to congregate. Opponents urged the home secretary to follow suit in east London, particularly after links emerged between the EDL and the Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik.
The gunman repeatedly praised the group in his rambling manifesto and claimed he had hundreds of EDL supporters as Facebook friends.
The EDL insisted any admiration was one way and it did not condone his views.
The group has struggled for legitimacy, even amid evidence it has picked up supporters as the better established far-right British National Party has been beset by internal divisions. According to Searchlight, the EDL has active support from people involved in earlier far-right groups, including the even more extreme Combat 18 and National Front.
In February it attracted some unexpected support from the Daily Star, which tacitly endorsed its views and said 98% of its readers supported them. But this lasted less than a week, with the paper's owner, Richard Desmond, saying it had been done without his knowledge
The Guardian
.
SERB FAR-RIGHT GROUP PREPARES POLL DEBUT
One of Serbia's better known far-right organisations, Dveri, has announced it will compete in next spring's election on a pro-family values ticket.
"Finally there is someone I can vote for," is the slogan of the Serbian far-right organisation "Dveri", [Doors], which for the first time has decided to take part in a general election. Vladan Glisic, a leader of Dveri, says the decision to take part in the spring 2012 election reflects an urgent need to change the system and its values after 20 years of "wrong regimes". "We want to change the system and regime completely," he told Balkan Insight, starting with a renewed emphasis on "family values". The groups intents to put the family in first place and so create a more "pro-life" oriented society. "Our goal is to strengthen the state to become a home of the people, which will exist to protect people from beaurocratic arbitrariness and oligarchy," Glisic explained. Dveri is known for a lot more than family values and hostility to gay rights and abortion.
One of the plethora of far-right groups in Serbia, it has a pronounced nationalist ideology, and it firmly opposed government plans to ease tensions with neighbouring Bosnia by adopting a resolution condemning the massacre committed by the Bosnian Serb army in Srebrenica, eastern Bosnia, in 1995. Parliament passed the resolution in March 2010. It is equally trenchant on the subject of independence for mainly Albanian Kosovo. Meanwhile, true to its anti-gay agenda, Dveri has said it will organise a rival pro-family march if and when a Gay Pride parade takes place in Belgrade this autumn. Branimir Nesic, of Dveri, said the government will bear responsibility if there are anti-gay clashes on Belgrade's streets. Last October's parade, the first since 20001, ended in violent clashes between stone-throwing anti-gay youths and the police. Turning to the elections, Dveri says it has no links to any political parties.
"We are not only anti-regime but also an anti-system party and not a single opposition party has shown any interest in fighting against the [existing] system so far," Glisic claimed. Although Dveri's members are strong supporters of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Dveri says it will not seek any official support from that quarter, either. "Our members' relationship with the Church is their private matter", Glisic said. Ordinary people are the only ones on whose support Dveri counts. Months ahead of the election, analysts are reluctant to estimate the potential impact of groups like Dveri. Political analyst Djordje Vukovic said he believed that Dveri might steal a number of votes from established right-wing parties, such as the Democratic Party of Serbia, DSS, and Serbian Radical Party, SRS. But he downplayed talk of a far-right breakthrough in the election. "I do not expect it to register a serious result [in the poll]," Vukovic said.
Balkans Insight
"Finally there is someone I can vote for," is the slogan of the Serbian far-right organisation "Dveri", [Doors], which for the first time has decided to take part in a general election. Vladan Glisic, a leader of Dveri, says the decision to take part in the spring 2012 election reflects an urgent need to change the system and its values after 20 years of "wrong regimes". "We want to change the system and regime completely," he told Balkan Insight, starting with a renewed emphasis on "family values". The groups intents to put the family in first place and so create a more "pro-life" oriented society. "Our goal is to strengthen the state to become a home of the people, which will exist to protect people from beaurocratic arbitrariness and oligarchy," Glisic explained. Dveri is known for a lot more than family values and hostility to gay rights and abortion.
One of the plethora of far-right groups in Serbia, it has a pronounced nationalist ideology, and it firmly opposed government plans to ease tensions with neighbouring Bosnia by adopting a resolution condemning the massacre committed by the Bosnian Serb army in Srebrenica, eastern Bosnia, in 1995. Parliament passed the resolution in March 2010. It is equally trenchant on the subject of independence for mainly Albanian Kosovo. Meanwhile, true to its anti-gay agenda, Dveri has said it will organise a rival pro-family march if and when a Gay Pride parade takes place in Belgrade this autumn. Branimir Nesic, of Dveri, said the government will bear responsibility if there are anti-gay clashes on Belgrade's streets. Last October's parade, the first since 20001, ended in violent clashes between stone-throwing anti-gay youths and the police. Turning to the elections, Dveri says it has no links to any political parties.
"We are not only anti-regime but also an anti-system party and not a single opposition party has shown any interest in fighting against the [existing] system so far," Glisic claimed. Although Dveri's members are strong supporters of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Dveri says it will not seek any official support from that quarter, either. "Our members' relationship with the Church is their private matter", Glisic said. Ordinary people are the only ones on whose support Dveri counts. Months ahead of the election, analysts are reluctant to estimate the potential impact of groups like Dveri. Political analyst Djordje Vukovic said he believed that Dveri might steal a number of votes from established right-wing parties, such as the Democratic Party of Serbia, DSS, and Serbian Radical Party, SRS. But he downplayed talk of a far-right breakthrough in the election. "I do not expect it to register a serious result [in the poll]," Vukovic said.
Balkans Insight
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
White supremacist pleads guilty to Navy pension fraud (USA)
Self-proclaimed white supremacist August Kreis III, 56, pleaded guilty Tuesday to lying to Veterans Administration officials to get pension money he was not entitled to, prosecutors said.
He could face five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 the U.S. Attorney’s office in South Carolina said in a statement.
Kreis, a onetime resident of Lexington County, served for nine months in the Navy during the Vietnam War. Despite the short time of service and early discharge, Kreis was receiving what’s called an “improved pension” because of demonstrated need and because he served during wartime. A condition of the augmented pension program requires recipients to report all outside income.
Because of widely publicized comments made after the 9-11 attacks that he and his followers wished to join Al-Queda in its jihad against the U.S. government, he came under the scrutiny of federal law enforcement.
“Mr. Kreis has the first amendment right to make whatever statements he wants,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Dean Eilchelberger said. But it’s also fair to say that Kreis’ statements raised concerns about violations of federal law which resulted in increased scrutiny and a financial review, he added.
During an examination of his financial records to investigate whether he had given material support to al- Queda, officials discovered more than $33,000 in unreported income in 2005.
Kreis was arrested in Tennessee earlier this summer. He will be sentenced by U.S. District Joseph F. Anderson Jr. at a future date. Eichelberger said the U.S. Attorney’s office has agreed not to seek the maximum penalty because of Kreis’ health. Kreis is wheelchair bound and suffers from diabetes.
Kreis is well known to organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, which follows white supremacist groups in the United States. They describe Kreis as a “hot-tempered, longtime white supremacist and Christian Identity minister” who “heads one of a handful of competing splinter factions of the once-mighty Aryan Nations.”
The State
He could face five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 the U.S. Attorney’s office in South Carolina said in a statement.
Kreis, a onetime resident of Lexington County, served for nine months in the Navy during the Vietnam War. Despite the short time of service and early discharge, Kreis was receiving what’s called an “improved pension” because of demonstrated need and because he served during wartime. A condition of the augmented pension program requires recipients to report all outside income.
Because of widely publicized comments made after the 9-11 attacks that he and his followers wished to join Al-Queda in its jihad against the U.S. government, he came under the scrutiny of federal law enforcement.
“Mr. Kreis has the first amendment right to make whatever statements he wants,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Dean Eilchelberger said. But it’s also fair to say that Kreis’ statements raised concerns about violations of federal law which resulted in increased scrutiny and a financial review, he added.
During an examination of his financial records to investigate whether he had given material support to al- Queda, officials discovered more than $33,000 in unreported income in 2005.
Kreis was arrested in Tennessee earlier this summer. He will be sentenced by U.S. District Joseph F. Anderson Jr. at a future date. Eichelberger said the U.S. Attorney’s office has agreed not to seek the maximum penalty because of Kreis’ health. Kreis is wheelchair bound and suffers from diabetes.
Kreis is well known to organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, which follows white supremacist groups in the United States. They describe Kreis as a “hot-tempered, longtime white supremacist and Christian Identity minister” who “heads one of a handful of competing splinter factions of the once-mighty Aryan Nations.”
The State
Hate crimes ‘not reported to police’ (UK)
More than 9,000 hate crime incidents could be taking place in Wales every year – almost five times the number of cases reported to police, a charity has claimed.
According to latest figures, 1,900 cases of hate crime were logged by police in Wales between January and December 2009. Safer Wales said one-in-10 cases of disability related hate crime and 25% of homophobic and racist hate crime are reported.
The charity yesterday joined all four police forces in Wales and the Welsh arm of the British Transport Police to launch a poster and leaflet campaign raising awareness of ways in which hate crime can be reported.
Wales Online
According to latest figures, 1,900 cases of hate crime were logged by police in Wales between January and December 2009. Safer Wales said one-in-10 cases of disability related hate crime and 25% of homophobic and racist hate crime are reported.
The charity yesterday joined all four police forces in Wales and the Welsh arm of the British Transport Police to launch a poster and leaflet campaign raising awareness of ways in which hate crime can be reported.
Wales Online
BNP activist told he is liable for unpaid debt (UK)
 |
| Adam Walker |
District Judge David Robertson ruled that Adam Walker, of Spennymoor, County Durham, must pay £21,000 out of his own pocket to the party’s former graphic designer, Mark Adrian Collett.
A case brought by Mr Collett against the BNP itself, thought to be £700,000 in debt, was dismissed, but the judgement against Mr Walker could still spell disaster for the party.
It paves the way for other creditors to take action against activists, who could be declared bankrupt and therefore barred or even stopped from holding political office at any level.
Durham County Court heard on Monday that Mr Collett, 30, was employed as the extreme far right party’s principal graphic designer and Mr Walker was a senior officer and staff manager.
The BNP was described as an unincorporated association with no corporate identity which left senior officers responsible for contracts.
An agreement was made on September 9, last year, between Mr Collett and both Mr Walker and the BNP, which Mr Collett said had been breached.
Mr Collett said he only received £750 from the BNP, instead of the £7,500 he claimed was due at the time and, as a result, said the full amount of £15,750 was now liable.
District Judge Robertson awarded Mr Collett £14,250 plus £7,333.60 costs against Mr Walker, but dismissed Mr Collett’s claim against the party.
The BNP’s money woes were highlighted last year when former chief fundraiser James Downson wrote letters to creditors, seen by The Northern Echo, offering 20 per cent settlements.
Mr Dowson told Newton Press, a printing firm in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, which is owed £16,500 for printing its newsletters, that the finances were like a “shipwreck”.
Newton Press confirmed last night that the debt was still outstanding.
Mr Walker, 42, of Winchester Court, Spennymoor, said last night he respected the judge’s decision and would do his utmost to comply with the judgement.
He added: “The contract was signed in good faith as party manager and at that time that was my job. I’m not the treasurer and I don’t decide where the money goes.”
Mr Walker, who represented himself against a barrister and a senior solicitor, said he was grateful the judge dismissed an application for the senior solicitor’s fees.
The former teacher said: “To anybody else in a similar position, I would say they should be very cautious about legal fees.”
Northern Echo
We'll march against the far right, vow anti-racism campaigners (Scotland, UK)
Anti-racism groups are mobilising a major counter-protest after the right-wing Scottish Defence League vowed to go ahead with a demonstration in Scotland's capital despite it being banned by the city council.
Activists on the SDL's Facebook page have revealed the event will take place the day before the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
Councillors threw out the group's application last week, claiming they were worried about risking disorder and violent confrontations, despite police saying they had "no objections" to the march.
The SDL, an off-shoot of the anti-Islam English Defence League, is already promoting the planned protest on 10 September. Details of the route and location of any rally are being kept under wraps, after an SDL meeting in a Royal Mile pub in February 2010 was ambushed by dozens of anti-racism protesters, leading to scuffles in the street.
But the SDL has received messages of support from across the UK after announcing some form of demonstration in Edinburgh would go ahead regardless.
One post stated: "The march is banned. We are having a static demonstration. And most likely the police will have to march us if they want rid of us."
The SDL spent weeks negotiating with police and council officials over its planned demo, which was due to leave from Regent Road, near the American consulate, and include a rally at the Wellington Statue at the east end of Princes Street.
Councillors said the threat of a "significant risk" of disorder outweighed concerns about flouting principles of freedom of speech by banning the march.
The protest had attracted more than 1,000 complaints from politicians, anti-racism groups, community organisations and trade union leaders, who were concerned the group would trigger racial unrest.
SDL representatives told the council the group had distanced itself from more hard-line members and the EDL, but left councillors unconvinced.
No-one from the SDL was available to comment yesterday.
Luke Wright is spokesman for the Unite Against Fascism group, which is organising a public meeting in the city tomorrow to rally support for a counter-demo.
He said: "We've applied to the council for a counter-demonstration on 10 September after we spotted quite a bit of online activity about the SDL going ahead with a demo despite the council's decision last week.
"Despite enormous public opposition including a wave of complaints to the council, and despite political opposition it seems that the SDL still do not understand Edinburgh does not want their violent racism."
The Scotsman
Activists on the SDL's Facebook page have revealed the event will take place the day before the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
Councillors threw out the group's application last week, claiming they were worried about risking disorder and violent confrontations, despite police saying they had "no objections" to the march.
The SDL, an off-shoot of the anti-Islam English Defence League, is already promoting the planned protest on 10 September. Details of the route and location of any rally are being kept under wraps, after an SDL meeting in a Royal Mile pub in February 2010 was ambushed by dozens of anti-racism protesters, leading to scuffles in the street.
But the SDL has received messages of support from across the UK after announcing some form of demonstration in Edinburgh would go ahead regardless.
One post stated: "The march is banned. We are having a static demonstration. And most likely the police will have to march us if they want rid of us."
The SDL spent weeks negotiating with police and council officials over its planned demo, which was due to leave from Regent Road, near the American consulate, and include a rally at the Wellington Statue at the east end of Princes Street.
Councillors said the threat of a "significant risk" of disorder outweighed concerns about flouting principles of freedom of speech by banning the march.
The protest had attracted more than 1,000 complaints from politicians, anti-racism groups, community organisations and trade union leaders, who were concerned the group would trigger racial unrest.
SDL representatives told the council the group had distanced itself from more hard-line members and the EDL, but left councillors unconvinced.
No-one from the SDL was available to comment yesterday.
Luke Wright is spokesman for the Unite Against Fascism group, which is organising a public meeting in the city tomorrow to rally support for a counter-demo.
He said: "We've applied to the council for a counter-demonstration on 10 September after we spotted quite a bit of online activity about the SDL going ahead with a demo despite the council's decision last week.
"Despite enormous public opposition including a wave of complaints to the council, and despite political opposition it seems that the SDL still do not understand Edinburgh does not want their violent racism."
The Scotsman
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Sweden's Jews, Muslims face web hate rise: study
The number of xenophobic web sites have almost doubled since 2007 and Jews and Muslims wearing apparent religious symbols are subjected to significant discrimination in Sweden today, according to a new report from the Living History Forum (Forum för levande historia).
“Sweden as a whole is a tolerant country but this report shows that racism is growing and is being professionalized on the internet. There is today a small but growing minority that harbour hatred against Muslims and Jews,” minister for integration, Erik Ullenhag, wrote in a statement on Monday.
The report, which was requested by the government and carried out by the Forum, also shows that an increased number of racist web pages have been created in recent years and that prejudice is being spread through schoolbooks.
According to the report, the number of racist sites in Sweden has almost doubled in two years. In 2009 there were around 8,000 xenophobic Swedish sites whereas today the authors of the report estimate an increase to 15,000.
This follows a EU-wide trend where right wing extremist groups are using the internet to spread hate-propaganda.
According to the report, these are characterized by anti-Semitic and Islamophobic views, where conspiracy theories are the most recurring elements.
The Jewish group is often cast as world conspirators whereas the Muslim group is seen as physical occupiers, actively are on their way to taking over society through mass-immigration and rising nativity figures.
The Jewish community in Sweden consists of some 20,000 individuals and the Muslim community of 300,000. Fresh crime statistics show that there were 161 reports of crimes with anti-Semitic motives and 272 with Islamophobic motives last year.
But according to the Forum it is difficult to get a fair idea of the situation from these statistics as they are based on police reports and the authors believe there may be many more unrecorded cases.
“Above all this study shows that research and follow-ups into preventative actions regarding intolerance against Jews and Muslims is sorely needed,” said head of Forum for Living History, Eskil Franck, in a statement.
According to Ullenhag, Swedish authorities must further their knowledge about what causes the hate against these groups to grow in Sweden and how they should meet it. That, he said, is the aim behind the investigation regarding xenophobia that the government launched earlier this spring.
“We have learnt from experiences in other European countries that all the forces who want a tolerant society need to be active in the public debate. Prejudice against Jews and Muslims can never be normalized,” said Ullenhag.
When American research centre Pew recently investigated the development of religious conflicts and oppression worldwide between 2006 and 2009, Sweden distinguished itself as a country where hostilities related to religion are increasing the most.
The Local Sweden
“Sweden as a whole is a tolerant country but this report shows that racism is growing and is being professionalized on the internet. There is today a small but growing minority that harbour hatred against Muslims and Jews,” minister for integration, Erik Ullenhag, wrote in a statement on Monday.
The report, which was requested by the government and carried out by the Forum, also shows that an increased number of racist web pages have been created in recent years and that prejudice is being spread through schoolbooks.
According to the report, the number of racist sites in Sweden has almost doubled in two years. In 2009 there were around 8,000 xenophobic Swedish sites whereas today the authors of the report estimate an increase to 15,000.
This follows a EU-wide trend where right wing extremist groups are using the internet to spread hate-propaganda.
According to the report, these are characterized by anti-Semitic and Islamophobic views, where conspiracy theories are the most recurring elements.
The Jewish group is often cast as world conspirators whereas the Muslim group is seen as physical occupiers, actively are on their way to taking over society through mass-immigration and rising nativity figures.
The Jewish community in Sweden consists of some 20,000 individuals and the Muslim community of 300,000. Fresh crime statistics show that there were 161 reports of crimes with anti-Semitic motives and 272 with Islamophobic motives last year.
But according to the Forum it is difficult to get a fair idea of the situation from these statistics as they are based on police reports and the authors believe there may be many more unrecorded cases.
“Above all this study shows that research and follow-ups into preventative actions regarding intolerance against Jews and Muslims is sorely needed,” said head of Forum for Living History, Eskil Franck, in a statement.
According to Ullenhag, Swedish authorities must further their knowledge about what causes the hate against these groups to grow in Sweden and how they should meet it. That, he said, is the aim behind the investigation regarding xenophobia that the government launched earlier this spring.
“We have learnt from experiences in other European countries that all the forces who want a tolerant society need to be active in the public debate. Prejudice against Jews and Muslims can never be normalized,” said Ullenhag.
When American research centre Pew recently investigated the development of religious conflicts and oppression worldwide between 2006 and 2009, Sweden distinguished itself as a country where hostilities related to religion are increasing the most.
The Local Sweden
SLIGHT RISE IN ANTI-SEMITIC ACTS IN GERMANY AS VANDALS STRIKE AT BERLIN'S WEIßENSEE CEMETERY
In Germany, a slight rise in anti-Semitic crimes has been noted in the second quarter of 2011, according to the federal government. From April to June, 215 incidents were registered by police, including four acts of violence against Jews and 41 cases of anti-Semitic hate propaganda. Three victims were injured in attacks. Five people were temporarily arrested and criminal investigations opened against 106 persons. In the first quarter of 2011, a total of 211 anti-Semitic crimes were registered across Germany.
Meanwhile, vandals struck Europe's largest Jewish cemetery in Berlin, stealing metal objects from graves. Jewish leaders in the city are now asking metal dealers in the region to check for wrought-iron objects that might have been stolen from the Weißensee graveyard, where 115,000 Jews were laid to rest between 1880 and 1998. Vandals recently damaged 16 graves and stole 47 items from Weißensee , located in the former eastern part of the German capital. Renovations on some of the tombs had been completed as recently as last April. The stolen items are worth about US$ 16,000. "However, the immaterial damage is much greater," the Jewish Community said in a statement on Monday. "Theft in general is a serious offense," Grigory Kristal, head of cultural affairs for the community, was quoted by JTA as saying. "But to destroy graves at the Jewish cemetery demonstrates a lack of respect and lack of understanding of the past."
Observers suggested the motive was profit and not anti-Semitism since specifically metal objects were removed. Such thefts reportedly are on the rise at cemeteries all over Berlin, from all religious denominations. Police patrols and surveillance have been stepped up at Weißensee. The community plans to contact metal dealers to warn them to be vigilant regarding sellers of potentially stolen goods.
World Jewish Congress
Meanwhile, vandals struck Europe's largest Jewish cemetery in Berlin, stealing metal objects from graves. Jewish leaders in the city are now asking metal dealers in the region to check for wrought-iron objects that might have been stolen from the Weißensee graveyard, where 115,000 Jews were laid to rest between 1880 and 1998. Vandals recently damaged 16 graves and stole 47 items from Weißensee , located in the former eastern part of the German capital. Renovations on some of the tombs had been completed as recently as last April. The stolen items are worth about US$ 16,000. "However, the immaterial damage is much greater," the Jewish Community said in a statement on Monday. "Theft in general is a serious offense," Grigory Kristal, head of cultural affairs for the community, was quoted by JTA as saying. "But to destroy graves at the Jewish cemetery demonstrates a lack of respect and lack of understanding of the past."
Observers suggested the motive was profit and not anti-Semitism since specifically metal objects were removed. Such thefts reportedly are on the rise at cemeteries all over Berlin, from all religious denominations. Police patrols and surveillance have been stepped up at Weißensee. The community plans to contact metal dealers to warn them to be vigilant regarding sellers of potentially stolen goods.
World Jewish Congress
Monday, 22 August 2011
Americans Protest Wilders Anti-Islam Film
A local screening of an anti-Islam movie by far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders in Tennessee has sparked Americans protests, deploring the hatred message it conveys.
"We're here to voice another side," Pat Handlson, minister of Cookeville First Presbyterian Church and event organizer, told Herald-Citizen Newspapers on Saturday, August 20.
Wilders movie, A Warning to America, was broadcasted in Cookeville county commission chambers on Friday.
The Tennessee Freedom Coalition's event is organized by Rachel Welch, the vice-chair of the Putnam County Republican Party.
Rejecting the message of the movie, around 100 peaceful protestors gathered outside the courthouse last night with signs saying "We love Muslims" and "All religions believe in justice.”
The demonstration of Wilders hateful message in the movie is not the first in Tennessee.
Last May, he made a visit to Nashville in the course of an event to honor the anti-Islam speaker sponsored by the Tennessee Freedom Coalition.
Spreading his hateful message, Wilders, the leader of the far-right Freedom Party (PVV), called for closing Islamic schools and halting construction of mosques.
He also called for banning immigrants from “non-Western and especially Islamic countries,” and expelling any immigrants who do not “assimilate.”
Wilders is notorious for his rants against Islam and Muslims.
He has called for banning the Noble Qur’an, describing the Muslim holy book as “fascist”.
In 2008, the far-right politician released a 15-minute documentary accusing the Qur'an of inciting violence.
Ahead of last year’s general elections, Wilders’ anti-immigrant party campaigned to "stop the Islamization of the Netherlands", and the building of new mosques.
His party’s anti-Islam campaigns, however, have helped it make its biggest gains since Wilders has founded it in 2006.
Negative FeelingsProtesters decried the movie message, saying it fuels growing anti-Muslims rhetoric in the south-eastern US state of Tennessee, already intensified over calls to ban Shari`ah law in courts.
A heated debate also surrounded plans to construct new Muslim center in Murfreesboro when local residents waged a fierce campaign to hinder the project.
"I think it's sad there's been such negativity surrounding the Murfreesboro mosque," Handlson said.
Yet, he hoped their protests would reflect the true feelings of love shared for the Muslim community.
"I just wanted everyone here to be a witness to this event," Handlson continued.
"To be a witness to love your God and love your neighbor. We all can co-exist."
Though there are no official figures, America is believed to be home to nearly seven million Muslims.
US Muslims have been sensing a growing hostility following a hearing presented by representative Peter King on what he described as “radicalization” of US Muslims.
Recently, a Republican Missouri lawmaker described Islam as a disease like polio while another Alaska Rep. branded Muslims as ‘occupiers’ of American neighborhoods.
Condemning repeated attacks, CAIR called last March on the Republicans to end fear mongering campaigns targeting Islam, urging all moderate lawmakers to stand up to the US anti-discrimination principles.
A recent survey by the Pew Research Center has showed that the majority of Americans know very little about Islam.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll has also found that more than half Americans already hold negative views about the faith.
On Islam
"We're here to voice another side," Pat Handlson, minister of Cookeville First Presbyterian Church and event organizer, told Herald-Citizen Newspapers on Saturday, August 20.
Wilders movie, A Warning to America, was broadcasted in Cookeville county commission chambers on Friday.
The Tennessee Freedom Coalition's event is organized by Rachel Welch, the vice-chair of the Putnam County Republican Party.
Rejecting the message of the movie, around 100 peaceful protestors gathered outside the courthouse last night with signs saying "We love Muslims" and "All religions believe in justice.”
The demonstration of Wilders hateful message in the movie is not the first in Tennessee.
Last May, he made a visit to Nashville in the course of an event to honor the anti-Islam speaker sponsored by the Tennessee Freedom Coalition.
Spreading his hateful message, Wilders, the leader of the far-right Freedom Party (PVV), called for closing Islamic schools and halting construction of mosques.
He also called for banning immigrants from “non-Western and especially Islamic countries,” and expelling any immigrants who do not “assimilate.”
Wilders is notorious for his rants against Islam and Muslims.
He has called for banning the Noble Qur’an, describing the Muslim holy book as “fascist”.
In 2008, the far-right politician released a 15-minute documentary accusing the Qur'an of inciting violence.
Ahead of last year’s general elections, Wilders’ anti-immigrant party campaigned to "stop the Islamization of the Netherlands", and the building of new mosques.
His party’s anti-Islam campaigns, however, have helped it make its biggest gains since Wilders has founded it in 2006.
Negative FeelingsProtesters decried the movie message, saying it fuels growing anti-Muslims rhetoric in the south-eastern US state of Tennessee, already intensified over calls to ban Shari`ah law in courts.
A heated debate also surrounded plans to construct new Muslim center in Murfreesboro when local residents waged a fierce campaign to hinder the project.
"I think it's sad there's been such negativity surrounding the Murfreesboro mosque," Handlson said.
Yet, he hoped their protests would reflect the true feelings of love shared for the Muslim community.
"I just wanted everyone here to be a witness to this event," Handlson continued.
"To be a witness to love your God and love your neighbor. We all can co-exist."
Though there are no official figures, America is believed to be home to nearly seven million Muslims.
US Muslims have been sensing a growing hostility following a hearing presented by representative Peter King on what he described as “radicalization” of US Muslims.
Recently, a Republican Missouri lawmaker described Islam as a disease like polio while another Alaska Rep. branded Muslims as ‘occupiers’ of American neighborhoods.
Condemning repeated attacks, CAIR called last March on the Republicans to end fear mongering campaigns targeting Islam, urging all moderate lawmakers to stand up to the US anti-discrimination principles.
A recent survey by the Pew Research Center has showed that the majority of Americans know very little about Islam.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll has also found that more than half Americans already hold negative views about the faith.
On Islam
Czech PM: Today the threat of invasion is posed by extremism
Czech PM Petr Nečas (Civic Democrats - ODS) has issued a press release on the 43rd anniversary of the Warsaw Pact invasion, an event which deprived communist Czechoslovakia of the hope of transforming its totalitarian regime. The PM's statement claims that the country does not face the threat of invasion by a military "alliance" today, but of "invasion" by displays of extremism, intolerance and radicalism. The 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion put an end to the Prague Spring - the attempt by Czechoslovak communists to establish "socialism with a human face" - and began the lengthy "normalization" period which did not end until November 1989.
"Today the threat is not that of an invasion by a military 'alliance', but of invasion by displays of extremism, intolerance and radicalism, as we have witnessed in many countries. This extremism, of various flavors, can pose a threat to democracy and freedom at any time, whether today or in the near future," Nečas said.
The Nečas cabinet is grappling with the problem of political extremism itself these days. Ladislav Bátora, a controversial bureaucrat at the Czech Education Ministry, is guilty of extremist opinions and his work at the ministry has prompted the most recent rupture in the governing coalition. Right-wing extremism in particular, however, most recently shocked Europe in the context of the terrorist attack in Norway.
Czech Defense Minister Alexandr Vondra (ODS) issued a declaration commemorating the symbolic significance of the anniversary. "We should not view this anniversary with resignation, but learn a lesson from it. A state that gives up on defending itself cannot exist independently for long," Vondra wrote in a statement sent to the Czech Press Agency by the press department of the Czech Defense Ministry.
Other politicians commemorated the 43rd anniversary of the Warsaw Pact invasion of what was then Czechoslovakia together with citizens and survivors in front of the Czech Radio building on Vinohradská třída in Prague. Czech MP Miroslava Němcová (ODS), the speaker of the lower house, emphasized that Czechs have been freely commemorating today's anniversary for 20 years but were unable to do so during the era of communist dictatorship and Soviet occupation. "Since November 1989, a new generation has come into the world who knows of the occupation of 21 August 1968 only from the stories of others," Němcová said in her speech.
Mayor of Prague Bohuslav Svoboda (ODS) reminded those gathered that Praguers assembled in front of the radio building to defend it on the day the occupation began. They did so spontaneously, without previously arranging to do so through social networking sites, which did not exist in those days. "Today's younger generation, with its need to be constantly online, almost finds it impossible to imagine how big, not to say crucial, a medium radio was in those days," Svoboda said.
The armies of the five eastern bloc states crossed the Czechoslovak border 43 years ago just before midnight on 20 August 1968, invading the state's territory without the authorities' awareness. The first platoon to invade the territory of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was comprised of roughly 100 000 soldiers, 2 300 tanks and 700 aircraft. The occupying army gradually grew to 750 000 soldiers. People lost their lives during the tragic events that halted social reform in the country.
The press release of Czech PM Petr Nečas is printed in full below:
Today we are commemorating 43 years since the events that deprived people of the hope of changing what was a totalitarian regime. Those events proved that communism is irredeemable, that it is capable of exploiting an atmosphere of fear, of using tanks and weapons against defenseless people. People who were convinced of their truth soon recognized they had no possibility of fighting off this brute force, but they gave their lives for our country in the defense of freedom anyway.
Today we are living in democracy and in freedom. Like everywhere in the developed world, our system is imperfect - but we take it for granted. What was just a dream to people decades ago, that we would return to our rightful place among the traditional democratic states, is a reality today. However, the world is constantly changing and still faces many threats.
Today the threat is not that of an invasion by a military 'alliance', but of invasion by displays of extremism, intolerance and radicalism, as we have witnessed in many countries. This extremism, of various flavors, can pose a threat to democracy and freedom at any time, whether today or in the near future.
We must continue in the process of facing up to the totalitarian past, when August 1968 extended communist domination for another 21 years. However, we must also be capable of responding to current threats, which could endanger our freedom in a much more insidious way. Let us remember that, and not only today.
Romea.cz
"Today the threat is not that of an invasion by a military 'alliance', but of invasion by displays of extremism, intolerance and radicalism, as we have witnessed in many countries. This extremism, of various flavors, can pose a threat to democracy and freedom at any time, whether today or in the near future," Nečas said.
The Nečas cabinet is grappling with the problem of political extremism itself these days. Ladislav Bátora, a controversial bureaucrat at the Czech Education Ministry, is guilty of extremist opinions and his work at the ministry has prompted the most recent rupture in the governing coalition. Right-wing extremism in particular, however, most recently shocked Europe in the context of the terrorist attack in Norway.
Czech Defense Minister Alexandr Vondra (ODS) issued a declaration commemorating the symbolic significance of the anniversary. "We should not view this anniversary with resignation, but learn a lesson from it. A state that gives up on defending itself cannot exist independently for long," Vondra wrote in a statement sent to the Czech Press Agency by the press department of the Czech Defense Ministry.
Other politicians commemorated the 43rd anniversary of the Warsaw Pact invasion of what was then Czechoslovakia together with citizens and survivors in front of the Czech Radio building on Vinohradská třída in Prague. Czech MP Miroslava Němcová (ODS), the speaker of the lower house, emphasized that Czechs have been freely commemorating today's anniversary for 20 years but were unable to do so during the era of communist dictatorship and Soviet occupation. "Since November 1989, a new generation has come into the world who knows of the occupation of 21 August 1968 only from the stories of others," Němcová said in her speech.
Mayor of Prague Bohuslav Svoboda (ODS) reminded those gathered that Praguers assembled in front of the radio building to defend it on the day the occupation began. They did so spontaneously, without previously arranging to do so through social networking sites, which did not exist in those days. "Today's younger generation, with its need to be constantly online, almost finds it impossible to imagine how big, not to say crucial, a medium radio was in those days," Svoboda said.
The armies of the five eastern bloc states crossed the Czechoslovak border 43 years ago just before midnight on 20 August 1968, invading the state's territory without the authorities' awareness. The first platoon to invade the territory of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was comprised of roughly 100 000 soldiers, 2 300 tanks and 700 aircraft. The occupying army gradually grew to 750 000 soldiers. People lost their lives during the tragic events that halted social reform in the country.
The press release of Czech PM Petr Nečas is printed in full below:
Today we are commemorating 43 years since the events that deprived people of the hope of changing what was a totalitarian regime. Those events proved that communism is irredeemable, that it is capable of exploiting an atmosphere of fear, of using tanks and weapons against defenseless people. People who were convinced of their truth soon recognized they had no possibility of fighting off this brute force, but they gave their lives for our country in the defense of freedom anyway.
Today we are living in democracy and in freedom. Like everywhere in the developed world, our system is imperfect - but we take it for granted. What was just a dream to people decades ago, that we would return to our rightful place among the traditional democratic states, is a reality today. However, the world is constantly changing and still faces many threats.
Today the threat is not that of an invasion by a military 'alliance', but of invasion by displays of extremism, intolerance and radicalism, as we have witnessed in many countries. This extremism, of various flavors, can pose a threat to democracy and freedom at any time, whether today or in the near future.
We must continue in the process of facing up to the totalitarian past, when August 1968 extended communist domination for another 21 years. However, we must also be capable of responding to current threats, which could endanger our freedom in a much more insidious way. Let us remember that, and not only today.
Romea.cz
Facebook tribute site for Ayen Chol ruined by racists (Australia)
The State Government and police will try to erase the posts.
The two pages have 35,000 followers, several of whom have contacted Crimestoppers.
Some vile comments and images already have been removed. But others remain on the sites dedicated to four-year-old Ayen Chol.
One post on a page described the pit bull-cross linked to the girl's death last Wednesday as a legend.
The Herald Sun has chosen not to detail the contents of other posts that have not been removed.
One racist comment triggered the responses: "I hope you get mauled by a dog, so you know what she had to go through!!!" and "Go die in a hole ... u heartless waste of space".
Relative Daniel Atem said the family was not aware of the shocking photos and posts until contacted by the Herald Sun.
"It's bad. It's not good," he said.
It is the latest incident of tribute pages of people who have died being vandalised. Minister for Crime Prevention Andrew McIntosh said he was outraged the girl's memory had been attacked by cyber ghouls.
"These comments are despicable and offensive," Mr McIntosh said.
"The Victorian Coalition Government will seek advice on any action that may be taken against the cowards who have sought to defile the memory of Ayen Chol using the supposed anonymity of the internet."
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said police would work with Facebook to try to have any offensive content removed.
A Facebook spokeswoman said the site wanted to express its sympathies to Ayen's family and friends.
"We are also deeply saddened that a few individuals have shown a complete lack of respect for this tribute page," she said.
She encouraged page administrators to remove offensive content from the pages they have created and ban unwelcome visitors.
Herald Sun
FACEBOOK’S HOLOCAUST PROBLEM
Is Facebook in denial about Holocaust denial? For years, international organizations opposing anti-Semitism have been urging the planet’s preeminent social-networking platform to delete any content that asserts the Nazi-orchestrated extermination of 6 million Jews never took place. And for years, officials of Facebook, boasting more than 750 million active users, have refused, insisting that mere denial of the Holocaust, however “repugnant and ignorant,” doesn’t constitute “hate speech” as defined by Facebook’s Terms of Service policy prohibiting “content that: is hateful, threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence.” (Which gave a huge opening to TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington, who noted that while Facebook was meticulously removing photos of breast-feeding women, it was allowing the proliferation of Holocaust-denial pages. His mordant headline: “Jew Haters Welcome At Facebook, As Long As They Aren’t Lactating.”)
Facebook’s critics—including such groups as the Anti-Defamation League and the Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism, which describes itself as an Israeli-led “alliance of statesmen, parliamentarians, diplomats, journalists, legal experts, NGOs and scholars”—argue that Holocaust denial is, by definition, an expression of hatred for the Jewish people. “Holocaust denial is basically a form of classic anti-Semitism,” said Deborah Lauter, ADL’s director of civil rights and its cyber-hate response team. “It’s anti-Semitism per se because it serves as a powerful conspiracy theory that basically says the Jews have manipulated history to advance their own worldview, whether to create sympathy or world domination. In other words, we have fabricated this monstrous event in history in order to further our own hidden agenda.”
Facebook spokesman Simon Axten doesn’t see it that way. “We find Holocaust denial to be repugnant and ignorant, just as we object to many of the other ideas expressed on Facebook,” Axten told me via email this week. “We’ve come to the conclusion that the mere statement of denying the Holocaust is not a violation of our policies. We recognize people’s right to be factually wrong about historical events.” The controversy surrounding Facebook’s free-speech position isn’t especially new. It has been a matter of anxiety among Jewish groups at least since November 2008, when blogger and attorney Brian Cuban—the less-famous brother of Dallas Mavericks owner and Dancing With the Stars contestant Mark Cuban—sounded the alarm and prompted a spate of media attention.
This item continues at the Daily Beast
.
Facebook’s critics—including such groups as the Anti-Defamation League and the Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism, which describes itself as an Israeli-led “alliance of statesmen, parliamentarians, diplomats, journalists, legal experts, NGOs and scholars”—argue that Holocaust denial is, by definition, an expression of hatred for the Jewish people. “Holocaust denial is basically a form of classic anti-Semitism,” said Deborah Lauter, ADL’s director of civil rights and its cyber-hate response team. “It’s anti-Semitism per se because it serves as a powerful conspiracy theory that basically says the Jews have manipulated history to advance their own worldview, whether to create sympathy or world domination. In other words, we have fabricated this monstrous event in history in order to further our own hidden agenda.”
Facebook spokesman Simon Axten doesn’t see it that way. “We find Holocaust denial to be repugnant and ignorant, just as we object to many of the other ideas expressed on Facebook,” Axten told me via email this week. “We’ve come to the conclusion that the mere statement of denying the Holocaust is not a violation of our policies. We recognize people’s right to be factually wrong about historical events.” The controversy surrounding Facebook’s free-speech position isn’t especially new. It has been a matter of anxiety among Jewish groups at least since November 2008, when blogger and attorney Brian Cuban—the less-famous brother of Dallas Mavericks owner and Dancing With the Stars contestant Mark Cuban—sounded the alarm and prompted a spate of media attention.
This item continues at the Daily Beast
.
Friday, 19 August 2011
Dutch Anti-Islam Politician Becomes Brand (Netherlands)
Far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders, notorious for his rants against Islam and Muslims, has become a ‘brand name’ in the Netherlands.
Dutch newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad said Wilders and his anti-immigrant Freedom Party (PVV) have been registered as trademarks to prevent misuse of their names, Reuters reported Wednesday, August 17.
Wilders' trademark application included a category for seeds, plants and flowers following the christening of a tulip in his name in February.
The far-right lawmaker has already been listed in the brand register for the Benelux for services such as lobbying.
When a name is registered, it can be marketed commercially.
“A politician should not be for sale,” Tobias Cohen Jehoram, professor of intellectual property, told the Financieele Dagblad.
Wilders is notorious for his rants against Islam and Muslims.
He has called for banning the Noble Qur’an, describing the Muslim holy book as “fascist”.
In 2008, the far-right politician released a 15-minute documentary accusing the Qur'an of inciting violence.
Ahead of last year’s general elections, Wilders’ anti-immigrant party campaigned to "stop the Islamization of the Netherlands", and the building of new mosques.
His party’s anti-Islam campaigns, however, have helped it make its biggest gains since Wilders has founded it in 2006.
Wilders’ party, the third-largest in parliament, is the minority coalition government's key ally, providing crucial support when the government needs a majority to pass legislation.
Wilders stands out among Dutch politicians because of his mane of bleached-blond hair and was nicknamed "the golden pompadour" in US diplomatic cables disclosed by WikiLeaks.
OnIslam
Dutch newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad said Wilders and his anti-immigrant Freedom Party (PVV) have been registered as trademarks to prevent misuse of their names, Reuters reported Wednesday, August 17.
Wilders' trademark application included a category for seeds, plants and flowers following the christening of a tulip in his name in February.
The far-right lawmaker has already been listed in the brand register for the Benelux for services such as lobbying.
When a name is registered, it can be marketed commercially.
“A politician should not be for sale,” Tobias Cohen Jehoram, professor of intellectual property, told the Financieele Dagblad.
Wilders is notorious for his rants against Islam and Muslims.
He has called for banning the Noble Qur’an, describing the Muslim holy book as “fascist”.
In 2008, the far-right politician released a 15-minute documentary accusing the Qur'an of inciting violence.
Ahead of last year’s general elections, Wilders’ anti-immigrant party campaigned to "stop the Islamization of the Netherlands", and the building of new mosques.
His party’s anti-Islam campaigns, however, have helped it make its biggest gains since Wilders has founded it in 2006.
Wilders’ party, the third-largest in parliament, is the minority coalition government's key ally, providing crucial support when the government needs a majority to pass legislation.
Wilders stands out among Dutch politicians because of his mane of bleached-blond hair and was nicknamed "the golden pompadour" in US diplomatic cables disclosed by WikiLeaks.
OnIslam
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