VILNIUS, 15 September 2010 - The international community must work to identify effective ways to address hate speech on the Internet without endangering freedom of expression, said the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic, and Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, today at the Joint OSCE-Council of Europe Open Forum on Hate Speech vs. Freedom of Expression in Vilnius.
The meeting focused on possible alternatives to relying solely on governmental or legislative approaches to address the problem of hate speech without infringing on freedom of expression and silencing legitimate criticism.
"We have to identify effective ways to address hate speech on the Internet without endangering freedom of expression. I am confident that this impressive group of leading international experts gathered under the umbrella of the OSCE and the Council of Europe will help the international community advance in this field," said Mijatovic.
De Boer-Buquicchio said: "Hate speech is a direct attack on the right to be and to think differently. It might not stop at rhetoric, as it has the potential to shape the minds and attitudes of individuals who will believe they have the right to undermine other people's rights. A democratic society cannot afford the freedom to oppress. Instead, we have to identify how to strike the adequate balance between rights and freedoms."
The event was held as part of the Internet Governance Forum, a global platform, and was jointly organized by the Representative's Office and the Council of Europe. This was the first initiative of this scale implemented by the two international bodies promoting free expression.
The forum was facilitated by leading experts representing academia, international bodies and the private sector involved with Internet policies
OCSE
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Racism and the Vatican
It may seem as if the Vatican has no moral authority left to lose but with his description of Britain as a "third world country", Cardinal Walter Kasper has done his best.
In an interview with the German news magazine Focus, Kasper declared
"Britain is a secular and pluralist country. Sometimes, when you land at Heathrow, you think you have entered a third world country."
Some bloggers have interpreted Kasper's comments as an attack on the quality of Heathrow airport. But they, along with much of the mainstream media, have obviously missed the "clarification" issued by the Vatican.
According to the Pope's spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, Kasper's comments actually referred to Britain's multi-ethnic composition. Is Kasper really suggesting that ethnic minorities have no place in a developed country like Britain? Apparently so. One can only assume that the multi-ethnic nature of travellers (and staff) at Heathrow offended the Cardinal's separatist sensibilities.Kasper, who has withdrawn from the Papal visit, has already come under pressure to apologise. Cardinal O'Brien, the leader of the Roman Catholic church in Scotland, said:
"That was unfortunate and each and every person's aides sometimes do make awkward, difficult remarks. Sometimes we make awkward, difficult remarks ourselves. And simply, if we do that sort of thing we apologise for it, and I'm sure Cardinal Kasper will apologise for any intemperate remarks which he made some time ago."
But these weasel words are inadequate to the scale of Kasper's offence. If the Vatican, many of whose followers live in the "third world", wishes to salvage some dignity it could begin by ordering Kasper to apologise for his slur on the UK and its population.
Populism on the rise in the Nordic region
A populist and hard-right wave is washing up over the Nordic countries, and with it, anti-immigration rhetoric and policies that were unthinkable just few years ago, with political consequences for traditional politics in the region.
Despite their rapid rise, most extreme right-wing parties in the Nordic countries still lack significant voter-support on election day, with Sunday's (19 September) Swedish election result to be the next test.
Just a year ago, the far-right anti-immigration party – Swedish Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna) – was a small and unknown outfit. But its provocative anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim statements have given it significant support especially in areas with high unemployment.
Opinion polls suggest that the Swedish Democrats may exceed the four percent threshold needed to win seats in the Riksdagen and possibly hold the balance of power between the left alliance led by the Social Democrats and the governing centre-right coalition.
In Finland, the tone of the immigration debate has changed dramatically over the last year. The topic has moved from being a marginal discussion to become one of the central debates in Finnish politics.
As much as 60 percent of Finns are now against an increase in the number of immigrants arriving in the country – a number that has increased considerably compared to previous years, according to a survey by Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat.
Public support for the opposition hard-right True Finns party led by MEP Timo Soini, who is a member of the European Parliament, has lately risen past 10 per cent, according to a survey in September commissioned by the same paper.
In Norway however, the far-right wave seems to have ebbed considerably. Following the polemic with the caricature drawings of the Prophet Mohammed a few years back some political parties were accused of being soft on Muslim fundamentalists for supporting a dialogue with the Muslim immigrant community. Consequently, the parties took on a stricter tone in the immigration debates, stealing the far-right's thunder.
However, in one of the debates, talk of introducing a ban on burqas and niqabs in public places, was ultimately seen as a breach of human rights and the measure was discarded by all parties except the extreme right-wing Fremskrittspartiet.
In Denmark, on the other hand, critics say that the far-right party, the Dansk Folkeparti, has won the anti-immigration debate. Danish politics has changed dramatically over the last decade and supporters of the change argue that it was needed while critics say the change has been an embrace of populism.
The rise of far-right parties
The ground the anti-immigrant parties have gained in the Nordic region over the last few years could be linked to a number of facts, according to Nordic reports.
Firstly, the number of asylum requests have increased in most Nordic countries during the 1990s. Immigrants have arrived mainly in the Scandinavian countries while Finland has received somewhat fewer and Iceland only very little immigration from non-European Union states, according to numbers from Nordic statistics.
Secondly, the power vacuum left by political infighting and internal splits in the traditional political parties has also boosted the rise of populist anti-immigration parties.
Thirdly, although many of the right-wing parties have been around for a long time, they have previously been marginal due to their links with Nazism and other extreme political views. However, in the past few years they have had a clean-out of their ranks.
In Sweden, for example, the Swedish Democrats ejected former criminals and Nazi members and has now become more accepted among the mainstream population.
Fourth, the current global economic crisis has also played its part in the increase of xenophobic attitudes among the Nordic people. In Finland, there is a growing discontent with not only immigration but also with the European Union (EU) and the euro – another topic widely deployed by populist parties to gain support.
Also in Iceland there has been a rise in the population's mistrust of the EU as well as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is closely co-operating with the Icelandic authorities on the country's economic recovery.
Voting for a laugh
Compared to the rest of the Nordic countries, the picture is somewhat different in Iceland when it comes to populist politicians. On the north Atlantic island, the people have become so disillusioned with their traditional politicians following the country's economic collapse, that the Icelandic people turned to a popular comedian when they went to the ballot boxes in May.
Jon Gnarr and his semi-serious political group named 'The Best Party' was the big winner in Iceland's latest local elections. Following a recent hard-hitting report about the facts behind Iceland's economic crash and the political links to the banks, local elections were held in an atmosphere of much distrust of mainstream parties, politicians, incumbents and bank directors.
The Best Party's general message is anti-politician and Mr Gnarr notably promised a cocaine-free parliament by 2020, free towels at swimming polls and a new polar bear for the zoo in Reykjavík during his election rally. Experts argue though that the Icelandic people did not really vote for Mr Gnarr but rather against the traditional political parties as a punishment for their failure to prevent the financial collapse in Iceland.
Language is cruder
All across the Nordic countries, the language in immigration debates has become ever more coarse. Previously unthinkable political statements are now used on a regular basis.
In Sweden, the Swedish Democrats at one point wrote in an opinion piece: "The Muslims are our greatest threat – as a Swedish Democrat, I see this as our greatest foreign threat since the Second World War and I promise to do all within my power to turn this trend when we go to elections," party leader Jimmie Akesson wrote in a debate article in Sweden's biggest daily Aftonbladet on 19 October 2009.
In Denmark, Peter Skaarup from the far-right Danish People's Party (Dansk Folkeparti) wrote in a press release on 29 May this year: "if non-western immigrants and descendents worked to the same extent as the Danes, then the economic situation would immediately be 24 million Kroners [€3.2 million] better, the sustainability problem would be solved and growth in the Danish economy would take off."
He added that his party would continue a "socially balanced policy that will press more immigrants to find a job, take up education or maybe go home if it does not work out for them staying here in the country."
Few politicians in power dare to stand up against this kind of wording from the extreme right parties. Many politicians have even altered their statements to align themselves with the latest polls, which often suggest xenophobic and anti-immigration tendencies in public opinion.
In Norway, for example, traditional political parties have tightened asylum policies and become less tolerant in their integration policies.
In other cases, mainstream politicians need the support of the anti-immigration parties. In Denmark, the centre-right government depend on the parliamentary support of the Danish People's Party to push through legislation.
This has also led to the fact that the recently introduced Danish economic recovery plan is focussed on cuts in areas that hit immigrants hardest, critics argue. Child allowances, for example, have been cut to families with more than two children, and so has funding for translation services used, for example, in hospitals.
Recently, former member of the European Parliament and current Finnish foreign minister Alexander Stubb in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat in March this year protested against the change of tone in the language used in Finland over the last few years.
"Lately, I have seen far too few people saying that immigration is something good for Finland", Mr Stubb said, adding that he found the prevailing immigration debate for repulsive.
A change of politics
The rise of the populist politics is a sign of how politics have changed in the Nordic region, as with many nations in Europe where populist and demagogic rhetoric has gained ground during election time. The consequent change in toward hard-right language and policies now being adopted by traditional mainstream parties have led to a change in the way immigration policies are conducted.
But there are also tendencies of people pushing in the other direction as in Sweden, for example, where recent polls show that the acceptance among the Swedes towards immigrants and immigration is increasing. Also in Norway there is a wind of change as the authorities have chosen to remain in close dialogue with the Norwegian Muslim communities to stamp out potential cultural clashes.
Despite this, Nordic countries are sending a clear message to the world, saying that immigrants can no longer easily enter the Nordic countries.
And the message they are sending is having an effect. In Denmark, for example, the number of asylum requests has dropped more than 85 percent between 2000 and 2008 – a period in which the centre-right government, with the parliamentary support of the Danish People's Party, has been in power.
Norwegian Prime Minister centre-left Jens Stoltenberg has succeeded in his ambition of curbing the growth in the number of asylum seekers in the last few years, embracing the anti-immigrant discourse.
The change in traditional politics towards increasing demands of integration for immigrants in some of the Nordic countries has had an effect on the extreme right-wing parties: Despite the fast rise and considerable media attention devoted to these parties, as well as a growing interest from the electorate, they still only have limited support when Nordic voters go to the polls.
Euobserver
Despite their rapid rise, most extreme right-wing parties in the Nordic countries still lack significant voter-support on election day, with Sunday's (19 September) Swedish election result to be the next test.
Just a year ago, the far-right anti-immigration party – Swedish Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna) – was a small and unknown outfit. But its provocative anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim statements have given it significant support especially in areas with high unemployment.
Opinion polls suggest that the Swedish Democrats may exceed the four percent threshold needed to win seats in the Riksdagen and possibly hold the balance of power between the left alliance led by the Social Democrats and the governing centre-right coalition.
In Finland, the tone of the immigration debate has changed dramatically over the last year. The topic has moved from being a marginal discussion to become one of the central debates in Finnish politics.
As much as 60 percent of Finns are now against an increase in the number of immigrants arriving in the country – a number that has increased considerably compared to previous years, according to a survey by Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat.
Public support for the opposition hard-right True Finns party led by MEP Timo Soini, who is a member of the European Parliament, has lately risen past 10 per cent, according to a survey in September commissioned by the same paper.
In Norway however, the far-right wave seems to have ebbed considerably. Following the polemic with the caricature drawings of the Prophet Mohammed a few years back some political parties were accused of being soft on Muslim fundamentalists for supporting a dialogue with the Muslim immigrant community. Consequently, the parties took on a stricter tone in the immigration debates, stealing the far-right's thunder.
However, in one of the debates, talk of introducing a ban on burqas and niqabs in public places, was ultimately seen as a breach of human rights and the measure was discarded by all parties except the extreme right-wing Fremskrittspartiet.
In Denmark, on the other hand, critics say that the far-right party, the Dansk Folkeparti, has won the anti-immigration debate. Danish politics has changed dramatically over the last decade and supporters of the change argue that it was needed while critics say the change has been an embrace of populism.
The rise of far-right parties
The ground the anti-immigrant parties have gained in the Nordic region over the last few years could be linked to a number of facts, according to Nordic reports.
Firstly, the number of asylum requests have increased in most Nordic countries during the 1990s. Immigrants have arrived mainly in the Scandinavian countries while Finland has received somewhat fewer and Iceland only very little immigration from non-European Union states, according to numbers from Nordic statistics.
Secondly, the power vacuum left by political infighting and internal splits in the traditional political parties has also boosted the rise of populist anti-immigration parties.
Thirdly, although many of the right-wing parties have been around for a long time, they have previously been marginal due to their links with Nazism and other extreme political views. However, in the past few years they have had a clean-out of their ranks.
In Sweden, for example, the Swedish Democrats ejected former criminals and Nazi members and has now become more accepted among the mainstream population.
Fourth, the current global economic crisis has also played its part in the increase of xenophobic attitudes among the Nordic people. In Finland, there is a growing discontent with not only immigration but also with the European Union (EU) and the euro – another topic widely deployed by populist parties to gain support.
Also in Iceland there has been a rise in the population's mistrust of the EU as well as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is closely co-operating with the Icelandic authorities on the country's economic recovery.
Voting for a laugh
Compared to the rest of the Nordic countries, the picture is somewhat different in Iceland when it comes to populist politicians. On the north Atlantic island, the people have become so disillusioned with their traditional politicians following the country's economic collapse, that the Icelandic people turned to a popular comedian when they went to the ballot boxes in May.
Jon Gnarr and his semi-serious political group named 'The Best Party' was the big winner in Iceland's latest local elections. Following a recent hard-hitting report about the facts behind Iceland's economic crash and the political links to the banks, local elections were held in an atmosphere of much distrust of mainstream parties, politicians, incumbents and bank directors.
The Best Party's general message is anti-politician and Mr Gnarr notably promised a cocaine-free parliament by 2020, free towels at swimming polls and a new polar bear for the zoo in Reykjavík during his election rally. Experts argue though that the Icelandic people did not really vote for Mr Gnarr but rather against the traditional political parties as a punishment for their failure to prevent the financial collapse in Iceland.
Language is cruder
All across the Nordic countries, the language in immigration debates has become ever more coarse. Previously unthinkable political statements are now used on a regular basis.
In Sweden, the Swedish Democrats at one point wrote in an opinion piece: "The Muslims are our greatest threat – as a Swedish Democrat, I see this as our greatest foreign threat since the Second World War and I promise to do all within my power to turn this trend when we go to elections," party leader Jimmie Akesson wrote in a debate article in Sweden's biggest daily Aftonbladet on 19 October 2009.
In Denmark, Peter Skaarup from the far-right Danish People's Party (Dansk Folkeparti) wrote in a press release on 29 May this year: "if non-western immigrants and descendents worked to the same extent as the Danes, then the economic situation would immediately be 24 million Kroners [€3.2 million] better, the sustainability problem would be solved and growth in the Danish economy would take off."
He added that his party would continue a "socially balanced policy that will press more immigrants to find a job, take up education or maybe go home if it does not work out for them staying here in the country."
Few politicians in power dare to stand up against this kind of wording from the extreme right parties. Many politicians have even altered their statements to align themselves with the latest polls, which often suggest xenophobic and anti-immigration tendencies in public opinion.
In Norway, for example, traditional political parties have tightened asylum policies and become less tolerant in their integration policies.
In other cases, mainstream politicians need the support of the anti-immigration parties. In Denmark, the centre-right government depend on the parliamentary support of the Danish People's Party to push through legislation.
This has also led to the fact that the recently introduced Danish economic recovery plan is focussed on cuts in areas that hit immigrants hardest, critics argue. Child allowances, for example, have been cut to families with more than two children, and so has funding for translation services used, for example, in hospitals.
Recently, former member of the European Parliament and current Finnish foreign minister Alexander Stubb in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat in March this year protested against the change of tone in the language used in Finland over the last few years.
"Lately, I have seen far too few people saying that immigration is something good for Finland", Mr Stubb said, adding that he found the prevailing immigration debate for repulsive.
A change of politics
The rise of the populist politics is a sign of how politics have changed in the Nordic region, as with many nations in Europe where populist and demagogic rhetoric has gained ground during election time. The consequent change in toward hard-right language and policies now being adopted by traditional mainstream parties have led to a change in the way immigration policies are conducted.
But there are also tendencies of people pushing in the other direction as in Sweden, for example, where recent polls show that the acceptance among the Swedes towards immigrants and immigration is increasing. Also in Norway there is a wind of change as the authorities have chosen to remain in close dialogue with the Norwegian Muslim communities to stamp out potential cultural clashes.
Despite this, Nordic countries are sending a clear message to the world, saying that immigrants can no longer easily enter the Nordic countries.
And the message they are sending is having an effect. In Denmark, for example, the number of asylum requests has dropped more than 85 percent between 2000 and 2008 – a period in which the centre-right government, with the parliamentary support of the Danish People's Party, has been in power.
Norwegian Prime Minister centre-left Jens Stoltenberg has succeeded in his ambition of curbing the growth in the number of asylum seekers in the last few years, embracing the anti-immigrant discourse.
The change in traditional politics towards increasing demands of integration for immigrants in some of the Nordic countries has had an effect on the extreme right-wing parties: Despite the fast rise and considerable media attention devoted to these parties, as well as a growing interest from the electorate, they still only have limited support when Nordic voters go to the polls.
Euobserver
Swastikas painted on Moldova synagogue
Worshippers who arrived at the Great Synagogue in Kishinev Tuesday were stunned to discover swastikas and anti-Semitic slurs spray-painted on its walls.
"This is an especially disturbing incident, as Moldova is not known as an anti-Semitic country," local Chief Rabbi Zalman Abelsky told Ynet.
The incident stirred great interest in the local media, with numerous public figures expressing their shock over the anti-Semitic display. Israel's consul general in Moldova, Stav Nezhinsky, and other Jewish community leaders arrived at the synagogue Tuesday and agreed to invest the utmost effort to eliminate such incidents.
"We wish to eliminate this phenomenon, which is the work of marginal organizations that refer to themselves as 'neo-Nazis," Rabby Abelsky said. He added that in his 20 years in Moldova he had not seen "a humiliating act like the one at the entrance to the synagogue."
Meanwhile, one of the local Jewish community leaders, Simcha Weinberg, asked top police and government officials to act immediately in order to eliminate anti-Semitism. He urged authorities to undertake immense efforts in order to capture the perpetrators of the act and boost security at the Great Synagogue and other Jewish institutions ahead of the upcoming Yom Kippur prayers.
This isn't the first time anti-Semitism rears its ugly head in Moldova. In Hanukkah last year, dozens of protestors led by an Orthodox minister used hammers and metal rods to shatter a Menorah placed in Kishinev over the holiday. The demonstrators chanted anti-Semitic slurs and said they "will not allow the Jews to rule Moldova," removing the Menorah and posting a cross in its place.
Ynet News
Housing award shortlist for tackling hate crime (UK)
A project aimed at stamping out hate crime in the Kensington area of Liverpool has been shortlisted for a UK Housing Award.
Stop the Hate - a six month campaign to raise awareness of different cultures and tackle anti-social behaviour - was chosen from 250 entries nationally as a finalist in the Creating Safer Communities category.
Organised by the As One partnership and funded by housing association Riverside and Citysafe, Stop the Hate saw young people from Edge Hill Youth Club, Kensington Fields Community Association, Kensington Youth Inclusion Project and Central Youth Club come together to celebrate diversity.
The youngsters took part in activities such as drama workshops to explore cultural similarities and differences, and interviewed shopkeepers about their experiences of racial abuse. They also visited cultural buildings and places of worship, participated in religious celebrations, dressed in national costumes and tasted foreign foods.
The project culminated in a colourful celebration of multi-culturalism at the Hindu Cultural Association at which over 120 young people showcased their experiences through drama, poetry, artwork and dance.
Riverside Group Director, John Wood said: “I am delighted that our work to encourage tolerance and understanding of other cultures has been recognised yet again. Celebrating diversity in our communities helps to stamp out anti-social behaviour and reduce crime, which has an impact on improving the quality of life for all our residents.”
The winners of the UK Housing Awards, which are organised by Inside Housing magazine and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), will be revealed at an awards ceremony at London’s Hilton Hotel on 10 November hosted by BBC Radio Scotland’s Fred MacAulay.
CIH Chief Executive, Sarah Webb, said: “It is fantastic that we have had so many excellent entries this year, and this is evident from the high standard of the shortlisted finalists. I want to congratulate all the organisations who have reached the finals, their work is a true inspiration to all of us.”
Inside Housing’s Events Director Ted Stevens said: “All the finalists have done brilliantly in getting this far. Well done to Riverside for getting shortlisted. The competition was really fierce.”
The awards are sponsored by Hays, PH Jones, United House, EMA, Sanctuary Group, Capita Resourcing, Devonshires Solicitors and supported by The Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland’s Department for Social Development. Last year nearly 800 people attended.
Earlier this year, Stop the Hate won a Merseyside Police Authority Community Award. The Police Authority awarded winners from the six policing areas of Merseyside with £3,000 each to continue the important work they are doing. Stop the Hate won the North Liverpool award and was awarded a further £2,000 for being crowned the Winner of Winners.
Click Liverpool
Stop the Hate - a six month campaign to raise awareness of different cultures and tackle anti-social behaviour - was chosen from 250 entries nationally as a finalist in the Creating Safer Communities category.
Organised by the As One partnership and funded by housing association Riverside and Citysafe, Stop the Hate saw young people from Edge Hill Youth Club, Kensington Fields Community Association, Kensington Youth Inclusion Project and Central Youth Club come together to celebrate diversity.
The youngsters took part in activities such as drama workshops to explore cultural similarities and differences, and interviewed shopkeepers about their experiences of racial abuse. They also visited cultural buildings and places of worship, participated in religious celebrations, dressed in national costumes and tasted foreign foods.
The project culminated in a colourful celebration of multi-culturalism at the Hindu Cultural Association at which over 120 young people showcased their experiences through drama, poetry, artwork and dance.
Riverside Group Director, John Wood said: “I am delighted that our work to encourage tolerance and understanding of other cultures has been recognised yet again. Celebrating diversity in our communities helps to stamp out anti-social behaviour and reduce crime, which has an impact on improving the quality of life for all our residents.”
The winners of the UK Housing Awards, which are organised by Inside Housing magazine and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), will be revealed at an awards ceremony at London’s Hilton Hotel on 10 November hosted by BBC Radio Scotland’s Fred MacAulay.
CIH Chief Executive, Sarah Webb, said: “It is fantastic that we have had so many excellent entries this year, and this is evident from the high standard of the shortlisted finalists. I want to congratulate all the organisations who have reached the finals, their work is a true inspiration to all of us.”
Inside Housing’s Events Director Ted Stevens said: “All the finalists have done brilliantly in getting this far. Well done to Riverside for getting shortlisted. The competition was really fierce.”
The awards are sponsored by Hays, PH Jones, United House, EMA, Sanctuary Group, Capita Resourcing, Devonshires Solicitors and supported by The Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland’s Department for Social Development. Last year nearly 800 people attended.
Earlier this year, Stop the Hate won a Merseyside Police Authority Community Award. The Police Authority awarded winners from the six policing areas of Merseyside with £3,000 each to continue the important work they are doing. Stop the Hate won the North Liverpool award and was awarded a further £2,000 for being crowned the Winner of Winners.
Click Liverpool
Far-right puts Sweden at the crossroads
Victory for Fredrik Reinfeldt, prime minister, would mark the first time a centre-right government has won re-election after a full term of office in a country long dominated by the centre-left Social Democrats
Triumph for Mona Sahlin, leader of the opposition Red-Green coalition, would give Sweden its first woman prime minister.
Yet, much of the focus has been on a 31-year-old politician seeking a breakthrough of a different kind. Jimmie Akesson, leader of the far-right Sweden Democrats, has brought his party to the brink of parliamentary representation by tapping into public unease over the changing face of Swedish society after decades of immigration.
Should he succeed – opinion polls have consistently shown the party just above the 4 per cent support needed to win seats – Sweden would join the growing list of European countries where anti-immigrant politicians have made headway.
While the Sweden Democrats remain smaller than counterparts in Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria, a far-right breakthrough in Sweden would strike a blow against the country’s image as a standard-bearer for tolerance and liberalism.
It would come at a moment when Europe is convulsed by debate on immigration after France’s decision to expel Roma gypsies and controversial comments by Thilo Sarrazin, an outgoing board member of the German central bank, that immigrants were making Germany “dumber”.
Government and opposition leaders have stepped up attacks against the Sweden Democrats this week in a last-ditch effort to keep the party out, with Mr Reinfeldt warning that a vote for the far-right would “gamble with stability”.
Opinion polls suggest that the Sweden Democrats could end up holding the balance of power in parliament if the election result is close, resulting in a weak minority government if the other parties stick to their promises not to co-operate with Mr Akesson’s group.
Sven-Olof Sallstrom, spokesman for the Sweden Democrats, says hostility from mainstream politicians will only increase his party’s popularity: “They are sending a message that they don’t recognise the things that voters see are wrong with Swedish society.”
One of the party’s television advertisements showed a white pensioner being beaten in a race for benefit payments by a group of burka-clad mothers. The decision by a leading broadcaster to censor the commercial only drew more attention to it online.
About 10 per cent of Sweden’s 9.3m population was born outside western Europe, many in Muslim countries such as Iraq and Somalia. Mr Akesson, whose party has roots in the neo-Nazi movement, describes Islam as the biggest threat to Sweden since the second world war.
The immigration issue has fed broader debate on Sweden’s cradle-to-grave welfare system as increasing multiculturalism and other changes strain social cohesion. “The ideas of solidarity and collectivism that used to be very strong in Sweden are losing their grip,” says Jenny Medestam, a political scientist at Stockholm University.
This shift towards greater individualism helps explain the decline of the Social Democratic party, which built the welfare system during decades of almost uninterrupted power in the 20th century. Support fell to a record low in 2006, when Mr Reinfeldt won power, and polls predict further decline on Sunday.
Soren Eriksson, a 55-year-old supply chain manager at Ericsson, is typical of the middle-class voters who once backed the Social Democrats but now support Mr Reinfeldt’s coalition. “They have won the trust of voters to govern,” he says.
Social Democrats say another four years of centre-right cuts to taxes and benefits would irreparably harm Sweden’s social-economic model. But many voters seem persuaded by the government’s argument that only by increasing incentives to work – particularly for immigrants – can Sweden maintain a strong welfare net. “The system has encouraged dependency on welfare and then immigrants are criticised by parts of Swedish society for not working,” says Mr Reinfeldt.
Recent polls have shown the ruling four-party Alliance set to win the biggest number of seats, aided by an accelerating economic recovery. But it remains unclear whether the government will keep the outright majority that would allow it to pass legislation without support from the Sweden Democrats.
Folke Johansson, political scientist at the University of Gothenburg, says Sweden is becoming a more “normal” democracy, with a less exceptional welfare system and greater political competition. In Europe, increasingly, that political norm includes an electorally viable far-right.
FT.com
Hamas condemns France's decision to ban Islamic veil
Hamas has condemned a law passed by the French parliament that bars Muslim women in the country from wearing Islamic veils.
Ahmed Bahar, deputy speaker of the Hamas-dominated parliament in Gaza, said in a statement Wednesday that the decision taken Tuesday was 'unfair, racist and hurts Muslims' feelings', Xinhua reported.
'Such a law is a threat to both international security and peace,' said Bahar, calling on the French parliament to annul the law as soon as possible.
He also called on the EU's court for human rights to condemn the decision of the French parliament 'for passing such a racist law which violates the law of the European agreement for human rights'.
Sify
Ahmed Bahar, deputy speaker of the Hamas-dominated parliament in Gaza, said in a statement Wednesday that the decision taken Tuesday was 'unfair, racist and hurts Muslims' feelings', Xinhua reported.
'Such a law is a threat to both international security and peace,' said Bahar, calling on the French parliament to annul the law as soon as possible.
He also called on the EU's court for human rights to condemn the decision of the French parliament 'for passing such a racist law which violates the law of the European agreement for human rights'.
Sify
SWEDISH PM CANDIDATES TO KEEP FAR-RIGHT AT BAY
"We won't touch them (the Sweden Democrats) with pliers," Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt vowed on behalf of his four-party centre-right coalition during a long and heated debate broadcast live on Swedish public television. Mona Sahlin, who is vying for his job at the front of the so-called red-green opposition coalition made up of her Social Democrats, the Greens and the formerly communist Left Party, agreed. "The Sweden Democrats ... always make the immigrants the culprits, either for taking jobs or for not taking jobs. Such a party can only be met with a crystal clear message: that we will not touch them, not cooperate with them," she said. There comments came as a Novus Opinion tally of five different polls published Sunday by Swedish public radio handed 4.6 percent of voter intentions to the far-right anti-immigrant party, which would be enough to secure them a place in parliament for the first time. Observers have pointed out that if neither of the main political blocs, which been neck-and-neck in polls for months, manage to secure more than 50 percent of the vote on September 19, the Sweden Democrats could easily become the kingmaker in the parliament.
Reinfeldt's Moderate Party and its coalition members, the Liberal, Centre and Christian Democrat parties, have in recent polls taken a lead and in Sunday's tally scored 50 percent of voter intention, compared to 43.6 percent for the leftwing opposition. The prime minister has in recent weeks met criticism for saying he plans to hold onto his job if his coalition wins most votes, even if it means creating a minority government, with critics saying he then could be open to pressure from the far-right. On Sunday however, he stressed that if his bloc does not secure a majority, it will need to seek "a broader parliamentary solution," most likely looking to the Green Party for support. Sahlin meanwhile reiterated in Sunday's debate that she will not create a minority government which could be open to influence by the Sweden Democrats, insisting that "Sweden needs a majority government." She has in recent weeks said she may try to woo over the Centre and Liberal parties if the opposition wins most votes but not a clear majority, but both of those parties have said they would decline such an offer.
AFP
Reinfeldt's Moderate Party and its coalition members, the Liberal, Centre and Christian Democrat parties, have in recent polls taken a lead and in Sunday's tally scored 50 percent of voter intention, compared to 43.6 percent for the leftwing opposition. The prime minister has in recent weeks met criticism for saying he plans to hold onto his job if his coalition wins most votes, even if it means creating a minority government, with critics saying he then could be open to pressure from the far-right. On Sunday however, he stressed that if his bloc does not secure a majority, it will need to seek "a broader parliamentary solution," most likely looking to the Green Party for support. Sahlin meanwhile reiterated in Sunday's debate that she will not create a minority government which could be open to influence by the Sweden Democrats, insisting that "Sweden needs a majority government." She has in recent weeks said she may try to woo over the Centre and Liberal parties if the opposition wins most votes but not a clear majority, but both of those parties have said they would decline such an offer.
AFP
Irving should be banned from Poland, say anti-racists
The Nigdy Więcej (Never Again) anti-racist organisation have called for ‘Holocaust denier’ British historian David Irving to be banned from entering Poland later this month.
Starting September 27, Irving is leading a tour party, with tickets costing around 1,500 euros each, taking in sites including the Treblinka death camp, Warsaw Ghetto and Hitler’s Bunker in the Masurian lake district.
Never Again, in a joint statement with the UK based Searchlight magazine, have called for Irving and his tour party - which he claims is sold out - not to be let into Poland.
“We urge Polish and British authorities to react strongly and not allow this shameful visit which offends the memory of victims of the war and the Holocaust," says the Never Again statement.
“The group will mainly consist of Holocaust deniers and neo-Nazis from the UK and other Western Europe countries and the United States,” the statement adds.
Protest
No protests against the visit have yet come to the notice of the police. “We have not yet received any information about demonstrations and assembly connected with Irving's visit,” said Warsaw police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski .
“We have also not receive any information from Mr Irving that he felt threatened,” Sokolowski told the PAP news agency, noting that police have no responsibility for the security of private visits.
Irving has dismissed protests against his visit. He told the Daily Mail (UK) that his tour party was for “real history buffs”, and that it was the Polish authorities who had turned the Auschwitz Nazi death camp site into a “Disney-style” tourist trap and a “money making machine”.
He also accused Poland of erecting watch towers in Auschwitz that were not there during WW II, to make the place feel more authentic. “I have been a historian for 40 years. I know a fake when I see one. When you look at old photos of Auschwitz, those towers aren’t in the photographs,” he said.
Irving was arrested and imprisoned in 2006 when he visited Austria, where Holocaust denial is a crime.
Andrzej Arseniuk, spokesman for Poland’s National Remembrance Institute - which investigates and prosecutes Nazi and communist-era crimes - said that they would take appropriate action if Irving publicly denies Nazi crimes. If incidents come to the attention of the law then “the prosecutor has the authority to deal with it,” Arseniuk said. (pg)
The News Pl
Starting September 27, Irving is leading a tour party, with tickets costing around 1,500 euros each, taking in sites including the Treblinka death camp, Warsaw Ghetto and Hitler’s Bunker in the Masurian lake district.
Never Again, in a joint statement with the UK based Searchlight magazine, have called for Irving and his tour party - which he claims is sold out - not to be let into Poland.
“We urge Polish and British authorities to react strongly and not allow this shameful visit which offends the memory of victims of the war and the Holocaust," says the Never Again statement.
“The group will mainly consist of Holocaust deniers and neo-Nazis from the UK and other Western Europe countries and the United States,” the statement adds.
Protest
No protests against the visit have yet come to the notice of the police. “We have not yet received any information about demonstrations and assembly connected with Irving's visit,” said Warsaw police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski .
“We have also not receive any information from Mr Irving that he felt threatened,” Sokolowski told the PAP news agency, noting that police have no responsibility for the security of private visits.
Irving has dismissed protests against his visit. He told the Daily Mail (UK) that his tour party was for “real history buffs”, and that it was the Polish authorities who had turned the Auschwitz Nazi death camp site into a “Disney-style” tourist trap and a “money making machine”.
He also accused Poland of erecting watch towers in Auschwitz that were not there during WW II, to make the place feel more authentic. “I have been a historian for 40 years. I know a fake when I see one. When you look at old photos of Auschwitz, those towers aren’t in the photographs,” he said.
Irving was arrested and imprisoned in 2006 when he visited Austria, where Holocaust denial is a crime.
Andrzej Arseniuk, spokesman for Poland’s National Remembrance Institute - which investigates and prosecutes Nazi and communist-era crimes - said that they would take appropriate action if Irving publicly denies Nazi crimes. If incidents come to the attention of the law then “the prosecutor has the authority to deal with it,” Arseniuk said. (pg)
The News Pl
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Immigrant entrepreneurs to create 150,000 jobs in 2010 (Germany)
Entrepreneurs with foreign roots will likely create 150,000 jobs in Germany this year, according to the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK).
The Berliner Zeitung reported on Monday that the DIHK was seeing a growing number of people from immigrant families willing to start their own business in recent years.
The DIHK last year advised some 11,000 such entrepreneurs – up from 8,300 only two years earlier – meaning 18 percent of those prepared to create a new business had foreign roots.
DIHK President Hans Heinrich Driftmann told the paper immigrants were "making an important entrepreneurial contribution to Germany."
“We will need even more of this sort of economic impulse to overcome the demographic challenges of the future,” he said.
The paper reported that if Germany’s population continues to shrink, the country will have 700,000 fewer self-employed by 2050.
Though immigrants were particularly well-represented in retail and gastronomy, the DIHK said they were starting new enterprises in all important sectors of the German economy.
The Local Germany
The Berliner Zeitung reported on Monday that the DIHK was seeing a growing number of people from immigrant families willing to start their own business in recent years.
The DIHK last year advised some 11,000 such entrepreneurs – up from 8,300 only two years earlier – meaning 18 percent of those prepared to create a new business had foreign roots.
DIHK President Hans Heinrich Driftmann told the paper immigrants were "making an important entrepreneurial contribution to Germany."
“We will need even more of this sort of economic impulse to overcome the demographic challenges of the future,” he said.
The paper reported that if Germany’s population continues to shrink, the country will have 700,000 fewer self-employed by 2050.
Though immigrants were particularly well-represented in retail and gastronomy, the DIHK said they were starting new enterprises in all important sectors of the German economy.
The Local Germany
Jobbik MPs want prison for people who deny existence of certain crimes (Hungary)
Deputies of the radical nationalist Jobbik party are calling for people who deny the existence of certain crimes to be imprisoned, national daily Nepszabadsag said on Wednesday.
The paper said that the initiative of the three Jobbik deputies is clearly targeted at Gypsies.
The Jobbik initiative makes use of a term - "Gypsy crime" - which has caused outrage in some sections of the mainstream.
"Public discourse has for several decades prevented the solution of some pressing social problems, the exposition of well-known but officially non-recognised forms of crime, for instance Gypsy crime, and research into its roots," the document says.
It goes on to call for prison terms for anyone who denies that such crimes exists.
"Anyone who publicly denies, doubts or presents as insignificant any generally known fact concerning a criminally relevant social relationship, especially the state of public safety, forms of crime and scope of criminals, shall be punishable by up to three years in prison."
The Jobbik deputies demand five-year prison terms for public officials who do the same.
The three MPs accuse a "narrow but all the more violent" minority of imposing its "off-reality position" on the "silent majority".
Addressing Parliament on Monday, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said "we reject the politics and ways of thinking that denies reality". But he also made it clear that he protested against the idea of someone being identified as a potential criminal on the basis of their ethnic origin.
A poll conducted by Nezopont Institute two years ago and widely criticised showed that over 90 percent of respondents, irrespective of their political affiliation, considered "Gypsy crime" an existing phenomenon, and 77 percent said that the Roma had a greater tendency towards crime than the mainstream.
politics hu
The paper said that the initiative of the three Jobbik deputies is clearly targeted at Gypsies.
The Jobbik initiative makes use of a term - "Gypsy crime" - which has caused outrage in some sections of the mainstream.
"Public discourse has for several decades prevented the solution of some pressing social problems, the exposition of well-known but officially non-recognised forms of crime, for instance Gypsy crime, and research into its roots," the document says.
It goes on to call for prison terms for anyone who denies that such crimes exists.
"Anyone who publicly denies, doubts or presents as insignificant any generally known fact concerning a criminally relevant social relationship, especially the state of public safety, forms of crime and scope of criminals, shall be punishable by up to three years in prison."
The Jobbik deputies demand five-year prison terms for public officials who do the same.
The three MPs accuse a "narrow but all the more violent" minority of imposing its "off-reality position" on the "silent majority".
Addressing Parliament on Monday, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said "we reject the politics and ways of thinking that denies reality". But he also made it clear that he protested against the idea of someone being identified as a potential criminal on the basis of their ethnic origin.
A poll conducted by Nezopont Institute two years ago and widely criticised showed that over 90 percent of respondents, irrespective of their political affiliation, considered "Gypsy crime" an existing phenomenon, and 77 percent said that the Roma had a greater tendency towards crime than the mainstream.
politics hu
BNP move into Stroud District (UK)
THE British National Party is setting up a new national communications and publicity department at Salmon Springs Trading Estate between Stroud and Painswick, the SNJ has learned.
Writing in an email sent to supporters, which is also available on the BNP's website, party leader Nick Griffin said that several of the party's top officers met earlier this year to discuss a reorganisation of its press operation.
He writes: "The communications department will soon be based at our new operations centre in Stroud.
"From here, the national team will coordinate our media efforts all under one roof."
It is understood that the operations centre, which will encompass media and communications, the BNP website and publicity and design, will be based at Unit 13 on the trading estate.
According to the email, the department will be run by Paul Golding, a close ally of Mr Griffin.
It is thought that three rooms were rented in the unit in spring 2009, which were originally to be used as a training centre but remained empty.
According to Mr Griffin, the BNP receives a 'huge number' of inquiries from the media.
"In the past the party only operated through two mobile phone lines to handle media inquiries but the new communications department utilises a dedicated 'media inquiries ticketing system'," he writes.
"All media interest in the party is funnelled into this system and inquiries from leftwing, hostile or freelance media sources are filtered out."
Stroud's independent mayor Andy Read said he was puzzled as to why the BNP would want to be based in Stroud.
"Whenever the BNP has put up candidates locally, it has had no support whatsoever," he said.
"However, history shows that censorship only plays into the hands of such groups.
"The best approach is to bring the BNP and their policies out into the open.
"I know many Stroud people feel strongly about the BNP and will relish this opportunity to expose and challenge its policies."
Stroud News Journal
Writing in an email sent to supporters, which is also available on the BNP's website, party leader Nick Griffin said that several of the party's top officers met earlier this year to discuss a reorganisation of its press operation.
He writes: "The communications department will soon be based at our new operations centre in Stroud.
"From here, the national team will coordinate our media efforts all under one roof."
It is understood that the operations centre, which will encompass media and communications, the BNP website and publicity and design, will be based at Unit 13 on the trading estate.
According to the email, the department will be run by Paul Golding, a close ally of Mr Griffin.
It is thought that three rooms were rented in the unit in spring 2009, which were originally to be used as a training centre but remained empty.
According to Mr Griffin, the BNP receives a 'huge number' of inquiries from the media.
"In the past the party only operated through two mobile phone lines to handle media inquiries but the new communications department utilises a dedicated 'media inquiries ticketing system'," he writes.
"All media interest in the party is funnelled into this system and inquiries from leftwing, hostile or freelance media sources are filtered out."
Stroud's independent mayor Andy Read said he was puzzled as to why the BNP would want to be based in Stroud.
"Whenever the BNP has put up candidates locally, it has had no support whatsoever," he said.
"However, history shows that censorship only plays into the hands of such groups.
"The best approach is to bring the BNP and their policies out into the open.
"I know many Stroud people feel strongly about the BNP and will relish this opportunity to expose and challenge its policies."
Stroud News Journal
Cuba's Fidel Castro says Nicolas Sarkozy going crazy
Mr Castro also suggested Mr Sarkozy could not be trusted with his finger on the nuclear trigger.
In the article, Mr Castro denounces Mr Sarkozy for the expulsion of more than 1,000 Roma (Gypsy) migrants, over which France has been widely condemned.
At the weekend, Mr Castro accused Paris of carrying out a "racial holocaust".
In a comment piece published in La Jornada newspaper on Monday, the 84-year-old former leader points out that France is the world's third biggest nuclear power and says Mr Sarkozy carries around a briefcase with the launch codes for an arsenal of more than 300 atomic weapons.
"Suppose that Sarkozy suddenly goes crazy, as appears to be happening. What would the UN Security Council do in that case with Sarkozy and his briefcase?" he says.
In the tirade, entitled The Endless Hypocrisy of the West, Mr Castro adds: "What will happen if the far right forces Sarkozy to hold a racist policy in contradiction with the norms of the European Community?"
He also says: "Does it make any moral or ethical sense to launch an attack on Iran, which is condemned for its supposed intention to make bombs of this type? Where is the sense and logic of this policy?"
"Would the UN Security Council answer those two questions?" he added.
France said the holocaust comments over its expulsion of members of the Roma community were unacceptable and showed Mr Castro's ignorance of history.
On Tuesday, EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding urged the European Commission to take legal action against France over the deportations.
BBC News
Russian football is blighted by systematic racism, says FARE network
Russian domestic football is blighted by "systematic" racism that will take several years to root out if it is to host the 2018 World Cup, according to a leading European anti-racism campaign group.
Russia's World Cup bid has been dented by recent incidents including the unveiling of a banner featuring a banana with the words "Thanks West Brom" aimed at West Bromwich Albion striker Peter Odemwingie by fans of his former club Lokomotiv Moscow.
Russia 2018 chief executive Alexei Sorokin initially denied that the incident was racist, claiming that the phrase "to get a banana" meant to fail a test in Russian slang. "There was nothing racial in it," Sorokin said.
Sorokin's view has been challenged however by the FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe) Network, a coalition of football anti-racism campaigners that has run campaigns with Fifa and Uefa.
Piara Powar, executive director of FARE, said the banner was clearly racist in intention, and indicated that the Russian game faced wider problems.
"The context in which the banner was used was clearly racist in context, and to suggest otherwise is a nonsense," he told Telegraph Sport.
"Russian domestic football has a problem with racism that is quite systematic and insidious, it is linked to the activities of far-right groups that emerged after the collapse of the eastern bloc and have used football as a vehicle.
"Compared to the work that has been done in England, Russian football is on a different planet, and if it were to stage the World Cup in four years there is no chance racism would have been dealt with.
"But if it were to win the right to host the 2018 tournament there would be time to address the problem and I'm sure that they would do so.
"We are trying to get in touch with the Russian bid to start a dialogue about this."
The Telegraph
Russia's World Cup bid has been dented by recent incidents including the unveiling of a banner featuring a banana with the words "Thanks West Brom" aimed at West Bromwich Albion striker Peter Odemwingie by fans of his former club Lokomotiv Moscow.
Russia 2018 chief executive Alexei Sorokin initially denied that the incident was racist, claiming that the phrase "to get a banana" meant to fail a test in Russian slang. "There was nothing racial in it," Sorokin said.
Sorokin's view has been challenged however by the FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe) Network, a coalition of football anti-racism campaigners that has run campaigns with Fifa and Uefa.
Piara Powar, executive director of FARE, said the banner was clearly racist in intention, and indicated that the Russian game faced wider problems.
"The context in which the banner was used was clearly racist in context, and to suggest otherwise is a nonsense," he told Telegraph Sport.
"Russian domestic football has a problem with racism that is quite systematic and insidious, it is linked to the activities of far-right groups that emerged after the collapse of the eastern bloc and have used football as a vehicle.
"Compared to the work that has been done in England, Russian football is on a different planet, and if it were to stage the World Cup in four years there is no chance racism would have been dealt with.
"But if it were to win the right to host the 2018 tournament there would be time to address the problem and I'm sure that they would do so.
"We are trying to get in touch with the Russian bid to start a dialogue about this."
The Telegraph
French Senate votes to ban Islamic full veil in public
The proposed measure was already backed by the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, in July.
The ban will come into force in six months' time if it is not overturned by constitutional judges.
The ban has strong public support, but critics point out that only a tiny minority of French Muslims wear the full veil.
President Nicolas Sarkozy has backed the ban as part of a wider debate on French identity but opponents say the government is pandering to far-right voters.
Spain and Belgium are debating similar legislation, and with such large-scale immigration in the past 20 or 30 years, identity has become a popular theme across Europe, correspondents say.
Council's warning
On Tuesday, the Senate voted 246 to 1 in favour of the bill.
It will be now sent immediately to France's Constitutional Council watchdog, which has a month to confirm its legality.
Another challenge is possible at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, where decisions are binding.
There are estimated to be only about 2,000 women wearing the full veil in France.
The bill makes it illegal to wear garments such as the niqab or burka, which incorporate a full-face veil, anywhere in public.
It envisages fines of 150 euros (£119) for women who break the law and 30,000 euros and a one-year jail term for men who force their wives to wear the burka.
The niqab and burka are widely seen in France as threats to women's rights and the secular nature of the state.
The bill is also seen as a touchstone for the Mr Sarkozy administration's policy of integration. It is grappling with disaffected immigrant communities as it seeks to prevent a repeat of the mass unrest of 2005 on run-down French housing estates.
In March, the Council of State, France's highest administrative body, warned that the law could be found unconstitutional
BBC News
'Mate crime' fears for people with learning disabilities (UK)
Steven Hoskin had strong feelings about his killers. They had abused, exploited and humiliated him over a year, taking his money, treating him as their slave and making him wear his own dog's collar and lead. Eventually, having forced him to swallow 70 painkillers, they took him to the top of a railway viaduct and made him hang from the railings as one member of the gang, a girl aged 16, stamped on his hands until he fell 30 metres to his death.
Yet these were the people the 38-year-old, who had severe learning disabilities, had boasted excitedly of counting as friends. "He thought they were the cat's whiskers," says Morley Richards, who had known Hoskin before he met the group. "He would say, 'They're my mates, I've got my own mates now.'"
Hoskin's case is extreme, but the phenomenon of learning disabled people being groomed by those who pretend to be their friends before being exploited by them financially, physically or sexually – "mate crime", as it is sometimes known – is far from rare, experts say, and appears to be on the increase. As more individuals are given the chance to live independently, the unwelcome side effect is that they are more likely to fall prey to criminals. Hoskin was a case in point: he had left the tiny Cornish village of Maudlin, near Bodmin, where he had grown up, and was thrilled to have his own bedsit in the market town of St Austell, where he made his new "friends".
The Association for Real Change (ARC) has been researching mate crime for the past year in Calderdale, west Yorkshire, and in north Devon, after a groundswell of concern among its members who are service providers for people with learning disabilities. Examples it has been told about range from perpetrators routinely going to a victim's house and clearing their cupboards of food and alcohol before leaving them to clear up the mess, to instances of people being persuaded to part with their benefits.
Women can be sexually exploited by men who claim to be their boyfriend, says David Grundy, who runs the Calderdale project. "They might be told, 'We're a couple and we haven't got any money – if you sleep with my mate he'll pay us.'" In other cases, someone with learning disabilities may be asked to look after a package that contains drugs and end up being beaten up as a result, or go shoplifting with their new-found friends carrying a weapon, only to get caught by police.
The victim may not realise that what is happening is wrong. "There can be a feeling of, 'He's my friend, that's what friends do,'" says Grundy. "People with learning disabilities have fewer friends. For some, any friends is better than no friends, even if they're spending all your money.
"It involves a lot of issues [around] self-belief and self-worth: thinking it's all right for people to walk all over them all the time, because that's what's happened to them the whole of their lives."
Rod Landman, from the north Devon project, likens the situation to domestic violence. "The primacy of the relationship can be more important than what's happening inside it. People are prepared to put up with all sorts of crap to keep a relationship that may be the only one they have apart from with someone who's being paid to be with them." As a result, victims shy away from reporting such hate crime incidents to the police, or indeed anyone. Every service provider that Landman talks to will tell him of cases, he says, but no one with learning disabilities will do the same.
Some families and frontline social care staff are still unaware of what constitutes a disability hate crime and what to do when one happens, says Grundy. Abusive relationships may get flagged up to adult safeguarding teams, but their primary aim is to keep the individual safe by removing them from the situation, rather than report those committing the crimes. This means that perpetrators remain free to target others.
As cuts lead to the closure of day centres and potentially less support for vulnerable people, there are fears that the situation could get worse. Gavin Harding, vice-chair of the National Forum for People with Learning Disabilities, remembers the shock and anger he felt five years ago when he realised that someone he believed to be a friend had taken his cheque book and, together with another man, forged a cheque for £500.
"It was the fact they took advantage of me," he says. "It felt awful. You feel you can't trust people after that."
• Information on ARC's Safety Net project is at arcsafety.net.
The Guardian
CAIR director Dawud Walid: East Lansing Quran burning clearly hate crime not free speech (USA)
Dawud Walid, executive director for the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, takes exception to defenders who say burning a Quran and placing it on the steps of a mosque is an expression of free speech protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
East Lansing police say a burned Quran was found early Saturday on the doorsteps of a local mosque. Authorities initially believed the religious text was covered with feces, but Capt. Kim Johnson tells the Detroit News they no longer believe that to be true.
Regardless, Walid says authorities should treat the case as a hate crime.
Writing on his blog Monday, Walid compared the incident to burning crosses used to intimidate African Americans.
Sept. 13: The Supreme Court ruled in 2003 relating to cross burnings that acts that are meant to intimidate persons (minorities in particular) on their private properties are not protected under the 1st Amendment. Therefore, it is illegal to burn a cross in the yard of a Black man, for instance, or at a Black church because this is a clear act of intimidation. Likewise, to paint a swastika in the parking lot of a Jewish Temple would not be protected speech besides it also being trespassing.
And to burn the foundation of the religion of Islam, the Qur’an, at the entrance of a mosque on mosque property is also an act of religious hatred and intimidation.
...In short, if persons burn a cross or the Qur’an on their own private properties, that’s their right to freely express themselves. However, if persons go to others’ private properties or houses of worship and do such while trespassing, this goes outside the bounds of responsible free speech.
The East Lansing incident occurred shortly after Rev. Terry Jones backed off plans to hold a Koran burning in Florida. Jones' statements and Saturday's discovery of the burned Quran in East Lansing sparked outrage from Muslims around the world.
Here in Metro Detroit, a group of Dearborn Muslims led by attorney Majed Moughni on Friday burned effigies of pastor Jones and Osama bin Laden. Moughni, a Republican who lost his primary bid to take on Rep. John Dingell in November, held the rally on his own lawn and said the event was designed to show that "Islam is against terrorism."
Mlive
East Lansing police say a burned Quran was found early Saturday on the doorsteps of a local mosque. Authorities initially believed the religious text was covered with feces, but Capt. Kim Johnson tells the Detroit News they no longer believe that to be true.
Regardless, Walid says authorities should treat the case as a hate crime.
Writing on his blog Monday, Walid compared the incident to burning crosses used to intimidate African Americans.
Sept. 13: The Supreme Court ruled in 2003 relating to cross burnings that acts that are meant to intimidate persons (minorities in particular) on their private properties are not protected under the 1st Amendment. Therefore, it is illegal to burn a cross in the yard of a Black man, for instance, or at a Black church because this is a clear act of intimidation. Likewise, to paint a swastika in the parking lot of a Jewish Temple would not be protected speech besides it also being trespassing.
And to burn the foundation of the religion of Islam, the Qur’an, at the entrance of a mosque on mosque property is also an act of religious hatred and intimidation.
...In short, if persons burn a cross or the Qur’an on their own private properties, that’s their right to freely express themselves. However, if persons go to others’ private properties or houses of worship and do such while trespassing, this goes outside the bounds of responsible free speech.
The East Lansing incident occurred shortly after Rev. Terry Jones backed off plans to hold a Koran burning in Florida. Jones' statements and Saturday's discovery of the burned Quran in East Lansing sparked outrage from Muslims around the world.
Here in Metro Detroit, a group of Dearborn Muslims led by attorney Majed Moughni on Friday burned effigies of pastor Jones and Osama bin Laden. Moughni, a Republican who lost his primary bid to take on Rep. John Dingell in November, held the rally on his own lawn and said the event was designed to show that "Islam is against terrorism."
Mlive
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
John Simm's shock at 'casual racism' in Nelson (UK)
The star of Life on Mars, who spent his first 16 years in the town from 1970 to 1986, said he had difficulty dealing with attitudes in the town.
He said: “You do come across casual racism up there and I can’t really deal with it, whether it’s someone in the family or friends of the family.
“It jars, it’s shocking.”
Mr Simm, who has also featured in Dr Who, rarely talks about his Pendle upbringing. He made the comments in an in-depth interview with The Guardian.
Most community leaders agreed with Simm’s claims that the town suffered from casual racism, but were divided on potential solutions.
Coun Mohammed Iqbal, leader of the Labour group in Pendle, even said that he felt there wasn't much that could be done, although others believed great strides had been made in recent years.
The only criticism of Mr Simm was from council leader Mike Blomeley, who said he did not feel there was an issue.
Coun Iqbal said racism existed in the town from both white and asian people, but he believes it is no different to many other towns..
“You come across casual or serious racism in all communities,” he said.
“There are issues with a small minority of people but I think most people just rub along with each other.”
Coun Iqbal said casual racism was something that people in the town had to live with.
He said: “I grew up in Nelson and came across casual racism but you just take it on the chin.
“It is something that has always gone on. It hasn’t changed in recent years. There is no more or less racism than there was 30 years ago.
“I don’t think it has anything to do with split communities or large Asian communities.
"It is just how humans are and how we want to stereotype people. It happens on both sides.
“It is something that people will have to live with. There isn’t much that can be done to tackle it."
Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson said that the town had similar problems to others in East Lancashire or West Yorkshire, and blamed the straight talking attitudes of people in the area.
“There is a prevalence of casual racism in the area,” he said, “but that's the same in large parts of East Lancashire and West Yorkshire.
“It is the attitude of people to speak frankly and make comments that they don’t see as offensive.
“It is difficult for people to deal with casual racism. We need to do more to educate people, but I don’t think we need any big campaigns.
“I think the issue will resolve itself over time.
Coun Blomeley, leader of Pendle Council, told of his disappointment at Mr Simm’s comments.
“I don’t really think it is an issue," he said. "There will always be individual issues that crop up but we’ve not had anything serious happen in Pendle.
“I’m sure it does probably go on, but life is like that. People aren’t perfect, and it happens from both communities.”
Euro MP Sajjad Karim, who grew up Nelson and has been a councillor in Pendle, said he believed that the town had changed for the better in recent years.
“I would have grown up in Nelson at the same time as John Simm,” he said.
“I think there was a problem in those days. I witnessed violent racism as well as casual racism.
“It is much better now than it was. I am in and out of Nelson all the time and think it has changed a lot.
“The key is to get communities together and mixing. That didn’t happen in the 70s and 80s and there was a lot of overt and open racism.
Coun Tony Beckett, mayor of Pendle, said the solution was to talk to people to find out why it happened.
“Why do some people feel the need to insult someone who, in most instances, they have never met or spoken to before?
“It's better to say nothing that say something inflammatory.
“If we don’t speak to people to find out what causes this then we will never find the solution.”
Lancashire Telegraph
France to vote on Muslim veil ban
One woman says she will stay at home and pray, but other women may risk arrest to defy a ban on the burka-style veil if a bill to outlaw the Islamic garment becomes law in France.
The ban, being voted on in the French Senate, would affect only a tiny minority of Muslim women - estimated at less than 2,000 - making it far less controversial than France's 2004 ban on Muslim head scarves in classrooms, which proliferated in heavily immigrant neighbourhoods.
However, many Muslims believe the latest legislation is but one more blow to France's second religion, and risks raising the level of Islamophobia in a country where mosques, like synagogues, are sporadic targets of hate.
The proposed law was passed overwhelmingly by the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, on July 13.
The expected green light from the Senate would make it definitive once the president signs off on it - barring amendments and an eventual decision by dissenting MPs to seek the opinion of the Constitutional Council.
At least 60 are needed to ask the council to decide whether the bill meets constitutional muster.
The measure would outlaw face-covering veils on the street, including those worn by tourists. It is aimed at ensuring gender equality, women's dignity and security, as well as upholding France's secular values - and its way of life.
Backers insist it is not anti-Muslim but is aimed at getting all Muslims to integrate fully into French society. Ironically, the measure may keep some women cloistered in their homes to avoid exposing their faces in public.
Muslim leaders concur that Islam does not require a woman to hide her face. However, they have voiced concerns that a law forbidding them to do so would stigmatise the French Muslim population, which at an estimated five million is the largest in western Europe.
The Telegraph
The ban, being voted on in the French Senate, would affect only a tiny minority of Muslim women - estimated at less than 2,000 - making it far less controversial than France's 2004 ban on Muslim head scarves in classrooms, which proliferated in heavily immigrant neighbourhoods.
However, many Muslims believe the latest legislation is but one more blow to France's second religion, and risks raising the level of Islamophobia in a country where mosques, like synagogues, are sporadic targets of hate.
The proposed law was passed overwhelmingly by the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, on July 13.
The expected green light from the Senate would make it definitive once the president signs off on it - barring amendments and an eventual decision by dissenting MPs to seek the opinion of the Constitutional Council.
At least 60 are needed to ask the council to decide whether the bill meets constitutional muster.
The measure would outlaw face-covering veils on the street, including those worn by tourists. It is aimed at ensuring gender equality, women's dignity and security, as well as upholding France's secular values - and its way of life.
Backers insist it is not anti-Muslim but is aimed at getting all Muslims to integrate fully into French society. Ironically, the measure may keep some women cloistered in their homes to avoid exposing their faces in public.
Muslim leaders concur that Islam does not require a woman to hide her face. However, they have voiced concerns that a law forbidding them to do so would stigmatise the French Muslim population, which at an estimated five million is the largest in western Europe.
The Telegraph
Discontent fuels Mongolia's far-right groups
Mongolians helped the Soviets defeat the Nazis and, for decades after, Moscow's influence was strongest here.
But these days China pours more money into this country than any other does. Some of it is aid. Some of it is investment.
China's People's Liberation Army has handed over nearly $3m (£1.95m) this year in aid to the Mongolian military.
At a signing ceremony at the defence ministry, senior officers from both countries toasted each other after two generals signed their latest agreement. Everyone smiled.
But some Mongolians are suspicious of these close ties. They want to know what China really wants.
They suspect their powerful neighbour is a bully, not a benefactor, and that such co-operation could, in time, start to undermine the Mongolian way of life.
'Just nationalism'
The signs of their resentment are not hard to find. Swastikas and slogans are daubed on walls across the city.
On the internet the groups show how they are fighting back against what they see as attempts to dilute the Mongolian race.
A YouTube video shows a man shaving the head of a Mongolian woman. Next to her a Chinese man sits with his hands over his face.
It is a very public warning to Mongolian women. This is what happens if you sleep with Chinese men.
It was posted by a member of a far-right group called Dayar Mongol.
Erdenebileg Zenemyadar is its founder. His group's website shows members carrying Nazi flags. The swastika is part of the group's logo.
However, he insists he is a nationalist, not a Nazi. He comes to meet us in traditional dress - the kind of outfit nomadic herders wear out on the steppes.
His organisation is blamed by human rights groups for dozens of attacks on women, foreigners and others they see as threatening the purity of their race.
Violence he condemns, but he defends the shaving of the woman's head.
While he says his organisation does not order or sanction attacks, he offers this explanation for them.
"Young people see foreigners breaking the law and they're not happy," he says. "So they're threatening them, sometimes robbing them. It's wrong but it's happening a lot.
One of his members joins our conversation. Soronzon Jamsran is 28 years old. He is an electrician and a new recruit to Dayar Mongol.He is wearing combat trousers, a black t-shirt and, round his neck, a swastika on a chain.
"In Mongolian we call this the khas symbol," he says.
"Germany's nationalists tried to cleanse their nation, so for me [the swastika] stands for keeping our nation pure. It's not like I support Germany or I'm a Nazi. It's just nationalism."
'Scapegoats'
Robyn Garner, a gay activist in Ulan Bator, is sympathetic to the concerns many Mongolians have about the activities of foreign corporations here.
"You have a large section of the population watching resources, assets being sold off to foreigners," she says.
"I can understand that people are looking for scapegoats, for ideologies to channel their concerns."
But she is worried that the discontent is fuelling the violent agenda of the far-right groups who are targeting her community.
Two transgender women had to flee the country after they were assaulted.
"I'm in constant fear," he says, "and unless we do something it's just going to get worse and worse."
Luvsandendev Sumati, a Mongolian opinion pollster, points out that in the 2008 parliamentary elections, the party associated with these far-right groups won less than 1% of the vote.They are still operating on the margins, he argues, although he does feel they reflect concerns that many share here.
"Small cultures are dissipating and disappearing," he said.
"It's a real threat. In some ways Mongolian society should react to that. The question is will it react in a civilised way or will it try to go to extremes?"
Some here argue these groups are adopting the symbols of the Nazis because they are not yet a strong enough political force to create their own ideology.
But those targeted by them feel they are a real threat and their influence is growing.
Perhaps that is no surprise. We found one city centre bar filled with Nazi memorabilia.
There were swastikas painted on the floor, reproductions of propaganda posters on the wall, even mannequins dressed in Nazi uniforms.
Inside there were not extremists, just girls on a night out, a couple drinking quietly in one corner - no-one, it appeared, giving a second thought to the idea that these symbols would provoke offence elsewhere.
The threats, the violence, the use of Nazi symbols all help to garner attention for the extremist groups here - Nazis or nationalists, the label does not really matter.
They seem to enjoy the notoriety it brings.
The challenge for Mongolia's authorities will be to address the concerns that fuel their anger and resentment and win them support, while limiting their opportunity to do real harm.
BBC News
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